English News writing and Reading

新闻写作与阅读

石义彬 纪 莉

武汉大学出版社

书 Preface English News writing and Reading

Newspapers we read today have their roots in 17th century Europe. As a most significant medium and a most profitable industry,the newspaper is such a valuable invention for mankind. It offers large numbers of information for people to consume. It helps people to exchange opinions and to share cultural values. It provides entertainments and encourages people to communicate. It combines the world into a“global village. ”And of course, it also provides good samples as reading materials. But for students of Journalism schools,English newspapers are far from reading materials to practice their language ability. It is a field to learn English news writing and journalist practices as well as to experience different cultures. Most of the time,students may find that the difficulties of reading and understanding a news report do not come from the language itself, but from the misunderstanding of a very familiar word in an unfamiliar context. We may 3 find words in a dictionary easily,but it would not be as easy as that to find out what the writer exactly means and tries to convey. Thus,to read English newspapers would be not only a great challenge to students’ vocabulary reserves,but also an exam of students’knowledge on journalism. We hope this book can contribute to help students appreciate English newspapers in a professional way, and improve their ability to understand English news reports properly and accurately.

——— Author CONTENTS English News Writing and Reading

Preface

Part One

Chapter 1:The Front Page ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ 3 Chapter 2:The Headlines(Ⅰ)⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ 8 Chapter 3:The Headlines(Ⅱ) ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ 18 Chapter 4:The Lead ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ 25 Chapter 5:Story Structure ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ 34 Chapter 6:Grammar Features in Text Body ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ 52 Chapter 7:News Briefs ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ 57 Chapter 8:Feature Stories ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ 60 1 Chapter 9:Editorials and Letters ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ 72 Part Two Learning Through Reading

Chapter 10:Political News ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ 85 Chapter 11:Business Reports ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ 99 Chapter 12:Sports ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ 119 Appendix Ⅰ:Newspapers in the UK:An Introduction ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ 161 Appendix Ⅱ:Newspapers in the United States ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ 164 Appendix Ⅲ:Newspapers in Canada ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ 167 Appendix Ⅳ:Newspapers in the Pacific Region:Australia and New Zealand ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ 169 Appendix Ⅴ:The Pulitzer Prizes ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ 172 Appendix Ⅵ:Newspaper and Newspaper Advertisement Appreciation ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ 184

书 Chapter 1 The Front Page English News Writing and Reading

The Structure of a Newspaper

When you have a newspaper in hand,the first thing you do is to skim it so as to find out the most interesting part you want to read. An excellent newspaper will win you over by its style and characters a whole. But you will still search out the most attractive part for you because everyone still has his / her own reading preference. In a typical English newspaper,you will usually find the following sections everyday: The Front Page:The first page of a newspaper. : International This section invites you to read the headlining world 3 news,the bulk being political coverage. National:This section invites you to read the most important coverage of national news. The Metro:This section provides all the regional news,columns and analysis found in the area where the newspaper is located. Business / Finance:This section provides information on the stock market and finance,news stories with analysis behind the information. Sports:This section gives records of important sports events,and in depth sports reporting and analysis. Arts:This section helps you understand the artistic pursuits from movies to museums and much more. Aside from these sections,different newspapers have a wide variety of special sections,which will be edited and published on a certain day of the week. For example,in the New York Times,there is the Dining In / Dining Out section,which allows you to discover fresh tastes,trends and recipes for novices and gourmet chefs alike every Wednesday. Other sections we may see on different days of the week in one

书 newspaper may include: Travel:This section provides tips on where to travel and how to have a good time. Obituary:This section gives the latest story of people who have recently deceased and recalls their legacy. And so on

Introduction of the Front Page

The front page is the part you will read first whenever you have a newspaper in hand. Unlike other pages,it is the FACE of a newspaper on which editors carefully select and arrange the information. Indeed,it is quite normal for big international newspapers to have a“front page office”with its own editor. An example of a front page:

4 Terms

Keys:Headlines that invite the reader to read stories found in other sections of the paper. Flag:The newspapers name as it appears at the top of the first page;also known as the logotype or nameplate. Headline:Words in large type at the top of a story telling what the story is about;also called a head. Byline:The reporters name,which appears at the head of the news or a picture story. Dateline:Words at the beginning of a story that give the storys place of origin. News Story:A story about a news event. Cutline:Explanatory information under a picture or illustration;also called a caption. Lead:(pronounced[leed])The first paragraph or two of a news story, telling who,what,when,where,why / how. 5 Alley:The white space between the columns of news stories. News Services:Name that indicates that information from more that one wire service was used in writing the news story. Jump:To continue a story from one page to another.

Features of the Front Page

We need to be aware of that the front page has very different functions for a newspaper: ● The front page shows the most important or most dramatic stories and is constituted by those stories. The lead story in the front page is always presented in a heavier,larger headline font than other stories. ● The front page always carries a wide range of different kinds of news, keeping a balance of local,national and international news. ● The front page has the table of contents that guides you through the whole paper. ● The selection and the design of the front page news shows the characteristics,style and personality of the newspaper.

Discussion

1. Read carefully a front page of an English newspaper. For example, the Times,or USA Today. Compare the front page of the English newspaper you selected with one familiar Chinese newspaper. What are the differences between them on the number and size of stories, advertisements and pictures?What are the differences in the proportion of local to national news? 2. Read the table of content carefully of an English newspaper under the instruction of your teacher. Pick up one of the stories you are most interested in and find out where to find the whole story. 3. Down below are pictures of 10 outstanding front pages on the day after the 9. 11 attack. Appreciate the design of these front pages and think about how those compelling front page reflected the enormity of the news and carried out successfully the main functions of front pages.

6 7 Chapter 2 The Headlines(I) English News Writing and Reading

Introduction

The headlines are the titles of a news report. They are larger than the text,used to attract the attention of readers and inform them of what the text contains. Readers of the newspaper usually decide which story to read thoroughly by skimming headlines of the whole newspaper. So,it is the editors belief that“foremost among the skills of the information presenter is headline writing because headlines themselves are works of art. ” A good understanding of headlines enables readers to successfully understand the whole report. 8 Types of Headlines

On the Standard of the Language Feature

1. Sentence headlines: The headlines own the structure of a sentence,which have complete forms of nouns and verbs. The verbs in this kind of headlines should be paid great attention to. Sometimes, to avoid the boredom caused by the monotonous structure and to arouse readers desire to read the story,the editors would like to play with the words,especially verbs. Those verbs are unusual and describe the situation of the news story vividly. 2. Phrase headlines: The headlines are constituted by phrases instead of sentences. We see 9 phrase headlines more frequently in the features. They are more difficult to understand because of the incompleteness of the structure,and sometimes they just call our attention to the story and we can only know their real meaning after finishing the stories. Whats more,the violation of grammar rules in this kind of headline always indicates the tense and the voice of the story. On the Standard Column

The newspaper normally has 8 or 6 columns. According to the numbers of columns taken by headlines,the headlines could be divided into “one column head,”“twocolumn head ”and so on. ● Banner :A spread headline that stretches across the width of the paper is called a “banner. ” It is used when the editor feel the need to trumpet 10 major news. Tabloid newspapers use a modification of this style because of their format,and the result is a very brief headline,often no more than five or six words that pretty much fills the page. Newspapers like the New York Times seldom use banners except when remarkably influencing things happened. In the New York Times history,it used the banner in front page editing only four times.

The Parts of Headlines

Headlines may contain one deck or several decks. The different parts of the headlines have different names and usages. ● Line:a singledeck headline which consists of a word or group of words arranged side by side on the same level. ● Spread:a line that extends across multiple columns is often called a “spread. ” ● Main:in a headline with more than one deck,the section with the largest and boldest type is called “main. ” The main contains the essential facts. ● Readout: a secondary line or lines below the main, often in a contracting font or in italics. The readout amplifies or explains the main and often uses that same subject. It is smaller than the main. ● Kicker / label:a line that appears just above the main is called a “kicker”or“label. ”The principal function of the kicker is to add emphasis to the main.

Language Features of the Headlines 11

Tense

Headlines have their own special linguistic rules. Read the following 10 headlines,tell your classmates which ones you think refer to the past?Which ones do you think refer to the future?Which ones refer to present situation? 12

Special Grammar Rules in Headlines:

● Simple present tense in headlines indicates past meaning ● Continuous participle indicates present meaning ● Infinitive form indicates future meaning ● Past participle indicates passive voice Examples

13 Punctuation

To save spaces, punctuation marks are often used to indicate quotations,questions,casual relations and connectives. 14

● Colon in headlines typically introduces a list,a direct quotation or a topic. Sometimes the colon is a substitute for“say”or“says. ” ● The semicolon divides the clauses that have different subjects. ● Dash in headlines means the results or another part of the story. ● Comma in headlines replaces “and,”“as” or “when. ” ● The hyphen is used to clarify the relationship of words. ● The single quotes are used in headlines where double quotation marks are used in body text. ● The period is not used in headlines. Omissions

To save places,headlines are shorter than normal sentences. Omission has always been used to show a feature like“telegram. ”

15

● Articles,personal pronouns,this / that,verb be are omitted where there are no severe ambiguity results.

Discussions

1. Read the following headlines,and try to figure out the meaning of them by completing them into a complete sentence with grammar rules. Please use those linguistic rules learnt before. 16

2. Down below are three disorganized headlines,please put them into the proper word order: 17 Chapter 3 The Headlines(II) English News Writing and Reading

Words in the Headlines

Short Words for Nouns

Because of the space limitation,complex and long nouns and verbs will be substituted by shorter, monosyllabic and more colloquial nouns and verbs. For nouns,editors use shorter words to save space. For verbs,they not only save places,but also make the headlines more interesting and noticeable. Many of the short verbs have various meanings and they have double meanings when used in the headlines. They are the“clever”verbs in 18 editors hand.

1. Clippings:

● Clipping is the technique frequently used in headlines for nouns. Other clipping words frequently seen in headlines:

copter — helicopter fridge — refrigerator quiz — question fete — festival,entertainment cop — police sec — secretary dems — democrats rep — representative op — operator pub — publisher prof — professor sub — subway;submarine vet — veteran med — medicine biz — business hos — hospital hr — hour

2. Another name of significant places:

19

Other names frequently seen as representatives of important places:

White house the US government White Hall the British government Buckingham Palace the British Royal Downing street the government of Great Britain Fleet street Media in Britain Pentagon the American military forces

3. Abbreviations and acronyms: Abbreviation and acronyms are always used in headlines to represent the complete form of an organization,an institute,names of places or special terms. It is a good choice for editors to use them to save the places in headlines without hurting the meanings. However,sometimes,readers may get confused if they are not familiar with the abbreviations or acronyms they see in headlines. Most of the time,the writer of the news report will give readers the complete form of the abbreviations or acronyms in the lead if the abbreviations and acronyms are not frequently used in newspapers or they are the new ones.

20 ● To improve your ability to scan the headlines in the quickest way to catch the most interesting story to read, students need to accumulate frequentlyused abbreviation and acronyms,and master the language techniques of abbreviation and acronyms whenever meet unfamiliar ones in headlines. Cultures of the places where the newspaper locates in is also necessarily needed.

Short Words for Verbs

There are many simple and multiple meaning verbs used in headlines. Those verbs are required to be concise,short and powerful. So many of them are very colloquial. Some verbs used in headlines are seldom or never used in the news body. When we read headlines,we must pay great attentions to the 21 selection and indication of these simple verbs.

● Grill originally means cooking directly over or under great heat. The verb selected here vividly describe that the spy is suffering from severe questioning.

Other words frequently seen: cut — to reduce,reduction push — to encourage,support spark — to cause,initiate urge — to insist,strongly request grab — to seize,win bar,ban — to prohibit,prevent, forbid boost — to promote,increase axe — to cancel,dismiss slam — to criticize face — to have to undergo smash — to defeat probe — to investigate cite — to mention,point out seek — to try to obtain rip — to tear apart snub — to dismiss,turn down ink — to mark tap — to appoint,nominate,hire eye — to consider slate — nominate,arrange, schedule row — quarrel,wrangle slap — to criticize,assail, reprimand held,said — reported, set,slated — scheduled,planned declared — , 22 nix to deny reject

Background Knowledge for Reading Headlines

Examples ● Build up vocabulary lists on: names and places organizations and institutions economy and finance social and political issues crisis and disaster science and technology ● Knowledge of cultural differences between the country the newspaper belongs to and your country ● With the social development,many new words are invented with the roots in cultural origins. The accumulation of these words is necessary. The best way to improve it is to read English newspapers as many as you can ● Slang and colloquialism are popular in newspapers while they are the most difficult part for non - native readers to understand

Discussions 23

1. Translate the headlines down below. Use language knowledge to learn about nouns in headlines. 2. Use your dictionary to look up the multiple meanings of those italic words. Try to find suitable meanings for them used in the headlines. Understand meanings of these headlines under the direction of your teacher. A. Jobless aid B. Flimsy Excuses Cause said nixed Blood Donation Lag by prexy

C. Power bills spark revolt

D. Expert Probes E. Royals eye a throne Mosque attack

3. Down below are two leads with the headline of the story. After finishing reading the lead,please find out what the acronyms here represent and try to understand the usage of acronyms in headlines:

24

The first meeting between President Bush and South Korean President Roh Moohyun Wednesday is expected to cover several critical issues,chief among them the standoff with North Korea over its nuclear weapons program,U. S. officials said.

The conflict between the Big East and Atlantic Coast Conferences can be summed up very simply:It is about money,and particularly about football money. Chapter 4 The Lead English News Writing and Reading

Introduction

The first paragraph in the news story is called“Lead”. An effective lead will catch the readers attention and direct it to what the reporter feels as the most essential point or news angle of the story. It can also cajole readers into reading more about the story. So,to construct a good lead remains the most important task for the news reporters. Traditionally,the lead as the initial paragraph contains the essential facts that have been defined as the“five ws and h”— who,what,when,where,why and how.

25 Types of Leads

Direct Lead:

The lead tells the readers the most important aspect of the story at once. It focuses on the theme of the event in the first paragraph. It is used on most stories.

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives voted today to impeach President Clinton BAGHDAD — A gunman Sunday shot and killed a soldier who was guarding Baghdad University in the citys center, military officials said. New York — A latemorning fire in the upper floors of an 18 story apartment building in the Lefrak city project in Elmhurst, Queens,killed three people Thursday,the Fire Department said. Israelis and Palestinians Pressed to Compromise in Mideast Talks by Steven R. Weisman

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell joins with top European, Arab and United Nations diplomats to press for concessions in peace talks between Israel and Palestinians even as violence in Gaza Strip leaves four Palestinians dead.

● The direct lead tells directly the heart of the events to readers. ● The direct lead always has the time element. ● The direct lead usually tells a source of the information or action,and the source is often identified. ● The place of the action is usually included in the 26 direct leads.

Delayed Lead:

The lead creates hints at its content for attracting readers attention. It is often used on features and news features,the kinds of stories that are not about developing or fastbreaking events. It always sets a scene or evokes a mood with an incident,anecdote or example.

Washington — New York Democrat Charles Rangel rose Saturday to utter one of the rare sentences on which both sides of the House of Representatives could agree:“Mr. Speaker,the whole world is watching. ” (The lead of a feature story about the House of Representatives in America to impeach President Clinton on his sex scandal. )

Chicago — They are the misery merchants and they prowl the streets of our city 24 hours a day as profiteers of human suffering. (The delayed lead of an investigative report for Chicago Tribune,which began a series of articles exposing corruption in Chicagos ambulance services. )

Still New York,in Pain and Glory by N. R. Kleinfield Nothing has been forgotten. That could never be. But things go on,start anew, revert to some mean. Even on the E train downtown,where the stations still advise,“To World Trade Center all times,”and the conductors intone,“E train to World Trade. ” One year after it faced its own mortality,New York,in its daily curiosities and unexpungeable flavor,is still New York. For some time,no one knew if that could happen. (The delayed lead of a feature story on memorandum of the anniversary of 9. 11 attack in New York. )

Development of Leads 27

The lead writing style has evolved since the 19th century with the introduction of telegraph. In the early days of the telegraph style,the lead was expected to be a complete summary of the story with enough details for it to stand alone if a deadline made that necessary. If the telegraph wire stops transmitting in the process because of technological problem,at least the editor could use the lead itself as a complete story to tell.

A lead from the New York Times in 1890 Danbury,Conn. , Feb. 2. — This city suffered the most disastrous fire in its history this morning. It consumed a half dozen large buildings and several minor structures in the very heart of the business district,Main and Liberty streets,and cleaned out many of the largest retail establishments,besides a half hundred or more offices and over four hundred people occupying tenements in the blocks. The total loss will be something over $300,000,the bulk of which falls on Charles Hull,representing the Hull estate.

We can see easily todays newspaper have very different writing style compared to the lead from the late 1880s to the 1920s,which was the heyday of the telegraphic style. With the arrival of radio in the 1920s, the pressure on telegraph newspaper began to ease. The lead was still as long as more than one sentence,but the fact included had a perceptible decline. Leads at that time began a gradual movement towards the contemporary style.

A lead in 1926 about a murder in an American newspaper: Samuel Holt,paymaster of Armour & Co. ,was slain by payroll bandits yesterday afternoon at 11th and Nobel Sts. Caught between a crossfire of lead,he slumped to the floor of his automobile, riddled with bullets.

28 Since 1950s, with increasing pressure of electronic journalism, the streamlined leads consist of a single sentence became popular. Those sentences in lead usually do not exceed 35 words with the most important elements of the story.

WASHINGTON — President George Bush and Tony Blair yesterday warned the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in the starkest terms that preparations for the war against them were complete and attacks could be launched at any time. OREGON — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6. 2 that struck Seattle,Washington,today was also felt as far away as Portland,Oregon. LONDON — Countries across Europe are stepping up measures to prevent footandmouth outbreaks as fears grow that the first case outside the British mainland may have been identified. BEIJING ( Xinhua )— Visiting Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi Monday expressed introspection into the war,an apology and mourning for those Chinese people who died during the war. NEW YORK — U. S. stocks tumbled at midday today after hopes of a quick interest rate cut were dashed by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspans report to a Congressional panel, in which he indicated the economy is not weak enough to merit a rate cut soon. SYDNEY (Reuters)— An Australian boxer died Monday of injuries sustained three days earlier when he fell heavily and hit his head during a bout. His death sparked renewed calls for the sport to be banned.

Language Features of Leads

The leads today always consist of one sentence. The sentence usually contains one idea and follows the subjectverbobject sentence structure for clarity. Although many leads are just one sentence,the structure of them is quite special. Chinese students should familiarize themselves with this 29 technique so that they can master the skills needed to understand leads. Compare the following leads in pairs and taste the effect it will bring to readers. Which one do you think is more emphatic for leads? NEW YORK — Silence fell on ground zero this morning, precisely a year from the moment when a terroristguided jetliner sliced through a crystal blue sky and murdered multitudes. NEW YORK — A year from the moment when a terrorist guided jetliner sliced through a crystal blue sky and murdered multitudes,silence fell on ground zero this morning. RAMALLAH — In words and deeds Israel yesterday defied a United Nations resolution calling on it to pull out of Ramallah and other Palestinian cities even though the motion was endorsed by its usually staunch ally,the United States. RAMALLAH — Though the motion was endorsed by its usually staunch ally,the United States,Israel yesterday defied a United Nations resolution calling on it to pull out of Ramallah and other Palestinian cities in words and deeds. ●In the lead,the beginning of the sentences is the most emphatic, and the end next in emphasis. The middle, as always, is reserved for material to be deemphasized,because readers expect to see the most important element to appear at the beginning. The source of information or action is always at the end of the lead.

Compare the following leads in pairs and taste the effect it will bring to readers: NEW YORK — A car that ran out of control on Mail Street early today damaged three parked vehicles before coming to rest in the window of a dress shop near 17th street. NEW YORK — Three parked vehicles and a storefront were damaged early day by a car that ran out of control on Mail Street near 17th street. 30

● The active voice of verbs is preferred by news writers on writing leads because the active voice is stronger and more emphatic than the passive voice.

Read the following lead and taste the effect it will bring to readers: City Manager Frank Gibson resigned yesterday, charging Greensburg Council members with “selfinterest” and “political cowardice. ”

The fact that the City Manager Frank Gibson resigned is the most important fact in the news. It has been put at the top place to be emphasized. The less important material has been given in the subordinate clause. As an independent clause,readers could not ignore the importance of those facts. Other examples

GAZA CITY — Israeli troops battled dozens of masked gunmen in a raid of a Hamas stronghold Thursday,waging an offensive against militants despite a new international peace plan. A security guard was killed and three others were injured when a bag exploded near the luggage screening area at Jordans international airport,officials said. Look at a compound structure sentence with several equally important facts in the lead: ATLANTA — More Americans are quitting smoking,but more are dying from smokingrelated illness — nearly 450,000 a year — as the habits of the 1950s and 60s take an increasing toll,federal officials said yesterday. New York — The Bush administration worked to firm up support for the war today,accusing Suddam Hussein of operating death squads,warning Syria and Iran against interfering with allied 31 operations and mounting a concerted effort to counter the impression that the fighting had gone worse than expected in its first nine days.

● Clauses and punctuations are used to tell the relationship of facts in onesentence leads. The complex sentences of leads usually contain an independent or a dependent clause or the both. The independent clause is more important than the dependent clause. In compound sentences,the facts contained around the “comma” or the“and”are equally important.

Discussions

1. Read the following direct leads and divide the complex sentence of leads into single questions. Discuss with your classmates which sentence hold the most important facts the newswriters want to tell. SAN FRANCISCO — The California Supreme Court ruled today that newspaper and television stations can be held liable for news gathering techniques that intrude on privacy. BEIJING — China carried out a sweeping quarantine of thousands of city residents who have had contact with suspected carriers of highly infectious respiratory illness called SARS. TORONTO — The World Health Organization added Toronto today to its list of places that travelers should avoid because of an outbreak of a contagious respiratory disease,shattering this citys image as a safe place to live and visit.

2. Read the following delayed leads and discuss with your classmates what the story would be about and what emotion the newswriter tries to arouse after reading those leads: At the base camp of the Fifth Marine Regiment here,two 32 sharpshooters,Sgt. Eric Schrumpf,28,and Cpl. Mikael McIntosh, 20,sat on a sand berm and swapped combat tales while their column stood at a halt on the road toward Baghdad. For five days this week,the two men rode atop armored personnel carriers, barreling up Highway 1. ——— About Americans attack in Iraq by a New York Times Journalist

We slept last night in the enemys camp. ——— By a correspondent for the Memphis Daily Appeal,after the first day of the Civil War Battle of Shiloh

What price of glory?Two eyes,two legs,an arm — $12 a month. ——— St. Clair McKelway,Washington Herald,in a story about a disabled World War I veteran living in poverty

KARUMAMBA — Nobody lives here any more. HOPKINTON — She was born female,but she wore mens clothing and cultivated a mustache.

33 Chapter 5 Story Structure English News Writing and Reading

Introduction

The news story is an organized whole. Each sentence and every paragraph has its position to suit one purpose:to convey the news in a suitable way. Actually,the lead gives the story its structure. A direct lead indicates a linear structure with explanations below the lead. A delayed lead means more choices for the newswriter to form a good story. Basically,the lead,the material that explains and amplifies the lead, the necessary background and the secondary or less important material are included and

34 organized in turn in a news story structure. A good mastery of news story structure would be a helpful tool for readers to catch the central idea of the news story.

The Basic Story Forms

The Single-Element Story

The singleelement story is the story that consists of one important action or is based on one major fact or idea. It is most often seen in the breaking news or news brief.

Thieves Get 36 Batteries Thieves who entered a Charlotte auto parts store stole 36 Delco batteries,police were told yesterday. Crowell Erskine,49,manager of the Piedmont Auto Exchange at 410 Atando Ave. ,told officers the store was broken into between 5 p. m. Tuesday and 8 a. m. Wednesday by thieves knocking a hole in the rear wall of the onestory brick building. Erskine said the batteries were valued at $539. 18.

This singleelement story has ● Lead ● Explanatory and amplifying material ● Background(if necessary) ● Secondary material(if necessary) The main idea of the news story is clearly clarified with the story structure.

The Multiple-Element Story

An event that has two or more major ideas or themes need to have a

multipleelement story. The structure of it is the lead with two or more ideas 35 with explanatory materials for these ideas in turn. After that, we may sometimes see secondary materials and background of these ideas if necessary.

Two-element story

Blair Arrives in Pakistan for Emergency Talks Friday October 5,2001 The Prime Minister,Tony Blair,today flew into the eye of the storm of the escalating global crisis,as he arrived in Pakistan for emergency talks with General Pervez Musharraf. Fresh from an overnight stay in Moscow, Mr. Blair told reporters he wanted to ensure a “trap was set around the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. ” At a press conference,Mr. Blair told the Pakistani people: “Now is the time to use our past and present friendship to help people in this region and around the world. ” He told reporters that he had had “detailed and worthwhile discussions” with the Pakistani leader,and that the UK would restart defence collaboration with the country. And he praised General Musharraf,saying he had made “the brave decision and the right decision” to support the Western coalition. Mr. Blair also pledged “resources as necessary” to help refugees in host nations for displaced Afghanis. The Prime Minister touched down in Islamabad in an RAF VC10 accompanied by fighter jets,in what was initially a confidential trip to ensure Mr. Blairs safety. Mr. Blair is expected to travel on to Indian later in the day.

● There are two main ideas in the lead of twoelement story. Their importance is clearly indicated by the main clause and subordinate clause they belong to. 36 The story will develop according to the order of importance set by the lead.

Fractured Paragraph for Multielement Story

Examples

World Leaders Express Applause,Regret and Anger LONDON (Reuters)— The opening salvos of the Iraq war Thursday earned the United States polite applause from some traditional allies, expressions of regret from others and furious condemnation from its usual enemies. In the Islamic world opposition was the norm but not quite total. Iran,Iraqs neighbor and listed by President Bush on the same “axis of evil,”called the attack“unjustifiable and illegitimate. ” It said its airspace was closed to“belligerent forces. ” Turkeys close military alliance with the United States has been badly strained by its refusal to allow its soil to be used as a launch pad for an invasion of northern Iraq. “The United Nations Security Council process on Iraq should have been allowed to finish. I do not find it right that the U. S. behaved unilaterally before that process ended,” President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said. The Turkish parliament was due to vote later on a resolution to allow the U. S. warplanes to use Turkish airspace. Malaysia surpassed most in antiAmerican invective,deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi calling the attack“a black mark in history”with“the world now seeing might is right. ” Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri called for an emergency meeting of the U. N. Security Council. Pakistan said it opposed war and would continue pushing for peace.

