Three hundred years ago news travelled by word of mouth or letter, and circulated in taverns and coffee houses in the form of pamphlets and newsletters. “The coffee houses particularly are very roomy for a free conversation, and for reading at an easier rate all manner of printed news,” noted one observer. Everything changed in 1833 when the first mass-audience newspaper, The New York Sun, pioneered the use of advertising to reduce the cost of news, thus giving advertisers access to a wider audience. The penny press, followed by radio and television, turned news from a two-way conversation into a one-way broadcast, with a relatively small number of firms controlling the media.
Now, the news industry is returning to something closer to the coffee house. The internet is making news more participatory, social and diverse, reviving the discursive characteristics of the era before the mass media. That will have profound effects on society and politics. In much of the world, the mass media are flourishing. Newspaper circulation rose globally by 6% between 2005 and 2009. But those global figures mask a sharp decline in readership in rich countries.
Over the past decade, throughout the Western world, people have been giving up newspapers and TV news and keeping up with events in profoundly different ways. Most strikingly, ordinary people are increasingly involved in compiling, sharing, filtering, discussing and distributing news. Twitter lets people anywhere, report what they are seeing. Classified documents are published in their thousands online. Mobile-phone footage of Arab uprisings and American tornadoes is posted on social-networking sites and shown on television newscasts. Social-networking sites help people find, discuss and share news with their friends.
And it is not just readers who are challenging the media elite. Technology firms including Google, Facebook and Twitter have become important conduits of news. Celebrities and world leaders publish updates directly via social networks; many countries now make raw data available through “open government” initiatives. The Internet lets people read newspapers or watch television channels from around the world. The web has allowed new providers of news, from individual bloggers to sites, to rise to prominence in a very short space of time. And it has made possible entirely new approaches to journalism, such as that practiced by WikiLeaks, which provides an anonymous way for whistleblowers to publish documents. The news agenda is no longer controlled by a few press barons and state outlets.
In principle, every liberal should celebrate this. A more participatory and social news environment, with a remarkable diversity and range of news sources, is a good thing. The transformation of the news business is unstoppable, and attempts to reverse it are doomed to failure. As producers of new journalism, individuals can be scrupulous with facts and transparent with their sources. As consumers, they can be general in their tastes and demanding in their standards. And although this transformation does raise concerns, there is much to celebrate in the noisy, diverse, vociferous, argumentative and stridently alive environment of the news business in the ages of the internet. The coffee house is back. Enjoy it.
1. Which of the following statements best supports “Now, the news industry is returning to something closer to the coffee house”?
2. According to the passage, which is NOT a role played by information technology?
3. The author’s tone in the last paragraph towards new journalism is ________.
4. In “The coffee house is back”, coffee house best symbolizes ________.
问题1选项
A.Newspaper circulation rose globally by 6% between 2005 and 2009.
B.People in the Western world are giving up newspapers and TV news.
C.Classified documents are published in their thousands online.
D.More people are involved in finding, discussing and distributing news.
问题2选项
A.Challenging the traditional media.
B.Planning the return to coffee-house news.
C.Providing people with access to classified files.
D.Giving ordinary people the chance to provide news.
问题3选项
A.optimistic and cautious
B.supportive and skeptical
C.doubtful and reserved
D.ambiguous and cautious
问题4选项
A.the changing characteristics of news audience
B.the more diversified means of news distribution
C.the participatory nature of news
D.the more varied sources of news
第1题:
【选项释义】
Which of the following statements best supports “Now, the news industry is returning to something closer to the coffee house”? 以下哪项陈述最能支持“现在,新闻业正在回归到更接近咖啡馆的模式”这句话?
