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During the 1990s，new forms of electronic media have emerged from the ever-increasing presence of the personal computer in the home and office.In 1994，5.6million new personal computers were purchased for home use alone.Most of these machines now come equipped with CD-ROM（Compact Disk-React Only Memory）drives and built-in modems allowing ready access to the information superhighway，also known as the Internet.CD-ROMs disks hold much more information than computer disks，tapes or other methods because the information on them can only be read，it cannot be manipulated or erased.Thank to the CD-ROM，the 26-volume Oxford English Dictionary can be captured on a single disk.The Internet can be loosely defined as a network（actually a network of networks）of computers linked by telephone lines.With the appropriate modems and software，the Internet allows people to communicate with each other directly from their computers.The most popular use of this high-speed information link is E-mail，or electronic mail，which allows users to type letters and send them directly to each other’s computers.The process，which takes only a fewseconds，is similar to faxing a letter，but requires no paper.Because of the wealth of information available on the Internet，most users don’t limit themselves simply to E-mail.There are various topics discussed on bulletin boards（electronic town forums）.

The World Wide Web（WWW）is another network of information whose popularity is growing at immeasurable rates.On the Web people can find information for the business，scientific，and computer communities.This spiderweb of links uses a hypertext programming language to transmit information quickly over phone lines.To access this information，users must have a translation program called a browser that can converts the programming language into languages understood by humans.Mosaic，developed at the University of Minnesota in 1993，was the first widely used browser；it was soon supplanted by Netscape，which is now widely used by Web users.

Muckrakers（黑幕揭发者）：agroup of American writers who between 1902and 1911aroused public opinion with exposures of dishonesty，greed，and corruption in big business and in city，state，and national government.Tlney also attacked social evils like slums，juvenile delinquency，and prostitution.The term comes from a character in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress who is so busy raking up muck that he does not see a celestial crown held over him.The term was applied derogatorily to the writers by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.

Ⅰ.Choose the correct answer.

1.The first daily newspaper in America was published in________.

A.1690　　　B.1775　　　C.1783　　　D.1800

2.Which newspaper first uncovered the Watergate scandal in 1972？

A.New York Times.　　　　　　B.Washington Post.

C.New York Daily News.　　　 D.Los Angeles Times.

3.The top one ranked by advertisingrevenues in 1994 was________.

A.People Weekly　 B.TV Guide

C.Time　　　　　　D.Newsweek

4.The world most-read magazine is________.

A.TV Guide　　　　　　　　　B.Time

C.Reader’s Digest　　　　　D.People Weekly

5.According to the text，VOA radio station broadcasts day and night in________languages.

A.16　　　B.20　　　C.41　　　D.45

6.The TV networks in the US are owned by________.

A.the federal government　　　B.private companies

C.state governments　　　　　 D.local governments

7.According to the text，what television does best is to provide________.

A.live coverage of contemporary events

D.education programs

8.Democratic and Republican National Conventions were televised for the first time in________.

A.1945　　　B.1950　　　C.1952　　　D.1960

Ⅱ.Fill in the blanks.

1.There were traditionally two types of mass media：the print media of________and________and the broadcast media of ________and________.Now advances in technology are blurring the distinction between the print and broadcast media.The________makes information available that is also published in newspapers and magazines or presented over the radio and TV.

2.With competition for readers and ________intense，reporting that emphasized the________side of the news became popular.This became known as________journalism.

3.Weekly and monthly magazines published ________articles on national issues and gained a large middle class audience by the late________ century.Theylater became an outlet for the________，agroup of writers between 1902and 1911who attacked social evils.

4.Cable television was originally designed as a means of improvingTV________in some rural areas.But it has become very common in the countrysince________，when RCA（Radio Corporation of America）put its first communications ________in operation.

5.The Internet can be loosely defined as a network of computers linked by________lines.With the appropriate modems and________，the Internet allows people to________with each other directlyfrom their________.The most popular use of this high-speed information link is________，which allows users to type letters and send them directly to each other’s computers.