(单词翻译:单击)
课文
Lesson 45 The power of the press 新闻报道的威力
Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
Does the writer think the parents where lucky or unlucky to gain prosperity in this way? Why?
In democratic countries any efforts to restrict the freedom of the press are rightly condemned. However, this freedom can easily be abused. Stories about people often attract far more public attention than political events. Though we may enjoy reading about the lives of others, it is extremely doubtful whether we would equally enjoy reading about ourselves. Acting on the contention that facts are sacred, reporters can cause untold suffering to individuals by publishing details about their private lives. Newspapers exert such tremendous influence that they can not only bring about major changes to the lives of ordinary people but can even overthrow a government.
The story of a poor family that acquired fame and fortune overnight, dramatically illustrates the power of the press. The family lived in Aberdeen, a small town of 23,000 inhabitants in South Dakota. As the parents had five children, life was a perpetual struggle against poverty. They were expecting their sixth child and were faced with even more pressing economic problems. If they had only had one more child, the fact would have passed unnoticed. They would have continued to struggle against economic odds and would have lived in obscurity. But they suddenly became the parents of quintuplets, an aeroplane arrived in Aberdeen bringing sixty reporters and photographers.
The rise to fame was swift. Television cameras and newspapers carried the news to everyone in the country. Newspapers and magazines offered the family huge sums for the exclusive rights to publish stories and photographs. Gifts poured in not only from unknown people, but room baby food and soap manufacturers who wished to advertise their products. The old farmhouse the family lived in was to be replaced by new $500,000 home. Reporters kept pressing for interviews so lawyers had to be employed to act as spokesmen for the family at press conferences. While the five babies were babies were still quietly sleeping in oxygen tents in hospital nursery, their parents were paying the price for fame. It would never again be possible for them to lead normal lives. They had become the victims of commercialization, for their names had acquired a market value. Instead of being five new family members, these children had immediately become a commodity.
参考译文
【参考译文】
在民主国家里，任何限制新闻自由的企图都理所当然地受到谴责。然而，这种自由很容易被滥用。常人轶事往往比政治事件更能引起公众注意。我们都喜欢看关于别人生活的报道，但是否同样喜欢看关于自己生活的报道，就很难说了。记者按事实至上的论点行事，发表有关别人生活的细节，有时会给当事人造成极大的痛苦。新闻具有巨大的威力。它们不仅可以给寻常人家的生活带来重大的变化，甚至还能推翻一个政府。
下面这户穷人一夜之间出名发财的故事戏剧性地说明了新闻报道威力。这户人家住在南达科他州一个人口为23，000 的小镇上，镇名为阿拜丁。家里已有5个孩子，全家人常年在贫困中挣扎。第6个孩子即将问世，他们面临着更为严峻的经济问题。如果他们只添了1个孩子，这件事本来就不会引起任何人的注意。这家人会继续为克服经济上的拮据而奋斗，并默默无闻地活下去。但是他们出人意料生了个五胞胎，4女1男。这事使他们的生活发生了根本的变化。五胞胎降生第二天，一架飞机飞抵阿拜丁，随机带来60名记者与摄影师。
这一家迅速出了名。电视摄像机和报纸把消息传送到全国。报纸、杂志出高价向他们购买文字、图片的独家报道权。不但素昧平生的人寄来了大量的礼物，而且婴儿食品、婴儿肥皂制造厂商为了替自己产品做广告也寄来了大量的礼物。这家人住的旧家舍将由一座价值50万美元的新住宅所取代。由于记者纷纷要求会见，他们不得不请了律师充当他们家的发言人举行记者招待会。眼下，五胞胎还静静地躺在医院婴儿室的氧气帐里，他们的父母却为这名声付出了代价，他们再也无法过正常的生活。他们成了商业化的受害者，因为他们的名字具有了市场价值。这些孩子立即成了商品，而不是5个新的家庭成员。
词汇讲解
1.democratic adj.民主的
例句：a speech embodying democratic ideals
一篇体现民主理想的演说
2.restrict v.限制
例句：Don't restrict the proper activities of children.
不要拘束孩子们的正当活动。
3.abuse v.滥用
例句：The new law constitutes a safeguard against the abuse of government power.
新法律可以防止滥用政府权力。
4.contention n.论点
例句：The circumstances gave color to his contention.
若干具体情况使他的论点显得可信。
5.untold adj.数不尽
例句：The poll tax, a tax of the same amount from each person, made the masses suffer untold misery and hardship.
这种按人头征收的人头税，使得老百姓苦不堪言。
6.South Dakota 南达科他州（美国）
7.perpetual adj.永久的
例句：Their marriage was marred by perpetual contest.
他们的婚姻毁于无休止的争论。
8.quintuplet n.五胞胎之一
9.obscurity n.默默无闻
例句：He worked in obscurity for many years.
他作了多年的小人物。
10.radically adv.彻底地，完全地
例句：The result will be radically enhanced functionality at substantially lower cost.
其结果将是以低得多的成本大大增强了功能。
11.exclusive adj.独占的，独家的
例句：Dangerous objects will be deposited in an exclusive warehouse.
危险物品会存放在一个专门仓库中。
12.nursery n.育婴室，保育室
13.commercialization n.商品化
例句：Modem sports clubs have already de-veloped into a kind of economic corporeal. Professional sports clubs have been brought into the economic operation of commercialization.
现代的体育俱乐部已经发展咸了一种经济实体，专业体育俱乐部也纳入了商业化的经济运作。
14.commodity n.商品
例句：As commodity prices rise, less people are willing to invest in real estate.
当日用品价格上升的时候，愿意投资房地产的人就少了许多。
课文讲解
1.In democratic countries any efforts to restrict the freedom of the press are rightly condemned.
参考翻译：在民主国家里，任何限制新闻自由的企图都理所当然地受到谴责。
to restrict the freedom是不定式做后置定语，语法部分详细介绍。
2.Stories about people often attract far more public attention than political events.
参考翻译：常人轶事往往比政治事件更能引起公众注意。
far修饰比较级
可修饰比较级的词：
1）a bit, a little, rather, much, far, by far, many, a lot, lots, a great deal, any, still, even等
2）还可以用表示倍数的词或度量名词作修饰语。
3）以上词(除by far)外，必须置于比较级形容词或副词的前面。
3. Though we may enjoy reading about the lives of others, it is extremely doubtful whether we would equally enjoy reading about ourselves.
参考翻译：我们都喜欢看关于别人生活的报道，但是否同样喜欢看关于自己生活的报道，就很难说了。
whether和if的区别
1. 引导主语从句并在句首时不用if。如：
Whether we go there is not decided. 我们是否去那里还没决定。
2. 引导表语从句时不用if。如：
The question is whether we can get there on time. 问题是我们能否按时到达那里。
3. 引导同位语从句时不用if。如：
He asked me the question whether the work was worth doing. 他问我这个问题，那项工作是否值得做。
4. 在介词后引导宾语从句不用if。如：
I’m thinking about whether we’ll have a meeting. 我在考虑我们是否要开个会。
5. 直接与not连用时不用if。如：
I don’t know whether or not you will go. 我不知道你是否去。
6. 宾语从句置于句首时不用if。如：
Whether you have met George before, I can’t remember. 我不记得你以前是否见过乔治。
7. 在discuss等之后时不用if。如：
We’re discussing whether we’ll go on a picnic. 我们在讨论是否要去野餐。
8. 当用if会引起歧义时不用if。如：
Please let me know whether you are busy. 请告诉我你是否忙。(若用if，还可理解为如果你很忙，你就告诉我。 (from www.yygrammar)
9. 在动词不定式前用whether不用if。如：
He doesn’t know whether to go or not. 他不知道是否去。
10. 宾语从句是否定式时不用whether。如：
She asked me if Tom didn’t come. 她问我Tom是不是没有来。
4. Newspapers exert such tremendous influence that they can not only bring about major changes to the lives of ordinary people but can even overthrow a government.
参考翻译：新闻具有巨大的威力。它们不仅可以给寻常人家的生活带来重大的变化，甚至还能推翻一个政府。
such that
so that such that
1. 引导结果状语从句的从属连词主要的有so that, so…that, such…that等：He studied hard so that he passed the exam. 他学习用功，所以考试通过了。He was so angry that he couldn’t speak. 他气得话都说不出来。He shut the window with such force'Times New Roman'">他关窗子用力很大，结果玻璃震破了。注：so…that和such…that中的that有时(尤其在口语中)可省略：)I am so busy I have no time to write a letter. 我很忙，连写信的时间都没有。
There was such a lot of rain (that) we couldn’t go out. 雨那么大，我们没法出去。
2. so…that与such…that的用法比较从用法上看，so后应接形容词或副词，而such后接名词(参见以上例句)。但有时so+形容词so+后还可接一个名词，且这个名词总是带不定冠词的单数可数名词(不能是复数名词或不可数名词)：正：He is so clever a child that we all like him. 这小孩很聪明，我们都喜欢他。正：They areONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ascii-font such clever children that we all like them. 这些孩子很聪明，我们都很喜欢。误：They are so clever children that we all like them.此时的so…that结构可与such…that结构转换：It’s such an interesting film that we all want to see it. 这电影很有趣，我们都想看。 It’s so interesting a film that we all want to see it. 这电影很有趣，我们都想看。 注：在much, many, little, few 这四个词前总是用so而不用such：He had so many falls that he was black and blue all over. 他摔了许多跤，结果全身都是伤。 He earns so little money that he can hardly feed his family. 他赚的钱很少几乎不能养家糊口。
not only but是not only but also的变体
5.If they had only had one more child, the fact would have passed unnoticed.
参考翻译：如果他们只添了1个孩子，这件事本来就不会引起任何人的注意。
虚拟语气
非真实条件句中的条件从句有时不表示出来，只暗含在短语或上下文中，这种句子叫做储蓄条件句。常见的有but,for ,without等引导的短语，以及or, or else, otherwise, but 等后面的分句。
例：But for your help we couldn’t have succeeded in the experiment.
如果没有你的帮助，我们的实验室是不会成功的。
例：We could have done better under more favourable conditions.
在更有利的条件下，我们能够做得更好些。
6. But they suddenly became the parents of quintuplets, an aeroplane arrived in Aberdeen bringing sixty reporters and photographers.
参考翻译：但是他们出人意料生了个五胞胎。五胞胎降生第二天，一架飞机飞抵阿拜丁，随机带来60名记者与摄影师。
现在分词短语做伴随状语。
语法讲解
不定式在句中做定语通常做后置定语，即放在被修饰名词或代词后。它通常有以下几种用法：
(一)不定式常可用来修饰物，表示要做某事。
如：1.The next train to arrive was from NewYork.下一列到站的火车是从纽约开来的。
2.I have nothing to say on this question.在这个问题上，我没有什么话要说。
3. We are looking for somewhere to live.我们正在找一个地方住。
(二)不定式还可用来修饰人。
如：1.He was the first guest to arrive.他是第一个到达的客人。
2.Miss Brown was the next person to rise to speak.布朗小姐是下一个起来发言的人。
3.He was a brave man to do what he did.他是个勇者才有这样的行为。
(三)很多特定的名词后也可用不定式做定语，这样的名词常用的有：way，time，reason，chance，opportunity，need，wish，effort，right，ambition等。
如：1.It's time for you to get up and go to school.你该起床去上学了。
2.There is no reason to doubt his word.没有理由怀疑他的话。
3.They have now an opportunity to go abroad to study further.他们现在有机会出国深造。
(四)某些动词或形容词后可接不定式时，它相应的同根名词也常用不定式做定语。
如：1.He made an attempt to learn English well.他试图学好英语。(attempt to do sth)
2.His ability to get on with people is his chief advantage.他能和人相处是他的主要优势。(be able to do sth)
3.I don't trust his promise to come for a visit.我不相信他来访的诺言。(promise to do sth)
4.Her anxiety to succeed led her to work hard.她迫切想成功，这促使她努力工作。(be anxious to do sth)
此外，当不定式中的动词与所修饰的名词或代词构成动宾关系且动词为不及物动词时，需用不定式+介词的结构，这种情况下的介词不能省略。如：
1.I need a pen to write with.我需要一支笔写字。
2.Give me some paper to write on.给我一些纸写字。
(这种不定式+介词做定语的形式也可转换成：介词+which+todo做定语，如上面的第一句I need a pen to write with.可转换为I need a pen with which to write.)
不定式做定语除了原形to do外，还会下面的形式，即：不定式的被动形式to be done，不定式的完成时to have done.如：
1.There is no need to have bought a new pair of shoes for me.没有必要给我买一双新鞋。(to have bought意为已买).
2.There are plans to be made at once.要立即制定计划。(表示计划被制定)
3.He was the second man to be killed this way.他是第二个这样被杀害的人。(表示这个人被杀害)
经典句子
1.In democratic countries any efforts to restrict the freedom of the Press are right condemned.
在民主国家里，任何限制新闻自由的企图都理所当然地受到公正的谴责。
2.The story of a poor family thatacquired fame and fortune overnight,dramatically illustrates the power of the press.
下面这户穷人一夜之间出名发财的故事戏剧性地说明了新闻报道威力。
3.As the parents had five children, life was perpetualstruggle against poverty.
家里已有5个孩子，全家人的生活就是在贫困线上做无穷无尽地挣扎。
4.The rise to fame was swift.
这一家迅速出了名。
5.Gifts pouredin not only from unknown people, but from baby food and soap manufacturers whowished to advertise their products.
不但素昧平生的人寄来了大量的礼物，而且婴儿食品、婴儿肥皂制造厂商为了替自己产品做广告也寄来了大量的礼物。
6...their parents were paying theprice for fame.
他们的父母却为这名声付出了代价。
7.It wouldnever again be possible for them to lead normal lives.
他们再也无法过正常的生活。
8.….that almost every one of theinhabitants was affected to a greater or less degree.
以致几乎全镇居民均在不同程度上受到影响。
