2018年成人英语三级考试阅读理解专题练习(12)

"I do not wish to be hypocritical(虚伪), but the plain fact is-and we all know it to be true-that whenever we see a story in a newspaper concerning something we know about, it is more often wrong than right." John Gordon.

　　Seeing an inaccuracy in a newspaper report, one's often tempted to condemn that newspaper and its staff out of hand. How can mistakes occur when it is obvious that a paper must have elaborate checking systems to ensure the accuracy of its reports?

　　To investigate the causes of factual mistakes, rather than twists of angle or opinion, a distinction must be made between "scheduled news" and "unscheduled news". With scheduled news-an election, a football match, a trial-a news editor can arrange in advance for one of the paper's reporters to be on the spot; in some cases, the reporter will be aided by special handouts(新闻通报)for the press. But unscheduled news-a train or air crash, a suicide, a bank robbery, for example-is a different matter. How can a reporter with a deadline 30 minutes away estimate accurately the number of injured in a train crash that occurred at midnight in the heart of the country? Can anyone be depended upon to produce a precise assessment of the size of a crowd rushing wildly through city streets?

　　The newsgathering machinery of newspapers is fairly complicated. A large newspaper usually has staff reporters in all the main cities of the country and also part-time correspondents(记者)who might be either freelance(自由职业的)journalists or on the staff of a provincial paper;they help to extend the net in order to catch the news before it's cold. Other important sources of news are the news agencies which are of great assistance in foreign matters, for a paper cannot, for obvious reasons, keep thousands of reporters all over the world just in case a story breaks in front of one of their noses.

　　26.According to John Gordon, ______.

　　A. readers are often too critical about the quality of papers

　　B. mistakes often occur in newspapers

　　C. reporters often lack a sense of responsibility

　　D. newspaper reports are not attractive enough

　　答案：B

　　解析：答案B。见第一段中：...it is more often wrong than right意为：错误的报道比真实的报道还多，即报纸中常常出现错误。

　　27. The writer believe that factual mistakes in newspapers are probably due to the fact that ________.

　　A. it is impossible for the reporter to be 100 accurate in reporting sudden events

　　B. some reporters do not pay enough attention to background information

　　C. background information given in advance can sometimes be misleading

　　D. news editor are not careful enough in checking the details of reports

　　答案：A

　　解析：答案A。见第三段后半部分：How can a reporter with a deadline 30 minutes away estimate accurately the number of injured in a train crash that occured at midnight in the heart of the country?可见，当出现一些突发事件时，由于时间仓促很难准确地予以报道。由此可推断，报纸中的失实之处在所难免。

　　28.It is a usual practice for newspapers to get foreign news from ________.

　　A. freelance journalists

　　B. staff of a provincial paper

　　C. reporters sent abroad

　　D. news agencies

　　答案：D

　　解析：答案D。见第四段最后一句:Other important sources of news are the news agencies…，显然D项为正确答案。

　　29.The writer thinks that inaccuracy in the press______.

　　A. is inevitable

　　B. is intolerable

　　C. is to be eliminated

　　D. is often ignored by readers

　　答案：A

　　解析:答案A。综观全文可得知作者认为报纸中有失实报道是不可避免的。

　　30.The writer cites the example of producing a precise assessment of the size of a crowd in order to _______.

　　A. urge an improvement in checking systems

　　B. warn the crowd of hidden dangers in the street

　　C. justify the mistakes in newspapers

　　D. make known the hard work of reporters

　　答案：C

　　解析：答案C。本文的中心意思就是针对人们常常报怨报纸中的失实报道，列举例子分析原因，目的就在于阐明出现这些错误报道是在所难免的。