2022年考研考博-考博英语-东北大学考试名师押题精选卷I（带答案详解）试卷号27

住在富人区的她2022年考研考博-考博英语-东北大学考试名师押题精选卷I（带答案详解）（图片可根据实际调整大小）题型12345总分得分一.综合题(共50题)1.单选题

Thescientistsbecameveryexcitedastheyfelttheywereonthe（）ofadiscovery.

问题1选项

A.crest

B.borderline

C.brink

D.bluff

【答案】C

【解析】考查固定搭配。onthebrinkof“在……的边缘”，句意：当感觉自己处于一个发现的边缘时，科学家们变得非常兴奋。故C选项正确。

2.单选题

The（）effectsofthespawereevidentinherrosycheeksandbouncysteps.

问题1选项

A.abortive

B.waggish

C.salubrious

D.portentous

【答案】C

【解析】考查形容词词义辨析。A选项abortive“失败的；流产的；堕胎的”；B选项waggish“爱开玩笑的；滑稽的”；C选项salubrious“清爽的；有益健康的”；D选项portentous“不祥的；预兆的；令人惊讶的”。句意：水疗有益健康的效果在她红润的脸颊和轻快的步伐上明显地表现了出来。由句意可知C选项正确。

3.单选题

Theschoolmaster（）thegirl’sbraveryinhisopeningspeech.

问题1选项

A.applauded

B.enhanced

C.elevated

D.clapped

【答案】A

【解析】考查动词词义辨析。A选项applaud“赞同；称赞”；B选项enhance“提高；加强；增加”；C选项elevate“提高；举起；抬高”；D选项clap“拍手；鼓掌；轻轻拍打某人”。句意：校长在开幕致辞上称赞了这个女孩的勇敢行为。因此A选项正确。

4.单选题

Sustainabledevelopmentisappliedtojustabouteverythingfromenergytocleanwaterandeconomicgrowth,andasaresultithasbecomedifficulttoquestioneitherthebasicassumptionsbehinditorthewaytheconceptisputtouse.Thisisespeciallytrueinagriculture,wheresustainabledevelopmentisoftentakenasthesolemeasureofprogresswithoutaproperappreciationofhistoricalandculturalperspectives.

Tostartwith,itisimportanttorememberthatthenatureofagriculturehaschangedmarkedlythroughouthistory,andwillcontinuetodoso.MedievalagricultureinnorthernEuropefed,clothedandshelteredapredominantlyruralsocietywithamuchlowerpopulationdensitythanitistoday.Ithadminimaleffectonbiodiversity,andanypollutionitcausedwastypicallylocalized.Intermsofenergyuseandthenutrientscapturedintheproductitwasrelativelyinefficient.

Contrastthiswithfarmingsincethestartoftheindustrialrevolution,competitionfromoverseasledfarmerstospecializeandincreaseyields.Throughoutthisperiodfoodbecamecheaper,saferandmorereliable.However,thesechangeshavealsoledtohabitatlossandtodiminishingbiodiversity.

What’smore,demandforanimalproductsindevelopingcountriesisgrowingsofastthatmeetingitwillrequireanextra300milliontonsofgrainayearby2050.Yetthegrowthofcitiesandindustryisreducingtheamountofwateravailableforagricultureinmanyregions.

Allthismeansthatagricultureinthe21stcenturywillhavetobeverydifferentfromhowitwasinthe20th.Thiswillrequireradicalthinking.Forexample,weneedtomoveawayfromtheideathattraditionalpracticesareinevitablymoresustainablethannewones.Wealsoneedtoabandonthenotionthatagriculturecanbe“zeroimpact”.Thekeywillbetoabandontherathersimpleandstaticmeasuresofsustainability,whichcentreontheneedtomaintainproductionwithoutincreasingdamage.Insteadweneedamoredynamicinterpretation,onethatlooksattheprosandconsofallthevariouswayslandisused.Therearemanydifferentwaystomeasureagriculturalperformancebesidesfoodyield:energyuse,environmentalcosts,waterpurity,carbonfootprintandbiodiversity.Itisclear,forexample,thatthecarboncostoftransportingtomatoesfromSpaintotheUKislessthanthatofproducingthemintheUKwithadditionalheatingandlighting.Butwedonotknowwhetherlowercarbonfootprintswillalwaysbebetterforbiodiversity.

