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Unit 8
The Media
After-Class Reading
PASSAGE I What Makes TV Most Entertaining?
In America, over 98 percent of all households have a radio, and most automobiles are equipped with one. The average American listens to the radio eighteen hours a week.
About 77 percent of the population read newspapers. The average American spends about 3.5 hours a week reading newspapers.
Over 98 percent of all households own a television set; more than 50 percent own two sets. The average family uses its set more than 40 hours a week. Television is the most popular medium in the United States today.
American television is dominated by three private corporations-the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), CBS Incorporated,[1] and the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), which is a division of the RCA Corporation. Most of the 700 local television stations are forced to affiliate with one or another of these networks because of the high cost of producing news and entertainment programs. Local stations restrict themselves to local news coverage and then broadcast the network "feeds" of the "Evening News", rebroadcasting it in shorter form as part of their late news programs.[2] In addition, each network owns five stations itself, the maximum number under the rules of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). These network-owned stations are found in the largest "market" cities[3], and they cover 38 percent of all "TV households"[4] in the nation.
Prime time (8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.) is the most important time in television, and it is dominated by the three networks. Potentially, all 80 million homes in America with TV sets could tune in, and these homes house over 200 million people. The networks broadcast mostly action and adventure series (30 percent), situation comedies (25 percent) and movies (16 percent) on prime time.[5] Specials[6] and mini-series[7] are becoming more popular. The only regular "live" programs on prime time are sports events, such as ABC's NFL Monday Night Football. Most other programs are filmed or videotaped.
Local stations do the actual broadcasting. Almost all stations are affiliated with one of the networks. The stations are paid by the networks to carry network prime-time shows. Networks do not make payments to stations to carry news, sports, or late-night programs. However, the networks allow a certain number of advertising slots in those programs to be filled by local stations.
It is important to all three networks that their evening news programs attract as large an audience as possible.[8] It is important not only because a large audience means that they can sell higher-priced commercial time on the news itself but also because they know that many American families leave their TV dials untouched after the news.[9] A popular news show will promote audiences for later entertainment shows.
The news must entertain. It must be "hyped" to capture and hold audience attention with drama, action, conflict, violence, or disaster.
Like any good entertainment show, a news show must have recognizable characters doing something interesting, who are involved in struggles and conflicts over important issues. There must be a dramatic story line, but one that can be introduced, developed, and concluded in less than two minutes. The news must be made to appear timely, and it must be shown to affect us directly.
The need to make the news entertaining results in some interesting criteria for the selection of "news".
·Violence is more "newsworthy" than nonviolence. War, crime, conflict, and disasters excite audiences. Violent behavior is remembered better than nonviolent behavior. The murder and suicide of 900 Americans, in Guyana in 1978 was the most remembered story of that year, with 98 percent of the Gallup Poll respondents saying that they knew about the event-a figure matched only by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan in 1945.
· The "news" should have a direct impact on the lives of viewers. Millions of starving people in central Africa will not get as much coverage as a hotel fire in Las Vegas. Dramatic film of starving African children may help get the story on the air; but film of fire victims leaping to their deaths from high buildings is better. After all, nearly everyone in the United States has stayed in a hotel at one time or another, but very few have gone to Africa.
· Stories about celebrities are more "newsworthy" than stories about people unfamiliar to the audience. Scandal, sex, accidents, personal grief, and even the daily habits of prominent and famous people make "news". Personalities are substituted for explanation.[10] For instance, a conflict between two countries may be symbolized as a conflict between their presidents.
· "News" should be timely and novel. This only means that the "news" should not have been reported in the previous 24 hours. Most of the evening news on all three networks is composed of "pre-planned" stories-stories about events or situations that are not spontaneous. However insofar as possible these pre-planned stories must be made to appear novel and timely.[11]
·"News" must be an event, rather than a trend or an idea. It must be an event that can be filmed and seen and heard. Even if inflation is the single most important problem confronting Americans, according to a national survey, this topic will be pushed aside in favor of coverage of presidential visits, ceremonial bill signings, strikes, protests, accidents, or fires for which action film is available.[12] When inflation is covered at all, it will be through a brief announcement of newly released inflation figures or some interviews with shoppers complaining of high prices. The news chiefs[13] are not trying to hide inflation; the problem is that inflation is not an event that produces good film.
