Chapter Eight

Reading Journalistic Englis

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I. Leading English newspapers and Periodicals in the world1. The US-based The Washington Post 《华盛顿邮报》

www.washingtonpost.com

The New York Times 《纽约时报》 www.nytimes.com

The Wall Street Journal 《华尔街日报》 www.wsj.com

The Christian Science Monitor 《基督教科学箴言报》 www.csmonitor.com

USA Today 《今日美国》 www.usatoday.com

The New York Post 《纽约邮报》 www. nypost.com

Time 《时代周刊》 www.time.com Newsweek 《新闻周刊》 www.Newswe

ek.com Fortune 《财富》 www.fortune.com

2. The UK-based The Times 《泰晤士报》 www.t

hetimes.co.uk The Guardian 《卫报》 www.g

uardian.co.uk The Daily Telegraph 《每日电讯报》

www.dailytelegraph.co.uk

The Financial Times 《金融时报》 http://news.ft.com/home/rw

Daily Mirror 《每日镜报》 www.mirror.co.uk

The Sun 《太阳报》 www.thesun.co.uk

The Economist 《经济学家》 www.economist.com

The Spectator 《旁观者》 www.spectator.co.uk

Nature 《自然》 www.nature.com

3. The HK-based Hong Kong Standard 《虎报》 South China Morning Post 《南华早

报》 Eastern Express 《东方快报》 Asian Wall Street Journal 《亚洲华尔

街日报》 International Herald Tribune 《国际先驱

论坛》

4. The China-based China Daily 《中国日报》 www.china

daily.com.cn 21st Century 《 21 世纪报》 www.21s

tcentury.com.cn Shanghai Daily 《上海日报》 www.sha

nghai-daily.com China Today 《今日中国》 www.chi

natoday.com Beijing Review 《北京周报》 www.bj

review.com

II. World leading news agencies

AP =the Associated Press (USA) 美联社 UPI =the United Press International (USA) 合众国际社 AFP =Agency France Press (France) 法新社 Reuters =Reuter’s Telegraphic Agency (UK) 路透社 ITAR TASS =ITAR-TASS News Agency (Federal Russia

n) 俄通社 - 塔斯社 Kyodo =Kyodo News Agency (Japan) 共同社 Xinhua =Xinhua News Agency 新华社

III. Classification of English News Report1. Hard news refers to up-to-minute news and events. The idea of hard n

ews embodies two concepts: Seriousness: Politics, economics, crime, war, and disasters are

considered serious topics, as are certain aspects of law, business, science, and technology.

Timeliness: Stories that cover current events—the progress of a war, the results of a vote, the breaking out of a fire, a significant statement, the freeing of a prisoner, an economic report of note.

2. Soft news refers to a “human-interest story”, involving interesting or less important topics”.

The least serious subjects: Arts and entertainment, sports, lifestyles, "human interest", and celebrities.

Not timely: There is no precipitating event triggering the story, other than a reporter's curiosity.

IV. Stylistic Features of News reports

1. The headline to give the reader the main points of the longer story that follows

2. The lead (the first one or two paragraphs) to tell the most important facts

3. The body to continue details the Inverted Pyramid Structure (most comm

only used style in hard news) the Chronological Order the Suspended Interest Form

IV. Features of Headlines1. In Simple Present Tense (used to stat

e past, on-going or future events ) France calls for closer Sino ties (=c

alled) Schools ask parents for money towa

rds books (=are asking)

2. Infinitive (used to state future events) Qian to sign test-ban treaty at UN a

ssembly(=is going to sign)

3. Present Participle (=present continuous tense)

Grain prices confusing farmers in US(=are confusing)

4. Past Participle (=passive voice) Cease-fire announced in Angola(=is announced)

5. Punctuation for Words (Comma “,” stands for “and” or “say”, and colon “:” and dash “---” for “say”.)

China, Canada find their stand on common grounds (=China and Canada…)

China commits to peace---Qian (=…, Qian Said) Vice-premier: Trade with Britain ‘best ever’

(=The vice-premier said:…)

6. Omission of functional words Railway to boost local economy

=The railway is to boost local economy Alaskan Oil for Japan?

=Will there be Alaskan oil for Japan? Boy on Cliff Rescued

= A boy on a cliff is rescued.

