1 . The news industry has had a rough decade. Print readership is steadily dropping, newspapers are closing, and journalists with decades of experience are being laid off. In response, major newspapers have made significant changes. They’re attempting to combat declining reader interest by shortening stories, creating clickbait (诱饵性标题), and most especially, using social media to their advantage.
With the rise of social media sites, many people have claimed that we are entering a new age in which news must be delivered in 140 characters or fewer. People’s ability to focus on long-form content and engage in deep reading has also been declining due to the endless distractions and excessive information in today’s world. This change in reading habits has led to a preference for short, easily understood news pieces that can be quickly consumed. To interest a more specific and generally younger readership, newspapers have revised content, prioritizing articles that are visually appealing instead of having depth.
But, in reality, there is still a demand for in-depth reporting. In this era of misinformation and clickbait, readers are seeking reliable sources of news that provide context, analysis, and accountability. Depth reporting explores the fundamental causes, involves multiple perspectives, and uncovers the hidden truths that shape our world, helping readers get a more comprehensive understanding of complicated matters.
While social media have changed the way we consume news, the quality of news remains essential for the public. It’s crucial for the news industry to achieve a balance between catering to changing reader preferences while also maintaining the integrity (完整性) of news. This means providing both quick updates and in-depth analysis, and using social media to promote their content, but not at the cost of accuracy or integrity. By doing so, news organizations can ensure that they remain relevant and trusted sources of information in a rapidly changing media environment.
1. What problem does traditional news industry face?| A．The lack of experienced journalists. |
| B．The shortage of social media sites. |
| C．The spread of unreliable information. |
| D．The drop of readership. |
| A．Placing importance on. | B．Cutting down. |
| C．Calling on. | D．Crossing out. |
| A．People’s need for reliable news is decreasing. |
| B．Social media has played a key role in promoting hidden facts. |
| C．In-depth reporting can improve readers’ comprehension of complex issues. |
| D．Clickbait greatly increases readers’ interests in exploring truths. |
| A．providing quick updates and focusing on popular topics |
| B．stating matters in multiple perspectives and shortening articles |
| C．changing news sources and maintaining the accuracy of contents |
| D．satisfying readers’ preferences and ensuring the quality of news |
2 . The news industry has had a rough decade. Print readership is steadily declining, newspapers are closing, and journalists with decades of experience are being laid off. In response, major newspapers have made significant changes. They’re attempting to combat declining reader interest by shortening stories, creating clickbait (诱饵性标题), and most especially, using social media to their advantage.
With the rise of social media sites, many people have claimed that we are entering a new age in which news must be delivered in 140 characters or fewer. People’s ability to focus on long-form content and engage in deep reading has also been declining due to the endless distractions and excessive information in today’s world. This change in reading habits has led to a preference for short, easily understood news pieces that can be quickly consumed. To interest a more specific and generally younger readership, newspapers have revised content, prioritizing articles that are visually appealing instead of having depth.
But, in reality, there is still a demand for in-depth reporting. In this era of misinformation and clickbait, readers are seeking reliable sources of news that provide context, analysis, and accountability. Depth reporting explores the fundamental causes, involves multiple perspectives, and uncovers the hidden truths that shape our world, helping readers get a more comprehensive understanding of complicated matters.
While social media have changed the way we consume news, the quality of news remains essential for the public. It’s crucial for the news industry to achieve a balance between catering to changing reader preferences while also maintaining the integrity (完整性) of news. This means providing both quick updates and in-depth analysis, and using social media to promote their content, but not at the expense of accuracy or integrity. By doing so, news organizations can ensure that they remain relevant and trusted sources of information in a rapidly changing media environment.
