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.

It was two years ago in winter when I went with my family to Engadine in Switzerland. The journey by car was pleasant until we reached the bottom of the Julier Pass(尤里尔隘口) when it began to snow.
Suddenly, the weather became very bad and soon we found ourselves in a storm. On the top of the pass, the visibility(能见度) was almost zero and we had to guess where the crash barrier(防撞护栏) was. It was terrible, the snow turned into ice and stuck to the windows despite the heating being set at full blast. Several times I had to get out of the car to clear the ice from the windshield(挡风玻璃).
But the way down towards Silvaplana was less stressful and we knew that we would arrive in paradise(乐园). It snowed without interruption the first day of our holidays and not being used to this natural weather, we found it simply magical to watch so much snow falling down on the mountains.
The following day, in this large, amazing area made up of frozen lakes and rivers between white mountains, we discovered a little hut next to the cross-country ski tracks, close to a farm. There was a fridge in this heated wooden cabin that contained milk, cheese and yoghurts for self-service. There was a list of prices for each item. You took what you wanted, then wrote down the total on a notebook what you had taken and put the money into an open box and if necessary took the change.
Where else could you find such trust? As I’ve already told you, Engadine is a paradise.
69.The author and his family were caught in a storm when they_______.
A. began the visit to Engadine                          B. were in Silvaplana
C. were passing the Julier Pass                         D. crashed into barriers
70. According to the passage, in the little hut________.
A. foods were offered to tourists for free    B. tourists had to serve themselves
C. tourists had to enjoy their own food       D. there were several persons on duty every day
71. What may impress the author most?
A. The white mountains.                  B. The Julier Pass.
C. The frozen lake .                            D. The little hut.

When we visited Zhangzhuang again ten years later, we found it changed so much that we could hardly ________ it.

One of the most difficult things for children to deal with when moving to a new town is leaving their friends and making new ones.

    We once moved and one of our new neighbors told us about a summer camp at the Recreation Center all the kids went to. My husband and I looked into it and we found it was unbelievably cheap. I had the kids sign up (报名) the next day so that they could know more kids there.

    Another thing we did was to have them sign up for sports when school started. They were happy to be on teams with new friends they made. This also gave me a chance to meet new people and from them I sometimes got some useful ideas for my new books.

    If you’re just moving to a new house in the same city you live in now, it won’t really be a problem unless your kids are changing schools. If they are, it is a great idea to have them take the address book to school. Thus, your children won’t feel “lost” without their old friends.

    If you’re able to, over the summer vacation, try inviting the friend your child misses most to come and visit your new home for a week, or even a few weeks. I know this can be difficult if that child has to fly, but maybe you can work out a plan with the child’s parents. Think how happy the kids will be when they meet!

The author had her kids sign up for the summer camp mainly because _____.

A. she could afford the cost                B. she was asked to do so by her kids

C. it could give her kids a chance to meet more kids

D. it could make the summer holiday not so boring

What is probably the author?

A. A housewife.     B. A business woman.       C. A teacher.       D. A writer.

What we can’t learn from the passage is that ____. 

A. a summer camp at the Recreation Center was very cheap

B. having the kids take part in sports is good for both the author and her kids

C. parents should ask their children not to think of their old friends

D. parents should create more chances for children to make new friends

The purpose of the passage is to teach parents how to ______ when they move to a new place. 

A. get used to the new life in a short time

B. help their children make new friends and keep the old ones

C. get along with their new neighbors

D. help their children get used to the new school life

When we visited Zhou Zhuang again ten years later, we found it changed so much that we could hardly ________ it.

A．remember        B．realize            C．believe           D．recognize