· Every "news" story should have a dramatic quality-an obvious conflict between identifiable opponents. The "news" cannot report ideas in the abstract. Stories work better on television when there are clear antagonists, especially when they are physically different. It is best when confrontation occurs between men and women, blacks and whites, young and old, rich and poor. Ideal antagonists will shout, cry, shake fists[14], or otherwise show intense emotions. There should be "good guys" and "bad guys", and either side can be shown as winning.
· Finally, a "news" story must be short. The entire drama must be introduced, played out, and summarized in less than two minutes. Anything longer is a "documentary". (1055 words)
Proper Names
ABC
American Broadcasting Company 美国广播公司
CBS
Columbia Broadcasting System （美国）哥伦比亚广播公司
FCC
Federal Communications Commission （美国）联邦通讯委员会
Guyana
圭亚那（南美洲北部国家）
Las Vegas
拉斯韦加斯（美国内华达州东南部城市）
NBC
National Broadcasting Company （美国）全国广播公司
NFL
National Football League （美国）全国橄榄球联盟
Pearl Harbor
珍珠港（美国夏威夷州港市）
RCA
Radio Corporation of America 美国无线电公司
New Words
affiliate
v. officially attach or connect (a group or person) to an organization 使隶属（或附属）于
e.g. I) All youth groups will have to affiliate with the National Youth Agency.
II) Their country is not affiliated with OPEC （石油输出国组织）.
antagonist
n. a person who opposes and actively competes with another 对抗者，对手，敌人
e.g. Telling the truth can make an antagonist of a good friend.
celebrity
n. a famous living person 名人，名流
e.g. Popular movie stars are celebrities, recognized wherever they go.
ceremonial*
adj. involving or used in a ceremony 正式的，仪式的
e.g. He represented the nation on ceremonial occasions.
comedy
n. a movie, play, piece of writing, etc. that has a funny story with humorous characters and a happy ending 喜剧，喜剧性事件
e.g. I) There are several new comedies out this summer.
II) She is a director well known for serious movies, but her latest is a comedy.
documentary
n. a film or television program based on facts and historical records 记录片
e.g. We saw a television documentary on the Civil War.
hype
v. promote or publicize something intensively, often exaggerating its importance or benefits 大肆宣传
e.g. The meeting was hyped up in the media as an important event.
identifiable *
adj. that can be recognized 可辨认的
e.g. I) Only three people in the photograph are identifiable.
II) The house is easily identifiable by the large tree outside.
inflation
n. a general increase in the prices of goods and services in a country 通货膨胀
e.g. I) Inflation is currently running at 3%.
II) People in this country are faced with rising unemployment and high inflation.
mostly
adv. mainly, or in most cases or most of the time 主要地，多半，通常
e.g. I) They live on six mountain ranges in southeast China and eat mostly bamboo.
II) The first year consists mostly of core courses taken by everybody.
newsworthy
adj. important or interesting enough to be reported as news 有新闻价值的
e.g. These are the newsworthy events which you will hear on the World Service.
nonviolence*
n. nonviolent demonstrations, avoidance of violence 非暴力事件，非暴力
e.g. The political opposition in the country has made a firm public commitment to nonviolence.
signing*
n. the action of writing one's name on an official document 签署，签字
e.g. Spain's top priority is the signing of an EMU （欧洲货币单位）treaty.
starving*
adj. very hungry 饥饿的
e.g. I'm starving; let's have a big dinner.
symbolize*
v. be a symbol of, represent 象征，代表
e.g. The fall of the Berlin Wall symbolized the end of the Cold War between the East and the West.
timely
adj. done or happening at exactly the right time 适时的，及时的
e.g. The recent outbreaks of cholera(霍乱)are a timely reminder that this disease is still a serious health hazard.
untouched*
adj. not changed in any way 未碰过的，原封不动的
e.g. She left the dishes untouched.
