Terry Wolfisch Cole may seem like an ordinary 40-year-old mom, but her neighbors knowthe truth: She's one of the "Pod People." At the supermarket she wanders the aisles in a self-contained bubble, thanks to her iPod digital music player. Through those little white ear buds,Wolfisch Cole listens to a playlist mixed by her favorite disc presenter-herself.

　　At home, when the kids are tucked away, Wolfisch Cole often escapes to another solomedia pod- but in this one, she's transmitting instead of just receiving. On her computer weblog, or "blog", she types an online journal chronicling daily news of her life, then shares it allwith the Web.

　　Wolfisch Cole-who also gets her daily news customized off the Internet and whose digitalvideo recorder (DVR)scans through the television wasteland to find and record shows that suither tastes-is part of a new breed of people who are filtering, shaping and even creating mediafor themselves. They are increasingly turning their backs on the established system of massmedia that has provided news and entertainment for the past half-century. They've joined theexploding "iMedia" revolution, putting the power of media in the hands of ordinary people.

　　The tools of the movement consist of a bubbling stew of new technologies that includeiPods, blogs, podcasts, DVRs, customized online newspapers, and satellite radio.

　　Devotees of iMedia run the gamut (范圍)from the 89-year-old New York grandmother,known as Bubby, who has taken up blogging to share her worldly advice, to 11-year-old DylanVerdi of Texas, who has started broadcasting her own homemade TV show or "vlog', for videoweb log. In between are countless iMedia enthusiasts like Rogier van Bakel, 44, of Maine, whoblogs at night, reads a Web- customized news page in the morning, travels with his fully loadediPod and comes home to watch whatever the DVR has chosen for him.

　　If the old media model was broadcasting, this new phenomenon might" be called ego-casting, says Christine Rosen, a fellow with the Ethics and Public Policy Center. The term fits,she says, because the trend is all about me-me-media -" the idea is to get exactly what youwant, when and where you want it."

　　Rosen and others trace the beginnings of the iMedia revolution to the invention of theTV remote, which marked the first subtle shift of media control away from broadcasters andinto the hands of the average couch potato. It enabled viewers to vote with their thumbs-making it easier to abandon dull programs and avoid commercials. With the proliferation (激增)of cable TV channels in the late 1980s followed by the mid-1990s arrival of the Internet,controlling media input wasn't just a luxury. "Control has become a necessity," says Bill Rose, "Without it, there's no way to sort through all the options that are becoming available."

　　56. Who is Terry Wolfisch Cole probably according to the passage?

　　A.A middle-aged housewife.

　　B.A saleswoman in the supermarket.

　　C.A disc presenter.

　　D.An online news writer.

　　57. Which of the following is the characteristic of the new breed of people according to thepassage ?

　　A.They provide news and entertainment for the public.

　　B.They have started the iMedia revolution.

　　C.They have helped ordinary people control media.

　　D.They choose what to listen to or watch by themselves.

　　58. What can be learned about the devotees of iMedia from the passage?

　　A.They are either very old or very young.

　　B.They consist of people of all ages.

　　C.They are located in New York, Texas and Maine.

　　D.They share the same interests.

　　59. According to the passage, Christine Rosen calls the iMedia revolution ego-castingbecause _________

　　A.people show themselves in the media

　　B.people get their needs for media met

　　C.people can watch whatever they like

　　D.it is the invention of an individual

　　60. Why was the invention of the TV remote important according to the passage?

　　A.Because it enabled ordinary people to control media to some extent.

　　B.Because it made more cable TV channels available to people.

　　C.Because it led to the invention of Internet in the 1990s.

　　D.Because it made life easier for couch potatoes.

　　英語六級仔細閱讀練習二

　　Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.

　　Many bankers may be worried about whether some fancy product dreamed up might yetlead to a visit from the police. Daniel Dantas, a financier, who has profited by operating at themiddle place where business and government meet in Brazil, has been opening the door to findthe police outside for much of the

　　past decade. On December 2nd he was convicted of a less sophisticated crime: trying tobribe police officers. Mr. Dantas, who has acquired great notoriety in Brazil, was fined $ 5million and sentenced to ten years in prison. He has appealed against his conviction.

　　The charge stems from a police investigation into money-laundering (洗錢)known asOperation Satiagraha. It grew out of a previous investigation into Mr. Dantas' use of Kroll, asecurity consultancy, to watch over his business partners. During this investigation the policeseized a computer from Opportunity, Mr. Dantas's investment bank, which contained datafrom the mid-1990s to 2004 and apparently showed suspicious movements of money.

　　The judge found that Mr. Dantas tried to pay bribes, via two go-betweens, to keep his nameout of the Satiagraha investigation. A man fitted with a bugging device was offered $1 millionin cash, with another $ 4 million to follow, the police say. They claim that Mr. Dantas's trickinvolved money travelling to the Cayman Islands, then via the British Virgin Islands to anaccount in Ireland, on to Delaware, and then re-entering Brazil as foreign investment.

