2022-2023学年浙江省台州八校联盟高二下学期期中考试英语试题含答案

  2022 学年第二学期台州八校联盟期中联考

高二年级英语学科 试题

选择题部分

第一部分 听力（共两节，满分 30 分）

做题时，先将答案标在试卷上。录音内容结束后，你将有两分钟的时间将试卷上的答案转涂到答题卡上。

第一节（共 5 小题；每小题 1.5 分，满分 7.5 分）

听下面 5 段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的 A、B、C 三个选项中选出最佳选项。听完每段对话后，你都有 10 秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。

1. Where does the conversation probably take place?

A. In a hospital.   B. In a bookstore.   C.In a library.

2. How much was the man’s new bike?

A. $ 50.   B. $ 170.   C. $120.

3. What kind of books did the man prefer as an adult?

A.Detective stories.   B. Science fiction.   C. Adventure stories.

4. Where did Steve’s mother go in the summer?

A. China.   B. Mexico.   C. Australia.

5. Why does Bob refuse the woman’s offer?

A. He is very busy.   B. He is poorly paid.   C. He is not confident.

第二节（共 15 小题；每小题 1.5 分，满分 22.5 分）

听下面 5 段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的 A、B、C 三个选项中选出最佳选项。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题 5 秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出 5 秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。

听第 6 段材料，回答第 6 、7 题。

6. What day is it today?

A. Friday.   B. Saturday.   C. Sunday.

7. What does the woman advise the man to do?

A.Miss the party.

B. Rearrange his schedule.

C. Have dinner with his parents as planned.

听第 7 段材料，回答第 8 至 10 题。

8. What does the woman do?

A.She's a bank clerk.   B. She’s a receptionist.   C. She’s a salesperson.

9. What is the discount for the man?

A. 10%.   B. 15%.   C. 20%.

10. How will the man pay finally?

A. By card.   B. By check.   C. By cash.

听第 8 段材料，回答第 11 至 13 题。

11. What is the man going to do?

A.Work in the employment office.

B. Help some students find jobs.

C. Find a part-time job in the school.

12. How long does the man want to work per week?

A. Over 20 hours.   B. 10 to 20 hours.   C. Only 10 hours.

13. What does the woman tell the man to do tomorrow?

A. Phone her.   B. Fill out a form.   C. Tell her some news.

听第 9 段材料，回答第 14 至 17 题。

14. Where is the man now?

A. In the US.   B. In Iceland.   C. In Ireland.

15. What does the man think of the people here generally?

A.Sad.   B. Careless.   C. Friendly.

16. How did the man feel about the life here?

A. Difficult.   B. Relaxing.   C. Amazing.

17. What does the man like here?

A. The people's sense of humor.

B. The rainy weather.

C. The totally different food.

听第 10 段材料，回答第 18 至 20 题。

18. How long will the exhibition run?

A. For about twelve weeks.

B. For about eight weeks.

C. For about ten weeks.

19. What is Kate Maine good at?

A. Designing dining tables.

B. Planting garden vegetables.

C. Making pots and bowls.

20. What will Cynthia Course introduce in the exhibition?

A. Her silver jewelry.

B. Her colored stones.

C. Her white paper sculpture.

第二部分 阅读（共两节，满分 50 分）

第一节（共 15 小题；每小题 2.5 分，满分 37.5 分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的 A、B、C、D 四个选项中选出最佳选项。

A

New Attractions Across the UK

Glide at Battersea power station, London

The Battersea power station has London’s newest ice-skating arena. Glide has three interconnected skating areas around a 10-metre Christmas tree. There is a rinkside bar serving wine and hot chocolate; street-food trucks and huts dishing up hog roasts and fondues; and a vintage fun fair.

Until 8 January, from £8 children /£12 adults /£36 families,

www.batterseapowerstation.co.uk

Wake the Tiger, Bristol

This “amazement park ” combines an art gallery, theme park and film set. Artists , videographers and robotics experts have teamed up to make an immersive experience with 27 different environments, such as secret passageways, hidden forests and ice caves. Visitors enter a portal to a parallel dimension , emerging in an abandoned factory that is now home to alchemists （炼金术士） who are trying to save the world.