1. What problem does traditional news industry face?| A．The decline of readership. | B．The lack of long-form stories. |
| C．The spread of unreliable information. | D．The shortage of experienced journalists. |
| A．Checking out. | B．Cutting down. |
| C．Paying no attention to. | D．Attaching importance to. |
| A．People’s need for in-depth reporting is decreasing. |
| B．Social media has played a key role in promoting hidden facts. |
| C．Clickbait greatly increases readers’ interests in exploring truths. |
| D．In-depth reporting can improve readers’ comprehension of complex issues. |
| A．providing quick updates and focusing on popular topics |
| B．stating matters in multiple perspectives and shortening articles |
| C．satisfying readers’ preferences and ensuring the quality of news |
| D．widening news sources and maintaining the accuracy of contents |
3 . 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.
This new trend of newspapers for “the man on the street” did not begin well. Some of the early ventures(企业) were immediate failures. Publishers already in business, people who were owners of successful papers, had little desire to change the tradition. It took a few youthful and daring businessmen to get the ball rolling.
1. Which of the following best describes newspapers in America before the 1830s?| A．Academic. |
| B．Unattractive. |
| C．Inexpensive. |
| D．Confidential. |
| 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．It was a difficult process. |
| B．It was a temporary success. |
| C．It was a robbery of the poor. |
| D．It was a disaster for printers. |
4 . How long should my novel be?
This is a question I’m often asked, and it’s certainly not the same answer as how long a piece of string is! So, how long should your book actually be?
If we work backwards, from a production department point of view, a book of approximately 100,000 words will come in somewhere between 300 to 400 pages.
Shorter texts are less daunting (使人气馁的) for an agent to submit rather than a block of manuscript so aim to make your publication path easier. There’s an implication that a standard book length should have a tighter handle on pacing, with the reader more readily drawn in. In turn, an overlong novel often indicates to a publisher that there’s potentially extensive editing work to be done by them.
More commonly, issues over length tend to highlight that pacing is an issue, be it too long or too short. Overwriting, in particular, can be an issue for many authors, who might struggle to express their ideas clearly, using complex language that play down the flow of the book. Successful writing contains a clarity of thought that enables the writer to connect with the reader for maximum impact, allowing the story, characters and setting to shine through.
In terms of content, it’s important for an author to prioritise the key themes in the book.
Work intuitively, from the heart, keeping secrets for as long as possible so the reader is forced to read on. In this way, a reader will readily connect with your words.
| A．Books do have different thresholds (门槛) according to genre. |
| B．This is plenty for a typical author’s book, particularly the first one. |
| C．Yes, there are exceptions to every genre but these are generally rare. |
| D．Is everything of equal importance and does everything need to be included? |
| E．Longer books are more expensive to produce and harder to sell in, so it increases their risk. |
| F．With a firm handle on length, your novel will have increased its chances of commercial publication. |
5 . The news industry has had a rough decade. Print readership is steadily declining, newspapers are closing, and journalists with decades of experience are being laid off. In response, major newspapers have made significant changes. They’re attempting to combat declining reader interest by shortening stories, creating clickbait (诱饵性标题), and most especially, using social media to their advantage.
With the rise of social media sites, many people have claimed that we are entering a new age in which news must be delivered in 140 characters or fewer. People’s ability to focus on long-form content and engage in deep reading has also been declining due to the endless distractions and excessive information in today’s world. This change in reading habits has led to a preference for short, easily-understood news pieces that can be quickly consumed. To interest a more specific and generally younger readership, newspapers have revised content, prioritizing articles that are visually appealing instead of having depth.
But, in reality, there is still a demand for in-depth reporting. In this era of misinformation and clickbait, readers are seeking reliable sources of news that provide context, analysis, and accountability. Depth reporting explores the fundamental causes, involves multiple perspectives, and uncovers the hidden truths that shape our world, helping readers get a more comprehensive understanding of complicated matters.
While social media have changed the way we consume news, the quality of news remains essential for public. It’s crucial for the news industry to achieve a balance between catering to changing reader preferences while also maintaining the integrity (完整性) of news. This means providing both quick updates and in-depth analysis, and using social media to promote their content, but not at the expense of accuracy or integrity. By doing so, news organizations can ensure that they remain relevant and trusted sources of information in a rapidly changing media environment.
