Question

Television will turn 86 years old on September 7, 2013, and it has never looked better. In its youth, television was a piece of furniture with a tiny, round screen showing unclear pictures of  low­budget programs. In spite of its shortcomings, it became well-received. Between 1950 and 1963, the number of American families with a television jumped from 9% to 92% of the population.

As the audience got larger, the technology got better. Television sets became more reliable through the 1960s. Both of the reception and the picture improved. The major networks started broadcasting programs in color.

Even greater improvements were coming according to Sanford Brown, who wrote an article for the Post in 1967. Surprisingly, just about every prediction he made in the article became a reality. For example: All sets in the not­distant future will be color instruments. He also predicted that TV sets would become smaller, simpler, more reliable and less expensive and may forever put the TV repairman out of work. Smaller sets do not, of course, mean smaller screens. TV engineers expect screens to get much bigger. However, today's 3­D TV is even farther away, if it's coming at all.  There is some doubt whether the public would be eager to pay for it, in view of people's cold reception given to 3­D movies.

But the technology with the greatest potential, according to Brown, was cable television (有线电视), which was still in its early stages then. As he predicted, the future of cable television was highly interactive. It wasn't cable television that gave Americans their electronic connection to the world, however. It was the Internet.  He even foresaw the future office: using picture phones, big­screen televisions for conferences, and computers providing information, at the touch of a button.

Brown ever said, “The future of television is no longer a question of what we can invent. It's a question of what we want.”

1.What can we infer about television sets in the 1960s?

A．They were very popular with Americans.

B．Their appearance remained unchangeable.

C．They showed black­and­white pictures.

D．Their pictures were of poor quality.

2.Which of the followings did Sanford Brown fail to predict?

A．Television's good quality.

B．The invention of 3­D TV.

C．The more functions of TV.

D．The potential of cable TV.

3.From the passage we know _________.

A．TV will certainly take the place of computers

B．There won’t be further improvement on TV

C．TV repairmen will be out of work in the future

D．3­D movies don’t appeal to people very much

4.What is the text mainly about?

A．The shortcomings of television.

B．The advantages of television.

C．The development of television.

D．The invention of television.

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.D

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：文章主要讲述的就是电视的发展历史。

1.A 推理题。根据文章第一段In its youth, television was a piece of furniture with a tiny, round screen showing unclear pictures of  low­budget programs. In spite of its shortcomings, it became well-received. Between 1950 and 1963说明A正确。

2.B 推理题。根据倒数第二段第7行However, today's 3­D TV is even farther away, if it's coming at all.说明他没有预测到3D技术在电视上的运用。故B项符合要求。

3.D 推理题。根据文章倒数第二段最后两行There is some doubt whether the public would be eager to pay for it, in view of people's cold reception given to 3­D movies.说明人们对3D技术反应冷淡，故D正确。

4.C 主旨大意题。根据文章第一段内容就可以知道文章主要讲述的就是电视的发展历史，故C正确。

考点：考查社会知识类短文