　　For Mr. Dantas his crime is a steep fall from grace. A man who sleeps little and socializesless, he is a vegetarian and self-made billionaire, a gifted financier who has serially fallen outwith his business partners. He once controlled a large telecoms firm, acting for investors whoincluded Citigroup. He says he is the victim of a conspiracy mounted by the government.

　　It is Mr. Dantas' supposed influence in government circles that has added to his notoriety.During the1990s, when many state-owned businesses were privatized, Mr. Dantas positionedhimself as the man with the needed expertise and contacts. He enjoyed easy access to thegovernment of President Femando Henrique Cardoso, including meetings with the presidenthimself. That influence carried through into the government of President Luiz Inacio Lula daSilva. Mr. Dantas is alleged to have been one of the funders of a cash-for-votes scheme inBrazil's 　Congress mounted by leaders of Lula's Workers' Party in 2003-2004. Many of thosewho have had dealings with Mr. Dantas insist that these have been legitimate and conducted ingood faith. They include Luiz Eduardo Greenhalgh, a lawyer and PT politician, whom he hiredas a consultant.

　　61. What kind of crime was Daniel Dantas convicted of according to the passage?

　　A.A crime quite experienced and tactful.

　　B.A crime by operating at the middle place.

　　C.A crime attempting to temper police to work for him.

　　D.A crime in money-laundering.

　　62. How did the police convict the charge against Mr. Dantas according to the passage?

　　A.They seized a computer by chance and got some evidence.

　　B.They directly conducted a probe into him.

　　C.They found he tempered police officers to delete his name.

　　D.They questioned him and made sure the process of money-laundering.

　　63. Mr. Dantas' relationship with his business partners is that __

　　A.he usually gets along well with them

　　B.he does not have a good relationship with them

　　C.he totally trusts all of his business partners

　　D.he believes that they make him a victim

　　64. What can we learn about Mr. Dantas according to the passage?

　　A.He is a gifted financier and less socialized person.

　　B.He always enjoys notorious fame in economic and political field.

　　C.He is a vegetarian who likes making food by himself.

　　D.His tragedy was mounted by the government conspiracy.

　　65. What kind of relationship is reflected between Mr. Dantas and government in thepassage?

　　A.His influence on government may reduce his notoriety and crime.

　　B.In business privatization, he participated with demanding expertise.

　　C.He never meets the President himself.

　　D.People knowing him deem that he was sheer evil.

　　答案解析：

　　56.據第一段的內容可知此段最后一句中提到的disc presenter只是一個比喻，而并不是她的真實身份，故排除 C);第二段最后一句確實提到她會把自己日常生活中發生的事情放到網上與大家分享，但是真正的新聞作家 不可能只寫自己的日常生活，由此可以排除D)。

　　57.D)。定位：根據題干中的the new breed of people定位到文章第三段第一句：Wolfisch Cole…ispart of a new breed of people who are filterin9，shaping and even creating media forthemselves.

　　詳解：事實細節題。本題考查對段落的理解。第三段第一句指出：沃爾費什.科爾是一個新的人群中的一員。這個人群為自己過濾、修改甚至創作媒體。D)“他們自己選擇聽什么或者看什么”與此相符、故為答案。

　　58.B)。定位：根據題干中的devotees of iMedia定位到文章第五段：Devotees of iMedia run thegamut(范圍)…

　　詳解：推理判斷題。本題考查對段落的正確理解。第五段分別選擇了老、中、青三個年齡階段的典型人物來說明iMedia的擁護者包括了從老到少各個年齡階段的人，故答案為B)。A)中的“不是很老就是很小”沒能包括第五段第二句中提到的羅吉爾•梵•巴克爾之類的中年人，因此排除;C)中的“紐約、田納西和緬恩州”是文中提到的各個年齡段的代表人物所處的位置，而這三個人并不是iMedia的所有擁護者，可以排除 C);D)“他們有著相同的興趣”在文中沒有提及，排除。

　　59.B)。定位：根據題干中的Christine Rosen和ego-casin9定位到文章第六段第二句：The termfits，she says， becallse the trend is all about me.me.media—“the idea is to get exactly whatyou want.when and where youwantit.”

　　詳解：推理判斷題。本題考查對句子的理解。第六段第一句指出：這一新的現象可以被稱為“自我播放”，緊接著說這個詞很貼切，因為這一趨勢全是關于我一我一媒體——“出發點就是你到底想要什么，你在何時、何地想得到你想要的東西”。

　　60.A)。定位：根據題干中的TV remote定位到文章最后一段第一句：Rosen and others trace thebeginnings of the iMedia revolution to the invention of the TV remote，which marked thefirst subtle shift of media control away fax)m broadcasters and into the hands of the averagecouch potat0.

