Why do so many Americans distrust what they read in their newspapers? The American Society of Newspaper Editors is trying to answer this painful question. The organization is deep into a long self-analysis known as the journalism credibility project。
Sad to say, this project has turned out to be mostly low-level findings about factual errors and spelling and grammar mistakes, combined with lots of head-scratching puzzlement about what in the world those readers really want。
But the sources of distrust go way deeper. Most journalists learn to see the world through a set of standard templates (patterns) into which they plug each day's events. In other words, there is a conventional story line in the newsroom culture that provides a backbone and a ready-made narrative structure for otherwise confusing news。
There exists a social and cultural disconnect between journalists and their readers, which helps explain why the "standard templates" of the newsroom seem alien to many readers. In a recent survey, questionnaires were sent to reporters in five middle-size cities around the country, plus one large metropolitan area. Then residents in these communities were phoned at random and asked the same questions。
Replies show that compared with other Americans, journalists are more likely to live in upscale neighborhoods, have maids, own Mercedeses, and trade stocks, and they're less likely to go to church, do volunteer work, or put down roots in a community。
Reporters tend to be part of a broadly defined social and cultural elite, so their work tends to reflect the conventional values of this elite. The astonishing distrust of the news media isn't rooted in inaccuracy or poor reportorial skills but in the daily clash of world views between reporters and their readers。
This is an explosive situation for any industry, particularly a declining one. Here is a troubled business that keeps hiring employees whose attitudes vastly annoy the customers. Then it sponsors lots of symposiums and a credibility project dedicated to wondering why customers are annoyed and fleeing in large numbers. But it never seems to get around to noticing the cultural and class biases that so many former buyers are complaining about. If it did, it would open up its diversity program, now focused narrowly on race and gender, and look for reporters who differ broadly by outlook, values, education, and class。
29. What is the passage mainly about?
[A]Needs of the readers all over the world
[B]Causes of the public disappointment about newspapers
[C]Origins of the declining newspaper industry
[D]Aims of a journalism credibility project
30. The results of the journalism credibility project turned out to be 。
[A]quite trustworthy
[B]somewhat contradictory
[C]very illuminating
[D]rather superficial
31. The basic problem of journalists as pointed out by the writer lies in their _________。
[A]working attitude
[B]conventional lifestyle
[C]world outlook
[D]educational background
32. Despite its efforts, the newspaper industry still cannot satisfy the readers owing to its_________。
[A]failure to realize its real problem
[B]tendency to hire annoying reporters
[C]likeliness to do inaccurate reporting
[D]prejudice in matters of race and gender
名師解析
29. What is the passage mainly about? 本文主要講的是什么?
[A]Needs of the readers all over the world. 全世界讀者的需要。
[B]Causes of the public disappointment about newspapers. 造成公眾對報紙失望的原因。
[C]Origins of the declining newspaper industry. 新聞業(yè)衰敗的根源。
[D]Aims of a journalism credibility project. 新聞可信度項目的目標。
【答案】 B
【考點】 文章主旨題。
【分析】 文章的第一句就提出了本文旨在說明的問題“為什么那么多的美國人不相信自己在報紙上讀到的內(nèi)容呢?”從第二段、第三段的內(nèi)容來看,作者都在試圖尋找造成公眾對報紙失望的一個真正的根本性的原因。因此可以判斷[B]為正確答案。[A]不正確,是因為它僅僅是新聞界的調(diào)查項目得到的一個結(jié)果而已。[C]和[A]相比較,還是[A]來得比較確切。[C]已經(jīng)從文章主旨引申到別的項目上去了。[D]僅僅是為了查明原因而進行的一個調(diào)查項目而已。
