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The multi-billion-dollar Western pop music industry is under fire. It is being blamed by the United Nations for the dramatic rise in drug abuse worldwide. "The most worrisome development is a culture of drug-friendliness that seems to be gaining prominence (显著)," said the UN’s 13-member International Narcotics Control Board in a report released in late February 1998. The 4-page study says that pop music, as a global industry, is by far the most influential trend-setter for young people of most cultures. "Some lyrics advocate the smoking of marijuana (大麻) or taking other drugs, and certain pop stars make statements and set examples as if the use of drugs for non-medicinal purposes were a normal and acceptable part of a person’s lifestyle," the study says. Surprisingly, says the Board, the effect of drug-friendly pop music seems to survive despite the occasional shock of death by overdose (过量用药). "Such incidents tend to be seen as an occasion to mourn the loss of a role model, and not an opportunity to confront the deadly effect of ’recreational’ drug use," it notes. Since the 1970s, several internationally famous singers and movie stars—including Elvis Presley, Janice Joplin, John Belushi, Jimi Hendrix, Jonathan Melvin and Andy Gibbs—have died of either drug abuse or drug related illnesses. With the globalization of popular music, messages tolerating or promoting drug abuse are now reaching beyond their countries of origin. "In most countries, the names of certain pop stars have become familiar to the members of every household," the study says. The UN study also blames the media for its description of certain drug issues—especially the use of marijuana and issues of liberalization and legalization—which encourages, rather than prevents, drug abuse. "Over the last years, we have seen how drug abuse is increasingly regarded as being acceptable or even attractive," says Hamid Ghodse, president of the Board. "Powerful pressure groups run political campaigns aimed at legalizing controlled drugs," he says. Ghodse also points out that all these developments have created an environment which is tolerant of or even favorable to drug abuse and spoils international drug prevention efforts currently under way. The present study, he says, focuses on the issue of demand reduction and prevention within an environment that has become tolerant of drug abuse. The Board calls on governments to do their legal and moral duties, and to act against the pro-drug messages of the youth .culture to which young people increasingly are being exposed. The pop music______.

A. has a great influence on young people of most cultures
B. only appeals to a small number of young people
C. is not a profitable industry
D. is the only culprit (罪魁祸首) responsible for drug abuse

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The appeal of advertising to buying motives can have both negative and positive effects. Consumers may be convinced to buy a product of poor quality or high price because of an advertisement. For example, some advertisers have appealed to people’s desire for better fuel economy for their cars by advertising automotive products that improve gasoline mileage. Some of the products work. Others are worthless and a waste of consumers’ money. Sometimes advertising is intentionally misleading. A few years ago a brand of bread was offered to dieters with the message that there were fewer calories in every slice. It turned out that the bread was not dietetic (适合于节食的), but just regular bread. There were fewer calories because it was sliced very thin, but there were the same number of calories in every loaf. On the positive side, emotional appeals may respond to a consumer’s real concerns. Consider fire insurance. Fire insurance may be sold by appealing to fear of loss. But fear of loss is the real reason for fire insurance. The security of knowing that property is protected by insurance makes the purchase of fire insurance a worthwhile investment for most people. If consumers consider the quality of the insurance plans as well as the message in the ads, they will benefit from the advertising. Each consumer must evaluate her or his own situation. Are the benefits of the product important enough to justify buying it Advertising is intended to appeal to consumers, but it does not force them to buy the product. Consumers still control the final buying decision. The author’s attitude towards advertisements is______.

A. critical
B. positive
C. negative
D. neutral

In order to work here the foreigner needs a work permit, which must be (61) for by his prospective employer. The problem here is that the Department of Employment has the right to (62) or refuse these permits, and there is little that can be (63) about it, it would be extremely unwise (64) a foreign visitor to work without a permit, since anyone doing so is (65) to immediate deportation. There are some (66) to this rule, most notably people from the Common Market countries, who are (67) to work without permits and who are often given (68) residence permits of up to five years. Some (69) people, such as doctors, foreign journalists, authors and others, can work without (70) . The problem with the Act is not just that some of its rules are (71) but (72) it is administered, and the people who administer it. An immigration official has the power to stop a visitor (73) these shores coming into the country. If this happens the visitor has the (74) to appeal to the Immigration Appeal Tribunal. (75) the appeals are being considered, the visitor has no choice but to wait sometimes for quite a long time.