7. Frequent use of noun phrases Gun Control: The Continuing Debate in US Chechnya and the Bombs in Boston China's Population: The Most Surprising Demographic Crisi

s

8. Frequent use of questions Is a 2012 Reject the GOP’s Future?

Is This the First Clue about the Boston Terrorists?

9. Frequent use of short words (to save space) accord = treaty; agreement aid = help; assist bid = resolution; attempt; decision boost = support; increase; promote curb = control; crack down; cut mart = market name = elect; appoint; designate probe = investigation

quit = resign talk = meeting; negotiation; discussion; dialogue tie = relation; link truce = cease-fire up = increase vow = promise

e.g. Wimbledons Aces to Net a Million

( 温布尔登网球冠军可捞到一百万美元 ) ace-a person who is first rate or expert at something

Safety Probe Nears End

10. Frequent use of acronyms (to save space) ASEAN = the Association of Southeast Asian Nations APEC = the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation GATT =t

he General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade IMF = the International Monetary Fund

NATO = The North Atlantic Treaty Organization OPEC = the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countri

es UNESCO = the United Nations Educational, Scientific and

Cultural Organization WHO = the World Health Organization

e.g. Is a 2012 Reject the GOP’s Future?

(GOP=Grand Old Party 大老党 , 美国共和党的别称 )

10. Employment of Figurative language (to arouse interest)

1) parody A Tale of Two Hearts (from the novel A Tale of Two Cities

by Charles Dickens) Great Leap Outward 外跃进 (from a Chinese political ter

m Great Leap Forward 大跃进 ) Liberty Is the True Mother of Invention (from the saying N

ecessity is the mother of invention.)

2) metaphor A Ground War Begins (The campaign between Bush and

Gary for the President is compared to a ground war.) Ansteel to Bring Pangang under its umbrella 鞍钢欲与攀钢

强强联合

3) alliteration or rhyme Soldiers Salaries Soar Who’s Near to Bush’s Ear? Gloom and boom: The motor industry’s fortunes are

increasingly divided Climbing, stretching and stumbling

China’s disappointing new growth figures are not the end of the world

4) pun Soccer Kicks Off with Violence (Kick means the match

begins and at the same time the fans fight against each other.)

Have a Heart, Share Your Chocolate (Heart is a pun. Moderate chocolate can decrease the chance of heart attack and with a loving heart, you can share chocolate with others.)

5) idioms Refugees in Dire Straits 身处极度困境的难民 Union Call to Strike Falls on Deaf Ears 工会号召罢工，工

人不予理睬6. Antithesis Money Attracts, Money Attacks Scientist or Storyteller?

Practice: Reconstruct the messages of the following headlines

1. Swedish Oil Deliveries Halt As Strike Spreads

2. Beijing to Fire Test Rocket to South Pacific

3. Hong Kong Port Thriving

4. Deng: HK Policy Unchanged

5. Visitors Flocking to Mao’s Birth Place

6. Poverty Relief High on Party’s Agenda

7. Car Bomb Found Outside Israeli Embassy

Key:

1. (…will halt as the strike…)

2. (…is to fire a test rocket to the South Pacific.)

3. (The Hong Kong port is thriving)

4. (Deng said: The Hong Kong policy will be unchanged)

5. (Visitors are flocking to Mao’s birth place)

6. (The poverty relief is high on the Party’s agenda)

7. ( A car bomb was found outside the …)

V. The Six Wh Questions in the News Lead

The lead is your promise to the reader. It must: Capture the essence of your story. Encourage the reader to continue.

There are two main types of leads: The direct lead reveals immediately what the story is

about. It is the summary or statement of the most important events contained in the story. It is the climax, the result of the investigation, the theme. The direct lead—also called the summary lead—is usually one sentence, but sometimes two. It answers immediately the main questions of who, what, when, where, how and why.

Examples:

BEIJING------Japanese electronics giant Sony and an

Swedish telecoms maker Ericsson kicked off a mobile

phone joint venture yesterday in Beijing and said the city

will soon become its major manufacturing base.

Who: Japanese electronics giant Sony and an Swedish

telecoms maker Ericsson

What: kicked off a mobile phone joint venture

When: yesterday

Where: Beijing

How: Beijing will soon become its major manufacturing

base.