£12.50 children /£18.50adults,

www.wakethetiger.com

The Children ' s Country House at Sudbury , Derbyshire

Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire reopened as the Children’s Country House - the first stately home aimed at kids. The National Trust worked with 100 children to make the hall fun and interactive, so now visitors can create their own portraits in the picture gallery, dance and sing in the saloon and curl up with a book in the library. There is also an evacuee - themed escape room, a revamped museum of childhood and gardens with new play and picnic areas.

£11 children /£22 adults /£55 families ,

www. nationaltrust. org. uk

Eureka ! Science and Discovery , Merseyside

Designed for children under 15, Eureka! is a museum aiming to bring science, technology, engineering and maths to life. Home, exploring how things around the house work; and Nature, looking at solutions to big environmental problems. Mersey Ferries is offering museum - goers 20% off river cruise tickets, so families can combine a visit with a hop - on, hop - off boat trip from Liverpool.

From L6.95 children /£15.95 adults , closed 1 January,

www. eurekadiscovery. org. uk

21. Where is the amazement park Wake the Tiger located?

A. In London.   B. In Bristol.

C. In Derbyshire.   D. In Merseyside.

22. What can people do in The Children's Country House?

A. Paint pictures.   B. Make a film.

C. Go ice - skating.  D.Take a cruise.

23. Which website can a parent visit if he wants his kid to acquire scientific knowledge?

A. www. batterseapowerstation. co. uk.   B. www.wakethetiger.com.

C. www. nationaltrust. org. uk.     D. www. eurekadiscotery. org. uk.

B

As a young girl growing up in France, Sarah Toumi dreamed of becoming a leader who could make the world a better place. Her passion to help others was awakened when, from the age of nine, she accompanied her Tunisian father to his birthplace in the east of the country during holidays. There she organized homework clubs and activities for children. Toumi witnessed first-hand the destructive effect of desertification. “Within 10 years rich farmers became worse off, and in 10 years from now they will be poor. I wanted to stop the Sahara Desert in its tracks.”A decrease in average rainfall and an increase in the severity of droughts have led to an estimated 75 per cent of Tunisia’s agricultural lands being threatened by desertification.

Toumi recognized that farming practices needed to change. She is confident that small land areas can bring large returns if farmers are able to adapt by planting sustainable crops, using new technologies for water treatment and focusing on natural products and fertilizers rather than chemicals.

In 2012, Toumi strengthened her dream to fight the desert. She moved to Tunisia, and set up a programme named Acacias for All to put her sustainable farming philosophy into action. “I want to show young people in rural areas that they can create opportunities where they are. Nobody is better able to understand the impact of desertification and climate change than somebody who is living with no access to water.”

By September 2016, more than 130, 000 acacia trees had been planted on 20 pilot farms, with farmers recording a 60 per cent survival rate. Toumi estimates that some 3 million acacia trees are needed to protect Tunisia’s farmland. She expects to plant 1 million trees by 2018. In the next couple of years, Toumi hopes to extend the programme to Algeria and Morocco.

24. How did Toumi's holiday trips to Tunisia influence her?

A. They made her decide to leave the country.

B. They helped her better understand her father.

C. They fired her enthusiasm for helping others.

D. They destroyed her dream of being a teacher.

25. What is the main cause of the desertification of Tunisia's farmland?

A. Low rainfall.   B. Soil pollution.   C. Cold weather.   D. Forest damage.

26. Why did Toumi set up Acacias for All in Tunisia?

A. To create job opportunities for young people.

B. To help the children obtain a basic education.

C. To persuade the farmers not to use fertilizers.

D. To facilitate the protection of their farmland.

27. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A. Saving Water in Tunisia   B. Planting Trees of Native Species

C. Holding back the Sahara   D. Fighting Poverty in North Africa

C

WHEN KIM JI-UN lived in Seoul, she worried about finding a good job. Now, she is worried that drought may ruin her crop. The 23-year-old started a farm last year. Her first harvest was a success; she was surprised that her black beans did better than her strawberries.

Ms Kim is part of a phenomenon called kwichon, or returning to rural life. Created a millennium ago, kwichon appears during periods of economic hardship. This time, in the wake of the pandemic, many new farmers have never lived in the countryside before. By planting young farmers in rural areas, the government hopes to enjoy big rewards in future.

The plan is working. In 2021 nearly 380, 000 people moved to the countryside. Comfort with digital technology gives young farmers a leg up, says Cho Kyung-ik, the director of the Beginning Farmer's Centre, an institution educating those who wish to kwichon at its downtown offices. They sell fresh produce on Naver, South Korea's largest search engine.