Phrases and Expressions
in the abstract
in a general way, without considering particular things or events 抽象地
e.g. I) Money was a commodity she never thought about except in the abstract.
II) Legal questions rarely exist in the abstract; they are based on real cases.
insofar (in so far) as
to the degree that 在......范围内，到......程度，只要
e.g. I) That's the truth, insofar as I know it.
II) We will succeed only insofar as we're prepared to sacrifice our secondary objectives.
in favor of
on the side of, in support of 赞同，支持
e.g. I) The hospital workers voted in favor of the new contract.
II) I have never been in favor of imprisonment as a form of punishment.
on the air
being broadcast on television or radio (被)播送、广播
e.g. I) Rockwell hopes that the program can be on the air within a year.
II) My favorite radio station goes on the air at 5：00 A.M. and off the air (停播) at 1：00 P.M.
play out
act the whole of a drama, finish performing or playing 演完，比赛完
e.g. I) They refused to play out the last three minutes after the floodlights (泛光灯) failed.
II) In fact the whole crisis has been played out under the glare (耀眼的强光) of international television cameras.
push aside
decide to forget about or ignore 把......搁置一边
e.g. I) By pushing aside unpleasant thoughts they merely repress (压抑) these thoughts.
II) We can't just push these problems aside-we have to deal with them.
tune in
watch or listen to a particular television or radio station or program 收看，收听
e.g. I) Don't forget to tune in next week for another episode (下一集).
II) The idea that people plan their radio listening is absolute nonsense; most tune in impulsively.
PASSAGE II Sounding the Waters[1]
In the past the different types of media around the world and within the United States have usually acted independently of one another. In fact, they have often been seen as competitors. During the 1960s and 1970s when television first became popular, some people predicted the "death" of radio, books, and newspapers, saying that television would provide the entertainment, knowledge and news once provided by the other media. Thankfully, this did not happen. Each has its own group of supporters; in fact, most people read a daily newspaper, listen to the radio in their cars while driving to work or in their offices while working, and during leisure hours read a new best-selling book or watch television.
It has been rare for the various media groups to work together, but recently professionals within the different fields of journalism have realized that by combining their resources they could attempt projects that they could not afford to accomplish by working alone. This has resulted in a multi-media production called River of Song: A Musical Journey down the Mississippi. Each continent of the world has its river or rivers of note-the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers in China, the Nile River in North Africa, and the Amazon River in South America. In North America it is without doubt the Mississippi River. River of Song is a documentary production. It consists of a four-hour, four-part television series to be shown on Public Television.[2]
The text for River of Song was written by Elijah Wald, a music critic for the Boston Globe, a newspaper long noted for its support of the arts. In addition to the television series, there is a corresponding seven-hour, seven-part series airing on Public Radio, a 36-song, two-CD soundtrack, and a 352-page book.[3] Although different media are involved, their focus remains the same: to document the musical traditions that thrive on the banks of the Mississippi, from Lake Itasca in the northern state of Minnesota, the river's source, to where the waters empty into the Gulf of Mexico in the state of Louisiana.
Although the series is a documentary, viewers, listeners and readers will be happy to find that they will not be overwhelmed with numerous dates and events, with old black-and-white photos, or serious lectures given by earnest Hollywood actors. The story is told through a series of lively personal portraits of the musicians who live in the cities and towns along the Mississippi River. The audience gets to know these musicians not as mere representatives of musical trends and types but as regular people trying to make a living with their music. In the television series they are seen sweating through their performances, going about their daily routine, or sitting around their living rooms making music with their friends.
Both the television and radio productions are narrated by a folk guitarist, Ani DiFranco. She believes that beneath whatever is currently popular in the music of any society, there is always an "undercurrent" of music[4] coming from the people. She says that this is the "sound of culture itself in the streets, bars, gyms, churches, and back porches of the real world". The musicians are generally not superstars. A few of them might deserve a chance to perform to national audiences on television or otherwise, but most of them are content to be known only locally. They show a commitment to music that is deeper than that of a celebrity: for them, music isn't simply a means to acquire wealth or fame. It's a method of preserving traditions and a way of life. As one Louisiana musician appearing in the series says, "We, the young generation, are the glue that keeps the culture going.[5] If we don't continue playing the music, it's going to be lost."
