Mass media are tools of communication. They allow us to record and pass information rapidly to a large, scattered audience. They extend our ability to each other by helping us overcome limits caused by time and space. Mass media can be divided into two groups: print media and electronic media. By print media, we mean books, newspapers and magazines. Electronic media include television, radio and movie.
There are a number of ways in which mass media make daily life easier for us. First, they inform and help us keep a watch on our world. They gather and pass on information we would be unlikely or unable to gain on our own.
Second, mass media help us to arrange our time and life. What we talk about and what we think about are greatly influenced by the media. When people get together, they tend to talk about certain happenings on the newspapers or on TV. Because we are provided with differing points of view through different kinds of media every day, we are able to comment on all sides of a certain issue.
Third, mass media help us to connect with various groups in society. Through mass media, we are able to keep in contact with politicians in the world; with famous actors and actresses, and with our beloved singers.
Fourth, the media help to socialize us. We learn about the preferred behavior and values from the people we meet as well as from the media. Through portrayals of people, the media tell us what proper behaviors are. By doing so, they teach us standards of behavior and values, and help us in our daily life.
Fifth, the media are used to persuade people. A good example is advertisements through the media. Newspapers, magazines and TV are filled with all kinds of colorful, persuasive advertisements. Though many advertisements may not say openly that they want you to buy a certain product, they describe their products in such a way that you may want to but them.
Sixth, the media entertain. All of the media make some effort trying to entertain their audience. For example, even though the newspaper is a main medium of information, it also contains entertainment features. Many newspapers offer their readers at least some of the following: comics, fiction books and puzzle games, televisions and magazines are devoted mainly to entertainment. It is guessed that in the future, the entertainment function of mass media will become even more important than it is now.They underlined word “scattered” in paragraph 1 means______.
| A．faraway | B．nearly | C．a small number of | D．small and far apart |
The underlined word “portrayal” in Paragraph 5 means ______.
| A．photograph | B．words | C．description | D．clothes |
According to the passage, which of the following statements isn’t true about medium?
| A．Mass media have an effect on our speech and thoughts. |
| B．Mass media keep us informed and connected. |
| C．Mass media persuade us into buying what we don’t need at all. |
| D．Mass media help us spend time with others in a friendly way. |
Which of the following isn’t included about mass media in the passage?
| A．entertainment | B．sports | C．famous people | D．advertisements |
______ is an old form of mass media now.
| A．Mobile phone | B．Computer | C．Radio | D．Television |
Malaria, the world's most widespread parasitic(寄生虫引起的) disease, kills as many as three million people every year—almost all of whom are under five, very poor, and African. In most years, more than five hundred million cases of illness result from the disease, although exact numbers are difficult to assess because many people don't (or can't) seek care. It is not unusual for a family earning less than two hundred dollars a year to spend a quarter of its income on malaria treatment, and what they often get no longer works. In countries like Tanzania, Mozambique, and the Gambia, no family, village, hospital, or workplace can remain unaffected for long.
Malaria starts suddenly, with violent chills, which are soon followed by an intense fever and, often, headaches. As the parasites multiply, they take over the entire body. Malaria parasites live by eating the red blood cells they infect. They can also attach themselves to blood vessels in the brain. If it doesn't kill you, malaria can happen again and again for years. The disease passed on to humans by female mosquitoes infected with one of four species of parasite. Together, the mosquito and the parasite are the most deadly couple in the history of the earth—and one of the most successful. Malaria has five thousand genes, and its ability to change rapidly to defend itself and resist new drugs has made it nearly impossible to control. Studies show that mosquitoes are passing on the virus more frequently, and there are more outbreaks in cities with large populations. Some of the disease's spread is due to global warming.
For decades, the first-choice treatment for malaria parasites in Africa has been chloroquine, a chemical which is very cheap and easy to make. Unfortunately, in most parts of the world, malaria parasites have become resistant to it. Successful alternatives that help prevent resistance are already available, but they have been in short supply and are very expensive. If these drugs should fail, nobody knows what would come next.According to paragraph 1, many people don't seek care because___.
| A．they can remain unaffected for long |
| B．it is unusual to seek care |
| C．they are too poor |
| D．there are too many people suffering from the disease |
People suffering from malaria___.
| A．have to kill female mosquitoes |
| B．have ability to defend parasites |
| C．have their red blood cells infected |
| D．have sudden fever, followed by chills |
Which of the following may be the reason for the wide spread of the disease?
| A．Its outbreaks in cities with large populations. |
| B．Its ability to pass on the virus frequently. |
| C．Its resistance to global warming. |
| D．Its ability to defend itself and resist new drugs. |
It can be inferred from the passage that___.
| A．no drugs have been found to treat the disease |
| B．the alternative treatment is not easily available to most people |
| C．malaria has developed its ability to resist parasites |
| D．nobody knows what will be the drug to treat the disease |
Which of the following questions has NOT been discussed in the passage?
| A．How can we know one is suffering from malaria? |
| B．How many people are killed by malaria each year? |
| C．Why are there so many people suffering from malaria? |
| D．What has been done to keep people unaffected for long? |
Until the twentieth century cigarettes were not an important threat to public health. Men used tobacco mainly in the form of cigars. They chewed tobacco, piped tobacco, and snuffed. Most women did not use tobacco at all.