The centre teaches techniques like how to use a tractor or select the best crops. It arranges a trial period during which ambitious farmers work under the guidance of an old hand, learning what it means to do back-breaking labour from dawn to dusk.

The most important lesson is how to get on with the locals. The villagers are also offered tips on how to act towards the newcomers. That part is not yet a total success. Ms Kim says her neighbors have a bad temper. “The old people come in here and give me unwanted advice, or say that I will never be able to grow anything,” she says. Her black beans beg to differ. She and the South Korean government will be hoping that her crops put the argument to rest for good.

28. Why does the writer tell Ms Kim's story?

A.To explain a solution.   B. To introduce a topic.

C. To start a discussion.   D. To make a comparison.

29. What does the underlined “a leg up” in paragraph 3 mean?

A. A helping hand.   B. A new identity.

C. A big reward.   D. A different idea.

30. What is the challenge for the young farmers?

A. Farming techniques.   B. Hard work.

C. Communicative skills.  D. Unwanted advice.

31. What can we infer from kwichon in South Korea?

A. Farming makes huge profits.     B. Locals need technical training.

C. It helps to bring rural areas back to life.   D. Government should help farmers.

D

There’s a new AI bot: ChatGPT, and you’d better pay attention, even if you aren’t into artificial intelligence. The tool is an AI chatbot system that OpenAI released in November 2022 to show off and test what a very large, powerful AI system can achieve.

ChatGPT remembers the thread of your dialogue, using previous questions and answers to inform its next responses. It gets its answers from huge quantities of information on the Internet. ChatGPT is built on top of the OpenAI GPT-3 family of large language models and is fine-tuned (a method of transfer learning) using both supervised and reinforcement（强化） learning.

You can ask ChatGPT anything, like explaining physics, asking for birthday party ideas and getting programming help. Perhaps it’s not smart enough to replace all humans yet, but it can be creative, and its answers can sound professional. A few days after its launch, more than 1 million people were trying out ChatGPT. UBS analyst Lloyd Walmsley estimated in February 2023 that ChatGPT reached 100 million monthly users in January, accomplishing in 2 months what took TikTok about 9 months and Instagram two and a half years.

ChatGPT is free to use at the moment because it is still in its research phase. But when too many people hop onto the server, it overloads and can’t process your request. It just means you should try visiting the site at a later time when fewer people are trying to access it. If you want to skip the wait and have reliable access, there is an option for you. As of Feb.1, 2023, OpenAI has a ChatGPT pro plan, ChatGPT Plus, which allows users to have general access even during peak times. This service does come at a cost of $20/month.

However, ChatGPT can not replace Google. ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence bot that provides solutions to your questions, but Google is a search engine in which you can search for as much information as possible. ChatGPT has limited knowledge due to its programming but Google has unlimited knowledge which is updated every day.

32. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about ChatGPT?

A. Its language model.    B. Its working theory.

C. Its design inspiration.   D. Its development process.

33. Why are Tiktok and Instagram mentioned in paragraph 3?

A. To show the popularity of ChatGPT.

B. To stress the high cost of inventing ChatGPT.

C. To present the creativity of artificial intelligence.

D. To prove the necessity of developing tools for chatting online.

34. What is ChatGPT Plus intended for?

A. Guiding users to experience free services.

B. Allowing net surfers to skip advertisements.

C. Helping researchers detect the failure of the system.

D. Offering consumers priority access during peak hours.

35. What is a limitation of ChatGPT compared with Google?

A. It operates based on limited data.

B. It takes more time to search for solutions.

C. It can only update information at a fixed time.

D. It may provide replies unrelated to the questions.

第二节（共 5 小题；每小题 2.5 分，满分 12.5 分）

阅读下面短文，从短文后的选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Planting and growing things offer a lot more than fresh vegetables and flowers. Working in a nice outdoor space can benefit people in more than one way. 36.

It's a fun workout. It ' s wonderful to get out in the garden on a beautiful day to give it a tidy.    37   . Planting seeds, pulling up weeds, moving pots, pushing a lawnmower, and other gardening tasks actually provide a whole - body, moderate - intensity workout for adults over 65 years old, suggests a 2014 paper from the American Society for Horticultural Science. Even better, whatever your age, it is an activity with a purpose - and one that might keep you in motion longer than traditional exercise.

