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Of all the“old”media，newspapers have the most to lose from the Internet.Circulation has been falling in America，Western Europe，Latin America，Australia and New Zealand for decades（elsewhere，sales are rising）.But in the past few years the web has hastened the decline.In his book The Vanishing Newspaper，Philip Meyer calculates that the first quarter of2043 will be the moment when newsprint dies in America as the last exhausted reader tosses aside the last crumpled edition.That sort of extrapolation would have produced a harrumph from a Beaverbrook3 or a Hearst 4 ，but even the most cynical news baron could not dismiss the way that ever more young people are getting their news online.
Advertising is following readers out of the door.The rush is almost unseemly，largely because the Internet is aseductive medium that supposedly matches buyers with sellers and proves to advertisers that their money is well spent.Classified ads，in particular，are quickly shifting online.
Newspapers have not yet started to shut down in large numbers，but it is only a matter of time.Over the next few decades half the rich world's general papers may fold.Jobs are already disappearing.
Having ignored reality for years，newspapers are at last doing something.In order to cut costs，they are already spending less on journalism.Many are also trying to attract younger readers by shifting the mix of their stories towards entertainment，lifestyle and subjects that may seem more relevant to people's daily lives than international affairs and politics are.They are trying to create new businesses on-line and off-line.And they are investing in free daily papers，which do not use up any of their meagre editorial resources on uncovering political corruption or corporate fraud.So far，this fit of activity looks unlikely to save many of them.Even if it does，it bodes ill for the public role of the Fourth Estate 5 .
In future，as newspapers fade and change，will politicians therefore burgle their opponents'offices with impunity，and corporate villains whoop as they trample over their victims？Journalism schools and think-tanks，especially in America，are worried about the effect of a crumbling Fourth Estate.Are today's news organizations“up to the task of sustaining the informed citizenry on which democracy depends？”asked a recent report about newspapers from the Carnegie Corporation of New York，a charitable research foundation.
Nobody should relish the demise of once-great titles.But the decline of newspapers will not be as harmful to society as some fear.Democracy，remember，has already survived the huge televisionled decline in circulation since the 1950s.It has survived as readers have shunned papers and papers have shunned what was in stuffier times thought of as serious news.And it will surely survive the decline to come.
The usefulness of the press goes much wider than investigating abuses or even spreading general news；it lies in holding governments to account—trying them in the court of public opinion.The Internet has expanded this court.Anyone looking for information has never been better equipped.People no longer have to trust a handful of national papers or，worse，their local city paper.News-aggregation sites such as Google News draw together sources from around the world.The website of Britain's Guardian now has nearly half as many readers in America as it does at home.
In addition，a new force of“citizen”journalists and bloggers isitching to hold politicians to account.The web has opened the closed world of professional editors and reporters to anyone with a keyboard and an Internet connection.Several companies have been chastened by amateur postings—offlames erupting from Dell's laptops or of cable-TV repairmen asleep on the sofa.Each blogger is capable of bias and slander，but，taken as a group，bloggers offer the searcher-after-truth boundless material to chew over.Of course，the Internet panders to closed minds；but so has much of the press.
In future，argues Carnegie 6 ，some high-quality journalism will also be backed by non-profit organizations.An elite group of serious newspapers available everywhere online，independent journalism backed by charities，thousands of fired-up bloggers and well-informed citizen journalists：there is every sign that Arthur Miller's national conversation will be louder than ever.
1.This text is taken from The Economist.
2.Arthur Asher Miller（1915－2005）was a prolific American playwright，essayist，and prominent figure in twentieth-century American theatre.Among his most popular plays are All My Sons（1947），Death ofa Salesman（1949），The Crucible（1953）and A Viewfrom the Bridge（1955，revised 1956）.During his time，he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
3.Beaverbrook：British newspaper publisher and politician（born in Canada）；confidant of Winston Churchill（1879－1964）.
4.Hearst：United States newspaper publisher whose introduction of large headlines and sensational reporting changed American journalism（1863－1951）.
5.the Fourth Estate：第四等级，又称第四阶级，第四权力。（新闻界的别称）
6.Dale Carnegie（1888－1955）was an American writer and lecturer and the developer of famous courses in self-improvement，salesmanship，corporate training，public speaking，and interpersonal skills.He was the author of How to Win Friends and Influence People（1936），a bestseller that remains popular today.
