Forget Twitter and Facebook, Google and the Kindle. Television is still the most influential medium around. Indeed ,for many of the poorest regions(地區(qū))of the world, it remains the next big thing——finally becomes globally available. And that is a good thing, because the TV revolution is changing lives for the better.
Across the developing world, around 45% of families had a TV in 1995; by 2005 the number had climbed above 60%. That is some way behind the U.S. , where are more TVs than people, and where people now easily get access to the Internet. Five million more families in sub-Saharan Africa will get a TV over the next five years. In 2005 , after the fall of the Taliban(塔利班),which had outlawed TV, 1 in 5 Afghans had one. The global total is another 150 million by 2013——pushing the numbers to well beyond two thirds of families.
Television’s most powerful effect will be on the lives of women. In India, researchers Robert Jensen and Emily Oster found that when TVs reached villages, women were more likely to go to the market without their husbands’ approval and less likely to want a boy rather than a girl. They were more likely to make decisions over child health care. TV is also a powerful medium for adult education. In the Indian state of Gujarat, Chitrageet is a popular show that plays Bollywood songs with words in Gujarati on the screen. Within six months, viewers had made a small but significant(有意義的) improvement in their reading skills.
Too much TV has been associated with violence, overweight and loneliness. However, TV is having a positive influence on the lives of billions worldwide.
( ) 1. The underlined word “outlawed” in paragraph 2 probably means “ ”.
A. allowed B. banned C. offered D. refused
( ) 2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Americans used to get access to the Internet easily.
B. The world’s TV sets will total 150 million by 2013.
C.45% of families in the developing countries had a TV in 2005.
D. Over two thirds of families in the world will have a TV by 2013.
( ) 3. The author intends to .
A. stress the advantages of TV to people’s lives
B. persuade women to become more independent
C. encourage people to improve their reading skills
D. introduce the readers some websites such as Google
( ) 4. What would be the best title for the passage?
A.TV Will Rule the World B.TV Will Disturb the World
C.TV Will Better the World D.TV Will Remain in World
【語篇解讀】本篇文章為議論文。本文圍繞著電視仍然是世界上最有影響力的媒體說起,并用事實進一步證明了電視的存在會讓我們的生活越來越好
60.答案B。
【解析】詞義猜測題。由本句中the Taliban及1 in 5 Afghans had one可以猜測出,塔利班在政期間是對電視持反對態(tài)度,因此是禁止的。故選項B符合題意。
61.答案D。
【解析】細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段最后一句中“pushing the numbers to well beyond two thirds of families”可知,到2013年,世界上三分之二的家庭都將會有一臺電視。因此選D項。
62.答案A。
【解析】推理判斷題。根據(jù)最后一段第二句“However, TV is having a positive influence on the lives of billions worldwide”可以推斷出,作者主要強調(diào)電視對人類生活積極的方面。故選A項
63.答案C。
【解析】主旨大意題。由第一段第二句“Television is still the most influential medium”及第三段第一句“Television’s most powerful effect will be on the lives of women”及文章最后一段第二句“However, TV is having a positive influence on the lives of billions worldwide.”可知,本文主要講的是電視將會讓人們生活越來越好。由此可知應(yīng)選C項。
閱讀理解-----A
Diana Jacobs thought her family had a workable plan to pay for college for her 21-year-old twin sons: a combination of savings, income, scholarships, and a modest amount of borrowing. Then her husband lost his job, and the plan fell apart.
“I have two kids in college, and I want to say ‘come home,’ but at the same time I want to provide them with a good education,” says Jacobs.
The Jacobs family did work out a solution: They asked and received more aid form the schools, and each son increased his borrowing to the maximum amount through the federal loan (貸款) program. They will each graduate with $20,000 of debt, but at least they will be able to finish school.
With unemployment rising, financial aid administrators expect to hear more families like the Jacobs. More students are applying for aid, and more families expect to need student loans. College administrators are concerned that they will not have enough aid money to go around.
At the same time, tuition(學(xué)費)continues to rise. A report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education found that college tuition and fees increased 439% from 1982 to 2007, while average family income rose just 147%. Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last decade,
“If we go on this way for another 25years, we won’t have an affordable system of higher education,” says Patrick M. Callan, president of the center. “The middle class families have been financing it through debt. They will send kids to college whatever it takes, even if that means a huge amount of debt.”
Financial aid administrators have been having a hard time as many companies decide that student loans are not profitable enough and have stopped making them. The good news, however, is that federal loans account for about three quarters of student borrowing, and the government says that money will flow uninterrupted.
66. According to Paragraph 1, why did the plan of Jacobs family fail?
A. The twins wasted too much money.
B. The father was out of work.
C. Their saving ran out.
D. The family fell apart.
67. How did the Jacobs manage to solve their problem?
A. They asked their kids to come home.
B. They borrowed $20,000 from the school.
C. They encouraged their twin sons to do part-time jobs.
D. They got help from the school and the federal government.
68. Financial aid administrators believe that _______.
A. more families will face the same problem as the Jacobses
B. the government will receive more letters of complaint
C. college tuition fees will double soon
D. America’s unemployment will fall
69.What can we learn about the middle class families from the text?
A. They blamed the government for the tuition increase.
B. Their income remained steady in the last decade.
C. They will try their best to send kids to college.
D. Their debts will be paid off within 25 years.
70.According to the last paragraph, the government will .
A. provide most students will scholarships
B. dismiss some financial aid administrators
C. stop the companies from making student loans
D. go on providing financial support for college students
【文章大意】這是一篇關(guān)于學(xué)費貸款的文章。
66.答案B。根據(jù)文章第一段的her husband lost his job可以得出,雙胞胎兒子好上學(xué)交學(xué)費,丈夫事業(yè),家庭陷入困境。
停止,兩者是對立關(guān)系。