As in other countries American newspapers can be either responsible or irresponsible, but it is generally accepted that the American press serves its country well and that it has more than once courageously exposed political scandals or crimes, for instance, the Watergate Affair. The newspapers drew the attention of the public to the horrors of the Vietnam War.
1. There are fewer n___________ newspapers in Britain than in the USA.
2. Most A________ newspapers try hard to entertain their readers therefore they have to write about crime, sex and gossip.
3. Many American newspapers attract readers of different po_________ persuasions by supporting extremist groups from time to time.
4. In this passage, the word " press" means n________.
5. The passage is mainly about ch__________ of American newspapers.
参考答案：
1. national 2 American 3 political 4 newspapers 5 characteristics
三、概括大意练习
下面的一篇短文共分五段，每段说明一个主题。其主题可以用一个或几个单词表示出来。该单词或词组是不完整的，即有一个词是空出来的，但其第一个（或前几个）字母已经给出，请将蓁的字母补全，使之成为一个完整的单词。
Conversation
1. A Famous Ma_______ of the Art.
The ancient Greeks were very good at making conversations, and the greatest talker of them all was philosopher Socrates. His pupil Plato, r***rded some of his supposed conversations, and we read them in 'The Dialogues' of Plato. In many classrooms today, Socrates' method of teaching is used.
2. What makes a Good T_________
The best talkers appear to have had a great interest in and love for their fellow creatures; a curiosity about the world in general; some powers of observation and tolerance for those of others; and quick thinking. and they talked for the fun of it, not to show off their knowledge.
3. One Important Fa______ in Conversation
A good voice must have the help of good speech, whose two assistants are clear enunciation and correct pronunciation. Poor enunciation may suggest to your listeners that you lack consideration, and that you are not especially concerned about their opinion of you.
4. Pronunciation and U______________
Pronunciation is settled by common agreement of the community or group speaking the particular language or dialect. For standard pronunciations of words, a dictionary is your best friendly. The usage of words is somewhat the same as pronunciation. To be accurate in your use of words is very important in your conversation. Dictionaries usually provide the usage of words. So whenever you meet with new words, it is a good idea to look them up in the dictionary.
5. Talk with St__________.
Think of meeting a stranger as a chance to have a good time to talk, to make a friend. Look with a smile directly into the other's eyes when you are introduced, and shake hands with a firm, friendly clasp. This will give you confidence. Then try to have a smooth and pleasant conversation with him.
参考答案：
1 Master 2 Talker 3 Factor 4 Usage 5 Strangers
四、完形填空练习
阅读下面短文，其中有十处空白，根据短文的内容在文中的空白处填上适当的字母，使之构成一个完整的单词。该单词的第一个字母已经给出。
Heart
The heart is really just a very strong pump. It has four valves made of very thin, strong tissues. If the damage to the h( 1 is not too bad, we put in pieces of natural heart-valve, which are taken from other people w ( 2 have just died. If a damaged artery is not too big, we replace it with a piece of vein. We take the v( 3 from another part of the patient's own body. The human body has more veins than it really needs.
But how can we operate on the heart? how does the blood continue to flow round the b( 4 ? Here the engineers really have helped us. We use the heart-lung machine. It does the work of both the heart and the l( 5 . It pumps the patient's blood out of a large vein near the heart and passes the blood through a 'bath' of oxygen. The b( 6 is filled with oxygen, and other gases are taken away from it, as in our lunges. The m( 7 keeps the blood warm all the time. Then it pumps the blood back into a large artery. It does all this in a very gentle way, the blood c( 8 are not damaged. So we can work on a heart which is empty of blood.
