Part A Spot Dictation

Directions: In this part of the test, you will hear a passage and read the same passage with blanks in it. Fill in each of the blanks with the word or words you have heard on the tape. Write your answer in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET. Remember you will hear the passage ONLY ONCE.

听力原文： According to the recent forecasts from The Futuristic magazine for 1997 and beyond, the global economy has increased 5 folds since mid-century, while the population has doubled. As a result, the pressure on natural resources has grown phenomenally: Demand for grain has nearly tripled, and burning of fossil fuels has increased nearly fourfold, with carbon emissions rising accordingly.

City skylines may flatten out in the future. Information technologies are allowing workers to telecommute from home rather than trek to downtown skyscrapers. Consequently, many prestigious office towers are standing empty, and U. S. builders have stopped putting up structures taller than 30 stories.

Education in the Information Age will be more technology-intensive and less labor-intensive. Teaching may become more centralized, with a few "star teachers" giving courses via videotape or teleconferencing to a national student body. Infotech is producing interactive educational toys and other devices that stimulate early development of mental faculties. Some youngsters may even teach themselves to read before age 3.

Future education will not end with a terminal degree in high school or college, but become a lifelong endeavor. More students will be learning at home, using computers and advanced educational software. The number of home schoolers has grown from 10,000 to over 500,000 in the last two decades.

Electronic networking will give more power to workers at the bottom of the corporate pecking order. Computer networks allow employees to skip over chains of command and communicate directly with senior managers or even the CEO. The relative anonymity of electronic communications will make low-status individuals less inhibited about expressing their points of view and offering valuable new ideas.

The earth's economy is expected to benefit hugely from space exploration. Earth is a colossal system, and we will need to expand our resource base. The space race will see many new competitors, as the United States and Russia lose ground in space industries due to budget cuts. China, India, and Japan are moving ahead quickly in such fields as remote sensing satellites and commercial rocket launches.

According to the recent forecasts from The Futuristic magazine for 1997 and beyond, the【C1】___\_since mid-century, while the population has doubled. As a result, the pressure on natural resources has【C2】___\_: Demand for grain has nearly tripled, and【C3】______has increased nearly fourfold, with carbon emissions rising accordingly.

City skylines may【C4】___\_in the future. Information technologies are allowing workers to【C5】___\_rather than trek to downtown skyscrapers. Consequently, many prestigious office towers【C6】______, and U. S. builders have stopped putting up structures taller than 30 stories.

Education in the Information Age will be【C7】___\_and less labor-intensive. Teaching may become more centralized, with a few "star teachers" giving courses via【C8】___\_to a national student body. Infotech is producing interactive educational toys and other devices that【C9】______of mental faculties. Some youngsters may even teach themselves to read before age 3.

Future education will not end with【C10】___\_in high school or college, but become【C11】___\_. More students will be learning at home, using computers and advanced educational software. The number of home schoolers has grown from【C12】______in the last two decades.

Electronic networking will give more power to workers at the bottom of the【C13】______. Computer networks allow emp