单选题 The rise of multinational corporations, global marketing, new communications technologies, and shrinking cultural differences have led to an unparalleled increase in global public relations or PR.
Surprisingly, since modern PR was largely an American invention, the US leadership in public relations is being threatened by PR efforts in other countries. Ten years ago, for example, the world"s top five public relations agencies were American-owned. In 1991, only one was. The British in particular are becoming more sophisticated and creative. A recent survey found that more than half of all British companies include PR as part of their corporate planning activities, compared to about one-third of US companies. It may not be long before London replaces New York as the capital of PR.
Why is America lagging behind in the global PR race? Firstly, Americans as a whole tend to be fairly provincial and take more of an interest in local affairs. Knowledge of world geography, for example, has never been strong in this country. Secondly, American lag behind their European and Asian counterparts in knowing a second language. Less than 5 percent of Burson-Marshall"s US employees know two languages. Ogilvy and Mather has about the same percentage. Conversely, some European firms have half or more of their employees fluent in a second language. Finally, people involved in PR abroad tend to keep a closer eye on international affairs. In the financial PR area, for instance, most Americans read the Wall Street Journal . Overseas, their counterparts read the Journal as well as the Financial Times of London and The Economist , publications not often read in this country.
Perhaps the PR industry might take a lesson from Ted Turner of CNN (Cable News Network). Turner recently announced that the word "foreign" would no longer be used on CNN news broadcasts. According to Turner, global communications have made the nations of the world so interdependent that there is no longer any such thing as foreign.
单选题 According to the passage, US leadership in public relations is being threatened because of ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 从文章的第一段可以判断A、C、D选项所涉及的三点是公共关系业迅速发展和增长的原因，与题意不符。根据第二段的内容可以肯定B选项为正确答案。
单选题 The underlined word "provincial" (Para. 3) most probably means ______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 词汇题，文中说到美国雇员的地理知识从来就不是那么优秀，可见provincial应具有与local类似的意思，四个选项中：D选项“狭隘的世界观”最为贴切；B选项“对世界金融事务感兴趣”与以上分析相矛盾；A选项和C选项无从推测。
单选题 London could soon replace New York as the centre of PR because ______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 具体见文章第二段。
单选题 We learn from the third paragraph that employees in the American PR industry ______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 从第三段最后两句可以判断美国人不如他们的欧洲及亚洲同行阅读广泛，掌握第二外语的人数比例也低于外国同行，所以A选项和B选项不正确；世界地理知识方面了解不多不能说明他们在地理知识方面无知，所以C选项错误；第二段提到“the British in particular are becoming more sophisticated and creative”从反面证明美国公司在公共关系方面如他们的欧洲同行，所以D选项正确。
单选题 What lesson might the PR industry take from Ted Turner of CNN?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 根据Ted Turner "...the word "foreign" would no longer be used on CNN news broadcasts"，可见CNN的发展方向要放眼全世界，把世界作为自己的事业的着眼点，因此可以判断C选项为正确答案。