作业：快速阅读（10mins）

Whatever happened to the death of newspapers? A year ago, the end seemed near. The recession threatened to remove the advertising and readers that had not already fled to the Internet. Newspapers like the San Francisco Chronicle were chronicling their own doom. America's Federal Trade Commission launched talks about how to save newspapers. Should they become charitable corporations? Should the state subsidize them? It will hold another meeting soon. But the discussions now seem out of date.

In much of the world there is little sign of crisis. German and Brazilian papers shrugged off the recession. Even American newspapers, which inhabit the most troubled comer of the global industry, have not only survived but often returned to profit. Not the 20% profit margins that were routine a few years ago, but profit all the same.

It has not been much fun. Many papers stayed out of debt or difficulties by laying journalists off. The American Society of News Editors reckons that 13,500 newsroom jobs have gone since 2007. Readers are paying more for slimmer products. Some papers even had the nerve to refuse delivery to distant suburbs. Yet these desperate measures have proved the right ones and, sadly for many journalists, they can be pushed further.

Newspapers are becoming more balanced businesses, with a healthier mix of revenues from readers and advertisers. American papers have long been highly unusual in their reliance on ads. Fully 87% of their revenues came from advertising in 2008, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD.. In Japan the proportion is 35%. Not surprisingly, Japanese newspapers are much more stable.

The whirlwind that swept through newsrooms harmed everybody, but much of the damage has been concentrated in areas where newspapers are least distinctive. Car and film reviewers have gone. So have science and general business reporters. Foreign bureaus have been savagely cut off. Newspapers are less complete as a result. But completeness is no longer a virtue in the newspaper business.

It is grim to forecast still more writers losing their jobs. But whether newspapers are thrown onto doorsteps or distributed digitally, they need to deliver something that is distinctive. New technologies like Apple's iPad only make this more true. The mere acquisition of a smooth block of metal and glass does not magically persuade people that they should start paying for news. They will pay for news if they think it has value. Newspapers need to focus relentlessly (持续地) on that.

1. By saying "Newspapers like.., their own doom" (Line 3, Para. 1), the author indicates that newspapers ______.

    A. neglected the sign of crisis

    B. failed to get state subsidies

    C. were in a desperate situation

    D. were not charitable corporations

2. Some newspapers refused delivery to distant suburbs probably because ______.

    A. readers threatened to pay less

    B. newspapers wanted to reduce costs

    C. journalists reported little about these areas

    D. subscribers complained about slimmer products

3. Why are Japanese newspapers much more stable, compared with their American counterparts?

    A. They have more sources of revenue.

    B. They have more balanced newsrooms.

    C. They are less affected by readership.

    D. They are less dependent on advertising.

4. What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs about the current newspaper business?

    A. Distinctiveness is an essential feature of newspapers.

    B. Completeness is to blame for the failure of newspaper.

    C. Foreign bureaus play a crucial role in the newspaper business.

    D. Readers have lost their interest in car and film reviews.

5. What would be the most appropriate title for this passage?

    A. American Newspapers: Gone with the Wind

    B. American Newspapers: A Thriving Business

    C. American Newspapers: A Hopeless Story

    D. American Newspapers: Struggling for Survival