2. 外语
  3. No company likes to be told it is contributing to the moral decline of a nation. "Is this what you intended to accomplish with y

No company likes to be told it is contributing to the moral decline of a nation. "Is this what you intended to accomplish with y

admin2014-09-27  59
问题     No company likes to be told it is contributing to the moral decline of a nation. "Is this what you intended to accomplish with your careers?" an American senator asked Time Warner executives recently. "You have sold your souls, but must you corrupt our nation and threaten our children as well?" At Time Warner, however, such questions are simply the latest manifestation of the soul-searching that has involved the company ever since the company was born in 1990. It’s a self-examination that has, at various times, involved issues of responsibility, creative freedom and the corporate bottom line.
    At the core of this debate is chairman Gerald Levin, 56, who took over from the late Steve Ross in the early 1990s. On the financial front, Levin is under pressure to raise the stock price and reduce the company’s mountainous debt, which will increase to $ 17.3 billion after two new cable deals close. He has promised to sell off some of the property and restructure the company, but investors are waiting impatiently.
    The flap over rap is not making life any easier for him. Levin has consistently defended the company’s rap music on the grounds of expression. In 1992, when Time Warner was under fire for releasing Ice-T’s violent rap song Cop Killer, Levin described rap as a lawful expression of street culture, which deserves an outlet."The test of any democratic society," he wrote in a Wall Street Journal column, "lies not in how well it can control expression but in whether it gives freedom of thought and expression the widest possible latitude, however disputable or irritating the results may sometimes be. We won’t retreat in the face of any threats."
    Levin would not comment on the debate last week, but there were signs that the chairman was backing off his hard-line stand, at least to some extent. During the discussion of rock singing verses at last month’s stockholders’ meeting, Levin asserted that "music is not the cause of society’s ills" and even cited his son, a teacher in the Bronx, New York, who uses rap to communicate with students. But he talked as well about the "balanced struggle" between creative freedom and social responsibility, and he announced that the company would launch a drive to develop standards for distribution and labeling of potentially objectionable music.
    The 15-member Time Warner board is generally supportive of Levin and his corporate strategy. But insiders say several of them have shown their concerns in this matter. "Some of us have known for many, many years that the freedoms under the First Amendment are not totally unlimited," says Luce. "I think it is perhaps the case that some people associated with the company have only recently come to realize this."
In the face of recent attacks on the company, Levin______.
选项 A、stuck to a strong stand to defend freedom of expression
B、softened his tone and introduced a new initiative
C、yielded to objections and resigned from the company
D、requested unconditional support from the 15-member board
答案B
解析 细节题。他的口气变软了，并介绍了一种首创。本文中心议题是关于时代．华纳公司发行新音乐专辑而受到的来自社会的各种指责，同时也叙述了来自公司的反响。参见文章第4段第1句：Levin would not comment on the debate last week，but there weresigns that the chairman was backing off his hard—line stand，at least to some extent．这句话的大意是：列文拒绝评论上周的争论，但是有迹象表明该主席正在退出强硬路线的立场，至少在某种程度上是这样。第四段最后一句：But he talked as well about the“balanced struggle”between creative freedom and social responsibility，and he announcedthat the company would launch a drive to develop standards for distribution and labelingof potentially objectionable music．其大意是：然而他也讲到了创作自由与社会职责保持“平衡”的问题，并且还声称，公司会发起一场运动，将对那些可能不合时宜的音乐的发行实施标准化和加强标识语的说明。由此可见，面对最近人们对公司的攻击，Levin的口气变软了，并介绍了一种首创。所以正确答案为[B]。
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