单选题The most noticeable trend among today's media companies is vertical integration--an attempt to control several related aspects of the media business at once, each part helping the other. Besides publishing magazines and books, Time Warner, for example, owns Home Box office (HBO), Warner movie studios, various cable TV systems throughout the United States and CNN as well. The Japanese company Matsushita owns MCA Records and Universal Studios and manufactures broadcast production equipment. To describe the financial status of today's media is also to talk about acquisitions. The media are buying and selling each other in unprecedented numbers and forming media groups to position themselves in the marketplace to maintain and increase their profits. In 1986, the first time a broadcast network had been sold, two networks were sold that year--ABC and NBC. Media acquisitions have skyrocketed since 1980 for two reasons. The first is that most big corporations today are publicly traded companies, which means that their stock is traded on one of the nation's stock exchanges. This makes acquisitions relatively easy. A media company that wants to buy a publicly owned company can buy that company's stock when the stock becomes available. The open availability of stock in these companies means that anybody with enough money can invest in the American media industries, which is exactly how Rupert Murdoch joined the media business. The second reason for the increase in media alliances is that beginning in 1980, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gradually deregulated the broadcast media. Before 1980, for example, the FCC allowed one company to own only five TV stations, five AM radio stations, and five FM radio stations; companies also were required to hold onto a station for three years before the station could be sold. The post1980 FCC eliminated the three-year rule and raised the number of broadcast holdings allowed for one owner. This trend of media acquisitions is continuing throughout the 1990s, as changing technology expands the market for media products. The issue of media ownership is important. If only a few corporations direct the media industries in this country, the outlets for differing political viewpoints and innovative ideas could be limited.

单选题 Auctions are public sales of goods, conducted by an officially approved auctioneer. He asks the crowd assembled in the auction room to make offers, or "bids", for the various items on sale. He encourages buyers to bid higher figures, and finally names the highest bidder as the buyer of the goods. This is called "knocking down" the goods, for the bidding ends when the auctioneer bangs a small hammer on a table at which he stands. This is often set on a raised platform called a rostrum. The ancient Romans probably invented sales by auction, and the English word comes from the Latin auctio, meaning "increase". The Romans usually sold in this way the spoils taken in war; these sales were called sub basra, meaning "under the spear", a spear being stuck in the ground as a signal for a crowd to gather. In England in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries goods were often sold "by the candle", a short candle was lit by the auctioneer, and bids could be made while it stayed alight. Practically all goods whose qualities vary are sold by auction. Among these are coffee, hides, skins, wool, tea, cocoa, furs, spices, fruit and vegetables and wines. Auction sales are also usual for land and property, antique furniture, pictures, rare books, old china and similar works of art. The auction rooms at Christie's and Sotheby's in London and New York are world-famous. An auction is usually advertised beforehand with full particulars of the articles to be sold and where and when they can be viewed by prospective buyers. If the advertisement cannot give full details, catalogues are printed, and each group of goods to be sold together, called a "lot", is usually given a number. The auctioneer need not begin with Lot 1 and continue in numerical order, he may wait until he registers the fact that certain dealers are in the room and then produce the lots they are likely to be interested in. The auctioneer's services are paid for in the form of a percentage of the price the goods are sold for. The auctioneer therefore has a direct interest in pushing up the bidding as high as possible. The auctioneer must know fairly accurately the current market values of the goods he is selling, and he should be acquainted with regular buyers of such goods. He will not waste time by starting the bidding too low. He will also play on the rivalries among his buyers and succeed in getting a high price by encouraging two business competitors to bid against each other. It is largely on his advice that a seller will fix a "reserve" price, that is, a price below which the goods cannot be sold. Even the best auctioneers, however, find it difficult to stop a "knockout", whereby dealers illegally arrange beforehand not to bid against each other, but nominate one of themselves as the only bidder, in the hope of buying goods at extremely low prices. If such a "knockout" comes off, the real auction sale takes place privately afterwards among the dealers.

单选题The Portuguese give a great deal of credit to one man for having promoted sea travel, that man prince Henry the navigator, who lived in the 15th century. A. was B. was called C. calling D. being

单选题The character armor consists of defensive character traits, like arrogance or apprehensiveness, that developed in childhood to ______ painful feelings. A. turn aside B. ward off C. bread up D. watch over

单选题Freshman ______ provides the incoming students with an opportunity to learn about their new environment and their place in it.

单选题David ______ his company's success to the unity of all the staff and their persevering hard work. A) attributed B) contributed C) acknowledged D) pledged

单选题They need to move to new and large apartments. Do you know of any______ones in this area? A. evacuated B. empty C. vacant D. vacate

单选题The normal human daily cycle of activity is of some 7-8 hours" sleep alternating with some 16-17 hours" wakefulness. Broadly speaking, the sleep hours normally ______ with the hours of darkness.

单选题As a defense against air-pollution damage, many plants and animals ______ a substance to absorb harmful chemicals. A. relieve B. release C. dismiss D. discard

单选题Two trucks were reported to have______head-on yesterday.

单选题______ this coming Thursday, it will be too late to enroll for the course. A. As of B. As for C. As to D. As on

单选题A plane is a______and so is a car.

单选题Culture in general A is concerned with beliefs and values B on the basis of that people interpret experiences and behave, individually and in groups. C Broadly and simply put , "culture" refers to a group or community D with which you share common experiences that shape the way you understand the world.

单选题Sports, and not learning, seem to ______ in that school.

单选题Diana made a lot of effort to persuade her parents into ______ to her going to the United States to study business administration in MIT.

单选题In New York City ______ has highly restrictive guidelines for ______ police may use their guns, the number of people shot by local cops soared in the past three years from 68 to 108.

单选题The designer has applied for a ______ for his new invention. A. tariff B. discount C. version D. patent