Passage Nineteen (TV’s Harmfulness)

Yes, but what did we use to do before there was television? How often we hear statements like this! Television hasn’t been with us all that long, but we are already beginning to forget what the world was like without it. Before we admitted the one-eyed monster into our homes, we never fond it difficult to occupy our spare time. We used to enjoy civilized pleasures. For instance, we used to have hobbies, we used to entertain our friends and be entertained by them, we used to go outside for our amusements to theatres, cinemas, restaurants and sporting events. We even used to read books and listen to music and broadcast talks occasionally. All that belongs to the past. Now all our free time is regulated by the goggle box. We rush home or gulp down our meals to be in time for this or that programme. We have even given up sitting at table and having a leisurely evening meal, exchanging the news of the day. A sandwich and a glass of beer will do – anything, providing it doesn’t interfere with the programme. The monster demands and obtains absolute silence and attention. If any member of the family dares to open his mouth during a programme, he is quickly silenced.

Whole generations are growing up addicted to the telly. Food is left uneaten, homework undone and sleep is lost. The telly is a universal pacifier. It is now standard practice for mother to keep the children quiet by putting them in the living-room and turning on the set. It doesn’t matter that the children will watch rubbishy commercials or spectacles of sadism and violence – so long as they are quiet.

There is a limit to the amount of creative talent available in the world. Every day, television consumes vast quantities of creative work. That is why most of the programmes are so bad: it is impossible to keep pace with the demand and maintain high standards as well. When millions watch the same programmes, the whole world becomes a village, and society is reduced to the conditions which obtain in preliterate communities. We become utterly dependent on the two most primitive media of communication: pictures and the spoken word.

Television encourages passive enjoyment. We become content with second-hand experiences. It is so easy to sit in our armchairs watching others working. Little by little, television cuts us off from the real world. We get so lazy, we choose to spend a fine day in semi-darkness, glued to our sets, rather than go out into the world itself. Television may be s splendid medium of communication, but it prevents us from communicating with each other. We only become aware how totally irrelevant television is to real living when we spend a holiday by the sea or in the mountains, far away from civilization. In quiet, natural surroundings, we quickly discover how little we miss the hypnotic tyranny of King Telly.

1.What is the biggest harm of TV?

A.It deprives people of communication with the real world.

B.People become lazy.

C.People become dependent on second-hand experience.

D.TV consumes a large part of one’s life.

2.In what way can people forget TV?

A.Far away from civilization.

B.To a mountain.

C.By the sea.

D.In quiet natural surroundings.

3.What does a mother usually do to keep her children quiet?

A.Let them watch the set.

B.Put them in the living room.

C.Let them watch the rubbish.

D.Let them alone.

4.What does the first sentence in the first paragraph mean?

A.We found it difficult to occupy our spare time.

B.We become addicted to TV.

C.What we used to do is different from now.

D.We used to enjoy civilized pleasures.

"Yes, but what did we use to do before there was television?" How often we hear statements like this! Television hasn't been with us all that long, but we are already beginning to forget what the world was like without it. Before we admitted the "one-eyed monster" into our homes, we never found it difficult to occupy our spare time. We used to enjoy civilised pleasures. For instance, we used to have hobbies, entertain our friends and be entertained by them, go outside for our amusements. We even used to read books and listen to music occasionally. Now all our free time is regulated by the "goggle box". We rush home for our meals to be in time for this or that programme. A sandwich and a glass of beer will do—anything, providing it doesn't interfere with the programme. The monster demands and obtains absolute silence and attention. If any member of the family dares to open his mouth during a programme, he is quickly silenced.
Whole generations are growing up addicted to the television. Food is left uneaten, homework undone and sleep is lost. The television is a universal thing that makes people calm. It is now standard practice for mother to keep the children quiet by putting them in the living-room and turning on the set. It doesn't matter what the children will watch—so long as they are quiet.
Television encourages passive enjoyment. We become content with second-hand experiences. It is so easy to sit in our armchairs watching others working. Little by little, television cuts us off from the real world. We get so lazy, we choose to spend a fine day in semi-darkness. Television may be a splendid medium of communication, but it prevents us from communicating with each other. We only become aware how totally irrelevant television is to real living when we spend a holiday by the sea or in the mountains. In quiet, natural surrounding, we quickly discover how little we miss the King television.
【小题1】.
. Through the passage, the writer aims to tell us ________.

A.how television is damaging our health
B.how to keep away from watching television
C.that television is doing harm to our life
D.all of us find it difficult to live without television
【小题2】.
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A.Second-hand experiences provided by television are harmful.
B.We can enjoy our life without television.
C.Television is a necessary way of communication.
D.Television is becoming irreplaceable in our daily life.
【小题3】.
. What's the main reason for parents to put the children before a television set?
A.To save more time for housework.
B.To help them sleep earlier.
C.To keep them quiet.
D.To help them learn more knowledge from television.
【小题4】.
By saying "we never found it difficult to occupy our spare time," the writer means ________.
A.television occupies too much of our spare time
B.it's easy for us to find some spare time to enjoy the television
C.we have less spare time after we have television
D.it's difficult to spend our spare time without a television