The music and musicians are varied in the series. There are African drummers, rock and roll guitarists, accordionists, blues singers, choirs, brass bands, and folk fiddlers, to name only a few, all of whom live along the Mississippi River.[6] They often remind their audience that the Mississippi has long been associated with music. Over one hundred years ago, when Mark Twain wrote about life along the big river, the big steam-powered paddle-wheeled boats made their way along it. The passengers were usually entertained by musicians playing the local music. One of these paddle wheelers[7], the Delta Queen, built in 1926, still makes a trip between St. Louis, Missouri, and St. Paul, Minnesota. Like one hundred years ago, the passengers enjoy both the scenery and the music.
River of Song concludes with rather sad music. On an island at the mouth of the Mississippi, the audience meets Irvan and Alien Perez, two cousins who belong to a group of Spanish-speaking people who first settled in Louisiana 200 years ago. The Perezes are fishermen. As they work, they sing unaccompanied by musical instruments. Their songs are usually 10 stanzas long and are mostly in Spanish. They sing of shrimp boats and fur trappers, bad weather and home mortgages. Their voices are strong and pure. The following are two translated lines from a song that Alien sings: "Against this trapper are mosquitoes and high water. And to finish him completely, the bank sends him a letter."[8] It is a sad song but still hopeful. His performance reminds the listener that American music is broad and big, like a river, and it keeps flowing. Pop music, when compared to the music immortalized through River of Song, suddenly seems worth no more than just a glass of water from the tap. Many people in the United States plan to watch the series on television, listen to it on the radio, read about it in the book as well as in newspapers and magazines which have covered this event enthusiastically, and then purchase the CD in order that they may continue to enjoy the results of multi-media cooperation. (978 words)
Proper Names
Allen Perez
（男子名）艾伦.佩雷斯
Ani DiFranco
（女子名）阿妮.迪佛朗哥
Elijah Wald
（男子名）伊莱贾·沃尔德
Globe
（报刊名）《全球》
Gulf of Mexico
墨西哥湾
Irvan(Perez)
（男子名）欧文
Lake Itasca
艾塔斯卡湖（美国明尼苏达州西北部湖泊，密西西比河的一个源头）
Louisiana
（美国）路易斯安那州
Mark Twain
马克·吐温 （1835－1910，美国作家）
St. Louis
圣路易斯（美国密苏里州东部港市）
St. Paul
圣保罗（美国明尼苏达州首府）
the Amazon River
亚马孙河（南美洲北部）
the Delta Queen
（船名）三角洲女王号
the Nile River
尼罗河（非洲东北部）
the Yangtze River
扬子江（指我国的长江）
New Words
accordionist
n. someone who plays an accordion 手风琴演奏者，手风琴演奏家
best-selling*
adj. very popular, that many people buy 畅销的
e.g. He has received royalties (稿酬) of several million dollars from his best-selling autobiography.
brass
n.
1) wind instruments made of brass or some other metal 铜管乐器
e.g. She plays in the brass section of the band.
2) a yellow-colored metal made from copper and zinc 黄铜
e.g. The door handles are made of brass and need cleaning and polishing regularly.
corresponding
adj. matching or connected with something you have just mentioned 相应的，相当的
e.g. I) A change in the money supply brings a corresponding change in expenditure.
II) March and April sales this year were up 8 percent compared with the corresponding period last year.
earnest
adj. very serious and sincere 认真的，诚恳的
e.g. I) Despite her earnest efforts, she could not find a job.
II) At school he was very earnest but he's more relaxed now.
fiddler
n. a person who plays the violin, especially one who plays folk music 小提琴手
fisherman
n. a person who catches fish as a job or for sport 渔民，渔夫
e.g. The fisherman takes his boat out to sea early in the morning.
guitarist *
n. a person who plays the guitar 吉他手
e.g. Guitarist Donna and bass (低音电吉他) player Annie happened to be the best.
gym
n. ( = gymnasium) a building or room designed or equipped for indoor sports, exercise, or physical education 体育馆，健身房
e.g. When the lads are golfing, I work out (锻炼) in the gym.
immortalize *
n. make someone or something famous for a long time 使不朽，使名垂千古
e.g. The poem immortalized the hero
journalism *
n. the activity or profession of writing for newspapers or magazines, or of broadcasting news on TV or radio 新闻业，新闻工作
e.g. She plans to go into journalism when she leaves college.
mosquito
n. a small flying, biting and bloodsucking insect 蚊子
e.g. I) Mosquitoes spread malaria （疟疾） in some parts of the world.
