七、信息与传媒
TEXT 66
What kind of people would you expect the newspapers to interview most? Might it be philosophers, or detectives, or doctors working in war zones, refugees, polar scientists, street children, firefighters, base jumpers, activists, writers or free divers? No. It's actors. I haven't conducted an empirical study, but I would guess that between a third and a half of the major interviews in the newspapers feature people who make their living by adopting someone else's persona and speaking someone else's words.
I am not proposing that the papers should never interview actors, or that they have no wisdom of their own to impart. But the remarkable obsession with this trade blots out other voices. One result is that an issue is not an issue until it has been voiced by an actor. Climate breakdown，refugees, human rights, sexual assault:none of these issues, it seems, can surface until they go Hollywood.
This is not to disparage the actors who have helped bring them to mainstream attention, least of all the brave and brilliant women who exposed Harvey Weinstein and popularised the#MeToo movement. But many other brave and brilliant women stood up to say the same thing—and, because they were not actors, remained unheard. The #MeToo movement is widely assumed to have begun a year ago, with Weinstein's accusers. But it actually started in 2006, when the motto was coined by the activist Tarana Burke. She and the millions of others who tried to speak out were not, either literally nor metaphorically, in the spotlight.
At least actors serve everyone. But the next most-interviewed category, according to my unscientific survey, could be filed as“those who serve the wealthy”:restaurateurs, haute couturists, interior designers and the like, lionised and thrust into our faces as if we were their prospective clients. This is a world of make-believe, in which we are induced to imagine we are participants rather than mere gawpers.
The spotlight effect allows the favoured few to set the agenda. Almost all the most critical issues remain in the darkness beyond the circle of light. Every day, thousands of pages are published and thousands of hours broadcast by the media. But scarcely any of this space and time is made available for the matters that really count:environmental breakdown, inequality, exclusion, the subversion of democracy by money. In a world of impersonation, we obsess about trivia.
The task of all citizens is to understand what we are seeing. The world as portrayed is not the world as it is. The personification of complex issues confuses and misdirects us, with the result that we struggle to comprehend and respond to our predicaments.
1.Someone who adopts another's persona is an ________.
[A]interviewer
[B]interviewee
[C]actor
[D]activist
2.Keeping interviewing actors has the effect of ________.
[A]concealing a lot of important issues
[B]putting Hollywood actors in the spotlight
[C]exaggerating the severity of a situation
[D]failing to impart knowledge to readers
3.The expression“be in the spotlight”（Para. 3）probably means ________.
[A]be fully recognized
[B]receive wide publicity
[C]obtain robust support
[D]be properly understood
4.The author blames the most-interviewed people for ________.
[A]being arrogant and less respectful of others
[B]imposing their perspectives on the readers
[C]being unscientific in their comments
[D]cheating the customers with false promises
5.The world the interviewees present to us is ________.
[A]very complicated
[B]miserable as hell
[C]apparently flourishing
[D]by no means objective
考研必备词汇
1.zone/zəun/n．地带，区域
2.refugee/ˈrefju ˈdʒiː/n．难民
3.polar/ ˈpəulə/a．（南北）极的；正好相反的
4.empirical/em ˈpirikəl/a．基于经验的，实证的
5.feature/ ˈfiːtʃə/vt．以……为特色，出演……主要角色
6.impart/im ˈpɑːt/vt．给予，传授
7.obsession/əb ˈseʃən/n．着魔，执意
8.blot out 遮住；完全消除
9.assault/ə ˈsɔːlt/n．袭击，攻击
10.disparage/dis ˈpæridʒ/vt．轻视，贬低
11.mainstream/ ˈmeinstriːm/a．主流的
12.brilliant/ ˈbriljənt/a．极其明亮的；极其聪明的；优异的
13.motto/ ˈmɔtəu/n．箴言，格言
14.coin/kɔin/vt．制造，杜撰
15.literally/ ˈlitərəli/ad．按字面意思地；真正地；差不多
16.metaphorically/ˈmetə ˈfɔrikli/ad．比喻地
17.spotlight/ ˈspɔtlait/n．聚光灯；注意的中心
18.interior/in ˈtiəriə/a．内部的
19.the like（s）类似的人或事物
20.prospective/prəs ˈpektiv/a．预期的，未来的
21.client/ ˈklaiənt/n．顾客
22.make-believe 虚构，假装
23.induce/in ˈdj uːs/vt．引诱，诱导
24.agenda/ə ˈdʒendə/n．议事日程；待办事项
25.critical/ ˈkritikəl/a．批评的，挑剔的；重大的
26.broadcast/ ˈbrɔːdkɑːst/vt．广播，传播
27.subversion/sʌb ˈvəːʃən/n．颠覆
28.trivia/ ˈtrivjə/n．琐事，平凡的事儿
29.portray/pɔː ˈtrei/vt．描绘，画像
30.personification/pəˈsɔnif ˈi keʃiən/n．拟人化
31.predicament/pri ˈdikəmənt/n．困境，窘境
其他词汇
1.base jumper 定点跳伞者
2.persona 人物，角色
3.restaurateur 餐饮主
4.haute couturist 高级服装师
5.lionise 把……捧为名人
6.gawper 呆望者，发愣者
7.impersonation 扮演，模仿
疑难长句注解
1.I haven't conducted...words.（第一段）
本句中that引导guess的宾语从句，其中between a third and a half的意思是“三分之一到一半”; feature作动词，意为“由……做主角”，这里指被采访的主要对象。
2.But the next most-interviewed...clients.（第四段）
本句由冒号隔开，后半句具体解释those who serve the wealthy指哪类人。在冒号前的句子中，filed意为“把……归档，把……归为”。在冒号后，lionised...clients是过去分词短语，修饰前面提到的三类人，其中and the like相当于“等等”，指类似的人或事物。
3.The personification of complex issues...predicaments.（第六段）
根据上一句话表达的意思，“复杂问题的个人化”（personification of complex issues）指对于一些重大问题（即上一段所说的the most critical issues），受访者按照他们的判断和视角加以描述，并强加于读者和听众，结果，造成普通读者的困惑——对于事情真相和人们所处的困境的困惑。
译文
你认为报纸最常采访哪类人？是哲学家，是侦探，还是工作在战区的医生、难民、极地科学家、街上的孩子、消防员、跳伞运动员、活动家、作家或自由潜水员？都不是，是演员。我没有做实证研究，但是我猜想大约有三分之一到一半的报纸的重要采访，其对象是靠扮演别人、说别人说的话谋生的人。
我不是建议报纸完全不采访演员，也不是说他们自己没有可传达的智慧。但是他们对这个行业明显的痴迷遮蔽了其他的声音。一个结果是，只有当一名演员说出某个问题时，这个问题才成为一个问题。气候破坏、难民、人权、性侵：这些问题似乎只有在好莱坞发生之后才会浮出水面。
这并不是贬低那些帮助把问题带入主流视野的演员，更不是贬低所有那些勇敢而非凡的女性——她们将Harvey Weinstein曝光并使#MeToo运动普及开来。但是许多其他勇敢而非凡的女性也站出来说了同样的事情，但是由于她们不是演员，没有人听到她们的声音。#MeToo运动通常被认为开始于一年前，开始于指控Weinstein的人。但是它实际上开始于2006年，当时口号是由社会活动家Tarana Burke提出的。她和其他数百万试图站出来说话的人都没有被聚焦——无论是从这个词的原意来说还是从其喻义来说。
至少，演员服务于所有人。但是根据我不科学的考察，下一个最常采访的类别可以被归为“服务富人的人”：饭店老板、高级服装师、室内设计师等等，他们被捧成名人甩给我们，好像我们是他们的未来客户。这是一个虚幻的世界，在其中，我们被诱导去把自己想象为参与者而不只是呆望者。
聚光灯效应让被选中的少数人制定议程。在光线范围之外，几乎所有最关键的问题仍然处于黑暗中。每天，有成千上万的版面被出版，成千上万个小时被媒体播送。但是，这些空间和时间很少被用来谈论真正重要的事情：环境破坏，不平等，排他，金钱对民主的颠覆。在扮演的世界里，我们沉迷于琐事。
所有公民都必须明白自己看到的东西。被描述的世界不是世界本来的面目。复杂问题的个人化描述令我们困惑并误导我们，结果，我们努力去理解我们面临的困境，并对它们作出反应。
TEXT 67
The latest data from the Reuters Digital News Report shows a decline in trust in the UK media of 7%. In one YouGov survey, Wikipedia was held to be marginally more trust worthy than the BBC.
