2001 text 3
2001 text3
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.
- 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 - The results of the journalism credibility project turned out to be ________.
[A] quite trustworthy
[B] somewhat contradictory
[C] very illuminating
[D] rather superficial - 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 - 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
词汇注释
painful a. 令人痛苦的；令人不快的
be deep into 深入进行
journalism n. 新闻业；新闻工作
credibility n. 可信性，可靠性
sad to say 遗憾的是
turn out to be 结果是，原来是
factual a. 事实的
head-scratching a. 令人费解的，令人挠头的
puzzlement n. 迷惑，困惑
in the world 究竟，到底
somewhat ad. （30题）有点，稍微
illuminating a. （30题）有启发性的
superficial a. （30题）肤浅的
trustworthy a. （30题）可信赖的，可靠的
way ad. 大大地，远远地
template n. 样板，标准
plug v. 按通（电源），把（插头）插进（插座）；文中是指像插头插入插座一样把每天发生的事件“套入”一个模式
conventional a. 按惯例的，习惯的，传统的
newsroom n. 新闻编辑室；报章杂志阅览室
backbone n. 支柱，骨干，基础
ready-made a. 现成的，套用他人的
narrative a. 叙事的，叙事体的
disconnect n. 脱节，不一致
alien a. 非常怪异的，陌生的；格格不入的
questionnaire n. 调查表，问卷
metropolitan a. 大城市的，大都会的
resident n. 居民；住户
upscale a. 高端的，高消费阶层的
maid n. 女仆
volunteer a. 志愿的，自愿的/ n. 志愿者
put down roots in 扎根于
broadly ad. 总体上，大致上
astonishing a. 令人惊讶的，惊人的
inaccuracy n. 不准确；误差
reportorial a. 新闻报道的
daily a. 每日的，每天的
clash n. 碰撞；冲突
explosive a. 爆炸性的；易爆发的
vastly ad. 特别地，极大地
annoy v. 使不悦；惹恼
sponsor v. 主办；举办
symposium n. （复数symposiums/symposia）专题研讨会，讨论会，专题报告会
flee v. 迅速离开；逃跑；逃离
get round/around to 抽出时间来做（或考虑）
bias n. 偏见，成见
narrowly a. 狭隘地；有限地
outlook n. 观点，看法
likeliness n. （32题）可能，可能性
in matters of （32题）在……方面，就……而论
经典搭配
self-analysis 自我剖析
journalism credibility 新闻可信度
a set of standard templates 一套标准模式
plug... into... 插入，接通
a conventional story line 惯用的故事套路
seem/be alien to 对……来说陌生
be likely to do sth. 有可能做某事
upscale neighborhoods 高档社区
trade stocks 炒股
难句分析
翻译
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.
为什么如此多的美国人不信任自己在报纸上看到东西？美国报业编辑协会正视图解答这个棘手的问题。该协会正深入进行一项长期的自我剖析运动，名为“新闻可信度调查”。
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.
遗憾的是，这次调查结果大多数是一些低级发现，诸如事实错误、拼写和语法错误，还夹杂着对“那些读者到底真正想要什么”许多令人挠头的困惑。
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.
但这种报刊的不信任有更深刻的根源。多数新闻记者学会了一套标准模式去看待世界，并把每天发生的事件套入这一模式。换言之，在新闻采编室文化中存在着一种惯用的故事套路，为原本纷繁复杂的新闻内容提供了一个主干框架和一个现成的叙事结构。
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.
新闻记者和读者之间存有社会和文化方面的脱节，这有助于解释为什么新闻编辑室的“标准模式”对众多读者来说似乎很陌生。在最近一次调查中，问卷被送往全国五个中等城市及一个大都市的记者手中。然后随机地给这些地区的居民打电话，询问相同的问题。
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.
结果表明，与其他美国人相比，新闻记者更有可能居住高档社区、雇女佣、开奔驰、炒股票，而不大可能做礼拜、做志愿工，或扎根某个社区。
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.
记者们往往属于广义的社会文化精英的一部分，因此他们的工作成果往往反映了这一精英群体的传统价值观。（读者）对新闻媒介惊人的不信任的根源并非是报道失实或报道技巧拙劣，而是记者与读者的世界观每天都发生着碰撞。
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.