1.Howdopeopleoftenmeasureprogressinagriculture?

2.Specializationandtheefforttoincreaseyieldshaveresultedin（）.

3.Whatdoestheauthorthinkoftraditionalfarmingpractices?

4.Whatwillagriculturebelikeinthe21stcentury?

5.Whatistheauthor’spurposeinwritingthispassage?

问题1选项

A.Byitsproductivity.

B.Byitssustainability.

C.Byitsimpactontheenvironment.

D.Byitscontributiontoeconomicgrowth.

问题2选项

A.localizedpollution

B.theshrinkingoffarmland

C.competitionfromoverseas

D.thedecreaseofbiodiversity

问题3选项

A.Theyhaveremainedthesameoverthecenturies.

B.Theyhavenotkeptpacewithpopulationgrowth.

C.Theyarenotnecessarilysustainable.

D.Theyareenvironmentallyfriendly.

问题4选项

A.Itwillgothroughradicalchanges.

B.Itwillsupplymoreanimalproducts.

C.Itwillabandontraditionalfarmingpractices.

D.Itwillcausezerodamagetotheenvironment.

问题5选项

A.Toremindpeopleoftheneedofsustainabledevelopment

B.Tosuggestwaysofensuringsustainablefoodproduction.

C.Toadvancenewcriteriaformeasuringfarmingprogress.

D.Tourgepeopletorethinkwhatsustainableagricultureis.

【答案】第1题:B

第2题:D

第3题:C

第4题:A

第5题:D

【解析】1.【试题解析】推理判断题。通过题干定位到原文第一段“Thisisespeciallytrueinagriculture,wheresustainabledevelopmentisoftentakenasthesolemeasureofprogresswithoutaproperappreciationofhistoricalandculturalperspectives.”，中文翻译：这种情况在农业上尤其如此，可持续发展经常被当成是农业进步的唯一衡量标准，而农业的历史和文化方面却没有被恰当地了解。综合考虑，选项B“通过它的可持续性”符合题意。

2.【试题解析】细节事实题。根据题干定位到原文第三段“However,thesechangeshavealsoledtohabitatlossandtodiminishingbiodiversity.”，中文翻译：然而，这些改变也导致栖息地的减少和生物多样性的不断减少。可知最佳答案为D选项“生物多样性的减少”。

3.【试题解析】推理判断题。根据题干关键词traditionalfarmingpractices定位到原文第二段“Intermsofenergyuseandthenutrientscapturedintheproductitwasrelativelyinefficient.”，中文翻译：在能源使用和产品获取的营养方面，它（传统农业）是相对低效的。可以推断出答案选择C“它们不一定是可持续的”。

4.【试题解析】细节事实题。根据题干定位到原文最后一段“Allthismeansthatagricultureinthe21stcenturywillhavetobeverydifferentfromhowitwasinthe20th.”，中文翻译为：这一切意味着，21世纪的农业将与20世纪的农业迥然不同。因此判断正确答案为A“它将会经历彻底的变化”。

5.【试题解析】主旨大意题。根据题干定位到原文最后一段中心句“Insteadweneedamoredynamicinterpretation,onethatlooksattheprosandconsofallthevariouswayslandisused.”，中文翻译为：相反，我们需要一个更动态的解释，该解释会考虑所有各种各样土地使用方式的利与弊。以及文章第一段中“Thisisespeciallytrueinagriculture,wheresustainabledevelopmentisoftentakenasthesolemeasureofprogresswithoutaproperappreciationofhistoricalandculturalperspectives.”，中文翻译为：这种情况在农业上尤其如此，可持续发展经常被当成是农业进步的唯一衡量标准，而农业的历史和文化方面却没有被恰当地了解。可知，正确答案为D项“催促人们反思可持续的农业是什么”。

5.单选题

Well,nogainwithoutpain,theysay.Butwhataboutpainwithoutgain?EverywhereyougoinAmerica,youheartalesofcorporaterevival.Whatishardertoestablishiswhethertheproductivityrevolutionthatbusinessmenassumetheypresidingoverisforreal.

