阅读理解 Newspapers are becoming more balanced businesses, with a healthier mix of revenues from readers and advertisers. American papers have long been highly unusual in their reliance on ads. Fully 87% of their revenues came from advertising in 2006, according to the OECD. In Japan the proportion is 35%. Not surprisingly, Japanese newspapers are much more stable.
The whirlwind that swept through newsrooms harmed everybody, but much of the damage has been concentrated in areas where newspapers are least distinctive. Car and film reviewers have gone. So have science and general business reporters. Foreign bureaus have been savagely pruned. Newspapers are less complete as a result. But completeness is no longer a virtue in the newspaper business. Just look at the fate of Otis Chandler's creation.
Thanks to family connections, Chandler ended up in control of the Los Angeles Times in 1960. The paper he inherited was parochial and conservative, reflecting the city it served. Chandler abandoned the anti-union dogma and set about building a west-coast rival to the New York Times. His paper was heavy on foreign news and serious, objective reporting. The result was hugely impressive—but not, as it turned out, suited to the internet era. In the past few years the paper has suffered repeated staff cuts. In 2007 it was acquired by a property magnate and in 2008 filed for bankruptcy protection.
The problem with such newspapers is that, although they do much that is excellent, they do little that is distinctive enough for people to pay for it. The Los Angeles Times' foreign reporting is extremely good. But it is hard to argue that it is better than the stuff supplied by the New York Times or foreign papers. Similarly, it has never been clear why each major newspaper needs its own car reviewer a Corolla is a Corolla, whether it is driven in Albuquerque or Atlanta. Papers should concentrate on what they do best, which means, in many cases, local news and sport. If the rest is bought in from wire services or national organizations, readers are unlikely to complain—as long as there is enough competition between those larger providers to keep up standards. Specialization generally means higher quality.
It is grim to forecast still more writers losing their jobs. But whether newspapers are thrown onto doorsteps or distributed digitally, they need to deliver something that is distinctive. New technologies like Apple's iPad only make this more true. The mere acquisition of a smooth block of metal and glass does not magically persuade people that they should start paying for news. They will pay for news if they think it has value. Newspapers need to focus relentlessly on that.
单选题 1.From Paragraph 1 we learn that American newspapers
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】事实细节题。第一段提到美国报业的现状,指出其正在成为more balanced businesses,但是还是严重依赖广告收入,不如日本报业稳定,所以正确答案应为D项。
单选题 2.Newspapers in America are becoming less complete in that
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】推理判断题。根据complete定位到第二段,该段讲到报业面临危机,对于许多没有特色的栏目,从业者纷纷被炒,国外办事处也遭到大肆削减,因而导致报业不再那么完整。所以正确答案为C项。
单选题 3.Los Angeles Times managed by Chandler
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】根据Los Angeles Times定位到第三段。从The result was hugely impressive…可知.经过改革,该报纸曾获得成功;but not…suited to the internet era是说《洛杉矶时报》不能适应互联网时代,由此也可倒推出,在互联网时代来临前,它是成功的。所以C项正确。
单选题 4.According to the author, Los Angeles Times' failure is due to its
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】推理判断题。作者在第四段中分析了Los Angeles Times这类报纸失败的原因是they do littlethat is distinctive,即缺乏特色,所以正确选项为B项。
单选题 5.The author would most likely agree that
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】作者观点题。最后两句作者说,人们只有在觉得新闻有价值时才会付钱购买,报纸应该注重这一点。换句话说,报纸应该专注于为读者提供人们愿意付钱购买的新闻,也就是,报业需要想办法吸引人。所以B项正确。