BUSH A“REAL MAN” But many in Muslim Kuwait,invaded by Iraq in 1990 and freed by the U. S. led forces,were relieved to see what they hoped was 37 the beginning of the end of Iraqi President Suddam Hussein. “Bush is a real man,” Ahmad Hussein said,fiddling with prayer beads. “His dad liberated Kuwait and now the son will liberate Iraq. ” Some Kuwaitis held a party on the border to celebrate what they hoped was the end of Suddam. Few elsewhere in the Arab world were as enthusiastic. “This war is a sin,”said Cairo taxi driver Youssef,adding that Suddam had“a head of stone. ” “The people will pay the price,”said Atef,a Beirut concierge. “Suddam is like Osama (Bin Laden). Even if they spend their whole lives searching for him,they wont find him. ” Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat expressed concern that Israel might intensify a crackdown against a Palestinian uprising while the worlds attention was diverted. The militant group Hamas called for an antiU. S. jihad,or holy struggle. Saudi Arabia said it regretted the outbreak of war. The United States closed embassies in Jordan and Pakistan and urged Americans to leave Lebanon. China surprised analysts who expected it to issue only moderate criticism for the sake of good relations with Washington. Instead it called for a halt to“a violation of the U. N. Charter and the basic norms of international law. ” India said the attack lacked justification and Vietnam vehemently condemned it. Praise for the attack was much more restrained than the criticism. “At this time . . . I understand,and I support the start of the use of force by the United States,” Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said,putting a security alliance with the United States ahead of Japanese public opinion. President Roh Moohyun of South Korea, like Japan a beneficiary of the U. S. military protection for half a century, expressed support and added,“We will make diplomatic efforts to ensure that this war does not worsen our relations with North 38 Korea. ”

BRITAIN NOT SIDELINED Tens of thousands of Australians protested against the war,in which Australian troops are taking part. Britain said its forces,by far the most numerous in the Gulf after the Americans,played no part in the first attack. Defense Minister Geoff Hoon denied British troops had been sidelined by the surprise U. S. raid and the queen sent a message to them expressing her pride in them. Britain called on Europe to unite to prepare for Iraqs postwar reconstruction. Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of Spain,which has sent a hospital ship and 900 personnel,told the nation:“We have assumed our responsibilities. There were more comfortable options,but we dont want to pass on to the future risks that we should confront in the present. ” Spanish antiwar groups and trade unions planned a wave of demonstrations and symbolic strikes. Bulgaria,also providing military help,expressed backing as did Denmark and Romania. But in most of Europe there was little support for war. Frances National Assembly briefly suspended its Thursday session in a symbolic protest. President Jacques Chirac said the war would have“serious consequences for the future. ” Germany said the outbreak of war“sparked grave concern and dismay in the federal government. ” Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt said his country was “profoundly disappointed” and said Iraqis were“caught between the anvil and the hammer. ” EU President Greece said it regretted the crisis had not been solved peacefully and with international unity. The Vatican was “deeply pained” by the outbreak of war. A wave of antiwar protests began across Asia,Europe and the Middle East. “Military action . . . is a big political error,”Russian President Vladimir Putin said. In world markets,stocks and the dollar seesawed and demand 39 was high for safe haven bonds. Oil prices hit threemonth lows. Mainly Muslim Albania,grateful for the U. S. interventions on behalf of ethnic Albanians and other Muslims in the Balkans in the 1990s,expressed“unreserved support”for the U. S. action. Defense Minister Pandeli Majko won a eulogy in verse for sending 75 commandos to the Gulf. “Oh Suddam,you bum,Where will you go,Now that Pandi will come,” members of parliament chanted.

The shift of subjects in paragraphs,the transitional words and phrases indicate the multiple element in the news story structure. They are particularly useful in meeting reports and scientific reports. The Shape of News Story

The Inverted Pyramid

The inverted pyramid is the dominant form in newswriting which is the driest form of a news story as well as the most useful and efficient way. It originated in the days when reporters sent their dispatches to home office by telegraph. The wires were vulnerable to storms,sabotage,vandalism and other forms of failure. So,writers developed means to protect themselves against interruption. Today, this technique is still most frequently used because it is assumed that readers are too busy to read the whole article and they would like to know what happened as soon as the story begins to tell. In the inverted pyramid form,the facts are presented in descending order of interest and importance,which means the most newsworthy facts are put into the lead and the supporting materials are organized in descending order 40 of importance. Example

One man has been arrested and another is being sought in connection with the robbery and slaying of a Hoffman Estates man whose body was found dumped in a brushy area near the Mississippi River. The body of Marc Crawford,30,was discovered the morning of Dec. 27 about 20 feet from the Mississippi,one mile from Quincy. Randy Schelueter, 21, of Quincy, has been charged with concealing a homicide. He was being held in the Adams County Jail on $50,000 bond,Adams County Sheriff Robert Nall said. Schelueter had not been charged with murder as of late Friday, and authorities would not say whether he witnessed the slaying. But Nall said:“You can assume that he played a part in it. ” Police were searching Friday for a second suspect believed to have played a role in the slaying. His identity was not released, although authorities said he was a young man who also lives in Quincy. Authorities said they believe Crawford met the two young men near Irenes Cabaret,a bar in downtown Quincy,the night before he was killed. “They had just come out of a night club and were in an alley when[Crawford]came by and asked them to go for a ride,”Nall said. Sometime after that,the men allegedly beat Crawford to death and took an undisclosed amount of cash and his wallet,Nall said. Schelueter has been questioned by police and has helped provide some of the missing pieces to the Crawford murder, “pertinent information that directly relates to the case,”Nall said. Police would not disclose the type of weapon used in Crawfords death. They said the weapon was recovered late Thursday close to where Crawfords rental car was found,four miles from where the body was discovered. Authorities earlier reported that a blunt object appeared to have 41 been the weapon. A preliminary autopsy report released Friday showed that Crawford died of head wounds,Nall said.

The Hourglass Structure

The name describes the shape of the story. It is also been called“double pyramid. ” The story structure combines the inverted pyramid and the narrative pyramid together. When the inverted pyramid ends,the narrative pyramid begins. It makes great use of the chronology to constitute an essential part of the account. In the stories of crimes,accidents and disasters and so on,the newswriter provides narrative writing to give readers the sense of a time sequence for them to fully understand the incidents.

Example

PORTLAND,Maine — A crowd of bar patrons watched as a man was beaten,rammed face — first through a store window and then left to bleed to death on the sidewalk by three assailants, police said yesterday. No one in the crowd of 35 to 40 people tried to stop the three attackers as they walked away while their victim,Randal B. Toler, 26,lay in a pool of blood late Wednesday night across the street from DeNans,a downtown bar,police said. Police arrested Michael Allen Tuck,29,of Portland, early yesterday morning and charged him with murder. They were searching for the two other men who allegedly attacked Toler. Tuck pleaded innocent at his arraignment yesterday afternoon and was ordered held without bail in Cumberland County Jail. Toler,whose last known address was in Holly Hill,Fla,was pronounced dead at Maine Medical Center in Portland at 12:04 a. m. yesterday,less than an hour after the assault. Dr. Kristin Sweeney,the states deputy chief medical examiner, said an autopsy showed Tolers death from a deep cut to his left armpit that severed a major artery and vein. Toler and another man were in DeNans on Free Street when 42 they got into an argument with some other patrons,police said. Deputy Police Chief Steven Roberts said investigators have received conflicting stories from witnesses about what started the argument. But he confirmed that some witnesses said Toler had urinated on the street outside the bar and apparently had sprayed a woman patron,who went back inside and complained to others. Toler and his friend,whom police have refused to identify, then were jumped across the street from DeNans by three men who also had been drinking in the bar,Roberts said. The friend was immediately knocked unconscious,he said. “It then became three on one,”Roberts said.

The Champagne Glass

The name describes the shape of the story. The top is a compelling summary of the event that contains most of the key details. The story then narrows into a chronological account and ends with a kicker,or interesting fact held back from the lead. Example

Bush Assesses Initial Strikes on Iraq WASHINGTON (AP)— President Bush conferred with his national security adviser early Thursday on the initial strikes against Iraq,as officials tried to determine whether the attack aimed at killing Suddam Hussein had succeeded. Bush called his Cabinet to the White House for a midafternoon war update,a day after he told a global audience that the war in Iraq“could be long and more difficult than some expected. ” Thirty police cars guarded the front entrances to the White House,where security was unusually intense hours after the first salvo in the war to disarm Iraq. There was no word from Bush or his spokesman on whether the mission was a success. “The president is not going to be a playbyplay commentator on it,” White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said. “The president has a long approach to this. ” 43 A senior U. S. official,speaking on condition of anonymity, said the administration did not know whether Suddam or his top aides had survived the attack. The U. S. intelligence officials were trying to determine the Iraqi leaders fate. Outside the White House,some 50 antiwar protesters gathered in the chilly rain. “No blood for oil!”they chanted. Police blocked Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House to protesters and pedestrians. Fleischer said Bush signed an execution order before Wednesday nights strikes and gave military leaders a verbal go ahead after lengthy meetings. The attack was greeted with criticism and regret across the globe,but Fleischer shrugged off the mostly negative world reaction. “The president understands and respects the thoughts of those who disagree but the United States and the coalition of willing will not be deterred from the mission to disarm Suddam Hussein,” he told reporters. Fleischer announced that the Cabinet would meet with Bush on Thursday afternoon to get an update from the president,who would urge the advisers to press forward with his domestic agenda. On Wednesday night,Bush said the hostilities began with a narrow focus on“selected targets of military importance”and will grow to a“broad and concerted campaign. ” After a brief night of sleep,the president talked to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice at 6 a. m. EST Thursday to learn of overnight events, said a senior administration official. Bush began to work in the Oval Office at 6:50 a. m. Suddam, meanwhile, appeared on staterun television Thursday, mocking Bush and calling the attack a “shameful crime. ” The U. S. officials were trying to determine whether the speaker was indeed Suddam and whether the broadcast was taped after the U. S. strikes or in advance of them. 44 It appears to be him,and not a double,officials said after an initial review of the tape. A voice analysis was underway at the U. S. intelligence agencies. There was nothing in the tape that specifically referred to the strike,or other events,that would confirm that it was made after the strike. Even Suddams reading of the date could have been pre recorded,officials said. However,that Suddam read the speech from a steno pad indicated a fairly impromptu production,suggesting it was in fact given after the strike,officials said. President Bush met with his war council early Thursday, including CIA Director George Tenet,who was expected to brief the president on results on the strike against Iraqi leaders. On Wednesday afternoon,Tenet had told Bush that the U. S. intelligence had a probable fix on the residence where Suddam and other Iraqi leaders would be sleeping in the early morning hours in Baghdad,the U. S. officials said,speaking on the condition of anonymity. Bush then authorized the strike. Those other Iraqi leaders were believed to include Suddams two sons,Qusai and Odai. Officials said it was unclear Thursday whether any of the three were near the target,or had been killed. Both sons hold highlevel security positions in Suddams regime. The U. S. officials provided no details of how the intelligence was developed that made them believe they knew where Suddam was. Two other U. S. officials, also speaking on condition of anonymity,said Thursday that the strikes were a small prelude to a massive assault that was to begin as early as Thursday. With 250,000 U. S. troops still encircling Iraq,the president said the mission to disarm Suddam had just begun. “I assure you,this will not be a campaign of half measures and we will accept no outcome but victory,”the president said in brief, nationally televised remarks from the Oval Office. The White House was expected to send a special spending bill to Congress soon,asking lawmakers to provide money to pay for 45 the military action and the postSuddam reconstruction of Iraq. The White House has said the request would be made to lawmakers shortly after the start of hostilities. Sen. John McCain,RAriz. ,praised Bush for undertaking a “risky venture” Wednesday night. The targeted strikes were designed to “try to have a shorter war,” McCain said during a CNBC interview. “I think the motivation for this action was clearly to try to avoid as many innocents being killed or injured as possible,”he said. Bush was likely to remain at the White House under extraordinary security in the opening phases of the war. The Cabinet meeting was expected to be his only public event. In his fourminute speech to the nation,Bush said his goal is “to disarm Iraq,to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger”. The Narrative Box

A more conventional way to tell a story is to describe events in order as they happened,with revelations occurring along the way. In this form,the story starts at the beginning and continues straight through, usually chronologically,without a drop in sustained interest. The lead does not give away everything,and there is no point where the structure narrows as the interest level wanes. There is no dropoff even at the end,where a resolution is reached. The goal of this structure is to maintain interest throughout.

Example

For Trooper Bruce Ames,the murder case began Tuesday as a routine traffic stop in Interstate 80. He received a report that a rusty black van was weaving from lane to lane and chased down Harvey Holt,30. Ames said Holt had no license and gave a fake name. 46 “The officer was very cautious. Things just didnt seem right,” Highway Patrol Lt. Brain Patrick said. Without looking inside the van,Ames arrested Holt on a charge of careless driving and took him to the county jail. For five hours,the rested van sat undisturbed at the side of the road. Then at 2 p. m. Tuesday,the Highway Patrol was notified that Holt was wanted for questioning. Holts girlfriend,25yearold Amy Charline Smith,had not been seen since 10 p. m. Monday, when neighbors heard shouts and a gunshot from the couples trailer. Troopers hurried to the parked van and peered in through a scratch on the film coating the passenger window. They saw part of an arm. “Once they got the vehicle open, they discovered a body wrapped in a blanket and covered with a jacket,”Patrick said. Smith had been shot once in the chest with a largecaliber gun. Holt was charged with firstdegree murder and held without bail in the county jail. He and Smith were transients who had lived in the rented trailer for about two weeks,Patrick said. Neighbors didnt immediately report the shouting and gunshot they heard Monday evening. And no one alerted authorities at 4 a. m. Tuesday when Holt was reportedly seen loading heavy objects into his van. At 8 a. m. Tuesday,the park manager checked the trailer and discovered the couple had moved out,He found a bloodsoaked mattress and a bullet hole in the west wall. Officials said they didnt know where the suspect may have been going with the body when Ames stopped him at about 9 a. m. “People do odd things. ” Patrick said. “If he was going to dispose of the body,why didnt he do it while it was dark?Its just unbelievable. If Trooper Ames hadnt stopped the man,he might have left the state. ”

47 ● In the feature stories that begin with delayed leads and narrative stories,the problem lies in where the“nut graph”are put,that is where the essential facts come in.

Discussion

Read the following news reports. Discuss with your classmates what kind of structure is taken in those news reports. Why the newswriter chooses the structure and what changes it would bring to the news story if we change the structure.

AOL President:Anthrax Attacks Will Boost Internet Traffic by Alex Daniels,Washington Techway The anthrax attacks that have hit the U. S. Postal System are likely to boost the use of the Internet,the President of America Online Inc. said today. “Its incredibly positive for the Internet,” Raymond J. Oglethorpe told a breakfast audience of about 200 this morning in Chantilly. Oglethorpe hastened to add that the anthrax attacks,which have killed two Washingtonarea postal workers, were “unfortunate. ”He also maintained his faith in the safety of the mail system. “If we start shutting down post offices,we are going to talk ourselves into a terrible economic situation,”he said. Oglethorpe said no “mass layoffs” are expected at AOL over the next two quarters. “We feel we are at the right size right now,” he said after the speech. In August,AOL Time Warner laid off 375 of its 4,800 workers in Northern Virginia. To be sure,AOL Time Warner is feeling the impact of the stalled economy, which was further slowed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Since the attacks, 48 the advertising market, which accounts for 25 percent of the companys revenues,“has absolutely gone away,”Oglethorpe said. But he stressed the AOLs commitment to Northern Virginia, pointing out the company and its employees paid nearly $82 million in various taxes last year, and expressed confidence that the company would retain a large presence here in large part because of the regions highly skilled workforce. “This is absolutely a treasure trove for smart,welleducated people,”he said. The breakfast Oglethorpe spoke at was organized by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce and sponsored in part by Washington Techway and Washtech. com.

New York and Washington fall silent in remembrance Sarah Left and agencies Wednesday September 11,2002 Crowds today gathered around Ground Zero in New York City, the damaged Pentagon in Virginia,and a now hallowed field in Pennsylvania to mourn the 3,025 people from 91 countries killed in the terrorist attacks one year ago. At 8:46 a. m. New York time,the citys governor,Michael Bloomberg,stood on the site of the wreckage to lead the nation in a moment of silence that marked the moment the first plane slammed into the World Trade Centre. Troops at Bagram air force base in Afghanistan,relatives of the British victims at St Pauls cathedral in London, and mourners joining the U. S. President in Washington D. C. also fell silent. The former mayor,Rudy Giuliani,read out the names of the New York victims. At the Pentagon,the U. S. President,George Bush,and the Defence Secretary,Donald Rumsfeld,unfurled a massive flag at a memorial ceremony. The ceremony included a moment of silence,a playing of the national anthem, a recitation of the pledge of allegiance and an air force flyover. “One year ago,men and women and children were killed here 49 because they were Americans and because this place is a symbol to the world of our countrys might and resolve,”Mr. Bush said. “Today,we remember each life. ” Standing outside the newly restored wall on the west side of the Pentagon,Mr. Bush said:“The memories of a great tragedy linger here,and for all who knew loss here,life is not the same. The murder of innocents cannot be explained, only endured. And though they died in tragedy,they did not die in vain. ” By daybreak the streets surrounding the site of the former World Trade Centre were bustling with people — many carrying American flags or wearing starsandstripes shirts, ties and bandanas. Before sunrise, firefighters and police — who lost 423 colleagues on September 11 — marched across the city accompanied by bagpipes and drums,as bystanders shouted their thanks. Nerves were strained on an already tense day by security alerts warning Americans that terrorist“chatter”had increased in the days leading up to todays memorials. Fighter planes patrolled the skies and live missiles stood at the ready in New York and Washington. Stock markets on Wall Street,deeply affected by the attacks and shoulderdeep in ash and dust for days afterwards,remained closed for the morning. At the Pentagon,troops in full battle dress with automatic rifles guarded the building. More than 13,000 people are expected to turn out for a memorial ceremony at the Phoenix Project construction site,where workers are still repairing the section of building that was damaged. There,too,will be a moment of silence,as well as the national anthem,a recitation of the pledge of allegiance and an air force flyover. Near Ground Zero one man clutched a coffin holding an effigy of Osama Bin Laden which he had towed on the back of his Harley Davidson all the way from South Carolina. 50 “I wanted to remind the world how evil this guy is,”said Mitch Mitcham. “If hes not dead yet,were going to get him soon. ” Several people at the site had been there all night holding vigils to remember the dead. Ali Nichols,19,who is from Texas but studies at Pace University a few blocks from Ground Zero,had been there with her four friends since midnight. The group,who were all wearing I Love New York Tshirts, said they wanted to show their support for the city and the victims families. “This time last year there was smoke coming into the building where we were studying and we had to evacuate. It was a terrifying experience,”said Ms. Nichols. “Its been a remarkable year in New York. I hope being here today might help the city come to some sort of closure on what has happened. ” Construction workers were carrying out a last cleanup operation at the bottom of the sevenstory crater in preparation for a memorial ceremony,which will see the families descend for the first time into the 16acre site where their loved ones died. Church bells will toll at 10:29 a. m. local time,to mark the moment when the second tower collapsed. Relatives of many of the 2,801 victims in New York will carry roses onto the site. President Bush will address the country from Ellis Island at 9 p. m. The citys mayor,Michael Bloomberg,urged everyone to light a candle at sunset tonight,7:12 p. m.

51 Chapter 6 Grammar Features in Text Body English News Writing and Reading

Introduction

English journalists use grammatical techniques to form the journalistic style in news stories. Those techniques could help them to save space and to present information in striking ways. It is the requirements of accuracy and brevity in journalistic style that led to birth of special grammatical rules in English journalistic writing. Some of those rules are not used at all in other forms of English writing,such as books or letters.

52 Grammatical Techniques

Relative clauses

Relative clauses condensed by the use of the present or past participle are frequently used to vary sentence structure and add more and more information in one sentence.

Examples

China has asked the U. S. to grant it mostfavorednation trading status, arguing that annual congressional reviews do nothing to help relations. City Manager Frank Gibson resigned yesterday, charging Greensburg Council members with “selfinterest” and “political cowardice. ” Canadian public health officials announced three new deaths linked to the SARS virus Sunday,bringing the nations death toll linked to the disease to 27. The U. S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage is in Pakistan at the start of a South Asian tour aimed at bolstering peace overtures between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan.

Nonliving nouns

Nonliving nouns are used as living words to be subjects and possessives of sentences. It is typically seen when the institution, newspapers, magazines,reports,names of places are used as subjects of sentences in newspapers.

Examples

Pakistan will get rid of its nuclear arsenal if rival India does as well,a Pakistani official said Monday. European markets ended higher Monday,led by technology and insurance stocks,while volume was fairly light with the London market closed for a public holiday. Beijings acting mayor says the spread of the SARS virus in the 53 Chinese capital is unchecked, with the citys health system overwhelmed by the epidemic.

Nouns used as adjectives

Nouns are used as adjectives to modify other nouns.

Examples

Terrorist attacks at the peak of rush hour paralyzed Manhattan, shutting down subway lines,crippling cellular phone service,and forcing evacuations from Wall Street to the United Nations. “Hundreds of people are burned from head to toe,”said Dr. Steven at St. Vincents Hospital in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of lower Manhattan. The Bush administration made plans for Secretary of State Colin L. Powell to travel to the Middle East to seek concessions from Israel and the Palestinians. European markets were mixed Wednesday as comments by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan failed to ease concern over the U. S. economy and cooled enthusiasm for betterthan expected earnings by German retail giant Metro.

Compound words

We can see compound words frequently used in newspaper writings. As we all know language in English newspaper is very flexible,so the compound words are created to describe the situation vividly. They are not fixed words, while readers can understand them according to the context of the news story.

Examples of compounds nouns

The Ministry of the Interior keep lawenforcement officials on a short leash. Hong Kong and Switzerland have agreed to extend for another year the textiletrade agreement that expired on June 30,the Hong 54 Kong government announced. The U. S. Department of Agriculture official tells CNN that suspected footandmouth case in North Carolina has tested negative. Three Brazilian soapopera stars are involved in a reallife drama of infidelity,jealousy and murder.

Examples of compound verbs

British troops and police were stoned and gasolinebombed in Belfast early Saturday following the death of Republican guerrilla Kevin Lynch on the 71st day of his hunger strike,police said. The Soviets Wednesday testfired their new intercontinental Ballistic Missile over Pacific with a single,dummy warhead,the Defense Department said Thursday.

Examples of other forms of compound words

Investigators believe that four assassins were involved in the driveby shooting. European markets were mixed Wednesday as comments by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan failed to ease concern over the U. S. economy and cooled enthusiasm for betterthan expected earnings by German retail giant Metro. The Bank of Japan eased its monetary policy in a surprise decision on Wednesday,citing uncertainty in the global economy and a worrying fall in Tokyo share prices to twodecade lows. The euro hit fresh fouryear highs against the dollar and the yen on Wednesday as Japanese investors,disappointed by persistently low longterm interest rates in Japan,continued to seek higher yields. It is important to take concrete steps to ensure demandled growth. The provinces stable climate ensures a steady supply of outof season agricultural produce for other parts of the country. As a result of freeforall for prices since deregulation,airlines have been engaged in cutthroat competition with each other. 55 Information source led by comma

The information source led by words like say,announce,report and so on come at the end of a complete sentence with the separation of a comma.

Examples

North Korea is in the final stages of reprocessing thousands of spent nuclear fuel rods,a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry says. If true,the effort could quickly yield enough nuclear material for several nuclear weapons,experts say. Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and the incoming Palestinian prime minister are getting closer to an agreement over the makeup of a new Cabinet and possible members could be announced soon,a top Palestinian official said. Abu Abbas,the Palestinian terrorist who masterminded the 1985 hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro,has been arrested in Iraq,the U. S. sources tell CNN. Opposition

Opposition is used after or before a name or a place to make the sentence accurate and concise:

Examples

Mrs. Galloway, wife of Joseph Galloway, United Press Internationals Indonesian manager in Jakarta,said she felt three or four loud thumps as the plane lifted off. Edward Stoerk, a 68yearold chauffeur of 425 East 72nd Street,New York,was burned to death in a freakish accident on the New Jersey Turnpike near Newark Today.

Discussions

Read the following news paragraph and point out the journalistic grammar features in them. 56 1. An exams revolution designed to reduce the number of tests and reverse Englands dismal record in persuading young people to stay on in fulltime education will be unveiled by a government taskforce next week. 2. A UK Royal Air Force aircraft returning from an operational mission is missing. 3. Australian commandos operating deep in Iraq called in allied fighters to destroy an Iraqi ballistic missile site, defense and government officials said Sunday. 4. In the first attack,a plane hit the north tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan shortly before 9 a. m. ,following by another plane into the second tower about 20 minutes later. 5. China moved swiftly to outlaw pyramid selling,after large numbers of wouldbe millionaires found themselves stuck with unsaleable goods on their hands. Chapter 7 News Briefs English News Writing and Reading

Introduction

News briefs are tightly written,concise news items. In the past,briefs were used to plug the holes when longer stories failed to fill the space. With the development of media technology,especially the introduction of the internet,more and more briefs are provided by newspapers as the design to attract readers to read in a hurry,just as they do with their computers to read the news.

Types of Briefs 57

The Roundup

A roundup is a collection of short items under a heading,such as “World”or“People. ”It may have two or more paragraphs.

