In a democratic society citizens are encouraged to form their own opinions on candidates for public office, taxes, constitutional amendments, environmental concerns, foreign policy, and other issues. The opinions held by any population are shaped and manipulated by sever al factors: individual circumstances, the mass media, special interest groups, and opinion leaders. Wealthy people tend to think differently on social issues from poor people. Factory workers probably do not share the same views as white-collar, nonunion workers. Women employed outside their homes sometimes have perspectives different from those of fulltime home makers. In these and other ways individual status shapes one"s view of current events. The mass media, especially television, are powerful influences on the way people think and act. Government officials note how mail from the public tends to "follow the headlines". Whatever is featured in newspapers and magazines and on television attracts enough attention that people begin to inform them and to express opinions. The mass media have also created larger audiences for government and a wider range of pubic issues than existed before. Prior to television and the national editions of newspapers, issues and candidates tended to remain localized. In Great Britain and West Germany, for ex ample, voters as local contests usually viewed elections to the national legislatures. Today"s elections are seen as struggles between party leaders and programs. In the United States radio and television have been beneficial to the presidency. Since the days of Franklin D. Roosevelt and his "fireside chats", presidents have appealed directly to a national audience over the heads of Congress to advocate their pro grams. Special groups spend vast sums annually trying to influence public opinion. Public utilities, for instance, tried to sway public opinion in favor of nuclear power plants. Opposed to them were citizens" organizations that lobbied to halt the use of nuclear power. During the 1960s the American Medical Association conducted an unsuccessful advertising campaign designed to present the passage of medicate. Opinion leaders are usually such prominent public figures as politicians, show business personalities, and celebrity athletes. The opinions of these individuals, whether informed and intelligent or not carry weight with some segments of the population. Some individuals, such as Nobel prizewinners, are suddenly thrust into public view by the media. By quickly reaching a large audience, their views gain a hearing and are perhaps influential in shaping views on complex issues.
单选题
The expression "follow the headlines" shows ______.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】解析：这是一道词义分析题。答案选项意为："人的观点经常受报纸和电视的影响"。第三段指出，媒体—特别是电视对人的思维方式和行为模式有巨大影响。政府官员注意到：群众来信大都"跟着媒介走"("follow the headlines")，报纸、杂志和电视中所登载和播映的内容吸引着大众，他们开始吸收(inform themselves)这些内容并表达意见。
单选题
Which of the following is TRUE.according to the passage?
单选题
It is obvious that the opinion of famous people ______.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】解析：这是一道事实分析题。答案选项意为："对人们影响很大"。最后一段指出，引导公众意见的人通常是名人(prominent public figures)：政治家，演艺界人士，著名运动员。无论这些人的意见是否可行、明智，它们在某些公众心目中很有分量(carry weight)。
单选题
The opinions of the people are controlled by several factors: ______.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】解析：这是一道文章细节分析题。由文章第一段"The opinions held by any population are shaped and manipulated by several factors：individual circum stances，the mass media，special interest groups，and opinion leaders"．可知，人们的观点受到全部选项所描述的三个方面的影响。所以答案"All of them"是正确的。