Theofficialstatisticsaremildlydiscouraging.Theyshowthat,ifyoulumpmanufacturingandservicestogether,productivityhasgrownonaverageby1.2%since1997.Thatissomewhatfasterthantheaverageduringthepreviousdecade.Andsince2001,productivityhasincreasedby2%ayear,whichismorethantwicethe1988-1997average.Thetroubleisthatpartoftherecentaccelerationisduetotheusualreboundthatoccursatthispointinabusinesscycle,andsoisnotconclusiveevidenceofarevivalintheunderlyingtrend.Thereis,asthetreasurysecretarysays,a“disjunction”betweenthemassofbusinessanecdotethatpointstoaleapinproductivityandthepicturereflectedbythestatistics.

Someofthiscanbeeasilyexplained.Newwaysoforganizingtheworkplace—allthatre-engineeringanddownsizing—areonlyonecontributiontotheoverallproductivityofaneconomy,whichisdrivenbymanyotherfactorssuchasjointinvestmentinequipmentandmachinery,newtechnology,andinvestmentineducationandtraining.Moreover,mostofthechangesthatcompaniesmakeareintendedtokeepthemprofitable,andthisneednotalwaysmeanincreasingproductivity:switchingtonewmarketsorimprovingqualitycanmatterjustasmuch.

Twootherexplanationsaremorespeculative.First,someofthebusinessrestructuringofrecentyearsmayhavebeenineptlydone.Second,evenifitwaswelldone,itmayhavespreadmuchlesswidelythanpeoplesuppose.

LeonardSchlesinger,aHarvardacademicandformerchiefexecutiveofAuBonPain,arapidlygrowingchainofbakerycafes,saysthatmuch“re-engineering”hasbeencrude.Inmanycases,liebelieves,thelossofrevenuehasbeengreaterthanthereductionsincost.Hiscolleague,MichaelBeer,saysthatfartoomanycompanieshaveappliedre-engineeringinamechanisticfashion,choppingoutcostswithoutgivingsufficientthoughttolong-termprofitability.BBDO’sAllenRosenshineisblunter.Hedismissesalotoftheworkofre-engineeringconsultantsasmererubbish—“theworstsortofambulance-chasing.”

81.Accordingtotheauthor,theAmericaneconomicsituationis（）.

82.Theofficialstatisticsonproductivitygrowth（）.

83.Theauthorraisesthequestion“Whataboutpainwithoutgain?”because（）.

84.Whatdoestheword“blunter”(para.5,line6)mean?

85.WhichofthefollowingstatementsisNOTmentionedinthepassage?

问题1选项

A.notasgoodasitseems

B.atitsturningpoint

C.muchbetterthanitseems

D.neartocompleterecovery

问题2选项

A.excludetheusualreboundinabusinesscycle

B.fallshortofbusinessmen’santicipation

C.meettheexpectationofbusinesspeople

D.failtoreflectthetruestateofeconomy

问题3选项

A.hequestionsthetruthof“nogainwithoutpain”

B.hedoesnotthinktheproductivityrevolutionworks

C.hewondersiftheofficialstatisticsaremisleading

D.liehasconclusiveevidencefortherevivalofbusinesses

问题4选项

A.reasonable

B.disturbed

C.moreinsensible

D.franker

问题5选项

A.Radicalreformsareessentialfortheincreaseofproductivity.

B.Newwaysoforganizingworkplacesmayhelpincreaseproductivity.

C.Thereductionofcostsisnotasurewaytogainlong-termprofitability.

D.Openingupnewmarketsmayincreasethecompanies’profitability.

【答案】第1题:A

第2题:B

第3题:B

第4题:D

第5题:A

【解析】1.【试题解析】细节事实题。根据题干定位到原文第二段“Theofficialstatisticsaremildlydiscouraging.”中文翻译为：官方的统计数字有点令人气馁。故选A“没有看上去那么好”。

2.【试题解析】细节事实题。根据题干定位到原文第二段“Thereis,asthetreasurysecretarysays,a‘disjunction’betweenthemassofbusinessanecdotethatpointstoaleapinproductivityandthepicturereflectedbythestatistics.”中文翻译：正如财政部长说的，生产力发生飞跃的商业传奇与统计数字所反映的情况之间存在着一种“脱节”。可知最佳答案为B选项“低于商人的预期”。

