Television has changed the life style of people in every industrialized country in the world. In the United States, where sociologists have studied the effects, some interesting observations have been made.
Television, although not essential, has become an important part of most people’s lives. It alters people’s ways of seeing the world; in many ways, it supports and sustains modern life. Television has become a baby-sitter, an introducer of conversations, the major transmitter or culture, a keeper of tradition. Yet when what can be seen on TV in one day is critically analyzed, it becomes evident that television is not a teacher but a sustainer: the poor quality of programming does not elevate (提高) people into greater understanding, but rather maintains and encourages the life as it exists.
The primary reason for the lack of quality in American television is related to both the history of TV programming development and the economics of TV. Television in America began with the radio. Radio companies and their sponsors first experimented with television. Therefore, the close relationship which the advertisers had with radio programs became the system for American TV. Sponsors not only paid money for time within programs, but many actually produced the programs. Thus, in American society, television is primarily concerned with reflecting and attracting society rather than experimenting with new ideas. Advertisers want to attract the largest viewing audience possible, to do so requires that the programs be entertaining rather than educational, attractive rather than challenging.
Television in America today remains, to a large extent, with the same organization and standards as it had thirty years ago. The hope for further development and true achievement toward improving society will require a change in the entire system.

In the author’s view American TV should （　）

A:be critical but entertaining B:be educational and creative C:change with the development of society D:attract as many viewers as possible

Passage Three
No country in the world has more daily newspaper 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. Distinguished dailies like the Washington Post or the New York Times exert a powerful influence all over the country. However, the Post and the Times are not national newspapers in the sense that the Times is in Britain of le Monde in France, since each American city has its own daily newspaper. The best of these present detailed accounts 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, sex and gossip, 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 lure of television.
Just as American newspapers cater for all tastes, so do they also try and appeal to readers of ail political persuasions. A few newspapers support extremist groups on the far right and on the far left, but most daily newspapers attempt to attract middle-of-the-road Americans who are essentially moderate. Many of these papers print columns by well-known journalists of differing political and social views, in order to present a balanced picture.
As in other democratic 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 or crimes, for instance, the Watergate Affair. The newspapers drew the attention of the public to the horrors of the Vietnam War.

According to the text, American newspapers （）

A:have a limited range of information B:attract readers of all political groups C:are compared with television all the time D:mainly concern state news

The store readjusted its price to attract more ______ .

A:customs B:customers C:costumes D:cosmetics

It would appear that the public Sagan hopes to attract ______.

A:are interested in UFO spotting B:are only interested in science fiction C:are unable to write science fiction D:have a reasonable grounding in science

These flowers are extremely ______ (attract) in winter.

When Patricia Rochester decided to go back to school after ten years as a staff nurse at Toronto Western Hospital, her employer not only cheered her on, but also paid her tuition and gave her a day off with pay every week to study. Throughout her years at the hospital, Rochester has also taken workshops on everything from coaching peers to career development-courses that she believes have helped her advance at work. "I’m now head of the mentoring (指导) program for new hires, students and staff nurses," she says. "There’s a lot of room for personal improvement here."
Perhaps as important, Rochester says her employer supports and values her work. "If you put in overtime," the nurse points out, "you get your meals-they’ll order in pizza or Greek food or Chinese. " And if staffers feel stiff and stressed from too many hours on the ward, they can call for a free 15-minute shoulder-and-neck massage (按摩) or even sign up for an eight-week evening course on meditation skills and stress-relief. If that’s not enough, employees can take advantage of five family days a year that can be used if the kids come down with the flu or an aging parent needs ferrying to an important doctor’s appointment. And they have access to a range of perks (好处) such as special rates on hotel rooms, drugstore purchases, and scholarships for employees’ children.
You might wonder how an organization can provide such resources and still survive. But University Health Network is one of a number of progressive employers in Canada that have discovered that investing in staff is good business.
If such initiatives help companies cut down on turnover (人员更替) alone, they’re well worthwhile, says Prem Benimadhu, a vice-president at the Conference Board of Canada. It costs anywhere from $3, 300 to rehire support staff, an average $13, 300 for technical staff and a whopping (巨资) $43, 000 for an executive position, according to one study of Conference Board members.
Innovative initiatives help companies attract talented employees, cut down on sick days (which cost Canadian businesses an estimated $17 billion a year. or an average of $3, 550 per employee) and keep employees more interested in their work. With the substantial talent shortage that already exists in Canada and the prospect of mass retirement over the next five years-as many as 50 or 60 per cent in some sectors-Benimadhu says that intelligent employers are putting a renewed focus on the people who work for them.
Investment in staff has been motivated

A:to attract the public’s attention. B:to reduce staff turnover. C:to solve labor disputes. D:to show off financial resources.