It is due, I believe, to two main factors:the increased polarisation of our society and the increased use of social media and alternatives to what they call the MSM, the mainstream media.“We've moved to a marketplace where quality journalism competes on an equal footing with raucous opinion, ”explains Richard Gingras, head of Google News. He goes on to point out the key challenge posed by social media:“Affirmation is more satisfying than information. ”
In the space of just three years, we have seen a referendum on whether to split up the UK, followed by one on whether to split away from the EU. We have had two general elections, changed prime ministers, gone from having a majority government to a minority one, and seen the unlikely rise of an opposition leader who was at first regarded by himself as having no chance of getting to 10 Downing Street.
Some might say“it was ever thus”. Ever since Winston Churchill accused the BBC of being unwilling to choose between the fire and the fireman in the General Strike, broadcasters have faced criticism. But this time it is different. First, because the fracturing of our politics means the criticism is coming from all sides and from grassroots campaigns. Second, because in the past the purpose of the attacks was to persuade the BBC into changing the way it reported a particular story or to drop this or that programme or journalist. Our critics now see their attacks as a key part of their political strategy. In order to succeed they need to convince people not to believe“the news”.
Campaigners on left and right have been looking at and learning from the method behind what some regard as the madness of Donald Trump's attacks on the“failing”press as purveyors of“fake news”.Attacks on the media are now part of a guerrilla war being fought on social media, hour after hour, day after day. I believe the BBC should respond by adopting a mission to engage with those who do not treat news bulletins as“appointments to view”, and those who don't trust what they're told.
Research shows that people who don't trust the media often think they don't hear the views of“people like me”. They should, but we should also confidently tell them that they will hear people with whom they'll disagree.
1.The text is mainly concerned with ________.
[A]the polarized views of the society
[B]the increased use of social media
[C]the decline of trust in the BBC
[D]the alternatives to the MSM
2.It is implied that Richard Gingras ________.
[A]deplores the fate of the BBC
[B]affirms the value of the MSM
[C]praises the triumph of social media
[D]attacks the BBC's conservative tradition
3.The current criticism at the BBC is different in that it ________.
[A]asks the BBC to carry on more radical reform
[B]inflicts greater destruction on British politics
[C]confuses the idea of the fire with the fireman
[D]aims to persuade people not to trust the BBC
4.The critics of the BBC ________.
[A]adapt a political strategy similar to Donald Trump's
[B]regard Trump's strategy as crazy and useless
[C]intend to fight a guerrilla war with social media
[D]want to see a comprehensive reform in the BBC
5.The author concludes the discussion by pointing out that ________.
[A]it is time that BBC should adjust its programmes
[B]mainstream news cannot silence dissident voice
[C]the BBC should cater to the taste of most people
[D]the BBC should become a voice for grassroots class
考研必备词汇
1.marginally/ ˈmɑːdʒinəli/ad．在边缘；少量地
2.trustworthy/ ˈtrʌstˈwəːði/a．值得信赖的
3.polarization/ˈpəulərai ˈzeiʃn/n．两极化
4.alternative/ɔːl ˈtəːnətiv/n．可供选择的东西
5.mainstream/ ˈmeinstriːm/a．主流的
6.journalism/ ˈdʒəːnəlizəm/n．新闻（业，学，界）
7.footing/ ˈfutiŋ/n．立足点；基础
8.pose/pəuz/vt．提出；造成；摆姿势
9.affirmation/əfəː ˈmeiʃən/n．断言；证实
10.referendum/ˈrefə ˈrendəm/n．公民投票
11.split up 分割，分裂
12.prime minister 首相，总理
13.opposition/ɔpə ˈzʃiən/n．反对；反对党
14.accuse/ə ˈkjuːz/vt．控告，指责
15.broadcaster/ ˈbrɔːdkɑːstə/n．广播员，广播公司
16.fracture/ ˈfræktʃə/v．破裂，断裂
17.grassroots/ ˈgrɑːsˈruːts/a．草根的，基层的
18.campaign/kæm ˈpein/n．战役；运动，活动
19.journalist/ ˈdʒəːnəlist/n．新闻记者
20.critic/ ˈkritik/n．批评者；评论者
21.press/pres/n．新闻界；出版社
22.fake/feik/a．冒充的，假的
23.mission/ ˈmiʃən/n．使命，任务
24.bulletin/ ˈbulitin/n．公报，告示；新闻简报
其他词汇
1.raucous 吵闹的，闹哄哄的
2.purveyor 散播者，传播者
3.guerrilla war 游击战
疑难长句注解
1.It is due...mainstream media.（第二段）
本句中所说的两个因素，第一个是the increased poliarisation of our society，这里主要指见解的两极化，而不是指财富的两极化；第二个是the increased use of social media and alternatives to what they call the MSM，即社交媒体和其他媒体手段的使用正在取代主流媒体。
2.I believe the BBC should...they're told.（第五段）
本句中adopting a mission to engage with是说要与某人作战，这里mission指特殊战斗任务（combat operation assigned to a person or a military unit）, engage with也是与某人交战的意思；news bulletins指新闻报道（新闻简报）; appointments to view是说传统媒体定点播报新闻的做法。
译文
路透社数字新闻报告的最新数据显示，对英国媒体的信任下降了7%。一项YouGov调查显示，对维基百科的信任程度比BBC略高一些。
我认为，这归因于两个主要因素：我们社会更大程度的两极化和社交媒体以及我们称之为MSM（主流媒体）的替代物的更多使用。“我们已经移入一个市场，在其中，高质量的新闻在平等的立足点上与乱糟糟的见解竞争”，谷歌新闻负责人Richard Gingras说。他接着指出来自社交媒体的关键挑战：“（被人）肯定比获得信息更令人有满足感。”
仅仅在三年的时间内，我们就看到了关于是否分裂英国的公投，然后是关于是否脱欧的公投。我们举行了两次大选，更换了首相，从多数政府走向少数政府，看到了在野党领袖不可思议的崛起，他起初自己也认为是没有机会进入唐宁街10号的。
有人也许说：“本来就是这样。”自温斯顿·丘吉尔指责BBC不愿意在总罢工时在火与消防队员之间做出选择以来，广播公司一直面临批评。但是这次不同。首先，因为我们的政治分裂意味着，批评正来自各个方面，来自草根层的竞选运动。其次，因为在过去抨击的目的是劝说BBC改变报道某个新闻的方式，或者终止这个或那个节目或记者的职务。我们的批评者现在把自己的抨击看作其政治策略的一个关键部分。为了成功，他们需要说服人们不要相信“那条新闻”。
唐纳德·特朗普抨击“失败的”新闻界散播“虚假新闻”，一些人把这种做法看作发疯，但是来自左派和右派的竞选者正在观察和学习这种疯狂背后隐藏的方法。对媒体的抨击现在成为游击战的一部分，这种战争每个小时、每天都在社交媒体上进行。我认为BBC应该带着一种使命感做出反击，回击那些不把新闻简报看作“定点观看”内容的人，回击那些不相信新闻内容的人。
研究表明，不相信媒体的人经常认为自己没有听到“像自己的人”的观点。他们应该听到，但是我们也应该自信地告诉他们，他们也要听一听跟自己观点不同的人的观点。
TEXT 68
Much of Greenspoint was inundated under several feet of water in what Houstonians call the Tax Day Flood, an intense storm that dumped 17 inches of rain on the city. Residents were still recovering from that deadly deluge. As a growing body of research has shown, disasters tend to be worse for poor and minority communities. Low-income communities frequently sustain more damage in storms because they tend to be built on cheaper land that is often more flood-prone.