3.【试题解析】推理判断题。根据题干定位到原文第一段“Whatishardertoestablishiswhethertheproductivityrevolutionthatbusinessmenassumetheypresidingoverisforreal.”中文翻译：商人们认为自己主持着生产力革命，但是要确定是否确有其事却更加困难，以及尾段“BBDO’sAllenRosenshineisblunter.Hedismissesalotoftheworkofre-engineeringconsultantsasmererubbish.”中文翻译为：BBDO公司的艾伦•罗森希纳更加直率。他把许多重组咨询专家所做的工作视为垃圾。可以推断出答案选择B“他认为生产力革命并未奏效”。

4.【试题解析】词汇题。A:reasonable“合理的，公道的”；B:disturbed“打扰的：心烦意乱的”；C:moreinsensible“更无动于衷的”；D:franker“更直率的”。根据题干定位到原文第五段“BBDO’sAllenRosenshineisblunter.Hedismissesalotoftheworkofre-engineeringconsultantsasmererubbish.”中文翻译为：BBDO公司的艾伦•罗森希纳更加直率。他把许多重组咨询专家所做的工作视为垃圾，推测出blunter有“更直率的”含义，故选D。

5.【试题解析】细节事实题。根据B选项“组织工作场所的新方法可以帮助提高生产力”可以定位到原文第三段“Newwaysoforganizingtheworkplace—allthatre-engineeringanddownsizing—areonlyonecontributiontotheoverallproductivityofaneconomy.”中文翻译为：组织工作场所的新方法——所有那些重新设计和缩小规模的做法——只是对一个经济的整体生产力做出了一个方面的贡献……，根据C选项“降低成本并不能保证带来长期利润”可以定位到原文尾段“Hiscolleague,MichaelBeer,saysthatfartoomanycompanieshaveappliedre-engineeringinamechanisticfashion,choppingoutcostswithoutgivingsufficientthoughttolong-termprofitability.”中文翻译为：他的同事，迈克•比尔说，太多的公司已用机械的方式进行重组，在没有充分考虑到长期赢利能力的情况下降低了成本。根据D选项“打通新市场可能增加公司的利润率”可以定位到原文第三段“Moreover,mostofthechangesthatcompaniesmakeareintendedtokeepthemprofitable,andthisneednotalwaysmeanincreasingproductivity:switchingtonewmarketsorimprovingqualitycanmatterjustasmuch.”中文翻译为：另外，公司的大部分改革都是为了赢利，而这种需求并不总是意味着提高生产力：转向新的市场或改善产品质量也会有同样的功效。只有A选项未在文中提及，符合题意。

6.单选题

Thechairmanmadea（）statementbeforetheopeningceremony.

问题1选项

A.intensive

B.intermediate

C.preliminary

D.solitary

【答案】C

【解析】考查形容词词义辨析。A选项intensive“加强的；集中的；透彻的；加强语气的”；B选项intermediate“中间的，中级的”；C选项preliminary“初步的；开端的；预备性的”；D选项solitary“孤独的；独居的”。句意：在开幕式之前，这位主席做了一个预备性的陈述。根据句意，判断出C选项正确。

7.单选题

Animportantpropertyofascientifictheoryisitsabilityto（）furtherresearch.

问题1选项

A.stimulate

B.originate

C.renovate

D.endorse

【答案】A

【解析】考查动词词义辨析。A选项stimulate“刺激；鼓舞；激发”；B选项originate“引起；创作”；C选项renovate“更新；修复；革新；刷新”；D选项endorse“背书；赞同”。句意：科学理论的一个重要特性是它激发进一步研究的能力。根据句意，A选项正确。

8.单选题

The（）dancerwhowas70wasjusttooexhaustedtoproducegooddancemoves.