1. What problem does traditional news industry face?| A．The decline of readership. | B．The lack of long-form stories. |
| C．The spread of unreliable information. | D．The shortage of experienced journalists. |
| A．People’s need for in-depth reporting is decreasing. |
| B．Social media has played a key role in promoting hidden facts. |
| C．Clickbait greatly increases readers’ interests in exploring truths. |
| D．In-depth reporting can improve readers’ comprehension of complex issues. |
| A．providing quick updates and focusing on popular topics |
| B．stating matters in multiple perspectives and shortening articles |
| C．satisfying readers’ preferences and ensuring the quality of news |
| D．widening news sources and maintaining the accuracy of contents |
| A．An advertisement. | B．A daily newspaper. |
| C．A diary entry. | D．A story book. |
6 . While most lifestyle and fashion magazines are full of photos of slim (苗条的) male and female models that create an unrealistic image of the human body, a fresh Japanese men’s magazine called Mr. Babe is taking an unusual approach. It is targeted at chubby men, a body type that is rarely represented in the mainstream (主流) fashion industry.
Mr. Babe describes itself as Japan’s first fashion and lifestyle magazine of chubby men, by chubby men and for chubby men. Its major goal is to increase the confidence of its readers and convince them that they can lead a happy and successful life regardless of the few extra pounds. It offers fashion tips, health advice and articles on marriage. The chief editor said, “Mr. Babe is in no way persuading men to become fat. Our message is that chubby men can be attractive by making use of what they have now.”
Norihito Kurashina was in charge of Men’s Knuckle for over 10 years before shifting completely and launching Mr. Babe. Up to now, Men’s Knuckle is still a famous magazine for young Japanese. 52-year-old Kurashina describes himself as a chubby man for 25 years.
According to the National Health and Nutrition Survey, the percentage of overweight men in Japan has been increasing gradually over the last decade, while the number of overweight women has decreased. Kurashina says the growing number of chubby men is largely due to the long working hours. In addition, they go drinking after work to relax. Naturally, they have no time, energy or money to go to the gym and keep in shape.
The chubby men in Mr. Babe magazine are not much more different than the handsome and sexy men that show up in most mainstream magazines. They are charming and well-dressed. 50, 000 copies have been printed of the first issue (发行), which has film star Jack Black on the cover. Norihito Kurashina says he is already feeling a good response from the audience and is confident of the magazine’s success.
1. What does the underlined word “chubby” in Para. 1 mean?| A．Fat. | B．Thin. | C．Ugly. | D．Tall. |
| A．Encourage more men to put on weight. |
| B．Make its readers confident in themselves. |
| C．Offer suggestions about how to lose weight. |
| D．Become the most popular magazine in Japan. |
| A．No film stars are on the cover of Mr. Babe. | B．Norihito Kurashina is not fat at all. |
| C．The future of Mr. Babe’s is bright. | D．The men in Mr. Babe dressed carelessly. |
| A．A magazine is bringing out a different charm. |
| B．People don’t read magazines anymore. |
| C．Slim male and female models are becoming more popular. |
| D．More film stars are on the cover of magazines. |
7 . Print newspapers will soon be part of our history. While the Internet and some other media are rapidly developing in a world where people’s lifestyles are more than busy, there seems to be less time for newspapers. The newspaper industry, in countries where newspapers have dominated as a medium for many years, is now struggling more than ever.
Newspaper circulation has been declining since over 40 years ago. “I foresee, in one or two generations, a society where you will access a newspaper only from a hand-held screen.” warns William Papatassos, a Blue & Gold advisor.
The Internet attracts most of the younger people. The problem of newspapers is called “the problem of the 18-to 35-year-old people”. This group of people are not willing to replace the regular readers who grew up using this traditional medium. And they like to surf the Internet to search for information. Some experts predict that by 2043, in America and many other countries, newspapers will no longer exist.
