2018年6月大学英语六级听力常考时文：Smoking Ban Hits Tom and Jerry

英语自学网

　　1.Why was the children's channel Boomerang complained after broadcasting
Tom and Jerry? Because some episodes ...
        　　2.During the 40s, 50s, 60s, what did most people think of smoking? It was
...
        　　3.What is the Turner company planning to do with the classic Hanna Barbera
cartoons? To from these cartoons.
        　　The violence is legendary. Characters are chased with cleavers, blasted
with shotguns, and even blown apart with explosives. Since the 1940s, that has
been the stuff of which Tom and Jerry cartoons are made. However, two episodes
of their vintage escapades went too far for one concerned viewer, who was
worried that young children could be given the wrong impression. Media watchdog
Ofcom investigated a complaint after children’s channel Boomerang broadcast
decades-old episodes of Tom and Jerry, which showed cats smoking. In one
Oscar-winning episode, Texas Tom, Tom is seen rolling a cigarette, lighting it
and smoking it in a bid to impress a female cat. In Tennis Champs, Tom’s
opponent in a tennis match was seen smoking a large cigar. The channel agreed to
cut scenes in future which glamorize or condone smoking. Ofcom said，“We
recognize that these are historic cartoons, most of them having been produced in
the 40s, 50s, 60s, at a time when smoking was more generally accepted. “However,
while we appreciate the historic integrity of the animation, the level of
editorial justification required for the inclusion of smoking in such cartoons
is necessarily high.” Boomerang, part of Turner Broadcasting, has an audience
made up predominantly of children — 56 per cent of viewers are aged 4 to 14. The
Turner company has agreed to review its archive material and edit scenes or
references where smoking is glamorized or might encourage imitation. The company
is also planning to edit out smoking scenes from classic Hanna Barbera cartoons
including Scooby Doo, The Jetsons and The Flintstones.