问题1选项

A.morass

B.hierarchical

C.effete

D.proselyte

【答案】C

【解析】考查词义辨析。A选项morass“沼泽；困境；乱糟糟的一堆”；B选项hierarchical“分层的；等级体系的”；C选项effete“衰老的；疲惫的；（土地）贫瘠的”；D选项proselyte“使改宗教信仰”。句意：年龄为70岁的这位衰老的跳舞者，实在是太疲惫而无法拿出好的舞蹈动作。结合句意判断出选项C正确。

9.单选题

Thelivelihoodofeachspeciesinthevastandintricateassemblageoflivingthingsdependsontheexistenceofotherorganisms.Thisinterdependenceissometimessubtle,sometimesobvious.Perhapsthemoststraightforwarddependenceofonespeciesonanotheroccurswithparasites,organismsthatliveonorinotherlivingthingsandderivenutrientsdirectlyfromthem.Theparasiticwayoflifeiswidespread.Amultitudeofmicroorganisms(includingvirusesandbacteria)andanarmyofinvertebrates—orcreatureslackingaspinalcolumn(includingcrustaceans,insects,andmanydifferenttypesofworms)—maketheirlivingsdirectlyattheexpenseofothercreatures.Inthefaceofthisonslaught,livingthingshaveevolvedavarietyofdefensemechanismsforprotectingtheirbodiesfrominvasionbyotherorganisms.

Certainfungiandevensomekindsofbacteriasecretesubstancesknownasantibioticsintotheirexternalenvironment.Thesesubstancesarecapableofkillingorinhibitingthegrowthofvariouskindsofbacteriathatalsooccupythearea,therebyeliminatingorreducingthecompetitionfornutrients.Thesameprincipleisusedindefenseagainstinvadersinothergroupsoforganisms.Forexample,whenattackedbydisease-causingfungiorbacteria,manykindsofplantsproducechemicalsthathelptowardofftheirinvaders.

Membersoftheanimalkingdomhavedevelopedavarietyofdefensemechanismsfordealingwithparasites.Althoughthesemechanismsvaryconsiderably,allmajorgroupsofanimalsarecapableofdetectingandreactingtothepresenceofforeigncells.Infact,throughtheanimalkingdom,fromspongestocertaintypesofworms,shellfish,andallvertebrates(creaturespossessingaspinalcolumn),thereisevidencethattransplantsofcellsorfragmentsoftissuesintoananimalareacceptedonlyiftheycomefromgeneticallycompatibleorcloselyrelatedindividuals.

Theabilitytodistinguishbetween“sel”and“nonself”,whilepresentinallanimals,ismostefficientamongvertebrates,whichhavedevelopedanimmunesystemastheirdefensemechanism.Theimmunesystemrecognizesandtakesactionagainstforeigninvadersandtransplantedtissuesthataretreatedasforeigncells.

1.Whatdoesthepassagemainlydiscuss?

2.Theword“intricate”inLineOneisclosestinmeaningto（）.

3.Accordingtothepassage,someorganismsproduceantibioticsinorderto（）.

4.Accordingtothepassage,atransplantoftissuebetweengeneticallyincompatibleorganismswillresultinthetransplantedtissue（）.

5.Accordingtothepassage,theabilitytodistinguishbetween“self”and“nonself”enablesvertebratesto（）.

问题1选项

A.Howparasitesreproduce.

B.Howorganismsreacttotheinvaders.

C.Howantibioticsworktocuredisease.

D.Howtheimmunesystemofvertebratesdeveloped.

问题2选项

A.difficult

B.widespread

C.critical

D.complex

问题3选项

A.preventdiseaseinhumans

B.aiddigestion

C.fightoffotherorganisms

D.createnewtypeofnutrients

问题4选项

A.becomingaparasite

B.beingtreatedasaninvader

C.alteringitsgeneticmakeup

D.developinganewimmunesystem

问题5选项

A.accepttransplantedcells

B.detectandreacttoinvasion

C.weakentheirimmunesystem

D.getridofantibiotics

【答案】第1题:B

第2题:D

第3题:C

第4题:B

第5题:B

【解析】1.【试题解析】主旨大意题。由题干可以定位到原文首段中心句“Inthefaceofthisonslaught,livingthingshaveevolvedavarietyofdefensemechanismsforprotectingtheirbodiesfrominvasionbyotherorganisms.”，中文翻译为：在面临这种袭击时，生物体已演化出各种各样的防御机制来保护自己的身体不被其他生物体入侵。因此答案为B选项：生物体如何反抗入侵者。