That's not to say that only the poor have suffered in the rain. As many major disasters do, Harvey assaulted the homes of the middle class and the wealthy as well. Houstonians are only now starting to get a picture of the extent of the damage across a metropolitan area nearly 10 times larger than greater Washington. But many who work in poorer parts of the city fear what they will find as the waters recede. “One thing which makes me pause is I see a lot of the rescues are being done in neighborhoods that are medium income or high income, ”said Chrishelle Palay, director of the Texas Low Income Housing Information Service. She's been getting messages from her contacts in more impoverished and heavily minority areas, who tell her they are still waiting for help. Part of the problem has been a lack of attention from authorities and outsiders.
Among experts, one of the best-known facts about disasters—yet one that consistently surprises much of the general public—is that the vast majority of rescues, and the bulk of the immediate relief effort, are conducted by neighbors helping neighbors, rather than by authorities such as police, military or aid groups. Survivors find inventive ways to procure food and share supplies，and they often risk their own lives to save others. In whiter, wealthier areas, these efforts are often celebrated as signs of the unique spirit of a community.
But in poor and minority neighborhoods, such efforts are more often ignored or even vilified by officials and the media. After Katrina, “poor and mostly African-American victims were simplistically framed either as looters and dangerous thugs or as ‘deserving'victims—mainly women and children—who were helpless and unable to care for themselves in the aftermath of the disaster, ”Tierney wrote. Reports of violence, which repeated investigations found were inaccurate, in turn helped justify repressive measures, including the killing of unarmed survivors by police:“Missing from these accounts was any attempt to understand how poor African Americans aided and supported one another during the disaster. ”
1.The main idea of the text is that ________.
[A]the authorities are slow in rescue effort
[B]the poor often suffer more in disasters
[C]the authorities always favor the wealthier
[D]the poor should save themselves in disasters
2.Palay worried that ________.
[A]the wealthier would refuse to help the poor
[B]authorities paid little attention to poor areas
[C]more poor areas would be assaulted by storms
[D]her organization was reluctant to help the poor
3.The wealthier suffer too but they ________.
[A]easily get aid from the government
[B]get more immediate help from authorities
[C]have the means of saving themselves
[D]store more food and other provisions
4.In disaster news reports, which of the following is rarely mentioned？
[A]The poor people help each other.
[B]The poor rob other people and shops.
[C]Police arrest some rooters and thugs.
[D]The poor fail to save themselves.
5.The word“vilify”（last paragraph）probably means ________.
[A]show sympathy for
[B]express hatred for
[C]make fun of
[D]say abusive things about
考研必备词汇
1.inundate/ ˈinʌndeit/vt．淹没；压倒
2.intense/in ˈtens/a．强烈的，剧烈的
3.dump/dʌmp/vt．倾倒，倾销
4.resident/ ˈrezidənt/n．居民
5.deluge/ ˈdeljuːdʒ/n．泛滥
6.minority/ma ˈi nɔriti/n．少数（民族）
7.sustain/səs ˈtein/vt．承受；使持续；供养
8.prone/prəun/a．有……倾向的，易于的
9.assault/ə ˈsɔːlt/vt．攻击，袭击
10.get a picture of 理解，明白
11.metropolitan/ˈmetrə ˈpɔlitən/a．大都市的
12.recede/riˈ siːd/vi．退回，撤退；衰退
13.neighborhood/ ˈneibəhud/n．邻里，邻近区域
14.medium/ ˈmiːdjəm/a．中等的
15.impoverish/im ˈpɔvəriʃ/vt．使贫困，使枯竭
16.authority/ɔː ˈθɔriti/n．权威，权力；当局，权力部门
17.consistently/kən ˈsistəntli/ad．一贯地，前后一致地
18.majority/mə ˈdʒɔriti/n．多数
19.rescue/ ˈreskj uː/vt．救援，营救
20.bulk/bʌlk/n．容积；大批，大量
21.procure/prə ˈkj uə/vt．获得，取得
22.celebrate/ ˈselibreit/vt．庆祝，颂扬
23.vilify/ ˈvilifai/vt．说……坏话，诽谤
24.simplistically/sim ˈplistikəli/ad．简单化地
25.frame/freim/vt．给……加框；设计；陷害
26.looter/ ˈluːtə/n．打劫者，抢劫者
27.thug/θʌɡ/n．强盗，暴徒
28.aftermath/ ˈɑːftəmæθ/n．后；后果
29.violence/ ˈvaiələns/n．暴力；猛烈
30.justify/ ˈdʒʌstifai/vt．证明……有道理，为……辩护
31.repressive/r ˈi presiv/a．压制的，镇压的
疑难长句注解
1.Houstonians are only now starting...Washington.（第二段）
2017年8月25日夜晚，哈维飓风袭击了包括休斯敦在内的得克萨斯州沿海地区城镇，造成了40多人死亡和重大财产损失。词组get a picture of意为“获得对……的全面认识”，特别指在听到别人的叙述或报道后开始明白形势；10 times larger than greater Washington作定语，修饰a metropolitan area，其中提到的greater Washington（华盛顿大都会区）包括华盛顿市区、马里兰州和弗吉尼亚州的一部分，甚至还包括西弗吉尼亚的一小部分。
2.Among experts...military or aid groups.（第三段）
本句很长，但结构并不复杂，包括一个表语从句。在主语部分，Among experts实际上是one of the facts best-known among experts，即专家们都知道的一个事实；the general public指“公众，大众”，即我们经常所说的“群众”，他们感到惊奇是因为他们没想到救灾中的自救比等待外来救援更加重要。在表语从句中，the bulk of意为“大部分”。
3.“Missing from these accounts...the disaster. ”（第四段）
这是一个倒装句，其中any attempt to...the disaster是主语，Missing from these accounts是表语。
译文
在被休斯敦人称作“税日洪水”的灾难发生时，绿点区大多被淹没在几英尺的水下，洪水是强风暴造成的，它给这座城市带来了17英寸的降雨。居民们仍处在从那场致命洪水中恢复的过程中。越来越多的研究表明，灾难对贫困的社区和少数民族社区会造成更坏的影响。低收入社区经常在风暴来临时遭受更多损失，因为它们往往被建造在更廉价的地面上，而这种地面更容易发大水。
这并不是说在暴风雨中只有穷人受灾。像许多大灾难一样，哈维也袭击了中产阶级和富人的家。休斯敦人只是现在才开始认识到都市区遭受毁坏的程度，这个区域比大华盛顿区大十倍。但是很多在这个城市更贫困区域工作的人担心洪水退去后他们将看到的景象。Chrishelle Palay是得克萨斯州低收入住房信息服务处主任，她说：“让我感到犹豫的是，我看到很多救援工作正在中等收入或高收入的社区内进行。”她从更贫困地区和少数民族集聚区的联系人那里获得信息，他们告诉她他们正在等待救助。其中部分问题是政府和外面的人缺乏对他们的关注。
专家们都知道，有关灾难的一个最为人熟知的事实——这一事实还经常令公众感到惊奇——是绝大部分救援工作和大部分直接救助，是通过邻里之间互相帮助完成的，而不是靠警察、军队或救援团体等政府机构。幸存者很有创意地获得食物，分享供应，他们经常冒着生命危险去救别人。在白人居民多的更富裕区域，这些救援工作经常被颂扬为社区独特精神的标志。
但是在贫穷和少数民族居住区，这种工作更经常被官员和媒体忽视或者甚至被恶意中伤。在卡特里娜飓风过后，“贫穷的大部分非裔美国遭难者被简单化地捏造成打劫者、危险的强盗或‘罪有应得的’受害者（这主要是妇女和儿童），他们在灾难后无助，没能力照顾自己”, Tierney写道。对暴力事件的报道——这些报道经反复调研被证明不准确——反过来为一些强制性措施提供了辩护，包括警察杀死手无寸铁的幸存者：“这些报道中缺乏任何试图了解非裔美国穷人在灾难中如何互助互救的愿望。”
TEXT 69
No, the pope didn't endorse Donald Trump.No, Hillary Clinton didn't sell arms to terrorist groups.Yes, cousin Shelley really is getting married.You can trust some of what you read on Facebook, but do not believe every headline that pops up on your Facebook feed.The internet, and Facebook in particular, is awash in a sea of fake news.The stories, mainly political in nature，represent a pernicious mix of lies, exaggeration and fantasy peddled as journalism.
