B
For a song to become popular, people need to bear it. In order for people to hear it, the program directors at radio stations have to play it on the air. A song’s popularity is directly related to how often it is played. That is a big responsibility for program directors. How do they decide what gets played and what doesn’t?
In the past, disc jockeys(音乐节目主持人) decided what music was played on the radio. These DJs had an ear for music and an understanding of what their audience wanted to hear. Today, that is all changing. Most major radio stations are owned by a few large national businesses. The decision of what gets played on the radio is made by executives(主管) who have little or no interest in music. They do, however, know how to run a business, and they know what sells. So, the music industry designs and creates pop entertainers, and executives in the radio industry make sure that their music is played on the radio. This explains why you do not often hear anything new and fresh on the radio. The executives do not want to give air time to music that has not been tested on the market. It is too risky. They prefer to go with music that they already know will sell. They know it will sell because it sold last week and last month and last year. They just have to change it a little.
One of the most criticized(批评) practices in the music industry is the practice of “payola”. This is when record companies pay radio stations to play the music of a given artist. This practice makes many people lose trust in the music industry and is therefore against the law. A radio station can accept money in exchange for air time of a song, but they have to make it clear that the song is being played because its air time was paid for. They cannot present the song as if it were part of the normal play schedule(时刻表).
Payola affects both artists and audiences. The artists who work with small record companies that cannot pay a lot of money to radio stations have a much harder time getting exposure. It creates an unfair playing field. Music lovers suffer because they are not able to hear all the music that is available.
60. According to the passage, most major radio stations belong to .
A. national businesses B. program directors
C. pop entertainers D. record companies
61. “Payola” is the practice of .
A. artists paying radio stations to play their songs
B. record companies buying air time for certain music
C. radio station paying record company for new songs
D. program directors deciding what music gets played
62. Who can make the largest profits from payola?
A. Disc Jockeys. B. The given artists.
C. Business executives. D. Program directors.
63. It can be concluded from the passage that the author .
A. has a positive attitude towards the practice of “payola”
B. is dissatisfied with the present situation in music industry
C. is calling for a change in the normal play schedule
D. thinks that the radio stations are doing the right thing
Throughout this long, tense election, everyone has focused on the presidential candidates and how they’ll change America. Rightly so, but selfishly, I’m more fascinated by Michelle Obama and what she might be able to do, not just for this country, but for me as an African-American woman. As the potential First Lady, she would have the world’s attention. And that means that for the first time people will have a chance to get up close and personal with the type of African-American woman they so rarely see.
Usually, the lives of black women go largely unexamined. The prevailing(普通的)theory seems to be that we’re all hot-tempered single mothers who can’t keep a man. Even in the world of make-believe, black women still can’t escape the stereotype(陈规)of being eye-rolling, oversexed females raised by our never-married, alcoholic mothers.
These images have helped define the way all women are viewed, including Michelle Obama. Before she ever gets the chance to commit to a cause, charity or foundation as First Lady, her most urgent and perhaps most complicated duty may be simple to be herself.
It won’t be easy. Because few mainstream publications have done in-depth features on regular African-American women, little is known about who we are, what we think and what we face on a regular basis. For better or worse, Michelle will represent us all.
Just as she will have her critics, she will also have millions of fans who usually have little interest in the First Lady. Many African-American blogs have written about what they’d like to see Michelle bring to the White House—mainly showing the world that a black woman can support her man and raise a strong black family. Michelle will have to work to please everyone—an impossible task. But for many African-American women like me, just a little of her poise (沉着), confidence and intelligence will go a long way in changing an image that’s been around for far too long. Why does Michelle Obama hold a strong fascination for the author?
| A.She serves as a role model for African women. |
| B.She possesses many admirable qualities becoming a First Lady. |
| C.She will present to the world a new image of African-American women. |
| D.She will pay closer attention to the interests of African-American women. |
What is the common stereotype of African-American women according to the author?
| A.They are victims of violence. | B.They are of an inferior violence. |
| C.They use quite a lot of body language. | D.They live on charity and social welfare. |
What do many African-Americans write about in their blogs?
| A.Whether Michelle can live up to the high expectations of her fans. |
| B.How Michelle should behave as a public figure. |
| C.How proud they are to have a black woman in the White House. |
| D.What Michelle should do as wife and mother in the White House. |
What do many African-American women hope Michelle Obama will do?
| A.Help change the prevailing view about black women. |
| B.Help her husband in the task of changing America. |
| C.Outshine previous First Lady. |
| D.Fully display her fine qualities. |
There are hundreds of things that your parents controlled for you when you were a child. And it’s a good thing, too — kids need this kind of protection and assistance, because they aren’t mature enough to take care of themselves and make careful decisions on their own.
