1、Be A Critical News Reader! 做一个有判断力的阅读者 Firefighters put out tower block fire 消防员扑灭高楼大火 Firefighters quickly put out the Henderson Tower fire last night. The fire, which is thought to have started from the 8th floor, spread quickly through the tower block on Sunday night, leaving people on the upper
2、floors trapped. Fears grew that the number of deaths could reach 5, according to figures released by emergency services. Fire engines and ambulances, called at 9:30 p.m., reached the scene within 15 minutes. By this time, the fire had extended to the 15th floor. Firefighters got the situation under
3、control around 11 p.m. There is concern that the construction company that built the tower block had not followed fire safety rules. 昨晚消防员迅速扑灭了亨德森大楼的大火。周日晚上的这场火灾被认为起于8楼，并迅速蔓延至整栋大 楼，导致九楼以上的人被困。根据应急服务机构公布的数据，人们更加担心死亡人数可能达到 5 人。昨 晚 9 点 30 分，消防车和救护车接到呼叫，并于 15 分钟内赶到火灾现场。此时火势已蔓延至十五楼。晚 上 11 点左右，消防员控制住了火势。有
4、人担心建造这栋高楼的建筑公司没有遵守消防安全规范。 Deadly fire in tower block causes serious damage 高楼致命大火造成严重损失 A terrible fire broke out on Sunday night, leaving the Henderson Tower seriously damaged. Emergency services estimate that the number of deaths could reach 9. By this morning, 4 people have been confirmed dead. T
5、he fire has also left dozens of people injured, 5 of whom are in a critical condition. Lisa Mayer, 29, is among the lucky ones who only suffered minor injuries. She recalled, I was about to have a bath when I heard people screaming and dogs barking. I looked outside and the smoke was choking me. It
6、was like an awful dream. 周日晚间突发一场可怕的大火，致使亨德森大楼严重受损。应急服务机构估计死亡人数可能达到 9 人。 截至今天上午，已有 4 人确认死亡。大火还造成许多人受伤，其中 5 人伤势严峻。29 岁的莉萨迈耶是只 受了轻伤的幸运人士之一。她回忆说：“我正要洗澡，就听到有人尖叫，还有狗在叫。我向外看，却被浓 烟呛住。这就像一场可怕的梦。” Mr Peterson, head of the fire service, confirms that a dropped cigarette end on a carpet of the 8th floor starte
7、d the fire and that the automatic fire alarms did not go off quickly enough to prevent the disaster. A team is currently investigating the accident further. 消防队队长彼得森先生证实，一根掉在九楼一块地毯上的烟头引起了火灾，而自动火警报警器没有及时 报警，因而导致了灾难的发生。调查组目前正在进一步调查这起事故。 Reading news reports critically 批判性地阅读新闻报道 We rely on news to lea
8、rn about what is happening in the world around us. However, we usually find that reports on the same events contain different or even contradictory information. How do these differences come about?我们依赖新闻来了解周围的世界正在发生什么事情。然而，我们经常发现，对同一事件的不同报道 往往包含不同甚至互相矛盾的信息。这些差异是如何产生的？ It is advisable to remember tha
9、t journalists may have different priorities, which would influence how they report an event. Lets take the two news reports on the Henderson Tower fire as an example. We can see that the first news report pays more attention to the rescue efforts, while the second talks more about deaths and injurie
10、s. When we read more than one report, we come to understand an event in a more comprehensive way. 明智的做法是记住记者眼中的首要事项可能会有所不同，这会影响他们如何报道一则事件。让我们以这 两篇有关亨德森大楼火灾的新闻报道为例。我们可以看到，第一篇新闻报道更关注救援工作，而第二篇 谈论更多的则是伤亡情况。当我们读到不止一篇报道时，我们就能更全面地了解一起事件。 Even if news reports are written from basically the same perspective,
11、 they may contradict each other in terms of factual details, as events in the real world are usually complicated and constantly changing. For instance, the numbers of deaths differ in the two news reports on the Henderson Tower fire. When we come across such factual differences, we should not rush t