Some of the fakery is satirical and should fool only the gullible.But a lot of junk floating out there looks legitimate.For example, “According to the National Prevarication Institute, more than 5,000 Americans die each year from exposure to fake news.”That is, of course, not true. There's no such outlet as National Prevarication Institute, and if exposure to fake news was deadly we would all be in the ground.A lot of people apparently believed it, since it was passed around Facebook more times than a surprising but true New York Times article.
Craig Silverman of BuzzFeed, a real person working for a real website, studied Facebook and found that the 20 top-performing false election stories generated more shares and reactions than the 20 best-performing election stories from 19 major news websites.
There are financial as well as political motives for distributing fake news.Outlandish stories attract readers, which generates ad revenue.But these fake articles cause real damage:They harden preconception and fan discord in a divided nation.They heighten mistrust in democratic norms and distract from legitimate issues.In Berlin on Thursday, President Barack Obama warned about fake news:“If we can't discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda，then we have problems.”A remarkable statement, but you can't blame him:Maybe you saw the photo on Facebook of first lady Michelle Obama holding up a sign that reads“An immigrant is taking my job.”Real photo, doctored message.
How to hold on to reality in a virtual world? Google and Facebook say they are trying to stop fake news sites from making money through ad sales, but it's on individuals to read skeptically. Here are a few suggestions, based on our experience:Scrutinize the source.Fake stories typically come from obscure websites masquerading as established ones.Validate what you read by scanning other sources or Googling keywords or quotes to confirm the facts.Rely on the mainstream news media.Professional journalists strive to report the news fairly—and take responsibility for the accuracy of their work.While everyone makes judgments on what to read and watch, count on real reporters to deliver the facts.
1.The word“pernicious”（Para.1）probably means ________.
[A]perplexing
[B]malicious
[C]artificial
[D]superficial
2.A lot of fake news fools people due to ________.
[A]its political nature
[B]its satirical content
[C]its wide circulation
[D]its surprising coverage
3.Craig Silverman has found that ________.
[A]the most popular news stories are widely shared
[B]people are really attracted by election new stories
[C]many election websites themselves are fake
[D]false news spreads more rapidly than real news
4.Fake news has the political motive of ________.
[A]increasing revenue from advertisements
[B]boosting prejudice between social groups
[C]highlighting the effect of propaganda
[D]rendering laws less authoritative
5.The author gives readers all the following advice except ________.
[A]refusing to pay for ad-promoted goods
[B]using other sources to validate the news
[C]reading news covered by mainstream media
[D]reading a news story with a suspicious mind
考研必备词汇
1.pope/pəup/n．罗马教皇
2.endorse/in ˈdɔːs/vt．（背书）支持，批准
3.terrorist/ ˈterərist/a．恐怖主义的
4.headline/ ˈhedlain/n．标题，头条新闻
5.pop up 出现，跳出
6.fake/feik/a．冒牌的，假的
7.represent/ˈrepri ˈzent/vt．代表；描述，再现
8.exaggeration/iɡˈzædʒə ˈreiʃn/n．夸大，夸张
9.fantasy/ ˈfæntəsi/n．幻想，妄想
10.peddle/ ˈpedl/vt．叫卖；传播
11.journalism/ ˈdʒəːnəlizəm/n．新闻（界，行业）
12.satirical/sə ˈtirikl/a．讽刺的
13.gullible/ ˈgʌləbl/a．易受骗的，轻信的
14.junk/dʒʌŋk/n．垃圾，假货
15.legitimate/li ˈdʒitimit/a．合理的，合法的
16.exposure/iks ˈpəuʒə/n．曝光，暴露；接触
17.outlet/ ˈautlet/n．出口，途径，渠道；媒体
18.apparently/ə ˈpærəntli/ad．看起来，似乎，外表上
19.generate/ ˈdʒenəˈreit/vt．产生，引起；生殖
20.motive/ ˈməutiv/n．动机，动因
21.distribute/dis ˈtribj uːt/vt．分配；分销
22.outlandish/aut ˈlændiʃ/a．外来的；怪异的
23.preconception/ ˈpriːkən ˈsepʃən/n．先入之见，偏见
24.discord/ ˈdiskɔːd/n．不和谐，不一致
25.heighten/ ˈhaitn/vt．提高；加剧
26.norm/nɔːm/n．规范，标准
27.distract/dis ˈtrækt/vt．分散（精力等）
28.discriminate/dis ˈkrimineit/vt．区分，辨别
29.propaganda/ˈprɔpə ˈɡ ændə/n．宣传
30.remarkable/ri ˈmaːkəbl/a．精彩的，显著的
31.statement/ ˈsteitmənt/n．陈述，话
32.immigrant/ ˈimiɡ rənt/n．移民
33.hold on to 掌握，坚持
34.virtual/ ˈvəːtjuəl/a．虚拟的；实际的
35.skeptically/ ˈskeptikəli/ad．怀疑地
36.scrutinize/ ˈskrutinaiz/vt．细察，审视
37.obscure/əb ˈskjuə/a．模糊的，不明不白的
38.validate/ ˈvælideit/vt．证实；使生效
39.count on 依靠，指望
40.deliver/di ˈlivə/vt．发表；提供；投递
其他词汇
1.awash 泛滥的，淹没的
2.pernicious 有毒的，有害的
3.fakery 欺骗，造假
4.prevarication 搪塞，说谎
5.doctored 捏造的