2.【试题解析】词汇题。A:difficult“困难的”；B:widespread“普遍的，广泛的；分布广的”；C:critical“鉴定的；批评的，危险的”；D:complex“复杂的”。由题干可以定位到文章第一段中“Thelivelihoodofeachspeciesinthevastandintricateassemblageoflivingthingsdependsontheexistenceofotherorganisms.”中文翻译为：在庞大而复杂的生物群落中，每个物种的生计都依赖于其他生物体的存在。得知intricate为“复杂的”，故选D。

3.【试题解析】细节事实题。由题干可以定位到文章第二段“Forexample,whenattackedbydisease-causingfungiorbacteria,manykindsofplantsproducechemicalsthathelptowardofftheirinvaders.”中文翻译为：例如，当遭受致病菌类或细菌攻击时，许多种类的植物产生有助于击溃入侵者的化学物质。因此，C选项“击退其他生物体”最符合题意。

4.【试题解析】推理判断题。根据题干定位到原文第三段“…thereisevidencethattransplantsofcellsorfragmentsoftissuesintoananimalareacceptedonlyiftheycomefromgeneticallycompatibleorcloselyrelatedindividuals.”中文翻译为：有证据表明，只有细胞或组织碎片来自在基因上相容或有密切关系的个体时，细胞或组织移植到一个动物中才会被接受。故B选项“被当成入侵者”最符合题意。

5.【试题解析】推理判断题。根据题干可以定位原文尾段“Theimmunesystemrecognizesandtakesactionagainstforeigninvadersandtransplantedtissuesthataretreatedasforeigncells.”中文翻译为：这个免疫系统识别并针对外来入侵者和被看成是外来细胞的移植组织采取行动。可以得知B项“发现和反抗入侵”最为符合。

10.单选题

Eversincetheriseofindustrialism,educationhasbeen（）towardsproducingworkers.

问题1选项

A.harnessed

B.hatched

C.motivated

D.geared

【答案】D

【解析】考查固定搭配。geartoward“专门朝向某事发展”。句意：自工业主义出现以来，教育一直专门生产工人。根据句意可知D选项正确。

11.单选题

Davidtendstofeeluselessandunwantedinasocietythatgivessomuch（）tothosewhoareaggressiveandcompetewell.

问题1选项

A.regime

B.prestige

C.superiority

D.legislature

【答案】B

【解析】考查名词词义辨析。A选项regime“政权；政体；社会制度；管理体制”；B选项prestige“威望；声望；声誉”；C选项superiority“优越；优势”；D选项legislature“立法机关；立法机构”。句意：在一个给予那些有进取心且相当有竞争力的人很多声誉的社会里，大卫倾向于认为自己无用且不被该社会所需要。根据句意可知B选项正确。

12.单选题

Thewomantrippedovertheunevenpavementand（）herelbow.

问题1选项

A.distorted

B.dislodged

C.disabled

D.dislocated

【答案】D

【解析】考查动词辨析。A选项distort“扭曲；使失真；曲解”；B选项dislodge“逐出，驱逐；用力移动”；C选项disable“使失去能力；使残废；使无资格”；D选项dislocate“使脱臼；使混乱”。句意：这位妇女绊倒在这个不平坦的人行道上，结果使自己的肘部脱臼。结合此处句意，判断出D选项正确。

13.单选题

Absorbedinherwork,shewastotally（）hersurroundings.

问题1选项

A.liablefor

B.obliviousof

C.competitivewith

D.ingeniousat

【答案】B

【解析】考查词组词义辨析。A选项liablefor“对……有责任”；B选项obliviousof“未觉察”；C选项competitivewith“可与……竞争”；D选项ingeniousat“善于”。句意：她沉迷于自己的工作中，完全没有觉察到周围的事物。结合句意，B选项正确。

14.单选题

FastReading

Newspapers

Newspapersaretheoriginalformofbroadbandcommunication,adistinctionnotalwaysrecognizedintheageoftheInternet.Longbeforewehadcomputers,televisions,radios,telephonesandtelegraphs,newspaperswerethecheapestandmostefficientwaytoreachmassaudienceswithnews,commentaryandadvertising.Newspapers,fromtheirbeginningsashand-printed“broadsheets”,havebeenatruerandom-accessmedium-readerscanmoveeasilyandquicklythroughthedifferentsectionsofanewspaper,returningtothemdaysorevenweekslater.Andbecauseanewspaper’s“software”consistsofacommonlanguage,itpossessesauniversalandtimelessquality.

