Passage 4

There was a bad storm last night.Power lines were blown down by the high winds.Electric service was cut to more than a thousand homes,stores,and offices in the area.As a result,the two telephones on Dwayne Lederer’s desk have been ringing all day.He works in the public relations office of the utility company that provides electricity for the region.

When service is interrupted,as it was by last night’s storm,Dwayne has to inform the public what the company is doing about the problem.He issues statements to the press,radio,and TV about the progress of repair work.He also answers dozens of phone calls from customers who want to know when their electric service is going to be restored.

Right now he’s talking to the maintenance section.The supervisor is telling him where the crews are working and how long it will take to complete the repairs.His second phone is ringing,,and he picks it up as soon as he hangs up the first phone.This time it is a customer,and Dwayne is able to tell her that her electricity will be restored in an hour or less.Before he finishes the call,the other phone is ringing again.

Dwayne isn’t always as busy as he is today.He spends a great deal of his time writing stories about the utility company and placing them in the local newspapers.Of course the stories show the company in a favorable light.At other times,he takes visitors through the company’s plants.He has also been working on a new project.He’s arranging to visit schools in the area to explain to the students how electricity is generated and distributed.He thinks this will help the public to understand some of the company’s polices.

Public relations is a field that has grown very rapidly in recent years.People have become aware of the effect that industry has on their lives.Now there are movements to protect the environment and to protect consumers.Many companies have found that they need to explain their policies to the public.Some of them have found it necessary to respond to bad publicity.Tourism and entertainment businesses have slways needed favorable publicity to attract customers.

Dwayne worked as a reporter on a local newspaper for several months after he graduated from school.At the same time,the management of the utility company decided that it was necessary to do a better job in public relations.The company hired several men and women to fill vacancies in the public relations department.Dwayne was interviewed and chosen for one of the positions.

26.The company Dwayne works for______________.

A.deals with public relations

B.is a power supplier of the region

C.has vacancies in the public relations department

D.is responsible for weather forecasting

27.The customers are ringing Dwayne to complain about_______________.

A.the last night’s bad storm

B.the interruption of electric service

C.the wrong information about the weather

D.the ptoblems in the statements he has issued to the press,radio,and TV.

28.Dwayne does a lot of things for the company expect__________________.

A.writing stories about the company

B.explaining to the students about electricity

C.helping repair the power lines

D.answering phone calls from customers

29.Dwayne used to work________________.

A.as a teacher at the local school

B.in a telephone company

C.as a newspaper reporter

D.for an entertainment business

30.The best title for this passage would be____________________.

A.Public Relations

B.A Utility Company

C.Mr Dwayne Lederer

D.Terrible Power Failure