题目内容
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
60-63: ABCB
【解析】略
One day, Raul was miles away from the small ranch(牧场) house in a large valley. 36
seemed to be all right, yet he felt strange and somewhat uneasy. The wind had picked up, and angry, dark clouds 37 across the sky. He could smell the rain coming. And it did. 38 ,the lightning flashed through the clouds, nearly 39 Raul. The thunder(雷声) was so loud that he buried his 40 in his hands and rubbed his eyes. Then he heard it. Hoof beats(蹄声).He 41 .There before him stood a tall, white 42 . An old man stared down at him from its back.
“Wh-wh-who are y-y-you?” asked Raul. “My name is Gray Cloud,” the old man answered 43 .“Come with me.”
Raul followed on his horse. A 44 feeling came over him. All 45 them the rain was pouring down, 46 not a drop fell on them. They seemed to be 47 back toward Raul’s home. Raul lost track of time. Then all at once he found 48 at the ranch gate. The old man turned his horse, 49 his hand, and smiled. Lightning flashed again. The old man and his horse were 50 .
Raul’s father ran out across the yard to 51 him. “we have been 52 sick about you. Are you okay? Hurry. Let’s get in out of the 53 .”
“Wait,” said Raul. “Have you ever heard of an old man called Gray Cloud?”
“Can’t say I … wait. I 54 my great-grandfather used to tell storied about a man called Gray Cloud. He died a long time ago. They say he was 55 by lightning during a terrible thunderstorm. Why do you ask?”
36. A. Something | B. Everything | C. Anything | D. Nothing |
37.A.dropped | B. fell | C. rolled | D. covered |
38.A.Suddenly | B. Strongly | C. Quickly | D. Hardly |
39.A.beating | B. blinding | C. burning | D. touching |
40.A.nose | B. hair | C. neck | D. head |
41.A.looked up | B. woke up | C. lay down | D. sat down |
42.A.tiger | B. horse | C. lion | D. elephant |
43.A.lazily | B. angrily | C. coldly | D. slowly |
44.A.natural | B. common | C. strange | D. bad |
45.A.around | B. beside | C. through | D. above |
46.A.yet | B. for | C. so | D. or |
47.A.walking | B. leading | C. heading | D. returning |
48.A.them | B. themselves | C. him | D. himself |
49.A.shook | B. waved | C. held | D. took |
50.A.gone | B. left | C. followed | D. lost |
51.A.see | B. meet | C. beat | D. ask |
52.A.waited | B. thought | C. worried | D. excited |
53.A.yard | B. wind | C. grass | D. rain |
54.A.believe | B. consider | C. doubt | D. forget |
55.A.defeated | B. caught | C. damaged | D. struck |