12、o the conclusion that one of the news reports gives false information. Instead, check when the reports were written. News reports written at different stages of an event could contain different information as new facts are brought to light. Another aspect worthy of mention is that journalists may ap
13、proach information they get from research or interviews differently. Suppose emergency services estimates of the number of deaths vary between 5 and 9. Journalists may choose to present the minimum, the maximum or something in between in their news reports. Therefore, checking different sources enab
14、les us to draw a more informed conclusion. 即使新闻报道的撰写角度基本相同，它们也可能在事实性的细节上相互矛盾，因为现实世界中的事 件通常是复杂且不断变化的。例如，在两篇有关亨德森大楼火灾的新闻报道中，死亡人数截然不同。当 我们发现这些事实性差异时，不应急于下结论，认为其中一篇新闻报道提供了错误信息。相反，要核查 这些报道的撰写时间。随着新的事实被披露，在一起事件的不同阶段撰写的新闻报道可能包含不同的信 息。另一个值得一提的方面是，记者可能会以不同的方式处理他们从调查或采访中获得的信息。假设应 急服务机构估计的死亡人数在 5 人到 9 人之间，记者可能
15、会选择在他们的新闻报道中呈现数据的最小值、 最大值或中间的某个数值。因此，核实信息的不同来源能够让我们得出更有根据的结论。 To sum up, it is wise to read news reports written from various perspectives and at different stages, which brings us a more accurate understanding of a situation. We also need to be critical about the information we receive and remember
16、not to blindly trust what we have read. Though journalists are committed to presenting the truth, it is better to use our own judgement than rely entirely on news reports. With great discrimination, every one of us has the potential to be a critical news reader. 总之，阅读从不同角度、不同阶段写就的新闻报道是明智之举，这样可以让我们更准
17、确地了解情况。我 们也需要批判性地看待我们接收到的信息，并且记住不要盲目相信我们读到的新闻报道。尽管记者致力 于呈现真相，我们最好还是运用自己的判断力，而非完全依赖新闻报道。有了明辨是非的能力，我们每 个人都有潜力成为一名有判断力的新闻读者。X2U1 Mass Media 2 Advertising: the power of persuasion 广告：说服的力量 In just one day, a person can see hundreds of marketing messages. Advertising has become part of our modern life. B
18、ut what is advertising exactly? In short, it refers to the activity of promoting a product or service. In other words, it tries to persuade you to buy a product or service. 短短一天之内，一个人就能见到数百条促销信息。广告已然成为现代生活的一部分。但是，广告究竟是 什么？简单地说，广告指的是推销一种产品或服务的活动。换言之，广告试图说服人们购买一种产品或 服务。 The history of advertising has
19、always been closely linked with that of the mass media. From the ancient simple advertisements painted on outdoor signs to the colourful, interactive ones in smartphone apps, advertising and the mass media have developed hand in hand. As media channels have grown in number and type, so have advertis
20、ements. 广告的历史一直以来都与大众传媒的历史息息相关。从古代画在户外招牌上的简单的广告到智能手机应 用程序里丰富多彩的交互式广告,广告一直与大众传媒携手发展。随着媒体渠道数量的增加和类型的丰富， 广告也在不断发展。 Because the mass media reaches so many people, it is a perfect vehicle for advertisers. If an advertisement is placed on a popular website or on TV at peak times, a huge number of people w
21、ill know about the product or service it is advertising. In addition to making people aware of a product or service, a successful advertisement will also create a desire to buy, thus boosting business. That is why when a company wants to promote a product or service, it often launches a mass media a
22、dvertising campaign. 大众传媒的受众十分广泛，正因如此，广告商视其为广告宣传的完美工具。如果一则广告投放在一个热 门网站或在电视黄金时段播出,许多人都会知晓它所宣传的产品或服务。一则成功的广告除了让人们知晓 一种产品或服务外，还会激发购买欲，从而增加销售量。这就是为什么当一家公司想要推销产品或服务 时，往往会在大众传媒上发起一场广告活动。 Based on the psychology behind creating a desire to buy,advertisers have developed ways of persuading people into purch
