"What a difference a word makes." The issue of semantics has been an ongoing complain against the media, which has been characterized by an increasing level of sensationalism and irresponsible reporting over the years, fostered by increasingly fierce competition and struggle for wider distributions and readerships.
A focal point for the criticism is the coverage of high-profile criminal cases. With such headlines as "Mr. X Arrest for First-Degree Murder" prominently displayed across the front page, it has been argued that such provocative language influences public opinion, causing premature assumptions of guilt before the matter can be properly and legally decided in a court of law. The power of the media to influence public opinion and, by extension, legal and political perceptions, has long been established and recognized, spurring outcries when inaccurate or overly embellished stories result in unwarranted destruction of public image or intrusion into privacy of unwilling individuals.
Reporters and editors take the utmost care in their choice of words for use in their articles, but with constant pressure to create provocative headlines in order to sell their papers, the distinction between respectable periodicals and trashy tabloids is becoming thinner every day. The dilemma is exacerbated by the public’s seeming short attention span, putting the papers under pressure to make their stories as attention-grabbing as they are accurate. Further obfuscating the situation is the fact that the same phrase can be interpreted in a myriad of different ways depending on who reads it, making it hard for one to judge whether a line is excessive or not.
Whatever the causes and effects, however, the freedom of pres laws in the United States mean that any change to the style employed by the media must be self-imposed. In that respect, it appears that nothing will be changing in the near future, since the public’s insatiable hunger for controversy and scandal continues to dominate and set the pace for marketable reporting. As the sensationalism and its related effects continue into the longer term, however, there will no doubt be more outcry as the trend continues. This will possibly result in an upheaval of the system; favoring more accurate, unembellished reporting, consisting of hard facts with a minimum of supposition or commentary and devoid of rumors and other questionable sources of information. If and when that occurs, we can truly state with pride that our media industry is only a free one, bat a responsible and reliable one.
The word "exacerbate" (line 4, paragraph 3) has similar meaning with

A:reduce. B:intensify. C:weaken. D:encourage.

Several international events in the early 1990s seem likely to ____________ , or at least weaken, the trends that emerged in the 1980s.

A:revolt B:revolve C:reverse D:revive

It's bad policy for developing countries to sacrifice environmental protection to （　） economic growth.

A:discourage B:weaken C:promote D:create

Did you ever have someone’s name on the tip of your tongue and yet you were unable to recall it (36) this happens again, do not (37) to recall it. Do something (38) for a couple of minutes, (39) the name may come into your head. The name is there, since you have met (40) person and learned his name. It (41) has to be dug out. The initial effort to recall (42) the mind for operation, but it is the subconscious (下意识) (43) that go to dig up a (44) memory. Forcing yourself to recall (45) never helps because it doesn’t (46) your memory; it only tightens it. Students find the preparatory method helpful (47) examinations. They read over the questions (48) trying to answer any of them. (49) they answer first the ones (50) which they are most confident. Meanwhile, deeper mental activities in the subconscious mind are taking (51) ; work is being done on the (52) difficult question. By the time the easier questions are answered, answers (53) the more difficult ones will usually begin to (54) into consciousness. It is often (55) a question of waiting for recall to come to the memory.

A:loosen B:weaken C:decrease D:reduce

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to (21) the Nobel Peace Prize for 1998 to John Hume and David Trimble for their efforts to find a (22) solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland.
Over the past thirty years, the national, religious and social (23) in Northern Ireland has cost over 3,500 people their lives. John Hume has throughout been the clearest and most (24) of Northern Ireland’s political leaders in his (25) for a peaceful solution. The foundations of the peace agreement (26) on Good Friday 1998 reflect principles which he has stood for.
As the (27) of the traditionally predominant party in Northern Ireland, David Trimble showed great political (28) when, at a critical stage of the process, he advocated solutions which led to the peace (29) . As the head of the Northern Ireland government, he has (30) the first steps towards building up the mutual confidence on which a lasting peace must be based.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee also wishes to (31) the importance of the positive (32) to the peace process made by other Northern Irish leaders, and by the governments of Great Britain, Ireland, and the United States.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee (33) the hope that the foundations which have now been laid will not (34) lead to lasting peace in Northern Ireland, but also serve to (35) peaceful solutions to other religious, ethnic and national conflicts around the world.

A:complain B:weaken C:emphasize D:buy

Several international events in the early 1990s seem likely to {{U}}go backwards{{/U}}, or at least weaken, the trends that emerged in the 1980s.

A:revolt B:revolve C:reverse D:revive

Write the article. Run for classes. Haven’ t finished the readings. House cleaning. Assignmentto （1） in two hours. Out of breath, time, and still late. That’s been me for the past three weeks. And then yesterday, as my fingers （2） hit thekeyboard, I （3） to look outside. Through the half open blinds of my kitchen window, I caughtthe bright glow(光线) of sunshine（4）through the freshly cleaned air and shining（5）theyellow-green leaves of a tree. It could have been the four days of continual rain and gray gloomyskies, or my own self, （6）endless activity. I don’t know what it was, （7）I just sat therelooking at the dancing sunrays. Not a （8） in my head. No crowded feelings of approaching work, or people or even friends. Just watching. I felt my body （9） And after a long time ... felt calm. The break passed. I went back to my （10） But something about the rhythm of the day （11） . It was the difference between rushing to catch the bus and riding on your own horse. Later that evening, I （12） how we’ d come to inhabit ( 居住 ) a place where rest and moments of peace were means to be （13） If you weren’ t tired out, overworked or well near（14） --you didn’ t （15） to enjoy moments of peace. （16）me of the poem Leisure, written by W.H. Davies in the early 20th century. It is more More （17） today than ever before. No time to stand beneath the boughs(树干), And stare as long as sheep and cows. No time to see the woods we pass, Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass. And then we’ re（18）as to why as a creature we’ re so upset. If we can’ t be （19）with ourselves, how can we hope to find a common （20） we can inhabit with others

A:relax B:drop C:die D:weaken

After the United States government reported ______ consumer demands for gasoline, market oil prices closed at $72 a barrel.

A:weaken B:weakest C:weakness D:weakening

Write the article. Run for classes. Haven’ t finished the readings. House cleaning. Assignmentto （1） in two hours. Out of breath, time, and still late. That’s been me for the past three weeks. And then yesterday, as my fingers （2） hit thekeyboard, I （3） to look outside. Through the half open blinds of my kitchen window, I caughtthe bright glow(光线) of sunshine（4）through the freshly cleaned air and shining（5）theyellow-green leaves of a tree. It could have been the four days of continual rain and gray gloomyskies, or my own self, （6）endless activity. I don’t know what it was, （7）I just sat therelooking at the dancing sunrays. Not a （8） in my head. No crowded feelings of approaching work, or people or even friends. Just watching. I felt my body （9） And after a long time ... felt calm. The break passed. I went back to my （10） But something about the rhythm of the day （11） . It was the difference between rushing to catch the bus and riding on your own horse. Later that evening, I （12） how we’ d come to inhabit ( 居住 ) a place where rest and moments of peace were means to be （13） If you weren’ t tired out, overworked or well near（14） --you didn’ t （15） to enjoy moments of peace. （16）me of the poem Leisure, written by W.H. Davies in the early 20th century. It is more More （17） today than ever before. No time to stand beneath the boughs(树干), And stare as long as sheep and cows. No time to see the woods we pass, Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass. And then we’ re（18）as to why as a creature we’ re so upset. If we can’ t be （19）with ourselves, how can we hope to find a common （20） we can inhabit with others

A:relax B:drop C:die D:weaken