Section A Exploratory Reading
Read the following passage and choose the best answer to each question.
Television now plays such an important part in so many people's lives that it is essential for us to try to decide whether it is a blessing or a curse. Obviously television has both advantages and disadvantages. But does the former outweigh the latter？ In the first place，television is not only a convenient source of entertainment， but also a comparatively cheap one. For a family of four， for example， it is more convenient as well as cheaper to sit comfortably at home， with practically unlimited entertainment available， than to go out in search of amusement elsewhere. There is no transport to arrange. They do not have to find a baby⁃sitter. They do not have to pay for expensive seats at the theatre， the cinema， the opera， or the ballet， only to discover， perhaps， that the show is a rotten one. All they have to do is to turn a knob， and they can see plays， films， operas， and shows of every kind， not to mention political discussions and the latest exciting football match.Some people，however，maintain that this is precisely where the danger lies. The television viewer need do nothing.He does not even use his legs. He takes no initiative. He makes no choice and exercises no judgment. He is completely passive and has everything presented to him without any effort on his part.
Television， it is often said， keeps one informed about current events， allows one to follow the latest developments in science and politics，and offers an endless series of programs which are both instructive and stimulating （刺激的）. The most distant countries and the strangest customs are brought right into one's sitting⁃room. It could be argued that the radio performs this service just as well； but on television every thing is much more living， much more real. Yet here again there is a danger. The television screen itself has a terrible， almost physical fascination for us. We get so used to looking at its movements， so dependent on its flickering （闪烁） pictures， that it begins to dominate our lives. A friend of mine told me the criticized comments. But it is undoubtedly a great comfort to many lonely elderly people.And does it corrupt（腐蚀） or instruct our children？ I think we must realize that television in itself is neither good nor bad. It is the uses to which it is put that determine its value to society.
Choose the best answer.
1. Television plays an important part in people's lives because________.
A. film industry is declining
B. there are many commercials on television
C. television is a convenient and cheap source of entertainment
D. television is a good tool for people to study
2. Some people are against television because________.
A. watching television hurts the viewers' eyes
B. television entertainment is limited
C. there are too many political discussions on television
D. the television viewers are completely passive
3. We get so dependent on television that it begins to________.
A. corrupt our lives B. spoil our lives
C. dictate our lives D. benefit our lives
Explanations
1. The key is C. The answer lies in the fourth sentence of Para. 1.
2. The key is D. We can find the answer in the later part of Para. 1.
3. The key is C. From the sentence “We get so used to looking at its movements， so dependent on its flickering pictures， that it begins to dominate our lives.” in Para. 2， we can get the answer.
Reading Skill： Recognizing Primary Supporting Ideas
As we know that the main idea does not give you all the information you need. Facts and details appear within the paragraphs you read and help develop the main ideas of the paragraphs. These facts and details may paint a more complete picture， may give examples to help you understand the ideas better， may prove a point， may show how the idea relates to other ideas.
It is also obvious that not all facts in a paragraph have the same importance. Details that give major information about the main idea， however， are very important. Small or less important details help round out the paragraph and often hold our attention to make the material we are reading more interesting. Still， we may ignore small details if our goal is a clear and quick understanding of what we've read. So when we are looking for the major detail of a paragraph，we have， first， to learn to read for the main idea of the paragraph.When we have found all the facts and details that help to add up to the main idea of the paragraph， we can separate the major detail， from less important details.
When we are reading a paragraph， we should first try to identify and then try to separate the major detail from the small or less important details. Here are some ways to help you locate the major detail.
1）Learn to read for the main idea. If you identify the main idea easily， the facts to support that idea will stand out.
2）Know that all facts and details are not equal in importance.Look only for the facts that relate to the main idea.