Passage Two
The northern parts of the United States get very cold in the winter. It snows a great deal and the temperature often goes below zero degrees in January, February and March. But [29]the northeastern and north-central regions of the country have been financial and industrial centers, and they are heavily populated. In recent years, [29]people in these regions have begun to take vacations during these cold winter months. They go to southern parts of the country where it is warmer. Many go to Florida where the weather is tropical. Others go to the southwestern states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas where they find dry desert climates. It has become common, nowadays, for older people to move south to these places when they retire. [30]Typically these people sell their houses in their home communities and move south to begin a new life as senior citizens. Their children likely have homes of their own, and many of them are moving south away from communities where they were raised. The southern and southwestern parts of the country are now growing faster than any other parts. Business and industry have opened many new offices and factories in the south. California is already the most popular state in the country. [31]Texas and Florida are growing fast too. They may soon replace such states as New York and Pennsylvania in population.

Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.
29. What does the speaker say about the northern parts of the United States?
正確答案：B
解析：選項(xiàng)可分為兩類：某些地區(qū)吸引人（A、C）；人們來到或遠(yuǎn)離這些地區(qū)（B、D），且與冬天有關(guān)。短文開頭大篇幅介紹美國(guó)北方的寒冷，人們選擇去南方度假，甚至退休后舉家南遷。因此答案為B。選項(xiàng)D過于夸大其詞。
30. Why do some retirees sell their houses in their home communities?
正確答案：C
解析：短文中間部分提到有些老人退休后會(huì)賣掉房子，緊接著說了原因，搬到南方開始新的生活。C中的to begin a new life基本上是聽到的原詞，in warmer weather是對(duì)上下文的同義表達(dá)。D項(xiàng)具有一定的干擾性。
31. In which aspect will Texas and Florida surpass New York and Pennsylvania?
正確答案：A
解析：A是尾句聽到的與四個(gè)地區(qū)有關(guān)的原詞。符合短文聽力“聽到什么選什么”的解題原則。