II) Pushing aside the mosquito net, I rose from the bed and went to the washroom.
multi-media
adj. relating to several media, such as video, music, and computerized images and text 多媒体的
e.g. They used a multi-media presentation to show that their city could hold the Olympic Games.
narrate
v. add a spoken commentary to (a film, television program, etc.) 叙述，解说
e.g. He narrated a television show on the history of Mexico.
noted
adj. well-known and admired for some special quality or ability 著名的，有声望的
e.g. The television program is noted for its attacks on organized crime.
overwhelm
v. (of emotions) go beyond one's ability to control 使不知所措，使受不了
e.g. They were overwhelmed with grief when their baby died.
scenery
n. the general appearance of natural surroundings, especially when these are beautiful 风景，景色
e.g. I) They stopped at the top of the hill to admire the scenery.
II) Each year, we vacation in the mountains and enjoy the scenery.
stanza
n. a group of lines in a repeated pattern that form a unit in some types of poem （诗的）节
superstar*
n. a very famous entertainer or sports player 超级明星
e.g. He was more than a football superstar, he was a celebrity.
trapper*
n. a person who traps animals, especially for their fur 设陷阱捕兽者
unaccompanied*
adj. singing or playing alone, with no other instruments playing at the same time 无伴奏的
e.g. The piece is most often sung unaccompanied.
undercurrent*
n.
1) an underlying feeling or influence, especially one that is not expressed openly 暗流
e.g. Her voice was light and steady with an undercurrent of amusement.
2) a flow of water beneath the surface 潜流
e.g. The river has a strong undercurrent.
Phrases and Expressions
empty into
flow into 流入
e.g. The River Tees empties into the North Sea.
go about
continue with an activity 干，做，从事
e.g. I) She tends to whistle as she goes about her household chores.
II) He wanted to be left alone to go about his business.
of note
important, worth mentioning, or well-known 值得重视，有名望的
e.g. I) Several actors of note appeared in the play.
II) He has published nothing of note in the last ten years.
make one's way
move or go forward with difficulty 前进，行进
e.g. He made his way to the market-place, as he had been instructed to do.
PASSAGE III The Power of the Press[1]
One of the biggest misunderstandings about the press is that it deals almost exclusively with news.
Another big misunderstanding is that the press has enormous power. This delusion is persistent and widespread. It is taken for granted by the public-at-large, who are apt to be impressed by anything that is said as few as three times; it is continually advertised by the press itself, and it is promoted by press management, at least some of whom should know better.[2] A national commission examining the freedom of the press in the United States not only accepted the press's self-evaluation but also was alarmed by what they perceived as the great power of the press. The commission concluded:
We have the impression that the American people do not realize what has happened to them. They are not aware that the communication revolution has occurred. They do not appreciate the tremendous power which the new instruments and the new organization of the press place in the hands of a few men.[3]
In what way is the press supposed to be so powerful? The general notion is that the press can form, control, or at least strongly influence public opinion. Can it really do any of these things? Hugh Cudlipp, editorial director of The London Daily Mirror and a man who should know something about the effect of newspapers on public opinion, doesn't share this general notion about their power. He thinks newspapers can echo and stimulate popular feelings that already exist, but they probably can't do much more than this.[4]" A newspaper may successfully accelerate but never reverse the popular attitude that common sense has given to the public." In short, it can jump on the bandwagon, once the bandwagon's under way, and urge others to jump aboard too; but it can't start the bandwagon rolling or change its direction after it's started.