1.circulation［sɜːkjəˈleiʃn］n.the dissemination of copies of periodicals（as newspapers or magazines）；movement through a circuit；especially the movement of blood through the heart and blood vessels；number of copies of a newspaper or magazine that are sold流通，传播；循环；发行：The Daily News once had the highest circulation of any daily in the country.《每日新闻报》的发行量曾位居全国所有日报之首。
2.toss aside：throw away扔弃；搁置不管：His promotion to an executive manager made him toss aside all his care.他提升为行政经理后，把所有的顾虑都抛开了。
3.crumple［ˈkrʌmpl］v.become wrinkled or crumpled or creased；fold or collapse弄皱；起皱；倒坍：Crumple a few sheets into balls and place them in with piles of kindling.将报纸弄皱攒成球状，把它们和劈柴放在一起。
4.extrapolation［ekˌstræpəˈleiʃən］n.an inference about the future（or about some hypothetical situation）based on known facts and observations推断，推知，推测：Nobody really knows how to make that extrapolation.没有人真正知道如何推算。
5.harrumph［həˈrʌmf］n.groaning哼声；鼻息：The response of government officials on nearby Jersey can best be summarized as“harrumph”.对于邻近的泽西岛官员的反映，最佳的总结是“嗤之以鼻”。
6.baron［ˈbærən］n.a nobleman of varying rank；a very wealthy or powerful businessman；a British peer of the lowest rank大亨；巨头；男爵：The currency exchange is run by a heroin baron.现金兑换由海洛因大亨经营。
7.seductive［siˈdʌktiv］adj.tending to entice into a desired action or state有魅力的；性感的；引人注意的：There was a very seductive singer who lured every men and even kissed Lucius Malfoy！那儿有一位非常性感的歌手，她不但引起了在场所有的男人的注意，甚至还吻了卢修斯·马尔福！
8.meagre［ˈmiːɡə］adj.deficient in amount or quality or extent贫乏的；贫弱的；瘦的：The rations that they gave us were meagre and inadequate.他们给我们的配给量很少，是不够的。
9.editorial［ˈediˈtɔːriəl］adj.relating to or characteristic of an editor；of or relating to an article stating opinions or giving perspectives编辑的；社论的；n.an article giving opinions or perspectives社论：Examine not only demographics and geographic areas，but also programming or editorial style.不仅要审查人口和地理区域，而且要考虑设计或编辑风格。
10.corruption［kəˈrʌpʃn］n.use of a position of trust for dishonest gain；in a state of progressive putrefaction贪污，腐败；堕落：The people all over the country were repulsed by the political corruption.全国人民对这种政治上的腐败现象都极为反感。
11.fraud［frɔːd］n.intentional deception resulting in injury to another person；a person who makes deceitful pretenses；deliberate trickery intended to gain an advantage欺骗；骗子；诡计：So what should you do if you think you have been a victim of fraud？那么，如果你认为自己已经成了欺诈的受害者，你该做什么？
12.bode［bəʊd］v.indicate by signs预示；为……的兆头：These reasons have nothing to do with the man you're marrying，and they bode for an unhappy future，a future where you'll be only half alive.这些原因都和你要嫁的那个男人毫无关系，而且它们预示的是一个快乐打折、鲜活减半的未来。
13.burgle［ˈbɜːɡl］v.commit a burglary；enter and rob a dwelling偷窃；破门盗窃：If someone tries to burgle your laptop，he or she will have to enter a password.如果有人试图偷窃你的笔记本电脑，他或她必须输入一个密码。
14.impunity［impunity］n.exemption from punishment or loss不受惩罚；无患：There needs to be an absolute end to an era of impunity for political assassinations in Lebanon.在黎巴嫩进行政治刺杀而可以不受惩罚的时代必须结束。
15.villain［ˈvilən］n.a wicked or evil person；the principle bad character in a film or work of fiction坏人，恶棍；戏剧、小说中的反面角色：I left the room，feeling like a villain and a murderer.我离开了房间，感觉像一个恶棍和一个杀人犯。
16.whoop［hwuːp;hwʊp］v.shout，as if with joy or enthusiasm；cough spasmodically叫喊；喘息：She whoops with delight at a promise of money.她一听到答应给她钱就兴高采烈地欢呼起来。
17.trample［ˈtræmpl］v.tread or stomp heavily or roughly；deliberately ignore践踏；踩坏；无视：They don't want people trampling the grass，pitching tents or building fires.他们不希望人们踩踏草坪、支帐篷或生火。
18.think-tank：a group of experts who are gathered together by an organization，especially by a government，to consider various problems and try and work out ways to solve them（尤指政府的）智囊团；智库：The persons interviewed were think-tank experts，officials，businessmen and women，journalists，cultural and religious leaders.这些受访的人包括智囊团专家、政府官员、商人、新闻从业者、文化领袖和宗教领袖。
19.citizenry［ˈsitizənri］n.the body of citizens of a state or country市民；公民：Constitutions are not always fully understood or effectively used by the citizenry，he added.他说，公民有时不能完全读懂宪法，也不能有效地运用宪法。
20.relish［rɪˈleɪʃn］v.derive or receive pleasure from；get enjoyment from；take pleasure in享受；品味；喜爱：I relish the challenge of doingjobs that others turn down.我喜欢挑战别人拒绝做的工作。
