现代大学英语精读第二版教师用书 Unit 概要.docx

现代大学英语精读第二版教师用书 Unit 概要.docx

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现代大学英语精读第二版教师用书Unit概要

Unit3

WhatIsNews?

NeilPostmanandStevePowers

StructureoftheText

PartI（Para.1）

Inthisbeginningparagraph,theauthorsstatethepurposeoftheessay.

PartII（Para.2）

Somepeoplemightdefinethenewsaswhattelevisiondirectorsandjournalistssayitis.Theauthors,however,thinkthatthisdefinitionistoosimplistic.

PartIII（Paras.3–5）

Intheseparagraphs,theauthorsexplainwhythenewscannotbesimplydefinedas“whathappenedthatday”or“whathappenedthatdaythatwasimportantandinteresting”.

PartIV（Paras.6–11）

Intheseparagraphs,theauthorstellreadersthatthenewsismoreoftenmaderatherthangathered,anditismadeonthebasisofwhatthejournalistthinksimportantorwhatthejournalistthinkstheaudiencethinksisimportant.Therefore,everynewsstoryisareflectionofthereporterwhotellsthestory.

PartV（Paras.12–15）

Intheseparagraphs,theauthorspointoutthattomakesenseofthenews,theviewerhastoknowsomethingaboutthejournalist’spoliticalbeliefsaswellashisprejudices,interests,andquirkswhichare,inturn,influencedbyhisfinancialstatus,thecompanieshehasworkedfor,theschoolshewentto,thebookshehasread,etc.

PartVI（Paras.16–17）

Intheseparagraphs,theauthorspointoutthatthejournalistcannotalwaysimposehis/herviewsonthegeneralpublicbecausethetelevisionchannelornewspapercannotsurviveunlessthenewstheyprovidesatisfiestheneedsofthegeneralpublic.Ontheotherhand,theviewer/readermustalsotakeintoaccounthisorherrelationshiptoalargeraudiencebecausetelevisionandnewspapersaremassmediaandtheirnewsisnotintendedforanaudienceofone.

PartVII（Paras.18–20）

Intheseparagraphs,theauthorsdiscusssomeotherpossibledefinitionsofnews:

newsassomethingtogivepeoplepleasure;newsassomethinginstructivethatrevealsthemores,values,andidealsofasociety;newsaslivinghistory;newsasasourceofliterature;newsasareflectionofhumanpain,suffering,tragediesandconfusion;newsassomethingtoinspirepeopleandmakethemoptimistic;newsassomethingtofrightenpeopleandmakethemawareoftheseamysideofthereality;lastbutnotleast,newsasafillerbetweencommercials.

PartVIII（Para.21）

Inthisparagraph,theauthorsconcludetheessaybyreiteratingtheirpurposeinraisingtheissue“Whatisnews?

”Itistoarouseourinterestandhelpusunderstandtheproblems,limitations,traditions,motivations,andeventhedelusionsofthetelevisionnewsindustry.

DetailedStudyoftheText

1.Weturntothisquestionbecauseunlessatelevisionviewerhasconsideredit,heorsheisindangeroftooeasilyacceptingsomeoneelse’sdefinition—forexample,adefinitionsuppliedbythenewsdirectorofatelevisionstation;orevenworse,adefinitionimposedbyimportantadvertisers.（Para.1）

newsdirector:

（电视台）新闻节目负责人

advertisers:

InmanycountriesintheWest,televisionstationslargelydependonsellingairtimetoadvertisersfortheirrevenue.Therefore,importantadvertiserscanoftenimposetheirviewsandinterestsonthenewssuppliedbytelevisionstations.

viewer：

Someonewhoiswatchingamovie,atelevisionprogram,oranexhibition

Compare:

audience:

agroupofpeoplewhowatch,read,orlistentosomething

spectator:

apersonwhowatchesanevent,show,game,oractivity

2.AsimplisticdefinitionofnewscanbedrawnbyparaphrasingJusticeOliverWendellHolmes’famousdefinitionofthelaw.Thelaw,Holmessaid,iswhatthecourtssayitis…wemightsaythatthenewsiswhattelevisiondirectorsandjournalistssayitis.（Para.2）

AmericansgenerallyacceptHolmes’famousdefinitionofthelawbecausetheyagreethatlawsmustallowforthenewinterpretationsnecessarytomeetthechallengesofachangingnationandachangingworld.ButtoproposeadefinitionofthenewsbyparaphrasingHolmes’definitionofthelawprobablycommitsthelogicalerroroffalseanalogy.Forexample,itwouldnotmakemuchsenseifweweretosaypoliticsiswhatpoliticianssayitis,oreducationiswhatteacherssayitis.

simplistic:

disapprovingtoosimple;notcompleteorsufficientlythorough

Nothingmore.Nothingless.:

Assimpleasthat;nomore,noless.

insimilarfashion:

inthesimilarway;likewise;bythesimilartoken

3.Butifweweretotakethatapproach,onwhatbasiswouldwesaythatwehaven’tbeentoldenough?

Orthatastorythatshouldhavebeencoveredwasn’t?

Orthattoomanystoriesofacertaintypewereincluded?

Orthatareportergaveaflagrantlybiasedaccount?