Why: not mentioned

WASHINGTON------The International Monetary Fund (IMF),

seeking to contain a deepening economic crisis in South

America, has agreed to provide an additional US$30 billion

in loans to Brazil.

Who: The International Monetary Fund (IMF)

What: to provide an additional US$30 billion loans

Where: Brazil

Why: to contain a deepening economic crisis in South

America

How: not mentioned

When: not mentioned

WASHINGTON - The US Senate on Thursday voted to open debate on gun control measures advocated by President Barack Obama and mostly Democratic lawmakers, clearing the first hurdle for relevant legislation.

WASHINGTON---The US Senate on Wednesday rejected a bipartisan plan to expand background checks for gun buyers, dealing a crippling blow to President Barack Obama’s campaign to curb gun violence after the Newtown school massacre.

Practice: Answer 6 Wh questions about the following

pieces of news of the same event.

1. Rome, Nov. 8---A provincial prosecutor, his driver and his bodyguard were machine-gunned to death on a country road south of here today by political terrorists, who also wounded one of their accomplices and later killed him. (The New York Times)

2. Terrorists ambushed and killed today Signor Fedele Calvosa, the chief public prosecutor of Frosinone, to the south of Rome. Two other persons who were travelling with him in the car were also killed, as was one of the terrorists. ( The Times)

Key:

WHO—1. a provincial prosecutor, his driver and his

bodyguard 2. terrorists

WHAT—1. were machine-gunned to death

2. ambushed and killed Signor Fedele Calvosa,

the chief public prosecutor of Frosinone

WHEN—1. today (Nov. 8) 2. today (Nov. 8)

WHERE—1. on a country road south of here (Rome)

2. to the south of Rome

WHY—1. political (assassination) 2. ? not mentioned

HOW—1. (done by) terrorists who also wounded one of

their accomplices and later killed him

2. two other persons who were travelling with him

in the car were also killed, as one of the terrorists

There is a second type of lead that is used mostly in feature stories. It is the delayed or feature lead. It usually sets a scene or evokes a mood with an incident, anecdote or example. The writer may foreshadow events to come or create a sense of foreboding or anticipated surprise. Essential information is temporarily withheld.

e.g. “The two warring images will be

linked forever, each denying—and completing—the other: Christopher Reeve, built and beautiful in his superman suit, roaring invincibly into the stratosphere. and Christopher Reeve, strained and drawn, hooked to a ventilator and living another motionless day in his wheel chair. The cartoon hero had suffered a horrible fall and emerged as a real-life hero.” (Washington Post)

“For millions of fans, he will always be superman. But to countless others, he will be regarded forever as a real-life hero, battling for medical advancements in treating spinal cord injuries with the hope of enabling himself and others to walk again.” (USA Today)

Life Resumes in ‘Isolated Island' Four days after the quake, survivors forced to flee their homes find hope in the struggle t

o recover, Tang Yue reports in Baoxing, Sichuan.

In normal times, it's the scene of cries and hurrahs, a field of combat for 22 players as two sides attempt to gain victory in 90 minutes.

But these are not normal times, and today the soccer field at Baoxing Stadium is home to nearly 4,000 people, united in their battle against a common enemy and with no idea how long this "game" will last.

(delayed lead——essential information) Baoxing county was dubbed "the isolated island" after a magnitude-7 e

arthquake struck neighboring Lushan county on Saturday morning, and with good reason. The road from Lushan was blocked by landslides and since the quake, residents have been engaged in the almost Sisyphean task of clearing the road only to find it blocked again by further landslides. The road is the only supply route, so it must be kept open. To add to the isolation, the telephone signal to many towns was lost until 4 pm on Monday.

VI. The Details in the BodyThe details in the body back up the promise

in the news lead. It will provide specific

answers to the six questions as well as the

background information, statistics,

explanations, comments, quotations and

examples.

US Senate sets off gun control debate WASHINGTON - The US Senate on Thursday voted to open debate on gun co

ntrol measures advocated by President Barack Obama and mostly Democratic lawmakers, clearing the first hurdle for relevant legislation.

In a 68-31 vote, the upper chamber of the US Congress approved a procedural motion that will allow debate on the floor over the most ambitious gun control legislation in more than a decade. The move will set off weeks of debate in the Senate.

