1 . 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. |
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.
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.
Who were the newspapers of the new trend targeted at?A.Local politicians. |
B.Common people. |
C.Young publishers. |
D.Rich businessmen. |
1. Who is Tom Hodgkinson?
A.Founder of a magazine. | B.Publisher of a novel. | C.Editor of a newspaper. |
A.It’s old-fashioned. | B.It’s wide-ranging. | C.It’s student-targeted. |
A.To do a promotion. | B.To discuss an issue. | C.To introduce a lecturer. |
1. Which organizations used to have a lot of power according to the speaker?
A.Libraries and printing companies. |
B.Universities and bookstores. |
C.Newspapers and publishers. |
A.They are easier to carry. | B.They are cheaper. | C.They are more interesting. |
A.They were bought by a tech company. |
B.They made billions of dollars this year. |
C.They used to have more than 600 stores. |
5 . What do the man’s parents think of the magazine?
A.Useful. | B.Outdated. | C.Expensive. |
6 . 听下面一段较长对话,回答以下小题。
1. When can people buy the magazine in the shops?A.Next Monday. | B.This Saturday. | C.This Friday. |
A.Using relevant pictures. |
B.Reading the information aloud. |
C.Listening to others’ explanation. |
A.A science course. | B.An article. | C.A new technology. |
7 . 听下面一段独白,回答以下小题。
1. When was the first real newspaper started?A.In 1609. | B.In 1665. | C.In 1704. |
A.England. | B.Germany. | C.America. |
A.The Strassburg Relation. | B.The New York Sun. | C.The Boston News Letter. |
A.It was called The London Gazette. |
B.It was the first one to have advertisements. |
C.It only cost ten pence. |
1. What can we know about the magazine?
A.The 50 pages are all about news. |
B.It’s very popular. |
C.There are 5 sections. |
A.The political cartoons. |
B.The film reviews. |
C.The food and drink section. |
9 . Books for Young Readers
Ivy+Bean by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall
Ivy is quiet; Bean is loud and goofy. Ivy wants to be a witch; Bean wants to play games. Naturally, they’re going to end up being best friends and getting into all kinds of scrapes together since their approach to pretty much everything—from discovering dinosaurs to starting their own summer camp—is “Why not?” (For ages 6 to 10)
Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson and Nina Mata
Ryan Hart wants to see the good in everybody, even when she gets teased for having a boy’s name. She has a lot to deal with—her dad’s been laid off and the family has to move to a smaller house. But when Ryan runs into problems, she’s always looking for ways to make sunshine. (For ages 7 to 10)
Better Nate Than Ever (series) by Tim Federle
The budding drama club kids in your life will love this trilogy (三部曲) about a small-town boy with big Broadway dreams. Nate Foster longs to get away from Jankburg. Pennsylvania to star in a Broadway show. And then something amazing happens. There’s an open casting call for a Broadway musical based on E. T. He just has to get there. (For ages 10 and up)
New Kid by Jerry Craft
Fans of Raina Telgemeier will love Jerry Craft’s sympathetic graphic novel about seventh-grader Jordan, who’s trying to fit in at the fancy new private school where he’s one of the few kids of color in his grade. And all he really wants to do is draw comics—so how can he stay true to himself and his neighborhood, and still figure out his new school? (For ages 8 to 12)
1. Which word can best describe Ryan Hart?A.Responsible. | B.Optimistic. | C.Reliable. | D.Enthusiastic. |
A.Ivy+Bean. | B.Ways to Make Sunshine. |
C.New Kid. | D.Better Nate Than Ever(series). |
A.To persuade. | B.To advertise. | C.To recommend. | D.To entertain. |
10 . Of all the changes that have taken place in English-language newspapers during the past quarter-century, perhaps the most far-reaching one has been the inevitable decline in the scope and seriousness of their arts coverage.
It is difficult to the point of impossibility for the average reader under the age of forty to imagine a time when high-quality arts criticism could be found in most big-city newspapers. Yet a considerable number of the most significant collections of criticism published in the 20th century consisted in large part of newspaper reviews. To read such books today is to marvel at the fact that their learned contents were once considered suitable for publication in general-circulation dailies.
We are even farther removed from the unfocused newspaper reviews published in England between the turn of the 20th century and the eve of World War II, at a time when newsprint was dirt-cheap and stylish arts criticism was considered an ornament (装饰) to the publications in which it appeared. In those far-off days, it was taken for granted that the critics of major papers would write in detail and at length about the events they covered. Theirs was a serious business, and even those reviewers who wore their learning lightly, like George Bernard Shaw and Ernest Newman, could be trusted to know what they were about. These men believed in journalism as a calling, and were proud to be published in the daily press. “So few authors have brains enough or literary gift enough to keep their own end up in journalism,” Newman wrote, “that I am tempted to define ‘journalism’ as ‘a term of contempt applied by writers who are not read to writers who are’.”
Unfortunately, these critics are virtually forgotten. Neville Cardus, who wrote for the Manchester Guardian from 1917 until shortly before his death in 1975, is now known solely as a writer of essays on the game of cricket. During his lifetime, though, he was also one of England’s foremost classical-music critics, a stylist so widely admired that his Autobiography (1947) became a best-seller. He was knighted in 1967, the first music critic to be so honored. Yet only one of his books is now in print, and his vast body of writings on music is unknown save to specialists.
Is there any chance that Cardus’s criticism will enjoy a revival? The prospect seems remote. Journalistic tastes had changed long before his death, and postmodern readers have little use for the richly upholstered Vicwardian prose in which he specialized. Moreover, the amateur tradition in music criticism has been in headlong retreat.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the first two paragraphs?A.English-language newspapers with more arts coverage sell well. |
B.Young readers nowadays enjoy reading high-quality arts criticism. |
C.The criticism published in the 20th century lacked learned contents. |
D.There were more arts reviews in English-language newspapers in the past. |
A.The newsprint was too cheap to make profits. |
B.Not all writers were capable of journalistic writing. |
C.Arts criticism was removed from the print newspapers. |
D.Writers are likely to be tempted into journalism. |
A.Because he mainly wrote essays on the game of cricket. |
B.Because people cast doubt on his reputation as a knight. |
C.Because his music criticism failed to appeal to readers nowadays. |
D.Because his works were quite amateur rather than professional. |
A.The Distinguished Critics in Memory | B.The Lost Horizon in Newspapers |
C.The Shortage of Literary Geniuses | D.The Newspapers of the Good Old Days |