第三篇 More Than Just Money When Patricia Rochester decided to go back to school after ten years as a staff nurse at Toronto Western Hospital．her employer not only cheered her on．but also Paid her tuition and gave her a day off with pay every week to study．Throughout her years at the hospital，Rochester has also taken workshops on everything from coaching peers to career development——courses that she believes have helped her advance at work．“I’m now head of the mentoring(指导)program for new hires．students and staff nurses．”she says．“There’s a lot of room for personal improvement here．” Perhaps as important，Rochester says her employer supports and values her work．‘‘If you put in overtime．”the nurse points Out．“you get your meals—they’11 order in pizza or Greek food or Chinese．”And if staffers feel stiff and stressed from too many hours on the ward．they can call for a flee 15-minute shoulder-and-neck massage(按摩)or even sign up for an eight-week evening course on meditation skills and stress-relief．If that’s not enough，employees can take advantage of five family days a year that can be used if the kids come down with the flu or an aging parent needs ferrying to an important doctor’s appointment And they have access to a range of perks(好处)such as special rates on hotel rooms，drugstore purchases，and scholarships for employees’children． You might wonder how an organization can provide such resources and still survive．But University Health Network is one of a number of progressive employers in Canada that have discovered that investing in staff is good business． If such initiatives help companies cut down on turnover(人员更替)alone，they’re well worthwhile．says Prem Benimadhu，a vice—president at the Conference Board of Canada．It costs anywhere frmn$3．300 to rehire support staff，an average$13，300 for technical staff and a whopping(巨资)$43，000 for an executive position，according to one study of Conference Board members Innovative initiatives help companies attract talented employees，cut down on sick days(which cost Canadian businesses an estimated$17 billion a year,or an average of$3，550 per Employee)and keep employees more interested in their work．With the substantial talent shortage that already exists in Canada and the prospect of mass retirement over the next five years—as many as 50 or 60 percent in some sectors—Benimadhu says that intelligent employers are putting a renewed focus on the people who work for them． Investment in staff has been motivated

A:to attract the public’S attention B:to reduce staff turnover, C:to solve labor disputes． D:to show off financial resources

第二篇

A New Immigration Bill
The US Senate is considering a new immigration bill. It will value the economic promise of immigrants over family ties when considering US residency and citizenship. The legislation, which was proposed by President Bush and a group of senators, contains a point system. The proposal aims to increase the number of immigrants with graduate degrees, earnings or job skills.
The proposed point system would use a 100-point scale. According to a draft of the law, merit applicants could earn up to 47 points for things like occupation, or years of work for a US firm. They could earn up to 28 points for their education, 15 points for English and US civics (公民学), and 10 points for family ties. The system has stirred up debate. Critics on the left say it opposes family unity and American values. Critics on the right complain that it does not reflect the needs of high-tech employers.
The current kinship (血缘关系)-based system puts pressure on the US, as it attracts low-skill workers who consume more public services than they pay back in taxes. It allows a variety of uneducated people in from Mexico and Central America.
The immigration bill would allow eight years to clear the current backlog (积压) of application for a permanent resident card, or green card. After that, only the children and spouses (配偶) of legal immigrants would be able to apply for family visas. Adult children, siblings (兄弟姐妹), parents, and other relatives would have to apply in the general queue (排队). Under the proposal, immigrants from Asian countries would likely fare well (很有利). For instance, over half of recent immigrants from China and India have a bachelor’s (学士的) or higher degree. Immigrants from Latin American countries would likely face more difficulties.
Immigration point systems have been in use in Canada, Australia and New Zealand for years. The UK adopted a similar approach in 2001. One thing that Canada and other nations have discovered is that their system needs to fit the needs of their economy. Too often they find that they attract highly-educated people who end up finding work that doesn’t use their skills. Some end up driving a taxi.

One of the reasons for proposing the point system is（）

A:to give priority to immigrants from China B:to protect the US from terrorist attacks C:to attract skilled immigrants D:to increase population