（Para.2）

Thefactthatpeopleareoftenunsatisfiedwithnewsreportingimpliesthatpeoplehavedifferentideasaboutwhatnewsshouldbe.

flagrantlybiased:

obviouslyandunquestionablybiased

4.Inmodifyingtheiranswer,mostwilladdthatthenewsis“importantandinterestingthingsthathappenedthatday.”Thishelpsalittlebutleavesopenthequestionofwhatis“importantandinteresting”andhowthatisdecided.（Para.3）

Itisallrighttosaythatnewsconsistsoftheimportantthingsthathappenedthatday.Butimportanttowhom?

Inwhatsense?

Forwhatreason?

butleavesopenthequestion:

butdoesnotgiveananswertothequestion

5.Ofcourse,somepeoplewillsaythatthequestionofwhatisimportantandinterestingisnotintheleastproblematic.WhatthePresidentsaysordoesisimportant;warsareimportant,rebellions,employmentfigures,elections,appointmentstotheSupremeCourt.（Para.4）

Thisisaninterestingexampleofhastygeneralization.Itistruethatwhatimportantpeoplesayordoisoftenimportant,butwecan’tjumptotheconclusionthateverythingtheysayordoisalwaysimportant.Ontheotherhand,sometimesevenwhathappenstosomeonecompletelyunknowncanescalatetoaseriouscrisis.Peoplecallthat“theButterflyEffect.”

problematic:

causingaproblem;questionable;uncertain

6.Now,thereisagreatdealtobesaidforSaranWrap.（Para.4）

Now,it’struethatSaranWrapisveryuseful.

7.SaranWrapisnotnews.ThecolorofLizTaylor’swrapis.Orsosomepeoplebelieve.（Para.4）

Notethattheauthorsaremakingawordplayontheword“wrap,”whichhasdifferentmeanings.

8.Weshallneverlearnaboutthesepeopleeither,howeverinstructiveorinterestingtheirstoriesmayhavebeen.（Para.5）

Wewillneverhearanythingaboutthesepeopleeither,nomatterhowinstructiveorinterestingtheirstoriesmayhavebeen.

instructive:

providingknowledgeorinformation;educational

9.Ofcourse,therearesomeevents—theassassinationofapresident,anearthquake,etc.—thathavenearuniversalinterestandconsequences.Butmostnewsdoesnotinhereintheevent.（Para.6）

toinhereinsth.:

formaltobeanaturalpartofsth.;tobeinherentinsth.

10.Infact,thenewsismoreoftenmaderatherthangathered.（Para.6）

Infact,oftenthenewsisnotsomethingoutthereforyoutopickup;youhavetodecidewhatinformationisnewsworthyandmakeitintonews.

11．IsastoryaboutakillinginNorthernIrelandmoreimportantthanoneaboutakillinginMorocco?

（Para.6）

ForAmericansofIrishbackground,theanswerwillmostlikelybeyes.Itissaidthattherelativeimportanceofaneventisoftendeterminedbytherelativedistanceofitsoccurrencetothepersoninvolved.

12．…everynewsstoryisareflectionofthereporterwhotellsthestory.Thereporter’spreviousassumptionsaboutwhatis“outthere”editwhatheorshethinksisthere.（Para.6）

Ifnewsstorieswerejustfacts,andfactsspeakforthemselves,thenallnewsstories,thoughwrittenbydifferentpeople,wouldbethesame.Butnewsstoriesareactuallyalldifferentbecauseeverynewsstoryisareflectionofthereporterwhotellsthestory,andeveryreporterhaspreviousassumptions（beliefs,pointsofview,andbiases）whichaffectwhathe/shethinksisthere.

toedit:

todecidewhatwillbeincludedorleftout,aseditorsdoinpreparing,printing,broadcasting,etc.

13．Theanswerstoallofthesequestions,aswellastootherquestionsabouttheevent,dependentirelyonthepointofviewofthejournalist.Youmightthinkthisisanexaggeration,thatreporters,irrespectiveoftheirassumptions,canatleastgetthefactsstraight.（Para.7）

irrespectiveof:

regardlessof;withoutthinkingaboutorconsidering

Allgovernmentofficials,irrespectiveoftheirrank,mustdisclosetheirproperty.

Wepursuethediplomaticpolicyofthefiveprinciplesofpeacefulcoexistenceinourrelationshipwithallcountriesirrespectiveoftheirsizeorpoliticalsystem.

togetthefactsstraight:

tofindoutwhatthefactsarewithoutmakingmistakes

now-defunct:

now-dead;nownolongerexistingorfunctioning

tofeatureastory:

togiveastoryaprominentplaceinanewspaperortelevisionnewsshow

14．…whothusearntheir35rublesamonthinlieuof“relief”…（Para.8）

Insteadofreceivinggovernmentrelief,theyaregivenjobsbythegovernmentsothattheycanearntheirmoney.（这是以工代赈的政策）

inlieuof:

insteadof

（government）relief：

moneythatisgiventopoorpeoplebythegovernment（政府）救济

15．…itwasthepolicyoftheJournaltohighlightthecontrastbetweentheprimitiveRussianeconomyandthesophisticatedAmericaneconomy.（Para.11）

theJournal:

ThisreferstothenewspaperTheWallStreetJournal,mentionedabove.

tohighlight:

tomakepeoplenoticeorbeawareofsomething

sophisticated:

（theoppositeofprimitive）highlydevelopedandcomplex高级的，复杂的

16．Eachofoursensesisaremarkablyastutecensor.Weseewhatweexpecttosee;often,wefocusonwhatwearepaidtosee.Andthosewhopayustoseeusuallyexpectustoaccepttheirnotionsnotonl