英语口语考试练习材料
>01 Television
Television -- the most pervasive and persuasive of modern
technologies, marked by rapid change and growth -- is moving into a new era, an era of extraordinary sophistication and versatility, which promises to reshape
our lives and our world. It is an electronic revolution of sorts, made possible by the marriage of television and computer technologies.
The word \Latin (visio: sight) roots, can literally be
interpreted as sight from a distance. Very simply put, it works in this way: through a sophisticated system of electronics, television provides the capability of converting an image(focused on a special photoconductive plate
within a camera) into
electronic impulses, which can be sent through a wire or cable. These impulses, when fed into a receiver (television set), can then be electronically reconstituted into that same image.
Television is more than just an electronic system, however. It is a means of expression, as well as a vehicle for
communication, and as such becomes a powerful tool for reaching other human beings.
The field of television can be divided into two categories determined by its means of transmission. First, there is broadcast television, which reaches the masses through broad-based airwave transmission of television signals. Second, there is nonbroadcast television, which provides for the needs of individuals or specific interest groups through controlled transmission techniques.
Traditionally, television has been a medium of the masses. We are most familiar with broadcast television because it has been with us for about thirty-seven years in a form similar to what exists today. During
those years, it has been controlled, for the most part, by the broadcast networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS, who have been the major purveyors of news, information, and entertainment. These giants of broadcasting have actually shaped not only television but our perception of it as well. We have come to look upon the picture tube as a source of entertainment, placing our role in this dynamic medium as the passive viewer.
电视电视--以快速变化与发展为标志的最普遍、最具有影响力的一项现代技术，正在步 入一个极端复杂化与多
样化的新时代。
这个时代承诺重新塑造我们的生活和我们的世界。 这可以称得上是又一次电子革命，其关键在于电视技术与计算
机技术的结合。\电视\这个词 来源于希腊语词根(tele:远)和拉丁语词根(vision:景象)，可以从字面上理解为来自
远处的 景象。
简单说来，电视是以这种方式工作的，通过一个复杂的电子系统，电视能够将一幅 图像(这幅图像被聚焦在一部摄
像机内的一块特殊的光导底片上)转换成能经过导线或电缆 发送出去的电子脉冲信号。
当这些电子脉冲信号被输入一部接收机(电视机)时，就可以用 电子学的方法把脉冲信号重新恢复成同一幅图像。但
是，电视不仅仅是一个电子系统，它还是一种表达工具和传播渠道。 因此，电视成了一个对其他人发生影响的强
大工具。电视这 个领域可以根据其发射方式分为两类。
第一类为广播电视，通过电视信号的宽带无线电波 发射展现在大众面前;第二类为非广播电视，使用受控的发射
技术来满足个人以及某些特殊利益群体的需要。电视早已成为大众媒介。 我们熟悉广播电视，因为广播电视已经
以类似 目前的方式存在了大约 37 年。
在那些年头中，电视绝大部分一直由 ABC、NBC、CBS 这 些广播电视公司控制着，这些广播电视公司一直是新
闻、信息和娱乐的主要提供者。 这些 广播业的巨头实际上不仅塑造了电视，而且也塑造了我们对电视的理解。 我
们渐渐把显像 管看作是娱乐的来源，让自己成为这个生动的媒介的被动观众。
>02 Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie, known as the King of Steel, built the steel industry in the United States, and, in the process,
became one of the wealthiest men in America. His success resulted in part from his ability to sell the product and in part from his policy of expanding during periods of economic decline, when most of his competitors were reducing their investments.
Carnegie believed that individuals should progress through hard work, but he also felt strongly that the wealthy should use their fortunes for the benefit of society. He opposed charity, preferring instead to provide educational opportunities that would allow others to help themselves. \
Among his more noteworthy contributions to society are those that bear his name, including the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh, which has a library, a museum of fine arts, and a museum of national history. He also founded a school of
technology that is now part of Carnegie-Mellon University. Other philanthropic gifts are the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace to promote understanding between nations, the Carnegie Institute of Washington to fund scientific research, and Carnegie Hall to provide a center for the arts.
Few Americans have been left untouched by Andrew Carnegie's generosity. His contributions of more than five million dollars established 2,500 libraries in small communities throughout the country and formed the nucleus of the public library system that we all enjoy today.
安德鲁?卡内基 被称作钢铁大王的安德鲁?卡内基在美国建立了钢铁工业。 在这个过 程中，他变成了美国最富
有的人之一。
他的成功，部分来自于他销售产品的能力，部分来 自于经济萧条时期的扩充策略。 在萧条时期，他的多数对手
都在缩减投资。卡内基认为个 人应该通过努力工作来获得进展，但他也强烈地感到有钱人应该运用他们的财富来
为社会谋 取福利。 他反对施舍救济，更愿意提供教育机会，使别人自立。 卡内基经常说:\富有着 死去的人死得可耻。\他对社会的较重要的贡献都以他的名字命名。 这些贡献包括匹兹堡
卡 内基学校。
这个学校有一个图书馆，一个美术馆和一个国家历史博物馆;他还创立了一所 技术学校，这所学校现在是卡内基
梅隆大学的一部分;其他的慈善捐赠有为促进国家间了 解的\卡内基国际和平基金\，为科学研究提供经费的
华盛顿卡内基学院以及给各种艺术活动 提供活动中心的卡内基音乐厅。安德鲁?卡内基的慷慨大度几乎影响到每
个美国人的生活。 由于他超过五百万美元的捐款，2500 个图书馆得以建立起来，遍布在美国各地的小村镇， 形
成了我们今天还在享用的公共图书馆系统的核心。 >03 American Revolution
The American Revolution was not a revolution in the sense of a radical or total change. It was not a sudden and
英语口语考试练习材料