WhatDidtheGrowthofTVNewsMeantoNewspapers?

Withthegrowthoftelevisionnewsinthe1960s,newspapersconfrontedtheirfirstformidablecompetitor.Today,ABCNewsclaimsthatmoreAmericansgettheirnewsfromABCthanfromanyothersource—andit’sprobablytrue.TheUnitedStates’1,600dailynewspaperscontinuetoservemillionsofreaders,butnewspapersarenolongerthecountry’sdominantmassmedium.Howtosurviveandevenflourishinaculturemoreattunedto（吻合）electronicmediathantoprinter’sinkisthemostseriousissuefacingthenewspaperindustryasitentersthe21stcentury.

ItissafetosaythatnewspapersarenotabouttofollowtheMorsetelegraphintooblivion.Newspapersareaportableconvenientmedium.Noonelugsacomputermonitortothebreakfasttabletogetthemorningnews.And,newspapersareprovingsurprisinglyadeptatreinventingthemselvesfortoday’sreadersbyemphasizinggooddesign,colorphotographyanddetailedstoriesthatreportandinterpretcurrentevents.

WhatExactlyIsNewsandHowDoesItWork?

Curiously,forapublicationcalledanewspaper,noonehasevercoinedastandarddefinitionofnews.Butforthemostpart,newsusuallyfallsunderonebroadclassification-theabnormal.Itishumanfolly,mechanicalfailuresandnaturaldisastersthatoften“makethenews”.Reportersareanewspaper’sfront-lineeyesandears.Reportersglean（收集）informationfrommanysources,somepublic,suchaspolicerecords,andothersprivate,suchasagovernmentinformant.Occasionally,areporterwillgotojailratherthanrevealthenameofaconfidentialsourceforanewsstory.Americannewspapersproudlyconsiderthemselvesthefourthbranchofgovernment—thewatchdogbranch—thatexposeslegislative,executiveandjudicialmisbehavior.

Somereportersareassignedtobeats,oranareaofcoverage,suchasthecourts,cityhall,education,business,medicineandsoforth.Othersarecalledgeneralassignmentreporters,whichmeanstheyareoncallforavarietyofstoriessuchasaccidents,civiceventsandhuman-intereststories.Inthemovies,reportershaveexciting,frenzied（狂热的）anddangerousjobsastheyliveafamouspronouncementofthenewspaperbusiness:“Comforttheafflictedandafflictthecomfortable.”Althoughafewmembersofthemediahavebeenkilledasaresultofinvestigationsintowrongdoing,newspaperworkforthegreatmajorityofreportersisroutine.

Allreportersareultimatelyresponsibletoaneditor.Dependingonitssize,anewspapermayhavenumerouseditors,beginningwithanexecutiveeditorresponsibleforthenewsdivision.Immediatelybelowtheexecutiveeditoristhemanagingeditor,thepersonwhooverseestheday-to-dayworkofthenewsdivision.Othereditors―sports,photo,state,national,featuresandobituary（讣告）,forexample—mayalsoreporttothemanagingeditor.

However,thebestknownandinsomewaysthemostcrucialeditoristhecityormetroeditor.Thisistheeditorthatreportersworkfordirectly.Thecityormetroeditorassignsstones,enforcesdeadlinesandisthefirsttoseereporters’rawcopyonthecompositionsystemorcomputernetwork.Theseeditorsarecalledgatekeepers,becausetheycontrolmuchofwhatwillandwillnotappearinthenextday’spaper.Oftenworkingunderthestressofbreakingnews,theirdecisionstranslatedirectlyintothecontentofthenewspaper.

Oncethecityormetroeditorhasfinishededitingareporter’srawcopy,thestorymovesfromthecompositionsystemviathecomputernetworktoanotherpartofthenewsdivision,thecopydesk.Here,copyeditorscheckforspellingandothererrorsofusage.Theymayalsolookfor“holes”inthestorythatwouldconfusereadersorleavetheirquestionsunanswered.Thecopydeskchiefroutesfinishedstoriestoothereditorswhofitlocalandwireservicestories,headlines（writtenbytheeditor—notthereporter!）anddigitalphotographsontopages.Newspapersareincreasinglydoingthiswork,calledpagination（分页）,withpersonalcomputersusingsoftwareavailableatanyofficesupplystore.MicrosoftWindows,WordandQuarkExpressarethreeprogramsthat,thoughnotdesignedfornewspaperproduction,areeasilyadaptedforit.

