On Aug 29, 1988, the University of Wisconsin-Madison juniors Tim Keck and Christopher Johnson published the first-ever issue of The Onion. The two founders claimed it was the “finest news source” in the US. 25 years later, the news has become one of the most established media presences in the US. But don’t expect accuracy and timeliness from it, because The Onion only publishes fake news or news satire (讽刺). Its aim is to make readers laugh and see things from a different angle.
Will Tracy, The Onion’s editor-in-chief, told the NPR in an interview. “The stories are presented in that sort of news voice which improves the news to a certain level of importance. The news isn’t actually understandable but it has an ability to elegantly locate a problem with concise and plain words.” For example, when George W. Bush became the US president in 2001, The Onion published a satire piece predicting massive debt and a huge growth in military spending. The headline said it all—Bush: “Our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over”.
Traditional media outlets are cautious when reporting sensitive topics such as religion and race. Tracy says/‘Nothing is off limits for The Onion, no matter how uncomfortable they may make some readers.” But editors at The Onion do stand a fine line, as Tracy explains: “What you have to be really careful about is what the target of the joke is. If the target of the joke is wrong, then it doesn’t feel right and it also doesn’t feel funny.” The Onion made the public outrageous when earlier this year, it tried to make fun of a 9-year-old Oscar-nominated (奥斯卡提名的) actress by using highly impolite language. It later apologized.
1. What do we know about The Onion from Paragraph 1?| A．Its news materials are all timely and accurate. |
| B．It often makes fun of the public based on the real news. |
| C．It aims at making readers feel relaxed and see problems from different points. |
| D．Its first articles on Aug 29, 1988 were written by Tim Keck and Christopher Johnson. |
| A．The Onion often scolded the US president Bush. |
| B．The Onion, s editors were very familiar with their news. |
| C．The Onion could put their satire into effect in simple and clear words. |
| D．The Americans would face lots of difficulties when Bush became president. |
| A．Angry. | B．Glad. |
| C．Ambitious. | D．Impolite. |
| A．It has never apologized for what it published. |
| B．It needs to be cautious about the target of the joke. |
| C．It enjoys treating children as the targets of the joke. |
| D．It avoids reporting news about politician, religion and race. |
相似题推荐
The media provides us with the observations and experiences from which we build up our personal understanding of the world and how it works. Much of our view of reality is based on media messages. The media, to a great extent, gives us our sense of reality.
Freedom of the media carries with it certain responsibilities of honesty, fairness, accuracy and account-ability. The power of the media to create and destroy human values comes with great responsibility.
The media is powerful in the political system, having great influence on politics and on forming social change. The power is to decide who will communicate what to whom. Television can greatly influence the election of a national leader on the basis of his or her image.
Professional journalists do have a code of ethics(道德标准). Journalists make a judgment about what’s safe and appropriate to report, which often involves difficult choices. German sociologist Max Weber distinguishes between “ethics of conviction” and “ethics of responsibility”. According to the latter (ethics of responsibility), journalists must take into account the foreseeable consequences of their reporting, and the impact it will have on society. The former, on the other hand, asks journalists to tell the truth, regardless of the consequences. According to Weber, both ideas of ethics should be considered.
Without doubt, information is power, and the big owners of the mass media are very powerful people. Television and radio stations, newspapers, magazines, and websites are, largely, owned and controlled by profit-making businesses. It is not strange that their ideas will get promoted at times.
It is my view that such power and responsibility should never be left in the hands of a few. I believe it is our responsibility as concerned citizens to make sure we are not merely passive viewers, readers or listeners. Together we can have a huge influence on the media by making our views known.
1. What’s the first paragraph mainly about?| A．Responsibilities of the media. |
| B．Influence of the media. |
| C．History of the media. |
| D．Problems of the media. |
| A．the media is more interested in politics than other fields |
| B．forming social change is the main duty of the media |
| C．the great power of the media is controlled by political figures |
| D．the media can affect politics by forming political figures’ images |
| A．The mass media should be owned by the government. |
| B．The media industry has developed into a new age in recent years. |
| C．In most cases, journalists are more powerful than the owners of the media. |
| D．The media tends to promote the ideas of their owners sometimes. |
【推荐2】Before the 1830s,most newspapers were sold through annual subscriptions in America, usually $8 to $10 a year. Today $8 or $10 seems a small amount of money, but at that time these amounts were forbidding to most citizens. Accordingly, newspapers were read almost only by rich people in politics or the trades. In addition, most newspapers had little in them that would appeal to a mass audience. They were dull and visually forbidding. But the revolution that was taking place in the 1830s would change all that.
The trend, then, was toward the "penny paper"— a term referring to papers made widely available to the public. It meant any inexpensive newspaper; perhaps more importantly it meant newspapers that could be bought in single copies on the street.
