小报的秘密：为何它们如此吸引人？

Before any journalist thought to use the word， a drugs company trademarked it in 1884. “Tabloid”， a portmanteau（混合词）of “tablet” and “alkaloid”（生物碱）， denoted drugs in tablet form but quickly assumed a broader meaning： “anything compressed or concentrated for easy assimilation”. That also describes what has come to be known as tabloid journalism： brief sentences， appealing headlines， short articles， famous subjects.

Sophisticates’ list of complaints is long： tabloids enrage more than they enlighten; they deepen and pander to readers’ prejudices; they traffic in gossip and vapidity（平凡无趣），they pry into people’s private lives and exploit tragedy for sales. But looming above these worthy whines reveal a simple truth： tabloids attract a huge number of readers.

Printed accounts of horrific crimes were popular in Britain in the early 17th century. Circulars around that same time told of wheat raining for miles around Suffolk and a monster that appeared out of a tempest.

Ben Jonson， an English playwright， lampooned people’s appetite for gossip in a satirical play called “The Staple of News”， first performed in 1625. A character tells a “goss46553db7bf96f4162ea8aebaa5ceced1ip scout” to “get o’ this News， to store your office，/ Who dines and sups i’ the town？ Where and with whom？”

Mr Kirby’s history is heavily slanted towards Britain， for good reason. Tabloids began there rather than in America， and America’s size worked against its having influential national tabloids， as Britain did. The New York Post is a first-rate tabloid， but， as the name suggests， focuses a lot on local concerns.

As Mr Kirby’s story reaches the present， he grows increasingly shrill. Heaping scorn on Robert Maxwell， the eccentric and crooked owner of the Daily Mirror in the 1980s-90s， or tabloids’ campaigns against migrants and the European Union is one thing. And he is right to bemoan tabloids’ intrusiveness and unethical conduct concerning the lives of celebrities and the royal family.

However， his scolding at length about “an endless scroll of content aggregated from everywhere around the world”， or celebrity stories written in prose that “resembled something out of the lushly worded romantic fiction of writers like Barbara Cartland” or “the baser nationalistic and jingoistic prejudices” of tabloid readers quickly grows tiresome.

Still， The Newsmongers is a largely enjoyable and enlightening story—for journalists. Of course， but also for anyone who wants to understand better the intricate relationship between newspapers and their readers.

（材料选自The Economist，有删改）

1.What is the prominent feature of tabloid journalism？

A.It is enlightening and vapidity， it will enable readers to learn knowledge.

B.It is tragic and looming， it will reduce the pandering to readers’ prejudices.

C.It gradually faded out of people’s sight， more and more people are no longer supporting it.

D.Brief sentences， appealing headlines， short articles， famous subjects.

2.Which of the following words has a similar meaning to the word “lampoon” in the fourth paragraph？

A.Satirize. B.Approve. C.Oppose. D.Encourage.

3.What can we infer from the second to last paragraph？

A.Maxwell’s lengthy rebukes resonated with people， and as a result， he gained numerous fans.

B.News from all over the world no longer arouses people’s interest， on the contrary， people loudly oppose such news.

C.Maxwell’s lengthy discourse， even though outstanding， still arouses people’s annoyance.

D.His lengthy discourse is very interesting， with many erotic news designs， which has sparked protests and opposition from numerous celebrities.

4.What is the author’s attitude towards The Newsmugglers？

A.Scepticism. B.Positive. C. Sarcastic. D.Opposed.

1.D。解析：推理判断题。材料第一段的最后一句提到“这也描述了后来被称为小报的东西：简短的句子、吸引人的标题、短文、著名的主题”，D选项与材料内容相符，故选D。A选项的“使得人们学习知识”在材料中未提及；B选项的“它会减少人们的偏见”与材料内容不符；C选项的“淡出人们的视野”属于无中生有。

2.A。解析：词义判断题。画线词所在句子的意思是“英国剧作家本·琼森在1625年首演的一部讽刺剧《新闻的主食》中讽刺了人们对八卦的渴望”，由此可知lampoon的意思是“讽刺”，与satirize的意思相似，故选A。

3.C。解析：细节理解题。材料倒数第二段提到，“他对‘来自世界各地的内容无休止地滚动更新’，或是用‘仿佛出自芭芭拉·卡特兰那种华丽小说的语言’撰写的名人故事，以及小报读者的‘粗俗民族主义和沙文主义偏见’的冗长批评，很快便显得令人厌烦”，C选项与材料内容相符，故选C。

4.B。解析：观点态度题。材料最后一段的第一句提到“尽管如此，《新闻贩子》依然是一部非常有趣并且启发性强的作品”，由此可知作者虽然大力批驳小报新闻的缺点，但仍表达了积极的态度，故选B。