第18题，答案D。考查对小说《宠儿》的主人翁Sethe的描述，出题点在文章末尾的几个问题处：Is it more important that Sethe，the main character，is black or that she's a woman？…
Passage Two
The topic of my talk today is gift-giving.Everybody likes to receive gifts，right？So you may think that gift-giving is a universal custom.But actually，the rules of gift-giving vary quite a lot，and not knowing them can result in great embarrassment.In North America，the rules are fairly simple.If you're invited to someone's home for dinner，bring wine or flowers or a small item from your country.Among friends，family，and business associates，we generally don't give gifts on other occasions except on someone's birthday and Christmas.The Japanese，on the other hand，give gifts quite frequently，often to thank someone for their kindness.The tradition of gift-giving in Japan is very ancient.There are many detailed rules for everything from the color of the wrapping paper to the time of the gift presentation.And while Europeans don't generally exchange business gifts，they do follow some formal customs when visiting homes，such as bringing flowers.The type and color of flowers，however，can carry special meaning.
Today we have seen some broad differences in gift-giving.I could go on with additional examples.But let's not miss the main point here：If we are not aware of and sensitive to cultural differences，the possibilities for miscommunication and conflict are enormous.Whether we learn about these differences by reading a book or by living abroad，our goal must be to respect differences among people in order to get along successfully with our global neighbors.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.
19.What does the speaker say about gift-giving of North Americans？
A.They are very generous in giving gifts.
B.They refuse gifts when doing business.
C.They regard gifts as a token of friendship.
D.They give gifts only on special occasions.
20.What do we learn about the Japanese concerning gift-giving？
A.They enjoy giving gifts to other people.
B.They spend a lot of time choosing gifts.
C.They have to follow many specific rules.
D.They pay attention to the quality of gifts.
21.What point does the speaker make at the end of the talk？
A.Gift-giving plays an important role in human relationships.
B.We must be aware of cultural differences in giving gifts.
C.We must learn how to give gifts before going abroad.
D.Reading extensively can make one a better gift-giver.
解析：篇章属于文化风俗类主题，讲述了世界上不同地区人民在互赠礼物方面不同的风俗习惯。
第19题，答案D。第20题，答案C。为讲述不同地区在互赠礼物方面不同的风俗习惯，作者列举了北美、日本和欧洲这三个地区人们的做法。考生在听音时注意以专有名词North America，Japan等来定位答案出处。第19题出题点来自In North America，the rules are fairly simple…Among friends，family，and business associates，we generally don't give gifts on other occasions except on someone's birthday and Christmas.第20题来自The Japanese，…There are many detailed rules for everything from the color of the wrapping paper to the time of the gift presentation.
第21题，答案B。考查作者观点，答案出处在文章最后，用到了but的转折句式以及表达观点的main point这个标志性短语。原文是：But let's not miss the main point here：If we are not aware of and sensitive to cultural differences，the possibilities for miscommunication and conflict are enormous.选项中用了一个同义的句式转换，原句中否定的条件状语从句，在选项中变成了肯定句式。
Passage Three
Hetty Green was a very spoilt，only child.She was born in Massachusetts，USA，in 1835.Her father was a millionaire businessman.Her mother was often ill，and so from the age of two her father took her with him to work and taught her about stocks and shares.At the age of six she started reading the daily financial newspapers and opened her own bank account.
Her father died when she was 21 and she inherited $7.5 million.She went to New York and invested on Wall Street.Hetty saved every penny，eating in the cheapest restaurants for 15 cents.She became one of the richest and most hated women in the world.At 33 she married Edward Green，a multi-millionaire，and had two children，Ned and Sylvia.
Hetty's meanness was well known.She always argued about prices in shops.She walked to the local grocery store to buy broken biscuits which were much cheaper，and to get a free bone for her much loved dog.Once she lost a two-cent stamp and spent the night looking for it.She never bought clothes and always wore the same long，ragged black skirt.Worst of all，when her son Ned fell and injured his knee，she refused to pay for a doctor and spent hours looking for free medical help.In the end Ned lost his leg.
When she died in 1916 she left her children $100 million.Her daughter built a hospital with her money.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.
22.What do we learn about Hetty Green as a child？
A.She tenderly looked after her sick mother.
B.She developed a strong interest in finance.
C.She learned to write for financial newspapers.
D.She invested in stocks and shares on Wall Street.
23.How did Hetty Green become rich overnight？
A.She inherited a big fortune from her father.
B.She sold her restaurant with a substantial profit.
C.She got 7.5 million dollars from her ex-husband.
D.She made a wise investment in real estate.
24.Why was Hetty Green much hated？
A.She was dishonest in business dealings.
B.She frequently ill-treated her employees.
C.She abused animals including her pet dog.
D.She was extremely mean with her money.
25.What do we learn about Hetty's daughter？
A.She carried on her family's tradition.
B.She made huge donations to charities.
C.She built a hospital with her mother's money.
D.She made a big fortune from wise investments.
解析：篇章属于人物传记类，介绍了被称为“世界上最富有的女人之一”的海蒂·格林的故事。
第22题，答案B。文中讲到At the age of six she started reading the daily financial newspapers and opened her own bank account.她六岁时就开始阅读每日的金融报刊，并开设了自己的银行账户。可见她小时候就对金融产生了浓厚的兴趣。听音时，可以把文中的age of two，age of six作为定位答案的标志。
第23题，答案A。考查与数字相关的信息。文中出处：Her father died when she was 21 and she inherited $7.5 million.
第24题，答案D。考查文中举例处。为什么她很受人讨厌？文中举了很多她吝啬苛刻的例子。Hetty's meanness was well known.She always argued about prices in shops.She walked to the local grocery store to buy broken biscuits which were much cheaper…
第25题，答案C。出题点在文章结尾：When she died in 1916 she left her children $100 million.Her daughter built a hospital with her money.
综合以上分析，我们需再次强调背景知识积累的重要性，充足的知识储备可以有效弥补个别辨音的失误。
2.篇章听力的解题技巧
听到什么选什么
与长对话题型一样，篇章听力中细节题占了很大的比重，正确选项通常可以从文中直接获取，较少涉及同义转换或推理预测等题型。所以坚持“听到什么选什么”，“视听一致”和“边听边选”是最基本的解题技巧。
注意篇章开头和结尾处的信息
根据英语文章的特点，英语篇章常常会开门见山地切入话题，这也成为热门的出题点。而篇章结尾常常会总结作者的观点态度，也是常设考点的地方。留意篇章的开头和结尾处非常有利于把握篇章大意并有效解题。
留意文中数字及其相关信息
篇章中与时间、数量、距离、速度、价格、货币等相关的信息也是常考点，需特别关注。
注意转折、因果等逻辑关系处
篇章中有时会出现如not only…but also，because，so，since，but，however等表示并列、转折、因果等逻辑关系的表达，相关信息也是热门考点，考生应对这些标志词特别敏感，迅速定位答案出处。
注意强调句式及表示重要的表达方式
当对话中出现强调句式，如It is…that…的结构，或者一些表示重要的、主要的、关键的说法，如It is important that…，vital，critical，key problem等，考生应该特别留意其谈论的内容。
熟悉表达观点和宣布研究成果的标志词
注意篇章中表达作者观点以及宣布研究成果的标志词，如It is reported that…，sb.claims that…，some research shows…，some research/sb.indicates that…等，其涉及的内容通常是考点。