The cigarette industry began in 1870s with the development of the cigarette manufacturing machine. This made it possible to produce great numbers of cigarettes very quickly, and it reduced the price.
Today cigarette smoking is a widespread habit. About forty-three percent of the adult men and thirty-one percent of the adult women in the United States smoke cigarettes regularly. It is encouraging to note, however, that millions of people have quit smoking. Seventy-five percent of the male population and forty-six percent of the female population have smoked cigarettes for some time during their lives, but twenty-six percent of these men and eleven percent of the women have stopped smoking. The number of persons who have given up smoking is increasing. Men as a group smoke more than women. Among both men and women the age group with the highest proportion of smokers is the age group 24—44.
Income, education, and occupation all play a part in determining a person’s smoking habit. City people smoke more than people living on farms. Well-educated men with high incomes are less likely to smoke cigarettes than men with fewer years of schooling and lower incomes. On the other hand, if a well-educated man with a higher income smokes, he’s likely to smoke more packs of cigarettes per day.
The situation is somewhat different for women. There are slightly more smokers among women with higher family incomes and higher education than among the lower income and lower educational groups. These more highly educated women tend to smoke more heavily.
Among teenagers the picture is similar. There are fewer teenager smokers from upper-income, well-educated families, and also fewer from families living in farm areas. High school students who are preparing for college are less likely to smoke than those who don’t plan to continue their education after high school. Children are most likely to start smoking if one or both of their parents smoke.The underlined word “picture” in the last paragraph probably means _____________.
| A．situation | B．photo | C．painting | D．teenager |
Which group of people smoked more according to the passage?
| A．The group of women. | B．The group of teenagers. |
| C．The group of men. | D．The group of old people. |
Which of the following factors will be likely to decide whether a person smokes or not?
| A．Income and sex. | B．Education and occupation |
| C．Sex and age. | D．All the above. |
According to the passage, if a teenager doesn’t plan to go to college, and if his parents both smoke, he will ________________.
| A．probably not smoke in the future. |
| B．probably start to smoke in the future. |
| C．persuade his parents to give up smoking. |
| D．hate his parents as well as other smokers. |
Which of the following isn’t true?
| A．It wasn’t until the twentieth century that cigarettes became an important threat to public. |
| B．More and more people are giving up smoking. |
| C．A poorly-educated woman with lower income is more likely to smoke than a well-educated woman with high income. |
| D．There are the most smokers in the age group of 24-44. |
Education and Training
Make sure your skills are up-to-date
If you’re looking for a new job or you want to change your career, having up-to-date skills is the key to a successful job search and your future earning power.
Choose the right training
If you need training to learn new skills or enhance（提高）existing skills, make sure you got to know the following : What training program is the best for you? How will you pay for your training? You need to consider all these and more when you choose your training.
Search for training providers
Massachusetts school information is made available by the Massachusetts career information system (CIS). This directory includes most of the training providers and colleges in the states. The data for trade schools covers programs, admissions, schedules and costs. Descriptions for two-year, four-year, and graduate schools include information about school size, setting, programs, admissions, schedules, and costs. A link to the school’s Internet home page is provided when available.
Learn about the Entrepreneurial（创业者的）training program
The Entrepreneurial training program (ETP) provides training and technical assistance to individuals with good business ideas and the desire to start their own business.
Learn about Apprenticeship(见习)programs
Division of apprentice training is a system for teaching highly technical skills through a combination of on-the-job training and related classroom instruction. Also, it is responsible for promoting, developing and providing services for apprenticeship programs in the state.
Many apprentice programs are in traditional building trade areas such as Carpentry, Electrical and Ironwork. In addition, apprentice programs are being developed in areas such as Information Technology, Banking and Finance, Childcare, Culinary Arts and Telecommunications.
Use Online Resources
Link directly to the websites of colleges and universities in the state of Massachusetts. Explore other online job databases.In order to gain new skills, you need to_____.
| A．look for a new job | B．turn to a training provider |
| C．choose the right training | D．start your own business |
According to the text, the CIS_____.
| A．designs schedules for training providers |
| B．organizes schools to do training |
| C．raises business ideas for training providers |
| D．provides information of training providers |
If you want to start your own company, you probably would turn to_____.
| A．an apprentice programs | B．the CIS | C．the Internet | D．the ETP |
Which of the following can be inferred from the text?
| A．Nobody but the unemployed will show interest in the information. |
| B．The CIS offers information about schools in Massachusetts. |
| C．Having up-to-date skills is necessary for starting one’s own business |
| D．Job hunters prefer online databases to other resources. |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．If I want to find information about a four-year school, I should consult ETP. |
| B．CIS helps to train job seekers. |
| C．Apprentice programs provide training in areas like Carpentry, Electrical and Iron work. |
| D．On-the-job training is compulsory for those who want to start their own business. |
Three Boys and a Dad
Brad closed the door slowly as Sue left home to visit her mother. Expecting a whole day to relax, he was thinking whether to read the newspaper or watch his favourite TV talk show on his first day off in months. “This will be like a walk in the park,” he’d told his wife. “I’ll look after the kids, and you can go visit your mom.”
