The BBC was founded(建立) in 1922, including radio and television services, based at Broadcasting (广播) House in London.
The BBC is controlled(控制) by some governors(管理人员) sent by the government but these people have complete freedom and the government can’t interfere(干涉). That is, the BBC is not the mouthpiece (代言人) of the government. It has to be as fair as possible in giving radio and television time to, for example, political parties and religious (宗教) groups.
There is a kind of interesting service in Britain----rental services. Many people prefer to rent (pay money regularly for the use of) their television sets instead of buying them.
The rent for a black-and-white TV set is about 80 pence a week (1980). The rent of a color set is more than twice that of a black-and-white set. If the sets go wrong, people can have them repaired free of charge or replaced (take the place of) immediately.
Everyone who owns to rent a television set has to pay a yearly licence. There is no advertising on BBC
radio or television. It is from the sale of licence that the BBC gets most of its money. A licence for a black-and-white set costs £ 18, and for
a color set £ 18 a year.
There are four specialized radio channels, which broadcast different kinds of programs. Radio 1 is mainly pop music. Radio 2 deals with light music, sport and other programs. Radio 3 broadcasts serious music, talks on serious subjects, etc. News broadcasts are mainly given by Radio 4.
There are special programs for Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and certain parts of England. The BBC also broadcasts as well as in English to all parts of the world.
( )58. How does the BBC get most of its money?
A. It gets money from all kinds of advertisements.
B. The BBC depends on the rent of TV sets.
C. The BBC gets money by repairing TV sets that have gone wrong.
D. It gets its money mainly by selling licence.
( )59. Which of the following is true?
A. If you rent a television set and there is something wrong with it, you should fix it with your own money.
B. It costs more to rent a color TV set than a black-and-white one.
C. You can’t listen to pop music from Radio 1.
D. You needn’t buy the licence if you pay the rent on time.
( )60. Which of the following is not true?
A. The BBC radio services including 4 radio channels.
B. The BBC broadcasts to foreign countries only in English.
C. The programs of the four radio channels are not only for foreign countries but also for different areas in its own country.
D. The BBC special programs are not only for foreign countries but also for different areas in its own country.