阅读理解 More than any other industry, America's multi-billion-dollar entertainment business is caught in the crossfire of the country's culture war. Media firms have always had to walk a fine line between giving adults realistic shows and shielding children from sex and bad language. But thanks to the current political influence of social conservatives, TV and radio firms are under more attack than ever for allegedly corrupting America's youth.
Congress is threatening to increase sharply fines for airing indecent material. Over 80% of American homes subscribe either to cable or satellite TV, but only broadcast television, which is technically free, is subject to indecency regulation. The media industry fears that new rules could damage its business model.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the media industry's regulator, defines indecency as language or material that describes sexual actions or organs and which is considered "offensive by contemporary community standards." Solely for the sake of children (present in one-third of American homes), indecency is forbidden from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on broadcast TV and radio. In contrast to "obscenity"—illegal all the time—indecency mostly consists of swearing, partial nudity and sexuality.
America's current battles over indecency began in 2003 when Bono, a rock star, said "this is really, really fucking brilliant" at a live awards show. The FCC decided to do nothing. Then came a glimpse of Janet Jackson's breast in Super Bowl, outraging some viewers. Pressed by Congress, the FCC reversed its decision on Bono and said it would get tough on indecency. In 2004 it fined media firms nearly $8m, five times what it had levied in the previous ten years combined.
For these firms such fines are puny. Yet fearing what future measures might be deployed against them, they have increasingly censored themselves. Last year several TV stations declined to air "Saving Private Ryan", a war movie with lots of swearing. The media industry faces a powerful bipartisan coalition of politicians who see votes in cleansing the airwaves. Republicans are leading the effort, but some Democrats are joining in—not surprisingly, as many parents do seem worried.
One defensive strategy for the media industry is to play the moralizing wing of the Republican Party off against its substantial libertarian wing, which is opposed to giving the government more power to censor. News Corporation and General Electric's NBC have together enlisted the support of the American Conservative Union, Americans for Tax Reform and the US Chamber of Commerce. Advances in technology, these groups argue, mean that the government no longer needs to police the airwaves for indecency. Many parents now have V-chips in their TV sets to block out pornographic material. Set-top boxes for cable and satellite TV also give parents control.
单选题 11.The phrase "walk a fine line" (Line 3, Paragraph 1) most probably indicates
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】考点在第一段第二句。其中讲到传媒公司一直以来不得不在“为成人制作贴近生活的节目”和“保护青少年不受侵害”之间探寻微妙的道路,即寻求一种平衡,故选B项。根据该段中的crossfire,culture war,under more attack以及corrupting等关键词也可推知B项“平衡”最合适。
单选题 12.Which of the following is true according to the text?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】该类题型可以通过“定位追踪、粗中辨细”快速解答。B项符合第二段第二句,即只有广播电视受到禁播不雅内容的限制。
单选题 13.A major difference between indecency and obscenity is that
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】根据题干中的obscenity定位至第三段最后一句。第三段最后一句提到obscenity是“在任何时候都不能播放的,违法的”;而indecency只是“包括讲脏话、部分裸露和色情”。B项符合原文。
单选题 14.The refusal to broadcast "Saving Private Ryan" by several TV stations shows that
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】例证通常为了说明已经或将要提及的观点及事实。该事例出自第五段第三句,而其前一句就点出传媒公司加强自我审查力度,故选B项。
单选题 15.What strategy has the media industry adopted to defend itself?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】根据题干中的strategy和defend itself可快速定位到第六段第一句。该句中明确提到传媒行业的抵御策略之一便是挑起共和党内部两个派系的争论,A项符合文意,故为答案。