1、阅读理解模拟试卷 6及答案与解析 0 The United States Enlarges the Punishment to the Media More than any other industry, Americas multi-billion-dollar entertainment business is caught in the crossfire of the countrys culture war. Media firms have always had to walk a fine line between giving adults realistic shows a
2、nd shielding children from sex and bad language. But thanks to the current political influence of social conservatives, TV and radio firms are under more attack than ever for allegedly corrupting Americas youth. Congress is threatening to increase sharply fines for airing indecent material. Over 80%
3、 of American homes subscribe either to cable or satellite TV, but only broadcast television, which is technically free, is subject to indecency regulation. The media industry fears that new rules could damage its business model. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ,the media industrys regula
4、tor,defines indecency as language or material that describes sexual actions or organs and which is considered “ offensive by contemporary community standards“. Solely for the sake of children (present in one-third of American homes), indecency is forbidden from 6 a.m. to 10 p. m. on broadcast TV and
5、 radio. In contrast to “ obscenity “ illegal all the time indecency mostly consists of swearing, partial nudity and sexuality. Americas current battles over indecency began in 2003 when Bono, a rock star, said “this is really, really fucking brilliant“ at a live awards show. The FCC decided to do no
6、thing. Then came a glimpse of Janet Jacksons breast in Super Bowl, outraging some viewers. Pressed by Congress, the FCC reversed its decision on Bono and said it would get tough on indecency. In 2004 it fined media firms nearly $8 milion, five times what it had levied in the previous ten years combi
7、ned. For these firms such fines are puny. Yet fearing what future measures might be deployed against them, they have increasingly censored themselves. Last year several TV stations declined to air “Saving Private Ryan“, a war movie with lots of swearing. The media industry faces a powerful bipartisa
8、n coalition of politicians who see votes in cleansing the airwaves. Republicans are leading the effort, but some Democrats are joining in not surprisingly, as many parents do seem worried. One defensive strategy for the media industry is to play the moralizing wing of the Re-publican Party off again
9、st its substantial libertarian wing, which is opposed to giving the government more power to censor. News Corporation and General Electrics NBC have together enlisted the support of the American Conservative Union, Americans for Tax Reform and the US Chamber of Commerce. Advances in technology, thes
10、e groups argue, mean that the government no longer needs to police the airwaves for indecency. Many parents now have Vchips in their TV sets to block out pornographic material. Set-top boxes for cable and satellite TV also give parents control. 1 The phrase “walk a fine line“ (Line 5, Paragraph 1) m
11、ost probably indicates_. （ A） alternate （ B） balance （ C） transfer （ D） distinguish 2 A major difference between indecency and obscenity is that_. （ A） obscenity involves more sweating, nudity and sexuality （ B） obscenity is forbidden on all channels all the time （ C） indecency inflicts more harm on
12、 children and young adults （ D） indecency is more offensive by contemporary standards 3 The refusal to broadcast “Saving Private Ryan“ by several TV stations shows that_. （ A） the movie features lots of swearing （ B） media firms have intensified censoring （ C） media firms were afraid of huge titles
13、（ D） the film was defined as indecent 4 What strategy has the media industry adopted to defend itself? （ A） Creating bitter quarrels between Republicans two wings. （ B） Protesting the governments power over censorship. （ C） Allying with such groups as the American Conservative Union. （ D） Arguing th
14、at the material is actually under the control of parents. 5 Which of the following is true according to the text? （ A） TV and radio firms are corrupting the young people in America. （ B） Broadcast television other than satellite TV is under indecency regulation. （ C） Americas battles over indecency
15、have lasted for as long as a decade. （ D） A fine of 8 million US dollars is such a huge one for media firms. 5 The Review of European History Writing for an historical series is tricky, and the outcome is not always a success. The best overall European history in English is the old Fontana History o
16、f Europe, but it was uneven in quality, and it suffered because the volumes appeared so far apart in time. The new Penguin History of Europe has only recently begun. But judging by this second volume in a projected eight-volume series, it is going to be a smashing success. Tim Blanning, a Cambridge
17、history professor brings to his period knowledge, experience, sound judgment and a colorful narrative style. His broad range is evident from the start when, in place of the usual recitation of politics and battles, he expounds on such themes as communications, transport,demography and farming. Indee