6.masquerade 冒充，假装
译文
不，教皇不支持特朗普。不，希拉里·克林顿没有卖武器给恐怖组织。是的，Shelley表妹真的要结婚了。你可以相信在Facebook上读到的一些东西，但是不要相信Facebook推送中出现的每一个头条新闻。互联网——特别是Facebook上充满着假消息。一些报道本质上都是政治宣称，它们其中混杂着一些有害的谎言、夸大其词和妄想，把自己装扮成新闻来推销。
一些造假非常荒唐，只能愚弄容易上当的人。但是漂流在网上的大量垃圾却看起来似乎是合理的。比如，“根据国家撒谎研究院的统计，每年有5000人因为接触到假新闻而死亡。”这当然不是真的。根本不存在这样一个发消息的机构，而且，如果接触假新闻是致命的，那么我们大家都已经被埋在地下了。许多人显然相信这样的消息，因为它在Facebook上传来传去，比一篇令人吃惊的但内容真实的《纽约时报》文章流传都广。
BuzzFeed网站的Craig Silverman是一个真人，为一家真实的网站工作，他研究Facebook，结果发现20条效率最高的假选举新闻，比19家主要新闻网站的最高效的20条选举新闻获得了更多分享和反馈。
散播虚假新闻有经济动机也有政治动机。各种奇奇怪怪的报道吸引读者，而这能带来广告收益。但是这些虚假文章产生真实的破坏：它们强化了一些先入之见，在分裂的国家煽动不和谐；它们强化了对民主规范的不信任，分散人们对合理问题的注意力。周四在柏林，奥巴马总统就虚假新闻警告说，“如果我们不区分严肃的论辩与宣传，那么我们就是有问题的。”这说得挺好，但是你也无法责怪他：你可能看到第一夫人米歇尔·奥巴马在Facebook上的照片了，她手里举着一个标志，上面写着，“一个移民抢了我的工作”。照片是真的，但上面的信息是篡改的。
在虚拟世界里如何坚持真相呢？谷歌和Facebook说，它们正试图停止虚假消息网站，不容许它们通过广告推销挣钱，但是还得靠读者自己带着怀疑的眼光去阅读。以下几个建议是基于我们的经验：审视来源。虚假报道通常来自不明不白的网站，它们伪装成知名网站的样子。浏览其他来源或在谷歌上搜索关键词或引用来确认事实，以便验证你读的内容。依靠主流新闻媒体。专业记者努力公平地报道新闻——他们对报道的准确性负责。虽然每个人都能对所读所看做出判断，但是依靠真正的记者来报道事实。
TEXT 70
Wikipedia editors, many of whom are unpaid and live across the globe, take it upon themselves to manage every word, link and image published to Trump's and Clinton's biographical and campaign pages.Since Clinton and Trump announced their candidacies in 2015, their biographical pages have been edited nearly 12,000 times by more than 2,000 unique users, according to Wikipedia revision history statistics.
Anyone with Internet access can add, delete or modify anything on Wikipedia.Occasionally，a mischievous user will delete Trump's entire page or rewrite Clinton's name.But most edits are constructive, and vandalism occurs in only 7 percent of them, according to a group of researchers from the University of California at Santa Cruz and the University of Pennsylvania.The group also created STiki, a tool to help Wikipedia editors catch changes on a page that might be vandalism. Another defense against vandals is a page's protection status.Clinton and Trump's pages currently allow only registered users to make an edit.One Trump editor, who goes by Buster7 and has contributed more than 250 edits to Trump's personal and presidential campaign pages, said vandalism isn't that problematic.Sometimes a drive-by vandal will“splash”his graffiti on the article, but there are so many editors paying attention that it gets removed almost right away.
When any new information about Clinton or Trump is made public, editors discuss—sometimes for days—before publishing facts to a page.Earlier this month, they debated adding revela tions of Trump's lewd comments about women in a 2005 video to the introductory paragraph.“A no-brainer, ”one editor wrote.“This is the most covered issue in the campaign.”Another editor suggested excluding the story for now, proposing that they reconsider“when this can be put into perspective.”In the Clinton editing camp, editors discussed including information about campaign-related emails leaked from WikiLeaks.One editor said the group couldn't assume the emails were authentic, saying their other sources claimed Russia might have manipulated the emails for“political gains”.
These kinds of discussions are mandatory, said Frank Margheriti, a 20-year-old editor who goes by the name MelbourneStar and has contributed to several Clinton-related pages.“The world is using Wikipedia to read up about Clinton and Trump, so we owe it to everyone to present information that is factually accurate, verifiable and neutral as possible, ”he said.Other discussions are less controversial but can still be a source of contention for veteran editors.Wikipedia as a whole has become less biased since its founding in 2001, according to a Harvard Business School study.
1.Volunteer editors consider it their duty to ________.
[A]maintain and edit the candidates' personal pages
[B]update information about the candidates' in Wikipedia
[C]keep every link to the candidates' pages unblocked
[D]enlist and coordinate all the editors across the world
2.The word“vandalism”（Para.2）probably means ________.
[A]destructive behavior
[B]childish mischief
[C]accidental deletion
[D]editing principle
3.Buster7 actually says that ________.
[A]the pages have a self-correcting mechanism
[B]registered users can never become vandals
[C]there is no need of fearing any mischievous users
[D]more editing can be carried out by online tools
4.The attitudes of the two Trump's page editors are ________.
[A]complementary
[B]similar
[C]identical
[D]opposite
5.The text concludes its discussion by saying ________.
