I was eight when my neighbors got a TV. It was small and expensive, but that didn’t matter. IT WAS WONDERFUL. Everyone in the building came up to the fifth floor to see this latest wonder of the modern world. That was in 1948.
Soon, a lot of people got a TV, but not us. My parents didn’t think it was good for children. Being a good son, I didn’t argue with them. But I secretly watch TV—at my friends’ homes.
By 1955, televisions weren’t so expensive and were much larger. My parents still thought they were not good for us, but my sisters insisted, saying they were the only people in the neighborhood who didn’t have one. All their friends talked about certain programs and actors, but they couldn’t. Their friends laughed at them, which made them feel very unhappy. My youngest sister cried, saying she was never going back to school and that life without a TV wasn’t worth living. Nothing my parents said made her feel better. The next morning, without telling us, they went out and got a new TV.
When we were young our parents allowed us to watch TV for two hours a night. And we couldn’t watch until our homework was finished. But after a year or two, TV wasn’t exciting or new anymore. It became just another part of our lives like shoes or soap. My parents still had fears about TV. We were going to forget how to read, and TV was going to fill our minds with violence, they said.
Today people still argue about the value of TV. Nobody can deny the power of TV, which has a powerful influence on our lives. On average, Americans spend 30 hours a week watching TV. Is this influence good or bad? This is an unanswerable question indeed: It is hard enough to measure influence; and it is even harder to decide what is good and what isn’t. What is good, I suppose, is that many people are concerned about TV’s influence and that we have the power to change what we don’t like.
The people of Monhegan Island, 18 kilometers away off the coast of Maine, don’t have electricity, and they decided; once again, that they liked that way. Electricity, they think, would make life too easy and spoil their way of life. Maybe the young people wouldn’t want to go to town dances anymore. Maybe they would be more interested in staying at home and watching TV.
【小题1】How old was the author, when their family got a TV?A．About 15.B．8.C．18.D．About 10.【小题2】The author’s parents finally decided to buy a TV because .A．they wanted to meet their daughters’ needs .B．the children couldn’t go to school without a TVC．the sisters would like to be like their friendsD．they had to do as the youngest daughter told them to【小题3】The author thinks “to judge whether a TV’s influence is good or bad” is .A．concerningB．hardC．meaninglessD．important【小题4】The last paragraph is written to show .A．the disadvantage of TVB．TV influences people a great dealC．the advantage of TVD．we can change what we don’t likeA
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(答案→)A
解析：我八岁（1948年）时邻居家有了电视，电视虽小有贵，但是很多人被它所吸引。到1955年由于兄弟姐妹们的影响和要求，父母不得不买了一台电视。但是还是限制看电视必须先完成作业，而且只能看两个小时。因为父母认为电视有很多坏处，如我们会忘记读书，受到电视上的暴力影响。今天人们还在讨论电视的价值。不可否认电视给我们的生活带来很大的影响。有好处也有坏处。但是好处是许多人关心电视带来的影响并我们有力量改变我们不喜欢的东西。
【小题1】细节理解题。通过文章中第一段的I was eight in 1948.和第三段的By 1955, ... they went out and got a new TV.通过简单地计算可知，1955--1948=7，加8 得15。故选A。
【小题2】细节理解题。通过文章中第三段My youngest sister cried, saying she was never going back to school and that life without a TV wasn’t worth living. Nothing my parents said made her feel better. 可知，父母买电视是因为小妹妹的强烈要求。故选A。
【小题3】细节理解题。通过文章中第五段This is an unanswerable question indeed:It is hard enough to measure influence; and it is even harder to decide what is good and what isn’t.可知很难判断电视带来的影响。故选B。
【小题4】推理判断题。最后一段是用来证明作者在前一段得出的结论是：电视的好处是许多人关心电视带来的影响并我们有力量改变我们不喜欢的东西。故选D。