考研英语第23套题.docx

1、考研英语第23套题第二十三套题Part ADirections:Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)Text 1 07.8Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin just relaunched the formal review of media ownership rules.

2、 The agencys “Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking,” issued July 25, is vague, but its intent is clear: to let a few giant media corporations swallow up more local television channels, radio stations and newspapers in a single market.Martins main target is the ban on “newspaper-broadcast cross-owne

3、rship” that prohibits one company from owning the major daily newspaper as well as radio and TV stations in the same area. Hed also like to allow one company to own more than one TV station in smaller markets, and more than two in the largest cities. A few powerful firms in major cities have won wai

4、vers to the ban, or at least delays on enforcement, but those are the exceptions. That dj vu youre feeling is because the FCC tried to push through the same rule changes in 2003 under then-Chairman Michael Powell. In response, millions of peoplespurred on by groups as diverse as the National Rifle A

5、ssn. and the National Organization for Womencontacted the FCC and Congress to voice their opposition. The FCC approved the rule changes anyway, only to see them nearly overturned by Congress and then rejected by the courts. Despite the overwhelming public opposition, Martins latest attempt to elimin

6、ate cross-ownership rules is driven by the massive lobbying of a cartel of second-tier big media companies specializing in newspaper and broadcast station ownership, such as Gannett, Media General and Tribune. Their motive is Bigger profits.But whats good for Big Medias bottom line isnt always good

7、for the rest of us. The first casualty of “media company towns” would be journalism. When one firm owns most of a citys news outlets, who needs a bunch of competing newsrooms? Investigative reporting and extensive local coverage requires a costly staff. Its far cheaper to syndicate fare from headqua

8、rters than to support a diversity of local voices. If your readers and viewers dont like it, where else are they going to go?Once the big chains start selling and swapping their properties to build up larger fiefdoms, the already declining number of independent and minority owners will be further sq

9、ueezed out. Today, just one in five daily newspapers are owned by individuals or companies that dont own any other newspapers. According to the most recent FCC data, fewer than 4% of radio stations and 2% of TV stations are owned by minorities. Industry and Wall Street propaganda says local media ca

10、nt compete without further consolidation. Yet media companies already enjoy higher profit margins than most industries. They say we must deregulate. But radio and TV station ownership is by definition regulatedthese are the public airwaves and there are only so many channels available in a community

11、. The only question is on whose behalf will Washington make the rules: major media companies or the public? 500 words 1. The rule on “newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership” intends to .A prevent companies from owning both television and radio stations B limit a company from owning more than one televi

12、sion stationC replace giant media corporations with media company towns D protect local voices, vigorous competition and diverse viewpoints2. Which of the following will probably happen if FCCs rule changes are approved?A The government will completely dominate public discourse.B The public will voi

13、ce their strong opposition to Congress.C The number of radios and TV stations will decline sharply.D The local media competition will be almost eliminated.3.“Dj vu” (Line 1, Paragraph 2) probably means a feeling that .A a new situation has occurred beforeB a familiar situation becomes unfamiliarC th

14、e situation has run out of controlD the situation is better than expected4. Which of the following is true according to the text? A Martins predecessor ignored public opinion with a risk.B A company is forbidden to own more than one newspaper.C The local news outlets are controlled by independent co

15、mpanies.D Media industry used to be a not profitable industry.5. The best title for the text may be.A Can We Hear More Local Voices?B Do We Really Want Big Media to Get Even Bigger?C How Will FCCs Action Affect Consumers? D How Will Washington Make Media Ownership Rules?Text 2 06.5BBC s Casualty pro

16、gramme on Saturday evening gave viewers a vote as to which of two patients should benefit from a donation. But it failed to tell us that we would not need to make so many life-and-death decisions if we got to grip with the chronic organ shortage. Being pussyfooting around in its approach to dead bod