[A]some discussions must be held among different editors
[B]Wikipedia is becoming a reliable source of information
[C]Wikipedia users should show due respect to the editors
[D]there are still some problems unsolved with online editing
考研必备词汇
1.take sth.upon oneselves 主动承担……责任
2.biographical/ˈbaiə ˈɡ ræfikl/a．传记的，生平的
3.campaign/kæm ˈpein/n．战役，（竞选等）运动
4.announce/ə ˈnauns/vt．宣布，通知
5.candidacy/ ˈkændidəsi/n．候选人资格或身份
6.revision/ri ˈviʒən/n．修改，修订
7.delete/di ˈliːt/vt．删除
8.modify/ ˈmɔdifai/vt．更改；修饰
9.occasionally/ə ˈkeiʒənəli/ad．偶尔，偶然
10.mischievous/ ˈmistʃivəs/a．顽皮的，恶作剧的
11.constructive/kən ˈstrʌktiv/a．建设性的，积极的
12.register/ ˈredʒistə/vt．注册，登记；纪录
13.problematic/ˈprɔblə ˈmætik/a．成问题的
14.splash/splæʃ/vt．泼，溅起
15.graffito/ɡ rə ˈfiːtəu/n．（pl.graffiti）涂画，涂鸦
16.revelation/ˈrevi ˈleiʃən/n．揭示，暴露（的内容）
17.no-brainer 无需用脑的事情，简单明了的事情
18.propose/prə ˈpəuz/vt．提议；求婚
19.perspective/pə ˈspektiv/n．视角，观点
20.leak/liːk/vt．漏，漏出
21.authentic/ɔː ˈθentik/a．真实的，真正的
22.manipulate/mə ˈnipjuleit/vt．操纵，操作
23.gain/ɡ ein/n．营利，收益
24.mandatory/ ˈmændətəri/a．强制的，命令的
25.owe/əu/vt．欠；感谢
26.verifiable/ ˈverifaiəbl/a．可证实的，可验证的
27.neutral/ ˈnjuːtrəl/a．中立的
28.controversial/ˈkɔntrə ˈvəːʃəl/a．引起争论的，有争议的
29.contention/kən ˈtenʃən/n．争论；竞争，争夺
30.veteran/ ˈvetərən/a．老练的，有经验的
31.bias/ ˈbaiəs/vt．使有偏见
其他词汇
1.vandalism 破坏行为
2.vandal 破坏者
3.lewd 下流的，淫秽的
4.put into perspective 被合理地看待
疑难长句注解
Sometimes a drive-by vandal...right away.（第二段）
本句中drive-by vandal并非指开车路过的破坏者，而是指偶然进入网页搞破坏的人；splash原指水溅起或把水泼向，这里是比喻，“把乱涂乱画泼向文章”，就是上面说到的那些对网页内容的恶意修改；remove指把乱涂乱画的内容移除，这里指把被恶意修改的内容恢复；right away意为“立刻”。
译文
维基百科的编者们很多都是不领取报酬的人，居住在世界各地，认为自己有义务管理发表到特朗普和克林顿（希拉里·克林顿，下同）个人信息网页和竞选网页上的每一个词汇、链接和形象。根据维基百科修订历史数据，自克林顿和特朗普2015年宣布参选以来，他们的个人信息网页已经被2000多个人用户编辑了近12000词。
任何能接入互联网的人都能增添、删除或修改维基百科上的任何东西。偶然，一个捣乱的用户会删除特朗普的整个网页或者给克林顿改名。但是，据加州大学圣克鲁斯大学和宾大的一组研究者统计，所做的大部分编辑是建设性的，破坏行为仅占其中7%。这组研究者也创造了STiki，能帮助维基百科的编辑者找出被恶意改变的东西。另一个预防破坏的办法是网页保护状态。克林顿和特朗普的网页目前只允许注册用户编辑。特朗普网页的一个编辑自称Buster7，他为特朗普的个人信息和竞选网页贡献了250次修订，他指出，破坏问题没那么严重。有时，偶尔经过的捣乱分子会在文章上“洒”一些涂鸦，但是有那么多人关注着网页，捣乱内容几乎立刻被清除。
有关克林顿和特朗普的新信息公之于众后，编辑们在将事实发布在网页上之前会展开讨论——有时讨论好几天。本月初，他们辩论了有关特朗普的爆料，即他在2005年的一个录像内容中对女性的下流评价，讨论是否将之添加到导言段落中。一个编辑写道，“这是明摆着的，因为这是大选中报道最多的爆料。”另外一位编者提议现在应该排除这一信息，他提议他们重新考虑“什么时候添加这一爆料合适”。在克林顿的编辑阵营里，编辑者们讨论是否添加维基解密爆料的与大选相关的电子邮件信息，他们提到，有其他来源说，俄罗斯可能操纵了电邮的爆料，从中“获得政治利益”。
Frank Margheriti是一位20岁的编辑，其网名是MelbourneStar，他为克林顿网页贡献了好几个编辑内容，他说，这类的讨论是必须做的。他说，“全世界都使用维基百科了解克林顿和特朗普，所以我们对所有人都负有责任，提供的信息必须尽量事实确凿、可验证并客观。”其他讨论内容没有这么针锋相对，但是仍然是老练的编辑争辩的来源。根据哈佛大学商学院的研究，自2001年创建以来，维基百科总体上已经成为更客观的信息来源。
TEXT 71
As much as journalists may fancy themselves superhuman observers of history, the truth is that we are as susceptible to trauma as the victims whose stories we tell.
Those covering natural disasters or war are not the only ones who suffer.“It turns out that almost all journalists are exposed to traumatic-stress experiences, ”said Elana Newman, a professor of psychology at the University of Tulsa who studies journalism and trauma.That includes reporters who show up along with the first responders when a car crashes, a train derails or someone is shot; the photo and video editors who must sift through footage from terrorist attacks, experiencing trauma secondhand; and freelancers who weather the hazards of the profession without traditional organizational supports.
Specific data about journalists and mental health is hard to come by.Research on the topic only began to pick up steam in the mid-1990s, and journalists are notoriously reluctant to divulge information about themselves.A 2001 study found that upwards of 85 percent experience workrelated trauma.Other research shows that 4 to 28 percent suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder over the course of their careers, and up to 20 percent experience depression.Even when psychological symptoms like nightmares, flashbacks, insomnia and anxiety don't rise to the level of a disorder, they still take a toll.
David Handschuh was snapping photos for the New York Daily News when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed on Sept.11, trapping him beneath twisted metal and a dusting of powdered concrete.His leg was shattered; he was covered in burns.But Handschuh, who now works as a photo editor at Yahoo, says the scale of the destruction made it, paradoxically, easier to handle.“If it wasn't so completely unbelievable, it would have been more traumatic, ”he says.
It is one of the more surprising findings in the literature:Journalists exposed to trauma for prolonged periods of time are able to develop more robust defense mechanisms than those who experience mental and emotional stress intermittently.As Handschuh said, “It's not just the big scary things that are going to play with your mind.”The point isn't that journalists exposed to mass devastation are invincible, but that those suffering most are often tucked away where others don't think to look.
“Journalists are soldiers, ”Handschuh said.“We're not getting shot at most of time.But we are witnessing things with our notebooks that normal, rational human beings are running from. And we're staying and recording and telling the truth.”
1.Psychologist Elana Newman has found that ________.
[A]almost all journalists have some mental health problems
[B]newsroom editors may also be affected by traumatic events
[C]natural disasters have the same traumatic effect as terrorist attacks
[D]freelancers who experience trauma secondhand suffer less
2.Which of the following is true according to the third paragraph？
[A]Disastrous events have been on the rise since the mid-1990s.
[B]Journalists don't want to talk about how disasters affect them.
[C]Accurate data about post-traumatic stress is easily accessible.
[D]Most traumatic experiences will not lead to mental disorder.
3.According to David Handschuh, large scale disasters ________.
[A]are more difficult to cope with mentally
[B]are completely unbelievable to journalists
[C]cause more post-traumatic stress
[D]are easier to cope with psychologically
4.The expression“play with your mind”（Para.5）means ________.
[A]torture your mind
[B]appease your mind
[C]defend your mind
[D]make you alert
5.In what way are journalists like soldiers？
[A]They fight terrorists bravely.
[B]They are susceptible to trauma.
[C]They willingly put their lives at risk.
[D]They tell nothing but the truth.