Like habit-forming pills[5], the press can stimulate or depress, but it cannot cure. It can fan fear and hatred of another nation (when the fear and hatred are there, waiting to be fanned) but it cannot make peace. As more and more people who have been victims of the press's unkind words have found out, the press has a nasty kind of power - the same kind of power a bully has, of hurting somebody smaller and weaker than himself. An individual's only defense against the press is the law of libel, but considerable harm and much pain can be caused without going so far as to commit libel that can be taken to court for judgment[6]. Journalists themselves generally have a horror of being interviewed, written up or even noticed by the press-they know too well from their own experience how inept and cruel a distortion the result is likely to be. Nine times out of ten, as they know, ineptness is to blame rather than conscious cruelty; but there is always that tenth case.[7] And a careless friendly hand can be as heavy as an unfriendly fist. The press is often like a clumsy giant who gives you a pat on the back and knocks the wind out of you[8], if he doesn't cause internal injuries. I remember once coming upon an elderly professor of my university who had just been written up by the paper I worked on. When he saw me, tears came into his eyes, and he said, "What have I done to them? What have I done to deserve this?" He was deeply wounded by the article and regarded it as an extremely unkind stereotype. Knowing that it had been written by one of his former students who liked and admired the professor, I tried to reassure him that it was at least kindly meant[9]; I don't think I succeeded.
The press has the power to stimulate, alarm, enrage, amuse, humiliate, annoy, even to drive a person out of his community or his job. But of the-stronger power to which it pretends and of which the press bosses dream-to make and break governments, to influence an election, to stop a war or start a revolution-there is no real evidence. The power of which it is accused does not really exist. Professor David Mitrany, speaking on "The Press and International Relations", put the case with irony[10]:
There is no need to spend time in an attempt to show how great is the influence of the press. It is greater in certain fields than in others. It is greater, one could say, in any field in which the knowledge and interest of the man in the street is lesser. For in that case the reading public is apt to think that the press speaks with authority; while the authorities are apt to assume that the press is speaking with the voice of the people.
Everyone has heard of the "power of the press"; no one has seen it. The greatest believers in this exaggerated "power" and the loudest promoters of it are, naturally, the press bosses themselves. An example of this was Robert McCormick, publisher of The Chicago Tribune. McCormick and, of course, his paper were always in bitter opposition to the Democrats as well as to the liberal part of the Republican Party. A story used to be told about the Tribune that one of the janitors in the Tribune building always bet against any political candidate the paper supported, and that he found his betting so profitable that he was able to buy two sizable blocks of apartment buildings.[11]
The people in Chicago who bought the Tribune didn't buy it to find out how to cast their votes; they bought it in spite of its advice and its bias, because on the whole they liked its personality and found it entertaining. Does this seem to argue[12] a too shrewd, calm and sensible attitude on the part of the ordinary newspaper reader? The press is generally appreciated by the public for what it is rather than for what it pretends to be. They don't feel it as a power in their lives, but as a working-day prerequisite.[13] (1015 words)
Proper Names
David Mitrany
（男子名）戴维.米特勒尼
Hugh Cudlipp
（男子名）休.卡德利普
Robert McCormick
（男子名）罗伯特.麦考密克
The Chicago Tribune
《芝加哥论坛报》
The London Daily Mirror
《伦敦每日镜报》
the Republican Party
共和党（美国两大政党之一，1854年建立）
New Words
bandwagon
n.
1) an activity or movement that more and more people are becoming involved in 运动，浪潮
e.g. The World Cup bandwagon is starting to roll.
2) a decorated truck with a flat open back on which a musical band can play 乐队彩车，宣传车
bully
n. a person who uses his strength or power to frighten or hurt weaker people 恃强凌弱的人
e.g. The bully became more polite when a bigger, meaner boy came to school.
clumsy
adj. done without tact or skill, awkward 笨拙的
e.g. I) He is so clumsy that he is always bumping into people.
II) Unfortunately, I was still very clumsy behind the wheel （开车） of the jeep.
cruelty*
n. a willingness or desire to make people or animals suffer 残酷，残忍
e.g. That country has laws against cruelty to animals but none to protect children.