Things started well, but just after eight o’clock, his three little “good kids”—Mike, Randy, and Alex—came down the stairs in their night clothes and shouted “breakfast, daddy.” When food had not appeared within thirty seconds, Randy began using his spoon on Alex’s head as if it were a drum. Alex started to shout loudly in time to the beat(节拍). Mike chanted “Where’s my toast, where’s my toast,” in the background. Brad realized his newspaper would have to wait for a few seconds.
Life became worse after breakfast. Mike wore Randy’s underwear on his head. Randy locked himself in the bathroom, while Alex shouted again because he was going to wet his pants. Nobody could find clean socks, although they were before their very eyes. Someone named “Not Me” had spilled a whole glass of orange juice into the basket of clean clothes. Brad knew the talk show had already started.
By ten o’clock, things were out of control. Alex was wondering why the fish in the jar refused his bread and butter. Mike was trying to show off his talent by decorating the kitchen wall with his colour pencils. Randy, thankfully, appeared to be reading quietly in the family room, but closer examination showed that he was eating apple jam straight from the bottle with his hands. Brad realized that the talk show was over and reading would be impossible.
At exactly11:17, Brad called the daycare centre(日托所). “I suddenly have to go into work and my wife’s away. Can I bring the boys over in a few minutes? ” The answer was obviously “yes” because Brad was smiling.When his wife left home, Brad expected to __________.
| A．go out for a walk in the park |
| B．watch TV talk show with his children |
| C．enjoy his first day off work |
| D．read the newspaper to his children |
Which of the following did Randy do?
| A．Drew on the wall. | B．Ate apple jam. | C．Fed the fish. | D．Read in a room. |
Who is “Not Me”(underlined in Para.3)?
| A．One of the family’s neighbor | B．The father |
| C．One of the three kids | D．The text doesn’t mention |
Why did Brad ask the daycare centre for help?
| A．Because he wanted to clean up his house |
| B．Because he suddenly had to go to his office. |
| C．Because he found it hard to manage his boys. |
| D．Because he had to take his wife back home. |
This text is developed _________.
| A．by space | B．by comparison | C．by process | D．by time |
GCSEs not fit for purpose
GCSEs（General Certificate of Secondary Education，普通中等教育证书）encourage "teaching to the test" and may be past their sell-by date, according to Britain's leading business organization. The Confederation of British Industry（CBI） warns that the qualification is stopping teachers delivering an "inspirational classroom experience" and should be replaced.
John Cridland, the CBI director general, said industry faced a shortage of key skills, particularly in science and maths. The CBI（英国工业联合会）, which represents more than 240,000 companies, is also concerned about the 40% of young people who fail to achieve the benchmark of five good GCSE passes including English and maths. The percentage of pupils who reach this standard is the main measure of school success.
Speaking at the launch of a CBI inquiry into education, Cridland argued that abandoning GCSEs could help deliver a full education. "There's something about this GCSE limitation which produces a form of learning ------ teaching for the test.’’
"It frustrates teachers because it stops them delivering that inspirational classroom experience."
The CBI head suggested that raising the school leaving age to 18 – a change that comes into effect in 2015 – is an opportunity to reform the system. "It seems to me that we've raised the participation age to 18 and we're left with an education system that focuses on 16," said Cridland. More than 600,000 children in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are due to take GCSEs this summer.
Many other countries do without a public exam at 16. Finland, the highest performing school system in Europe, has just one public exam, at 18, though children are regularly tested at younger ages. What does the author intend to tell us in paragragh1？
| A．“Teaching to the test” should be encouraged. |
| B．We should stop teachers delivering “inspirational experience”. |
| C．The current qualification is out of date and should be replaced. |
| D．The Confederation of British Industry should be replaced. |
What’s the main idea of the passage？
| A．The British GCSEs are no longer practical and should be reformed. |
| B．In the GCSEs system , teachers don’t have freedom. |
| C．Five good GCSEs is hard to achieve. |
| D．The British Education Department will reform education system. |
The meaning of the underlined word “benchmark” in paragraph 2 may be ______.
| A．success | B．target | C．standard | D．excellent grades |
Where can we find this article?
| A．TV series | B．radio news |
| C．newspaper education section | D．government report |