　　詳解：推理判斷題。本題考查對段落的理解。最后一段第一句指出，電視遙控器標志著媒體的掌控權從廣播者手里轉移到普通電視迷手里的第一個微小改變，由此不難推斷出電視遙控的出現使人們或多或少地擁有了媒體的掌控權，A)與此相符，故為答案。文中雖然提到了電視頻道的增加和互聯網的發明，但并沒有說明原因，因此B)“遙控器使人們能夠接收到更多的頻道”和C)“導致了20世紀90年代互聯網的發明”沒有依據，故排除;

　　D)“使電視迷的生活更加方便”，根據常識來說并沒有錯，但這并不是文中所講的電視遙控的重要性所在，故排除。

　　61.C)。定位：由題干中的crime was Daniel Dantas convicted of定位到文章第一段第三句：0nDecember 2nd he was convicted of a less sophisticated crime：trying to bribe police officers.

　　詳解：事實細節題。由定位句可知，他因一樁并不像老手所為的罪名而被定罪——試圖賄賂警察，C)符合題意。由定位句可知，丹尼爾•丹塔斯的罪名并不像老手所為，故排除A);第二句指出丹尼爾•丹塔斯… hasprofited by operating at the middle place where business and government meet in Brazil，hasbeen opening the door to find the police outside for much of the past decade，可知他過去雖然一直在商界和政界之間謀利，卻沒有真正因此被定罪，故排除B);關于丹尼爾•丹塔斯洗錢的罪名是經進一步調查才發現的，故排除D)。

　　62.C)。定位：由題干中的the police convict the charge against Mr.Dantas定位到文章第二段第一句：The charge stems from…

　　詳解：事實細節題。由定位句可知，作者從第二段開始講述丹塔斯先生的定罪過程。其中第三段第一句提到The judge found that Mr.Dantas tried to pay bribes…to ke his name out of the Satiagrahainvestigation，可見是因為法官發現丹塔斯先生試圖賄賂警官，將其從調查的黑名單中刪除才定的罪，C)符合題意。第二段第三句提到the police seized a computer from Opportunity，Mr.Dantas’s investmentbank，這 、里Opportunity指的是一家投資銀行，并不是“偶然”之意(by chance)，故排除A);第二段第二句提到It grew out of a previous investigation into Mr.Dantas’use of Kroll，可見對丹塔斯先生的調查起源于他聘用克羅爾一事，并不是警方直接對他進行的，故排除B);第二段最后一句提到data from themid-1990s t0 2004…apparently showed suspicious movements of money，可見警方是通過數據才弄清楚錢的去向，并不是通過詰 問丹塔斯先生，故排除D)。

　　63.B)。定位：由題干中的Mr.Dantas’relationship with his business partners定位到文章第四段第一、二句：For Mr.Dantas…has serially fallen out with his business partners.

　　詳解：推理判斷題。由定位句可知，丹塔斯先生曾連續幾次和他的商業伙伴鬧翻，因此他與其伙伴的關系并不好，B)符合題意。由以上分析可知A)錯誤;第二段第二句提到Mr.Dantas’use of Kroll…to watch overhis business partners，可見他并不相信自己的商業伙伴，故排除C);第四段最后一句中提到He says he isthe victim of a conspiracy mounted by the government，可見他認為自己受到的迫害來自政府，并不是來自商業伙伴，故排除D)。

　　64.A)。定位：由題干可知，本題考查Mr.Dantas的相關情況，定位到文章第四段第二句：Amall whosleeps little and socializes less，he is a vegetarian and self-made billionaire，a gifted financier…

　　詳解：事實細節題。由定位句可知，他是很有天賦的金融家，卻少社交，A)符合題意。第四段第一句提到For Mr.Dantas his crime is a steep fall from grace，可見其原來有很好的聲譽;而且有很多事跡：self-made billionaire，a gifted financier，controlled a large telecoms firm，the man withthe needed expertise and contacts，one of the funders of a cash—for-votes scheme，這些都說明他的聲譽不錯，故排除B);由定位句可知，他是個素食主義者，依靠自己的力量發家致富，并沒有說他自己做飯，故排除C);第四段最后一句提到He says he is the victim of a conspiracy mounted by thegovernment，這只是他本人這么認為，并沒有得到證實，故排除D)。

　　65.B)。定位：由題干中的relationship between Mr.Dantas and government定位到文章最后一段第一句：It is Mr.Dantas’supposed influence in government circles that has added to hisnotoriety.

　　詳解：事實細節題。由定位句中supposed influence in government可知，本段是對丹塔斯先生和政府關 系的描述。其中第二句提到During the l990s，when many state-owned businesses wereprivatized，Mr. Dantas positioned himself as the man with the needed expertise andcontacts，可見在私有化改革時，丹塔斯先生參與并提供了專家型的指導意見，B)符合題意。由定位句可知，他在政府的影響力并沒有減少其惡名和罪行，故排除A);第三句提到He enjoyed easy access to thegovernment…including meetings with the president himself，可見他是可以見到總統本人的，故排除C);倒數第二句提到Many of those who have had dealings with Mr.Dantas insist that thesehave been legitimate and conducted in good faith，因此并不是他 所有的行為都是違法的，故排除D)。