Every day we are exposed to images, videos, music and news. In this age of visual and aural hyper-stimulation, the medium of radio is making a great comeback.

“We’re at the beginning of a golden age of audio,” said US-based podcaster Alex Blumberg in an article in The Sydney Morning Herald. In the last month alone, 15 percent of US adults listened to a radio podcast (播客). These statistics, released by Edison Research, show the successful evolution of traditional radio broadcasts to the present day’s digital podcast format. The term “podcast” was invented in 2004, but the trend only started gaining mainstream popularity in recent years. With the sharp increase in consumer demand for smartphones and tablets, podcast sales have jumped.

The appeal of the podcast partly lies in its multiplatform delivery and on-demand capabilities (功能). You can listen during those extra minutes of the day when you’re walking to the shops, waiting in a queue or riding the subway. Similar to television shows, podcasts are generally free to download and most offer new content every week.

Donna Jackson, 22, Sydney University media graduate, listens to podcasts two or three times a week, via iTurns. “I listen while I’m wandering around the house doing something else. It makes completing a boring task much more enjoyable… And it’s an easy way of keeping in touch with what’s going on in the rest of the world,” she said, “I mainly listen to BBC podcasts, but recently I’ve also been listening to This American Life and Serial. They have a special skill to really draw you in.”

Unlike television and music, the audio format has the potential to create a deep impression on readers. Blumberg says this owes to the podcast’s ability “to create close relationship and emotional connection.” Sydney University undergraduate Hazel Proust, majoring in social work and arts, agrees. “When you’re listening, it feels as if the voice of the podcast’s storyteller is talking directly to you. It’s comforting, ” said Proust.

It seems the age-old tradition of verbal storytelling is very much alive and well.

1.From the first two paragraphs, we can learn that ________.

A. traditional broadcast has come back

B. Americans love listening to the radio

C. podcasts have become very popular today

D. smartphones sell well because of podcasts

2.The writer mentions Donna Jackson mainly to ________.

A. tell how young people relax themselves

B. explain why young people like podcasts

C. introduce what programs podcasts are presenting

D. show how popular podcasts are presenting

3.Paragraph 5 is mainly about ________.

A. the influence of radios

B. the advantage of podcasts

C. readers’ impression on radios

D. people’s reaction to the medium

4.What is probably the best title of the passage?

A. Return of Radio

B. Opinions of Podcast

C. Features of Radio

D. Technology of Podcast

Only two countries in the advanced world provide no guarantee for paid leave from work to care for a newborn child.Last spring one of the two,Australia,gave up the bad distinction by setting up paid family leave starting in 2011.I wasn’t surprised when this didn’t make the news here in the United States—we’re now the only wealthy country without such a policy.

The United States does have one explicit family policy,the Family and Medical Leave Act,passed in 1993.It entitles workers to as much as 12 weeks’ unpaid leave for care of a newborn or dealing with a family medical problem.Despite the modesty of the benefit,the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups fought it bitterly,describing it as “government-run personnel management” and a “dangerous precedent(先例).” In fact,every step of the way,as (usually) Democratic leaders have tried to introduce work-family balance measures into the law,business groups have been strongly opposed.

As Yale law professor Anne Alstott argues,justifying parental support depends on defining(定义)the family as a social good that,in some sense,society must pay for.Parents are burdened in many ways in their lives: there is “no exit” when it comes to children.Society expects—and needs—parents to provide their children with continuity of care.And society expects—and needs—parents to persist in their roles for 18 years,or longer if needed.

1.What do we learn about paid family leave according to Paragraph 1?

A.It came as a surprise when Australia adopted the policy.

B.Setting up this policy made Australia less influential.

C.It has now become a hot topic in the United States.

D.No such policy is applied in the United States.

2.What makes it hard to take work-family balance measures in the States?

A.The incompetence of the Democrats.

B.The opposition from business circles.

C.The lack of a precedent in American history.

D.The existing Family and Medical Leave Act.

3.What is Professor Anne Alstott’s argument for parental support?

A.Children need continuous care.

B.Good parenting benefits society.

C.The cost of raising children has been growing.

D.The U.S.should keep up with other developed countries.

4.Why is the author against classifying parenting as a personal choice?

A.Parenting is regarded as a moral duty.

B.Parenting relies largely on social support.

C.Parenting produces huge moral benefits.

D.Parenting is basically a social responsibility.

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