   38    More than just good exercise for your body, gardening provides a workout for your brain, according to a 2019 study that appeared in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Researchers measured brain nerve growth factors related to memory in study participants - all seniors - before and after they created a vegetable garden, and found that their levels of brain nerve growth had increased significantly.

It boosts your immune system. Having dirt under your fingernails may be a sign of poor hygiene, but scientists say it could also be a mark of good health. Thanks to beneficial bacteria found in soil, gardening may strengthen your immune system,    39   , according to research that includes a 2015 study published in the international journal ImmunoTargets and Therapy.

It nourishes your spirit.    40    , suggests an experiment conducted by NASA in 2016. The scientists found that planting and nurturing seeds, even in small pots, lifted astronauts’ moods and eased their stress in the severe environment of outer space. And if gardening can do that for astronauts, it should be more than good enough for those of us who watch them on TV.

A. It sharpens your mind

B. It improves adaptability

C. Here are some science - based advantages

D. Helping you get sick less and fight off infections easier

E. Helping you have a better appetite and gain more weight

F. Knowing it ' s doing you good physically might make it more entertaining

G. Working with plants provides stress relief and positive sensory stimulation

第三部分 语言运用（共两节，满分 30 分）

第一节 （共 15 小题；每小题 1 分，满分 15 分）

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的 A、B、C、D 四个选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

I was a stay-at-home dad, which gave me plenty of time to cook. Ever since I was a kid, cooking had been one of my    41   . My dad had given me some great advice. “If you’re gonna cook,” he began, “you might as well make sure it’s tasty.” So with that    42   , I’d set about making each dish as    43    as I could. I figured that if something looked and    44    good then, chances were, it would taste great too.

One day, I was on the Internet when I noticed my best friend, Dave had    45    a video of him cooking. He was    46    with The Fathering Project, a non-profit organization that helped men be the best dads they could. “We’re always looking for content,” he said, “Can you    47    your videos with us?” I was more than happy to    48    other fathers to get into the kitchen. So I started to    49    videos of my cooking. I also gave viewers plenty of    50   . “The kitchen can be a place to    51    with others,” I told them. My son and daughter helped me with washing and cutting, but most importantly, we all shared a    52    with each other, My videos grew so    53    that dads around the country were setting out for my suggestions. It’s been an enormous    54    to transform my enthusiasm into something that’s helping others. I hope my videos will keep giving dads a taste of the    55    cooking brings to our lives.

41. A. jobs   B.choices   C. passions   D. dreams

42. A. evidence   B. philosophy  C. permit   D. warning

43. A. small    B. simple   C. memorable  D. expensive

44. A. smelt    B.remained   C. sounded   D. felt

45. A. reserved   B. posted   C. downloaded  D. sold

46. A. settled   B. satisfied   C. compared   D. involved

47. A. share    B. change   C. trouble   D. confirm

48. A. qualify   B. require   C. encourage  D. persuade

49. A. review   B. film    C. watch   D. select

50. A. likes    B. orders   C. requests   D. tips

51. A. argue    B. compete   C. connect   D. agree

52. A. laugh    B. faith    C. lesson   D. discussion

53. A. familiar   B. popular   C. wild    D. visible

54. A. chance   B. pleasure   C. responsibility  D. task

55. A. magic    B. energy   C. fail    D. effect

非选择题部分

第二节（共 10 小题；每小题 1.5 分，满分 15 分）

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入 1 个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Brain fog is not a medical or scientific term; it    56    (use) by individuals to describe how they feel when their thinking is not sharp. We all once experienced this feeling. Perhaps you couldn’ t think    57   ( clear ) when you were sick with the flu. Or perhaps you took    58   pill that made your thinking fuzzy for a few hours. In each case you probably just waited to get back to normal, whether that meant    59   ( recover ) from your illness or waiting for the side effects of the pill to wear off.

Recently many people    60   ( struggle ) with “brain fog” since recovering from the virus of Covid -19. They may experience a lack of mental clarity, poor focus and    61   ( concentrate ), memory problems, difficulty with multitasking , and more.

   62   ( help ) clear the brain fog, it’s highly recommended to do exercise moderately    63   a daily basis. Besides, a healthy diet    64   includes olive oil, fruits and vegetables, nuts and beans, and whole grains has been proven to improve thinking, memory, and brain health. Additionally, getting engaged in various social    65   ( activity ) benefits a lot.

