现代大学英语精读5第12课LessonTwelv

1、Lesson 12How News Becomes Opinion and Opinion Off-limits 1精选课件pptBackground About the author Salman Rushdie (1947- ) :British writer, born in Bombay, educated in England. No book in modern times has matched the uproar sparked by his The Satanic Verses (撒旦诗篇） in Sept., 1988, . Although the book was g

2、enerally praised in Europe and America, it was widely condemned in the Muslim world. In 1989 protests burst into full public consciousness. The book was burned in England and Iran. Rushdie went into hiding .2精选课件pptLater in 1989 leader of the Iranian revolution, also the target of a freely satirical

3、 portrait in the novel, responded by issuing a denunciation (谴责, 告发)of Rushdie called a fatwa .(伊斯兰教)法学家的裁决in which he declared: “ I inform all zealous Muslims of the world that the author of the book entitled The Satanic Verseswhich has been compiled, printed and published in opposition to Islam, t

4、he prophet, and the Quranand those involved in its publication who were aware of its content , are sentenced to death.I call on all zealous Muslims to execute them quickly, wherever they may be found, so that no one else will dare to insult the Muslim sanctities. God Willing, whoever is killed on th

5、is path is a martyr.”Shortly afterward Rushdie went into hiding, guarded by British policemen who were his constant companions until Iran lifted the fatwa in 1998.3精选课件pptStructure of the Text Part I (Paras. 14) a vivid introduction leading to the point of the common ground occupied by both novelist

6、s and journalists. Part II (Paras. 56)The theme of this essay is brought out in this section: For the ultimate goal of both factual and fictional writing is the truth, however paradoxical that may sound. 4精选课件pptPart III (Paras. 79) The common ground of journalism and novel writing before the advent

7、 of television.Part IV (Paras. 1012) The common ground has ceased to exist since the appearance of televisions. News has become a matter of opinions.Part V (Paras. 1317) This section deals with the power of character creation. As a result of profiling, one is mutated into someone he does not recogni

8、ze. The writer considers this process improper.5精选课件pptPart VI (Paras. 1819)The writers attitude towards protection-of-privacy law and free speech.Part VII (Paras. 2023)The writer brings out in this section the idea of censorship in the form of the concept of respect.6精选课件pptThe Main Idea The author

9、 urges people to treasure and continue to practice the disrespect for power, for orthodoxies. and to keep up the free expression of opinions. 7精选课件pptDetailed studyPara. 1 1. Pay attention to the structure of I was wondering when”. Implication: The implication is it so happened that when I was think

10、ing about the issue I came across a correction in a newspaper.2. This what, if any pattern is worth noticing. ，if any意思是果真有，即使有，表示加强语气。In using this pattern, the writer is expressing the view that he does not think there is any. E.g. I did not consider what, if any, objection there was to this plan.

11、There is little, if any, hope.8精选课件ppt3. common ground: basis for agreement shared by all4. Paraphrase the following part: I was wondering., journalists.I was curious about the fact whether novelists and journalists had any basis for agreement and if there was any, then what was that common ground.9

12、精选课件pptPara2 1. It is a short announcement on the part of the British daily newspaper Independent, retracting a report a day earlier about Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. This short announcement raises a number of questions in the readers mind: 1)Who is this Sir Andrew L. Webber?10精选课件ppt2). Farming ostric

13、hes is not harmful, Why did the newspaper have to make a correction?3) What is the implication of this retraction? What light does this incident throw on the newspaper?11精选课件pptPara3 1. One can only guess., the human distress, the protests.1) human distress refers to the feeling of Sir Webber who mu

14、st have felt wronged and hurt. He must have felt that his reputation had been damaged.2) the protests refer to the complaints from Sir Webber and others on his behalf and the intervention of people to demand the retraction.3) Why does the writer write one can only guess?The statement is short and te

15、rse and does not reveal any inside story for the retraction. But one thing is clear: the newspaper will not retract the allegation voluntarily. So this is a safe guess.12精选课件ppt4) Does the writer really think the sentences are admirably laconic? Why does he use the word admirably then? laconic sente

