W: You’re the editor of Public Eye. What kind of topics does your program cover?
M: Well, there are essentially domestic stories. We don’t cover international stories. We don’t cover party politics or economics. We do issues of general social concern to our British audience. They can be anything from the future of the health service to the way the environment is going downhill.
W: How do you choose the topic? one because it’s what the public wants to know about or because it’s what you feel the public ought to know about?
M: I think it’s a mixture of both. Sometimes you have a strong feeling that something is important and you want to see it examined and you want to contribute to a public debate. Sometimes people come to you with things they are worried about quite small things. They can be a story about corruption in local government, something they cannot quite understand, why it doesn’t seem to be working out properly, like they are not having their litter collected properly or the dustbins emptied.
W: How do you know that you’ve got a really successful program? One that is just right for the time?
M: I think you get a sense about it after working in it in a number of years. You know which stories are going to get the attention. They are going to be published just the point when concerned about that.
Q19-21
19. What kind of topics does Public Eye cover? 20. How does Public Eye choose its topics? 21. What factor plays an important role in running a successful program?
Long conversation two
W: Hi, Professor Smith. I hear you’ve written a book titled Visions. M: Yes. It explains how science will revolutionize the 21st century. W: Could I ask you some questions concerning the book? M: Sure. W: Are you optimistic about the future? M: Generally, yeah. If we go back to the year of 1900, most Americans didn’t live beyond the age of 50. Since then, we’ve had improvements in health care and technology. There is no reason why these won’t continue far into the 21st century. W: Are we ready for the changes that will come? M: Changes are already happening. The future is here now. We have DNA, microchips, the internet. Some people’s reaction is to say, we are too old; we don’t understand new technology. My reaction is to say, we must educate people to use new technology now. W: Is world population going to be a big problem? M: Yes, and no. I think that world population will stop increasing as we all get richer. If you are a part of the middle class, you don’t want or need 12 children. W: Will there be a world government? M: Very probably. We will have to manage the world and its resources on a global level because countries alone are too small. W: Will we have control of everything? M:I think we’ll learn to control the weather, volcanoes and earthquakes. Illness won’t exist. We’ll grow new livers, kidneys, hearts, and lungs like spare parts for a car. People will live to about 130 or 150. For 2000 years, we have tried to understand our environment. Now we’ll begin to control it.
Q22-25 are based on the conversation you just heard. 22. What does Professor Smith say about most Americans around the year of 1900? 23. What does Professor Smith advice we do? 24. When will the world population stop growing according to Professor Smith? 25. What does Professor Smith think human beings will be able to do?
one because it’s what the public wants to know about or because it’s what you feel the public ought to know about?
quite small things. They can be a story about corruption in local government, something they cannot quite understand, why it doesn’t seem to be working out properly, like they are not having their litter collected properly or the dustbins emptied.
concerned about that.
