Ted Turner,
achieved high goals and great success by the time he was 43. Best known for his
CNN, Ted Turner launched a second nationwide all-news network, Headline News,
purchased the Atlanta Braves baseball team, and became the world's best
yachtsman at the America's Cup in 1977. In 1982 Ted Turner was named by Forbes
one of the 400 richest people in the US. He was named Time magazine's "Man
of the Year" in 1992. How did Ted Turner accomplish all of this at such a
young age?
Ted Turner's father, Ed, was a self-made millionaire who demanded that his only
son try to achieve similar success. He instilled in the boy a strong belief
that hard work was good. Besides reading a new book every two days, Ted Turner was
also charged rent at home during summer vacations from boarding school. Ed
Turner was a strong influence in his son's life.
As a child, Ted Turner lived a very lonely life, often separated from his
family. He was enrolled in a military academy in the fifth grade and eventually
went to Brown University. He attended college off and on, became involved in
sailboat racing, and became a member of the U.S. Coast Guard. In his early
twenties, Ted Turner became general manager of one of his father's branch
offices in Georgia.
Two years later after his father’s suicide, Ted Turner took over the company.
He soon discovered that he was more skilled than his father in managing the
business. During the next twenty years, Ted Turner worked hard to accumulate
enough power and money to fulfill his father's dream.
Reflecting on his father's death, however, Ted Turner realized that it was
dangerous to put too much emphasis on material possessions. He decided to use
his hard-earned influence to serve the public. Concerned about the environment,
Ted Turner established the Better World Society in 1985. The purpose of this
organization was to produce documentaries to educate people about pollution,
hunger, and the danger of building weapons of mass destruction. In 1986 Turner
began sponsoring the Goodwill Games to promote world peace. The Turner Tomorrow
Awards were created to encourage writers and thinkers to focus their attention
on solving world problems. The Turner Family Foundation was established in
1992.
1. What is CNN according to
the passage?
A. It’s a broadcast-news company. B. It’s a
basketball team agency.
C. It’s a charity organization. D. It’s
a publishing house.
2. What is the main idea of
Paragraph 1?
A. The creation of CNN encouraged broadcasters to be more
successful.
B. Towering goals and hard work led to fame and prosperity.
C. Ted Turner was expert at sailboat racing and playing
basketball.
D. Ted Turner became very successful at an early age.
3. As a student in a
military academy, Turner ______.
A. wasn’t as lonely as he looked because his many friends at
school.
B. missed his family very much
despite having friends at school.
C. served as a member of the US
Coast Guard for a while.
D. showed little interest in
studying but other affairs.
4. The author seems to
believe that Ted Turner is ______.
A. slow moving B.
incompetent C. goal-oriented D. modest
5. Which of the following
best describes an important change in Ted Turner’s life?
A. He became more determined and was feared by this workmates.
B. He developed respect and admiration for his employees.
C. H e revised his view of the world and his responsibility in
it.
D. He demanded the same level of success as he father.
