Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension (35 minutes) Passage 1 Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
Television is one of today’s most powerful and widespread means of mass communication. It directly influences our lives on both a short and long-term basis; it brings worldwide situations into our homes; it affords extensive opportunities for acquiring higher education ;and it performs these tasks in a convenient yet effective manner. We are all aware of the popularly accepted applications of television ,particularly those relative to entertainment and news broadcasting. Television, however, has also been a vital link in unmanned deep space exploration (such as the Voyager I and Ⅱ missions), in providing visions from hazardous areas (such as proximity to radioactive materials or environments) in underwater research, in viewing storms moving across a metropolitan area (the camera being placed in a weather-protective enclosure near the top of a tower), etc. The earth’s weather satellites also use television cameras for viewing cloud cover and movements from 20,000 miles in space. Infrared filters are used for night views, and several systems include a spinningmirror arrangement to permit wide-area views from the camera. Realizing the unlimited applications for today’s television, one may thus logically ponder the true benefits of confining activities to the mass-entertainment field.
Conventional television broadcasting within the United States centres around free enterprise and public ownership.This requires funding by commercial sponsors, and thus functions in a revenue-producing business manner. Television in USSR-subjected areas, conversely, is a governmemt-owned and maintained arrangement. While such arrangements eliminate the need for commercial sponsorship,it also has the possibility of limiting the type of programs available to viewers(a number of purely entertainment programs similar to the classic “Bewitched”, however, have been seen on these government-controlled networks. All isn’t as gray and dismal as the uninformed might unnecessarily visualize).
A highly modified form of television called Slow-Scan TV is presently being used by many Amateur Radio operators to provide direct visual communications with almost any area of the world .This unique visual mode recently allowed people on the tiny South Pacific country of Pitcairn Island to view, for the first time in their lives, distant areas and people of the world . The chief radio Amateur and communications officer of Pitcairn, incidentally, is the legendary Tom Christian-great, great grandson of Tom Christian of “Mutiny on the Bounty” fame. Radio Amateurs in many lands worked together for several months establishing visual capabilities for Pitcairners. The results have proven spectacular, yet the visual capabilities have only been used for health education, or welfare purposes. Commercial TV is still unknown to natives of that tiny country.
Numerous other forms of television and visual communication have also been used on a semi-restricted basis. This indicates the many untapped areas of video and television which may soon be exploited on a more widespread basis. The old cliché of a picture being worth a thousand words truly has merit.
21. According to the passage, applications of television are easily accepted in ______ . A) metropolitan area B) deep space exploration C) programs about entertainment and news D) remote areas
22. Which of the following statements is true in the eyes of the writer? A) Applications of television are beneficial to big cities. B) Applications of television are believed to be good activities. C) Applications of television are restricted to television systems. D) Applications of television do benefit to the mass entertainment field.
23. According to the passage television in USSR ______ . A) is limited to a revenue-producing business manner B) requires funding by commercial sponsors C) puts away the need of commercial aid D) is badly in need of commercial help
24. In the passage, the author tries to tell us purely entertainment programs similar to the classic “Bewitched” ______ . A) are as good as those in the U.S. B) have been seen on many government-controlled networks C) are as gray and dismal as the uninformed might unnecessarily visualize D) are not as gloomy as the uninformed might unnecessarily visulize
25. The author’s attitude toward television programs is ______ . A) positive B) indifferentC) critical D) dangerous
Passage One 短文大意： 本文主要讲述了电视是当今世界上传播广、影响大的传媒，无论长期或短期都对我们的生活起着重要的影响作用。它可以使世界变得更小，也可以使我们的生活丰富多彩。本文特别强调了电视在娱乐圈和商业领域里比在其他领域里得到更加广泛的认可，并就电视在美国和前苏联的运用加以比较和区别。 21．【参考译文】根据题意电视的使用在哪些方面较容易得到认可。【试题分析】本题考查对作者的意图的理解。【详细解答】在本文的第一段里可以找到此答案。We are all aware of the popularly accepted applications of television , particularly those relative to entertainment and news broadcasting . 由此可见电视最容易在娱乐和新闻方面得到运用。A）在大都市地区。是指观察暴风雨掠过大都市地区，并非指在大都市地区的电视使用。B）在宇宙远处的探索。只是电视在宇宙开发运用的一个方面，并不像在新闻与娱乐方面的运用那样容易得到确认。D）在边远地区。在这里电视的使用更不是那么容易。 22．【参考译文】在作者看来下面哪种说法是确切的？【试题分析】回答作者提出的问题，即对作者的用意的回答。【详细解答】A）电视的使用对大城市有利。B）有人认为电视的使用是很好的活动。C）电视的使用对电视系统而言受到了限制。根据短文第一段最后一句话可以确定，D）最好地回答了这个问题：…one may thus logically ponder the true benefits of confining activites to the massentertinment field.(人们可能逻辑性地认为我们看电视活动的好处都限制在大规模的娱乐活动上面了。) 这就间接告诉人们电视的使用确实对娱乐领域有利，因此D）的说法正是作者的观点。 23．【参考译文】根据短文意思在苏联的电视是____。【试题分析】考查学生的比较和分析能力。【详细解答】A）（苏联的电视）局限为一种创收的商业活动。B）需要商业资助人的资助。D）急需经济援助。根据短文第二段所述，苏联的电视和美国的相反，是由政府控制和安排的。这种政府行为排除了经济资助人的资助，同时也限制了提供给电视节目种类。答案C）可在下面句中找到：While such arrangements eliminate the need for commercial sponsorship,it also has the possibility of limiting the type of programs available to viewers.由此，A）项是美国的年税收情况，而在苏联并没提到，可以排除。B）和D）两项更容易排除。 24．【参考译文】文中，作者力图告诉我们和古典的“Bewitched”相似的纯娱乐性节目是____。【试题分析】考查学生对文章的分析判断能力。【详细解答】A)和美国的娱乐节目一样好。B）已在许多政府控制的电视网上看到。C）和那些不知情者无需观看的节目一样晦涩无味。本题答案D）可在短文第二段中找到：… it also has the possibility of limiting the type of programs available to viewers (a number of purely entertainment programs similar to the classic “ Bewitched ”, however, have been seen on these government-controlled networks. All isn’t as gray and dismal as the uninformed might unnecessarily visualize).文章中，美国的电视节目和苏联的电视节目没有进行好坏比较，因此A）项可排除。B）项，许多纯娱乐性电视节目在苏联政府所控制的电视网上播放，不符合事实，亦应排除。C）项的说法恰恰相反，更应排除。 25．【参考译文】作者对电视节目的态度是____。【试题分析】考查学生对全文的综合概括能力。【详细解答】A）积极的。B）漠不关心的。C）批评的。D）危险的。根据全篇文章的陈述，作者对电视节目的态度是积极的、客观的，因此，选A）。
activities to the mass-entertainment field.
