A
The American newspaper has been around for about three hundred years. In 1721, the printer James Franklin, Benjamin's older brother, started The New England Courant, and that was what we might recognize today as a real newspaper. He filled his paper with stories of adventure, articles on art, on famous people, and on all sorts of political subjects.
Three centuries after the appearance of Franklin's Courant, few believe that newspapers in their present printed form will remain alive for long. Newspaper companies are losing advertisers, readers, market value, and in some cases, their sense of purpose at a speed that would not have been imaginable just several years ago. The chief editor of The Times said recently, “At places where they gather, editors ask one another, ‘How are you？’， as if they have just come out of the hospital or a lost law case.” An article about the newspaper appeared on the website of the Guardian, under the headline “NOT DEAD YET.”
Perhaps not, but the rise of the Internet, which has made the daily newspaper look slow and out of step with the world, has brought about a real sense of death. Some American newspapers have lost 42% of their market value in the past three years. The New York Times Company has seen its stock(股票) drop by 54% since the end of 2004, with much of the loss coming in the past year. A manager at Deutsche Bank suggested that stockholders sell off their Times stock. The Washington Post Company has prevented the trouble only by changing part of its business to education; its testing and testpreparation service now brings in at least half the company's income.
语篇导读 本文简单介绍了报业的发展历程，且通过数据表达了对这个行业未来的担忧。
1．What can we learn about The New England Courant?
A．It is mainly about the stock market.
B．It carries articles by political leaders.
C．It marks the beginning of newspapers.
D．It remains a successful newspaper in America.
解析 C 细节理解题。根据第一段第二句可知，《The New England Courant》是第一份真正的报纸，即它标志着报业的开端，故选C项。
2．What can we infer about the newspaper editors?
A．They often accept readers' suggestions.
B．They care a lot about each other's health.
C．They stop doing business with advertisers.
D．They face great difficulties in their business.
解析 D 推理判断题。根据第二段第二、三句可知，报业在衰落，编辑们的工作面临极大困难，故选D项。
3．Which of the following found a new way for its development?
A．The Washington Post.
B．The Guardian.
C．The New York Times.
D．The New England Courant.
解析 A 细节理解题。根据本文最后一句可知，华盛顿邮报公司通过调整业务方向避免了进一步衰落，故选A项。
4．How does the author seem to feel about the future of newspapers?
A．Satisfied. B．Hopeful.
C．Surprised. D．Worried.
解析 D 观点态度题。根据第二段以及最后一段中提到的多个报业公司的股票数据可推断，报业发展艰难，因此作者对报业的未来感到担忧，故选D项。