Fortunately, print newspapers still exist and offer advantages to readers. “Newspapers encourage more thoughtful thinking,” says the journalist Kathleen Jasonides. “At this point, there is still room for it. Some people do not like reading shortened articles online.”
But some newspapers including Blue & Gold provide articles of online editions, bearing in mind the increasing use of the Internet. However, the great variety of specialised information offered by many other websites prevents these online editions from developing. In addition, the newspaper industry has kept its best journalists for print; therefore the quality of articles is not the same.
The only thing that we know for sure is that print newspapers are facing a crisis due to lack of revenues from traditional advertising and the appearance of the Internet.
1. What can we imply from the first two paragraphs?| A．Print newspapers are facing a greater opportunity. |
| B．Print newspapers are always part of people’s lifestyles. |
| C．Print newspapers are suffering a dreadful challenge. |
| D．Print newspapers have been a leading medium. |
| A．They are the regular readers of print newspapers. |
| B．They regard the Internet as a main source of news. |
| C．They are growing up using the traditional medium. |
| D．They aren’t ready to use other media to replace newspapers. |
| A．articles of online editions can increase newspapers’ revenues |
| B．print newspapers have been gradually losing their readers since the 1980s |
| C．it is believed by some experts that newspapers will disappear in many countries by 2043 |
| D．some newspapers provide articles of online editions due to the growing use of the Internet |
| A．In a comic book. | B．In a textbook. | C．In a fiction novel. | D．In a newspaper. |
8 . Student newspapers across the US are facing a dark reality. As they are free to read, they are making less money than ever, meaning that such newspapers are finding it hard to survive.
Most college papers have reduced their print editions (版本). Last year, the Daily Tar Heel printed a paper four days a week. This year, it prints a paper every three days. And while it used to produce around 22,000 newspapers each time, it only makes around: 10,000 now, said Erica Perel, general manager.
Increasingly, student journalists have turned their focus to digital versions of their newspapers, and the new ways that social media allows them to tell stories. They’ve adapted their skills to mirror what’s going on in the professional journalism world.
“I think we’re adapting very well…in moving away from that print edition. But it’s challenging.” said Jonathan Carter, a student at North Carolina State University. So what should student newspapers do? LoMonte said the best solution would be for universities to financially (财经的) support student journalism. University leaders like to talk about producing responsible students, he said, and journalism is a part of that.
In the meantime, campus newspapers are figuring out their financial models as they go along. Bruce dePyssler, adviser to North Carolina Central University’s Campus Echo Newspaper, said his students post one story a day online. The best stories are put together for a once-a-semester print edition.
And even if student journalists don’t go into media jobs, Perel said, “They’ve still had a great education.” “The number one thing that we teach is critical thinking (批判思考) and how to be a lifelong learner, ” she said, “The ones who are living through this transition (过渡) are the ones that are going to be a lot stronger for it in the end.”
1. What do most college newspapers do to face the dark reality?| A．Improve printing quality. | B．Reduce print editions. |
| C．Lower advertising fees. | D．Increase paper price. |
| A．Ask colleges for money. | B．Continue with paper versions. |
| C．Publish more digital editions. | D．Create their own financial models. |
| A．Jonathan Carter. | B．LoMonte. |
| C．Bruce dePyssler. | D．Perel. |
| A．The proud history of the Daily Tar Heel. | B．Student newspapers are adapting well. |
| C．School newspapers are under pressure. | D．How to refresh traditional newspapers. |
9 . Textbooks represent an $11 billion dollar industry, up from $8 billion in 2014. Textbook publisher Pearson is the largest publisher — of any kind — in the world.
