MAN: First of all, let me thank you all for coming to this public meeting, to discuss the future of our town. Our first speaker is Shona Ferguson, from Barford town council. Shone.
SHONA: Thank you. First I’ll briefly give you some background information, then I’ll be asking you for your comments on developments in the town.
Well, as you don’t need me to tell you, Barford has changed a great deal in the last 50 years. These are some of the main changes.
Fifty years ago, buses linked virtually every part of the town and the neighbouring towns and villages. Most people used them frequently, but not now because the bus companies concentrate on just the routes that attract most passengers. So parts of the town are no longer served by buses 【Q11】. Even replacing old uncomfortable buses with smart new ones has had little impact on passenger numbers. It’s sometimes said that bus fares are too high, but in relation to average incomes, fares are not much higher than they were 50 years ago.
Changes in the road network are affecting the town. The centre was recently closed to traffic on a trial basis, making it much safer to pedestrians. The impact of this is being measured. The new cycle paths separating bikes from cars in most main roads, are being used far more than was expected reducing traffic and improving air quality 【Q12】. And although the council’s attempts to have a bypass constructed have failed, we haven’t given up hope of persuading the government to change its mind.
Shopping in the town centre has changed over the years. Many of us can remember when the town was crowded with people going shopping. Numbers have been falling for several years, despite efforts to attract shoppers, for instance by opening new car parks. some people combine shopping with visits to the town’s restaurants and cafés. Most shops are small independent stores, which is good, but many people prefer to use supermarkets and department stores in nearby large towns, as there are so few well-known chain stores here. 【Q13】
Turning how to medical facilities, the town is served by family doctors in several medical practices – fewer than 50 years ago, but each catering for far more patients. Our hospital closed 15 years ago 【Q14】, which means journeys to other towns are unavoidable. On the other hand, there are more dentists than there used to be. Employment patterns have changed, along with almost everything else. The number of schools and colleges has increased making that the main employment sector 【Q15】. Services, such as website design and accountancy, have grown in importance, and surprisingly, perhaps, manufacturing hasn’t seen the decline that has affected it in other parts of the country.
Now I’ll very quickly outline current plans for some of the town’s facilities, before asking for your comments.
As you’ll know if you regularly use the car park at the railway station, it’s usually full. The railway company applied for permission to replace it with a multi-storey car park, but that was refused. Instead, the company has bought some adjoining land, and this will be used to increase the number of parking spaces. 【Q16】
The Grand, the old cinema in the high street will close at the end of the year, and reopen on a different site 【Q17】. You’ve probably seen the building under construction. The plan is to have three screens with fewer seats, rather than just the one large auditorium in the old cinema.
I expect many of you shop in the indoor market. It’s become more and more shabby-looking, and because of fears about safety, it was threatened with demolition. The good news is that it will close for sex weeks to be made safe and redecorated, and the improved building will open in July. 【Q18】
Lots of people use the library, including school and college students who go there to study. The council has managed to secure funding to keep the library open later into the evening, twice a week 【Q19】. We would like to enlarge the building in the not-too-distant future, but this is by no means definite.
There’s no limit on access to the nature reserve on the edge of town, and this will continue be the case. What will change, though, is that the council will no longer be in charge of the area. Instead it will become the responsibility of a national body that administers most nature reserves in the country. 【Q20】
OK, now let me ask you …
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
听前预测：定位词 fewer people use buses、Barford；选项关键词 bus old uncomfortable、fares gone up、not many bus routes。
题目解析：本题问的是为什么越来越少的人乘坐公交。听力原文“Most people used them frequently, but not now”同义替换题干关键词 fewer people use buses，然后带出答案“because the bus companies concentrate on just the routes that attract most pas-sengers. So parts of the town are no longer served by buses.”其中 no longer served by buses 被 not so many bus routes 同义替换，因此答案为 C。干扰项为 B，但是原文用了转折词 but，所以该项被排除。
听前预测：定位词 road network、benefited most；选项关键词 bypass、cycle paths、banning of cars。
题目解析：本题问的是道路的哪方面改变使小镇最为受益 。答案为“The new cycle paths, separating bikes from cars in most main roads, are being used far more than was expected, reducing traffic and improving air quality.”其中 being used far more than was expected, reducing traffic and improving air quality 同义替换了 benefited most， 因此答案为 B。干扰项为 A，但是原文用了 fail，所以排除该项。
听前预测：定位词 problem、shopping；选项关键词 parking spaces、major retailers、restaurants cafés。
题目解析：本题问的是哪些问题影响小镇购物。答案为“but many people prefer to use supermarkets and department stores in nearby large towns, as there are so few well-known chain stores here.”其中 department store、well-known chain stores 同义替换了 major retailers，因此答案为 B。其中干扰项 A，原文意思是为了吸引购物人群，小镇建了更多的停车位，但这并不意味着停车位是造成购物人数下降的原因，原文和选项意思不符，所以排除。干扰项 C 原文虽有提及，但并不是影响购物的因素，所以排除。
听前预测：定位词 medical facilities、Barford；选项关键词 no hospital、new medical practices、 dentists low。
题目解析：本题问的是 Shona 是怎么介绍那些医疗设施的。其中干扰项 B，虽有提及 medical practices 但是并未提及要建新的，所以排除该项；干扰项 C，原文意思为相比以前牙医的数量有所增加，所以该项排除。答案为“Our hospital closed 15 years ago, which means journeys to other towns are unavoidable.”其中 closed 同义替换了 no hospital，因此答案为 A。
听前预测：定位词 largest number、employed。
题目解析：本题问的是哪个领域就业率最高。答案提到“The number of schools and colleges has increased, making that the main employment sector.”其中 schools、colleges 同义替换了 education，main employment sector 同义替换了 largest number，即强调了这是主要的雇佣行业，因此答案选 C。干扰项 B 虽有提及，但并没有说是雇佣的主要行业；干扰项 A，原文提到制造业没有下降，但并不意味着这是主要雇佣行业，所以排除。