16、nces: Newspaper is forced/ compelled to make correction, not willingly, so they use short sentences to correct. Behind correction, people feel hurt by farming ostriches.The writer is using the word in an ironical way, implying that the newspaper was compelled to take back the allegation against its

17、will. so the production of a short, colorless, matter-of-fact statement.13精选课件ppt4. Britain has been going through a period of what one might call heightened livestock insecurity It means Britain has been plagued by the spread of the diseases of mad cow and hoofand mouth and the fear of the spread h

18、as been intense.heightened livestock insecurity: 1990s plagues involving the “mad cow” disease and the “hoof and mouth” disease, both of which led to the slaughter of large numbers of animals who were or might have been infected.14精选课件pptOstrich farming bubble: In the past, ostrich is raised for ski

19、n, feather (used on ladys cap), meat, egg. Later, because of mad-cow disease, they believe ostrich meat is better than beef, so they raised ostrich for its meat. Now in Britain, they raise ostrich for eggs or for young ostrich. It was once beneficial, so many people raise it, as a result, supply exc

20、eeds demand, and there is no market for it now. so we say it is a bubble. Early ones make great profit and later ones suffer loss. 15精选课件pptAs well asostrich farming bubble, or swindle.Why does the writer use this term “ alarming” ,“ great” to describe the case of ostrich-farming bubble?Ostrich-farm

21、ing bubble, compared with other fraudulent activities, is actually insignificant but the writer uses these words to exaggerate the seriousness of the bubble, or swindle. Such exaggeration achieves a humorous and ironical effect, which leads to the following remark.16精选课件pptIn these overheated times.

22、, this reputation has been slighted.What does overheated times refer to? Why does the writer consider the current period overheated?Overheated times refers to the public anxiety in Britain where people were scared by the reports, of the spread of mad-cow disease and hoof-and-month disease. People be

23、came over-sensitive and would easily overreact to the slightest allegation. In using the phrase overheated times, the writer expresses his disapproval of such hysteria. The writer means that since the British people were in such prickly mood, it was understandable that Sir Andrew Webber would feel s

24、trongly about such an allegation. Allegation: an assertion made without proof17精选课件pptPara4 1. Plainly, it was quite wrong., was breeding ostriches.This statement serves as a transition, linking this paragraph up with the previous one. The statement repeats the idea embodied in the last sentence of

25、the previous paragraph.2. He is, of course, a celebrated exporter of musical turkeys: Undoubtedly Sir Webber is famous for his composition of music for a number of lightweight, money-making musicals which have been exported to other countries.of course: certainly; without doubt The phrase is used he

26、re to denote irony, meaning that he is undoubtedly famous, not in ostrich farming, but in musical turkey exporting. If the former (ostrich-farming) is no longer complimentary nowadays, the latter is no better. 18精选课件ppt3. But if we agree for a moment to permitaccount for their activities?the basic i

27、dea of this sentence is : Since those who commit fraudulence should be punished, those who reaped profits by fraud in ostrich-farming should also be brought to light and punished.但是， 如果我们姑且同意允许把据传闻既隐秘又具有欺诈性的鸵鸟养殖作为世界上所有欺诈性活动的代表的话，那我们不也得同意找出那些鸵鸟养殖农场主、点出他们的名字，并让他们解释自己的行为是很重要的吗？19精选课件ppt4. Is this not t

28、he very heart of the project of a free press?1）This is the chief purpose/real meaning of the institution of a newspaper which is independent, not controlled by a government or an interest group. 2)heart: real meaning; essence; vital part3）why is the idea expressed in a question from? Does the writer

29、 want an answer?4)这难道不是享有新闻自由的报纸的宗旨所在吗？20精选课件ppt 5. And might there not be occasions . in the national interest? There might be occasions for editors to accept this kind of report on the ground of national interest in spite of the fact that the evidence was not strong enough and the source of the re

30、port was provided by an informer and therefore maybe questionable.这难道不是所有的编辑们很可能会遇到的情况吗尽管证据还不够扎实充分,而其来源也许来自告密者，但是从国家的利益考虑,他们准备接受这种内容的消息。21精选课件pptPart II (Paras.5-6) The theme of this essay is brought out in this section: For the ultimate goal of both factual and fictional writing is the truth, howev