Examples:

Protest marks end of the U. S. war games area Fireworks exploded and chanting erupted Thursday as the Puerto Rican island of Vieques began festivities to mark the formal end of its sixdecade role as a staging area for Navy war games. But hours after the party began, a group of masked protesters overturned and vandalized Navy vehicles,destroyed a guardhouse and hit a Fish and Wildlife boat on fire,according to eyewitnesses. The transfer by the Navy of its bombing range to the U. S. Department of Interior followed four years of protests sparked by the death of civilian security guard David Sanes Rodriguez in a botched bombing practice run in April 1999. Some protesters burned a U. S. flag,its stars replaced by skulls and crossbones,as they waved Puerto Rican and Vieques flags in the air. Vieques Mayor Damaso Serrano condemned the vandalism and pointed out that the damaged vehicles had been donated to the municipality by the Navy.

Police say suspects linked to 5 murders Two Minneapolis men arrested in a triple homicide in Long Prairie,Minn,also are suspects in two deaths in their hometown a week earlier,police said. Police said they knew of no link between the suspects and any of the victims. The bodies of Holly Chromey, 49,and her children,Katie Zapzalka,18,and Jerrod Zapzalka,16, were found Monday in their Long Prairie home,about 100 miles from Minneapolis. Murder charges were expected against Christopher Earl,20,and Jonathan Carpenter,21. 58 “This appears to be a random,senseless act of violence,” Police Chief Chuck Eldred said. He said the two men also were suspects in the deaths April 17 of William Schwartz,88,and Claudia Schwartz,50,in their northeastern Minneapolis home.

The Digest

The digest is shorter items than roundup. It usually consists of one compact paragraph.

Examples

In the brief,all the essential information are included in one or two sentences. The language is extremely concise. The present or past participle are much more frequently used to form a complex sentence. We must be very careful while reading those participles to clarify the relationship they refer to. 59 Chapter 8 Feature Stories English News Writing and Reading

Introduction

Prior to the 1960s,“features”referred to anything but the serious news stories involving crime,politics or disaster. They are mainly designed to entertain or amuse readers to make up for the lack of elements such as humor, irony or human interest. The category “feature ” had been synonymous with Yellow Journalism. Since the early 1960s, under the pressure of television,more interpretative news features,news analysis and investigative articles were seen in newspapers. Newspaper editors realized 60 they could use this method to provide more aspects on a news story besides what readers had known through radio or television. In 1979,the Pulitzer Prize board established a category for a distinguished example of feature writing that had been ignored for many years,“giving prime consideration to high literary quality and originality. ” A principle in features writing is the suspense aroused in the readers on some news stories. So delayed leads — an incident or anecdote that illuminates the point of the feature are commonly used. The simple inverted pyramid structure is seldom seen in features. Structure of features is organic. It has a beginning,a middle and an ending,and all the parts are closely related to each other so the story is being presented.

The News Features

The news feature has its origins in some news event. It contains information that supplements the spot news,usually by providing the human element behind the breaking news event or by giving background through interpretation and explanation. Down below are a news report and a feature of the same issue. Read the two reports to sum up the characteristics of features.

In parallel attacks in New York City and Washington,planes crashed into each of the twin towers of the World Trade Center around 9 this morning and a plane later crashed into the Pentagon, causing smoke,fire and a sense of near panic in the streets. Later,after a number of explosions,both 110story towers of the World Trade Center collapsed. An enormous loss of life was feared. 61 In a short announcement during a visit to Sarasota, Fla. , President Bush called the World Trade Center attack “a national tragedy and an apparent act of terrorism against our country. ” No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks. They were condemned by a spokesman for the ruling Taliban in Afghanistan,who also said the Saudi exile Osama Bin Laden could not be responsible for them. “What happened in the United States was not a job of ordinary people. It could have been the work of governments,”he said. “Osama Bin Laden could not do this work,neither us,” the spokesman,Abdul Hai Mutmaen,told Reuters. Julian E. Barnes,a Times reporter,interviewed people who were in the towers at the time of the impact and people who witnessed the planes crashing into the towers. A man who was three or four blocks away from the tower, Terrance Phillips,35,from New Jersey,said he was looking at the fire. “Then I saw a 747 or some kind of plane. It crashed in and exploded. People were watching and then they started stampeding away. ” He added:“People were jumping out of the building. People seemed to be deciding just to take their own lives. It was the most horrific thing I have ever seen. ” Television cameras captured the impact of the planes and the collapse of the towers. Both towers partially disappeared behind thick clouds of dark smoke,then the top floors of the south tower began to fall. Black smoke was all that remained. The cameras distance made it impossible to see people or details of the floors collapse,but witnesses said they had seen people jumping out of windows. After the second tower fell,the entire area was consumed with smoke,as if clouds had descended and enveloped the lower tip of Manhattan. The smoke continued to spread,over the harbor. Further television coverage showed people running through the 62 streets pursued by the smoke. Sherri Day,a reporter at the Times,said she was forced to take refuge in a store to escape the billowing smoke. “Everythings black,”she said. “It is impossible to see anything. ” In New York City,primary elections for mayor and other offices were called off after they had begun. Mayor Rudolph W. Guiliani told New York 1 cable television that as much of lower Manhattan should be evacuated as soon as possible. All bridges and tunnels were closed and only emergency vehicles were being allowed to enter Manhattan. Subway service was also suspended. Trading on Wall Street was also suspended. At a meeting in Lima,Peru,of the Organization of American States,Secretary of State Colin L. Powell spoke out against the attacks. “A great tragedy has struck our country and it will not affect the nature of our society,” he said. “Well find out whos responsible for this and bring them to justice. ” He took no questions and was returning to Washington,cutting short what was to have been a twoday visit. After the crash at the Pentagon building,the White House,the Capitol building, the Treasury, State Department and all other federal buildings were evacuated. In New York,the United Nations building was also evacuated and all meetings were canceled. All airline travel within the United States was suspended and Mr. Bush was said to be on his way back from Sarasota to Washington. International flights were being diverted to Canada. Mr. Bush said in Sarasota that he had ordered that “the full resources of the federal government” be used to carry out a full investigation to find out who was responsible for the World Trade Center attacks. “Terrorism against our country will not stand,”he said,before ending by leading a prayer for victims of the attacks. Witness accounts differed over what kind of planes were involved in the impacts. One witness told CNN television that the first plane seemed to slow and deliberately line up before crashing into the north tower. 63 A witness who works in the strategic planning department at the New York Times,Alan Flippen,said that as he came to work on 46th Street just before 9 he saw an American Airlines Boeing 767 flying“very low in the direction of the World Trade Center towers. ” He said he did not see the impact,but later reports said one of the planes that crashed into the towers was an American Airlines plane that had been hijacked on a flight from Boston. In Washington,officials said the F. B. I. was investigating reports of the hijacking before the crashes. Heavy black smoke billowed into the sky above the gaping holes in the side of the 110story twin towers,one of New York Citys most famous landmarks,and debris rained down upon the street,one of the citys busiest work areas. When the second plane hit,a fireball of flame and smoke erupted,leaving a huge hole in the glass and steel tower. A City of Quiet:Nothing Is Same One Day After by N. R. Kleinfield New York woke up to another day yesterday,but it wasnt another day. It couldnt possibly be. It was a city of less. Less traffic,less noise,fewer people,less activity,less momentum,less certainty,less joy. The dawn did not erase the preceding days agony. New Yorkers ate their meals,did the dishes and put out the trash,the mundane tasks of life,but nothing felt the same. The city seemed ever so much more fragile and unfamiliar. On a day when work meant so much less than family and human companionship,when the very constructs of what it meant to live in New York came under question,New Yorkers spent much of their time in somber and heartfelt reflection. The most glaring difference yesterday, of course, was less skyline. No one could glance downtown without feeling chills from 64 the absence of the World Trade Center towers. But in countless smaller ways,the reassuring signposts of daily life were not there. It was a city of quiet. People who lived near the citys busy airports,accustomed to the repetitive earsplitting roar of jets arriving and departing,awoke to a day of uncomfortable silence. Smaller sounds resounded,for the bigger ones were gone. Traffic was sparse,and sirens,one of the background noises of city life, seemed so much louder and more ominous than ever before. It was a city of lonely commutes. Richard M. Morriss workday always begins when he squeezes onto MetroNorths final rush hour train at CrotononHudson,the last express stop before Manhattan. The train is usually a sardine can by then,people having boarded on the succession of earlier stops. Mr. Morris,a corporate lawyer,barely finds room for his 6foot3 frame. But when he took the train yesterday morning,he had rows of seats to himself. Even the front car,typically crammed with those eager to conserve a few precious commuting steps,was just about empty. Mr. Morris continued his routine yesterday out of willpower rather than need. His office was closed. He did not need to come in. “The one thing you know the terrorists want is to disrupt our lives,” he said. “Im not going to give them that. Im trying to regain some normalcy. ” It was a city of eerie contrasts. On the Upper West Side,there was a powerful but artificial sense of another day. In the morning,a playground in Riverside Park teemed with children playing on swings and in sandboxes in the sparkling sunshine,under the watchful eyes of parents. Along the promenade,people sat reading the papers,biking and skating. But there was an odd hush in the air. Smiles were rare and seemed inappropriate. By the time one gravitated down to West 55th Street, the 65 complexion changed. Suddenly,there was the evacuated,closely protected aura of a war zone. Police checkpoints and barricades appeared along the bikeway and the West Side Highway,continuing all the way to Lower Manhattan. Traffic vanished. One could travel for blocks and see only a city bus or an occasional taxi. Once one got to Lower Manhattan,there was the feel of an abandoned town. Everything closed. The streets and sidewalks empty of almost everyone but rescuers. It was a city of postponements. It was matinee day on Broadway shows in the afternoon and evening,but all the theaters were dark. Nothing at the Golden or the Imperial or the Shubert. Nothing at the LuntFontanne or the Palace. Performances canceled“due to circumstances beyond our control. ” Two middleaged women studied the notice on the door of the LuntFontanne,where “Beauty and the Beast” usually plays,and one said,“No,no show today. ” Her friend said:“I didnt think so. How could there be a show? Who would show up?Who could perform?” No one journeyed to the observation deck of the Empire State Building to look at the stunning cityscape. The entire building was shut down. The stock exchange tape on the side of the Morgan Stanley offices at Broadway and 48th Street reported no stock trades. There were none to report. Instead,there was information on an employee assistance phone line and pleas to give blood. No parents had to rise early and bundle their children off to school. There was no school. Some classmates arranged their own little gatherings to bond and distract themselves from events beyond their comprehension. It was a city of tempered business. So many stores were closed entirely,not sure when they would open. On the doors of the Virgin Megastore in Times Square,a notice said simply,“We are closed until further notice. ” 66 But it was not a day for shopping. Macys Herald Square,the worlds biggest store,was open,but the aisles were thin in the late morning. The Gap across the street was closed. Outside,a halfdozen police officers ate sandwiches and drank from jugs of water propped on a parked car. Barbers sat idly outside barber shops,talking quietly. It was not a day to get ones hair cut. Midtown parking lots,usually bursting with cars,sat nearly empty. On 37th Street,between Eighth and Ninth Avenues,was a row of parking lots, promoting their exquisite convenience to Madison Square Garden, Macys, the fashion district and the convention center. Any weekday found them packed with cars. In the late morning an attendant at S & R Parking said he had 11 cars,all monthlies. No day parkers had arrived. “Normally,there would be 71 cars,”he said,intimate with the upper bounds of his lot. The next lot down was closed and had no cars in it. The same story at the next one. At Park Right,where $5. 92 got you an hour, George Hernandez,the manager,just shook his head. “Five cars,” he said. “Just five. ” On a normal day,the lot was full by 10 in the morning. “Thats a hundred cars,”he said. “Today,forget about it. Its bad news. ” Mr. Hernandez lived in Queens and always drove to work,but there was limited access,so he took the subway. “Empty,”he said. “Plenty of room to stretch out. ” It was a city of reflection. For everyone,the magnitude of what had happened was still being absorbed,as it would be for days,weeks and months to come. People fumbled with what they would or would not do from now on. A man walking down Lexington Avenue in Midtown in the early morning kept saying,“Ill never go downtown again. Worked there 15 years. Ill never go down there again. ” Measuring the citys will and its grit is never easy. Throughout its eventful history,periodically marred by tragedy,New Yorkers have always stood up with uncommon resolve and resilience,but this was unlike any other disaster,and many people felt shaken to the core. 67 They found themselves having epiphanies. Danny Klein,27,was outside Madison Square Garden,wearing a Tshirt inscribed,“We will rebuild,”a sentiment somewhere in the hopes of everyone in the city. “I wore it because we are going to rebuild,”he said. “I wanted to drape my body in the American flag is what I wanted to do. ” There were people full of militant feelings, and there were people who expressed restraint. “Im a 47yearold guy who just saw the World Trade Center blow up,and I dont want another innocent 47yearold Afghani to look off his terrace and see something blow up,” said Doc Daugherty,an actor who lives six blocks from the World Trade Center. “You think like you were going to go into a hate mode and instead Im like more in a peace mode?I mean,can we talk about this?” Even blocks from the epicenter of the horror,on Reade Street near Hudson,some people who managed to enter the area went on as always. Grace DiTomaso placidly tended the potted geraniums in front of her Italian restaurant,Luca Lounge Cucina. “A little hose and theyll be O. K. ,” she said as she plucked dead leaves from them. She didnt even look up as emergency vehicles rolled up Hudson. “Normal routine,dont you need it?” she said. “I think you do. ” It was a city of oddities. At one of the souvenir shops that line Fifth Avenue in the mid 40s,several people were congregated around the racks of postcards, buying cards with the World Trade Center on them. It was a city of occasional panic. After a trained dog gave signs of sniffing explosives on the 44th floor of the Empire State Building late last night,the police evacuated the area. Some jittery New Yorkers ran down Seventh Avenue away from the building. Others stopped on street corners to watch,saying 68 they wanted a last look at the building. But it was all a false alarm. It was a city of reassurance. Among all that was different,there were of course the things that were just as they always were. They stood out in stark relief. Like every other day of familiar and unfamiliar happenings,mail carriers pushed their wheeled carts through the streets,and the sight of them seemed comforting. One man walked up to a mailman near the large post office building across Eighth Avenue from Madison Square Garden and asked if delivery would be normal today. The mailman didnt miss a step. He said,“Sure. The mails coming today. The mail comes every day. ” And for all the things that there were less of in New York yesterday,there were some important ones that there were more of. There was more grief,of course,but also an omnipresent feeling of compassion,a desire for companionship and a yearning to believe something redemptive could come out of horrific tragedy. “For the first time in my life,I want a partner just so I dont have to go through this alone,”said Jennifer MacLeod,40,a media consultant. Rather than stay home the night of the tragedy,she volunteered to work at a friends understaffed bar,serving drinks,the first time she had waitressed since college. “It was really satisfying to be around other people,” she said. “I also oddly felt I was doing a public service. ” Most Wednesdays,Felicia Finley,29,glues on fake eyelashes for her role in “Aida,” the Broadway musical. But yesterday,she felt paralyzed. “I started to get dressed,”she said,“then I started watching television and sat back down and started crying. ” When the show resumes,she feels she will be renewed. “Its given me a newfound appreciation of what I do for a living,” she said. “People need to feel inspiration and hope,and if I can do that, you better be sure that Ill be the first one to do it. ”

69 ● Strong emotions and some kind of moods are obvious in features by the writing style and tone. ● Quotations and recording details are useful techniques in features.

Features

A feature aims to entertain and / or inform with writing that emphasizes storytelling. Many of them are of human interests,such as about arts, books,movies or people.

Example

On East Broadway,a Wide World Unfolds by Linda Wolfe Whenever I think back to being young and summercarefree in the city,I think of the time I lived in a loft on East Broadway. It wasnt quite legal then to live in a loft. Not even for artists,who hadnt yet won the right to reside in their ateliers. But a friend of mine from Antioch College, where I was a student, knew an architecture student at Pratt who was turning the abandoned lofts in a pair of twin buildings at 185 and 187 East Broadway,near Jefferson Street,into attractive living quarters. My Antioch friend had taken the lease on one of these in progress domiciles and needed roommates to help swing the rent. And on a summers day back — dare I admit it — in the mid1950s, for a onethird share of the $65amonth rent,I became one of the roommates. The buildings had been erected around 1827,part of a row of threeandahalfstory brick houses with gardens in back,two big bedrooms and a nursing room facing front and parlors that were 26 feet across, wider than the customary 24 feet. Back then East Broadway had been known as Harman Street,its name a tribute to 70 Harmanus Rutgers,a farmer and brewer who in the mid18th century had managed to put together a parcel of 100 acres of prime Manhattan real estate. But the early19thcentury promoters of the streets fashionable new dwellings wanted a street name that had cachet. Broadway had a certain prestige. By 1831 city maps were calling the street“Harman Street,or East Broadway”and by 1840 the name Harman Street had dropped away utterly. I didnt know this longago history when I lived in the loft. I did, however,know a bit about the more recent but to my mind equally remote history of East Broadway at the time,around 1900,when it was a principal thoroughfare for the Lower East Sides Jewish immigrants. After all,the Jewish Daily Forward building,with its columns,crowning clock and bas reliefs of the heroes of European socialism,was three doors over. The Educational Alliance,where assimilated uptown Jews once tutored their roughedged newcomer cousins in English and social graces,was just across the near corner. The Garden Cafeteria,where aging Trotskyists and Stalinists sat chainsmoking and arguing the future,was on the far corner. These famed institutions were all still functioning. I had moved into the bleachers of history. My building and its twin had taken on their present height of four stories in 1906,around the same time that the wave of Jewish immigrants had taken over the neighborhood. The two houses belonged,for much of the early part of the 20th century,to Ezekiel Sarasohn,an editor and publisher,whose rabbi father,an 1860s immigrant, had founded a conservative newspaper, the Jewish Gazette. The buildings provided Ezekiel with both living quarters and income;he rented out various floors to commercial and educational enterprises. My loft,which was on the third floor of No. 187 and overlooked weedstrewn Seward Park,had previously been a yeshiva,and the lease specified “No dancing of the hora,” apparently because the yeshiva students had once collapsed the floor by doing an ecstatic rendition of the dance. Now the floor was decorated with a large bear 71 rug,and the fire escape — an extralarge structure thanks to laws governing school safety — was like a long luxurious porch. The loft to the side,which was in No. 185 but accessible through my kitchen,was occupied by the moderndance choreographer Alwin Nikolais,who received a National Medal of Arts in 1987,and his partner,the dancer and choreographer Murray Louis. Both were always willing to let me and my roommates invade their snazzier space to store our food in their fridge when our inferior model conked out. But the loft above,which belonged to a writer,an Austrian Jew who had fled Hitler,was the most splendid space of all. Once a hat producing sweatshop,it now had a skylight that nourished a thicket of ferns and philodendrons and a long wall that Bob Fleury,the student architect, had imaginatively papered with maps of our neighborhood:the detailed,streetbystreet,cornerbycorner maps produced by the United States Geological Survey. When that writer went home on a visit he let me escape my roommates and live in his loft for a time. Chapter 9 Editorials and Letters English News Writing and Reading

Introduction

The editorial is the article to express the opinion of editors or publishers of newspapers. Letters are articles telling opinions and comments of readers. They both are opinion parts. It is believed that“facts are facts,and opinions are opinions” in English newspapers. So most English newspapers do not publish only one opinion. To keep things fair and balanced,newspapers have opinion pages,which contain editorials and letters. Newspapers would also invite their columnists to publish their opinions. They are put at the OpEd in , 72 some newspapers. Readers may find opinions in editorials articles in the OpEd and letters are contradictory and contrastive. It is a typical way to prove freedom of expression in English newspapers. The structure of editorials and letters is quite different from news reports. Usually it contains three parts:the sum up of the news event;the comment about the issue;the conclusion. The form is fixed,however,the tone and language style could be quite different according to different writers.

Examples

Different opinions on September,11 attack in New York in the USA Today. The Editorial Air security fails In a few stark moments Tuesday,questions raised for years about the vulnerability of the nations airsecurity system took on deadly urgency. Minutes apart,hijackers breached security on four huge passenger jets departing three major American airports. With good reason,Americas confidence in safe skies was shattered. While investigators scramble to determine precisely how terrorists slipped through the Xray equipment,screeners and ID checks at airports in Boston,Washington and Newark,questions are also being raised about whether failures in the airport security system overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA)and the industry contributed to the disaster. The most damning charge is that federal officials received“credible evidence”a month ago of a planned terrorist strike at the U. S. airports. That adds to the obvious security gaps that exist 12 years after the terrorist bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie,Scotland. Among the most serious problems: During two brief test periods in recent years,four passengers passed through security and onto planes with loaded guns,only to be caught on connecting flights, Congress General Accounting Office (GAO) found. Twice,simulated explosive devices passed through checkpoints and onto planes. 73 Tests run by government watchdogs show it is easy to penetrate airport security. Inspectors were able to breach secure areas at eight airports;12 times they were seated on planes ready for departure. The Xray screeners who make up the front line of airport security are often paid less than workers at the airports fastfood eateries,resulting in high turnover and a disgruntled workforce. While passengers must present photo identification when they pick up boarding passes,there is nothing to prevent them from handing the pass off to someone else. Some pilots have long sought an ID check when passengers actually board. Tuesdays tragedy also raised questions about security once a plane is in the air. How long did air traffic controllers know the planes were seriously off course?Did they notify law enforcement authorities? After any dangerous breach comes recrimination and promises of change. When several passengers stormed cockpits last year, there were calls for reinforced cockpit doors. But as memories of the attacks faded,so did any chance for change. The excuses?Too expensive or too cumbersome. Certainly, increased security will be expensive and time consuming. Americans could lose some of the cheap,fast service they demand,and perhaps they will balk. But now they will have no choice. No system can prevent all breaches,but if deterrence is the best defense,then respect for the systems ability to catch potential troublemakers is its most important asset. It will take many years to repair the damage done Tuesday. The FAA must start today.

Other three articles holding different opinions on the 9. 11 attack. Please sum up the main ideas of those articles with the discussion with your classmate. A day that changes Americas view of terror 74 Somewhere today in the dens of terrorists, there is glee. Isolated and imprisoned by their preconceptions,the architects of the horrors inflicted on this nation Tuesday will see the United States as a nation gripped by fear,cowering at the discovery of newfound vulnerability and eager to withdraw from the worlds tempests. To be sure, the sights streaming into living rooms were terrifying. Crashed planes. Collapsing office towers. A burning Pentagon. Potentially thousands dead. Never before — even in war — have innocent American civilians or the heart of the nations military machine been so assaulted. But fear is not new to the nation,nor has controlling it proved difficult,no matter the scale. Instead,shock and tears dominated TV screens as the scale of the horror unfolded — a picture of an America mourning for countrymen slaughtered by zealots of unknown stripe. When the mourning ends, the tears will turn swiftly to anger,and how that anger is managed may define the way America lives for years to come. There will of course be tightened security and pointed questions. Why was our intelligence so sorely lacking?Why was an airsafety system long familiar with terror still so vulnerable? But those responses are too familiar to match the scale of Tuesdays violence. The use of airliners as terrorist weapons to attack the World Trade Center and Pentagon — and the crash of a fourth plane in Pennsylvania after it was apparently hijacked — were not just the acts of a few lunatics with bombs. They were a coordinated assault by a sophisticated enemy directed against the people of the United States. They may,in fact,turn out to have caused the bloodiest day in American history since the Civil War. This should fundamentally alter the way the U. S. thinks about the response. The rule of thumb has always been that any response must be “proportionate,” so as to prevent the worlds rage from turning against us rather than on the terrorists. By that measure the gloves are off,given the scale and toll of this havoc. If the attackers were foreign,as certainly seems likely,they 75 committed an act of war,with all that implies. It would be foolish to assume that they wouldnt attack again, and as massive as Tuesdays damage was,an age of proliferating biological,chemical and nuclear weapons harbors worse. The goal must be to identify the threat and remove it with singleminded focus — not merely terrorists but their sponsors and protectors as well,as President Bush vowed in addressing the nation Tuesday night. That certainly is an objective without a quick, riskfree solution,but it must begin with unequivocal identification of the enemy. After Osama Bin Ladens terrorist organization bombed two U. S. embassies in 1998,a retaliatory missile attack on a supposed chemicalweapons plant in Sudan,for example,backfired when the link to the alleged embassybombers turned out to be tenuous. Ideally, any response also would be more than military: bringing allies and other major nations into a global alliance to wage war against terrorism. Every nation,even those with which the United States has major differences, must know today that its cities,its landmarks,its centers of commerce and government are just as vulnerable as ours. Little in this is satisfying,and much is dangerous. But living in fear is no option at all. When the twin towers of the Trade Center crumpled to the ground like so much dust,at a cost of countless lives,something less tangible was lost as well — a uniquely American sense of freedom and security. That is a loss the nation can endure only temporarily,lest it hand the terrorists the victory they seek and diminish the essence of who we are.