17、ies, the Government is giving a kicking to some of the most vulnerable in our society. One depressing consequence of this is that a significant number of those on the waiting list take off to foreign countries to purchase an organ from a living third-world donor, something that is forbidden in the U

18、nited Kingdom. The poor have no option but to wait in vain. The Human Tissue Authoritys position on the retention of body parts for medical research after a post-mortem examination is equally flawed. The new consent forms could have been drafted by some evil person seeking to stop the precious flow

19、of human tissue into the pathological laboratory. The forms are so lengthy that doctors rarely have time to complete them and, even if they try, the wording is so graphic that relatives tend to leg it before signing. In consequence, the number of post mortems has fallen quickly.The wider worry is th

20、at the moral shortsightedness evident in the Human Tissue Act seems to infect every facet of the contemporary debate on medical ethics. Take the timid approach to embryonic stem cell research. The United States, for example, refuses government funding to scientists who wish to carry out potentially

21、ground-breaking research on the surplus embryos created by IVF treatment. Senators profess to be worried that embryonic research fails to respect the dignity of “potential persons”. Rarely can such a vacuous concept have found its way into a debate claming to provide enlightenment. When is this “pot

22、ential” supposed to kick in? In case you were wondering, these supposedly precious embryos are at the same stage of development as those that are routinely terminated by the Pill without anyone crying. Thankfully, the British Government has refused the position of the United States and operates one

23、of the most liberal regimes in Europe, in which licences have been awarded to researchers to create embryos for medical research. It is possible that, in years to come, scientists will be able to grow organs in the lab and find cures for a range of debilitating diseases.The fundamental problem with

24、our approach to ethics is our inability to separate emotion from policy. The only factor that should enter our moral and legal deliberations is that of welfare, a concept that is meaningless when applied to entities that lack self-consciousness. Never forget that the research that we are so reluctan

25、t to conduct upon embryos and dead bodies is routinely carried out on living, pain-sensitive animals.482 words 6. What has caused the chronic organ shortage?A a decrease in donation rates. B inefficient governmental policy.C illegal trade in human organs. D news medias indifference.7. The expression

26、 “pussyfooting around” (Line 3, Paragraph 1) might mean.A unfair B hesitant C secret D strict8. The moral shortsightedness is revealed in the fact that .A the government has stopped the experiment on human tissue B the donation consent forms are difficult to understandC the Human Tissues Act is an o

27、bstacle to important medical researchD embryonic research shows disregard for human life9. To which of the following is the author most likely to agree?A the rich and the poor are equal in the face of death.B more scientists are needed for the medical advancement.C there is a double standard in medi

28、cal ethics.D the dead deserve the same attention as the living.10. The author is most critical of.A the mediaB doctorsC U. S. legislators D the British governmentText 3 07.8After nearly a decade of trying, Wal-Mart failed to become the all-in-one shopping destination for Germans that it is for so ma

29、ny millions of Americans. Wal-Marts problems are not limited to Germany. The retail giant has struggled in countries like South Korea and Japan as it discovered that its formula for successlow prices, zealous inventory control and a large array of merchandisedid not translate to markets with their o

30、wn discount chains and shoppers with different habits. Some of Wal-Marts problems stem from overbearing pride, a uniquely powerful American enterprise trying to impose its values around the world. At Wal-Marts headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., however, the message from these missteps is now registe

31、ring loud and clear. In particular, Wal-Marts experience in Germany, where it lost hundreds of millions of dollars since 1998, has become a sort of template for how not to expand into a country.Wal-Mart is also trying to integrate acquisitions with more sensitivitya process that involves issues like

32、 deciding whether to consolidate multiple foreign headquarters and how to aggressively impose Wal-Marts corporate culture on non-American employees. In Germany, Wal-Mart scrapped the morning Wal-Mart chant by staff members. Wal-Marts changes came too late for Germany, but they could help it crack other markets. Far from being chastened by its setbacks, Wal-Mart is forging ahead with an aggressive program of foreign acquisitions. Starting from scratch 14