Part 3: Read the following passage then decide which which is the best choice to the statement. Identify your answer by circling the corresponding letter A, B, C or D. (1 points)
The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City. For a long time, it has been the newspaper of record in the United States and one of the world’s great newspapers. Its strength is in its editorial excellence; it has never been the largest newspaper in terms of circulation.
The Times was established in 1851 as a penny paper whose editors wanted to report the news in a restrained and objective fashion. It enjoyed early success as its editors set a pattern for the future by appealing to a cultured, intellectual readerships instead of a mass audience. However, in the late nineteenth century, it came into competition with more popular, colorful, if not lurid, newspapers in New York City. Their publishers ran sensational stories, not because they were true, but because they sold newspaper. Despite price increases, the Times was losing £1,000 a week when Adolph Simon Ochs bought it in 1896.
Ochs built the Times into an internationally respected daily. He hired Carr Van Anda as editor. Van Anda placed greater stress than ever on full reporting of the news of the day, and his reporters maintained and emphasized existing good coverage of international news. The management of the paper decided to eliminate fiction from the paper, added a Sunday magazine section, and reduced the paper’s price back to a penny. In April 1912, the paper took many risks to report every aspect of the sinking of the Titanic. This greatly enhanced its prestige, and in its coverage of two world wars, the Times continued to enhance its reputation for excellence in world news.
In 1971, the Times was given a copy of the so-called “Pentagon Papers,” a secret government study of U.S involvement in the Vietnam War. When it published the report, it became involved in several lawsuits. The U.S. Supreme Court found that the publication was protected by the freedom of the press clause in the First Amendment of the U.S Constitution. Later in the 1970s, the paper, under Adolph Ochs’s grandson, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, introduced sweeping changes in the organization of the newspaper and its staff and brought out a national edition transmitted by satellite to regional printing plants.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. The New York Times publishes the best fiction by American writers.
B. The New York Times became highly respected throughout the world.
C. The New York Times broadcasts its news to TV stations via satellite.
D. The New York Times lost its prestige after the Vietnam War.
2. It can be inferred from the passage that the circulation of the Times is ___________.
A. not the largest in the world B. not the best in the world
C. the smallest in the world D. the worst in the world
3. Which phrase is closet in meaning to the word “restrained” in paragraph 2?
A. put in prison B. in handcuffs C. without education D. with self-control
4. According to the passage, what caused the loss of money at the Times?
A. Other newspapers were more colorful.
B. Other newspapers had better reporters.
C. Other newspapers added a Sunday magazine.
D. Other newspapers were better managed.
5. What word or phrase does the word “his” in paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Van Anda B. Reporters C. News of the day D. International news
6. Which word or phrase is closet in meaning to the word “enhanced” in paragraph 3?
A. made the best of B. increased C. reduced D. made worse
7. To improve its circulation, the management of the Times did all of the following EXCEPT
A. emphasized good coverage of international news.
B. added a Sunday magazine section.
C. increased the number of lurid stories, even if they were not true.
D. eliminated fiction from the paper.
8. The passage implies that the newspaper’s reputation ___________.
A. decreased when it lowered its price to a penny.
B. grew because Adolph Ochs bought it in 1896
C. increased because of its coverage of the Titanic’s sinking
D. decreased because it could not compete with other New York papers.
9. What word or phrase does the word “publication” in paragraph 4 refer to?
A. The Times B. “The Pentagon Papers” C. The report D. The Constitution
10. According to the passage, the Times has a national edition that is ___________.
A. protected by the Supreme Court
B. printed in the form of a Sunday magazine
C. shipped by train and air transport daily
D. transmitted by satellite to regional printing plants
