READING EXERCISE 5

Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.
Millions of people are using cellphones today. In many places, it is actually considered unusual not to use
one. In many countries, cellphones are very popular with young people. They find that the phones are more than a
means of communication - having a mobile phone shows that they are cool and connected.
The explosion in mobile phone use around the world has made some health professional worried. Some
doctors are concerned that in the future many people may suffer health problems from the use of mobile phones.
In England, there has been a serious debate about this issue. Mobile phone companies are worried about the
negative publicity of such ideas. They say that there is no proof that mobile phones are bad for your health.
On the other hand, medical studies have shown changes in the brain cells of some people who use mobile
phones. Signs of change in the tissues of the brain and head can be detected with modern scanning equipment. In
one case, a traveling salesman had to retire at young age because of serious memory loss. He couldn't remember
even simple tasks. He would often forget the name of his own son. This man used to talk on his mobile phone for
about six hours a day, every day of his working week, for a couple of years. His family doctor blamed his mobile
phone use, but his employer's doctor didn't agree.
What is it that makes mobile phones potentially harmful? The answer is radiation. High-tech machines can
detect very small amounts of radiation from mobile phones. Mobile phone companies agree that there is some
radiation, but they say the amount is too small to worry about. As the discussion about their safety continues, it
appears that it's best to use mobile phones less often.
1. The most suitable title for the passage could be ____.
A. Technological Innovations and Their Price
B. The Importance of Mobile Phones
C. Mobile Phones: A Must of Our Time
D. Advantages and Disadvantages of Mobile Phones
2. According to the passage, cellphones are especially popular with the youth because ____.
A. they keep the users in alert all the time
B. they are integral in daily communication
C. they are the only effective means of communication
D. they make them look more stylish
3. According to the passage, the changes possibly caused by the cellphones are mainly concerned with ____.
A. the smallest units of the brain B. the central unit of the brain
C. the structure of the brain D. the long-term memory
4. The words negative publicity in paragraph 2 most likely means ____.
A. information on the lethal effects of cellphones
B. the negative public use of cellphones
C. widespread opinion about bad effects of cellphones
D. constructive ideas about the effects of cellphones
5. The word their in the last paragraph refers to ____.
A. mobile phone companies B. mobile phones C. high-tech machines D. radiations
Read the following passage and choose correct answer to each of the questions.
REALITY TELEVISION
Reality, television is a genre of television programming which, it is claimed, presents unscripted dramatic
or humourous situations, documents actual events and features ordinary people rather than professional actors. It
could be described as a form of artificial or "heightened" documentary. Although the genre has existed in some
form or another since the early year of television, the current explosion of popularity dates from around 2000.
Reality television covers a wide range of television programming formats, from games to quiz shows
which resemble the frantic, often demeaning programmes produced in Japan in the 1980s and 1990s (a modern
example is Gaki no Tsukai), to surveillance - or voyeurism - focused production such as Big Brother.
Critics say that the term "reality television” is somewhat of a misnomer and that such shows frequently
portray a modified and highly influenced form of reality, with participants put in exotic locations or abnormal
situations, sometimes coach to act in certain ways by off-screen handlers, and with events on screen manipulated
through editing and other post-production techniques.
Part of reality television's appeal is due to its ability to place ordinary people in extraordinary situations.
For example, on the ABC show, The Bachelor, an eligible male dates a dozen women simultaneously, travelling
on extraordinary dates to scenic locales. Reality television also has the potential to turn its participants into
national celebrities, outwardly in talent and performance programs such as Pop Idol, though frequently Survivor
and Big Brother participants also reach some degree of celebrity.
Some commentators have said that the name "reality television" is an inaccurate description of several
styles of program included in the genre. In competition-based programs such as Big Brother and Survivor, and
other special-living-environment shows like the Real World, the producers design the format of the show and
control the day-to-day activities and the environment, creating a completely fabricated world in which the
competition plays out. Producers specifically select the participants, and use carefully designed scenarios,
challenges, events, and settings to encourage particular behaviours and conflicts. Mark Burnett, creator of
Survivor and other reality shows, has agreed with this assessment, and avoids the word "reality” to describe his
shows; he has said, "I tell good stories. It really is not reality TV. It really is unscripted drama."
6. In the first line, the writer says “it is claimed” because ____.
A. he wants to distance himself from the statement
B. he totally disagrees with the statement
C. everybody except the writer agrees with the statement
D. he wants to emphasize that it is his own claim
7. The word demeaning in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ____.
A. valueless B. humiliating C. despising D. diminishing
8. According to the passage, Reality TV appeals to some because ____.
A. it uses exotic locations
B. it shows eligible men dating women
C. it can turn ordinary people into celebrities
D. it shows average people in exceptional circumstances
9. According to the passage, the program “Pop Idol” ____.
 A. is more likely to turn its participants into celebrities than Big Brother
B. turns all participants into celebrities
C. is a dating show
D. is less likely to turn participants into celebrities than Big Brother
10. Producers choose the participants ____.
A. to make an imaginary world B. on the ground of talent
C. to create conflict among other things D. only for special-living-environment shows
11. The term “reality television” is inaccurate ____.
A. for talent and performance programs B. for special-living-environment program
C. for all programs D. for Big Brother and Survivor
12. The word fabricated in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to ____.
A. real B. imaginative C . imaginary D. isolated
13. Which of the following in NOT true according to the passage?
A. Shows like Survivor have good narratives.
B. Mark Burnett thinks the term "reality television” is inaccurate.
C. Reality television has been popular since well before 2000.
D. Japan has produced demeaning TV shows copied elsewhere.