这对任何一个行业来说，都是一种一触即发的形式，尤其是对一个日益衰败的行业来说更是如此。这是一个身陷困境的行业，却一直雇佣那些态度极大惹怒客户的员工。然后它又主办了许多研讨会和一个可信度调查项目，致力于探究客户为什么恼怒，为什么大量流失。但它似乎从来就抽不出时间来注意那么多昔日买主都在抱怨文化与社会等级偏见。如果它注意到了的话，就会开设多样化栏目（目前关注只限于种族和性别），雇用那些世界观、价值观、教育水平和社会阶层完全不同的记者。
真题精解
The results of the journalism credibility project turned out to be ________.[作者观点态度题]
[A] quite trustworthy
[B] somewhat contradictory
[C] very illuminating
[D] rather superficial
思路：作者观点态度题。根据作者使用词语的感情色彩判断其态度
技巧：第二段独段成句，高度概括新闻可信度调查的结果
A错误：利用原文单词干扰。“distrust”"credibility"，这些是调查内容，不是调查结果
B错误：对原文的错解。"combined with lots of head-scratching puzzlement about what in the world those readers really want."，这句话是说记者们困惑读者们想读什么，并没有矛盾
*C错误：对原文的错解。"mostly low-level findings about factual errors and spelling and grammar mistakes"，错误理解为（这些表面的错误有助于报业改正自己，非常具有启发性）。原文"sad","low-level","head-scratching","go way deeper"可推断出作者对调查结果不满意，比较肤浅，是贬义。C项是褒义，与作者感情基调不符
D正确：原文第二段"sad","low-level","head-scratching","go way deeper"，第三段首句，" the sources of distrust go way deeper"，可推断出作者对调查结果不满意，比较肤浅，调查结果令人失望，并未触及根本原因。
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
技巧：利用选项关键词回到原文中找对应词，在对应词周围找答案
A错误：虽然第二段中说调查结果中有事实错误和拼写语法错误，但是第六段中有表明，这些错误并不是问题的根源，问题的根源是读者与记者之间的世界观差异
B错误：生活方式的差异旨在说明终极目标“记者与读者之间的世界观差异”
C正确：定位句，"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"，读者与记者之间的世界观差异是问题的本质
D错误：教育背景的差异旨在说明终极目标“记者与读者之间的世界观差异”
Despite its efforts, the newspaper industry still cannot satisfy the readers owing to its ________.[细节因果题]
[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
A正确：原文"But it never seems to get around to noticing the cultural and class biases that so many former buyers are complaining about."，realize对应get around to noticing，its real problem对应the cultural and class biases... complaining about.
B错误：hire annoying reporters 是表面现象，不是根本原因
C错误：inaccurate reporting 不是根本原因，原文" isn’t rooted in inaccuracy or poor reportorial skills"
D错误：原文"focused narrowly on race and gender"，“目前报纸栏目只关注种族和性别”，并没有说“报业存有种族和性别方面的偏见”
技巧：因果细节题。文章未出现有关因果细节的信息提示词，所以很难根据题干关键词准确定位，需将选项一一回文定位，判断比较
方法：题干关键词"efforts"，"satisfy the readers" 原文找不到定位句，所以找各个选项关键词"realize its real problem""hire annoying reporters""do inaccurate reporting""race and gender"一一回原文定位，比较判断对错
What is the passage mainly about? [文章主旨题--文章题目型]
[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
A错误：原文第二段末句，" puzzlement about what in the world those readers really want."，是调查所反映的问题之一，不能概括全文
B正确：全文首句提出中心议题“为什么如此多美国人不相信自己在报纸上看到的东西”，再介绍试图解答这个问题但却没有找到真正原因的一项新闻可信度调查，然后又探讨了造成读者不信任报纸的深层次原因
C错误：原文末段首句，"This is an explosive situation for any industry, particularly a declining one."，只是说明报业是一个日趋衰败的行业，但未就其原因进行讨论
D错误：原文第一段，"The organization is deep into a long self-analysis known as the journalism credibility project."，但新闻可信度调查项目的目的并不是全文讨论的内容。
技巧：文章主旨--文章题目型
文章有主题段(通常为首段)
文章无主题段，将各段的主题句(通常为首句)加以归纳和总结，得出文章中心
特别地，若文章首段出现疑问句，且该问题是全文探讨的内容，则对该问题的解答就是文章主旨