This development did not take place overnight. It had been possible(but not easy)to buy single copies of newspapers before 1830,but this usually meant the reader had to go down to the printer's office to purchase a copy. Street sales were almost unknown. However, within a few years, street sales of newspapers would be commonplace in eastern cities. At first the price of single copies was seldom a penny—usually two or three cents was charged —and some of the older well-known papers charged five or six cents. But the phrase "penny paper " caught the public's fancy, and soon there would be papers that did indeed sell for only a penny.
1. What did street sales mean to newspapers?| A．They would be priced higher. | B．They would disappear from cities. |
| C．They could have more readers. | D．They could regain public trust. |
| A．Local politicians. | B．Common people. |
| C．Young publishers. | D．Rich businessmen. |
【推荐3】On January 15th, the Guardian showed off its new, smaller look, shifting from its distinctive “Berliner” format to a tabloid(娱乐小报) shape with a redesigned logo in black type. But the more dramatic makeover is of the financial books of Guardian Media Group (GMG), publisher of the Sunday Observer and the daily Guardian, which may find its new operation in the black next financial year. A newspaper business that two years ago was threatened with existentially worrying losses appears on the edge of breaking even.
The turnaround is partly due to steep cost-cutting, which is a dog-bites-man story in journalism. But the Guardian would manage the achievement while still giving away news free online, and that is a story worth telling.
In January 2016 David Pemsel, the new chief executive of GMG, and Katharine Viner, the new editor-in-chief of the Guardian, informed staff that GMG’s endowment fund, meant to ensure the financial security of the paper in the long run, had lost £100m ($140m) in just half a year, taking it to £740m. Mr Pemsel was advised by industry peers to cut costs and put online news behind a paywall. He and Ms Viner cut costs by 20%, or more than £50m. Alan Rusbridger, Ms Viner’s predecessor(前任), had led the newspaper to global relevance with a large online readership. But he spent without thinking of the consequences. In two years GMG has reduced its employees by 400, to about 1,500.
Yet unlike a growing number of newspapers, the Guardian has not put up a paywall. Instead it has pursued a membership model, asking online readers to contribute whatever they like. About 600,000 now do, with annual payments or one-off amounts. American readers tend to choose the latter option, Ms Viner says. GMG says the total figure amounts to tens of millions of pounds per year. Ms Viner says revenue from readers (including 200,000 print subscribers) is now greater than revenue from advertisers.
The result is steadily declining operating losses: from £69m two years ago to £45m last financial year and, Mr Pemsel says, less than £25m in the year that ends on April 1st. He predicts breaking even next year. Giving up its own printing presses and going tabloid will help, saving several million pounds a year. The Guardian may now physically look more like its peers, but its turnaround story remains distinctive.
1. The phrase “in the black”(Paragraph 1) most probably means ______.| A．making profit | B．taking on a new look |
| C．losing support | D．enjoying great popularity |
| A．He advised GMG to cost costs. |
| B．He got the Guardian into trouble. |
| C．He was the founder of GMG’s endowment fund. |
| D．He was fired due to his failure to bring the Guardian online. |
| A．To pay as they like. | B．To skip the advertisements. |
| C．To join its membership club. | D．To connect to other newspapers. |
| A．The Guardian has been reduced to a tabloid. |
| B．The Guardian succeeds by giving away news free online. |
| C．The Guardian turns around by looking more likes its peers. |
| D．The Guardian has broken even by cutting its operation costs. |
【推荐1】Fitness and healthy well-being have become very popular during recent times with many consumers wanting to look after their body more and more now. Because of this, and especially because we are living in the digital age, many fitness fanatics are using technology to enable them to track their progress and improve how they are working out; due to this, we have created a list of gifts that you can buy for fitness fanatics this Christmas.
The first gift that we have found is perfect for fitness fanatics is actually the NutriBullet that has benefits for not just fitness go-ers but also perfect for every kitchen. The NutriBullet allows for consumers to blend their pre- and post-work out shakes perfectly and can mix virtually anything in them from fruit to nuts to supplements. The best thing about the NutriBullet is how quick and easy it is to use and more importantly how easy it is to clean and tidy up.
Next up for the perfect gift for a fitness goer would be that of a fitness smart watch, specifically a FitBit Sense. FitBit have always been the industry leader when it comes to fitness smart watches as they have hundreds of indicators for you to be able to track how your health is pre, during and post fitness session.
Not only that, but the benefits of messages and phone calls through your phone which is always an added extra for the fitness fans. And finally, a pair of wireless headphones are also a great gift for fitness fanatics and the best on the market are the Bose SoundSport Wireless. Not only do they deliver with the best sound quality, but they are also the comfiest and defo the best for wearing when competing in fitness due to the way they fit in the ear; they certainly won’t be falling out. Reasonably well priced compared to competitors too like the Apple Airpods Pro too so defo worth the gift.
