Passage A
They poison the mind and corrupt the morals of the young, who waste their time sitting on sofas immersed in dangerous fantasy worlds. That, at last, was the charge leveled against novels during the 18th century by critics worried about the impact of a new medium on young people. Today the idea that novels can harm people sounds daft. And that is surely how history will judge modern criticism of video games, which are accused of turning young people into violent criminals. This week European justice ministers met to discuss how best to restrict the sale of violent games to children. Some countries, such as Germany, believe the answer is to ban some games altogether. That is going too far.
Criticism of games is merely the latest example of a tendency to demonize new and unfamiliar forms of entertainment. In 1816 waltzing was condemned as a “fatal contagion” that encouraged promiscuity, in 1910 films were denounced as “an evil pure and simple, destructive of social interchange”; in the 1950s rock „n‟ roll music was said to turn young people into “devil worshippers” and comic books were accused of turning children into drug addicts and criminals. In each case, the pattern is the same: young people adopt a new form of entertainment, older people are spooked by its unfamiliarity and condemn it, but eventually the young grew up and the new medium becomes accepted at which point another example appears and the cycle begins again.
The opposition to video games is founded on the mistaken belief that most garners are children. In fact, two thirds of garners are over 18 and the average garner is around 30. But the assumption that garners are mostly children leads to a double standard. Violent films are permitted and the notion that some films are unsuitable for children is generally understood. Yet different rules are applied to games.
Aren‟t games different because they are interactive? It is true that video games can make people feel excited or aggressive, but so do many sports. There is no evidence that video gaming causes long term aggression.
Games ought to be age-rated, just as films are, and retailers should not sell adult-rated games to children any more than they should sell them adult-rated films. Rating schemes are already in place, and in some countries restrictions on the sale of adult-rated games to minors have the force of law.
Oddly enough, Hillary Clinton, one of the politicians who has led the criticism of the gaming industry in America, has recently come round to this view. Last month she emphasized the need for parents to pay more attention to game ratings and called on the industry, retailers and parents to work together. But this week, some European politicians seemed to be moving in the other direction: the Netherlands may follow Germany, for example, in banning some games outright. Not all adults wish to play violent games, just as not all of them enjoy violent movies. But they should be free to do so if they wish.
According to the passage, most people view video games as something with________.
根据题干video games定位至文章第一段中间部分“And that is surely how history will judge modern criticism of video games, which are accused of turning young people into violent criminals.”由此可推断, 人们认为电子游戏给青少年带来了不好的影响。 对应选项A中的bad influence upon the young, 故A为正确答案。
Which of the following is NOT cited as an example of demonizing newly appeared recreation?
文章第二段提到“Criticism of games is merely the latest example of a tendency to demonize new and unfamiliar forms of entertainment.”并在下文中依次列举了waltzing, films, rock „n‟ roll music, comic books,分别对应选项B、 D和A, 而B项虽有提到games, 但所对应内容“make people feel excited and aggressive”在文章第四段有解释这一说法是没错的, 它并不属于将娱乐形式妖魔化(demonize) 的范畴,与题干不符。 题目问的是“not incited”, 故B为正确答案。
The idea that video games are evils originates from ________.
文章第三段开头讲到“The opposition to video games is founded on the mistaken belief that most garners are children.”这与选项A相符, 故A为正确答案。
According to the passage, what measure can be adopted to cope with the children problems?
文章倒数第二段说到“Games ought to be age-rated...”, 即游戏和电影应该按照年龄划分等级, 商贩不可向儿童销售成人影片及游戏, 即应当对购买和玩游戏的人群在年龄上有所管理和限制, 故A为正确答案。
The sentence in the last paragraph “...Hillary Clinton ... has recently come round to this view” implies that ________.
come around转而接受。 文章最后一段讲到克林顿原本对游戏产业持批判意见, 现在转而接受了前面所提到的“rating schemes”即对游戏进行分级。 文章说“...she emphasized the need for parents to pay more attention to game ratings and called on the industry, retailers and parents to work together.”表明她在宣扬游戏分级的重要性, 故B为正确答案。