18、d, much of what might be seen as traditional history is pushed back to the fourth and final part of the book. Not the least of Mr. Blannings achievements is his integrated approach to the entire continent. He jumps nimbly from Spain to the Low Countries, from Russia to Austria, from Prussia to Turke
19、y. Many of Europes royal families were related, after all. The author also expertly places the history of the two greatest rivals of the day, England and France, in its wider European context. Any British Eurosceptic who thinks his countrys history is detached from continental Europes would realize
20、from even the most inadequate reading of this book how bound up with the continent it has in fact always been. The 17th and 18th centuries in Europe were, above all, a period of war. Indeed, it seemed at times as if France and Austria, the leading martial powers in 1648, did little else but fight. S
21、ometimes war helped to stimulate economic and commercial development. But it is striking that it fell to Britain, which enjoyed at least a few years of peace, to pioneer Europes industrialization. The book is stronger on the 18th century than on the second half of the 17th, reflecting the authors ow
22、n historical bias. Another weakness is that, though there is a reasonable bibliography, it has no footnotes citing sources, a scandalous omission in a work with serious academic pretensions. It also sometimes takes for granted a basic grounding in the history of the period, which may be problematic
23、for students at whom it is presumably in part aimed. But overall Mr. Blanning has produced a triumphant success. 6 Which of the following is true about the old Fontana History of Europe? （ A） Some parts are good while others not. （ B） It is an eight-volume historical series. （ C） It is not a success
24、ful historical series. （ D） It becomes less famous as time goes by. 7 In the second volume. Tim Blanning wrote the History of Europe_. （ A） in a traditional way （ B） in an unconventional way （ C） in a separate way （ D） in an unorthodox way 8 France and Austria are mentioned in Paragraph 4 to show th
25、at_. （ A） they were the leading European military powers in the 17th century （ B） war of this time failed to spur economic and commercial development （ C） war was quite a common thing in the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe （ D） the war between them made them lag behind England in development 9 The
26、 author thinks Mr. Blannings work is flawed because_ （ A） it is strongly biased （ B） it is uneven in quality （ C） it lacks bibliography （ D） it omits the footnotes 10 We can learn from the text that the second volume of the Penguin History of Europe_. （ A） is the best book on overall European histor
27、y （ B） overtly criticized British Euroscepticism （ C） explored the European history separately （ D） is an overall success despite certain flaws 10 Comment on Darwins Biography of Copy of Verse Body Biographies can be wearisome contrivances, often too long and too detailed for their own good. Biograp
28、hers make the mistake of spending too much time worshipping their subjects. Think of the authoritative three-volume life of Robert Frost by Lawrence Thompson, for example, and how the biographer passed, over the many years of its making, from hero worship to intense dislike of the poet he shadowed f
29、or almost a quarter of a century. Yes, too long and intense an acquaintance can lead to sourness. As the bicentunary of Charles Darwins birth on February 12th approaches, it is good to welcome a biography which is relatively small, but in no way superficial or meager. Ruth Padel has achieved this fe
30、at by writing her great-great-grandfathers life in a sequence of often quite short poems. Through her verses she seeks to capture the “voice“ of Darwin. Ms Padel embeds many of Darwins own words from his books or his letters in her poems, and the results tend to give the sense of being jointly autho
31、red. Sometimes she shapes entire pieces of quotation into her own poetic passages. If this seems to be a bit of sly plagiarism, it doesnt feel like it. It feels more like a skillful act of collaboration between the living and the dead, one melding easily with the other. Why does this book work so we
32、ll? How does it manage to say so much in so few words? Ms Padel seems to have caught the essence of the mans character, as if in a butterfly net. She enters into his cast of mind, bringing across his hyper-sensitivity, his sense of fragility, his lifelong boldness, and the poems are a sequence of sn
33、apshots often small, intermittent and delicately imagistic of particularly crucial incidents in his life; of moments of intellectual illumination. It is not easy to describe a whole life in relatively few words. You need to find some way of filling in the background. Ms Padel has overcome this probl
