Since 1980 there have been four major developments in TV. The first is video, which has given __1__ the power to control what they watch and when they watch it. These days, fifty percent of homes have a VCR (video-cassette recorder) and millions more are being sold every year. The second is satellite TV. Thanks to DBS (__2__), dozens of new channels are now __3__ to anyone who buys a receiving “dish”.

The third development is cable－a system of hi-tech __4__, which provides even more channels. But not only that, cable also makes __5__ possible for you to communicate through your TV.

Fourthly, there’s HDTV (high definition television), which now offers a much __6__ and more realistic picture than was possible even a few years ago.

So more channels, more choice, more clarity (清晰). What is there left for __7__ to achieve in the future? The answer to that is two-way __8__. Modern technology means that 21^st century televisions will be linked to computer data-banks. This way. Views will be able to ask questions about what they’re watching and the answers will appear on their __9__. This idea is called “hyper-media” and it’s still at an early __10__. But then, as we’ve just seen, TV had come a very long way in a very short time. The hyper0media revolution could happen sooner than any many people think.

A. listeners   B. players       C. viewers      D. engineers

A. direct business system    B. direct broadcast satellites

C. digital broadcast sound     D. data bank system

A. available  B. access C. linked D. sent

A. televisions      B. lines   C. strings D. wires

A. it     B. them   C. this     D. that

A. cheaper   B. clearer       C. colourful    D. delight

A. TV   B. invention    C. viewers      D. video

A. communication      B. traffic C. dialogue     D. operation

A. books      B. minds C. screens       D. computers

A. age B. time    C. process       D. stage

 We’ve just moved into a bigger house and there’s a lot to do. Let’s       it.

A. keep up with      B. do away with           C. get down to          D. look forward to

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop giant Michael Jackson, who took to the stage as a child star, died on Thursday, TMZ website reported. He was 50.
There was no official confirmation of the reported death and spokespersons for Jackson could not be reached for comment. "We’ve just learned Michael Jackson has died," TMZ said. "Michael suffered a cardiac（心脏的） arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We’re told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back," the entertainment site said. It added, "A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived."
Earlier, the Los Angeles Times said the singer had been rushed to a Los Angeles-area hospital by fire department paramedics who found him not breathing when they arrived at the singer’s home.The newspaper said paramedics performed perfectly at the scene before taking him to the UCLA Medical Center hospital. Jackson had been due to start a series of comeback concerts in London on July 13 running until March 2010. The singer, whose hits included "Thriller" and "Billie Jean," had been rehearsing in the Los Angeles area for the past two months. The shows for the 50 London concerts sold out within minutes of going on sale in March.
His lifetime record sales tally is believed to be around 750 million, which, added to the 13 Grammy Awards he received, makes him one of the most successful entertainers of all time. There were concerns about Jackson’s health in recent years but the promoters of the London shows, AEG Live, said in March that Jackson had passed a 4-1/2 hour physical examination with independent doctors.
【小题1】What does the underlined word paramedics probably mean?

We’ve just heard a warning on the radio _______ a typhoon may be on its way．

   A． what            B． when            C． which           D． that

A: For years some people have been saying that railways are dead. They say, “Trains are slow, and they lose money. Motorcars and planes have made them unnecessary.”

B:    1.   . I think in these days of expensive oil, railways have become highly competitive with motorcars and planes.

A: Right. If you want to carry people or goods from place to place, they are much cheaper than planes.

B:    2.   . A plane goes in a straight line, and so does a railway.

A: What is more, it takes you from the heart of a city into the heart of another.    3.   . Nor does it hold you up as a car does in heavy traffic.

B:    4.   . Modern railway lines give you a smooth, untroubled journey. We’ve just entered the age of super-fast trains, traveling at 160 miles an hour and more.

A：5.

A. So railways will have very bright future, I dare say. 

B. It doesn’t leave you as a plane does, miles and miles from the city center.

C. Far from being dead, railways are developing very quickly.

D. Trains are really slower than planes. 

E. And they have much in common with planes.

F. But it is far from the truth. 

G. Trains are really more comfortable than planes.