A. Newspaper circulation rose globally by 6% between 2005 and 2009. A. 2005年至2009年期间,报纸发行量在全球范围内增长了6%。
B. People in the Western world are giving up newspapers and TV news. B. 西方世界的人们正在放弃报纸和电视新闻。
C. Classified documents are published in their thousands online. C. 机密文件在网上公布的数量成千上万。
D. More people are involved in finding, discussing and distributing news. D. 更多的人参与到寻找、讨论和传播新闻中。
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据关键词可以定位到文章第二段第一句“现在,新闻行业正回归到更接近咖啡馆的模式”,接着第二句详细解释了这一点“互联网使新闻更具参与性、社会性和多样性(participatory, social and diverse),恢复了大众媒体出现之前时代的话语特征(reviving the discursive characteristics of the era before the mass media)”,说明在大众媒体出现之前,人们在咖啡馆里讨论、传播新闻,这种形式与现在互联网新闻的参与性、社会性和多样性十分相似。因此D选项“更多的人参与到寻找、讨论和传播新闻中。”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“2005年至2009年期间,报纸发行量在全球范围内增长了6%。”是对在世界上的许多地方,大众传媒正在蓬勃发展这一点的说明,与新闻业正回归到咖啡馆模式无关,属于出处错位;
B选项“西方世界的人们正在放弃报纸和电视新闻。”,是对这些全球数据掩盖了富裕国家读者数量的急剧下降的说明,与新闻业正回归到咖啡馆模式无关,属于出处错位;
C选项“机密文件在网上公布的数量成千上万。”,是人们具体传播新闻的方式,而不是说明新闻业正回归到咖啡馆模式这句话,属于出处错位。
第2题:
【选项释义】
According to the passage, which is NOT a role played by information technology? 根据这篇文章,哪个不是信息技术所扮演的角色?
A. Challenging the traditional media. A. 对传统媒体的挑战。
B. Planning the return to coffee-house news. B. 规划咖啡馆新闻的回归。
C. Providing people with access to classified files. C. 为人们提供接触机密文件的机会。
D. Giving ordinary people the chance to provide news. D. 给予普通人提供新闻的机会。
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词information technology可以定位到文章第四段,本段说到“挑战媒体精英(challenging the media elite)的不只是读者。包括谷歌、脸书和推特在内的科技公司已经成为重要的新闻渠道。名人和世界领导人直接通过社交网络发布最新消息;许多国家现在通过“开放政府”计划提供原始数据(make raw data available through “open government” initiatives)。互联网让人们阅读报纸或观看世界各地的电视频道。网络使得新的新闻提供者,从个人博客到网站(new providers of news, from individual bloggers to sites),能够在很短的时间内迅速崛起”,说明信息技术挑战了传统媒体,给人们接触到政府原始数据的机会,让个人也能成为新闻提供者,其中没有提到咖啡馆新闻的回归。因此B选项“规划咖啡馆新闻的回归。”表述错误,符合题意。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“对传统媒体的挑战。”,C选项“为人们提供接触机密文件的机会。”和D选项“给予普通人提供新闻的机会。”在文中均有提及,属于反向干扰。
第3题:
【选项释义】
The author’s tone in the last paragraph towards new journalism is ________. 作者在最后一段中对新型新闻业的语气是________。
A. optimistic and cautious A. 乐观的和谨慎的
B. supportive and skeptical B. 支持的和怀疑的
C. doubtful and reserved C. 怀疑的和保留的
D. ambiguous and cautious D. 暧昧的和谨慎的
【考查点】观点态度题。
