The Power of the Press 媒體的力量
In democratic countries any efforts to restrict the freedom of the press are rightly condemned. However, this freedom can easily be abused. Stories about people often attract far more public attention than political events. Though we may enjoy reading about the lives of others, it is extremely doubtful whether we would equally enjoy reading about ourselves. Acting on the contention that facts are sacred, reporters can cause untold suffering to individuals by publishing details about their private lives. Newspapers exert such tremendous influence that they can not only bring about major changes to the lives of ordinary people but can even overthrow a government.
The story of a poor family that acquired fame and fortune overnight, dramatically illustrates the power of the press. The family lived in Aberdeen, a small town of 23,000 inhabitants in South Dakota. As the parents had five children, life was a perpetual struggle against poverty. They were expecting their sixth child and faced with even more pressing economic problems. If they had only had one more child, the fact would have passed unnoticed. They would have continued to struggle against economic odds and would have lived in obscurity. But they suddenly became the parents of quintuplets, four girls and a boy, an event which radically changed their lives. The day after the birth of the five children, an aeroplane arrived in Aberdeen bringing sixty reporters and photographers.
The rise to fame was swift. Television cameras and newspapers carried the news to everyone in the country. Newspapers and magazines offered the family huge sums for the exclusive rights to publish stories and photographs. Gifts poured in not only from unknown people, but from baby food and soap manufacturers who wished to advertise their products. The old farmhouse the family lived in was to be replaced by a new $500,000 home. Reporters kept pressing for interviews so lawyers had to be employed to act as spokes-men for the family at press conferences. While the five babies were still quietly sleeping in oxygen tents in a hospital nursery, their parents were paying the price for fame. It would never again be possible for them to lead normal lives. They had become the victims of commercialization, for their names had acquired a market value. Instead of being five new family members, these children had immediately become a commodity.
1.In democratic countries any efforts to restrict the freedom of the press are rightly condemned.
在民主國家里，任何限制新聞自由的企圖都理所當(dāng)然地受到譴責(zé)。
語言點(diǎn):由democratic（民主的）一詞拓展學(xué)習(xí):
Democrat民主人士，Democratic Party民主黨，Conservative Party保守黨，Radical Party激進(jìn)黨，Communist Party共產(chǎn)黨
2.However, this freedom can easily be abused.
然而，這種自由很容易被濫用。
語言點(diǎn):由abuse一詞拓展學(xué)習(xí):
Abuse of rights權(quán)力濫用，drug abuse藥物濫用，abuse of substance物質(zhì)濫用，abuse of women and children虐待婦女兒童
3.Stories about people often attract far more public attention than political events.
常人軼事往往比政治事件更能引起公眾注意。
本句適合模仿寫作:
寫作:相比自己平淡的生活，人們往往更喜歡在電視上看到一些奇聞?shì)W事。
Anecdotes about society on TV often draw much more attention than common life of people.
In democratic countries any efforts to restrict the freedom of the press are rightly condemned. However, this freedom can easily be abused. Stories about people often attract far more public attention than political events. Though we may enjoy reading about the lives of others, it is extremely doubtful whether we would equally enjoy reading about ourselves. Acting on the contention that facts are sacred, reporters can cause untold suffering to individuals by publishing details about their private lives. Newspapers exert such tremendous influence that they can not only bring about major changes to the lives of ordinary people but can even overthrow a government.
The story of a poor family that acquired fame and fortune overnight, dramatically illustrates the power of the press. The family lived in Aberdeen, a small town of 23,000 inhabitants in South Dakota. As the parents had five children, life was a perpetual struggle against poverty. They were expecting their sixth child and faced with even more pressing economic problems. If they had only had one more child, the fact would have passed unnoticed. They would have continued to struggle against economic odds and would have lived in obscurity. But they suddenly became the parents of quintuplets, four girls and a boy, an event which radically changed their lives. The day after the birth of the five children, an aeroplane arrived in Aberdeen bringing sixty reporters and photographers.
The rise to fame was swift. Television cameras and newspapers carried the news to everyone in the country. Newspapers and magazines offered the family huge sums for the exclusive rights to publish stories and photographs. Gifts poured in not only from unknown people, but from baby food and soap manufacturers who wished to advertise their products. The old farmhouse the family lived in was to be replaced by a new $500,000 home. Reporters kept pressing for interviews so lawyers had to be employed to act as spokes-men for the family at press conferences. While the five babies were still quietly sleeping in oxygen tents in a hospital nursery, their parents were paying the price for fame. It would never again be possible for them to lead normal lives. They had become the victims of commercialization, for their names had acquired a market value. Instead of being five new family members, these children had immediately become a commodity.
1.In democratic countries any efforts to restrict the freedom of the press are rightly condemned.
在民主國家里，任何限制新聞自由的企圖都理所當(dāng)然地受到譴責(zé)。
語言點(diǎn):由democratic（民主的）一詞拓展學(xué)習(xí):
Democrat民主人士，Democratic Party民主黨，Conservative Party保守黨，Radical Party激進(jìn)黨，Communist Party共產(chǎn)黨
2.However, this freedom can easily be abused.
然而，這種自由很容易被濫用。
語言點(diǎn):由abuse一詞拓展學(xué)習(xí):
Abuse of rights權(quán)力濫用，drug abuse藥物濫用，abuse of substance物質(zhì)濫用，abuse of women and children虐待婦女兒童
3.Stories about people often attract far more public attention than political events.
常人軼事往往比政治事件更能引起公眾注意。
本句適合模仿寫作:
寫作:相比自己平淡的生活，人們往往更喜歡在電視上看到一些奇聞?shì)W事。
Anecdotes about society on TV often draw much more attention than common life of people.