考研英语真题阅读理解试题及名师解析(八)
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
名师解析
29. What is the passage mainly about? 本文主要讲的是什么？
[A]Needs of the readers all over the world. 全世界读者的需要。
[B]Causes of the public disappointment about newspapers. 造成公众对报纸失望的原因。
[C]Origins of the declining newspaper industry. 新闻业衰败的根源。
[D]Aims of a journalism credibility project. 新闻可信度项目的目标。
【答案】 B
【考点】 文章主旨题。
【分析】 文章的第一句就提出了本文旨在说明的问题“为什么那么多的美国人不相信自己在报纸上读到的内容呢？”从第二段、第三段的内容来看，作者都在试图寻找造成公众对报纸失望的一个真正的根本性的原因。因此可以判断[B]为正确答案。[A]不正确，是因为它仅仅是新闻界的调查项目得到的一个结果而已。[C]和[A]相比较，还是[A]来得比较确切。[C]已经从文章主旨引申到别的项目上去了。[D]仅仅是为了查明原因而进行的一个调查项目而已。
30. The results of the journalism credibility project turned out to be 。
新闻可信度项目的结果是 。
[A]quite trustworthy 相当可信
[B]somewhat contradictory 有点矛盾
[C]very illuminating 非常有启发性
[D]rather superficial 相当肤浅
【答案】 D
【考点】 事实细节题。
【分析】 根据本题题干可以定位到第二段，文中指出“该项目最终所发现的原因大都是新闻报道中的事实错误，拼写或语法错误，以及许多关于读者到底想读些什么令人挠头的困惑”，在作者看来，这些发现大都是“低级的”(low-level)，而真正的原因没有这么表面“go way deeper”(第三段首句中)。因此可以判定是答案是[D]选项。
31. The basic problem of journalists as pointed out by the writer lies in their _____。
作者描述的新闻记者的基本问题存在于他们的_____。
[A]working attitude 工作态度
[B]conventional lifestyle 传统的生活方式
[C]world outlook 世界观
[D]educational background 教育背景
【答案】 C
【考点】 事实细节题。
【分析】 文章的解题点在文章的倒数第二段中“对新闻媒体的这种令人震惊的不信任的根源不在于报道失实或低下的报道技巧，而在于记者与读者的世界观每天都发生着碰撞”这句话。也就是说，作者的基本问题是“世界观”的问题。另外三个选项都不是最基本的问题。
32. Despite its efforts, the newspaper industry still cannot satisfy the readers owing to its _________。
尽管很努力，新闻行业仍然不能满足读者的需要是因为其_______。
[A]failure to realize its real problem 不能够认识到真正的问题
[B]tendency to hire annoying reporters 倾向于雇佣那些恼人的记者
[C]likeliness to do inaccurate reporting 可能作出不准确的报道
[D]prejudice in matters of race and gender 在种族和性别方面的歧视
【答案】 A
【考点】 事实细节题。
【分析】 本题的解题点可以确定到最后一段。文中说他们“又举办许多研讨会，搞什么可信度项目，试图了解读者为什么对他们不满意，为什么大量流失。但是，对于那么多原来的顾客所不满的文化和阶级偏见，他们似乎就是没有看见”。由此我们可以看出，真正的原因是他们不能够意识到真正的问题所在，因此正确答案是[A]。
难句解析：
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。
【结构分析】 本句主干是“this project has turned out to be…findings”，“mostly low-level”是“findings”的定语。“about factual errors and spelling and grammar mistakes”是介宾短语做定语。“combined with lots of head-scratching puzzlement about what in the world those readers really want”是一个过去分词引导的伴随状语，其中“about what in the world those readers really want”是“puzzlement”的定语。
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。
【结构分析】 主句是“there+系表结构”。“which”引导一个非限定性定语从句，该词指代前面一句话。而在这个定语从句“which helps explain why the ‘standard templates’of the newsroom seem alien to many readers”中，又出现一个“why”引导的宾语从句。
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。
【结构分析】 本句的主句中，“it”代表上文提到的“a troubled