考研必备词汇
1.as much as 即使，虽然
2.journalist/ ˈdʒəːnəlist/n．新闻记者
3.susceptible/sə ˈseptəbl/a．易受影响的
4.trauma/ ˈtrɔːmə/n．外伤，创伤
5.expose/iks ˈpəuz/vt．使接触，揭露，暴露
6.show up 出现
7.footage/ ˈfutidʒ/n．连续的影像镜头
8.terrorist/ ˈterərist/n．恐怖分子
9.freelancer/ ˈfriːlɑːnsə/n．自由撰稿人
10.hazard/ ˈhæzəd/n．危险，危害
11.weather/ ˈweðə/vt．经受住，渡过
12.come by 获得
13.pick up 提速；捡起，接人；获得
14.notoriously/nəu ˈtɔːriəsli/ad．出了名地，臭名远扬地
15.reluctant/r ˈi lʌktənt/a．不情愿的，勉强的
16.divulge/dai ˈvʌldʒ/vt．泄露，暴露
17.course/kɔːs/n．路线，进程；课程
18.symptom/ ˈsimptəm/n．症状，表现
19.nightmare/ ˈnaitmɛə/n．噩梦
20.flashback/ ˈflæʃbæk/n．倒叙，幻觉重现
21.insomnia/in ˈsɔmniə/n．失眠症
22.take a toll（on）造成伤害，产生不良影响
23.collapse/kə ˈlæps/vi．倒塌，崩溃
24.twist/twist/vt．扭曲
25.powder/ ˈpaudə/n．粉，粉末；炸药
26.concrete/ ˈkɔnkriːt/n．混凝土
27.shatter/ ˈʃætə/vt．打碎，打破
28.paradoxically /ˈpærə ˈdɔksikəli/ad．自相矛盾地
29.handle/ ˈhændl/vt．处理，对待
30.literature/ ˈlitəritʃə/n．文学；文献
31.prolong/prə ˈlɔŋ/vt．拉长，延长
32.robust/rə ˈbʌst/a．强壮的，坚固的
33.mechanism/ ˈmekənizəm/n．机制；办法，途径
34.intermittently/ˈintə ˈmitəntli/ad．间断地，间歇地
35.devastation/ˈdevəs ˈteiʃən/n．摧毁；巨大创伤
36.invincible/in ˈvinsəbl/a．无敌的，不可战胜的
其他词汇
1.responder 回答者
3.sift through 从……中筛选
2.derail 脱轨
4.upwards of 以上，多于
疑难长句注解
1.That includes reporters who show up...organizational supports.（第二段）
本句很长，提到了灾难性事件对三种人的伤害，用分号把几个宾语以及who引导的定语从句切割成几个并列的部分。在第一部分when又引导三个并列的状语从句。在第二部分，experiencing trauma secondhand实际上是指经历间接的创伤，因为这些编辑并没有去过现场，而只是编辑记者从现场发回的文字和图像内容。在第三部分，weather是一个动词，意为come through something safely（安全渡过）, traditional organization这里指新闻机构，因为自由撰稿人不属于任何新闻机构，所以这里说他们不受这些机构的保护或支持。
2.The point isn't that journalists...think to look.（第五段）
本句是一个并列句，由not...but连接两个that引导的表语从句。在第一个分句中，exposed to mass devastation是分词短语，作定语修饰journalists，指“接触大规模毁灭性事件”的记者。在第二个分句中，tuck away意为“藏起来，塞入（某个地方）”, where引导的从句是地点状语从句，但是这里并非指某个具体地点，而是指心理中的某个地方，即上文第三段提到的记者不愿意向人倾诉他们的心理创伤。
译文
虽然记者们可能把自己想象成历史的超级观察家，事实是，我们像我们报道中的受害者一样容易遭受创伤。
那些报道自然灾难或战争的记者不是唯一遭受痛苦的人。“结果经常是，几乎所有记者都曾经有过留下创伤和压力的经历，”Elana Newman说，她是塔尔萨大学心理学教授，研究新闻工作与创伤。这些人包括发生撞车、火车出轨或枪击案时与被采访人一起出现在现场的记者；包括那些筛选有恐怖袭击镜头内容的图片和影像编辑，他们经受着二手的创伤；也包括自由撰稿人，他们要在没有传统机构的支持下经受职业危险。
有关记者和心理健康的具体数据很难获得。对这个话题的研究到20世纪90年代中期才开始加速发展，而且，众所周知，记者们也不愿泄露自己的信息。一项2001年的研究发现，85%以上的记者经历过与职业相关的创伤。其他研究表明，4%～28%的记者在他们的职业进程中遭受过创伤后压力紊乱症，多达20%的记者经受过抑郁症。即使噩梦、重现、失眠、焦虑这样的心理症状不会发展到紊乱症的程度，它们仍然能造成伤害。
David Handschuh在9.11那天正在为《纽约每日新闻》抢拍照片时，世贸中心的南塔楼倒塌了，把他困在扭曲的钢结构中，身上落满了一层混凝土粉末。他的一条腿粉碎性骨折；身上全是灼伤。但是，现在在雅虎公司当图片编辑的Handschuh说，矛盾的是，大规模的破坏反而更容易应对。他说：“如果事情不是那么完全不可思议，带来的创伤反而会更大。”
研究文献中最令人吃惊的发现之一是：与那些间断地经受心理和情感压力的人相比，长时期持续经受创伤的记者能形成更强的自我防护机制。像Handschuh所说的那样，“折磨你心理的不只是那些可怕的大事件。”这并不是说，遭受大规模毁灭性打击的记者是不可战胜的，这只是说明，遭受最大痛苦的人把自己隐藏在了其他人想不到去看的地方。
Handschuh说，“记者就是士兵。我们大部分时候不会被射杀。但是我们用记录本记录下的东西，都是理性的常人急于躲开的东西。但是我们留下来了，记录并转告真相。”
TEXT 72
Media titan CBS attacked a proposal from Time Warner Cable to resolve the ongoing CBS blackout in the nation's top media markets as a“sham, ”as the two sides seemed to dig in for an extended battle.
For a fifth straight day, millions of cable viewers remained without CBS, the highest-rated broadcast network in the country.CBS is home to popular programming such as“The Big Bang Theory, ”“Big Brother, ”“NCIS, ”“60 Minutes, ”and, come fall, NFL football.
On Friday night, Time Warner Cable, the nation's second-largest cable company, pulled CBS programming from its customers after the breakdown of negotiations between the corporate giants over so-called retransmission rights, which cable and satellite companies pay to broadcasters to carry their channels.According to published reports, CBS had been asking for an increase from Time Warner Cable of about 100%, to $2 per subscriber from$1.
On Monday afternoon, however, Time Warner Cable seemed to lay out a path through the impasse.In a letter to CBS chief Les Moonves, Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt proposed that CBS could return to Time Warner Cable customers on an a la carte basis.That would mean that individual cable subscribers could choose to buy CBS programming for an additional cost on top of their normal cable package fees.Britt said such an arrangement would“allow customers to decide for themselves how much value they ascribe to CBS programming.”
This suggestion shocked many industry observers, because a la carte pricing has long been the bê te noire of the cable industry.Giving consumers the ability to pick and choose channels would undermine the entire cable industry business model, which has long been based on selling bundles of channels to subscribers.By raising the specter of a la carte pricing, Time Warner Cable was essentially calling the CBS price increase a bluff.In effect, Time Warner Cable is saying to CBS:“You think your programming is worth twice what we've been paying? Well, let's let the consumers decide.”
In a strongly worded response, CBS turned around and accused Time Warner Cable of bluffing.“Today's so-called proposal is a sham, a public relations vehicle designed to distract from the fact that Time Warner Cable is not negotiating in good faith, ”CBS said in a statement emailed to TIME.“Anyone familiar with the entertainment business knows that the economics and structure of the cable industry doesn't work that way and isn't likely to for quite some time.In short, this was an empty gesture from a company that is expert at them.”
Retransmission fees have become substantial sources of revenue for broadcasters, and have led to financial disputes between broadcasters and cable and satellite providers.CBS, under president and CEO Les Moonves, has been particularly aggressive in retransmission fee negotiations. As the talks deteriorated leading up to Time Warner Cable's blackout of CBS, Moonves declared，“We're at war with Time Warner Cable.”
1.What does Time Warner Cable do that angers CBS？
[A]It stops transmitting CBS programming.
[B]It demands CBS to increase retransmission fees.
[C]It wants to replace CBS as the top cable network.
[D]It attempts to drive CBS out of the media markets.
2.It is clear that CBS, unlike Time Warner Cable, ________.
[A]has consumers' support in the negotiation
[B]annoys its rivals with its popular programs
[C]hurts subscribers by asking for a fee increase
[D]is a well-known broadcasting corporation
3.An a la carte pricing is one by which ________.