Democrat
n. a member or supporter of the Democratic Party of the US 民主党人
e.g. Both Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives opposed the budget plan.
depress
v. make someone feel sad and disappointed 使沮丧，使忧郁
e.g. I) I know he is too optimistic but I don't want to depress him.
II) The worst blow was the gas rationing, which really depressed people.
hatred
n. very strong dislike, contempt 憎恶，仇恨
e.g. I) She has a profound hatred of liars.
II) The couple lived with feelings of hatred for many years before getting a divorce.
humiliate
v. make someone feel ashamed or disgraced 羞辱，使丢脸
e.g. The actor forgot his lines, and that mistake humiliated him.
inept
adj. foolishly unsuitable, clumsy 不恰当的，荒谬的，拙劣的
e.g. He was criticized for his inept handling of the situation.
ineptness
n. awkwardness, clumsiness 荒谬，出劣
janitor
n. a person in charge of cleaning or fixing things in a building 照管房屋或办公室的工人，清洁工
e.g. He spent four summers being a janitor in a large office building.
libel
n. the act of writing or printing something false that is damaging a person's reputation 诽谤
e.g. The newspaper story about the movie star was false, and she sued for libel.
opposition*
n. state or action of confronting or counteracting someone or something 反对
e.g. Much of the opposition to this plan has come from the media.
prerequisite
n. something required as a condition for something else to happen or exist 必备条件，先决条件，前提
e.g. Careful study of the market is a prerequisite for success.
profitable
adj. resulting in or likely to result in a profit or an advantage 有利可图的，有益的
e.g. I) That business became profitable last year.
II) She learned much that was profitable later.
promoter *
n. an active supporter, an advocate 支持者，提倡者
e.g. I) They were promoters of a longer school year for children.
II) Aaron Copeland was always the most energetic promoter of American music.
publisher *
n. a person or a company that publishes books, newspapers, or magazines 出版商，发行人
e.g. The publishers planned to produce the journal on a weekly basis.
Republican
adj. & n. connected with or a member of the Republican Party 共和党的，共和党人
e.g. Every four years, the Republicans ( or the Republican Party) choose a candidate to run for the presidency.
tribune
n. a raised platform for a speaker, a rostrum （常用于报刊名）论坛，讲坛
e.g. He was encouraged to stand on the tribune and address the crowd.
unfriendly *
adj. unpleasant, rude不友好的，有敌意的
e.g. People always complain that big banks and big companies are unfriendly and unhelpful.
Phrases and Expressions
be apt to do something
be likely or have a tendency to do something 往往，很有可能
e.g. I) My pen is rather apt to leak.
II) She is apt to make mistakes if you pressure her too much.
cast one's vote
vote 投票
e.g. About ninety-five percent of those who cast their votes approve of the new constitution.
come upon
meet someone or find something by chance 偶然遇到，碰上
e.g. I) I came upon a group of children playing in the street.
II) During his research, he came upon a case of a woman who was allergic (过敏) to water.
in someone's hands
being looked after or controlled by someone 在......的掌握中，在......的控制下
e.g. I) The affair is no longer in my hands.
II) The matter is now in my lawyer's hands.
Jump/climb on the bandwagon
join others in doing something fashionable or likely to be successful 赶浪头，随大流
e.g. I) The success of the product led many firms to try to jump on the bandwagon.
II) The business people finally jumped on the bandwagon, too, and the candidate won by a landslide (压倒的优势).
nine times out of ten
on nearly every occasion 十有八九
e.g. I) Nine times out of ten she gives the right answer.
II) When they want something, nine times out of ten they get it.
pretend to something
(usually in negative sentences and questions) claim to be, do or have something, especially when this is not true 自称有
e.g. I) I can't pretend to much expertise (专长) in computing.
II) He doesn't pretend to any great skill as an orator （演说家）.
under way
having started and making progress 在进行中，在前进着
e.g. I) The project is now well under way.
II) The concert got under way at seven o'clock.
write up
1) (AmE) make an official record of something wrong that someone has done 记下过错
e.g. The cop said he'd have to write me up for not stopping at the red light.
2) write a report on, especially giving a judgment 写文章，报道
e.g. The reporter wrote up our baseball team's victory in the newspaper.
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