23、asing their products or services. A common technique to make an impact is to create a memorable slogan. Slogans use simple but impressive language to make us remember the product or service being advertised. Some of these slogans may also appeal to our emotions. For example, a slogan may connect a f
24、ine china teapot it aims to promote with our pride in having good taste. You will hear a variety of slogans any time you watch TV. Think about your favourite one. What makes it special? And what message does it try to get across? A slogan which communicates an idea effectively can boost sales and ev
25、en become part of popular culture. That is the power of memorable slogans. 基于激发购买欲背后的心理特征，广告商研究出了各种方法说服人们购买他们的产品或服务。一种用于 影响消费者的常见手段是创作一则令人难忘的广告语。广告语用简单但令人印象深刻的语言使我们记住 它所宣传的产品或服务。有些广告语还能引起我们的情感共鸣。例如，一则广告语可能会用其打算推销 的一款精美的瓷器茶壶让我们联想到拥有高雅的品味所带来的自豪感。无论何时打开电视，你都会听 到各种各样的广告语。想想你最喜欢的那则广告。它有什么特别之处？它试图传达什么样的信息
26、？ Another technique advertisers often employ is to link their company or product to a “brand ambassador”a famous actor, a sports star, or even a fictional character. Think of a popular fast-food restaurant. Does it have a brand ambassador? Is the brand ambassador popular among potential customers? T
27、he more we like the brand ambassador, the more we will be attracted to buy the product. 广告商常用的另一种手段是将其公司或产品与一位“品牌大使”联系起来，例如一位著名演员、体育明星， 甚至是一个虚构人物。想想一家很受欢迎的快餐店。它有品牌大使吗？这位品牌大使是否受到潜在消费 者的喜爱？我们越喜欢这位品牌大使，就越会受其吸引而去购买相关产品。 Of course, some advertisements are not so obvious. For example, product placement is
28、 typically used in films with huge box-office success and TV shows with high ratings. Some films are now sponsored by leading brands, so that only their products appear in the films, like the watches worn by the title character in the James Bond films. Other types of mass media use product placement
29、 too, including video games. It is not uncommon for sports video game series to feature different in-game equipment with real brand names. We absorb these marketing messages without thinking about them too much, yet they probably have an effect on us the next time we go shopping. 当然，有些广告并不那么明显。在超高票房
30、的电影或高收视率的电视节目中，植入式广告是很典型的。 如今一些电影由知名品牌赞助，因而只有该品牌的产品会出现在电影中，比如“007”系列电影的主人公詹 姆斯邦德佩戴的手表。其他类型的大众传媒也会采用植入式广告，包括电子游戏。在体育电子游戏系列 中，用真实的品牌名给不同的游戏装备命名的做法并不罕见。我们没有多加思考就吸收了这些促销信息， 而这些信息有可能在我们下次购物时对我们产生影响。 In the past, advertising was all about reaching as many people as possible with the same message. Now, adv
31、ertising is becoming more digital and more personalized. Already we may see online advertisements for products we have previously searched for on the Internet, and we are very likely to receive special discounts and promotions targeted specifically at us. In the future, advertising will be even more
32、 about understanding individual customers and sending them advertisements that are tailored to specific needs. Not only will this make them feel more valued and enable them to see what they are most interested in, but it will also help companies target their customers more efficiently to have a positive effect on sales. 在过去，广告只是要向尽可能多的人传播同样的信息。而现在，广告则变得更加数字化与个性化。我们 或许已经见过针对自己之前在网上搜索过的产品或服务的在线广告，而且很可能会收到专门为我们定制 的特殊折扣和促销活动。在未来，广告将更注重对个体消费者的了解，并向他们发送针对其特定需求而 特制的广告。这不仅会让消费者觉得自己更受重视，还能让他们看到自己最感兴趣的内容，此外也能帮 助公司更加有效地锁定目标客户，从而对销售量产生积极影响。学科网（北京）股份有限公司