It costs about $1 million to create a new textbook. A freshman textbook will have dozens of contributors, from subject-matter experts through graphic and layout artists to expert reviewers and classroom testers. Textbook publishers connect professors, instructors and students in ways that alternatives, such as open e-textbooks and open educational resources, simply do not. This connection happens not only by means of collaborative development, review and testing, but also at conferences where faculty regularly decide on their textbooks and curricula for the coming year.
It is true that textbook publishers have recently reported losses, largely due to students renting or buying used print textbooks. But this can be chalked up to the excessively high cost of their books — which has increased over 1,000 percent since 1977. A restructuring of the textbook industry may well be in order. But this does not mean the end of the textbook itself.
While they may not be as dynamic as an iPad, textbooks are not passive or lifeless. For example, over the centuries, they have simulated (模拟) dialogues in a number of ways. From 1800 to the recent day, textbooks have done this by posing questions for students to answer inductively (归纳性地). That means students are asked to use their individual experience to come up with answers to general questions. Today’s psychology texts, for example, ask: “How much of your personality do you think you inherited?” while ones in physics say: “How can you predict where the ball you tossed will land?”
Experts observe that “textbooks come in layers, something like an onion.” For an active learner, engaging with a textbook can be an interactive experience: Readers proceed at their own pace. They “customize” their books by engaging with different layers and linkages. Highlighting, Post-It notes, dog-ears and other techniques allow for further customization that students value in print books over digital forms of books.
1. What does the passage say about open educational resources?| A．They contribute to teaching as much as to learning. |
| B．They don’t profit as much as traditional textbooks do. |
| C．They can’t connect professors and students as textbooks do. |
| D．They compete fiercely for customers with textbook producers. |
| A．Failure to meet student need. | B．Industry restructuring. |
| C．Emergence of e-books. | D．Falling sales. |
| A．Think carefully before answering each question. |
| B．Ask questions based on their own understanding. |
| C．Answer questions using their personal experience. |
| D．Give answers showing their respective personality. |
| A．They can digitalize the prints easily. |
| B．They can learn in an interactive way. |
| C．They can purchase customized versions. |
| D．They can adapt the material themselves. |
10 . Will printed newspapers disappear (消失) one day? It’s quite possible. Here are some reasons.
First of all, printed newspapers aren’t the only way to get information. You can find the information on the Internet. Besides, you can read a lot of information online for free, which make the Internet even more attractive.
Lots of people are becoming Internet users, and most of Internet users read news online. For example, I usually get new information about events that happen in the world by reading short messages on Twitter. As far as I know, students in our university hardly read newspapers. One can argue that older generations may have been used to reading printed newspapers and do not want to change anything, but research proves the opposite. According to a study, the number of Internet users between the ages of 70 and 75 has increased from 26% to 45% within four years. This fact sounds strange but 4% of Internet users are over 73 years old.
Where do newspapers get their money? The answer is “advertisers”. But will advertisers continue to put ads in printed newspapers if they are not that successful? It is rather expensive to print ads in a newspaper, especially when you have a lot of other opportunities. Online advertisements are becoming more and more popular. It is beneficial to both sides because it is easier to track (跟踪) how many clicks have been made on this link than to find out how many people have actually read a newspaper and paid attention to advertisements. Also, printed newspapers are not environmentally friendly. They need tons of wood, lots of electricity and many delivery (运输) ways to produce and transport the papers.
1. The first reason for the possibility of disappearance of printed newspapers in the near future is that _________.| A．newspapers are expensive |
| B．the Internet is available to everybody |
| C．the Internet provides a lot of free information |
| D．newspapers provide nothing interesting |
| A．Old people also love new things. |
| B．Newspapers are losing their readers. |
| C．Old people are used to reading newspapers. |
| D．Newspapers aren’t suitable for Internet users. |
| A．need high production costs | B．harm the environment |
| C．lack convenient delivery ways | D．need many workers to deliver them |
| A．How people read news today. | B．Why the Internet is important. |
| C．How people get information today. | D．Why printed newspapers may disappear. |
