背诵为王 第 四 册 第 54 课

Lesson54 The Press in the US
The press in the United States produces a wide variety of printed media,possible more than in any other country. There is a publication for almostevery subject, from national news to more specialized¹ subjects likeindustries, sports and even hobbies. Some of the most important publicationsare the national newspapers because of their broad coverage² and widecirculation. The press's role in circulating daily news is very important tothe everyday lives of the people, but it plays another, perhaps moreimportant role as well. As in many other democratic countries, the press isthe watchdog of the American political process.
The most important publications are the daily newspapers, a few of whichhave very high status. The most prominent among these is probably theWashington Post. Because the Post is published out of Washington, D.C., thenation's capital, it probably has the very best coverage of the national-level political scene.
On the business side, the most important publication is probably the WallStreet Journal, published in New York, America's business capital. TheJournal, with its very strong business orientation³, is a very conservativepaper but it is careful not to take side politically.
But there are many other publications with very strong politicalorientations. Two examples of this are the two most widely circulated newsweeklies, Newsweek and Time. Although these are both weekly news magazinesreporting on a wide range of subjects, political, cultural and business,they are on opposite political sides. Time is a more liberal publication,generally supporting the Democratic Party, while Newsweek is conservativelyoriented, supporting the Republicans.

prominent 显著的, 突出的

美国的新闻界
在美国的新闻界，印刷媒体的种类众繁多，可能超过其他任何国家。从全国性的新闻到更专业化的领域，像工业、体育、甚至业余爱好，几乎每一个领域都有出版物。全国性的报纸属于最重要的出版物，因为其覆盖面广、发行量大。新闻界传播每天新闻，这对人们的日常生活非常重要，但是它还有一个更重要的作用。就像在其他民主国家一样，美国新闻界是国内政治活动的监督者。
最重要的出版物是日报，有些具有很高的地位。《华盛顿邮报》可能是最著名的日报了。因为《华盛顿邮报》在美国的首都华盛顿特区出版，它能够很好地报道国家的政治动态。
在商业方面，最重要的出版物是《华尔街日报》。华尔街日报出版于美国的经济首都纽约，该报具有很强的商业倾向，是一份很保守的报纸，它很小心在政治上不偏向于任何一方。
但是很多其他的出版物都带有强烈的政治倾向。两份发行量最大的新闻周刊，《新闻周刊》和《时代周刊》就是这方面很好的例子。虽然两者都是每周出版的新闻杂志，都广泛报道政治、文化、商业等各方面的内容，它们有着相反的政治立场。《时代周刊》倾向于自由主义，一般支持民主党；而《新闻周刊》政治上保守，支持共和党。

1 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

2 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

3 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。