The thin,thin line between safe and free by Susan Estrich If youre an ArabAmerican,or a tourist from an Arab 76 country,if you have a name that sounds like Mohammed, or have expressed criticism of America, you may find yourself under suspicion today. There are calls for massive roundups or limits on travel and immigration from Arab countries, and reports are coming in from across the country of harassment of individual ArabAmericans. Meanwhile,in Boston,the FBI is seeking out members of a cell of supporters of Osama Bin Laden;those who refuse to answer questions reportedly may be taken into custody as material witnesses. There is an understandable urge right now to give the government more power to know everything about us,in the hopes that it will learn more about the dangerous few. And even those who understand that branding by race or ethnic origin is the definition of racism have trouble not engaging in it,with the scope of Tuesdays destruction so fresh in mind. As the United States faces a new war against uncertain and hidden enemies,the temptation to sacrifice our freedom in the hopes of protecting ourselves from harm is powerful. The danger is that we will end up neither safe nor free. The constitutional protections of speech and privacy that Americans value so highly reflect a balance between individual liberty and state security. Just how those lines are drawn,history teaches,is directly affected by the perceived threats to our countrys security. “When a nation is at war,” Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote,“many things that might be said in time of peace are such a hindrance to its effort . . . that no court could regard them as protected by any constitutional right. ” Holmes famous admonition came in one of the first major freespeech cases to reach the U. S. Supreme Court, Schenck vs. United States. It involved the prosecution — there were more than 2,000 in the lower federal courts — of those who opposed our efforts in World War Ⅰ and did such things as print brochures and newsletters encouraging 77 resistance to the draft. The test Holmes stated in 1919 sounded strict:The Constitution required a “clear and present danger” before freedom would be limited. But in applying it,as Holmes put it in another case,“in quarters where a little breath would be enough to kindle a flame,”the Supreme Court had little trouble in finding grounds for affirming wartime convictions not only of antiwar activists, but also of union leader Eugene Debs. The next spate of important cases came as a result of the Red Scare of the 1920s — 1930s,when,in the wake of the Russian Revolution,the federal government engaged in mass deportations of aliens,and twothirds of the states passed laws prohibiting the advocacy of criminal anarchy. Over Holmes dissent, the Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Benjamin Gitlow,who was part of the Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party. With Holmes concurrence,Anita Whitney was convicted for attending a convention of the Communist Labor Party and supporting a moderate resolution calling for the party to work within the system. In his speech Tuesday,President Bush emphasized that no distinction would be drawn between those who committed the acts of terror and those who aided and supported them. Certainly,there is wellestablished criminallaw doctrine that provides that accomplices to crimes are as guilty as their perpetrators. And conspiracy law provides that implicit agreement to the end of a conspiracy is enough to be part of it. But the Constitution also protects the rights of individuals to speak and associate freely,and it protects unpopular minorities against the tyranny of the majority. It is precisely in times of national jeopardy when those 78 protections become most crucial. Following the internment of JapaneseAmericans during World War II — again,upheld by the Supreme Court — the federal government began prosecuting leaders of the National Communist Party. (Meanwhile, in the Senate, Joseph McCarthy was holding his famous hearings accusing named and unnamed government officials, writers and others of communist ties. ) With the Cold War raging,the Supreme Court upheld the convictions for conspiracy, concluding that the mere existence of conspiracy,not the actual advocacy of it,was enough to constitute a crime, and that the “ gravity of the evil ” outweighed the improbability of success. A stricter test, explained Justice Robert Jackson, would require the court to “ appraise imponderables, including international and national phenomena which battle the bestinformed foreign offices and our most experienced politicians. ” It was not until after McCarthy had died,some of the fervor had abated and the federal government had begun prosecuting lowerechelon communists that the Supreme Court reconsidered its doctrine enough to reverse the convictions of 14 defendants essentially prosecuted for the crime of association. Protecting the rights of Nazis to march in Skokie,Ill. , is easy,relatively,a generation after WW II. And more than a halfcentury later, internment is recognized as the constitutional abuse that it always was. But in the midst of a national scare, the temptation to defer to government decisions made in the name of national security extends to justices of the Supreme Court as well as ordinary citizens. My students shake their heads when reading the anti communist cases,because they did not live through the Cold War,never saw Khrushchev bang his shoe. They did, however,see the pictures of devastation Tuesday. 79 The genius of the Constitution is that it is flexible enough to incorporate reason into its limits; what is reasonable obviously must take account of the times. But not too much account. As Justice Holmes recognized, the power of the government to regulate “undoubtedly is greater in time of war than in time of peace because war opens dangers that do not exist at other times. But as against dangers peculiar to war,as against others,the principle . . . is always the same. ” Holmes wrote that in 1919 in dissent from the conviction of a group of Russian immigrants in New York. We are faced with real threats to our national security. The challenge is to meet those threats without endangering our constitutional character or undermining the freedom and liberty that are the source of our power. University of Southern California law professor Susan Estrich is a member of the U. S. A. TODAYs board of contributors.

Nation turns toward war ,but against whom? As the nation turned its thoughts toward war Wednesday,an unanswered question hung in the air as heavily as the smoke over the collapsed New York skyline: War against whom? Osama Bin Laden, the chief suspect in Tuesdays attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center?His supporters?Terrorists generally? Before much longer,those questions will intrude on a national psyche. And as they do,so will doubts that for 3 decades have limited Western nations:Are the terrorists too agile and elusive to be crushed,like fire ants tormenting an angry elephant? By every indication,we will soon find out. But despite 80 the long lines of blood donors,the 88,000 American flags sold at WalMart on Tuesday and strong support for war in public opinion polls,its not clear that the public is ready for this. Nor will it truly be until the goals of war are fully defined. Polls have reversed on a dime when an unprepared public begins to recognize unseen costs in lives. Aware of that risk,President Bush and the Secretary of State Colin Powell have begun gently tracing faint outlines of their developing plan. Bush,while speaking in diplomatic code,fundamentally altered the U. S. policy in his address to the nation Tuesday night,saying no distinction will be made between terrorists and those who harbor them. Translation:Bin Laden will no longer be able to enjoy his safe home in Afghanistan,nor may other terrorists be able to hide in Syria,Lebanon,Iraq, Iran or other nations. Powell followed Wednesday by warning that the struggle would be longterm and multifaceted. European allies,bound by the NATO charter,soon followed by proclaiming the attack on the United States to be an attack on them. By the days end,the administrations strategy looked as if it were torn from the playbook written by Bushs father in the buildup to the Gulf War. If so,it is exactly the right way to proceed. The essence of this strategy was the “ Powell Doctrine,”named for the Secretary of State who was then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It requires developing precise goals,marshaling international support,preparing the American public for the risks and consequences,and carrying out missions with overwhelming force. Most important,it means vigilance against stretching the precise goals into openended commitments. The doctrine is essentially a distillation of the difference between success and failure in the U. S. military actions in 81 the past halfcentury. It was the basis for winning the Gulf War,and it explains why smaller military operations in Grenada and Panama succeeded. Failure to follow it is also why illplanned adventures from Vietnam to Somalia ended in embarrassment. Bush still has time to define the mission precisely,as his father did. Building the alliance,completing a plan and putting forces in place will take weeks. But define it he must, for this is not just about reassembling hijacked airliners to produce legal evidence for international tribunals,tracking boatrental records through the streets of Aden,Yemen,or firing cruise missiles at terrorist camps. Even the most effective attack against Tuesdays attackers will not be enough. The threat to this country obviously is broader,and so,too,is the risk. As ghastly as Tuesdays devastation was,there are more horrific weapons than hijacked airliners. Bush has only hinted at the balance between goal and cost. Just how far does his rejection of safe harbor reach? Does it apply to all terrorists?To all known to have committed acts of terror against the United States?To all those who might?In any country?By any means? Would we simultaneously attack Iraq,Iran,Syria and all other suspected sponsors of terrorism? The public,for all of its enthusiasm for war,has yet to even awaken to those questions. For any plan to succeed, both they and the soldiers who will fight will need answers. Congress will need to endorse them,as it did in the Gulf War. The U. S. is far more capable than the elephant battling the ants,and theres reason to think the terrorists are more vulnerable than they believe. 82 But how to win is less clear. The president seems started down the right path,but its a long and twisted path,indeed. Chapter 10 Political News English News Writing and Reading

Introduction

The political news deals with political activities inside the nation on the international scene. Not all the people are interested in it,but it is the top news in newspapers. And it has a large arrangement, including visits, meetings, talks, conferences and so on. National political reports, international news reports,features and interpretative stories are seen in political news.

Words Lists 85

● Names of capitals and important places around world ● Names of key political figures in the world ● Names of important political organizations

Learning Through Reading

United States① The United States of America (U.S.A. )(also referred to as the United States,the U. S. ,America ) is a federal republic in North America with a strong democratic tradition. The U. S. shares land borders with Canada in the north and Mexico in the south and shares a marine border with Russia in the west. Established in 1776 as a collection of breakaway British

① Based on Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia. colonies,the United States became a federal republic and the worlds first modern democracy after its break with Great Britain and the adoption of a constitution in 1789. The United States of America consists of 50 states with limited autonomy in which federal law takes precedence over state law. Although the constitutions of the various states differ in some details but generally follow a pattern similar to that of the Federal Constitution. The federal government itself consists of three branches:the executive branch,the legislative branch,and the judicial branch. The head of the executive branch is the President of the United States of America. The legislative branch consists of the United States Congress,which is bicameral,that is,having two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives,while the Supreme Court of the United States is the head of the judicial branch. The federal and state government is dominated by two political 86 parties,the Republicans and the Democrats,although minor party candidates and independents are occasionally elected especially to local or state office. Business interests provide the major funding and support to the Republican Party while labor unions and minority ethnic groups provide major support to the Democrats. Access to funds is vital in the political system due to the financial costs of mounting political campaigns. Thus, the political interests of corporations and other organized segments of the society in a position to provide funds and other political support play a major role in determining the political agenda of political parties,and ultimately,government decision making.

Key Words

Federal republic:a republic which a union of states or districts which retain only a subordinate and limited sovereignty under a central republican authority. Democracy:a form of government in which the people,either directly or indirectly,take part in governing. The word democracy originates from Greek,and means rule of the people. Constitution:a given organisation defines its form,structure,activities, character,and fundamental rules. The constitution of the United States was completed on September 12,1787 and later ratified by special conventions in each of the original thirteen American states. Autonomy:Selfgovernment with respect to local or internal affairs. Federal law:It is a body of law created by the federal government of a nation. Examples of federal government include the United States of America,Canada,India and the European Union President:The head of state of the United States is called the President, who serves the functions of chief executive and commander in chief of the armed forces. In slang, the President of the United States is sometimes called POTUS. The wife of the President traditionally serves as the First Lady. Congress: Congress is the legislative branch of the United States government. The Senate:The Senate of the United States is the upper house of the 87 Congress of the United States. Each state elects two senators through statewide elections. If a vacancy occurs between elections,generally the governor of the state appoints a replacement to serve as senator until the next biennial election. The House of Representatives:It is the lower house of the United States Congress. Members of the House are elected for a term of two years. The 435 seats in the House are apportioned among the fifty states by population,as determined by a decennial census. If a vacancy occurs in a House seat between elections,it may be filled only by a special election. The Supreme Court:the highest court in the United State. It has ultimate judicial authority within the United States to interpret and decide questions of federal law. The Supreme Court is sometimes known by the acronym SCOTUS. The Republicans:The Republican party was organized in Wisconsin on February 28,1854 as an antislavery party. The party was still split between a conservative wing (dominant in the western U. S. ) and a liberal wing ( dominant in the northeastern U. S. ). Today, “conservative”and“Republican”are practically synonymous. In 1994, the Republicans elected a majority to both houses of Congress for the first time in decades,and have not completely lost that majority to this day. The party is sometimes called “GOP”,for “Grand Old Party. ” The symbol of the Republican Party is the elephant. The Democrats:The Democratic Party traces its origin to the Democratic Republican Party founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1793. Labor unions and minority ethnic groups provide major support to the Democrats. The donkey has been widely used as a symbol of the party,though unlike the Republican elephant,the donkey has never been officially adopted as the partys logo.

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland comprises Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales ) and 88 Northern Ireland,along with a number of overseas territories. Also known as simply the United Kingdom(UK),most of its territory is situated just off the northwestern coast of mainland Europe, surrounded by the North Sea,the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean. The United Kingdom,the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century,played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith,the British Empire stretched over one quarter of the earths surface. The UK is currently weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU,it has chosen to defer its participation in Euro Zone owing to internal political considerations. Constitutional reform is also a current issue in the UK. The House of Lords has been subjected to ongoing reforms and National assemblies with varying degrees of power were created in Scotland,Wales,and Northern Ireland in 1999. Further assemblies for the English regions are also under consideration. In form the United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy but in practice it operates as a parliamentary democracy. It is governed from its capital, London. In the United Kingdom, Parliament consists of the British House of Commons,the House of Lords,and the Monarch. The UKs current monarch and head of state is Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ who acceded to the throne in 1952 and was crowned in 1953. Today,her role is mainly ceremonial,with the countrys real political authority being delegated to the Prime Minister . The United Kingdom is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations (successor organization to the former Empire), the European Union and NATO. It is also a permanent member of the UN Security Council and holds a veto power.

Key Words

EU :The European Union or EU is an international organization of European states,established by the Treaty on European Union. The original impetus for the founding of (what was later to become) the European Union was the desire to rebuild Europe after the disastrous 89 events of World War Ⅱ,and to prevent Europe from ever again falling victim to the scourge of war. The body was originally known as the Common Market,this later changed to the European Community and then to the European Union. The EU has evolved from a trade body into an economic and political partnership. Major issues concerning the European Union at the moment are its projected enlargement, the Convention regarding a proposed European consititution,as well as British participation in the euro. Euro Zone:It is also called an economic and monetary union,which is a single market with a common currency. The only economic and monetary union at present is the European Union. Euro /euro:The Euro (EUR or ) is the currency of 12 of the 15 countries that form the European Union and some outside it,and is divided into 100 cents. The currency was introduced in nonphysical form at midnight on January 1,1999,when the national currencies of participating countries(the Eurozone)ceased to exist independently in that the exchange rates were locked at fixed rates against each other, effectively making them mere subdivisions of the Euro;the Euro thus became the successor to the European Currency Unit (ECU). The notes and coins for the old currencies,however,continued to be used as legal tender until new notes and coins were introduced on January 1, 2002 and the changeover period ended on February 28,2002. the National Assembly:the name of parliaments in several countries. Constitutional Monarchy:It is a system of government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges a hereditary or elected monarch as a Head of State. In a constitutional monarchy the post of the Head of State is usually passed within a royal family. The head of state is normally the theoretical head of the executive, producing phrases like Her Majestys Government. In some instances the monarch may chair the cabinet,though they play not role in policy formation. In other instances,for example in the United Kingdom,the monarch may have a right of access to all government documentation,as well as a detailed briefing from his or her Prime Minister. 90 Parliament: A parliament is a legislative body, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system derived from that of the United Kingdom. In the politics of the United Kingdom,legislative authority (that is,the power to make laws)is vested in Parliament,which is a bicameral or two chamber assembly made up of an upper house,the house of Lords and a lower house,the House of Commons. Both Houses meet in the Palace of Westminster,sometimes called the Houses of Parliament. the House of Commons:In the politics of the United Kingdom,the British House of Commons is the dominant component of the bicameral Parliament,the other half being the House of Lords. It consists of 659 Members of Parliament(MPs)since 1997,each elected by citizens of an electoral constituency to represent that constituency in the House on average every four to five years. On average,each MP represents 69, 281 people in England,but fewer in Scotland,Wales,and Northern Ireland. the House of Lords:In British politics,the House of Lords is the unelected upper house of the United Kingdom Parliament. The House of Lords is unique in combining both legislative and judicial functions in one body: it is both the upper house of Parliament and the highest court of appeal for England. The House of Lords is made up largely of appointed members,along with Bishops of the Church of England and a small number of hereditary peers elected by members of the hereditary peerage. All hereditary peers used to have seats in the House of Lords by right. That right was removed at the beginning of the twentyfirst century. Further reform of the membership of the House of Lords is pending. Monarch:A monarch is a hereditary ruler,figurehead or head of state. “King”designates a male monarch except when a queen or other head of state fills the role. Prime Minister :the most senior officer of Her Majestys Government in the United Kingdom. The full title of the office is Prime Minister ,First Lord of the Treasury,and Minister for the Civil Service of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Prime Ministers main responsibilities include setting the direction of the government, 91 appointing members of the Cabinet,coordinating the activities of the Cabinet and government departments, participating in ceremonial occasions,and being the “face” of the government in the UK and abroad. The Prime Minister is technically appointed by the Monarch. Cabinet:It is a council of highranking members of government,typically representing the executive branch. The Commonwealth of Nations: It is a voluntary association of independent sovereign states formed mostly by the United Kingdom and most of its former colonies. It was formerly known as the British Commonwealth,and many still call it by that name,either mistakenly or to distinguish it from the many other commonwealths around the world. The Commonwealth is the successor of the British Empire, which was largely dismantled after World War Ⅱ. Citizens of Commonwealth nations make up 30% of the worlds population. NATO: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) is an international organization for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty,which has the core provision that if the Soviet Union (former) launched an attack against the European allies of the United States,it would be treated as if it was an attack on the United States itself. UN Security Council:The UN Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. It is charged with maintaining peace and security between nations. The Security Council has the power to make decisions which member governments must carry out decisions of the UN under the United Nations Charter. The decisions of the Council are known as UN Security Council Resolutions. The Council has five permanent members, France, the Peoples Republic of China, the United Kingdom,the United States,and now Russian Federation. Veto:It literally means forbid. It is used to denote that a certain party has the right to unilaterally stop a certain piece of legislation. A veto thus gives unlimited power to stop changes,but not to adopt them.

The United Nations 92 The United Nations,or UN,is an international organization made up of states;most but not all countries are members. It was founded on October 24,1945 in California, U. S. A. The first General Assembly,with 51 nations represented,was not held until January 10,1946 in London. The UN membership is open to all “peaceloving states”that accept the obligations of the UN Charter and,in the judgment of the organization,are able and willing to fulfill these obligations. The General Assembly determines admission upon recommendation of the Security Council. As of September 2002 there were 191 members. The UN headquarters officially opened on January 9,1951 in New York City. The land is now considered international territory. Under special agreement with the U. S. , certain diplomatic privileges and immunities have been granted,but generally the laws of New York City,New York State,and the U. S. apply. In the 1960s new General Assembly and Secretariat buildings were built in New York, but there are major agencies located in Geneva, Switzerland and elsewhere. The UN General Assembly is the only UN organ in which all members are represented. It serves as a forum for members to launch initiatives on international questions of peace,economic progress,and human rights. The Assembly meets in regular session once a year under a president elected from among the representatives. The regular session usually begins on the third Tuesday in September and ends in midDecember. Special sessions can be convened at the request of the Security Council, of a majority of the UN members,or,if the majority concurs,of a single member. The Assembly may take action on maintaining international peace if the UN Security Council is unable,usually due to disagreement among the permanent members,to exercise its primary responsibility.

Key Words

UN Charter :The United Nations Charter is the constitution of the United Nations. It was signed in 1945 by the 50 original member countries. As 93 a treaty,all signatories are bound by international law to obey the provisions of the Charter. Secretariat:The United Nations Secretariat is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and it is headed by the United Nations Secretary- General,assisted by a staff of international civil servants worldwide. It provides studies,information,and facilities needed by United Nations bodies for their meetings. It also carries out tasks as directed by the UN Security Council,the UN General Assembly,the UN Economic and Social Council,and other UN bodies. The United Nations Secretary-General: The United Nations Secretary General is the head of the Secretariat. According to the United Nations Charter,the SecretaryGeneral is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council. The UN Secretaries General normally spend two terms in office;however sometimes they will serve only one if there is significant member state disapproval of their performance. The position of the UN SecretaryGeneral is supposed to rotate by geographic region,but that rule is often broken. When current SecretaryGeneral Kofi Annan had finished his term,the position should go to an Asian by the custom of rotation. The Secretary Generals duties include helping resolve international disputes, administering peacekeeping operations, organizing international conferences,gathering information on the implementation of Security Council decisions,and consulting with member governments regarding various initiatives.

Political News Reports

Examples

Near End of His Africa Trip, Bush Focuses on Liberia by Richard W. Stevenson BUJA,Nigeria,July 12 — President Bush held talks today with Nigerias leader on how to bring peace and stability to Liberia as the 94 United States moved toward a decision about whether to send peacekeeping troops there. Wrapping up his swing through Africa,the president met with President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria,who updated Mr. Bush on the Nigerian effort to persuade President Charles Taylor of Liberia to step down. Mr. Obasanjo has played a leading role in an American backed plan to pressure Mr. Taylor to quit and to pave the way for a ceasefire in a civil war that has ravaged Liberia and destabilized its neighbors. A senior American official said Mr. Obasanjo had told Mr. Bush that Mr. Taylor was negotiating the terms of the proposal for him to come to Nigeria. The official said Mr. Taylors primary concern was bringing his family with him. The official said Mr. Bush and Mr. Obasanjo did not discuss whether Mr. Taylor would receive immunity from the war crimes charges lodged against him by a United Nationsbacked court in neighboring Sierra Leone. Nigeria does not have an extradition law that would force Mr. Taylor to go to Sierra Leone to face the charges,which stem from accusations about his part in brutal factional fighting in Sierra Leone. Mr. Bush has repeatedly called for Mr. Taylor to step down,and has said the United States will play a role in peacekeeping efforts being led by a group of West African nations. He has left open the possibility that the United States would send troops to Liberia,but he has not yet made a decision. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said this week that Mr. Bush might make a decision within a few days. Mr. Bush is to discuss Liberia at a meeting on Monday in Washington with the United Nations SecretaryGeneral, Kofi Annan. He is also scheduled to receive reports from two military teams sent to the region to assess what role the United States should play. Asked by a reporter today if he would make a decision in the coming week,Mr. Bush replied,“Im not sure yet when. ”

Postreading Exercise 95 Match each word with its definition: ceasefire a. to confer with negotiate b. exemption from normal legal duties proposal c. stop firing immunity d. suggestion for consideration extradition e. legal surrender of a fugitive to the jurisdiction of another state,country,or government for trial

Annan prepares Iraq aid plan UNITED NATIONS(CNN)— UN SecretaryGeneral Kofi Annan Thursday urged members to act quickly to meet Iraqs humanitarian needs and make interim modifications “to current arrangements” including the oilforfood program. The program was established in August 1990 to alleviate the suffering inflicted on the Iraqi people from the “comprehensive sanctions on Iraq following that countrys invasion of Kuwait,”the UNs Website said. Annan on Tuesday suspended the work in Iraq of UN humanitarian personnel and put together a proposal for addressing “emergency humanitarian assistance. ” Annan does not have the power to put forward a UN resolution but his proposal document would be used instead as a draft that one of the council members would then submit. A U. S. official said the permanent five Security Council members — U.S. ,Britain,France,China,and Russia — might meet Thursday to discuss Annans suggestions but would probably not put the matter to a vote until next week. The permanent five members would work out a final draft before circulating it to the full Security Council. Among his recommendations,Annan wants to be given “the necessary flexibility to play his role in meeting the immediate humanitarian needs of the Iraqi population,” including taking all 96 measures necessary “to ensure the implementation of the new resolution. ”

Postreading Exercise

Match each word with its definition: interim a. to render temporarily ineffective sanction b. a preliminary outline of a plan,document, or picture suspend c. to act,work draft d. an interval of time between one event, process,or period and another implementation e. a coercive measure adopted usually by several nations acting together against a nation violating international law

Bush,Annan to Discuss Global Hot Spots by Jennifer Loven WASHINGTON — President Bush,mulling whether to send the U. S. troops to enforce a fragile ceasefire in Liberia,is ready to face the world leader who has pushed most aggressively for American intervention in the strifetorn West African nation. Bush and UN SecretaryGeneral Kofi Annan were to sit down Monday to an agenda jammed with global hot spots and seemingly intractable problems. Like Bush,who returned late Saturday from a tour of five subSaharan nations,Annan is just back from Africa, where he attended the African Union summit in Mozambique. On their plate:the ongoing conflict in Congo,postwar Iraq, Afghanistan,the U. S. led war on terrorism,the search for peace in the Mideast,and efforts to battle poverty and AIDS around the world. It is the first meeting between Bush and Annan since Dec. 20, and since a divisive UN debate over a resolution — ultimately withdrawn when faced with certain defeat — backing a U. S. led invasion to oust Suddam Husseins Iraqi regime. Their discussion in the Oval Office was likely to involve the 97 touchy subject of the United Nations role in establishing a new Iraqi government. In the background,questions swirled around continuing attacks on the U. S. troops in Iraq and Suddams prewar nuclear program. Regarding Congo,the U. S. UN differences appear to have been resolved last week,when Washington said it would support Annans request to give a UN peacekeeping force in eastern Congo more troops and a stronger mandate to help end fighting. Liberias continuing civil war and resulting humanitarian crisis and how to stabilize the situation were key concerns Bush and Annan faced,officials said. Annan,along with European leaders and Liberians themselves, has pleaded with the United States to lead a team of international peacekeepers into the country to enforce a rebelgovernment cease fire and prevent a descent into anarchy. The White House officials said they did not expect a decision Monday from Bush. After meeting with Secretary of State Colin Powell,Annan said he hoped“the decision will be coming shortly and I hope it will be positive. ”

Postreading Exercise

Match each word with its definition: agenda a. the official office of the President of the United States anarchy b. a government in power;administration The Oval Office c. a list or program of things to be done or considered resolution d. political disorder and confusion regime e. a formal statement of a decision

98 Chapter 11 Business Reports English News Writing and Reading

Introduction

Business reports are as old as the newspaper itself. The oldest gazettes and newsletters were for business information and established in the business centers. Business reports have been exploding rapidly because it is about nearly everybodys personal experiences. The value of a bond or stock,the job possibilities, activities of enterprises, and international business exchanges,all are in business reports. The business reports include local spot news stories,features and interpretative stories.

Words Lists 99

● Economic terms ● National organizations and International organizations on economy and business ● Currencies

Learning Through Reading

U. S. $ sinks in Tokyo Tokyo,July 1 (AP)— The U. S. dollar sank against the Japanese yen for the sixth consecutive trading day on the Tokyo Foreign Exchange Market Tuesday,closing at 163. 65 yen,down 0. 30 yen from Mondays close of 163. 95. The dollar opened at 162. 45 yen and ranged between 162. 40 yen and 163. 80 yen. On Monday,when it fell 1. 90 yen,it ranged between 163. 85 yen and 165. 15. The dollar now has fallen 5. 55 yen in six trading days. Tuesdays closing was its lowest since 162. 70 yen on May 15. One market source,speaking on condition of anonymity,said there was a“rush of dollar selling”Tuesday by speculators,spurred by Mondays Finance Ministry announcement that Japans overall trade surplus in May reached a monthly record of 8. 3 billion U. S. dollars.

Key Words

dollar :a basic unit of currency in the U. S. yen:a basic unit of currency in Japan open:to commence the operation of stock market close:to end the operation of stock market fall:to decline in financial value 100 surplus:The observed change in quantity demanded due to a price change of one particular good.

