A) They may have been caused by the damage to the radio systems.
B) They may have taken place during take-off and landing.
C) They were proved to have been caused by the passengers’ portable computers.
D) They were suspected to have resulted from electromagnetic interference.
23. Few airlines want to impose a total ban on their passengers using electronic devices
because ________.
A) they don’t believe there is such a danger as radio interference
B) the harmful effect of electromagnetic interference is yet to be proved
C) most passengers refuse to take a plane which bans the use of radio and cassette
players
D) they have other effective safety measures to fall back on
24. Why is it difficult to predict the possible effects of electromagnetic fields on an
airplane’s computers?
A) Because it is extremely dangerous to conduct such research on an airplane.
B) Because it remains a mystery what wavelengths are liable to be interfered with.
C) Because research scientists have not been able to produce the same effects in
labs.
D) Because experts lack adequate equipment to do such research.
25. It can be inferred from the passage that the author ________.
A) is in favor of prohibiting passengers’ use of electronic devices completely
B) has overestimated the danger of electromagnetic interference
C) hasn’t formed his own opinion on this problem
D) regards it as unreasonable to exercise a total ban during flight
Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
The rise of multinational corporations (跨国公司), global marketing, new
communications technologies, and shrinking cultural differences have led to an
unparalleled increase in global public relations or PR.
Surprisingly, since modern PR was largely an American invention, the U.S.
leadership in public relations is being threatened by PR efforts in other countries. Ten
years ago, for example, the world’s top five public relations agencies were
American-owned. In 1991, only one was. The British in particular are becoming more
sophisticated and creative. A recent survey found that more than half of all British
companies include PR as part of their corporate (公司的) planning activities, compared
to about one-third of U.S. companies. It may not be long before London replaces New
York as the capital of PR.
Why is America lagging behind in the global PR race? First, Americans as a whole
tend to be fairly provincial and take more of an interest in local affairs. Knowledge of
world geography, for example, has never been strong in this country. Secondly,
Americans lag behind their European and Asian counterparts (相对应的人) in knowing a
second language. Less than 5 percent of Burson—Marshall’s U.S. employees know two
languages. Ogilvy and Mather has about the same percentage. Conversely, some
European firms have half or more of their employees fluent in a second language. Finally,
people involved in PR abroad tend to keep a closer eye on international affairs. In the
financial PR area, for instance, most Americans read the Wall Street Journal. Overseas,
their counterparts read the Journal as well as the Financial Times of London and The
Economist, publications not often read in this country.
Perhaps the PR industry might take a lesson from Ted Turner of CNN (Cable News
Network). Turner recently announced that the word “foreign” would no longer be used
on CNN news broadcasts. According to Turner, global communications have made the
nations of the world so interdependent that there is no longer any such things as foreign.
26. According to the passage, U.S. leadership in public relations is being threatened
because of ________.
A) an unparalleled increase in the number of public relations companies
B) shrinking cultural differences and new communications technologies
C) the decreasing number of multinational corporations in the U.S.
D) increased efforts of other countries in public relations
27. London could soon replace New York as the center of PR because ________.
A) British companies are more ambitious than U.S. companies
B) British companies place more importance on PR than U.S. companies
C) British companies are heavily involved in planning activities
D) four of the world’s top public relations agencies are British-owned
28. The word “provincial” (Line 2, Para. 3) most probably means “________”.
A) limited in outlook
B) like people from the provinces
C) rigid in thinking
D) interested in world financial affairs
29. We learn from the third paragraph that employees in the American PR industry
________.
A) speak at least one foreign language fluently
B) are ignorant about world geography
C) are not as sophisticated as their European counterparts
D) enjoy reading a great variety of English business publications
30. What lesson might the PR industry take from Ted Turner of CNN?