【推荐1】Mass media are tools of communication. Mass media allow us to record and pass information rapidly to a large, scattered (分散的) audience. They extend our ability to talk to each other by helping us overcome barriers caused by time and space.

There are various ways in which mass media make daily life easier for us. First, they inform and help us keep a watch on our world. They gather and pass on information we would be unlikely or unable to get on our own.

Second, mass media help us to arrange our time and life. What we talk about and what we think about are greatly influenced by the media. When people get together, they tend to talk about certain happenings in the newspapers or on TV. Because we are exposed to different points of view through different kinds of media every day, we are able to evaluate (评价) all sides of a certain issue.

Third, the media are used to persuade people. A good example is advertising through the media. Newspapers, magazines and TV are filled with all kinds of colorful, persuasive advertisements. Though many advertising may not say openly that they want you to buy a certain product, they describe their products in such a way that you may want to buy them.

       Fourth, the media also entertain. All of the media make some efforts to entertain their audience. For instance, even though the newspaper is primarily a medium of information, it also contains entertainment features (特征). Television, motion pictures, fiction books and some radio stations and magazines are devoted mainly to entertainment. It is estimated that in the future, the entertainment function of mass media will become even more important than it is now.
1. This passage mainly tells us ________.

A．something about the functions of mass media

B．something about the development of mass media

C．how media entertain us

D．the types of mass media

2. According to the passage, what are mass media?

A．Tools for advertisements which persuade people to buy things.

B．Tools for entertainments which make daily life easy.

C．Tools for communication which record and pass information to people.

D．Tools for education which help improve people’s knowledge.

3. How many ways that mass media help make daily life easy are mentioned in this passage?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

D．Five.

4. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．From mass media, we know what is happening in the world.

B．Sometimes we arrange our time and life according to mass media.

C．Mass media’s main purpose is to pass the information of advertising.

D．Mass media can make people feel easy.

【推荐3】Will printed newspapers disappear (消失) one day? It’s quite possible. Here are some reasons.

First of all, printed newspapers aren’t the only way to get information. You can find the information on the Internet. Besides, you can read a lot of information online for free, which make the Internet even more attractive.

Lots of people are becoming Internet users, and most of Internet users read news online. For example, I usually get new information about events that happen in the world by reading short messages on Twitter. As far as I know, students in our university hardly read newspapers. One can argue that older generations may have been used to reading printed newspapers and do not want to change anything, but research proves the opposite. According to a study, the number of Internet users between the ages of 70 and 75 has increased from 26% to 45% within four years. This fact sounds strange but 4% of Internet users are over 73 years old.

Where do newspapers get their money? The answer is “advertisers”. But will advertisers continue to put ads in printed newspapers if they are not that successful? It is rather expensive to print ads in a newspaper, especially when you have a lot of other opportunities. Online advertisements are becoming more and more popular. It is beneficial to both sides because it is easier to track (跟踪) how many clicks have been made on this link than to find out how many people have actually read a newspaper and paid attention to advertisements. Also, printed newspapers are not environmentally friendly. They need tons of wood, lots of electricity and many delivery (运输) ways to produce and transport the papers.

1. The first reason for the possibility of disappearance of printed newspapers in the near future is that _________.

A．newspapers are expensive

B．the Internet is available to everybody

C．the Internet provides a lot of free information

D．newspapers provide nothing interesting

2. What does the author want to show by mentioning the study in Paragraph 3?

A．Old people also love new things.

B．Newspapers are losing their readers.

C．Old people are used to reading newspapers.

D．Newspapers aren’t suitable for Internet users.

3. The last paragraph mainly shows that printed newspapers _________.

A．need high production costs	B．harm the environment
C．lack convenient delivery ways	D．need many workers to deliver them

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．How people read news today.	B．Why the Internet is important.
C．How people get information today.	D．Why printed newspapers may disappear.

【推荐3】Dear Sir,

I am writing in reply to your article about homelessness in Ledchester as it raises questions about whether or how we should give money to charity.

There are now so many chances to give to charity in the UK these days that it can be difficult to know what is best to do. As your article said, if you go shopping in Ledchester city centre, there will be many chances to give money to charity, or to homeless people who look poor, tired and cold, but the solution is not as easy as you seem to think. Can I be sure that the person won’t spend the money on alcohol(酒) or drugs? You seem to have forgotten the research which showed that 9 out of 10 people begging on the street spend the money they are given on alcohol and drugs. Also, can I be sure that the person isn’t one of those “professional beggars” who simply pretend to be homeless and poor?

I think a more effective way to give money is to buy things in one of the many charity shops in Ledchester such as the Oxfam shop. This isn’t really charity as you are buying something, but you know the money is going to a good cause.

In recent years, as we all know, there have been a lot of big events organized to raise money for charity. Many will remember “Live Aid”. Lots of famous bands got together to hold a concert and make a record with all the money going to Ethiopia because of the food shortages there. The BBC also has a “Children in Need” day every year. In one sense you could say that these events are very successful as they raise a lot of money. However, I don’t believe that these events solve the real problems. In my view, these events just allow people to feel good about themselves for a day and then forget about charity and problems in the developing world for the rest of the year. My wife and I decided to support a child. We give a certain amount of money every month and this goes to pay for the education of a girl in Ethiopia. I would encourage your readers to support a child too. We don’t know if it is the best way to help, but at least it is something.

Yours faithfully,

Tom Blinson

1. From Paragraph 2, we know that __________.

A．big charity events can solve many problems

B．there are so many homeless people in the UK

C．beggars are pretending to be homeless and poor

D．money given to beggars may not be spent wisely

2. According to the writer, which can be a good choice to help?

A．To help organize charity events.	B．To buy things in a charity shop.
C．To give money to homeless people.	D．To cover the full cost of a poor kid.

3. According to the passage, what’s the writer’s attitude to money-raising charity events?

A．Positive.	B．Objective.
C．Unconcerned.	D．Negative.

4. The author wrote the letter mainly to _________.

A．present facts	B．give advice
C．explain an idea	D．offer encouragement