21.demise［diˈmaiz］n.the time when something ends死亡；终止：He was captured and executed shortly after her demise.在她死亡之后不久，他被抓获并被处死了。
22.shun［[ʃʌn］v.avoid and stay away from deliberately；stay clear of避开，避免；回避：And in their fear of seeking and remembering they shun all pleasures，lest they neglect the spirit or offend against it.他们在对追求和回忆的恐惧中躲避所有的享乐，生怕自己疏远或冒犯了灵魂。
23.stuffier［ˈstʌfiːə］adj.excessively conventional and unimaginative and hence dull；lacking fresh air古板的；不通气的；闷热的（stuffy的比较级）：Comparing with the 1920s，in the 1930s the social conditions in China were darker and more confused and the cultural atmosphere was more strained and stuffier.同19世纪20年代相比，19世纪30年代中国社会更加黑暗、混乱，文化氛围也更加紧张、窒闷。
24.aggregation［ˌæɡriˈɡeiʃn］n.the act of gathering something together聚合；聚集：An aggregation of fragments is the only kind of whole we now have.这种碎片的集合体是我们现有的唯一完整无缺的方式。
25.itch to：be eager to do sth.恨不得；渴望做某事：What you've said makes me itch to have a go.你的话使我跃跃欲试。
26.chasten［ˈtʃeisn］v.censure severely；restrain or temper惩罚；磨炼；抑制：We need to place the blame where it belongs，to chasten our policy elites.我们需要将责任归咎于它应该属于的地方，以此来惩罚我们的政策精英们。
27.amateur［ˈæmətə］adj.engaged in as a pastime；lacking professional skill or expertise业余的；外行的：A fellow journalist once told me that if you are not writing every day，then you are an amateur.一个同行的记者曾经告诉我，如果你不每天写写，那么你是一个业余爱好者。
28.bias［ˈbaiəs］n.a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation；a line or cut across a fabric that is not at right angles to a side of the fabric偏见；偏爱；斜纹：We worry about bias in all walks oflife，from the lab to the legislature.不论是实验室还是立法机构，我们都担心偏见的存在。
29.slander［ˈslɑːndə,ˈslæn-］n.words falsely spoken that damage the reputation of another诽谤；中伤：He accused me of slandering him and trying to undermine his position.他控告我诽谤他试图削弱他的地位。
30.pander to cater for；play up to迎合；取悦：He was forced to pander to her every whim.他被迫迎合她的每一个奇思妙想。
31.fired-up［ˈfaiədʌp］adj.enthusiastic热心的；热情的：The weather was bad on 2／10，it was drizzling and was slightly winding.Even so，it could not stop our fired-up hearts.2月10日，天公不作美，寒风细雨，但浇不熄也吹不去大家一颗火热的心。
Answer the questions based upon text comprehension.
（1）According to Philip Meyer，when will be the end of newspaper in America？
（2）What does Rupert Murdoch mean when he says“Sometimes rivers dry up”？
3）What measures have been taken to save the newspaper？Are they doing any good？
4）Which kind of newspaper do you think is most likely to be knocked out？Why？
5）What are the functions of the newspaper nowadays？
Fill in the gaps with words or phrases given in the table.
（1）The newspaper exposes _________in high-rank government officials without being tamed by their arbitrariness.
（2）Between the business side and the_________ side，that firewall has been breaking down for years.
（3）In 1956 she became known all over the_________ world after starring in the thriller And God Created Woman.
（4）The first idea to_________ is that safety is defined by credit ratings.
（5）Proper_________ helps blood move nutrients throughout your body，eliminates toxins，and improves the function of almost every organ system throughout your body.
（6）The superpower often_________ on the independence and sovereignty of other countries.
（7）He is a_________ ，but he has some virtues.
（8）In China，there is no cultural tendency to _________the consumer.
Translate the sentences into Chinese.
（1）In his book“The Vanishing Newspaper”，Philip Meyer calculates that the first quarter of 2043 will be the moment when newsprint dies in America as the last exhausted reader tosses aside the last crumpled edition.
（2）The rush is almost unseemly，largely because the Internet is a seductive medium that supposedly matches buyers with sellers and proves to advertisers that their money is well spent.
（3）It has survived as readers have shunned papers and papers have shunned what was in stuffier times thought of as serious news.And it will surely survive the decline to come.
（4）The usefulness of the press goes much wider than investigating abuses or even spreading general news；it lies in holding governments to account—trying them in the court of public opinion.
（5）An elite group of serious newspapers available everywhere online，independent journalism backed by charities，thousands of fired-up bloggers and well-informed citizen journalists.