【解题思路】根据关键词可以定位到文章最后一段,本段首先提出“原则上,每个自由主义者都应该庆祝这一点(celebrate this)。一个更具参与性和社会性的新闻环境,一个多样化和广泛的新闻来源,是一件好事(a good thing)”,说明作者对新型新闻业抱有乐观的态度,接着第四句提到“作为新型新闻的生产者,个人可以谨慎地对待事实,做到新闻来源透明化(be scrupulous with facts and transparent with their sources)”,说明作者也认为应该小心谨慎。因此A选项“乐观的和谨慎的”正确。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“支持的和怀疑的”和C选项“怀疑的和保留的”,文中没有提到怀疑,属于无中生有;
D选项“暧昧的和谨慎的”,作者的态度明确,并不是模棱两可的,属于反向干扰。
第4题:
【选项释义】
In “The coffee house is back”, coffee house best symbolizes ________. 在“咖啡馆时代即将回归”这句话中,咖啡馆最好地象征了________。
A. the changing characteristics of news audience A. 新闻受众的变化特点
B. the more diversified means of news distribution B. 新闻传播的手段更加多样化
C. the participatory nature of news C. 新闻的参与性
D. the more varied sources of news D. 新闻的来源更加多样
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据关键词可以定位到文章最后一段第二句“一个更具参与性和社会性的新闻环境(A more participatory and social news environment),一个多样化和广泛的新闻来源(a remarkable diversity and range of news sources),是一件好事”,同时第二段第二句也说到“互联网使新闻更具参与性、社会性和多样性(participatory, social and diverse),恢复了大众媒体出现之前时代的话语特征”,说明咖啡馆时代的新闻特征在于其参与性。因此C选项“新闻的参与性”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“新闻受众的变化特点”在文中没有提及,属于无中生有;
B选项“新闻传播的手段更加多样化”,文章说的是新闻的多样性,而不是新闻传播手段的多样性,属于偷换概念;
D选项“新闻的来源更加多样”不是最具代表性的特点,属于本末倒置。
【文章来源】《经济学人》(The Economist)2011
【参考译文】
300年前,新闻通过口口相传或书信传播,并以小册子和时事通讯的形式在酒馆和咖啡馆里传播。一位观察人士指出:“咖啡馆特别宽敞,可以自由交谈,也可以更轻松地阅读各种印刷新闻。”1833年,当第一份面向大众的报纸《纽约太阳报》率先使用广告来降低新闻成本时,一切都发生了改变,广告商因此获得了更广泛的受众。廉价报纸,随后是广播和电视,把新闻从双向对话变成了单向广播,少数公司则控制着媒体。
现在,新闻行业正回归到更接近咖啡馆的模式。互联网使新闻更具参与性、社会性和多样性,恢复了大众媒体出现之前时代的话语特征。这将对社会和政治产生深远的影响。在世界上的许多地方,大众传媒正在蓬勃发展。从2005年到2009年,全球报纸发行量上升了6%。但这些全球数据掩盖了富裕国家读者数量的急剧下降。
在过去的十年里,整个西方世界,人们已经放弃了报纸和电视新闻,并以截然不同的方式跟上事件的发展。最引人注目的是,越来越多的普通人参与到编辑、分享、过滤、讨论和传播新闻中来。推特让人们可以随时随地报道他们的所见所闻。成千上万的机密文件被公布在网上。手机拍摄的阿拉伯起义和美国龙卷风的画面被发布在社交网站上,并在电视新闻节目中播放。社交网站帮助人们发现、讨论和与朋友分享新闻。
挑战媒体精英的不只是读者。包括谷歌、脸书和推特在内的科技公司已经成为重要的新闻渠道。名人和世界领导人直接通过社交网络发布最新消息;许多国家现在通过“开放政府”计划提供原始数据。互联网让人们阅读报纸或观看世界各地的电视频道。网络使得新的新闻提供者,从个人博客到网站,能够在很短的时间内迅速崛起。它还使得新闻报道的全新方式成为可能,比如维基解密的做法,它为举报人提供了一种匿名发布文件的方式。新闻议程不再由少数媒体大亨和国家媒体控制。
原则上,每个自由主义者都应该庆祝这一点。一个更具参与性和社会性的新闻环境,一个多样化和广泛的新闻来源,是一件好事。新闻行业的转型是不可阻挡的,试图扭转这一局面注定要失败。作为新型新闻的生产者,个人可以谨慎地对待事实,做到新闻来源透明化。作为消费者,他们可以有广泛的爱好,按照自己的标准获取新闻。尽管这种转变确实引起了人们的担忧,但在互联网时代,在这个嘈杂多变、喧嚣熙攘、争议不断且尖刻活跃的新闻行业环境中,有很多值得庆祝的事情。咖啡馆时代即将回归。好好享受吧。