When TV news programs report war or diseases, the editors rarely use the most horrifying pictures of dead or wounded victims(受害者) because they don't want to upset their viewers. Even so, viewers are usually warned in advance that they “may find some of these scenes disturbing,” so they can look away if they choose. But the men and women whose job is to record those scenes, the TV cameramen, have no such choice. It is their duty to witness(目击) the horrors of the world and record them, no matter how unpleasant they may be. As a result, it is one of the most dangerous, exposed and emotionally taxing jobs the world has to offer.
Today, the demand for their work is rising. The explosion of satellite broadcasting and 24-hour news in recent years has created an almost insatiable(不能满足的) demand for TV information. But major broadcasters have never had enough staff(人员) to meet the worldwide demand for up-to-date pictures, so increasingly they turn to free－lance(自由职业的) TV cameramen.
These free－lance cameramen are independent operators tied to no particular organization. They will work for any company that hires them, for just a few hours or for several weeks in a war zone. But if the free－lance cameraman is injured in the course of the job, the TV company is not responsible for him. The free－lance must survive on his own.
“TV will always need hard, vivid(逼真的) moving pictures which are fresh, but these companies feel uncomfortable with large numbers of employees on their books.” Explains Nik Cowing, once a foreign editor for Britain's Channel 4 News and now a BBC news presenter.
He says,“By hiring freelancers, they can buy the skills they need only when they need them. It also enables them to reduce the risk.”
1. The underlined word “taxing” in paragraph 1 most probably means _________ .
A. encouraging B. satisfying
C. demanding D. enjoying
2. TV news agencies turn to free-lance cameramen in order to _________ .
A. buy pictures which are the least realistic
B. save expenses for reporters
C. look for pictures that are of poor qualities
D. get first-hand information and pictures
3. According to the passage, the free-lance cameramen _________ .
A. have better skills than other cameramen
B. have to take GREat risks in the course of work
C. are tied to many TV news agencies
D. reduce dangers to TV
4. It is implied in the passage that _________.
A. TV cameramen have to witness disasters and killings whether they like them or not
B. TV cameramen are a special group of people who enjoy horrifying pictures
C. TV cameramen should be given GREat choices of work because of the news
D. the development of TV resulted in the growing demand for TV
5. The main idea of the first paragraph is that _________ .
A. that is the duty of everyone to record horrifying scenes
B. it is a requirement of work for TV cameramen to disregard people's feelings
C. TV programs are increasing the use of horrible pictures of death and wound
D. TV cameramen's job is extremely dangerous and exposed
参考答案：1.C 2.D 3.B。从第一、三段均可知在拍摄过程中会有较大危险，故选B。4.A。第一段中提到It is their duty to witness the horrors...they may be, 故选A。5.D