31、er paradoxical that may sound.22精选课件pptPara 51. I am arriving by degreethe truth.1)by degree: gradually arrive: reachThe function of the “that”23精选课件ppt2. For the ultimate goal of both factual and fictional writing is the truth, however ., that may sound: The final purpose of news reporting and nove

32、l writing is the telling of the truth, although this may sound contradictory. 3. And truth is slippery, hard to establish: Truth is not easy to grasp and very difficult to prove.24精选课件ppt4. And if truth can set you free, it can also land you in hot water: If truth can set you free: the biblical orig

33、inal The truth shall make (set) you free (John8:32) is more positive. The original meaning is you shall know the truth and you shall be made free by the savior. it can also land you in hot water: it can also get you into great trouble 25精选课件ppt5. Fine as the word sounds, truth is all too often unpal

34、atable, awkward, unorthodox.: Though truth may give people the impression that it is good and wonderful, it is unacceptable to the mind, embarrassing and hostile to conventional expectations.26精选课件ppt6. The armies of received ideas are marshaled against it: It will encounter the resistance and oppos

35、ition of strong force of traditional ideas.7. The legions of all those who stand to profit by useful untruths will march against it: The large number of people, who benefit from false ideas (facts), from lies, will gang up to fight against/to suppress the truth.8. “Marshal” and “march” are also used

36、 as alliteration. And the two sentences are parallel sentences.27精选课件ppt 然而真话难以掌握，难以确定。也可能会犯错误，就像劳埃德韦柏事件那样。如果讲真话能使你获得解放，它也能使你陷入困境。真话这个词听起来好听，但往往令人不快、发窘、有悖于传统观念。传统意识会组成大军反对它。人数众多的谎言得益者会向其发起攻击。但是只要有一点可能，真话必须讲。28精选课件pptPara 6: a transition, leading to the connection of the two concepts29精选课件pptPara10 1

37、. This is no longer the case, either for literature or for journalism.This sentence serves as a transition, linking the previous paragraph which deals with the role of literature and print journalism with this paragraph.30精选课件pptnovels can just occasionally still lift the lid on a hidden world more

38、effectively than the finest reporting: novels can still, from time to time, bring out secrets (or activities hidden from the ordinary people) in a way that is more forceful and devastating than the best newspaper report.To lift the lid on a hidden world: the writer is comparing the exposure of behin

39、d-the-scene activities to the lifting of the lid of a bottle.31精选课件pptThe phrase the news about the news means 1) stories about how news is gathered or 2) interpretation of the news. We read for opinion, attitude, spin., but to get a take on the news that we like. 我们看报纸，是要知道报纸的看法、态度、倾向。我们看报纸不是为了没有分析

40、的数据，不是像狄更斯小说艰难时世中的主人公格拉德格林德那样，一天到晚就是“事实，事实、 事实”，我们要的是对我们有兴趣的新闻的解读。32精选课件pptGradgrind: a character in Hard Times(1854) by Charles Dickens in which Gradgrind, an unfavorable character totally lacking in imagination, focuses obsessively on plain dull facts. Paragraph 10 raises three key questions:1) Wh

41、y have literature and print journalism lost their original function of providing news?They have lost this function because the TV and radio can bring news to the people more quickly.2) What role have they undertaken? They have undertaken the role of providing versions of the world.3) What, according

42、 to the writer, do people read newspapers for? They read newspapers, not for news, but for opinions, attitudes, trends and interpretations. They read for the newspapers view of the world.33精选课件pptPara. 11 1. What is the difference between the British press and the American press?The British press is

43、 chiefly a national press while in the United States, there are many local papers catering to concerns for local issues and taking on local characteristics.34精选课件ppt2. where the great proliferation., local characteristics. Proliferation: rapid increase in number “Additional is used here to denote th

44、at the following service is added to the services of a national paper.3. quality papers: British national newspapers are divided into 3 groups: quality, popular and mid-market papers on the basis of differences in style and content.Quality papers are directed at readers who want full information on

45、a wide range of public matters.Popular newspapers appeal to people wanting news of a more entertaining character presented more concisely. Mid-market newspapers fall between these two types.Quality papers are normally broadsheet (large-sheet) in format and the rest tabloid (small-sheet).35精选课件pptWhy

46、 does the writer think British quality papers are successful? What reason does the writer give for the decline of the Independent?He considers them successful because these papers and their respective reader pool share similar views of British society and the world. In other words, each of these pap

47、ers caters to the concepts, positions and value of its targeted readers.The Independent has recently gone downhill because it has lost sight of and failed to cater to their vision of British society and of the world. 36精选课件pptPart V paras1317 This section deals with the power of character creation.