30. The results of the journalism credibility project turned out to be 。
新聞可信度項目的結(jié)果是 。
[A]quite trustworthy 相當可信
[B]somewhat contradictory 有點矛盾
[C]very illuminating 非常有啟發(fā)性
[D]rather superficial 相當膚淺
【答案】 D
【考點】 事實細節(jié)題。
【分析】 根據(jù)本題題干可以定位到第二段,文中指出“該項目比較終所發(fā)現(xiàn)的原因大都是新聞報道中的事實錯誤,拼寫或語法錯誤,以及許多關(guān)于讀者到底想讀些什么令人撓頭的困惑”,在作者看來,這些發(fā)現(xiàn)大都是“低級的”(low-level),而真正的原因沒有這么表面“go way deeper”(第三段首句中)。因此可以判定是答案是[D]選項。
31. The basic problem of journalists as pointed out by the writer lies in their _____。
作者描述的新聞記者的基本問題存在于他們的_____。
[A]working attitude 工作態(tài)度
[B]conventional lifestyle 傳統(tǒng)的生活方式
[C]world outlook 世界觀
[D]educational background 教育背景
【答案】 C
【考點】 事實細節(jié)題。
【分析】 文章的解題點在文章的倒數(shù)第二段中“對新聞媒體的這種令人震驚的不信任的根源不在于報道失實或低下的報道技巧,而在于記者與讀者的世界觀每天都發(fā)生著碰撞”這句話。也就是說,作者的基本問題是“世界觀”的問題。另外三個選項都不是比較基本的問題。
32. Despite its efforts, the newspaper industry still cannot satisfy the readers owing to its _________。
盡管很努力,新聞行業(yè)仍然不能滿足讀者的需要是因為其_______。
[A]failure to realize its real problem 不能夠認識到真正的問題
[B]tendency to hire annoying reporters 傾向于雇傭那些惱人的記者
[C]likeliness to do inaccurate reporting 可能作出不準確的報道
[D]prejudice in matters of race and gender 在種族和性別方面的歧視
【答案】 A
【考點】 事實細節(jié)題。
【分析】 本題的解題點可以確定到比較后一段。文中說他們“又舉辦許多研討會,搞什么可信度項目,試圖了解讀者為什么對他們不滿意,為什么大量流失。但是,對于那么多原來的顧客所不滿的文化和階級偏見,他們似乎就是沒有看見”。由此我們可以看出,真正的原因是他們不能夠意識到真正的問題所在,因此正確答案是[A]。
難句解析:
1. Sad to say, this project has turned out to be mostly low-level findings about factual errors and spelling and grammar mistakes, combined with lots of head-scratching puzzlement about what in the world those readers really want。
【結(jié)構(gòu)分析】 本句主干是“this project has turned out to be…findings”,“mostly low-level”是“findings”的定語�!癮bout factual errors and spelling and grammar mistakes”是介賓短語做定語。“combined with lots of head-scratching puzzlement about what in the world those readers really want”是一個過去分詞引導的伴隨狀語,其中“about what in the world those readers really want”是“puzzlement”的定語。
2. There exists a social and cultural disconnect between journalists and their readers, which helps explain why the“standard templates”of the newsroom seem alien to many readers。
【結(jié)構(gòu)分析】 主句是“there+系表結(jié)構(gòu)”�!皐hich”引導一個非限定性定語從句,該詞指代前面一句話。而在這個定語從句“which helps explain why the ‘standard templates’of the newsroom seem alien to many readers”中,又出現(xiàn)一個“why”引導的賓語從句。
3. If it did, it would open up its diversity program, now focused narrowly on race and gender, and look for reporters who differ broadly by outlook, values, education, and class。
【結(jié)構(gòu)分析】 本句的主句中,“it”代表上文提到的“a troubled business”,即“備受困擾的新聞界”�!皀ow focused narrowly on race and gender”是插入語,也是修飾“program”的定語。后面有兩個并列謂語“would open up”和“(would)look for”。這里需要注意的就是一個意思上的問題,那就是“雖然報業(yè)也有多樣性項目,招收不同的人當記者,但是這樣的多樣性僅僅局限于性別和種族,而報業(yè)需要多招收那些具有不同的人生觀、教育以及來自于不同階級的人”。
全文翻譯:
為什么那么多美國人不相信自己在報紙上所讀的東西?美國新聞編輯協(xié)會正試圖回答這個令人痛苦的問題。該組織正在深入開展一個名為“新聞可信度項目”的長期自我剖析工程。
遺憾的是,這次項目只獲得了一些膚淺的發(fā)現(xiàn),諸如新聞報道中的事實錯誤,拼寫或語法錯誤,以及許多關(guān)于讀者到底想讀些什么這樣的令人撓頭的困惑。
但這種不信任有更深刻的根源。多數(shù)新聞記者都學會用一套標準的模式去看待世界,并把每天發(fā)生的事件套入這種模式。換言之,在新聞采編室文化中存在著一套慣常的寫作套路,為紛繁復(fù)雜的新聞報道提供了一個主干框架和一個現(xiàn)成的故事敘述結(jié)構(gòu)。
新聞記者和讀者之間存在著社會和文化方面的脫節(jié),這有助于解釋為什么新聞采編室的“標準模式”讓眾多讀者看上去很陌生的原因。在比較近一次調(diào)查中,問卷被送到了全國五座中等城市及一座大都市的記者手中,然后隨機地給這些城市的居民打電話,詢問他們同樣的問題。
人們的回答表明,與其他美國人相比,新聞記者更有可能居住在高級社區(qū),有女傭,有奔馳車,炒股,而去教堂,參加自愿服務(wù),扎根某個社區(qū)的可能性卻很小。
記者們往往屬于廣義的社會文化精英的一個部分,因此他們的工作往往反映了這些精英傳統(tǒng)的價值觀。對新聞媒體的這種令人震驚的不信任的根源不在于報道失實或低下的報道技巧,而在于記者與讀者的世界觀每天都發(fā)生著碰撞。
這對任何一個工業(yè)產(chǎn)業(yè)來說都算是爆炸性的形勢,對于一個正在衰落的行業(yè)來說尤其如此。這是一個備受困擾的行業(yè),偏偏不停雇用那些因為其態(tài)度而極大惹惱客戶的員工。然后它又出資組織許多研討會和可信度調(diào)查項目,去探究為什么顧客們發(fā)火了,為什么會有那么多顧客流失了。但它似乎從來就沒有時間去注意那么多老顧客所抱怨的文化和階級偏見。如果它能注意這個問題的話,就應(yīng)該進一步開放其多樣化項目(這個項目現(xiàn)在還僅僅局限于不同種族和性別),進一步尋找那些世界觀、價值觀、教育水平和社會階層各不相同的各種記者。
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