21、China’s cartoon industry produced more than 81,000 minutes of animation(卡通片) in 2006, almost double the previous year’s 42,700 minutes, said an official with the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television(SARFT) at a meeting to mark the 80^th anniversary of China’s cartoon production.

The country produced more than 50,000 minutes of cartoons from January to August in 2006, topping the previous year’s total output, not to mention the country’s aggregate(總計的) output of cartoons from 1993 to 2003. China has exported 65,100 minutes of cartoons to 17 countries and regions in recent years, said Zhao Shi, deputy director of SARFT.

He said that a series of measures have been taken to increase the output of domestic(國產(chǎn)的) cartoons. With private capital able to play a role in the animation industry since 2005, 15 national animation bases have been set up, including the Shanghai Animation Film Studio, the Sunchime Cartoon Group and China Film Group Corporation. About 5,473 animation studios had been founded in China by Oct. 2006, said the official. The SARFT has approved cartoon channels on Beijing, Shanghai and Hunan TV stations since 2004, and more than 30 kids’ channels.

Animation departments have been established in 447 universities and 1,230 universities offer professional training for cartoonists, Zhao said. “Some 64,000 students majoring in animation have graduated from universities and 466,000 were studying in colleges at the end of 2005,” he said.

In August, the SARFT banned foreign cartoons from prime time(黃金時段)(5:00 pm to 8:00 pm) television programs from Sept 1.

The campaign of promoting domestic cartoons began in 2004, when the government told broadcasters that Chinese cartoons had to account for at least 60 percent of cartoons shown. Foreign cartoons, especially from Japan, are popular with China’s 250 million children, and domestic animation studios are struggling to compete with a flood of imports.

Analysts say that Chinese cartoons need to be more original with better story lines. China made its first ever 12-minute cartoon in 1926.

1. What would be the best title for the passage?

      A. China’s Cartoon Has a Long History  

    B. Foreign Cartoons Lose Its Audience in China

     C. China’s Cartoons Marks Its 80th Anniversary

      D. China Produces More Cartoons in 2006

2. Chinese cartoons are advised to improve by ________.

      A. broadcasting in prime time                     B. strengthening its creativeness

      C. learning from foreign cartoons                D. going with children’s interest

3. Which of the following is TRUE of foreign cartoons?

      A. They are shown less than domestic ones.

      B. They are hardly available on TV in China.

      C. They are not popular with Chinese children.

     D. They are mainly made in Japan.

4. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

      A. China’s cartoons are sold abroad

      B. SARFT is the main national animation base

      C. China’s cartoon industry has a good development environment

       D. foreign cartoons will disappear in China one day