No country in the world has more daily newspapers than the USA. There are almost 2,000 of them, as compared with 180 in Japan, 164 in Argentina and 111 in Britain. The quality of some American papers is extremely high and their views are quoted all over the world. Famous dailies like the Washington Post or the New York Times have a powerful influence all over the country. However, they are not national newspapers in the sense that The Times is in Britain or Le Monde is in France, since each American city has its own daily newspaper. The best of these present detailed description of national and international news, but many tend to limit themselves to state or city news.

 Like the press in most other countries, American newspapers range from the “sensational” which feature crime and gossip(闲谈), to the “serious”, which focus on factual news and the analysis of world events. But with few exceptions, American newspapers try to entertain as well as give information, for they have to compete with the attraction of television.

Just as American newspapers satisfy all tastes, so do they also try to attract readers of all political parties. A few newspapers support extremist(极端主义的) groups on the far right and on the far left, but most daily newspapers try to attract middle-of-the-road Americans who are moderate(中立的). Many of these papers print columns by well-known journalists of different political and social views, in order to present a balanced picture.

As in other countries, American newspapers can be either responsible or irresponsible, but it is generally accepted that the American press serves its country well and that it has more than once courageously exposed political scandals(丑闻) or crimes, for instance, the Watergate Affair(水门事件). The Newspapers drew the attention of the public to the horrors of the Vietnam War.

1.There are fewer national newspapers in          .

  A. Britain than in the USA.    B. France than in Britain

  C. the USA than in Britain or France

  D. France than in the USA or Britain

2.Most American newspapers try hard to entertain their readers because

.  

A.they have to keep up a good relation with them

B.they have to compete with television

C.they have to write about crime and gossip

D.they have to give factual news in an interesting way

3.Many American newspapers attract readers of different political preference by          .

A.supporting extremist groups from time to time

B.inviting middle-of-the-road Americans to write articles for them

C.avoiding carrying articles about extremists

D.printing articles representing different political viewpoints

4.The passage is mainly about             .

A.the characteristics of American newspapers

B.the development of American newspapers

C.the functions of American newspapers

D.the advantages and disadvantages of American newspapers

 

It's certain:for twins,life really does imitate art.My twin brother,Kirk,and I grew up being constantly mistaken for each (处理这个问题) other.Classmates,friends,teachers,even relatives couldn't tell us apart. As a result,we were often unfairly punished or rewarded.

Eventually,we learned how to use the Mistaken Identity Syndrome (MIS) to our advantage.For example,we would play tricks on our friends and classmates,pretending to be the other twin.Nor were teachers immune(不受某事物影响) to our tricks.On at least one occasion,when Kirk was sick,I covered for (替代) him by taking his tests.We also tried our little game out on Mom,but she always knew who was who.Once we grew up,we even covered for each other at work.We didn't mean any harm;we simply started this as an experiment to see whether our bosses and co-workers could tell the difference.

As a bank manager, I meet with dozens of clients(顾客) on a daily basis, while my brother manages a staffing service for local employers. As a result, Kirk is constantly approached by people who want to discuss their various money accounts, while I'm frequently thanked on the street as a department store customer service representative.

However, the MIS took a truly embarrassing turn when Kirk and I found ourselves unable to tell each other apart. Once, my brother and I were traveling in a car with several friends. My brother's hair must always be in place. Kirk was driving when he noticed in the rearview mirror (后视镜) that his hair was a bit messy.

He lifted his right hand to brush his hair back into place and was disturbed when his hand didn't appear in the mirror. Several times he repeated this action. Finally, he started laughing.

1.According to the first paragraph, we know that         .

A.few people can tell the author from Kirk

B.the author was punished more than Kirk

C.the author was always rewarded though he was wrong

D.being twins is really a good thing for both twins

2.According to the passage, the Mistaken Identity Syndrome is         .

A.a kind of disease difficult to cure

B.the situation of mistaking identities

C.the tricks that children like to play

D.the way to separate two similar things

3. It can be inferred that when the author covers for his brother at work,         .

A.he is often successful

B.he means to harm his boss

C.his brother is seriously ill

D.he often behaves strangely

4. Why did Kirk laugh at last?

A.He felt embarrassed about his hair.

B.His brother's hair was really messy.

C.His brother was doing the same thing.

D.He became the victim of the MIS.

 

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