48、As a result of profiling, one is made into someone he does not recognize. The writer considers this process improper.37精选课件pptPara. 13 It is for the novelists., nourishes his readers. 小说家的任务是构建、传播并在一段时间内继续种连贯的个人对世界的看法，使其读者得到享受、引起其兴趣、使其思想得到激活、激励和营养38精选课件pptPara14 1. One of the more extraordinary trut

49、hs . invented for them by the British press: The basic structure of the sentence is : one of the . truths.is thatfigures have had their characters39精选课件ppt2. And such is the power of the fiction, unable to escape the fiction of their imaginary lives. Persona: The characters in a dramatic or literary

50、 work.(戏剧或文学作品中的)角色,人物; Main idea: Royal figures look and behave more and more like the persons created by press(真的人物越来越像报纸上所描写的形象) . They cant/are unable to avoid the images invented by press. This shows the power of character creation. 40精选课件pptThe key idea of this sentence is: instead of portrayi

51、ng in the press the actual character of the members of the royal family, the press has moved to create characters. As a result, the royal members begin to behave like their print characters, not the other way round. 创作之威力无比巨大。活生生的王族成员越来越像他(她)们在报上的角色，无法逃脱为他(她)们创造的想像的生活41精选课件ppt1) This is an inverted

52、sentence for emphasis 2) How powerful is such invention, according to the writer?As a result of such inventions, the actual members of the royal family have looked more and more like the kind of people portrayed in the press.3) the writers tone really feels that the press has such power?42精选课件pptPar

53、a15 This paragraph continues to deal with the power of character creation. The attitude of the writer comes out in this sentence: Never have personality profiles and people columns never has gossipoccupied as much of newspaper as they now do.43精选课件ppt1. The creation of “ characters” is, in fact jour

54、nalisms stock in tradestock in trade: 1) tools, materials, etc. used in carrying on a trade or a business 2) any resources, practices, or devices characteristically employed by a given person or group ; all the requisites of a trade or profession. 看家本领,基本手段 Explanation: Actually, the portrayal of fi

55、ctional characters has quickly become a most important device employed by the press.44精选课件ppt2. Never have personality profiles and people columns as they now doPersonality: A person as the embodiment of distinctive traits of mind and behavior. 人物(作为思想和行为出色特征化身的人)People column: A feature article abo

56、ut people that appears regularly in a publication, such as a newspaper. 专栏人物人物特写和人物专栏,还有那些流言蜚语,从来没有像今天这样占据了报纸这么大的篇幅.45精选课件ppt3. The word “profile” is apt. What is a profile? Why does the writer consider the word apt?The word is appropriate because this is the essence of character creation, the prese

57、ntation of a character very different from the person in flesh and blood. The tone of the statement is ironical.46精选课件ppt4. In a profile, the subject is never confronted head-on but receives a sidelong glance: head-on adj., adv 1) with the head or front foremost a head-on collision2) directly; esp.,

58、 in direct opposition to meet a problem head-on47精选课件pptIn a character portrayal, the person is never depicted in a straight-forward, direct way but from a predetermined, maybe biased, angle.48精选课件ppt5. Yet the images created in these curious texts., they are also self-perpetuating1) often with thei

59、r subjects collusion: often with the tacit agreement of those being thus portrayed Collusion: A secret agreement between two or more parties for a fraudulent, illegal, or deceitful purpose. 勾结，共谋,Next to impossible： almost impossible49精选课件ppt2) and thanks to . they are also self-perpetuating: and du

60、e to the power of newspaper clippings file, that is to say, the collection of all the repetitious reports on one particular subject, the images will continue to last without any external helpOnce the character is created by press , the real persons find it hard/ difficult to change it. 50精选课件pptPara