Click here to learn more!
1. With the NutriBullet, people can __________.| A．clean up the kitchen in just several minutes |
| B．do exercise in the kitchen easily |
| C．drink cleaner and healthier water |
| D．mix a variety of things conveniently |
| A．FitBit is a smart watch that can only be used to make phone calls. |
| B．FitBit can track you to the place where you work out. |
| C．FitBit offer you hundreds of indicators for asking about your health problems. |
| D．FitBit can be a good present for those who love taking exercise. |
| A．Their sound quality is the best. |
| B．They are easy to take with and easy to clean. |
| C．They can make phone calls. |
| D．They are comfiest and fit in the ear. |
| A．a magazine | B．a web page | C．a daily newspaper | D．a science fiction |
【推荐2】As humanity has got richer, animal’s roles have changed. People need their services less than before. Fewer wolves and thieves meant less demand for dogs for protection; the internal combustion engine (内燃机) made horses unneeded; modern sanitation (卫生设备) kept rats in check and made cats less useful. Domestic animals are no longer necessities, but commonly seen companions. Pet-keeping seems to become more and more popular, as a recent survey found that 69% of American households keep at least one pet.
The pet business is growing even faster than pet numbers, because people are spending more and more money on them. No longer are they food-waste-recyclers, fed with the remains that fall from their masters’ tables. Pet food shelves are full of cuisines tailored to satisfy a range of appetites, including ice cream for dogs and foods for pets that are old, diabetic, or suffer from sensitive digestion.
In the business, this is called “pet humanization” — the tendency of pet owners to treat their pets as part of the family. This is obvious in the names given to dogs, which have evolved from Fido, Rex, and Spot to Bella, Lucy, and Max.
People still hold the false assumption that pets must be working for humanity in some way, perhaps making people healthier or less anxious. But the evidence for that is weak. New research suggests that dogs have evolved those “cute eyes” to affect human emotions and control them, which works very well. Humans now work very hard to pay for the care of their pets. For example, Americans often refer to themselves not as cat owners but as the cat’s “mommy” or “daddy”. South Koreans go one step further, describing themselves as cat “butlers (管家)”. Watch an unlucky man walking his dog, plastic bag in hand to pick up its mess, and we have to doubt: who’s in charge now? Is this relationship what we really want?
1. What can we learn about the animal-keeping trend?| A．People’s needs for animal services are increasing. |
| B．The price for purchasing a domestic pet is on the rise. |
| C．Pet foods are less various and customized than before. |
| D．Both the pet number and the pet business are growing. |
| A．Pets’ ability to make their owners less anxious. |
| B．Human’s increasing investment in pet-keeping. |
| C．Pet’s roles as both working staff and companions. |
| D．The owners’ preference to give pets human names. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Conservative. | C．Unclear. | D．Approving. |
| A．The Changing Roles of Pets |
| B．The Growing Trend of Pet Business |
| C．The Craze for Pet-keeping |
| D．The Pros and Cons of Keeping Pets |
【推荐3】Heads up! Across the country, sports injuries are a safety concern for young athletes. Now, the American Medical Association (AMA) has a new set of guidelines aimed at protecting players from the danger of concussions- serious injuries caused by a blow to the head.
“By raising awareness of the serious risks associated with concussions and ensuring that the appropriate guidelines are in place, we can reduce the number of young athletes who may return to the game too soon, which can put their health at further risk,” said AMA Board Member Jack Resneck Jr, MD, in a statement.
The policy recommends that young athletes who may have a concussion be taken off the field as soon as possible. Then, they are only to return to their sport with a doctor 's written approval. The policy also sets age-specific rules for health care professionals and athletic organizations in evaluating and caring for concussions.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury (外伤性脑损伤) caused by a bump, or jolt to the head or hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This type of movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist inside the skull (颅骨). It can damage brain cells and create chemical changes in the brain.
The CDC says that between 1.6 million and 3.8 million traumatic brain injuries caused by sports and recreation-related activities occur in the U.S. every year. A study from the Center for Injury Research and Policy showed that as many as 40% of high school athletes return to playing before they should. The AMA' S new guidelines should help to bring those numbers down.
1. What should young athletes who may have a concussion do?| A．Avoid using the head. | B．Leave the field forever. |
| C．Get treatment in time. | D．Switch to another sport. |
| A．A sudden impact. | B．A strict limit. |
| C．A concrete barrier. | D．A permanent damage. |
| A．How the EDC works. | B．What causes damage to brain cells. |
| C．What a concussion is. | D．How a concussion can be prevented. |
| A．Sports Injuries in the US | B．Rules for Safer Play |
| C．Advice to Athletes | D．New Policies for Doctors |