But eventually, kids grow up and become teens. It’s totally normal for teens to create their own opinions, thoughts, and values about life; it’s what prepares them for adulthood. But as you change and grow into this new person who makes his or her own decisions, your parents may have a difficult time adjusting themselves to it.
In most families, it’s this adjustment that can cause a lot of fighting between teens and parents. Teens get angry because they feel parents don’t respect them and aren’t giving them space to do what they like, and parents get angry because they aren’t used to not being in control or they disagree with the teens’ decisions.
It’s easy for feelings to get very hurt when there are conflicts like these. And more complicated issues can cause even bigger arguments, because your parents will always be intent on protecting you and keeping you safe, no matter how old you are.
The good news about fighting with your parents is that in many families the arguing will lessen as parents get more comfortable with the idea that their teens have a right to certain opinions. It can take several years for parents and teens to adjust to their new roles, though. In the meantime, concentrate on communicating with your parents as best you can.
Sometimes this can feel impossible — like they just don’t see your point of view and never will. But talking and expressing your opinions can help you gain more respect from your parents, and you may be able to reach a compromise that makes everyone happy. Keep in mind, too, that your parents were teens once and that in most cases, they can relate to what you’re going through.Why do parents always want to control their children?
| A.They are afraid to lose their children. |
| B.They want to protect their children. |
| C.They don’t believe the ability of their children. |
| D.They can’t accept their children are growing. |
What does the underlined word “lessen” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?
| A.disappear. | B.increase. |
| C.strengthen. | D.decrease. |
The author suggested that teenagers ____.
| A.fight with their parents bravely for their rights |
| B.obey their parents without any doubt |
| C.communicate with their parents actively |
| D.persuade their parents in as many ways as possible |
It can be inferred from the passage that ____.
| A.most parents will give in while fighting with their children |
| B.the conflict between parents and teenagers can be solved |
| C.the only way for teens to get freedom is to leave home |
| D.only few parents do well in facing the growth of their children |
| LOST AND FOUND |
ROOMATES |
| FOUND: Cat, 6 months old, black and white marking. Found near Linden and South U.Steve, 800---4661 |
FEMAL ROOMATE WANTED Own room near campus. Available December 1st. Rent $80 per month until March 1st.$129 there after. Call Jill for details,800—7839. |
| LOST: Gold wire rim glasses in brown case. Campus area. Reward. Call Gregg 800---2896 |
NEED PERSON to assume lease for own bedroom in apt. near campus, $92/mo. Starting Jan. 1st. Call 800---6157 after 5:00 |
| FOR SALE |
HELP WANTED |
| MOVING: Must sell.TV b/w2 seconds, $50; AM/FM transistor radio A/c or battery, $15;cassette tape recorder,$10; music records.Call John or Pat, 800—0739 after 5 or weekends. |
BABYSITTER-MY HOME If you are available a few hours during the day, some evenings and occasional weekends to care for 2 school-age children, please call Gayle Moore days 800—1111, evenings and weekends 800—4964. |
| USED FUR COATS and JACKETS GOOD CONDITION. $50---¥125. Call 800---0436 after 12 noon. |
WAITRESS WANTED: 10 a.m.—2 p.m. or 10:30 a.m.---5 p.m. Apply in person, 207 s. Mai.Curtis Restaurant. |
If you want a job of taking care of children, which ad will you answer?
| A.LOST AND FOUND | B.ROOMMATES | C.FOR SALE | D.HELP WANTED |
You will call____ if you want to buy a radio.
| A.800---0436 | B.800—0739 | C.800—4661 | D.800—4964 |
If your aunt wants to rent a room from Feb.1st to Apri.1st, how much money should she pay?
| A.$160 | B.$ 129 | C.$ 209 | D.$418 |
The world has changed and being intelligent isn’t normally equal to being a successful person. Look at the example of the blue whale : it has a huge brain, but it still doesn’t know how to avoid whalers or use its large size and weight to deal with those who try to use their body for profit. Scientists hold an opinion that the blue whale just likes some highly intelligent people who fail to succeed. Those highly intelligent people can’t succeed in life because they can’t communicate well with the world around them.