New York,July 11(AP)— Oil futures failed to sustain a rally and again slipped lower Friday,with most gasoline and heating oil contracts down a cent or more a gallon on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Key Words

futures:a particular commodity (e. g. , gold, corn, rubber, etc. ). Futures trading is a trade in which an investor buys or sells futures for a specific period of time. A trade can be settled with physical delivery (delivery taking for buyers and delivery making for sellers). rally:A substantial rise in the price of a security,commodity,or overall market,following a decline.

Capital goods investments will enjoy the same tax credit treatment as other productive enterprises. Key Words

capital:The existing stock of productive resources,such as machines and building,that have been produces. credit:The capacity to borrow money up to a specified limit under specified conditions.

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration projected Tuesday that the federal deficit will climb to a record $455 billion this year and surge to $475 billion in 2004, underscoring the toll that recession,tax cuts and the fight against terror is taking on the governments books.

Key Words deficit:The amount by which a government,company,or individuals spending exceeds its income over a particular period of time. Also called deficit or deficit spending. 101 tax:A fee charged by a government on a product,income or activity.

Dow Sinks 69 on Bullish Greenspan Remarks by Hope Yen,AP Business Writer NEW YORK — Wall Street retreated Tuesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said the economy should post stronger growth by years end but cautioned that the threat of deflation remains.

Key Words

Dow:The most widely used indicator of the overall condition of the stock market,a priceweighted average of 30 actively traded blue chip stocks, primarily industrials. The 30 stocks are chosen by the editors of the Wall Street Journal(which is published by Dow Jones & Company). It is also called Dow Jones Industrial Average(DJIA). Bull:An investor who believes that a particular security,a sector,or the overall market is about to rise. The opposite is Bear. Wall Street:Name for the financial district in lower Manhattan,New York City,and the street where the NYSE,AMEX and many banks and brokerages are located. Sometimes also used to refer to the investment community in general;here also called the Street. deflation:A decline in general price levels,often caused by a reduction in the supply of money or credit. Deflation can also be brought about by direct contractions in spending,either in the form of a reduction in government spending, personal spending or investment spending. Deflation has often had the side effect of increasing unemployment in an economy,since the process often leads to a lower level of demand in the economy.

Ministers agree on stability pact reform — but not on the extent by George Parker SCHEVENINGEN — Europes finance ministers yesterday agreed 102 to reform the discredited stability pact that underpins the euro,but sharp differences remain over the extent to which the rules should be watered down. Ministers meeting on the Dutch coast at Scheveningen were unable to agree on the crucial question of how to define the “exceptional circumstances” under which countries can run big deficits. “There was no agreement,otherwise I would have mentioned it,”said Gerrit Zalm,Dutch finance minister and chairman of the talks,when asked whether the issue had been resolved. Central bankers, led by the German Bundesbank but also supported by the Austrians,have strongly criticised plans by the European Commission to make the stability pact more flexible. Austria and the Netherlands also fear that the Commissions proposed new rules,which would allow countries to run deficits topping 3 per cent of gross domestic product in times of “sluggish growth,”could undermine fiscal discipline. However there was agreement that the eurozone needs stronger political leadership,and ministers appointed JeanClaude Juncker, Luxembourgs prime minister,as a “Mr. Euro”— the longterm finance minister for the euro. Mr. Juncker,a moderate,will start his job in January 2005,and is likely to promote stabilitypact reforms to ease the pain of France and Germany,both of which are struggling to comply with its 3 per cent deficit ceiling. The twoday Ecofin meeting is likely to be even more divided today,when ministers discuss plans for more harmonisation of European corporate taxes. Nicolas Sarkozy,French finance minister, yesterday repeated his demand that the EU members — particularly in eastern Europe — should be prevented from“fiscal dumping”by setting very low rates of tax. France and Germany are promoting plans for a permissible band of corporation tax in the EU,with minimum and maximum levels, but this is strongly opposed by countries including Britain,Ireland and most other lowtax countries. 103 Ministers will today discuss a separate plan to harmonise the base of company taxation in Europe,a step that would be required before any harmonisation of national rates could occur. Gordon Brown,British finance minister,said yesterday that his EU counterparts should focus instead on fundamentally reforming their economies. Mr. Brown said it would be a“massive defeat”for the EU if it abandoned its target for turning its economy into a worldbeater by 2010. JeanClaude Juncker, Europes longestserving leader, was yesterday appointed the first “Mr. Euro,” the political face of the single currency, writes George Parker in Scheveningen. Luxembourgs prime minister,who will assume his twoyear role in January,said he would try to improve the shaky record of economic coordination among governments in the 12member currency bloc. He will also represent the euro on the world stage and be the political link with the currencys monetary authorities at the European Central Bank. The creation of the job was approved when the EU finance ministers met at the Dutch resort of Scheveningen after last ditch Austrian opposition. KarlHeinz Grasser, Austrian finance minister,had opposed the post because it would have deprived him of his chance to chair the eurogroup,the forum for single currency ministers,when Austria assumes the rotating EU presidency in January 2006. (Financial Times,September 11,2004 Saturday,EUROPE;Pg. 7 )

Key Words

The European Central Bank (ECB):The European Central Bank came into life when the euro became Europes official currency on January 1, 1999. The ECB in conjunction with the National Central Banks(NCB) in the member countries formed the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). The ECB succeeded former European Monetary Institute (EMI) and seated in Frankfurt. Article 105 of the Maastricht Treaty defines that“. . . the primary objective of the ESCB shall be to maintain 104 price stability” and that “without prejudice to the objective of price stability,the ESCB shall support the general economic policies in the Community. . . ”The ECB has the exclusive right in the EU to authorize the issue of banknotes and coins while the NCB will handle the technical aspects. Article 107 of the Maastricht Treaty maintains the ECBs independence:ECB executives are required not to seek or take instructions from any other institution or government body,European or national,and the European governments are required not to seek to influence the decisionmaking bodies of the ECB. European Commission: The European Commission ( formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive of the European Union. The European Union or EU is an international organisation of 25 European States, established by the Treaty on European Union(The Maastricht treaty). Its current headquarter is in Brussels. The Commission is fully independent,and not permitted to take instructions from the government of their member state. The Commission functions as competition regulator for the Union,vetting all mergers with Communitywide effects, and initiating proceedings against companies which violate competition laws. At present,the Commission consists of 30 Commissioners:one from each member state,plus an additional Commissioner from each of the five largest member states:France,Germany,Italy,the UK and Spain. The President of the Commission is chosen by the European Council,a choice which must be approved by the European Parliament. The remaining Commissioners are appointed by the member states in agreement with the President. Euro-zone:On January 1,1999,eleven European countries adopted a single currency,the euro and formed Eurozone. They are Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands,Portugal and Spain. Each country had to meet certain requirements:1) that the country had passed legislation that was “compatible” with the Treaty and Statute of the European System of Central Banks;2)that the countrys inflation rate was below a set rate; 3) that the country was not running an excessive government budget deficit;4)that the country had participated in the European Exchange 105 Rate Mechanism (ERM) for two years during which time they “were not subject to severe pressures;” and 5) that the countrys longterm interest rate was below a set rate. Four of the fifteen member countries of the European Union did not participate in 1999. The United Kingdom and Denmark chose not to join the Eurozone. Greece and Sweden did not meet the criteria and were not offered admission. However,in 2001,Greece succeeded in joining the Eurozone. After 10 more countries join the EU in May,2004,it is estimated more countries in Europe will adopt the euro as their currency. Corporation tax:A tax on the companys taxable income or profits. The current corporation tax main rate is 30%.

Investors ride the economy express by An Lovett SHARES edged further into record territory yesterday after the NAB reported that business conditions last month were the best in almost 14 years. NABs good news drove the All Ordinaries index 14. 7 points higher to 3630. 2,its fourth straight record. NABs August Business Survey revealed the economy was growing at a fast clip,with little spare capacity left. The banks chief economist Alan Oster said levels of business conditions were consistent with domestic demand growing at 6 per cent a year. The latest spurt in activity was driven by a strong labour market, capital spending on top of an economy that was already at full stretch. “The strength of the current business indicators,together with the still robust levels of near and medium term expectations and reduced stocks,point to a favourable economic outlook,”Mr Oster said. Mr. Oster said NAB expected“the RBA to raise the official cash 106 rate by 25 basis points before Christmas. ” AMP strategist Shane Oliver said the NAB survey was further evidence the economy was on a roll. “It cant be bad for shares,”he said,though he did stress the share market was being driven not so much by the strength of the economy but by the fact that many stocks represented good value. “Even though the market has moved up,price / earning multiples are still less than they were this time last year and by international standards they are less than their global counterparts,”he said. Trend Resources technical analyst Joe Spadaro said News Corporation was the standout stock,adding “the banks were wishy washy. ” News Corp shares climbed 21c to $11. 51 on the eve of issuing the information memorandum covering its hopedfor primary listing in the U. S. Other media stocks were soft,with Fairfax easing 2c to $3. 78 and Publishing & Broadcasting down 6c to $13. 55. A mixed bank sector saw ANZ rise 7c to $18. 72 and NAB add 10c to $27,while Westpac lost 9c to $16. 90 and CBA retreat 24c to $29. 69. The Australian dollar continued to trade in a narrow band as international investors put the currency on hold until after the federal election.

Key Words

NAB:National Australia Bank. All Ordinaries Index:The Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) calculates and publishes a range of indices to aid clients in their investment and management decisions. Of these the most commonly quoted index is the All Ordinaries Index. The All Ordinaries Index is a summary measure of the movement of share values that result when shares in company ownership held by individual and corporate stockholders are traded on the ASX. In the context of the share market the All Ordinaries Index is used as an indicator of overall share market performance and of current trends. It provides a useful performance benchmark;a record 107 of share market cycles;and an indicator of share market reactions to economic events and situations. In a wider context the All Ordinaries Index can be thought of as a reflection of the current and future health and wealth of the economy. spare capacity:When a firm or economy is able to produce more with existing resources. share market:Stock market.

Greenspan:World Economy is More Flexible by Anna Willard WASHINGTON (Reuters)— Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan on Tuesday said the world economy has become more flexible no matter how events unfold in coming weeks,but warned that“structural rigidities,” particularly in Europe and Japan,could hinder a global recovery. “You cannot overcome that,except in the very shortrun,by monetary and fiscal policies,”the Fed chief,whose words of warning ring loudly in corridors of power, told the Council on Foreign Relations. “The only way to address those types of structural problems is to do it directly. ” The U. S. Treasury officials have repeatedly pressed for faster growth in Europe and Japan,while the International Monetary Fund has long urged structural changes in both regions. Greenspan said the U. S. economy is still growing despite the dramatic impact of a loss of $8 trillion in stock market wealth,a slide in capital spending and the Sept. 11 attacks last year. But he cautioned the recent weakening of the world economy has raised concerns that the world economy has not reached the bottom of the current business cycle. Earlier in November,the Fed cut interest rates an unexpectedly large halfpercentage point,taking the trendsetting federal funds rate to a new fourdecade low of 1. 25 percent in what the Fed chief has called affordable insurance for the economic recovery. 108 However,policymakers also shifted their assessment of risks to the economy to one balanced between inflation and further weakness,a signal to the financial markets this was the end of rate cuts for the foreseeable future. Explaining the rate cut and shedding some light on why the Fed did not sound overtly worried about the future,Greenspan told a congressional panel last week the economy was weighed down by worry over possible war with Iraq and falling stock prices but played down risks of a renewed slump. STILL IN BUSINESS On Tuesday,Greenspan disputed the contention the latest rate cut left the central bank dangerously low on ammunition should the economy deteriorate significantly. “We are very far from the Fed being restricted,” Greenspan said. “Theres a general view that as the federal funds rate gets closer and closer to zero,that at zero we are out of business. That is not the case. ” On Tuesday,Greenspan attributed a sharp falloff in the U. S. business spending to the stock market slide and to geopolitical risks, such as the potential for a U. S. attack against Iraq. When these risks dissipate,the longawaited pickup in corporate spending should emerge,he predicted. “Once the risk premiums fall,once we get beyond the residual effects of a very large decline in stock market wealth for example, and once we get beyond — as we shall — the geopolitical risks, shortterm risks will fall,”Greenspan said. It was the very shallowness of the 2001 recession,he said, echoing past remarks,that has made it tough for the economic recovery to gain much traction. Richmond Fed President Alfred Broaddus,who also spoke on Tuesday,appeared less sanguine about future prospects,saying that although housing and improving corporate profits were bright spots, the U. S. economic mood was“quite pessimistic. ” “By all appearances,the economic mood of the country . . . is really quite pessimistic currently,” Broaddus,who is not a voting 109 member of the policymaking Federal Open Market Committee this year,told the Charlotte World Affairs Council. “I would argue that this pessimism is a central factor conditioning the U. S. economy currently. ” Citing several factors weighing on the economy,from the stock markets sharp drop since its early 2000 peak to weak growth overseas,Broaddus said:“There are a variety,clearly,of worrisome downside risks in the U. S. economy . . . (that)need to be monitored closely by policymakers,”he said.

Key Words

Federal Reserve:The central banking system of the U. S. ,comprised of the Federal Reserve Board,the 12 Federal Reserve Banks,and the national and state member banks. Its primary purpose is to regulate the flow of money and credit in the country. The Board of Governors is made up of 7 members that are appointed to 14year terms by the President and approved by the Senate. Almost all the U. S. banks are a part of the Federal Reserve System,which requires that those banks maintain a certain percentage of their assets deposited with the regional Federal Reserve Bank. monetary policies:The federal government attempts to change aggregate demand through money supply changes. fiscal policies:Those federalgovernment expenditure,tax and borrowing decisions that affect the level of national economic activity. International Monetary Fund (IMF):An organization set up in 1944 to lower trade barriers between countries and to stabilize currencies by monitoring the foreign exchange systems of the member countries,and lending money to developing nations. wealth:The value of existing stock of goods;those goods may be tangible or intangible. business cycle:A sequence of economic activity typically characterized by recession,fiscal recovery,growth,and fiscal decline. interest:The annual earning that are sacrificed when wealth is invested in 110 a given asset or business. The interest sacrificed by investing in a given business is often called the cost of capital. interest rate:Interest per year divided by principal amount,expressed as a percentage. federal funds:Federal funds are reserve balances at Federal Reserve Banks that can be transferred between depository institutions within the same business day. federal funds rate:The interest rate that banks charge each other for the use of Federal funds. It changes daily and is a sensitive indicator of general interest rate trends. The federal funds rate is one of the two interest rates controlled by the Fed. While the Fed cant directly affect this rate,it effectively controls it in the way it buys and sells Treasuries to banks. This is the rate that reaches individual investors,though the changes usually arent felt for a period of time. inflation:A persistent increase in the level of consumer prices or a persistent decline in the purchasing power of money,caused by an increase in available currency and credit beyond the proportion of available goods and services. slump:A sudden falling off or decline,as in activity,prices,or business. profit:The excess of income over all costs,including the interest cost of the wealth invested. The net income of a business is not an accurate measure of its profits.

Economy Shakes Off War -Related Slump by Eric Burroughs NEW YORK(Reuters)— The U. S. economy showed more signs of bouncing back from its Iraq warrelated slump,with retail sales accelerating in June and weekly reports suggesting consumer spending is perking up during the summer, reports showed on Tuesday. Manufacturing in New York state also maintained much of its rebound in July,providing hope that the economys hardesthit sector will return to expansion this month. The good news came as Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan told Congress the central bank would keep official interest 111 rates low for a “considerable” amount of time to ensure economic growth speeds up and prevent a dangerous decline in prices. The Fed cut rates in late June to just 1. 0 percent,the lowest since 1958,in its aggressive bid to stem the slowdown in inflation and get the economy up to full speed. The one ingredient still missing for a fullfledged recovery that would firmly leave the 2001 recession in the dust is stronger capital investment,which in turn would spur hiring. But with the stock market rallying and other improvements in the economy,Greenspan said households and businesses were now “better positioned than they were earlier to boost outlays as their wariness about the economic environment abates. ” Markets focused on Greenspan,whose comments left stocks mixed but drove up yields on longterm Treasuries as the bond market anticipates better growth. RETAIL SALES BRISK Sales at the U. S. retailers posted a healthy gain in June,the government said,lifting hopes for an acceleration in economic growth in the second half of the year from the current sluggish pace. The Commerce Department said retail sales grew 0. 5 percent to $310. 42 billion in June after being flat a month earlier,the strongest gain since March. June sales excluding motor vehicles were up a stronger 0. 7 percent after Mays 0. 1 percent gain. Shoppers snapped up a variety of goods in June,with sales of furniture up 0. 5 percent and purchases of sporting and hobby goods up 3. 0 percent,the most since February 2001. Book sales were also robust, suggesting a Harry Potter induced boom as the latest installment of the young wizards story hit stores. The one weak spot was auto sales,which slid 0. 1 percent as consumers were increasingly uninspired by the heavy discounting and incentives automakers offered. The numbers were close to Wall Street expectations of a 0. 5 percent retail sales gain overall and a rise of 0. 4 percent excluding 112 autos. Separately,two private surveys showed weekly sales beating retailers expectations through midJuly,indicating the pace of sales is picking up. Analysts expect the U. S. consumer spending to be supported by continued low interest rates and a boost to paychecks from tax cuts in the economic stimulus package passed by Congress in May. “It is not a blowout number, but it is encouraging to see relatively broadbased increases,” Dana Johnson,head of research and managing director with Banc One Capital Markets in Chicago, said of the retail sales report. “Some of it is weather related,but there is a better pattern of underlying strength than we were expecting. ” The economy grew at a sluggish 1. 4 percent in the first quarter of the year and analysts expect only a slight pickup when second quarter growth figures are released later this month. The Bush administration later this month will start mailing about 25. 4 million checks worth about $13 billion to middleclass families with children as part of an expanded child income tax credit in that package.

Key Words bounce:a quick, moderate rise in the price of a stock following a precipitous decline retail:selling directly to consumers rebound:a rally following a decrease in price recession:a period of general economic decline;specifically,a decline in GDP for two or more consecutive quarters capital investment:the money paid to purchase a capital asset or a fixed asset stock:An instrument that signifies an ownership position(called equity) in a corporation,and represents a claim on its proportional share in the corporations assets and profits. outlays:expenditure Treasuries:Negotiable U. S. Government debt obligations,backed by its 113 full faith and credit. Exempt from state and local taxes. Treasuries are issued by the U. S. government in order to pay for government projects. The money paid out for a Treasury bond is essentially a loan to the government. bond:A debt instrument issued for a period of more than one year with the purpose of raising capital by borrowing;the market for all types of bonds,whether on an exchange or overthecounter. economic growth:A positive change in the level of production of goods and services by a country over a certain period of time. Economic growth is usually brought about by technological innovation and positive external forces. flat:A price which is neither rising or falling; here is also called sideways. discount:Anything selling below its normal price. pickup:The value gained in a bond swap for which the bond purchased has a higher yield than the bond sold. News Reports Reading

Oil Prices Slide at End of a Wild Day by James F. Peltz,Times Staff Writer Oil prices rallied and then plunged Wednesday as Hurricane Ivan shut down oil operations in the Gulf of Mexico and OPEC ministers boosted the cartels production target. Prices jumped in early trading after ministers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries,meeting in Vienna,raised the official daily output target by 1 million barrels to 27 million,starting Nov. 1. Since OPEC already is pumping 27. 5 million barrels daily to meet soaring demand,analysts dismissed the move as a symbolic gesture. Then,the U. S. Energy Department reported that the nations inventory of crude oil fell in the latest week, which analysts attributed in part to Ivans disruption of imports and refining. Traders 114 at first responded to that news by lifting prices above $45 a barrel. But prices suddenly turned lower as some traders took profits and others waited to see the hurricanes effect on the Louisiana coast,a key U. S. entry point for crudeoil imports. In the end,light crude oil for October delivery settled at $43. 58 a barrel,down 81 cents,on the New York Mercantile Exchange. “Todays market was absolutely baffling,” said John Kingston, global oil director for Platts, an energy information division of McGrawHill Cos. Prices rose on the OPEC news,which normally might be bearish,and fell despite the hurricane and inventories, trends that normally would be bullish,he said. The boost in OPECs production target — coming only a month after oil sold for a record $48. 70 a barrel on the Nymex — mainly was seen as the cartels way of reaffirming that it wanted stable oil markets. To be sure,OPEC has enjoyed a huge windfall from this years price gains. But the 11nation group,which pumps about onethird of the worlds oil,also is concerned that high prices could weaken economies in the U. S. and elsewhere,jeopardizing future demand for its oil. “Its a gesture of goodwill to the consumers that we want lower prices,”Algerian Energy Minister Chakib Khelil said. OPEC refrained from raising its production even more because the group is pumping nearly flatout and,with the exception of Saudi Arabia,doesnt have much spare capacity. As a result, OPECs decision is unlikely to push the U. S. gasoline pump prices lower and thus shouldnt affect motorists,analysts said. “Its entirely symbolic and translates into nothing by way of actually impacting the physical fundamentals of the oil market,”said analyst Seth Kleinman of consulting firm PFC Energy. Prices have soared this year because world supplies remain tight at the same time demand is rising steadily,especially in the U. S. and Asia. Some analysts and OPEC itself also attribute as much as $15 of oils perbarrel price to fears that terrorism or political unrest could disrupt oil supplies somewhere in the world. 115 Now,the weather is playing a role. Hurricane Ivan probably was a key reason the U. S. crude oil inventories fell 7. 1 million barrels, or 2. 5% ,to 278. 6 million barrels in the week ended Friday,analyst L. Bruce Lanni of investment firm A. G. Edwards & Sons said in a note to clients. The trade publication Oil Price Information Service said the market already“has seen a loss of about 51% of offshore output in the Gulf of Mexico and the likely delay of tankers into Gulf Coast ports. ”California doesnt rely on Gulf Coast imports for its gasoline needs.

Postreading Exercise

Match each word with its definition: cartel a. to expose to danger or risk inventory b. confusing baffling c. something produced,the amount produced by jeopardize d. the quantity of goods or materials on hand output e. a combination of independent commercial or industrial enterprises designed to limit competition or fix prices

Forging Ahead by Rhys Haynes THE Federal Governments recent preelection spending spree has filtered through to the business sector with conditions improving in the third quarter,according to a new survey. However,an increasing number of businesses expect interest rates to rise. The NABs August Business Survey yesterday reported that the reacceleration of economic growth — evident in the survey over recent months — has continued in August. NAB chief economist Alan Oster said the measure of business conditions,which rose one point 116 to 16 on the index,was consistent with domestic demand growing at about 6 per cent a year. “While there are the usual elements of monthly volatility in some series,most key indicators continued to strengthen in trend terms,” he said. Stronger labour market conditions were experienced in August, as well as levels of capital spending and capacity utilisation approaching the record levels of late 2003,the survey showed. “The strength of the current business indicators,together with the still robust levels of near and medium term expectations and reduced stocks,point to a favourable economic outlook,”Mr Oster said. UBS senior economist Adam Donaldson said the data supported the view that the pace of growth had stepped up a gear in the past couple of months. “The Governments fiscal easing is filtering through the economy and offsetting a very modest slowing in housing activity,”he said. In May the Government pledged to increase payments to nearly two million Australian families via the family tax package,and before the end of June paid a oneoff $600 a child bonus. And mothers of newborns then began receiving a federal $3,000 lump sum maternity payment. Furthermore,on top of income tax cuts and low interest rates, consumer sentiment in July hit 10year highs. However, the NAB survey yesterday also showed that expectations for higher interest rates had firmed,with 77 per cent of respondents in August now expecting rates to rise,compared with 60 per cent in May. The average expectation is for another half percentage point increase in official rates,which would take the cash rate to 5. 75 per cent. “On interest rate expectations,it is perhaps not surprising, given the strength of business conditions, that a majority of respondents expect the next move in shortterm interest rates to be up,”Mr Oster said. 117 He said NAB still expected the RBA to raise the official cash rate by 25 basis points by Christmas. The survey also reported that expectations for house prices in the next year had weakened,at the margin,with the Australian average expected movement in prices falling by 1. 6 per cent. In contrast to previous surveys,house prices in all capital cities were now expected to fall,Mr Oster said.

Postreading Exercise

Match each word with its definition volatility a. to serve as a counterbalance for offset b. characteristics by or subject to rapid or unexpected change oneoff c. pay in one time as a whole lump sum d. an index prepared to measure consumer confidence,which gives a snapshot of whether or not consumers feel like spending money. Consumer e. limited to a single time,occasion,or Sentiment instance

118 Chapter 12 Sports English News Writing and Reading

Introduction

People never lose their appetite for sports. So the most heavily read section of the newspaper after local news is sports news. We read games stories in sports section,and we also see profiles of athletes and players. By reading sports news,we savor the important plays again,and we share our emotions again with other fans. Today,the sports news becomes most regional reports, because each country has its most welcomed sport. Newspapers always focus on the most welcomed sports to report. The language in sports news is the most flexible,and the way it is represented 119 varies widely. Maybe you cannot understand all the sports news,but at least,you must understand reports on your favorite sport.

Words Lists

● Names of sports ● Important sports games ● Sports terms

Learning Through Reading

Background Reading:

Football

Arsenal Beats Manchester United LONDON(AP)— Manchester United lost again in the Premier League,beaten 31 by Arsenal in the rain Sunday on two goals by Thierry Henry in the last 10 minutes. Liverpool stayed in first place in England with a 10 home victory over Sunderland. Manchester United has won the league title seven of the last nine seasons. But it has lost four times in 13 leagues games — its most defeats at this stage of the season. Paul Scholes gave United a 10 lead in the 14th minute. Freddie Ljungberg tied it with a lob over goalkeeper Fabien Barthez. Then Henry struck twice,giving him a leagueleading 12 goals. With injuries to its top two goalies,Arsenal used 6foot5 Stuart Taylor. Liverpool leads the league with 26 points to 24 for Leeds. Arsenal and Newcastle have 23,Aston Villa has 22 and Manchester United 21. In other Premier League games Sunday,Leeds tied Aston Villa 120 11 and Middlesbrough tied Ipswich 00. In Scotland,Celtic increased its lead to 10 points with a 21 victory over the Rangers,Celtics fifth straight win in the crosstown rivalry.

Key Words

the Premier League: The Premier League represents the pinnacle of English club football. 20 finest teams in the country take part in it. goal:getting scores lob:a higharcing kick goalkeeper :The player positioned directly in front of the goal who tries to prevent shots from getting into the net behind him;the only player allowed to use his hands and arms,though only within the penalty area. goalie:see goalkeeper

World Cup Finals Start to Take Shape by Mike Collett LONDON(Reuters)— With Uruguay becoming the 32nd and final team in next years World Cup by qualifying Sunday,the first World Cup of the 21st century is ready to take shape. The draw for the finals will take place in Pusan,South Korea, next Saturday at a glittering 90minute ceremony which will be broadcast live to more than a billion people globally. The only certainties are that reigning world champions France will play the opening match in Seoul,the South Korean capital,on May 31 and that the final will take place on June 30 in Yokohama, Japan. France and Argentina are strongly fancied to do well — but nothing is ever that straightforward in soccer so there could be plenty of surprises and upsets throughout the competition. Brazil,world champions four times,struggled to reach the finals this time to preserve their record as the only country to take part in every World Cup. By next May,unless their fortunes have improved considerably, Brazil will not be ranked anywhere among the favorites. 121 The first Asian World Cup and the first to be jointly hosted by two nations will be played in 20 magnificent stateofthe art stadiums,10 in each country. Rainy Season But while the stadiums are mainly works of staggering design and engineering fluidity, something far more elemental could throw months of preparations by the qualifiers into the hands of the gods. The World Cup is being played in the rainy season,with deluges that can last for hours. Every player,even worldclass stars such as Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and David Beckham, is prone to make mistakes on slippery,waterlogged pitches and the climate could have a big influence on the outcome of some games. France,of course,have learned and benefited from this first hand, winning this years Confederations Cup, the World Cup rehearsal tournament,despite torrential rain during the final against Japan. France won the World Cup in some style four years ago and despite some mixed results this year,look set to lead the challenge of the 15 European teams taking part. Germany have often been Europes main hopes in the past but, like Brazil,they have had a tough qualifying campaign and reached the finals only after a play-off win over Ukraine. Spain,Italy,England and Portugal all appear to have moved ahead of the Germans and with neither the South Americans nor the Europeans benefiting from“home”advantage,that quartet would all be hoping to do well. Realistic Ambitions While South Korea and Japan have worked tremendously hard to have their stadiums and infrastructure ready on time,their national teams go into the finals with different ambitions. Japan have overtaken South Korea as Asias top side and under French coach Philippe Troussier they have improved significantly 122 over the last two years. South Korea,on the other hand,under the pragmatic guidance of Dutch coach Guus Hiddink,are terrified of becoming the first host nation to fail to reach the second round of the competition. Although enthusiastic crowds will urge them on,South Korea will do well to win their firstever match in the finals after 16 attempts in the past,while Japan could make the second round before honorably bowing out. While Argentina will lead South Americas charge, African nations will also be looking to impress. As in 1998, five will compete — Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon, Tunisia and debutantes Senegal this time — but all five are likely to be ranked among the lowest seeds and struggle to advance from the first round. Still Nigeria and Cameroon have proved the growing power of African soccer and none of them will be underestimated. While Senegal,Slovenia and Ecuador will all be making their first appearances in the finals,the arrival of the fourth debutantes, China,will add something special to the finals. The worlds most populous nation has been trying to qualify for the World Cup for more than four decades and waves of relief and excitement spread through China when the team finally got there last month. More than 50,000 Chinese fans are hoping to make the short trip to South Korea or Japan,and their participation sees the return of a seasoned World Cup favorite — their coach Bora Milutinovic. He will become the first man to have taken five different countries to the finals following Mexico (1986),Costa Rica (1990),United States (1994)and Nigeria(1998). All of his teams reached at least the second round,which would be a considerable achievement for the Chinese too.

Key Words

World Cup:The international soccer competition held by FIFA every 4 years between the top professional teams in the world,pitting nation against nation;the most watched event in the world, attracting a 123 television audience of over 3 billion viewers. FIFA:Federation Internationale de Football Association — the official governing body of international soccer since 1904,which established the World Cup tournament. play-off:A tournament that takes place after a seasons schedule has been completed;used to determine a champion. round:A stage of a tournament at which teams compete;the World Cup tournament has 5 main rounds.

So,farewell then,World Cup 2002 by Chris Borg So thats it. Its a strange feeling to be without the World Cup after weeks of action and the usual staggering amounts of hype — but now its all over,the tournament can be looked back on with a great deal of enjoyment. It would be hard to construct a convincing argument for this having been one of the highestquality World Cups ever — well,it definitely wasnt that — but what it did have was surprise and plenty of interest. One of the greatest plus points to emerge from all those early mornings was the performance of both cohost nations, who proved themselves to have made an enormous amount of progress in a staggeringly short space of time. Philippe Troussiers Japan played some good stuff in the group stages, turning Arsenal castoff Junichi Early surprise: Senegal defeat Inamoto into a megastar along the France in the opener(Reuters) way,before eventually bowing out with an uncharacteristically hesitant performance against Turkey. 124 They had,however,done more than enough to satisfy their expectant supporters by moving forward thanks to wins over disappointing Russia and Tunisia and a draw against Belgium. To describe South Koreas fans as satisfied by their teams World Cup would be the understatement of the summer:the Red Devils, backed in noisy, carnival fashion throughout the tournament, provided plenty of its highlights. Impressive in achieving their firstever World Cup finals win against an impossibly drab and jadedlooking Poland,they went from strength to strength under the astute leadership of understated Dutchman Guus Hiddink. A crunch game against Portugal?No problem:Park JiSungs swift turn and fierce low shot saw to that,sending his side through to the next stage and eliminating the Portuguese. They were denied the chance to go through with them by the inside of a post in one of the dramatic finales that littered the tournament. Late drama was there in abundance against Italy— a lastgasp equaliser followed by Ahn JungHwans golden goal — and Spain, who succumbed on penalties after a tense goalless draw. Those two losing nations reacted with fury to some very questionable officiating in both games, but to spotlight those moments at the expense of the Koreans hightempo,slick passing performances would be unjust. Put simply,Hiddinks side announced themselves as a new and vibrant force and deserved the successes they achieved. In many ways,unexpected success was the hallmark of World Cup 2002. Bruce Arena and his United States side confounded the pundits and were deeply unlucky to lose to Germany in the quarter finals,while Senegal produced some wonderful attacking football before their run was ended by Turkey in the last eight. Theres another one,you see:the Turks,in reaching the last four,left nobody in any doubt of their emergence as a strong, difficulttobeat side. With main man Hakan Sukur having a nightmare for the bulk of the time,coach Senol Gunes team showed how much more there is to their game these days. 125 The other side of the coin was demonstrated by France:its still amazing to think of just how dire their defence of the World Cup was. Yes,the loss of Zinedine Zidane was obviously a severe blow, and yes,they were tactically inflexible in the extreme. But even allowing for those factors, the fact that a team containing so much world class skill managed to show so little of it was stunning. Italy took conspiracy theories to excitingly paranoid heights following their exit against South Korea: again, though, a pre tournament favorite had offered little to excite and inspire. Who knows,they might not even have had to complain,had they not elected to try and defend a 10 lead with around 70 minutes of that game remaining,and only Giovanni Trapattoni can adequately explain why a side blessed with abundant attacking options didnt often bother to utilise them. Spain could consider themselves fortunate to have got as far as their meeting with South Korea:Mick McCarthys Republic of Ireland had much the better of the teams last 16 clash despite having to wait until the last minute to level through Robbie Keanes icecool penalty. The Irish played some excellent football after being the focus of so much pretournament attention thanks to Roy Keanes stropping. For my money,they were more convincing than an England side still struggling to live up to the expectations that have mushroomed since winning 51 against you know who,you know where. Sven Goran Erikssons team had their moments — notably against Denmark in the last 16 — but the quarterfinal exit against Brazil was a major disappointment,tentative and seemingly short on selfbelief against opponents who had controversially been reduced to ten men. However,of course,there had been the excitement of winning 10 against Argentina prior to that thanks to David Beckhams ghost busting penalty. The Argentines,never convincing,crashed out early 126 to join Italy and France in the underperformance stakes. High expectation in England provided the polar opposite to the mood in Germany, where few backed Rudi Voellers side to do anything of note after their often tortuous qualifying campaign. But Voeller and his team simply got on with the task admirably — they may not have had the toughest draw in World Cup history, but proved the truth of the cliche about only being able to beat the teams that are put in front of you. Germany played well in the final Final glory:Cafu lifts the trophy against Brazil but, lacking the (BenRadford /Reuters) suspended Michael Ballacks guile, couldnt find a way past a side who — like them — had struggled in qualifying but then gone on to improve game by game. Ronaldos wonderful tournament and twogoal salvo in the final provided a fittingly good story to end a World Cup that was full of them. His metamorphosis from broken,injuryravaged and despairing to confident and,at times,unstoppable,has been an absolute joy to behold. Honourable mentions for a few others:Uruguay produced an insane 33 draw against Senegal and a tensionladen 00 against France,Belgium gave Brazil a run for their money in the last 16 and Costa Rica made and missed a ludicrous number of chances in losing 52 to the champions. A dishonourable mention,sadly,must go to Rivaldo for his shameless playacting against Turkey: precisely the sort of “simulation”FIFA had been so adamant about cracking down on. They never really managed to do so. Overall,though,its been fun. 127 Key Words

shot:A ball kicked or headed by a player at the opponents net in an attempt to score a goal. penalty:Short for penalty kick;also,a punishment given by the referee for a violation of the rules. referee: The chief official; he makes all final decisions, acts as timekeeper,calls all fouls and starts and stops play. draw:A game that ends with a tied score.

Tennis Wimbledon:Philippoussis shines after ending long drought:Last years finalist confident of going all the way after breaking hoodoo by Eleanor Preston Last years Wimbledon finalist Mark Philippoussis is almost as defensive as his Davis Cup teammate Lleyton Hewitt about the Australian media,blaming his horrendous slump this season on the attention that his relationship with the TV and singing star Delta Goodrem,who watched from courtside yesterday,received back home. Whatever the reason,it has been the worst trough of his career. But if his 63,64,62 win over Belgiums Christophe Rochus begins a resurgence it could spell bad news for Tim Henman, who is scheduled to meet Philippoussis in the fourth round and who was beaten at that stage by him in 2000,the Britons worst Wimbledon result in nine years. After securing his first victory in five months yesterday, a relieved Philippoussis said the difference was he was “ there mentally,its as simple as that. Im focused and Im ready to go. If youre going to switch off at this tournament then theres no use playing. I might as well put the rackets in the closet. ” Instead the 27yearold,whose hopes of a first Grand Slam were 128 ended by Roger Federer in a onesided final at the All England Club last year,believes he can achieve victory this time round. The 11th seed said:“Obviously it hasnt been an ideal start to the year,but Im not the type of guy to dwell on that and worry about that too much. I can definitely win it without a doubt. I have what it takes to win. I know I can win it — simple as that. ” Philippoussiss preparations suffered a major setback when he lost to the British unknown Ian Flanagan at the Stella Artois Championship at Queens a couple of weeks ago. Since then he has been working hard on his fitness for this summers championships. But significantly,the man whose booming serves have earned him the nickname “Scud” believes his mind is also starting to get in shape. “Theres no other tournament,I must say,that definitely gives me those butterflies in my stomach before the match. ” “Im not really wanting too much to eat before the match. Im a little nervous,but I think its good nerves. Its definitely a positive sign for me,”said the world No. 17. Although Philippoussis encountered little resistance against his diminutive opponent,he mixed 11 double faults with 22 aces. He may pay the price for giving away such cheap points against better opponents than the world No. 122. Rochus scampered around bravely for about 90 minutes but failed to break serve. Philippoussis insists there are few players that can live with his serve if his mind and body are working in tandem. “Thats definitely the key. But the most important thing is just not losing my concentration and just staying focused because when I lose concentration thats when you can get broken and miss some easy volleys and be a break down. It can happen real easy. “Im just looking at a match at a time. Today,I was focusing on todays match,thinking about simple grasscourt tennis — serve and volleying. ” Although last years French Open finalist Martin Verkerk awaits him in the next round,Philippoussis is confident of success. 129 “Hes a big server,not a natural serve and volleyer — not a natural volleyer. But a big serve on grass is always going to be dangerous. ” Andy Roddick looked in ominous form during the first set of his firstround clash against YeuTzuoo Wang until rain ended the days play. Roddick,No. 4 in the world,broke Wang in the fourth game with impressive work from the back of the court and scored the winning point with a blistering backhand. Wang,from Taiwan,China retained his next service game and had even pegged Roddick back to deuce when the American next had a chance to serve,only for showers to halt play on Centre Court. Roddick is seeded to meet Tim Henman in the semifinal.

Key Words

Davis Cup:Davis Cup is the tennis equivalent of footballs World Cup. It is team knockout tournament played over the course of a year. It gives tennis players a rare opportunity to play in their nations colours,rather than as individuals. Only 10 countries have lifted Davis Cup in over a century. round:A tournament in which each contestant is matched in turn against every other contestant. Grand Slam:A term in tennis used to denote winning all four of the following championship titles in the same year:Australia Open;French Open,Wimbledon and the U. S. Open. The Australia Open is held annually in midJanuary as the first of the worlds four Grand Slam, based at the grass courts in Melbourne. It is the only Grand Slam tournament that can feature indoor play. The French Open,officially the Roland Garros Tournament,is a tennis event held from the middle of May to the beginning of June in Paris France and is the second of the worlds Grand Slam tournaments. The game was played in a red clay surface,which alters the balls bounce and the players approach to the match visvis grass courts. So,over the years,clay court specialists 130 have evolved who often succeed here whilst higher ranked players may struggle. Wimbledon is the oldest and most prestigious event in the sport of tennis. Wimbledon,held in June / July,is the third Grand Slam tournament played each year. The tournament(which is the only one of the Grand Slams to be played on grass courts) lasts for two weeks, subject to extensions for rain. The U. S. Open is the fourth and final event of the Grand Slam. It is held annually in August / September. The surfaces of all its courts are hard,so the U. S. Open always provides tennis at a very high speed. double fault: When the server commits two consecutive faults in attempting to serve the ball and looses the point. ace:Describes a legal serve that goes into play in such a way that the returner cannot even make contact with the ball. server :The player who is currently serving. serve and volleying:A strategy in which a player serves and immediately comes to the net in hopes of putting away the next shot. backhand:Groundstroke hit on the left side for a right handed player and on the right side for a left handed player. deuce:A game score when both players have at least 40 points and they are tied.

Basketball NBA Playoffs:Houston vs. Lakers The Bricks Just Keep on Coming Shaquille ONeal has missed — hide your eyes,Ed Palubinskas — 37 of his last 52 free-throw attempts,and Saturday night attempted to right his marksmanship by shooting from about a foot behind the line. He was about a foot long on those tries,and at this rate,by Friday hell be hoisting them from the threepoint arc. On the bright side,it would be easier to get back on defense. Palubinskas is the quirky Aussie who smoothed out ONeals stroke three years ago. ONeal cut him loose,however,and pretty much has been on his own since,to varying degrees of success. After making a careerbest 62. 2% last season,his 49% this season 131 was near a career low. Asked Sunday if hed thought about giving Palubinskas a call, ONeal shook his head and said,sort of playfully,“I dont need him,just like I dont need you guys and your dumb questions. ” Laker Coach Phil Jackson has learned to live with ONeals one great flaw,if somewhat uneasily. The one sure way to tick off ONeal is to raise the subject of his free throws,so the Lakers avert their eyes and hope the shots fall,one way or another. “We know the game could be a lot easier with Shaq making foul shots,thats for sure,”Jackson said. “But Ive always felt the more you focus on it,the more it becomes an issue,the more difficult it is for him. So I try to let him sort that out. Hes been able to find his way through those things in the course of the years. Weve taken a loss here and there,perhaps,because of it,but overall weve won games in which hes been able to find his way through it. ” No one seemed to know why ONeal went to the 16foot free throw,though a lot of his recent misses have hit off the back of the rim. The adjustment,Jackson said,was entirely ONeals. “Um,Im going to say that it had to be his,” Jackson said. “Shaq isnt very movable on advice. . . Hes the one who gives himself advice. So well leave it to him. ” Thats the way hed like it. “Im probably concentrating too hard to shut you guys up,” ONeal said. “I know I can do it. So Ill just continue to shoot em. They look good,have arc,but theyre hitting the same spot. So Ill just continue to work at em. ” Los Angeles Times,April 19,2004 Monday

Key Words

NBA: The National Basketball Association of the United States and Canada,commonly known as the NBA,is the premier professional basketball league in North America. Many of the worlds best players play in the NBA, and the overall standard of the competition is 132 considerably higher than any other professional competition. brick:In basket,a player“bricks”the shot means he shoots it too hard and bounces it off the rim or backboard wildly,missing the basket. free-throw:a shot attempt if the other team is in the penalty. foul shot:A basket shot from the freethrow line,rewarded to a player if he was fouled on a shot attempt or if the other team is in the penalty. Each foul shot that goes in is worth 1 point. One or two foul shots are rewarded for each foul unless the player was fouled on a 3 point attempt.

Track and Field Chinas Liu Xiang Hopes for Good Showing in Olympic 110-Meter Hurdles by Parke Brewer, Chinas Liu Xiang is a rising star in the mens 110meter hurdles. At the Olympics,he will face his idol,American Allen Johnson,the fourtime world champion and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. Liu Xiang burst on the track scene in 2002 when he set an Asian and world junior record in the 110meter hurdles with a time of 13. 12 seconds. Last year,Chinese sports journalists voted him Male Athlete of the Year. Many consider him Chinas second most popular athlete after basketball star Yao Ming,who plays for the NBAs Houston Rockets. This is the first Olympics for Liu and he said he hopes he has a good showing. “Obviously its a big[Olympic]Games and a big opportunity for me,”he said. “And I will do as I did in training and make sure every run goes well. ” Liu Xiang was the bronze medalist in the 110meter hurdles at last years World Athletics Championships in Paris. At this years World Indoor Championships in Budapest, Liu was second to American star Allen Johnson in the 60meter hurdles. Johnson has won the world 110meter title four times,and has clocked the best time in the world this year (13. 05). He won the 1996 Olympic gold medal in Atlanta. But he was 4th in the 2000 133 Sydney Games after battling a sore leg muscle that year. It is well known that the 33yearold Johnson is the 21yearold Lius idol. Liu,from Shanghai,was asked by reporters in Athens if he thought he could beat Allen Johnson. “Actually to compete with him is my dream,”he said. “And to beat him is my dream too. I will try my best in the Games to compete well. ” The one meter78 Allen Johnson says he has nothing but respect for his taller opponent Liu Xiang,who stands one meter89. “Its going to be tough. I think this year hes shown hes the person to beat,”he said. “Hes the only[110m]hurdler who hasnt lost a race[outdoors in 110m hurdles]this year,so its going to be good. I think its going to be exciting. ” Lius coach,Sun Haiping,has been playing down his hurdlers Olympic medal chances. He says reaching the top six would be a breakthrough for Chinese athletics. Liu is aiming to be the first Chinese male track-and-field athlete to win an Olympic medal since Zhu Jianhua won a bronze in the high jump 20 years ago. Liu said he is aware of Chinas athletics history. “I know Zhu Jianhua and really respect him since Zhu Jianhua was an earlier generation of athletes,”he said. “We live in the same city. We see each other a lot. We are good friends,and Zhu Jianhua has been giving me suggestions. ” Liu Xiang is hoping those suggestions will help him win an Olympic medal in the mens 110meter hurdles.

Key Words

tr ack and field n. ;track-and-field a. :A group of running,hurdling, jumping,and throwing events held between individuals or teams at indoor and outdoor meets. The running and hurdling competitions make up the track events,while the jumping and throwing contests comprise the field events. In many countries the sport as a whole is called 134 athletics. Running races are the most prominent trackandfield events; they range in length from the indoor 50meter dash to the outdoor marathon,which is 42 km,195 m(26 mi,385 yd)long. Trackandfield events are easy to stage,which is one reason for the sports worldwide popularity. The International Amateur Athletic Federation(IAAF) governs the sport internationally and boasts more than 200 member nations. The metric system is used to measure track and fields many distances and heights. (The use by the United States and Britain of the English system of inches,feet,yards,and miles ended only in 1976. ) World Athletics Championships:The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athlectics Federations(IAAF),the international governing body for the sport of athletics(Known in the U. S. as “track and field”). It is the largest event in the world after the Olympic games and the Football World Cup finals. Originally,it was organized every four years,but this changed in 1993,and it has since been organized biannually. Olympic Games The NBA player Yao Ming has vowed to stop shaving for the next six months if his China side fail to reach the quarterfinals of the basketball event. The 7ft 5in Houston Rockets centre said:“We have to qualify for the next round,for the quarterfinals. If we dont,I wont shave for six months as punishment. ”A punishment of a different kind has been meted out to Allan Iverson,a member of the U. S. “Dream Team” and the Philadelphia 76ers who has racked up parking fines of $1,700 (£ 930) at home. Iverson, however,is still looking forward to the competition,although his choice of metaphor is unfortunate. “You do have to play together to get out of these wars. And that is what it is going to be every night here:its going to be a war. Its going to be everybody against the U.S. ,we already know it. ”

Key Words

qualify:to fit by winning for a special purpose 135 Irans double world judo champion Arash Miresmaeili is out of the Olympics after being drawn against an Israeli,Ehud Vaks,in the first round of the mens under66kg category. Since the Islamic revolution in 1979 Iran has refused to recognise the state of Israels right to exist. The secretary to the Asian Judo Union president, Hirofumi Otsuji, confirmed Miresmaeili would be withdrawn from the competition. Under International Judo Federation regulations he could also be sent home. Miresmaeili had been in line to carry Irans flag during yesterdays opening ceremony.

Key Words

category:A division of classification according to athletes weights in certain sports. withdraw:To be recalled or give up the competition.

The Irish distance runner Cathal Lombard,who had admitted taking the performanceenhancing drug EPO,has been banned for two years by the Irish antidoping disciplinary panel. The 28year old was sanctioned for breaking antidoping rules after testing positive for the banned substance in an outofcompetition test. Lombard,a lawyer,refused to comment on the decision.

Key Words

dr ug:illegal substance that causes marked change in physics sanction:The penalty for breaking rules in sports,normally forbidden to take sports in certain period of times. positive:testing results marked as taking certain illegal drugs

Phelps adds 2 golds to Olympics haul ATHENS — Pressure? Disappointment? by Mark Maloney;Knight Ridder Newspapers ATHENS — Pressure?Disappointment?Michael Phelps showed 136 no signs of either Tuesday,swimming to two gold medals in the span of an hour at the Athens Olympic Games. Phelps came to Greece aiming for eight gold medals,breaking the record set by Mark Spitz in 1972. After winning Saturdays 400meter individual medley,golden visions turned to bronze in the 200 freestyle and the 400 freestyle relay. Phelps came back strong Tuesday,capturing the 200 butterfly before leading off the winning 800 freestyle relay. Team USAs female gymnasts just missed gold,outscored by Romania 114. 283113. 584. Catlaina Ponor,Nicoleta Daniela Sofronie,Oana Ban,Monica Rosu and Alexandra Georgiana Eremia gave Romania its second straight team gold. Romania placed first on three of four rotations. Ponor led the way with 9. 762 on the beam and 9. 750 on floor. Rosu had the best vault,9. 625. Carly Patterson,Mohini Bhardwaj,Terin Humphrey,Courtney Kupets and Annia Hatch made up the U. S. team that finished ahead of Russia. Kupets had the top score on uneven bars,the one rotation the Americans won. They placed second on vault,third on both beam and floor. Patterson scored 37. 866,thirdbest allaround score,behind only Ukraines Alina Kozich(38. 074)and Russias Svetlana Khorkina (38. 062). Team USA garnered its first fencing medals since 1984,its first gold in a century,and the first ever by a woman. Mariel Zagunis of Beaverton,Ore. ,thrust her way to a gold in saber,a firsttime womens event at the Olympics. She whipped Chinas Tan Xue 159. Sada Jacobson of Dunwoody,Ga. ,added the bronze medal. “I am ecstatic!”Zagunis said. “A gold medal was my goal ever since I began to fence. All of what you have seen has resulted from hours of hard work. ” Sixthseeded Soren Thompson was ousted in mens epee 137 quarterfinals. Switzerlands Marcel Fisher went on to win the gold. The U. S. mens basketball team,coming off a 9273 loss to Puerto Rico,nearly slipped on Greece. Allen Iverson,playing with a nondisplaced fractured right thumb,scored 17 points as Team USA survived 7771. Tim Duncan chipped in with 14 points and nine rebounds. But the highlight came in the swim relay. The Americans,timed in 7: 07. 33,edged defending champion Australia by 13 hundredths of a second. Italy held off Great Britain for the bronze. Phelps opened,building a onesecond lead over the Aussies Grant Hackett. Ryan Lochte added another tenth of a second,outswimming Michael Klim. Peter Vanderkaay continued to widen the gap against Nicholas Sprenger. Klete Keller inherited a lead of 1. 48 seconds. But he was facing Ian Thorpe,the goldmedalist at 200 meters. Thorpe pulled nearly even halfway through the anchor leg. But Keller wouldnt buckle. “These guys,we did it all together,”said Keller,whose team leading split of 1: 45. 53 was just enough to hold off Thorpes 1: 44. 18. “It wasnt just one person. ” Phelps opened his night with an Olympic record of 1: 54. 04 in the 200 butterfly. He broke the standard set in 2000 by teammate Tom Malchow,who placed eighth Tuesday. After Phelps came Japans Takashi Yamamoto in 1: 54. 56,then Stephen Parry of Great Britain. With three golds and two bronzes in hand,Phelps has three more events. “I am feeding off these guys,”he said. “We are feeding off of each other. ” In other finals,Romanias Camelia Potec captured the womens 200 freestyle in 1 : 58. 03. Italys Federica Pellegrini and Frances 138 Solenne Figues followed. Dana Vollmer of the U. S. landed in sixth. Ukraines Yana Klochkova earned repeat gold in the 200 individual medley,in 2 : 11. 14. Amanda Beard of the U. S. netted silver,ahead of Kristy Coventry, an Auburn University student representing Zimbabwe. Katie Hoff of the U. S. placed seventh. South Africas Roland Schoeman was fastest in mens 100 freestyle semifinals,in 48. 39. Ian Crocker and Jason Lezak didnt make it out of preliminaries, leaving the U. S. without a finalist in that event for the first time in a nonboycott Olympics. Kaitlin Sandino was quickest in the 200 butterfly semifinals, 2: 08. 77. Americans Brendon Hanson and Scott Usher advanced to the mens 200 breaststroke finals. Meanwhile, the International Court of Arbitration for Sport denied sprinter Torri Edwards appeal to compete. She tested positive for a stimulant last April. Her spots on Team USA will go to Gail Devers in the 100 and LaShaunta Moore in the 200. Key Words

relay:A race between teams in which each team member successively covers a specified portion of the course. Medley relay:A relay race in swimming in which each member of a team uses a different stroke. rebound:When a player grabs a ball that is coming off the rim or backboard after a shot attempt. highlight:Of major significance or special interest.

NEWS REPORTS READING

Olympic games:Going for gold A succession of fiery stars will soar in Athens, before a watching world,over the next two weeks after todays opening ceremony when the 2004 games are launched by gods and centaurs in the refurbished Olympic Stadium. The poet Pindar,writing in 476 BC when the Olympics were already three centuries old,compared 139 one of the victorious athletes to “a star shining brighter than the sun. ”In spite of all that is wrong or claimed to be wrong with the modern games,the triumphs of the competing athletes can still attract our admiration — and sympathy,too,for those stars that fall — on a greater scale than any other international sporting event. The Greek organizers,in spite of their insistence that“Greece is good for the games,” must still hope that someone on Mount Olympus is keeping a friendly eye out on their behalf. Even without the added factor of terrorism,the Olympics have grown to an almost unmanageable size,and the usual talk about downsizing is beginning to take a more serious tone. There are more than twice as many competitors as in the 80s,and the number continues to rise — 11,150 expected in Athens as against 10,600 in Sydney — and they are swamped by more than 200,000 officials,volunteers and media. No modern city can easily provide the infrastructure to accommodate such a horde without the risk of grinding to a halt. It has been a close call this time,and there may still be hitches,but the stadiums are ready,the roads have been built and the expanded subway system is running. There has been more than a whiff of racial stereotyping of the“time stands still in Greece”variety in the reporting of construction delays — as if we could be sure that London will get it right in 2012 (should we be so lucky). Is,for example,a promised car journey time of 21 minutes from Hyde Park Corner to the Olympic site in Stratford,without disrupting other traffic,all that realistic? The time may come when the International Olympics Committee has to rethink the whole procedure by which individual cities bid for the event and then try to cram it within their municipal boundaries. This is not only because a greenfield site,well away from any metropolis and financed nationally ( or even internationally) might make better sense. The IOC also needs desperately to find a way of eliminating the grounds for what its 140 president,Jacques Rogge,this week called “ethical violations” among its members (votebuying,in the plainer language of the Panorama programme that has led to the suspension of the committees Bulgarian member). After the cold war ended,there were high hopes that the Olympic movement would be able to revive its ideals for a new age. For three decades international sport had been the continuation of politics by other means,with boycotts,counterboycotts and an obsessive totting up of“free world”versus“socialist bloc”medals. Indeed the competition since then, although still fiercely nationalistic,has taken a healthier tone. Yet,as Mr. Rogge warned this week, the movement is faced by new dangers as well as corruption and the threat of terrorism. The most obvious one is doping,although the rise in cases may reflect improved methods of detection rather than increased usage. These Olympics will see even more stringent tests against drugs by the World AntiDoping Agency, with a new code adopted by all national Olympic committees. Harder still to tackle is the growth of Olympic commercialism, with the IOC now heavily dependent on income from(mostly the U. S. )television. If it were not for the demands of these networks for August programming,would the Games really be held at the height of a sweltering Athens summer?Downsizing will also reduce this dependence, and we may yet find more beauty in a smaller Olympics.

Postreading Exercise

Comprehension questions: 1. What does the writer think about the preparation of the Olympic Games of Athens? 2. What are difficulties reported about Athens Olympic Games,2004?

Hurdles Are Their Best Event Muslim women in the have overcome obstacles few Western female athletes can imagine. But the race is far from won. 141 by Tracy Wilkinson,Times Staff Writer Robina Muqimyar began her trackandfield training for the 2004 Olympics running on the cracked concrete of the stadium where Afghanistans Taliban regime had executed scores of people, sometimes hanging their bodies on soccer goal posts. It was the first time she had run outdoors. And it was just a year ago. As an Afghan woman,Muqimyar wasnt allowed to emerge from her home under the rule of the Taliban,which was ousted after a U. S. invasion in 2001. Today,she is one of a growing number of Muslim women participating in a wide range of sports at the highest level in the world — an arena long denied them by poverty and religious or cultural oppression. A record number of Muslim women are representing their countries this year in Athens,nearly every one of them overcoming unimaginable hardships. Some endure death threats for exposing their legs to foreign men;others prepare for this day without the mats,shoes or other equipment that would be standard in any U. S. or European elementary school, much less the gymnasiums that produce worldclass competitors. And many of the women struggle to find ways to balance their desire to obey Islams requirements for modesty with the ability to maintain a competitive edge. In contrast to perceptions in the West, many say their societies wholeheartedly encourage their participation in sports. Muqimyar,18,and teammate Friba Razayee,18,are making history here. When Razayee steps onto the judo mat today,she will become the first woman ever to compete on behalf of Afghanistan. Muqimyar follows suit Friday in the 100meter race. “It is an enormous honor to represent Afghani women in the Olympics for the first time,”Razayee said. “I dont care if I dont get any medals. Medals arent important. Just attending the Olympics is a gold medal for me. ” 142 Both women said they were able to reconcile being good Muslims with their activities, even though radical imams at home have condemned them. Muqimyar,for example,competes in long pants, in contrast to the short, tight briefs worn these days by many sprinters. They are also adapting. In a meeting with journalists this week, both women wore short sleeves,and Razayees cropped,redtinted hair and Muqimyars long,dark curls were uncovered,although their requisite ID badges showed them photographed in head scarves. Egypt,an Islamic but secular country,boasts 15 women in its 96member delegation. For the first time,an Egyptian woman has qualified for Olympic rowing. Doaa Moussa Alazab practiced on the Nile — and she rows wearing long pants,long sleeves and a hijab,as the head scarf is known. “I think I can be a model for religious girls in sports, inshallah,” she said, ending with the refrain heard frequently in the Muslim world —“ God willing. ” Activists and other athletes say that although womens participation has grown,the struggle continues. Countries such as Saudi Arabia continue to exclude women from their Olympic delegation,in practice if not in policy. And many may remember the ordeal of Hassiba Boulmerka,an Algerian runner who captured her countrys firstever gold in 1992,in the 1,500meter race,only to be condemned at home for “running with naked legs”before thousands of men. She was forced into exile in Italy. “There are a good number of women participating,”said Annie Sugier,cofounder of the group AtlantaSydneyAthens Committee, which lobbies in behalf of female athletes in the Olympics. “The main problem is the delegations that exclude women,institutional segregation and more subtle kinds of discrimination. ” Sugiers group calculated that about 35 countries had no women in their Olympic delegations in the 1992 games in Barcelona;this year,four or five dont. Many,however,confine the women to certain sports,such as shooting(where several Iranian women have competed in recent years,in full headtotoe chador). About 40% of 143 the estimated 10,500 athletes competing in Athens are women. The International Olympic Committee does not track the religions of athletes,so it is impossible to say exactly how many Muslim women are in this years Games. Journalists have counted about 50, more than in any previous Olympiad. To Sugiers dismay,the IOC has not confronted countries such as Saudi Arabia. Committee spokeswoman Giselle Davis said the IOC encourages women everywhere to get involved in sports. In much of the Islamic world,fundamentalism is on the rise, which could thwart the success of women in athletics. The Koran,the sacred book of Islam,counsels physical fitness for men and women alike. The prophet Muhammad is said to have challenged his wife,Aisha,to a foot race,and lost. (He reportedly won the rematch. ) But in conservative circles,the mixing of the sexes,the skimpy clothing,and the physical contact and exhibitionism of championship sports are frowned upon if not outright prohibited. Alazab,the Egyptian rower,said she had found a compromise. She eschewed“violent”specialties involving physical contact,such as judo and wrestling,yet chose an endeavor that required enormous physical strength. The 22yearold daughter of an Egyptian army general said she doesnt believe her clothing hurts her competitiveness. Alazab said she had come under considerable pressure from Egyptian Olympic officials to shed the hijab. (Egypt is keen to show itself as a secular,modern state. )She refused. “Id rather be out of the Olympics than dress modern,”said the physical education major. A few years ago,Egypt enacted a law requiring sports clubs to include women in order to be eligible for national competition. That and the popularity of championship swimmer Rania Elwany have drawn more Egyptian girls and women into sports,said Khaled Youssef,who trains Alazab and also coaches at Colgate University in 144 New York. Mounir Sabet,president of the Egyptian Olympic Committee and Egypts IOC representative,said he was pleased with the growing participation but said retaining women remained a problem. “When the woman wants to get engaged and married,she drops sports,”Sabet said. “Its something in our genes. They start having babies and forget everything but their home and family. ” Pakistan has for the first time sent a female swimmer to the Olympics:13yearold Rubab Raza. Although the long bodysuit that is the current uniform of most Olympic swimmers gives her some degree of modesty,even that has been controversial. Rubabs trainer would not allow her to interrupt training for an interview before her 50meter freestyle event Saturday. But she and her family have told reporters in her native Punjab that she has faced ridicule and scorn,as well as admiration. Her mother suggested that part of the reason Rubab can swim in public is her age;once she passes puberty,it will be more difficult. Rubab is one of two women in the 43member Pakistani delegation. The other is a runner. For the lone woman in the small Palestinian delegation,poverty more than prejudice threw obstacles in her path to the Games. To train,Sanna Abubkheet,19,has been running on the seashore of the Gaza Strip,near her home in Deir al Balah,sometimes wearing beat up shoes but most often going barefoot. “The sand is good for building muscles,”she said. “We have no playgrounds,no track,no playing fields. ” Abubkheet has ebony skin,arched eyebrows and a beautiful face. Tall and thin,she looks like a model. Modesty is not an issue for her,she said,adding that she rarely covers her hair in Gaza, where she and her six brothers and sisters live on the $200amonth pension of her father,a retired police officer. Abubkheet carried the Palestinian flag in the opening ceremony of the Olympics,flashing the victory sign as she strode in to loud applause. Delegation officials said she was chosen as flag bearer 145 because of her gender. Another Muslim woman who beat the odds to step onto the Olympic stage is Ala Hikmat,part of the 44member Iraqi team that emerged from war and chaos to compete here. Hikmat came to Athens from a poor district of Baghdad,where her widowed mother,a runner in her own youth,urged her to defy convention and compete in school track and field meets. The 19yearold Iraqi,also the only woman in her delegation, will compete in the 100meter race. At home, she trained at Baghdads dusty Kashafa Stadium in the punishing heat of summer in conservative clothing:long black sweat pants and a loose,tuniclike Tshirt. Her track shoes were knockoff Nikes,bought for what was for her the princely sum of $20. The packeddirt track had no starting blocks,just a couple of holes gouged in the ground. Several times a week,she worked out with weights at an allmale gym,where at first she was the object of stares and derision. “Some people said I looked like a boy — I ignored them,”she said in a recent interview in Baghdad. At her simple concrete home, where a single electric fan stirred the ovenlike air,she expressed determination to succeed. “I want to make my country proud,and my family proud,”she said. “And myself too. I am certain I have not reached my full potential — I havent had the training that would allow me to succeed. But it is my dream to be the best athlete I can be. ” For Muqimyar,living in Afghanistan under the Taliban,sports — much less the Olympics — were unknown to her. Afghanistan was suspended from the Olympic movement in 1999 because of the Talibans policy of forbidding women to work and go to school. These Games mark the nations return. The Taliban is officially gone,but fundamentalists still menace much of the country. Muqimyar and Razayee say they must train in a gym with hard concrete floors,or at the stadium that served as the 146 Taliban execution grounds. “I want all Afghan women to know they can come out now,” Muqimyar said. “Im one that is opening their way to the world of sports and to the world. ”

Postreading Exercises

Comprehension questions: 1. Which countries are listed in the reports about women participators of the Olympic Games in Athens,2004?Which sports did they compete in? 2. What does“hurdle”mean in the report?What kinds of obstacles women athletes need to conquer to participate the Olympic Games according to the writer? 3. What make women athletes strong desire to compete in the Olympic Games?What do they think about public reactions facing them?

Athletics:Liu takes flight as Chinas new hero by Duncan Mackay in Athens Just a few moments before the medal ceremony the Greeks hoped would see Kostas Kederis stand atop the podium,the Chinese found the man they will be pinning their hopes on in Beijing in four years time. Preparations were being made for the award of the medals to the winners of the 200 metres,which of course did not feature Kederis, when the runners lined up for the 110m hurdles. Liu Xiang then blasted to a stunning victory in the 110m hurdles to equal Colin Jacksons 11yearold world record of 12. 91sec. — 0. 15 faster than he has ever run before. There was initial confusion because the trackside clock stopped at 12. 94. Few were as stunned as Liu when it was rounded down so much. “This is a miracle,”said Liu,a 21yearold from Shanghai. “Im too tired to even cry. Im proud not just for myself and for China but for Asia. ” He even remained unflustered after a false start by the American Terrence Trammell and made a brilliant start to the race,pulling 147 three metres clear of the field by the finish line. While others floundered the Chinese maintained his rhythm and screamed in delighted disbelief as he flashed over the line. “I never dreamed I could break the world record,”Liu said. “I have never run under 13 seconds,even in training. ” Liu is the first Chinese man to win an Olympic title on the track and will be elevated to the position of poster boy for the Beijing games. Lius parents were initially set against him becoming an athlete, their minds full of stories of young children being taken from their homes and put through appalling state training regimens. Britains 4 × 100 metres relay team managed to avoid their normal disaster to reach their first Olympic final for 12 years. In the last two games,in 1996 and 2000,the squad has managed to let potential medals slip through their butterfingers after failing to get the baton round in the heat. On this occasion the four of Jason Gardener,Darren Campbell, Marlon Devonish and Mark LewisFrancis successfully avoided mishaps to take their place in the final today. That does not mean there were no close shaves. LewisFrancis, on the final leg,set off a shade too early and had to check himself to ensure he received the baton from Devonish before he stepped out of the exchange zone. His few paces out of his lane went unpunished because they were in an outer lane and did not impede another runner. The relay is a shot at redemption for the sprinters,who as a group have been heavily criticised by Jackson,now working for the BBC. For the first time since 1976 none of them reached the 100m final and Campbells ambition of improving on the 200m silver medal he won in Sydney ended in acrimony. He failed to qualify for the final because of a hamstring strain and then,in the early hours of the morning after his race,he became 148 involved in an argument with Michael Johnson,who had criticised him,at a nightclub in the Greek capital. Britain finished second in their heat in 38. 53sec,fifth fastest overall,behind a strong United States squad, who had enough strength in depth to be able to rest the 100m champion Justin Gatlin. Maurice Greene, the bronze medallist, brought the defending champions home in 38. 02 after the 200m champion Shawn Crawford had run the opening leg. Darvis Patton and Coby Miller were the other runners. “Tomorrow we will strike it out and let the times drop,” said Greene,who predicted the U. S. would break the world record of 37. 40 that they set at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. “It was easy,it was fun. ” Four years ago after they won in Sydney it was claimed that the Americans had embarrassed their country with their flagdraping, muscleflexing celebrations. It led to American athletes being given lessons on how to win gracefully by the U. S. Olympic Committee. A video of the 4 × 100m relay teams reaction in 2000 is now included in a package designed to show Americans how to deal appropriately with victory. Fellow athletes cringed and the Australian crowd booed Greene, Jon Drummond,Bernard Williams and Brian Lewis. The sprinters flexed and posed for several minutes on a selfsatisfied victory lap — two of them bare chested and draped in the Stars and Stripes. Earlier,in the searing heat of an Athenian morning,Polands Robert Korzeniowski had won a record third consecutive gold medal in the 50 kilometres walk,the fourth Olympic title of his career. The 36yearold,who also made history in Sydney when he became the first to claim the 20km — 50km walk double,won in 3hr 38min 46sec. At 30km he and Australias Nathan Deakes,the 20km bronze medallist,put on a spurt and opened up a 50 metres lead,only for his rival to be disqualified for lifting five kilometres later,although he briefly carried on in the vain hope that the judges had made a 149 mistake. Financial Times(London,England)

Postreading Exercise

Comprehension questions: 1. Which country does Kostas Kederis come from?Is he the winner of the 200 metres? 2. What is the record by Liu Xiang to win the 100m hurdles?How many times did he run under 13 seconds? 3. When is the first time for Britains 4 × 100 metres team entering into final heat in 12 years?Who will be their strongest rival?What is Britains 4 × 100 metres teams normal disaster? 4. What had been criticized by the U. S. Olympic Committee to the U. S. sprinters in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics? Chinese Runners Collect Some Gold Amy Shipley,Washington Post Staff Writer Athens China enjoyed two sweet surprises on the Olympic Stadium track Friday,one unfolding in fewer than 13 seconds and another in half an hour. Two youngsters likely to be fullfledged stars by the 2008 Summer Games got the worlds attention with gold medal performances. Liu Xiang,21,won the Olympic gold medal in the 110meter hurdles,matching an 11yearold world record in the process. Later in the evening,Xing Huina,20,set a personal best in winning the womens 10,000 meters a year after having broken the world junior record in the event. “I think today the Chinese people showed the world they can run as fast as anybody else,”Liu said. “Im so happy I dont even have the power to cry. ” Lius performance bordered on stunning. Barely clearing each 150 hurdle,he surged across the finish in a time of 12. 91 seconds, equaling the world record set by Britains Colin Jackson and topping the Olympic record of 12. 96 set in 1996 by District native Allen Johnson. American Terrence Trammell claimed the silver in a distant 13. 18,followed by Cubas Anier Garcia,who tumbled across the line in 13. 20. Two years ago,Liu had asked for Johnsons autograph at a meet. This week,he declared Johnson — who had crashed,failing to advance to the final — his idol. Friday,he became Olympic champion. “This feels like kind of a miracle,” he said. “I didnt dare to think I would get a medal of any kind here. ” Xing,meantime,caught the entire field by surprise. She finished in 30 minutes 24. 36 seconds, just 0. 62 of a second ahead of Ethiopian Ejegayehu Dibaba,who claimed not to have seen Xing as she raced to the finish in a spreadout field. “I thought Id won,”said Dibaba,who ran a personal best. “Im really surprised that I dont have the gold medal. I missed the Chinese athlete completely. Had I seen her,I would have put in more effort and passed her. ” Said bronze medal winner Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia,who finished in 30: 26. 42:“We were not afraid of the others. We just didnt pay attention to the Chinese. I am disappointed. ” Xing reveled in her achievement,even if others considered it tarnished. A Chinese junior champion in the 1,500,5,000 and 10,000,she finished seventh in the 10,000 at last years world championships in Paris. “Winning the championship was beyond expectation,”she said. “I am so happy about it. I think our efforts deserve a reward. ” For the second time in less than a week,Britain distance star Paula Radcliffe finished a race in tears. Radcliffe,who bowed out of the Olympic marathon with just a few miles remaining,walked off the track in the 10,000 Friday with about eight laps left because of leg pain. “I just seized up,”she said. “On Sunday,I had to stop in the 151 marathon because of sheer exhaustion. Today,it wasnt exhaustion but my leg that forced me out of this race. It was just too sore. . . I went out there and gave it a shot,but it just wasnt there. ”... American Tim Mack set an Olympic record in the pole vault and sealed the gold medal when he vaulted to 19 feet 61 / 4 inches on his final attempt. Mack made three final attempts at 1981 / 4,but failed to get over the sixmeter mark,significant in Europe. The only Americans to clear that height are Toby Stevenson,who jumped 1941 / 4 for the silver Friday,and Jeff Hartwig,the American record holder who no heighted at the U. S. Olympic trials. The United States easily advanced in the first rounds of the mens 4 × 100m relay and the mens 4 × 400m. A team that included Olympic 200 champion Shawn Crawford,Darvis Patton,Coby Miller and 100 bronze medallist Maurice Greene finished in 38. 02 seconds,0. 25 ahead of Nigeria. Greene said the United States would break its own world record of 37. 40 in Saturdays final round. “Im predicting a time of 37. 27,”he said. In the 4 × 400m,Kelly Willie,Derrick Brew,Andrew Rock and Darold Williamson finished first in 2 : 59. 30, topping Nigeria (3: 01. 60). The U. S. womens 4 × 400m relay team,hampered by a slow opening leg by Crystal Cox,finished second to Russia in Fridays semifinals. Russia crossed the line in 3 : 23. 52;the U. S. team of Cox,Moushaumi Robinson,Monique Henderson and Sanya Richards finished in 3: 23. 79.

Postreading Exercise

Comprehension questions: 1. What are“sweet golds”collected by China? 2. Why Xing Huinas achievement is surprising both to reporters and athletes? 3. How many medals won by British athletes in the report?

152 After Crash Landing,American Gymnast Soars to Historic Gold Diane Pucin,Times Staff Writer ATHENS — One turn of the ankle,a twitch of a toe,one baby step forward,one rock of the heel backward — any of these might have prevented gymnast Paul Hamm from making history Wednesday night at Olympic Indoor Hall. Instead,Hamm,a 21yearold from Waukesha,Wis. ,overcame a dramatic fall on his vault — almost landing in a judges lap — to become the first American man to win a gold medal in the individual allaround competition. His gold medal was one of four claimed Wednesday by the United States and one of nine American medals overall,the countrys highest singleday total here. It wasnt until Hamms final score was flashed — 9. 837 out of a possible 10 on his best event,the high bar — and his coach,Miles Avery,yelled,“Youre the Olympic champion,”that he realized he had won. In the closest Olympic allaround competition since 1924,Hamm scored 57. 823 points on his six routines,just 0. 012 better than Kim Dae Eun of South Korea,who finished with 57. 811. Kims teammate Yang Tae Young took the bronze with 57. 774. The mens allaround,one of the Olympics most glamorous events,is a frantic race by 24 competitors to turn double somersaults or complete circus moves high in the air on six different apparatuses. With chalk dust flying and scores changing by the second,Hamm had grabbed the lead halfway through the competition. But it took him only about 10 seconds to lose it on his fourth event when he missed the landing on his vault,tumbled into the judging table,scored a 9. 137 and dropped from first place to 12th. “Ive never missed this vault in competition,”Hamm said. “Its one of my favorites. ” Hamm and Yang Wei of China,who had finished second to Hamm at last years world championships in Anaheim,had been tied for first after one event. Yang led after two events but Hamm took back the 153 lead after the third rotation — and his weakest apparatus — the rings. Next for Hamm came the vault and a move called a Kasamatsu 1 with 1 twists — requiring a total of nearly three full airborne twists 2 — and a blind landing. “Really,in the air I thought I was OK,” Hamm said. But he landed short and couldnt stop himself from tumbling out of bounds. As he walked toward Avery,Hamm fought tears. “Honestly,I thought the gold medal was gone,”Hamm said. “After an error like that,I just wanted to fight for any medal. ” Those close to him agreed. “I thought it was over,”said his twin brother,Morgan,who is a member of the U. S. team that won the silver medal Monday. “I didnt think he had a chance,certainly not to get first,”added their mother,Cecily Hamm. “But Im a pessimist at heart. ” Even Avery,Hamms coach,said,“I thought it was over. ” But then came more of the unexpected: Hamms opponents began dropping off equipment,stepping out of landings and wobbling on handstands,while he approached perfection. Hamm landed his dismount from the parallel bars without even a bend in his knees,earning a score from the judges of 9. 837,while Yang lost his grip on a onehanded swing on the high bar and fell to the ground. He received only 8. 987. Yang and Romanians Ioan Suciu and Marian Dragulescu,who were ahead of Hamm and competing in his group, all scored substantially lower than Hamm on the parallel bars. At the same time,Kim was scoring a respectable 9. 725 on the uneven bars but Hamm had still gained on him. By the time everyone was marching in straight lines to their final apparatus,Hamm had pulled up to fourth from 12th. Hamm was scheduled to be the last competitor on his last apparatus,the high bar. He is noted for a breathtaking move in which he flings himself 154 high in the air,releases his hands from the bar,then catches it again three times in a row. During Mondays team competition,Hamm almost lost his grip on the second release,never completed the third and scored only 9. 462. After Kim ended a tentative floor routine and was awarded a 9. 650;Yang finished a cautious high bar routine that earned only a 9. 475;and fellow American Brett McClure exited his worst event, the rings,with a score of 9. 162,Hamm had a thought. “I think I knew I had given myself a small chance at the gold,” he said,“but honestly I still thought I could only get the bronze. ” Hamm needed a score of 9. 825 to tie Kim. The crowd was nearly silent as Hamm reached those release moves — one,two,three — each time grasping his hands firmly on the bar so he could swing and let go again. Then came the dismount. He twisted high toward the lights,toes pointed perfectly,arms stiff at his side — and when he landed lightly without even a muscle rippling, the crowd exhaled and Hamm pumped his fists. “I thought I got the bronze,”Hamm said. In fact,the gold was his. “It was remarkable,”said Bart Conner,a member of the 1984 U. S. Olympic team that won the gold medal. “Think of it. He won by 12 / 1000 of a point. If one toe had moved on either of those last two landings,he would have had a bronze. ” Tim Daggett,another member of that 1984 team,went further. “I know I get so caught up in my sport,”he said,“but I think it is the most remarkable comeback Ive ever seen in any sport. ” Not everyone agreed. There were boos from fans who had waved South Korean flags,and the Romanian entrants suggested Hamm was scored too generously on the high bar. “I am a little sad and bitter,”said Suciu,who finished fourth. “I felt I had a medal in my hand and lost it. The only thing I can say is that the USA got something more than it deserved. ” Yang admitted he deserved his low score. “I thought I was getting the gold,”he said,“and I was rather complacent. I made a 155 mistake. ” Kim,however,confessed to feeling “a little disappointed and angry in a way. ” Hamm would not let the comments diminish his joy. He and his brother had begun gymnastics when they were toddlers. Their father, Sandy, had built makeshift pommel horses and constructed homemade high bars in the garage. “I think I probably daydreamed about winning the Olympics thousands of times,”Hamm said,“but I did not ever picture myself making a mistake. I would have loved it to be flawless,but this shows how strong my character is. I felt like I overcame something. ”

Postreading Exercises

Comprehension questions: 1. Who won medals in the individual allaround competition in mans gym in Athens Olympic Games? 2. Why is it a historic gold for American mens gym team according to the report? 3. What is the controversy towards the gold metal by Paul Hamm by other teams? South Korean gymnast appeals to arbitrator Greg Boeck ATHENS — Paul Hamm makes his postOlympic debut Tuesday in Uncasville,Conn. ,in the wake of renewed controversy over his allaround gold medal. South Korean gymnast Yang Tae Young filed an appeal Sunday with the international Court of Arbitration for Sport(CAS),asking the independent panel to direct the International Gymnastics Federation(FIG) to change the results of the mens individual all around. CAS named a threemember panel to consider the matter in Lausanne,Switzerland,but no hearing date has been set. “There are disputes between the FIG (Korean Olympic Committee) and the USOC, so in the end the International 156 Federation should solve the whole situation,”Korean spokeswoman Jae Soonyoo said. Yang won bronze in the allaround Aug. 18 and Hamm took the gold. FIG later ruled a scoring error would have given Yang the gold but declined to change the results after the fact. This morning,Hamm is scheduled to appear on NBCs Today with Jim Sensenbrenner,a Republican congressman from Hamms home state of Wisconsin. Last week Sensenbrenner issued a statement criticizing FIG and threatening hearings in September of the House Judiciary Committee, which he chairs and which has oversight responsibility of the U. S. Olympic Committee. USOC spokesman Darry Seibel said the allaround final is a closed matter. “The IOC and the International Gymnastics Federation have both indicated there is no basis by which the results will be revisited,and we see no reason why that would happen,” Seibel told the Associated Press. Friday,the federation,in a letter entitled “Fair Play,” asked Hamm to voluntarily return his medal to Yang,whom FIG said is the “true winner of the allaround competition. ” The USOC called the letter “outrageous” and said it no longer supported awarding a duplicate gold to Yang. International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge emphasized there would be no double gold. “Our position is extremely simple,” Rogge said Sunday. “The FIG has certified the result of the gymnastics competition. The IOC has awarded the medals according to the certified results. Paul Hamm was declared the winner and therefore he has received the gold medal,and for us that is final. ” Hamm was in Worchester,Mass. ,on Sunday rehearsing for the kickoff of the 13city Rock & Roll tour,featuring Olympians Blaine Wilson and Morgan Hamm,and declined comment. He did speak with NBC during the weekend. “If the FIG determines,according to the rules,that I am not the 157 winner,then I will give my medal back,”he told NBC. “I was never agreeing to give the medal back if they only asked me to. . . I feel that the rules were followed in the competition,and they mentioned fair play in their press release. And to me what fair play means is following the rules. And according to the rules,I was champion that night. And if they want me to give back the medal,thats them breaking their own rules. ”

Postreading Exercises

Comprehension questions: 1. What is the disputes between the Korean Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic Committee? 2. How should the dispute settled according to IOC procedure?