Walking around the corner and into the hall at three in the morning, lost in thought and dragging a mop bucket, I raised my eyes to the front counter in indifference. A man, looking to be in his mid 40’s, stood in a pink dress. A wide-edged hat stuck out over his massive frame resembling an umbrella that was a little too shabby and worn-out, making him look like a woman. The shock at seeing such a strong proud man in a cheap disgusting dress broke my heart, as well as frightened me.
Dropping my mop on the floor in surprise and picking up my face that had temporarily fallen off, I confidently walked over to the desk.
“I’m sorry,” I began to say but was confused on whether sir or madam was appropriate. “Can I help you?”
“I need a room,” he said in a gruff (粗哑的) powerful voice.
“Sure thing,” I said bringing up the registry. “Can I get your last name?”
“Hurgan,” he said briefly.
“And your first name?”
“Amanda.”
Suddenly I had to direct all of my concentration on holding back a smile. A ten second pause of silence passed while I tried to stay calm.
“Okay,” I said getting back to the job, “can I get your phone number, Amanda?”
All of the information was acquired and stored and Amanda received her room key for the night. All was well as I returned to the neglected mop bucket. Suddenly a low throaty cough drew me out of my temporary mental disorder. Looking over at the desk where Amanda stood touching her thick biceps (二头肌) I once again dropped the mop in shock.
“I’m sorry about that,” I said coming around to the desk. Amanda stared with unease twisting her sleeve with her right index finger.
“I have a cat,” she said in a low voice.
“I’m sorry you what?” I asked leaning in closer. She drew back a bit as if I was some kind of threat.
“I have a cat.”
Looking up into her tall frame, I replied, “That’s fine. We just need to add an extra $10 fee.” She handed me her credit card once again. I swiped it, returned it, and grabbed the printing receipt.
“You just need to sign here,” I said handing over the pen. She hesitantly grabbed it from my hand and signed. As she began to return it, my hand came a bit too close to connecting with hers. Scared and possibly a little disgusted she dropped the pen, causing it to bounce off the counter and onto the floor.
“Sorry,” she said, looking down. “I have to go get my cat.”
While Amanda was getting her cat, an unpleasant thought was circling around my head. Here I was just doing my job and this, this WO-MAN was acting as if I was the monster! He was wearing a pink dress! And I was the monster? Was he even still a man? The sliding doors opened and in came Amanda passing the front desk without even giving me a polite nod. 
【小题1】 The story most probably happened at a ________.

A.pubB.hotelC.hospitalD.shop
【小题2】We can conclude that the author’s attitude towards the man is _______.
A.objectiveB.indifferentC.criticalD.considerate
【小题3】 Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.The author was on the edge of smiling when he heard the man’s first name.
B.When the man checked in, he tipped the author $10.
C.After signing, the man grasped the author’s hand and thanked him.
D.The man gave the author a friendly nod while going toward his room.
【小题4】 What might be the best title of this passage?
A.A disgusting catB.A considerate waiter
C.A fierce monsterD.A strange-looking WO-MAN


第二部分 阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
A
Since it was published in 1818, Frankenstein, a classic horror story, has been in print in many languages.  The monster from the novel by Mary Shelley is the result of man's uncontrolled desire to create and apply his knowledge.
The novel features Victor Frankenstein, a student who explores the secrets of life in his laboratory. Fearing that he has created a monster, Victor Frankenstein wants to stop but too late. The monster kills Victor Frankenstein's young brother and causes the murder to be blamed on an innocent girl. Victor and the monster meet in the frozen mountains. The monster asks Victor to create a female monster, promising to afterwards leave with her for the wilds. Victor begins the work and discovers the monster has followed him to watch the work. Victor regrets his decision to create a second monster and worries that together they will begin a species of monster. Victor destroys the monster's bride. The monster soon takes revenge (复仇) on Victor by killing his best friend, his father and finally, his bride, Elizabeth. Victor pursues (追赶) the monster across many places. On the point of death, Victor meets a ship and tells his story to the captain whose letters and diaries are then to form this novel. Victor Frankenstein's last words are, "Farewell, Walton! Avoid ambition, even if it is only the obviously innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries."
Frankenstein’s conflicted ambition is with us always. And the Monster stands at our window, reminding us to take care of our creations against experimenting with things we don’t understand.
36. The passage was written to _______。
A. tell us the story from Frankenstein         B. encourage us to explore the secret of life
C. entertain us with the monster              D. show pity on Victor Frankenstein
37. According to the passage, Mary Shelley' s Frankenstein is made up of_________。
A. poems         B. plays    C. fairy tales     D. letters and diaries
38. The correct order of the following events is_________。
a. The monster follows Frankenstein to watch his work.
b. Frankenstein runs after the monster across many places.
c. The monster kills Frankenstein's bride.
d. Frankenstein kills the monster's bride.
e. Frankenstein creates a monster in experiments.
A. e, b, a, c, d       B. e, d, c, b, a     C. e, a, c, d, b       D. e, a, d, c, b
39. In the last paragraph, the writer of the passage points that_______。
A. the monster is still disturbing people
B. man's ambition in creations should never be allowed
C. man's risky experiments have created many monsters
D. creations in science should be carefully dealt with

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