Intelligence is a word in life that makes you think you are better than others. Intelligence can blind these very people from how others view them. These people also think that the route to power and success results purely from intelligence and they sometimes live in a fantasy world that they create by their supposed brain power.
This is a distance that develops whether or not they realize it and sometimes, a person can be disliked simply because of his or her intelligence. This distance is sometimes so far apart that it gets to the position where they can’t listen to each other. One side thinks the other is stupid and the other thinks he/she is haughty(傲慢的). And most of the time it is the intelligent people who lose themselves in this situation. They become unpopular with most of the people around them. This affects them in whatever they do and sooner or later they will lose their confidence.
It doesn’t help that they get a culture shock - especially when they leave college and realize success and richness don’t always and sometimes never come naturally with intelligence. While some might think this is a dramatic picture to paint, it is sometimes the end result of some people. The example of “the blue whale” is used to show ____.
| A.communication is more important than intelligence |
| B.human beings are always more intelligent than animals |
| C.humans should have the sense of protecting animals |
| D.the blue whale is the largest animal in the world |
Those supposed intelligent people often believe that ____.
| A.they should make their life the same with others |
| B.they should live in a better world than the others |
| C.they are sure to be successful because of their intelligence |
| D.other people’s opinion should be seriously considered |
What makes the intelligent people lose their confidence?
| A.They become separated from other people and lose their support. |
| B.They often can’t get higher positions though they are intelligent. |
| C.They can’t persuade those stupid people to accept their ideas. |
| D.They often can’t make good use of their advantages. |
We can infer that the end result of the supposed intelligent people would be ____.
| A.great achievements | B.more efforts |
| C.failure in the future | D.proper changes |
Grown-ups know that people and objects are solid. At the movies, we know that if we reach out to touch Tom Cruise, all we will feel is air. But does a baby have this understanding?
To see whether babies know objects are solid, T. Bower designed a method for projecting an optical illusion of a hanging ball. His plan was to first give babies a real ball, one they could reach out and touch, and then to show them the illusion. If they knew that objects are solid and they reached out for the illusion and found empty air, they could be expected to show surprise in their faces and movements. All the 16 to 24-week-old babies tested were surprised when they reached for the illusion and found that the ball was not there.
Grown-ups also have a sense of object permanence. We know that if we put a box in a room and lock the door, the box will still be there when we come back. But does a baby realize that a ball that rolls under a chair does not disappear and go to never-never land?
Experiments done by Bower suggest that babies develop a sense of object permanence when they are about 18 weeks old. In his experiments, Bower used a toy train that went behind a screen. When 16-week-old and 22-week-old babies watched the toy train disappear behind the left side of the screen, they looked to the right, expecting it to reappear. If the experimenter took the train off the table and lifted the screen, all the babies seemed surprised not to see the train. This seems to show that all the babies had a sense of object permanence. But the second part of the experiment showed that this was not really the case. The researcher substituted a ball for the train when it went behind the screen. The 22-week-old babies seemed surprised and looked back to the left side for the train. But the 16-week-old babies did not seem to notice the switch. Thus, the 16-week-old babies seemed to have a sense of “something permanence, while the 22-week-old babies had a sense of object permanence related to a particular object. The passage is mainly about _____.
| A.babies’ sense of sight |
| B.effects of experiments on babies |
| C.babies’ understanding of objects |
| D.different tests on babies’ feelings |
In Paragraph 3, “object permanence” means that when out of sight, an object ________.
| A.still exists | B.keeps its shape |
| C.still stays solid | D.is beyond reach |
What did Bower use in his experiments?
| A.A chair. | B.A screen. | C.A film. | D.A box. |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A.The babies didn’t have a sense of direction. |
| B.The older babies preferred toy trains to balls. |
| C.The younger babies liked looking for missing objects. |
| D.The babies couldn’t tell a ball from its optical illusion. |