WhatAretheEditorialPagesAllAbout?

Anewspaperpublishesitsviewsoncurrentevents-bothlocalandnational-onitseditorialpages.Thisiswhereeditorials,unsignedcommentarythatreflectsthecollectivepositionofthenewspaper’seditorialboard,appear.Editorialsarenotnews,butratherreasonedopinionbasedonfacts.Forexample,editorialsmaycriticizetheperformanceofpublicofficialssuchasthemayor,thepolicechief,orthelocalschoolboard;conversely,editorialsmaypraiseothersfortheirciviccontributions.Whateverthetopic,newspapershopetheireditorialswillraisethelevelofcommunitydiscourse.

Twowaysthisoccursarefamiliartoanynewspaperreader―letterstotheeditorandop-edarticles（acontractionofopposite-editorialpage）.Lettersarealwaysamongthebest-readsectionofanynewspaper,forthisiswherereadersexpresstheiropinions.Op-edarticlesusuallyrun850to1,000words.Newspapersmakespaceforletterstotheeditorandop-edarticlesfreelyavailableaspartoftheircontributiontocivicdialogue.

Theeditorialpagesareunderthedirectionofaneditoroutsidethenewsdivision.Newspaperpeoplecallthis“separationofchurchandstate”,meaningthereisalinebetweennewsandopinionthatmustnotbecrossed.Todosostripsanewspaperofitsmostvaluableasset-credibility.Forthatreason,editorialpageeditorsatsomelargenewspapersreporttothepublisher,whoisthechiefexecutiveofficerofthecompany,andnottotheexecutiveeditor.Othernewspapersmayhavetheireditorialpageeditorreportingtotheexecutiveeditor.Whatevertheorganizationalmodel,though,neitherdepartmentcantelltheotherwhattopublishinthenewspaper.

HowAreNewspapersDistributed?

Responsibilityforgettingthenewspaperfromthepresstothereaderfallstothedistributiondivision.Largenewspaperspublishtwo,threeorevenfoureditions,allofwhichmustbereadytoleavethenewspaperplantatacertaintime.Thefirstedition,sometimescalledthebulldogedition（晨版）,goestotheouterlimitsofthenewspaper’scirculationarea.

Thismaybeseveralcountiesorevenanentirestate.Latereditionscontainprogressivelyfreshernewsandgotosmallerareas.Thefinaledition,whichgoestopressaftermidnight,containsthelatestnewsbutcoversthesmallestgeographicalarea,usuallyacity.

Anysubscribertoadailynewspaperknowsthatitplops（扑通落下）ontothedrivewayintheweehoursofthemorning.Independentcontractorscalledcarriersbuycopiesofthenewspaperatdiscountanddeliverthem,usingtheirpersonalvehicles.ThefirstjobformanyAmericanyoungsterswasdeliveringtheafternoonpaperintheirneighborhood.

Thecirculationdepartmentdrawstheroutesthatcarriersfollow.Thisdepartmentisalsoresponsibleforracksales,newspapersthatgointocoin-operateddispensers（自动售货机）.Thecirculationdepartmentmaintainssubscribers’billingrecords,stopsandstartsdeliveriesuponrequest,andusesservicerunnerstodelivermissingpapers.

In18hoursofhighlycoordinatedworkcarriedoutbynumerousdivisions,whatnewspaperpeoplecalla“roughdraftofhistory”asmovedthroughcomputersystems,imaging（成像）machinesandpresses,toitsfinaldestination-thereaders.

After3:30a.m.,fewpeopleremainatanewspaperplant.Alltheotherdivisionshavegonehome.Thepresseshavefallensilent,perhapsundergoingmaintenancefortheremainderofthenight.Thesuddensilencewillnotlastlong.Inlessthanfourhours,thenewspaper,asitmustdo365daysayear,willrousefromitsshortsleepandsta