34、em by having paragraphs of notes run, in a single column, beside the texts of the poems so that they can be read side by side. And why are poems a good way of illuminating a life such as Darwins? The best lyric poems think of Keats or Shelley, for example are moments of sudden insight. And Darwin, t
35、hroughout, was in the grip of something very similar: a terrible, destabilizing sense of wonder. He sensed hints of the mar-velous everywhere he looked. All the sadder then and this is something that Ms Padel does not explain that, later in life, the man who carried with him on the Beagle Channel a
36、copy of Miltons “Paradise Lost“ found that he could no longer enjoy poetry. 11 According to the author, biographies can become boring because they are too_. （ A） short （ B） detailed （ C） authoritative （ D） superficial 12 The example of Lawrence Thompson is to show that_. （ A） its most likely that ac
37、quaintances dislike each other in the long run （ B） biographers have to show all the goodness of their subjects （ C） over-worshipping the subject might cause emotional changes of biographers （ D） other biographers may criticize the author for showing too much worshipping 13 Charles Darwins biography
38、 by Ruth Padel_. （ A） quoted many of Ruths books and letters （ B） used Darwins own poetic passages （ C） plagiarized the entire pieces of other biographies （ D） feels like a joint work by the author and the subject 14 Darwins biography by Ms Padel turns out to be a great success because Ms Padel_. （
39、A） has made an insightful comment on Darwins particular nature （ B） tries to introduce everything crucial in a detailed and clear way （ C） is able to provide comprehensive background knowledge of the man （ D） uses a new way of offering ideas and notes to the readers 15 Which of the following is true
40、 according to the last two paragraphs? （ A） Biographies have to be written in the form of poems with notes. （ B） Its generally advisable to describe peoples life in fewer words. （ C） Poem is the best way of depicting the wonderful life of Darwin. （ D） Darwins life is filled with moments of sudden in
41、sights, as poetry suggest. 15 Organic Agriculture The idea that shopping is the new politics is certainly enticing. Never mind the ballot box: vote with your supermarket trolley instead. Elections occur relatively rarely, but you probably go shopping several times a month, providing yourself with lo
42、ts of opportunities to express your opinions. If you are worried about the environment, you might buy organic food; if you want to help poor farmers, you can do your bit by buying Fair-trade products; or you can express a dislike of evil multinational companies and rampant globalization by buying on
43、ly local produce. And the best bit is that shopping, unlike voting, is fun; so you can “do good and enjoy yourself at the same time“. Sadly, its not that easy.There are good reasons to doubt the claims made about three of the most popular varieties of “ethical“ food; organic food, Fair-trade food an
44、d local food. People who want to make the world a better place cannot do so by shifting their shopping habits: transforming the planet requires duller disciplines, like politics. Organic food, which is grown without man-made pesticides and fertilizers, is generally assumed to be more environmentally
45、 friendly than conventional intensive farming, which is heavily reliant on chemical inputs. But it all depends what you mean by “environmentally friendly“. Farming is inherently bad for the environment. Since humans took it up around 11,000 years ago, the result has been deforestation on a massive s
46、cale. But following the “green revolution“ of the 1960s greater use of chemical fertilizer has tripled grain yields with very little increase in the area of land under cultivation. Organic methods, which rely on crop rotation, manure and compost in place of fertilizer, are far less intensive. So pro
47、ducing the worlds current agricultural output organically would require several times as much land as is currently cultivated. There wouldnt be much room left for the rainforest. Surely the case for local food, produced as close as possible to the consumer in order to minimize “food miles“ and, by e
48、xtension, carbon emissions, is clear? Surprisingly, it is not. A study of Britains food system found that nearly half of food-vehicle miles (ie. miles traveled by vehicles carrying food) were driven by cars going to and from the shops. Most people live closer to a supermarket than a farmers market,
49、so more local food could mean more food-vehicle miles. Moving food around in big, carefully packed lorries, as supermarkets do, may in fact be the most efficient way to transport the stuff. 16 According to the first paragraph,which is TRUE about shopping? （ A） Shopping is a new political area worth studying. （ B） People can express their standpoints by shopping. （ C） People can vote with trolley while shopping. （ D） New policies are required for bett