第四部分 写作（共两节，满分 40 分）

第一节（满分 15 分）

上周你参加了学校学生会组织的以心理健康教育为主题的系列活动，请你给校英文报写一篇报道，内容包括：

1.时间地点；2.活动内容：3.活动反响。

注意: 1.写作词数为 100 左右；

2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文流畅。

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

第二节（满分 25 分）

阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Peter woke up early in the morning. He went downstairs in a hurry and started to have his breakfast as quickly as possible. “Why are you in such a hurry, early bird?” Mum asked him. “ We will have an English spelling test today, Mum,” Peter said.“Mr. White promised to offer prizes to those who get 100.”

Peter reviewed the spelling of each word once more carefully when Dad drove him to school. At last, it was time for the students to have a test. “Responsibility, ”Mr. White started. Peter wrote it on his test paper quickly and confidently.

“The second word: contribution,” Mr. White said. “So easy.” Peter thought happily. He quickly wrote the word down. Thirty words later, the test papers were collected by Mr. White. After marking the test papers, Mr. White said, “Three of you win a prize today for excellent test scores. Peter, David and Mary get 100 on the spelling test !”

Mr. White praised them. Meanwhile, he gave the three students each a dictionary. Peter’s was an English-Chinese dictionary — the one he liked best. Peter was so excited that he held it high when his classmates cheered.

After Mr. White gave the test paper back, Peter had a look at the words, feeling proud of his spelling. All of a sudden, the word “contribution” confused him. It didn’t seem right. Peter began to compare it with the one on the word list. It turned out that he had spelled it wrong.

Staring at the red sign “100” which was written on his test paper, Peter was lost in thought. After a while, he remembered a lesson Mum used to teach him, “We ought to be an honest person.”

注意：1.续写词数应为 150 左右；

2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Paragraph 1:

Peter raised his hand slowly and nervously.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 2:

Peter didn’t expect that his teacher would praise him for being honest.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2022学年第二学期台州八校联盟期中联考

高二年级英语学科参考答案

第一部分听力

第一节（共5小题：每小题1.5，满分7.5分）

1.B 2.B 3.C 4.C 5.A

第二节（共15小题；每小题1.5分，满分22.5分）

6.A 7.B 8.B 9.C 10.A 11.C 12.B 13.A 14.C 15.C 16.A 17.A 18.A 19.C 20.A

第二部分阅读

第一节（共15小题；每小题2.5分，满分37.5分）

21.B 22.A 23.D 24.C 25.A 26.D 27.C 28.B 29.A 30.C 31.C 32.B 33.A 34.D 35.A

第二节（共5小题；每小题2.5分，满分12.5分）

36.C 37.F 38.A 39.D 40.G

第三部分语言运用

第一节（共15小题；每小题1分，满分15分）

41.C 42.B 43.C 44.A 45.B 46.D 47.A 48.C 49.B 50.D 51.C 52.A 53.B 54.B 55.A

第二节（共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分）

56.is used 57.clearly 58.a 59.recovering 60.have struggled /have been struggling 61.concentration 62.To help 63.on 64.that/which 65.activities

第四部分写作

第一节（满分15分）

Last Sunday, our school held a theme activity called “Mental Health Education” on the play ground.

The activity lasted a whole morning. At the beginning, soft music was played to create a relaxing atmosphere. With the music, we found our place and settled into a comfortable position. The teacher told us the knowledge about mental health, and asked us to relax according to her instructions and think about the happy things we had experienced. Next, we shared the pleasant things we had experienced each other in groups.

Not only is this theme activity of great benefit to our mental health but it also enriches our school life.

第二节（满分25分）

Peter raised his hand slowly and nervously. “Mr. White,I didn't get 100 in the test.I missed a word.” He stood up and handed his teacher the dictionary he liked best and his test paper. “I spelled contribution with ‘si’ instead of ‘ti’.” Peter could feel his classmates looking at him with surprise as he walked back to his desk. Mr. White held up Peter's test paper. “Class,” he said, “Peter did something even more important than spelling every word correctly in a test.” Mr. White smiled at Peter. “He taught us all a lesson on being honest.”

Peter didn't expect that his teacher would praise him for being honest. He looked around, finding that many of his classmates were smiling at him. “Peter, I want you to have this dictionary because you set a good example for all of us,” Mr. White said. Peter took the dictionary from his teacher and expressed his thanks to him with a big smile. He also really learnt the importance of honesty. He couldn't wait to tell Mum one of his best days ever.

