Part A: Reading Comprehension

Text 2

Whatever happened to the death of newspapers? A year ago the end seemed near. The recession threatened to remove the advertising and readers that had not already fled to the Internet. Newspapers like the San Francisco Chronicle were chronicling their own doom. America’s Federal Trade Commission launched a round of talks about how to save newspapers. Should they become charitable corporations? Should the state subsidize them? It will hold another meeting soon. But the discussions now seem out of date.

In much of the world there is little sign of crisis. German and Brazilian papers have shrugged off the recession. Even American newspapers, which inhabit the most troubled corner of the global industry, have not only survived but often returned to profit. Not the 20% profit margins that were routine a few years ago, but profit all the same.

It has not been much fun. Many papers stayed afloat by pushing journalists overboard. The American Society of News Editors reckons that 13,500 newsroom jobs have gone since 2007. Readers are paying more for slimmer products. Some papers even had the nerve to refuse delivery to distant suburbs. Yet these desperate measures have proved the right ones and, sadly for many journalists, they can be pushed further.

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 2008, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (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 cut off. Newspapers are less complete as a result. But completeness is no longer a virtue in the newspaper business.

26. By saying “Newspapers like…their own doom” (Para. 1), the author indicates that newspapers

[A]

neglected the sign of crisis. 

[B]

failed to get state subsidies. 

[C]

were not charitable corporations. 

[D]

were in a desperate situation. 

27. Some newspapers refused delivery to distant suburbs probably because

[A]

readers threatened to pay less. 

[B]

newspapers wanted to reduce costs. 

[C]

journalists reported little about areas. 

[D]

subscribers complained about slimmer products. 

28. Compared with their American counterparts, Japanese newspapers are much more stable because they

[A]

have more sources of revenue. 

[B]

have more balanced newsrooms. 

[C]

are less dependent on advertising. 

[D]

are less affected by readership. 

29. What can be inferred from the last paragraph about the current newspaper business?

[A]

Distinctiveness is an essential feature of newspapers. 

[B]

Completeness is to blame for the failure of newspaper. 

[C]

Foreign bureaus play a crucial role in the newspaper business. 

[D]

Readers have lost their interest in car and film reviews. 

30. The most appropriate title for this text would be

[A]

American Newspapers: Struggling for Survival. 

[B]

American Newspapers: Gone with the Wind. 

[C]

American Newspapers: A Thriving Business. 

[D]

American Newspapers: A Hopeless Story. 

答案解析 (Answers & Explanations)

26. [D] were in a desperate situation.
解析：第一段描述了一年前报业的惨状：“末日似乎临近”，“衰退威胁要带走广告和读者”。紧接着说“像《旧金山纪事报》这样的报纸在编年记录它们自己的毁灭（chronicling their own doom）”。这里的 doom（厄运/毁灭）说明报纸当时处于极度绝望的境地（desperate situation），故选D。

27. [B] newspapers wanted to reduce costs.
解析：第三段提到报纸采取了许多“孤注一掷的措施（desperate measures）”来免于破产（stayed afloat），包括裁员、涨价以及“拒绝向偏远郊区投递报纸（refuse delivery to distant suburbs）”。这些措施的核心目的都是为了削减成本、维持生存，故选B（newspapers wanted to reduce costs）。

28. [C] are less dependent on advertising.
解析：第四段对美日报纸进行了对比。美国报纸极不寻常地依赖广告，其2008年收入的足足87%来自广告；而在日本，这一比例仅为35%。由于日本报纸对广告的依赖度要低得多，所以它们“稳定得多（much more stable）”，故选C。

29. [A] Distinctiveness is an essential feature of newspapers.
解析：最后一段指出，这场席卷新闻编辑室的裁员风暴中，“大部分损失集中在报纸最缺乏特色（least distinctive）的领域”。报纸裁掉了汽车、电影、科学等常规记者，也不再追求全面（completeness is no longer a virtue）。反向推导可知，能在风暴中保留下来的必须是具有“独特性（Distinctiveness）”的内容，这是报纸生存的必要特征，故选A。

30. [A] American Newspapers: Struggling for Survival.
解析：主旨题。文章首段提出报业“消亡”的话题，但随后两段话锋一转，指出美国报纸通过裁员、涨价、缩减投递范围等“绝望的措施”活了下来并恢复了盈利（survived but often returned to profit）。第四、五段分析了其改变收入结构和舍弃全面性追求独特性的求生策略。全文核心在于描述美国报纸如何在逆境中挣扎求生（Struggling for Survival），故选A。B、D项过于悲观，C项（繁荣发展）又过于乐观。

核心长难句精解 (High-Light)

1. 定语从句的嵌套与时态：
"The recession threatened to remove the advertising and readers that had not already fled to the Internet."
【解析】that 引导定语从句，修饰 advertising and readers。从句使用了过去完成时 had not already fled，表示在经济衰退发生（过去时）之前，这些广告和读者还未逃往互联网。

2. 非限制性定语从句与并列谓语：
"Even American newspapers, which inhabit the most troubled corner of the global industry, have not only survived but often returned to profit."
【解析】which 引导非限制性定语从句，补充说明美国报纸处在全球报业最艰难的角落。主句的主语是 American newspapers，谓语动词通过 not only... but... 连接了两个并列的现在完成时：have survived 和 (have) returned。

3. 定语从句与反向推理：
"The whirlwind that swept through newsrooms harmed everybody, but much of the damage has been concentrated in areas where newspapers are least distinctive."
【解析】that 引导定语从句修饰 whirlwind（旋风/风暴）。where 引导定语从句修饰 areas。这句话是解答第29题的题眼：既然损害（裁员）集中在最没有特色的领域，说明在当前的报业中，“独特性”是保命的根本。