[A]each subscriber pays his own fees
[B]subscribers pay for each channel they watch
[C]subscribers don't pay the normal package fee
[D]subscribers can bargain over the price of the programs
4.When CBS accuses Time Warner Cable of not“negotiating in good faith”, it means the latter ________.
[A]has no belief in the success of the negotiation
[B]does not treat the negotiation seriously
[C]does not believe negotiation is of any use
[D]tries to destroy CBS's faith through negotiation
5.It can be concluded that ________.
[A]Time Warner Cable is on the wrong side
[B]Les Moonves should be blamed for the blackout
[C]the blackout will continue for some time
[D]CBS is reluctant to continue negotiation
考研必备词汇
1.titan/ ˈtaitən/n．巨人，巨头
2.resolve/ri ˈzɔlv/vt．解决；下决心；决定
3.sham/ʃæm/n．假冒，虚伪；欺诈
4.straight/streit/a．直的；直接的，连续的
5.negotiation/niˈɡəuʃi ˈeiʃən/n．协商，谈判
6.corporate/ ˈkɔːpərit/a．公司的
7.satellite/ ˈsætəlait/n．卫星
8.broadcaster/ ˈbrɔːdkɑːstə/n．广播公司
9.subscriber/sʌbs ˈkraibə/n．订户
10.lay out 设计；展示
11.on top of 除……之外，另外
12.package/ ˈpækidʒ/n．包裹；一揽子；一整套电视节目
13.ascribe/əs ˈkraib/vt．把……归于
14.undermine/ˈʌndə ˈmain/vt．削弱，伤害
15.bundle/ ˈbʌndl/n．捆，束，包
16.specter/ ˈspektə/n．幽灵，鬼魂
17.in effect 实际上，生效
18.vehicle/ ˈviːikl/n．工具，手段；车辆
19.distract/dis ˈtrækt/vt．分散（注意力等）
20.in good faith 有诚意地，老实地
21.entertainment/ˈentə ˈteinmənt/n．娱乐；款待
22.gesture/ ˈdʒestʃə/n．手势，姿势；姿态
23.substantial/səb ˈstænʃəl/a．相对多的；重要的，实质的
24.dispute/dis ˈpjuːt/n．争论，辩论
25.aggressive/ə ˈɡresiv/a．侵略的，好斗的
26.deteriorate/di ˈtiəriəreit/vi．弄坏，使恶化
其他词汇
1.blackout 关闭，断电
2.dig in 构筑工事，挖战壕
3.retransmission（二次）转播
4.impasse 僵局，死路
5.a la carte（法语）照菜单点菜；单点
6.bê te noire（法语）令人厌恶的人或事
7.bluff 欺骗，虚张声势
疑难长句注解
1.Media titan CBS attacked...extended battle.（第一段）
本句的主干结构是：Media titan CBS attacked a proposed...as a“sham”，即“CBS批评这个提议是一场骗局”。本文中，the nation和the country都指美国；dig in原本指挖战壕准备打仗，这里用作比喻。
2.On Friday night, Time Warner Cable...their channels.（第三段）
本句中，the nation's second-largest cable company是Time Warner Cable的同位语；谓语pulled CBS programming from its customers指blackout过程，或第二段第一句提到的现象，即观众无法看到CBS的节目。另外，the corporate giants指CBS和时代华纳这两个公司，which引导的从句是定语从句，修饰retransmission rights（这里指转播费，而不是权利）。
3.That would mean that individual cable...package fees.（第四段）
本句中，on top of意为“在……之上，在……之外”, package fee指各种项目的组合费用。这句话主要是用来解释a la carte pricing。
4.By raising the specter...a bluff.（第五段）
本句的介词短语部分是一个比喻，其中raise指arouse or awaken（唤醒）, specter指“幽灵，鬼怪”，与第一句中的bê te noire（黑色野兽）相呼应。在主句中，bluff指玩扑克牌时虚张声势的做法，时代华纳说，CBS要求加价的做法只不过是一种虚张声势，意思是显摆自己的节目质量高。
5.Anyone familiar with...some time.（第六段）
本句的主干结构是：anyone...knows that...，其中在that引导的宾语从句中，有两个谓语并列使用。另外值得一提的是，虽然在that引导的宾语从句中主语是个并列成分：the economics and structure，但谓语还是用了第三人称单数形式（doesn't和isn't），这说明，作者把“有线电视行业的经济运作和结构”看作一个一体化的概念。再者，isn't likely to for quite some time是一个省略成分，其完整形式应该是isn't likely to work that way for quite some time。
译文
媒体巨头哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS）猛烈抨击时代华纳有线电视公司的一项提议，CBS正在被屏蔽在美国顶尖媒体市场之外，时代华纳提出这个提议是为了解决这个问题，但CBS称这项提议是“骗局”，看来，双方似乎都挖好了战壕，准备打一场持久战。
连续5天来，数以百万的有线电视观众看不了CBS这个美国评价最高的广播电视网。CBS播放许多受人欢迎的节目，比如《大爆炸理论》《大哥》《海军罪案调查处》《60分钟》等，秋季到来时还要转播全国橄榄球联盟比赛。
星期五晚间，时代华纳有线电视公司这个全国第二大的有线电视公司，切断了CBS的电视节目，把它排除在其客户名单之外，原因是这两个巨头围绕所谓转播权的谈判破裂，这种转播费用是有线电视和卫星公司支付给广播公司的，以便后者会转播自己的频道。根据公开发表的报告，CBS一直在要求时代华纳增加约100%的转播费，从每个订户1美元，增加到2美元。
然而，星期一下午，时代华纳有线电视公司似乎提出了一个打破僵局的路径。在给CBS老板莱斯·穆恩福斯的信中，时代华纳首席执行官格莱恩·布瑞特提议，CBS可以以单项标价形式重返时代华纳客户名单。这意味着，每一个有线电视订户可以选择购买CBS的广播节目，并在支付正常的有线电视租金之外再交购买节目费。布瑞特说，这种安排将“允许顾客自行决定他们认为CBS的节目到底值多少钱”。
这一建议令行业内的许多观察家震惊，因为单价付费长期以来一直被看作有线电视业的眼中钉、肉中刺。给消费者选择频道的能力会伤害整个有线电视业的商业模式，这一模式长期以来一直以向订户捆绑销售频道为基础。通过让单项定价这个幽灵得以复活，时代华纳基本上把CBS的提价要求看作虚张声势。实际上，时代华纳等于跟CBS说：“你认为你的电视节目值我们所付的钱的两倍？好吧，我们让消费者来决定吧。”
在措辞激烈的回复中，CBS反过来指责时代华纳虚张声势。“今天的所谓提议是一个骗局，是一种公关手段，被用来掩盖这样一个事实，即时代华纳没有在诚心诚意地谈判，”CBS在发给时代华纳的一份电子邮件声明中说，“熟悉娱乐业的任何人都知道，有线电视业的经济模式和结构不是那样运作的，而且在未来相当长的时间内也不可能那样运作。总而言之，这是号称专家的一个公司发出的空洞姿态。”
转播费是广播公司的重要收入来源，导致了广播公司与有线电视和卫星供应商之间的经济冲突。在总裁兼首席执行官莱斯·穆恩福斯的领导下，CBS在转播费的谈判上特别咄咄逼人。在谈判破裂导致时代华纳切断CBS的广播节目后，穆恩福斯宣布：“我们与时代华纳进入战争状态。”