现代大学英语精读6（第二版）BK6教师用书Unit3.pdfVIP

Unit 3 What Is News? Neil Postman and Steve Powers Structure of the Text Part I (Para. 1) In this beginning paragraph, the authors state the purpose of the essay. Part II (Para. 2) Some people might define the news as what television directors and journalists say it is. The authors, however, think that this definition is too simplistic. Part III (Paras. 3–5) In these paragraphs, the authors explain why the news cannot be simply defined as “what happened that day” or “what happened that day that was important and interesting”. Part IV (Paras. 6–11) In these paragraphs, the authors tell readers that the news is more often made rather than gathered, and it is made on the basis of what the journalist thinks important or what the journalist thinks the audience thinks is important. Therefore, every news story is a reflection of the reporter who tells the story. Part V (Paras. 12–15) In these paragraphs, the authors point out that to make sense of the news, the viewer has to know something about the journalist’s political beliefs as well as his prejudices, interests, and quirks which are, in turn, influenced by his financial status, the companies he has worked for, the schools he went to, the books he has read, etc. Part VI (Paras. 16–17) In these paragraphs, the authors point out that the journalist cannot always impose his/her views on the general public because the television channel or newspaper cannot survive unless the news they provide satisfies the needs of the general public. On the other hand, the viewer/reader must also take into account his or her relationship to a larger audience because television and newspapers are mass media and their news is not intended for an audience of one. Part VII (Paras. 18–20) In the