Reading Comprehension Text 2
A new survey by Harvard University finds more than two-thirds of young Americans disapprove of President Trump’s use of Twitter. The implication is that Millennials prefer news from the White House to be filtered through other sources, not a president’s social media platform.
Most Americans rely on social media to check daily headlines. Yet as distrust has risen toward all media, people may be starting to beef up their media literacy skills. Such a trend is badly needed. During the 2016 presidential campaign, nearly a quarter of web content shared by Twitter users in the politically critical state of Michigan was fake news, according to the University of Oxford. And a survey conducted for BuzzFeed News found 44 percent of Facebook users rarely or never trust news from the media giant.
Young people who are digital natives are indeed becoming more skillful at separating fact from fiction in cyberspace. A Knight Foundation focus-group survey of young people between ages 14 and 24 found they use “distributed trust” to verify stories. They cross-check sources and prefer news from different perspectives- especially those that are open about any bias. “Many young people assume a great deal of personal responsibility for educating themselves and actively seeking out opposing viewpoints,” the survey concluded.
Such active research can have another effect. A 2014 survey conducted in Australia, Britain, and the United States by the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that young people’s reliance on social media led to greater political engagement.
Social media allows users to experience news events more intimately and immediately while also permitting them to re-share news as a projection of their values and interests. This forces users to be more conscious of their role in passing along information. A survey by Barna research group found the top reason given by Americans for the fake news phenomenon is “reader error,” more so than made-up stories or factual mistakes in reporting. About a third say the problem of fake news lies in “misinterpretation or exaggeration of actual news” via social media. In other words, the choice to share news on social media may be the heart of the issue. “This indicates there is a real personal responsibility in counteracting this problem,” says Roxanne Stone, editor in chief at Barna Group.
So when young people are critical of an over-tweeting president, they reveal a mental discipline in thinking skills-and in their choices on when to share on social media.
26. According to Paragraphs 1 and 2, many young Americans cast doubts on
27. The phrase “beef up” (Line 2, Para. 2) is closest in meaning to
28. According to the Knight Foundation survey, young people
29. The Barna survey found that a main cause for the fake news problem is
30. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
答案与解析 (Answers)
26. [D] social media as a reliable source of news.
解析：第一段提到年轻人不喜欢总统通过推特发新闻，第二段提到虚假新闻泛滥（fake news）以及 44% 的用户不信任社交媒体的新闻，综合来看他们怀疑社交媒体作为可靠新闻来源的地位。
27. [A] sharpen.
解析：beef up 意为“增强/加强”。在“distrust has risen... beef up their media literacy skills”语境下，是指提高、磨炼媒介素养技能，与 sharpen（削尖/使敏锐）意思最接近。
28. [B] verify news by referring to diverse sources.
解析：第三段提到年轻人使用“distributed trust”，即“cross-check sources and prefer news from different perspectives”，意为交叉核对来源并偏好不同视角的报道，对应选项 B。
29. [C] readers’ misinterpretation.
解析：第五段指出 Barna 调查发现假新闻现象的主因是“reader error”，具体解释为“misinterpretation or exaggeration of actual news”，即读者的误读或夸大。
30. [A] A Rise in Critical Skills for Sharing News Online.
解析：全文探讨了年轻人由于对社交媒体新闻的怀疑而不断提升媒介素养、进行批判性思考并审慎分享信息。A 选项“在线分享新闻的批判性技能的提升”最符合主旨。
核心长难句精解 (Highlighted Sentences)
1. 动词短语与宾语从句：
"The implication is that Millennials prefer news from the White House to be filtered through other sources, not a president’s social media platform."
【解析】prefer A to be B 意为“更喜欢A被B处理”。这句话指出了年轻人对新闻传播途径的偏好：他们希望白宫新闻经过传统渠道过滤，而非直接通过社交平台。
【翻译】这意味着千禧一代更喜欢白宫的新闻通过其他渠道过滤，而不是直接来自总统的社交媒体平台。
"The implication is that Millennials prefer news from the White House to be filtered through other sources, not a president’s social media platform."
【解析】prefer A to be B 意为“更喜欢A被B处理”。这句话指出了年轻人对新闻传播途径的偏好：他们希望白宫新闻经过传统渠道过滤，而非直接通过社交平台。
【翻译】这意味着千禧一代更喜欢白宫的新闻通过其他渠道过滤，而不是直接来自总统的社交媒体平台。
2. 分词短语作定语：
"Nearly a quarter of web content shared by Twitter users in the politically critical state... was fake news."
【解析】shared by... 是过去分词短语作后置定语，修饰 content。这句话量化了假新闻在政治敏感地区的严重渗透程度。
【翻译】在政治地位关键的密歇根州，推特用户分享的网络内容中有近四分之一是假新闻。
"Nearly a quarter of web content shared by Twitter users in the politically critical state... was fake news."
【解析】shared by... 是过去分词短语作后置定语，修饰 content。这句话量化了假新闻在政治敏感地区的严重渗透程度。
【翻译】在政治地位关键的密歇根州，推特用户分享的网络内容中有近四分之一是假新闻。
3. 让步结构与逻辑推导：
"Social media allows users to experience news events more intimately... while also permitting them to re-share news as a projection of their values and interests."
【解析】while 表对比/并列。projection 意为“投射”。句子解释了社交媒体如何将个人价值观与信息传播捆绑在一起。
【翻译】社交媒体允许用户更亲密、更直接地体验新闻事件，同时也允许他们将重新分享的新闻作为个人价值观和兴趣的投射。
"Social media allows users to experience news events more intimately... while also permitting them to re-share news as a projection of their values and interests."
【解析】while 表对比/并列。projection 意为“投射”。句子解释了社交媒体如何将个人价值观与信息传播捆绑在一起。
【翻译】社交媒体允许用户更亲密、更直接地体验新闻事件，同时也允许他们将重新分享的新闻作为个人价值观和兴趣的投射。