CBEST Reading Practice Test 1

Read the passage below. Then answer the three questions that follow. High Definition Television, or HDTV, is finally available to consumers, approximately ten years after most companies promised the systems. Consumers love the new system. More than 10,000 people appeared at a local store on the first day that HDTV became available. The appeal of HDTV is the clearer picture that an HDTV signal produces. The signal holds approximately three times as many horizontal and vertical lines as a standard television, resulting in a picture that rivals movie screens. Further, HDTVs are quite large—current versions range from 56 inches to a 64 inch wide screen unit. Read the passage below. Then answer the three questions that follow. High Definition Television, or HDTV, is finally available to consumers, approximately ten years after most companies promised the systems. Consumers love the new system. More than 10,000 people appeared at a local store on the first day that HDTV became available. The appeal of HDTV is the clearer picture that an HDTV signal produces. The signal holds approximately three times as many horizontal and vertical lines as a standard television, resulting in a picture that rivals movie screens. Further, HDTVs are quite large—current versions range from 56 inches to a 64 inch wide screen unit. Despite these benefits, consumers who purchase these sets now may be disappointed with the results. There are very few digitally produced programs on television, and the number of these programs is unlikely to increase in the near future. The major networks plan to offer only five hours of digital programming per week next year, and only in the top-ten major markets. It will not be until 2004 that more than 50 percent of network television is broadcast in digital form. Further, cable companies are not under any regulation to switch to carrying digital programming. Since two- thirds of Americans receive their television through cable, the delay may be even longer. The main point of the passage is that: