One of the most fascinating things about television is the size of the audience. A novel can be on the “bestseller” lists with a sale of up to 100,000 copies, but a popular TV show might have 70 million TV viewers. TV can make anything or anyone well-known overnight.
This is the principle behind “quiz” or “game” shows, which put ordinary people on TV to play a game for prizes and money. A quiz show can make anyone a star, and it can give away thousands of dollars. Charles Van Doren, an English instructor, became rich and famous after winning money on several shows. He even had a career as a television personality. But one of the losers proved that Charles Van Doren was cheating. It turned out that the show’s producers, who were pulling the strings, gave the answers to the most popular competitors in advance. Why? Because if the audience didn’t like the person who won the game, they turned the show off. The result of this cheating was a huge scandal(丑闻). Based on the show off, a movie titled “Quiz Show” is on 40 years later.
Charles Van Doren is no longer involved with TV. But game shows are still here, though they aren’t taken seriously. In fact, some of them try to be as ridiculous as possible. There are shows that send strangers on vacation trips together, or that try to cause newly-married couples to fight on TV, or that punish losers by humiliating(羞辱) them. The entertainment now is to see what people will do just to be on TV. People still win money, but the real prize is to be in front of an audience of millions.
1.What is the most important thing as to television?
A. How many viewers they can attract B. Becoming the bestseller on the list
C. How much money can be given away D. The number of people attending shows
2. What does the underlined part “pulling the strings” probably mean?
A. Planning the shows with effort B. Drawing the curtain on the stage
C. Controlling the result secretly D. Playing “quiz” or “game” openly
3. Charles Van Doren stopped his career as a television personality because ________.
A. he had earned enough wealth and fame. B. one of the competitors had told the truth
C. the film “Quiz Show” was being shown
D. his frequent appearance had bored the audience
4. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A. TV Game Shows are more popular than before.
B. the scandal was not made known until 40 years later
C. getting money is the only purpose of people taking part in shows
D. people can make themselves famous by taking part in shows
While I was in 9th grade, I built a circuit (电路装置) for the traffic system of our city. After getting the first prize, I got this valuable advice from my father: “Do whatever interests you, and don’t let the work challenge you, make sure you are challenging that work.”
I have always preferred the projects which are challenging and related to real life problems. I clearly remember building a shipping program several years ago. I divided the whole project into several small sections. When I understood it clearly, I used my brainstorming skill on it, and gave some basic ideas. Then I asked my professor for help before jumping into coding (编码). At first, I did not know how to ask questions correctly and always asked the question “How do I do it?” As I kept working and discussed with my professor, I became more comfortable and those “how” questions soon turned into “what if I do this and that” types of questions.
It took me four days to write the code. The desire to solve the problem kept me sleepless all nights brainstorming in even greater details. Every time I saw my program running smoothly, I exploded with joy. I still remember the last day of my work. I was getting some problem and didn’t know what to do. At that moment, a man came in to clean. He had headphones, and he was dancing while cleaning the room. Seeing this, I burst out laughing. That moment calmed me. I regained energy and interest and started to work again, and soon I fixed the problem.
My success in the project proved that breaking up a large problem into small parts could help find a possible solution. Discussing the problem with others was also very beneficial. Now I have gained the confidence to attempt any kind of project.
1.According to the passage, the writer was interested in ______.
A. developing traffic systems B. doing challenging projects
C. winning great prizes D. writing different codes
2. The writer asked the question “how do I do it” at first because ______.
A. he had no clear idea about his program B. he was too shy to express himself
C. he wanted to be understood easily D. he preferred this kind of question
3. We learn from the passage that the writer’s shipping program ______.
A. would benefit people a lot B. was done together with others
C. was difficult and needed patience D. cost much money and energy
4. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Do It Yourself B. No Pains, No Gains
C. Learning with Interest D. Practice Makes Perfect
Some years ago I heard Salome Bey sing for the first time. The moment was exciting. Salome’s 36 filled the room and brought the theater to life. I was so 37 that I decided to write an article about her.
I 38 Salome Bey, telling her I was from Essence magazine, and that I wanted to meet her to talk about her career. She 39 and told me to come to her studio next Tuesday. When I hung up, I was scared out of my mind. I 40 I was lying. I was not a writer at all and hadn’t even written a grocery list.
I interviewed Salome Bey the next Tuesday. I sat there 41 , taking notes and asking questions that all began with, “Can you tell me…” I soon realized that 42 Salome Bey was one thing, but writing a story was just impossible. The 43 was almost unbearable. I 44 for days with draft after draft（草稿）. Finally I put my article into a large envelope and dropped it into a mailbox.
It didn’t take long. My article 45 . How stupid of me! I thought. How could I 46 in a world of professional writers? Knowing I couldn’t 47 the refusal letter, I threw the unopened envelope into a drawer.
Five years later, while 48 my apartment, I came across the unopened envelope. This time I opened it and read the editor’s letter in 49 :
Dear Ms Profit,
Your story on Salome Bey is nice. Yet we need some 50 materials. Please add those and return the article immediately. We would like to 51 your story soon.
Shocked, it took me a long time to 52 . Fear of refusal cost me dearly. I lost at least five hundred dollars. More importantly, I lost years of 53 writing. Today, I have become a full-time writer. Looking back on this 54 , I learned a very important lesson: You can’t 55 to doubt yourself.
1. A. joy B. voice C. speech D. smile
2. A. proud B. active C. satisfied D. moved
3. A. visited B. ordered C. phoned D. interviewed
4. A. agreed B. refused C. hesitated D. paused
5. A. admitted B. discovered C. explained D. knew
6. A. seriously B. patiently C. nervously D. quietly
7. A. blaming B. fooling C. inviting D. urging
8. A. hardship B. failure C. comment D. pressure
9.A. struggled B. painted C. wore D. kept
10. A. disappeared B. returned C. spread D. improved
11.A. compare B. board C. survive D. compete
12.A. ignore B. deliver C. face D. receive
13. A. decorating B. repairing C. cleaning D. leaving
14. A. disbelief B. anxiety C. horror D. panic
15. A. subjective B. related C. private D. reliable
16.A. broadcast B. create C. publish D. judge
17. A. recover B. prepare C. escape D. concentrate
18. A. steady B. endless C. typical D. enjoyable
19. A. experience B. success C. benefit D. accident
20.A. attempt B. afford C. expect D. pretend
I tried every means to reach my goal but failed. So sad ______ that I almost lost heart.
A. I did feel B. did I feel C. felt I D. I felt
Slavery in America after the Civil War in the 19th century.
A. had been abolished B. abolished C. was abolished D. is abolished
35.I tried every means to reach my goal but failed. So sad ______ that I almost lost heart.
A. I did feel B. did I feel C. felt I D. I felt
—Can I pay by credit card?
—Yes, _________.
A. with pleasure B. take care C. no problem D. don’t mention it