The Obama administration "strongly supports" the Senate package of gun control measures, "which takes critical steps to reduce the epidemic of gun violence in the nation," according to a statement released by the White House on Thursday.

The vote came nearly four months after 20

schoolchildren and six educators were killed

in the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass

shooting, which occurred in Newtown,

Connecticut. The massacre shocked the nation

and renewed the gun control debate.

from The Washington Post 2013-04/12

Alibaba vows to tackle fakes www.chinadaily /2013-04/24 Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, China's biggest e-commerce company, plans

to step up efforts to fight counterfeiting, which the company head says is the biggest obstacle for its future development.

The Hangzhou-based company will spend "as much as it can" to tackle counterfeiting problems on its e-commerce websites, said Shao Xiaofeng, Alibaba's chief risk officer. The company will set up a committee for intellectual property rights protection this year, which will have Lu Zhaoxi, its new CEO starting on May 10, as head and Alibaba's different business division leaders as members, Shao said. 

The effort came after the company was removed from the United States' yearly list of the world's most "notorious markets" last year because of its improvement in reducing counterfeits.

"I am afraid that something we notice but don't prevent today will eventually grow into a cancer for a company's future development. ... That's why I think I will surely regret it if we don't do well in fighting counterfeits," Ma Yun, Alibaba's chairman, said at his last news conference before he officially steps down as CEO on May 10. 

About 2,000 employees at Alibaba are responsible for protecting intellectual property rights.

Last year, Alibaba dealt with 94 million items that infringed copyrights and handed out punishment 900,000 times, it said.

In the first three months of this year, China's public security organs have dealt with 3,747 counterfeit cases, which involved a total value of 24.2 billion yuan ($3.91 billion), said Meng Qingfeng, head of the Economic Crime Investigation Department of the Ministry of Public Security. 

In December, a report from the United States Trade Representative said that Taobao, owned by Alibaba, "has worked with rights holders to significantly decrease the listing of infringing products for sale through its website, and has committed to continue working to streamline its complaint procedures to further reduce listings of counterfeit products".

Youth Injured on Toll Road Wall Township—Stephen Garboski, 16, of Staten Island, wa

s listed in fair condition last night following a one-car accident on the Garden State Parkway yesterday afternoon at 4:15. According to Parkway police, Garboski was a passenger in a car driven by Ralph A.Dipalma, 18, of Staten Island, which ran off the left side of the south bound lane approximately one mile south of the Asbury Park exit, hit a guard rail, and turned over. Dipalma was treated at Jersey Shore Medical Center, Neptune. His brother, Steve, 16, also a passenger in the car, not injured. The cause of the accident is being investigated by Trooper George Wheeler.

Unit 7

A Conversation with a Cat

Background information to the author Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953) was an

Anglo-French writer and historian who became a naturalised British subject in 1902. He was one of the most prolific writers in England during the early twentieth century. He was known as a writer, orator, poet, satirist, man of letters, and political activist. He is most notable for his Catholic faith, which had a strong impact on most of his works. He was President of the Oxford Union and later MP for Salford from 1906 to 1910. He was a noted disputant, with a number of long-running feuds (bitter quarrels between tow parties), but also widely regarded as a humane and sympathetic man.

Major WorksVerse and Sonnets （ 《长短诗》 1895 )

The Bad Child's Book of Beasts （ 《顽童与野兽》 1896 ）

Robespierre （ 《罗伯斯庇尔传》 1901 ）The Path to Rome （ 《通往罗马的路》 19

02 ） Cautionary Tales （ 《警戒故事》 1907 ） The Green Overcoat （ 《绿大衣》 1912 ）History of England （ 《英格兰历史》 4 卷，

1925–31 ） The Last Rally ( 《最后动员》 1939)

Elizabeth: Creature of Circumstance （ 《伊丽莎白：时势造英雄》 1942)

While-reading Activity

Read the essay to get the gist of it. The author argues that the isolation of the human

soul is necessary but tragic through a conversation with a cat.

Finish the questions in Exercises I & II.

Post-reading Activity

Topics for discussion1. How do you understand the affection of the cat for

the man?

2. What kind of people do you think the speak is?

3. The human soul is suffering from some kind of lonliness which is necessary but tragic.