A. prescribed
B. qualified
C. entitled
D. certified

The view over a valley of a tiny village with thatched (草盖的) roof around a church; a drive through a narrow village street lined with thatched cottages painted pink or white; the sight over the rolling hills of a pretty collection of thatched farm buildings—these are still common sights in parts of England. Most people will agree that the thatched roof is an essential part of the attraction of the English countryside. Thatching is in fact the oldest of all the building crafts practiced in the British Isles (英伦诸岛). Although thatch has always been used for cottage and farm buildings, it was once used for castles and churches, too. Thatching is a solitary (独自的) craft, which often runs in families. The craft of thatching as it is practiced today has changed very little since the Middle Ages. Over 800 full-time thatches are employed in England and Wales today, maintaining and renewing the old rods as well as thatching newer houses. Many property owners choose thatch not only for its beauty but became they know it will keep them cool in summer and warm in winter. In fact, if we look at developing countries, over half the world lives under thatch, but they all do it in different ways. People in developing countries are often reluctant to go back to traditional materials and would prefer modern buildings. However, they may lack the money to allow them to import the necessary materials. Their temporary mud huts with thatched roofs of wild grasses often only last six months. Thatch which has been done the British way lasts from twenty to sixty years, and is an effective defense against the heat. In the third sentence of the third paragraph, the word "employed" means______.

A. utilized
B. raised
C. hired
D. executed

The increase in global trade means that international companies cannot afford to make costly advertising mistakes if they want to be competitive. Understanding the language and culture of target markets in foreign countries is one of the keys to successful international marketing. Too many companies, however, have jumped into foreign markets with embarrassing results. Translation mistakes are at the heart of many blunders in international advertising. General Motors, the US auto manufacturer, got a costly lesson when it introduced its Chevrolet Nova to the Puerto Rican market. "Nova" is Latin for "new (star)" and means "star" in many languages, but in spoken Spanish it can sound like "nova", meaning "it doesn’t go". Few people wanted to buy a car with that cursed meaning. When GM changed the name to Caribe, sales "picked up" dramatically. Marketing blunders have also been made by food and beverage companies. One American food company’s friendly "Jolly Green Giant" (for advertising vegetables) became something quite different when it was translated into Arabic as " Intimidating Green Ogre". When translated into German, Pepsi’s popular slogan, "Come Alive with Pepsi" came out implying "Come Alive from the Grave". No wonder customers in Germany didn’t rush out to buy Pepsi. Successful international marketing doesn’t stop with good translations—other aspects of culture must be researched and understood if marketers are to avoid blunders. When marketers do not understand and appreciate the values, tastes, geography, climate, superstitions, religion, or economy of a culture, they fail to capture their target market. For example, an American designer tried to introduce a new perfume into the Latin American market but the product aroused little interest. The main reason was that the camellia used in it was traditionally used for funerals in many South American countries. Having awakened to the special nature of foreign advertising, companies are becoming much more conscientious in their translations and more sensitive to cultural distinctions. The best way to prevent errors is to hire professional translators who understand the target language and its idiomatic usage, or to use a technique called "back translation" to reduce the possibility of blunders. The process uses one person to translate a message into the target language and another to translate it back. Effective translators aim to capture the overall message of an advertisement because a word-for-word duplication of the original rarely conveys the intended meaning and often causes misunderstandings. In designing advertisements for other countries, messages need to be short and simple. They should also avoid jokes, since what is considered funny in one part of the world may not be so humorous in another. What topic might be discussed following the last paragraph

A. Other factors to avoid wrong advertisement.
B. How to better translate between different languages.
C. How to improve the sales.
D. How to better promote the products.

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