2 . 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 US’ “finest news source”.
Nearly thirty years later, the news outlet has become one of the most _______ media presences in the US. But don’t expect _______ and timeliness from it, because The Onion, which is now a website, only publishes fake news, or news satire. Its aim is to make readers _______, and perhaps make them see things from a different angle.
The Onion’s articles comment on current events both real and fictional. Using a traditional newspaper layout, it _______ traditional newspapers with stories, editorials, op-ed pieces, and street-talk interviews.
Its humor often depends on presenting ordinary, everyday events as _______. Stories with headlines such as “Area man knows all the shortcut keys”, or “Area man too poor to afford movers, too old to get help from his friends” are good _______. “You know somebody like that,” Will Tracy, The Onion’s editor-in-chief, told the NPR in an interview. Their stories are presented “in that sort of news voice which _______ them to a certain level of importance that they don’t actually deserve.
_______ The Onion is most famous for its political reporting. An article in New Republic magazine says The Onion is the US’ “best op-ed page”, because it has “an ability to _______ locate and address a problem with an economy of 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 boost in military spending. The article ________a speech Bush delivered to the public; its headline said it all: “Bush: ‘Our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over’.”
While traditional media outlets are ________ when reporting on 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 tread a fine line (如履薄冰), 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, if you’re targeting the victim or someone who doesn’t ________ our anger, then it doesn’t feel right and it also doesn’t feel funny.” The Onion caused public ________when earlier this year, it tried to make fun of a 9-year-old Oscar-nominated actress by using highly offensive language. It later apologized.
For those unfamiliar with the concept of fake news stories, their satire and humor can easily be ________. The Onion published a fake poll last year announcing that rural white Americans had a more favorable opinion of Iran’s then-president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, than of Barack Obama. An Iranian state news agency covered this as ________ news. The news agency immediately became an international laughing stock.
1. | A．established | B．progressive | C．reliable | D．authoritative |
2. | A．comprehensiveness | B．accuracy | C．uniqueness | D．complexity |
3. | A．motivated | B．entertained | C．awakened | D．informed |
4. | A．makes improvements of | B．makes use of | C．makes fun of | D．makes sense of |
5. | A．newsworthy | B．trustworthy | C．creditworthy | D．praiseworthy |
6. | A．materials | B．instructions | C．opinions | D．examples |
7. | A．exposes | B．commits | C．attaches | D．elevates |
8. | A．But | B．Moreover | C．Instead | D．Therefore |
9. | A．elegantly | B．intensively | C．earnestly | D．instantly |
10. | A．criticized | B．invented | C．carried | D．reviewed |
11. | A．considerate | B．inefficient | C．imprecise | D．cautious |
12. | A．value | B．tolerate | C．deserve | D．comprehend |
13. | A．alarm | B．doubt | C．confusion | D．anger |
14. | A．missed | B．removed | C．accused | D．imitated |
15. | A．inspiring | B．remarkable | C．misleading | D．real |