高二英语听力原文

Text 1

M: Excuse me, where can I get the book called Great Expectations?

W: Oh, I’m sorry it was sold out.

M: Its’all right. Thank you！

Text 2

M: I paid $ 120 for my new bike.

W: How come it was so cheap?

M: Well,I got $ 50 for my old bike when I exchanged it.

Text 3

W: What kind of books do you like to read most?

M: Many kinds of books. When I was young, I liked reading science fiction. When I was a teenager, I liked reading detective stories. Now I prefer adventure stories.

Text 4

W: Steve, did you go to China with your father as planned in the summer?

M: No. My father had to take a business trip to Mexico, so I went to Australia with my mother to visit my grandparents.

Text 5

W: Bob, you’re really a good tennis player.

M: Thank you. I like playing tennis very much.

W: Why not join my training center and teach for us? You can earn some extra money.

M: I’d like to, but I don’t think I can fit that into such a tight schedule.

Text 6

W: Morning, Hands. Listen, don’t forget about the party this weekend. It’s important.

M: I’ll be there. It’s on Saturday, right?

W: Saturday? Man,the party is on Sunday, the day after tomorrow.

M: Oh, no! I’m supposed to have dinner with my parents on Sunday.

W: I think you’d better eat with your parents some other time.You can’t miss the party.

M: I’ll be there. The party is at 9: 00 p. m. , isn’t it?

W: Yeah, don’t be late.

Text 7

W: Good morning. Can I help you?

M: Good morning. I think there should be a room booked for me in the name of Barry Wilson.

W: Um, just a moment. Yes, one single room with a bathroom?

M: That’s right. I'm here to attend the Sun, Sea, and Sand Exhibition. Does that mean I can get a discount?

W: Yes, there is a 20% discount.Is it for 10 days? Is that right?

M: Yes, until the 20th. That's 10 days.

W: Good. Now, I need to have your credit card. But when you check out, you can pay bycard,

cash or check, as you wish.

M: Okay, thanks. I'll pay by this same card, then.

W: All right. Mr. Wilson, you are in Room 207. Here is the key. The lift's over there on your left.

M: Thank you very much.

Text 8

M: I'm looking for a part-time job on campus.

W: Then you've come to the right place. The employment office is here just to help students like you to find jobs on campus.

M: I'm glad to hear that, because I really need to start earning some money.

W: Well, how many hours a week do you want to work?

M: At least ten hours a week. And I don't think I can handle more than twenty hours with all the courses I'm taking.

W: And when are you free to work?

M: Every weekday from noon on. And of course I wouldn't mind working on weekends.

W: Please fill out this form with some information about your skills, and leave it with me today. Then you can call me back tomorrow, and maybe I'll have some news for you.

Text 9

W: Where do you want to go?

M: I'd like to move on to America.

W: How long have you been here?

M: I arrived a year ago.

W: Did you find life here difficult when you arrived?

M: Yes, we couldn't understand the Irish accent.And it wasn't easy getting used to the weather-it rains all the time.

W: Were the people friendly?

M: Yes, most of them. Some people thought we were taking their jobs and houses. But generally people were very friendly.

W: Is Ireland very different from your country?

M: Yes, the food’ to tally different. And people’s attitudes. People here are less relaxed than in my country. They are in more of a hurry. But I like their sense of humor.

Text 10

Hello, everyone. A new collection of artworks is going on show to the public next month in the form of an artists’ exhibition. The exhibition will include many different types of art. . . over 100 different pieces, by 58 artists from the local area. It will be held at the Royal Museum, which is opposite the library in West Street, just between the Queen’s Park and the post office. The exhibition will begin on April 4th and continue until July 5th. So there's plenty of time for you to go along and have a look. What will you see? Well, there will be some exciting pieces of modern jewelry, furniture, metalwork and sculpture. To give you some examples. . . Local artist Kate Maine will be there to discuss her collection of pots and bowls made by herself, which look like real garden vegetables. They are the sort of thing that would brighten up any dining table. Prize-winner Cynthia Course will also be there to talk about her silver jewelry. Some of her rings are quite extraordinary and have beautiful colored stones on them. Or if you prefer sculpture, there’s plenty of that, too. Take Susan Cup's white paper sculpture of 25 pairs of shoes for example. It sounds easy, but believe me it looks amazing. All of these artworks along with others will be on sale throughout the exhibition period.