Everyones Olympics Timothy Shriver Despite the magic of the Olympic Games,we are reminded with every closing ceremony that at a certain level they are destined to disappoint all but a statistically minute number of us. They show us that in athletic games of all kinds,many can play but only a few will be visible to the world as exemplars of excellence. With our television sets now turned off,the rest of us may feel that we are forever consigned to the ranks of the wannabes. Sadly,the greatness of the Olympics can be just another sign of our personal inadequacy in a culture that seems obsessed with a narrow definition of human value. Deep down,we may be left feeling like hopeless alsorans. Thats where were wrong. The Olympic spirit is found not only in the Olympic Games but elsewhere in life. For underpinning the Games — lying beneath the glamour of the televised performance — are years of tireless work to overcome obstacles on the journey to being ones best. No matter how talented physically — whether enormously gifted or profoundly challenged — each of us experiences our own struggle to achieve our 158 unique greatness. And success in life can be seen as the extent to which these challenges are met and overcome. To be the best is one thing;to be ones best is everything. There need be no wannabes in the work of achieving ones personal best. But thats a hard lesson to learn. Fortunately,there is a group of athletes who are paragons of this lesson,and theyre right in our midst. They are the athletes of Special Olympics — more than 1. 5 million of them around the world, living,training and competing in neighborhoods from Kuala Lumpur to Kabul,from Shanghai to San Francisco. None of them competed in Athens recently,but that doesnt mean they dont know a little something about Olympism. Special Olympics athletes have overcome both intellectual disability and social scorn to achieve things few thought possible. Often rejected,universally the last to be included in society,almost never chosen for play,and regularly laughed at or simply shunned, doggedly train and compete. When these athletes mount the podium to receive their medals, those watching can be forgiven if they believe they may have just witnessed the greatest athletic — and human — achievement theyve ever seen. Their message to each of us seems simple:Greatness — Olympic greatness — is truly available to us all. But to achieve it,were going to have to end our summer fantasy in Athens and make a more proximate journey to a local playing field for a Special Olympics competition. There,beyond the glare of light and camera,we will find qualities to which we may not only aspire,but,with difficulty, also attain. There you may find 46yearold Ricardo Thornton,who was abandoned at birth,grew up in a walled institution,escaped its confines, and now practices and plays basketball like a man possessed — not by steroids or aggression but by an unbridled love of the game. In another town,you may find 8yearold Charlie Manley, born with Down syndrome,homeschooled and determined to beat a life of low expectations,doing his regular gymnastics training routine of 50 chinups,interrupted only by his huge smiles. And in still 159 another community,you may find Matt and D. J. ,twins who have autism,who have mastered dribbling and who have beautiful raised arm cheers for every basket scored. In each of these moments and in millions more like them,the meaning of sports becomes more clear. Its not about the score;its about the spirit. Winning is a thrill,to be better than your neighbor is an ego massage,to root for a champion is a collective celebration. But the meaning of the game — the real end of our aspiration — is to be better than we are. The fact that we seek this end with so much zeal is nothing more than an indication of our restless desire to achieve it. What we too frequently overlook, however, is the distinction between admiring a gift in great Olympic athletes and discovering the best in ourselves. Both are available through sport, but the more valuable of the two is the quest for ones best and the joyful discovery that this quest leads us to believe in the best in others too. Now that the medal counts are over,if youre still eager to be great,you may want to continue your search by getting to know a Special Olympics athlete,perhaps as a coach or friend. Join these athletes as they make their arduous way to their own selffulfillment and their unique athletic greatness. In this process of watching and helping,you may feel that you are giving to others,but you could be surprised to find yourself receiving something of even more value:In the athletes humble but courageous example, you may might discover that you too can achieve Olympic greatness — that the secret of your own greatness lies not in aspiring to be like others but in aspiring to be yourself.

Postreading Exercise

Comprehension question: What is the Olympism in the report?

160 Appendix Ⅰ: Newspapers in the UK:An Introduction① English News Writing and Reading

Because of the small geographical area of the The UK,and the good travel infrastructure, there are many national newspapers — unlike the United States,where most newspapers are printed and published locally. The UK papers are generally grouped into three groups — mass market tabloids, middlemarket tabloids and broadsheets. Unlike other European countries, there are no daily allsport newspapers. Mass market tabloids include the two mostbought newspapers,the Sun and the Mirror. Bitter rivals,the papers until recently held very differing political views — the Sun being Conservative (rightwing) since the early 1970s,while the Mirror being Labour (leftwing). Both now appear to 161 support Labour,though the Sun is seen to be rather less committed by analysts. The Sun is also the home of the famous “Page Three Girl. ” The idea may seem incredible to politicallycorrect American readers,but since the 1970s the Sun readers have been“treated”to a topless girl on page three. The ploy certainly sold papers,although the Page Three Girl is now being phased out. Not so in the Star,a sister paper for the Express (originally launched to use spare capacity in the Express printing presses),which gives its readers regular“StarBirds”throughout its pages and the advertising catch phrase“Oooh Ahhh Daily Star. ”A relative newcomer,Manchesterbased the Sport,is closely linked with the pornography industry,and consists mainly of a diet of fanciful stories,any stories or trials connected to sex,and a diet of nude women on almost every page, although no pubic hair is shown. Advertising seems to consist of sex products and services. The middlemarket tabloids, the Daily Mail and the Express, are

① The article writlen by James Cridland (possibly thankfully) concerned with a very different readership — that of affluent women. Weekend supplements and carefullyplaced sponsorship ensure that these titles are a cheap alternative to a magazine,while sports supplements aimed at the husband aim to broaden their readership. The broadsheets are probably the most famous to readers overseas. The Times,the UKs oldest national newspaper,is not the most popular — that accolade falls to the Daily Telegraph,known affectionately as the Daily Torygraph because of the staunch support to the Conservative Party. The Independent and the Guardian, together with financial newspaper the Financial Times (which,incidentally,is not related to the Times in any way),make up the rest of the broadsheets. Its important to notice,though, that the massmarket tabloids sell up to four times as many copies as the broadsheets — and if youre looking in vain for“the London Times,”such a newspaper title has never,in fact,existed — the Times has always been a national newspaper. The Guardian,once based in Manchester,was known as the Manchester Guardian until the 1960s. 162 Newspaper publishing in the UK underwent a revolution in the mid 1980s, fuelled by the launch of Eddie Shahs middlemarket Today newspaper. Freed of the outdated practices of the print unions,this,the UKs first colour newspaper,threatened the established newspapers by using computers almost exclusively to typeset and print the paper. In this way,a newspaper could survive with a far lower readership,because it was simply cheaper to produce. The launch was not without its faults — problems with colour printing led to the title being lampooned on the satirical TV programme “Spitting Image”as being printed in“Shahvision,”while the first editions front page,a fullcolour picture of the Queen on tour abroad,was nearly two hours late,making distribution of the paper a nightmare. The middlemarket “Today” wasnt a hit with advertisers and conservative readers, and, swallowed by Murdochs News International empire within two years,it was closed in 1995. Its legacy lives on to this day. Fleet Street in London,for years the home of the British press,is now nearly deserted. The revolution in work practices coincided with expansion in the oncederelict East London Docklands,reinvented as a centre for business. News International titles the Times and the Sun moved to purpose built buildings in Wapping,in the East End of London. The“reengineering” of the titles production was acrimonious,with many people being made redundant;the Wapping plant was picketed for a long while afterwards. The Daily Telegraph,along with the Independent and the Mirror,moved into Canary Wharf(properly known as 1 Canada Square),the centrepiece of the Docklands and one of the highest buildings in the world. The death of Diana,Princess of Wales saw a change in newspaper publishing in the UK. Circulation figures were always boosted by a good picture of Diana on the front page,and these began to fall. Over 18 months after her death,there are still stories about Diana in the press,which shows how they miss writing about her. Photographers were initially blamed for hounding her to her death — in fact,her chauffer was drunk — but since then,there has been much less following of celebrities photographing their every move. A conscious effort by the tabloid editors?Or just that Diana was the most famous celebrity we ever had? A relatively recent phenomenon in the newspaper industry has been the free morning papers. Free weekly papers are fairly common,supported by 163 advertising and carrying little in the way of editorial. But now,with the launch of“Metro”in London,Birmingham and Leeds,a sister paper called “News”in Manchester,plus Manchesters own “Metro News” and similar titles in Tyneside,Edinburgh and Glasgow,these newspapers thrive on public transport and in busy cities. Giving editorial almost as good as the paidfor dailies,are these a threat to the established titles? What of the future?Consolidation seems the way forward. United News Media own three terrestrial television broadcasters,an internet company (LineOne),and is also branching into cable television. The Times and the Suns parent company also owns Sky television,the UKs satellite television service. The Guardian group,and the Financial Times,are concentrating on the internet,producing incredibly featurerich sites. If old media has the content,new media has the technology and speed of delivery. Future success seems to be marrying those up,and recognizing that wherever we get our news from these days,newspapers can never be the first place that news breaks any more. Appendix Ⅱ: Newspapers in the United States English News Writing and Reading

The first newspapers in the United States followed the traditions of British journalism. An exiled London publisher,Benjamin Harris,printed the continents first newspaper, Publick Occurrences, Both Foreign and Domestick,in Boston in 1690,by which the ground had been broken,and journalism flourished as civilization thickened across North America. During the early years, newspapers were caught up in politics. Postmaster John Campbell of Boston published the first continuously appearing paper in America,the Boston NewsLetter in 1704. Campbells “news” was primarily clippings from English newspapers and had to be 164 cleared for publication by the governor. The first true masscirculation paper,the New York Sun,was begun by Benjamin Day in 1833. By shifting costs to advertisers,he priced his paper at one cent — launching the“penny press. ”The Sun emphasized news instead of opinions. Although the penny papers were surely not great newspapers,in fact they were scarcely newspapers at all by the standards of today,yet they were incendiary devices that helped to ignite the fires of American journalism. Important papers like the New York Times were born during this period of time. In the early years of the twentieth century the daily newspaper was universally accepted as one of the foundation stones of American social life. Newspapers had essentially the same content and form as today,but the number of papers began to decline after peaking at over 2,000 in 1910. And as always reminded in researchers words,the newspaper in the U. S. is a private enterprise. Its object is to make money for its owner. In 1988,a total of 1,643 daily newspapers were being published in the United States. Each issue of a daily is read by slightly more than two people, so the 1988 circulation figure of 63 million translates to about 134 million readers everyday. Among many newspapers published in the United States, whose coverage of local,state,national,and international news have an impact,and excel by good writing and clear graphics,at the top of the list is the New York Times. The New York Times was published in 1851. It won its height of influence and power by the end of the First World War. As the nations paper of record, it sets the national news agenda. A famous assessment by Los Angeles Times media writer David Shaw was“Page One of the Times is the barometer of whats truly important in the world. ”The Times extraordinary standards of coverage,writing,and editing make it a model for the U. S. journalism. Owned by the New York Times Company with a lead of other 35 regional newspapers,several magazines,and broadcast properties,the New York Times circulation is over 1 million. It is also one of the most profitable newspapers in the United States. In the doom of 1919 and the early months of 1920,the Times expanded in size from the 24page issue which had been the limit for the weekday paper up to the end of the war,to 32,36 or even 40 pages a day. Even so,the volume of advertising offered was so great that 165 day after day much of it had to be refused on account of lack of space. The greatest volume of advertising ever carried in the paper was on Sunday,May 23,1920,when the Times printed in all 767 columns of advertisements. The paper on that day contained altogether 136 pages,including 24 pages of rotogravure pictorial supplement and 16 pages of tabloid book review. Today,the thickest edition of the Times even reaches 1,000 pages. Among others on the top of the list of the finest newspapers in the U. S. , Washington Post brings coverage of the nations capital in its back yard, which makes the Post the nations second most influential paper. It is noted for its political investigative stories. Circulation tops 770,000. The Washington Post Co. also owns Newsweek magazine. The Wall Street Journal is nations premier financial paper. It is marked by exemplary writing and business news coverage. It is distributed nationally via satellite to 18 locations and also publishes international editions. The Journal is published by Dow Jones & Company,Inc. ,a giant in financial information. Four regional newspapers are renowned for their high quality and wide popularity. And unlike the U. K. ,the U. S. is a country with people attached to their regional newspapers. The Los Angeles Times won its reputation for the concentration on its news coverage. Regional coverage is especially strong,and its long stories give much detail. It is the flagship of the Times Mirror Company. The Chicago Tribune is renowned for its political coverage,blockbuster series,and editorial writing and cartoons. It is owned by the Tribune Company with the circulation of more than 715,000. The Miami Herald is one of the nations most aggressive newspapers,which is noted for its coverage of Latin America. It also is strong in local and sports news. Both it and the Philadelphia Inquirer are part of the KnightRidder Inc. group. Circulation tops 400,000. Great coverage of the city marks the Philadelphia Inquirer. It is known for its exhaustive and relentless pursuit of local,state,and regional news. Circulation is 500,000. Published in 1982, USA Today is an exception in the American newspaper market. Although its content resembles a magazine more than a newspaper,as the first American national newspaper, its influence on 166 American journalism has been profound. Its use of color and snappy graphic has been copied extensively. USA Today is published by the Gannett Company and distributed via satellite to 33 U. S. printing sites. Another national newspaper but faded is the Christian Science Monitor. It was found in response to and to counter the low standards of yellow journalism in the U. S. early 20th century. It is more like a propaganda vehicle which tasked:“To injury no man but to bless all mankind. ” The Monitors high moral tone was supported by high journalistic standards which brought many high journalism prizes in America, but declining and disappointing circulation. Till today,the Monitor is the journalism model as important as the Times. Appendix Ⅲ: Newspapers in Canada English News Writing and Reading

Neighbored with the United States,over threequarters of the Canadian population live within 100 miles of the United States, and Canadian newspaper industry witness big influences its neighbor market. In March 1752,the first Canadian newspaper the Halifax Gazette was published by John Bushell,the former partner of the grandson of the first printer of the Boston NewsLetter. Like most colonial newspaper in North America,it was an adjunct of a commercial printing venture, and its existence depended on government patronage. The daily newspaper was a later arrival in Canada than in the United , States. The first was Montreals Daily Advertiser which was founded in 167 1833. The first penny newspaper was the Morning News of Saint John,New Brunswick,which began as a triweekly in 1839. The 60 years between Canadas Confederation and the Great Depression was called the golden age of the press by Canadian historian Paul Rutherford, because print journalism was unchallenged by other median,and Canadians became loyal fans of newspapers. Till 1930s, there were roughly 4 newspapers and periodicals per household in Canada. Ownership of Canadian newspapers is highly concentrated. Some major Canadian newspaper companies are also involved in magazines, cable television,or book publishing. And for the largest chains,such as Thomson Corp. ,the newspaper holdings are but a small component of an economic empire. During the 1980s,Canadian publishers found new ways to diversify their product and increase profits. One of them was the growth of the Sunday newspaper. Sunday newspapers run counter to newspaper tradition in Canada,where the Saturday paper is the weeks biggest edition and carries the color comics and weekly inserts. In recent years,a number of large dailies have begun Sunday editions that are different in style,tone,and design from papers produced during the rest of the week. The editors of most Canadian dailies see their prime responsibility as reporting on the local scene. Many newspapers, however, serve larger audiences through their thorough coverage of provincial, national and international affairs. The largest daily in Canada is Toronto Star. It is owned by Torstar Corp. ,which is known for both the breadth and the depth of its news coverage. Globe and Mail describes itself as Canadas national newspaper. It targets Canadas political and economic elite and has long been known as one of the countrys top newspapers of record. A national edition is distributed across Canada and sales outside Toronto account for a substantial portion of Global and Mails circulation. The Newspaper was part of the Thomson newspaper empire in the 1970s with a strong reputation for quality reporting and its daily “Report on Business” is virtually required reading for the business community. 168 Toronto Sun is a tabloid and a newcomer in Canadian journalism,and a vastly successful one. It was founded in 1971,when 62 people put out of work by the closing of the Toronto Telegram decided to set up their own paper. They chose the tabloid format because it is easy to read on the citys subway and bus system,and developed a formula of simple writing,large headlines and lots of sports coverage. By the 1980s,the Sun had already grown into Canadas fourthlargest newspaper. Other important English newspapers in Canadian newspaper industry are the Ottawa Citizen,the Vancouver Sun and the Winnipeg Free Press. Canadian newspapers are operated in the unique environment of a relatively small,affluent and bilingual population while confronting a huge powerful neighbour,the United States. The Canadian government takes it as the threats of cultural imperialism to reduce influence of American media in Canada. Laws and regulations are set up to protect Canadian newspaper industry and their local market by Canadian government. Appendix Ⅳ: Newspapers in the Pacific Region: Australia and New Zealand English News Writing and Reading

Australias and New Zealands print media are among the freest in the world. Before 1970s,waves of immigrants into Australia were mostly from Europe and Middle East to make it “white Australia. ”Although Australias private press now includes a publication for almost every language group,in the past journalist looked to Britain for its models. So the older prestige press has a British feel. In fact,the Sydney Morning Herald looks something like a composite of the Times of London and the Daily Mail. As early as in the nineteenth century,Australia started four dailies:the Sydney Morning Herald(1831),the Melbourne Herald(1840),the Age of 169 Melbourne(1854)and the Daily Telegraph of Sydney (1879). Qualified as one of the seven“great dailies”in the pacific region by Merrill and Fisher, the Sydney Morning Herald prides itself on its government watchdog role. It has great popular as well as elite appeal,boasting a circulation of 400,000 in a city of 3. 4 million in the 1990s. Like most Australian newspapers,the Herald is published by a holding company. It belongs to the John Fairfax and Sons group,which also publishes the Sun,Sun Herald,and (with David Syme and Company,Ltd) the Melbourne Age. The Age,the most serious Australian newspaper,has a strong following among the nations elite. As a country with almost the same size geographically as China and the United States,but only over 30 million people,most newspapers in Australia are found in the metropolitan areas and the development of national newspapers are hindered by distance. The genuine national newspapers are being the Australian and the Australian Financial Review. The Australian established in 1964 and a money loser until 1986. The Australian Financial Review has pretensions to be a national but sells mostly in the two major commercial centers,Sydney and Melbourne. Owned by Murdoch,the Australian seeks an upmarket audience for its influence amongst the countrys leaders and elite. The Australian also stands clear political positions by Murdoch for his economic investment. In 1973,it helped the Labour government of Prime Minister Whitlam gain office and later it was active to unseat Whitlam to support Fraser. Murdochs shift from Whitlamsupporter to Frasersupporter was so vehement that in 1974 there were strikes at the Australian and the Sunday Mirror by journalists and printers over alleged bias in the papers. Ownership of the Australian newspapers is highly concentrated. In Australia,three principal groups of newspaper owners have evolved and expanded into media conglomerates,whose broad activities include book publishing,newsprint production,magazine publication,and broadcasting to dominate the Australian press scene. They are:The John Fairfax Group, headed by John Fairfax and based in Sydney;the Melbournebased the Herald and Weekly Times group (HWT) publishing,besides its namesake newspapers,the popular and unrestrained Sun NewsPictorial;News,Ltd. , 170 one of the worlds most controversial newspaper and media companies controlled by Rupert Murdoch, holding the Daily Telegraph of Sydney. Besides,Australian Consolidated Press publishes some of the nations most popular magazines. Rupert Murdoch dominated the Australian newspaper industry in 1986. Since 1975, News Corp. has grown into one of the largest publishing companies in the world with nearly one hundred newspapers and magazines. In Australia its major newspapers were Daily Mirror (Sydney), Daily Telegraph ( Sydney ), Sunday Telegraph ( Sydney ), the Australian (national) and the Adelaide News — his original family newspaper. But Rupert Murdochs ambitious international interests made it just a minor part of his media empire, even though in 1985 he had already owned 10 metropolitans,40 suburban newspapers and 16 country newspapers. News Corporation was also responsible for 20 newspapers and a radio station in New Zealand. New Zealand locates 1,000 miles east of Australia. In 1840,the first two New Zealand newspapers began publication. And by 1880 the controller of New Zealand newspapers had formed the United Press Association, a cohesive national organization. But as of late 1985,typewriters and pencils were the norm in the nations newsroom. Of the countrys 33 dailies,most have local monopolies. The largest daily, the New Zealand Herald, is published in Auckland. Wellington has two dailies,the Morning Domination and the Evening Post,as does the southern city of Christchurch,with its morning Press and its evening Christchurch Star. Because of historical and geographic factors,New Zealand has much less influence on the mass media of the Pacific than Australia.

171 Appendix Ⅴ: The Pulitzer Prizes① English News Writing and Reading

In the latter years of the 19th century,Joseph Pulitzer stood out as the very embodiment of American journalism. Hungarianborn, an intense indomitable figure,Pulitzer was the most skillful of newspaper publishers,a passionate crusader against dishonest government, a fierce, hawklike competitor who did not shrink from sensationalism in circulation struggles, and a visionary who richly endowed his profession. His innovative New York World and St. Louis PostDispatch reshaped newspaper journalism. Pulitzer was the first to call for the training of journalists at the university level in a school of journalism. And certainly,the lasting influence of the Pulitzer , , , 172 Prizes on journalism literature music and drama is to be attributed to his visionary acumen. In writing his 1904 will,which made provision for the establishment of the Pulitzer Prizes as an incentive to excellence,Pulitzer specified solely four awards in journalism,four in letters and drama,one for education,and four traveling scholarships. In letters,prizes were to go to an American novel,an original American play performed in New York,a book on the history of the United States,an American biography,and a history of public service by the press. But,sensitive to the dynamic progression of his society Pulitzer made provision for broad changes in the system of awards. He established an overseer advisory board and willed it “power in its discretion to suspend or to change any subject or subjects,substituting, however,others in their places, if in the judgment of the board such suspension,changes,or substitutions shall be conducive to the public good or rendered advisable by public necessities,or by reason of change of time. ” He also empowered the board to withhold any award where entries fell below

① According to the material provided by Pulitzer Prize official website http:/ /www. pulitzer. org/ its standards of excellence. The assignment of power to the board was such that it could also overrule the recommendations for awards made by the juries subsequently set up in each of the categories. Since the inception of the prizes in 1917,the board,later renamed the Pulitzer Prize Board,has increased the number of awards to 21 and introduced poetry,music,and photography as subjects,while adhering to the spirit of the founders will and its intent. The board typically exercised its broad discretion in 1997,the 150th anniversary of Pulitzers birth, in two fundamental respects. It took a significant step in recognition of the growing importance of work being done by newspapers in online journalism. Beginning with the 1999 competition, the board sanctioned the submission by newspapers of online presentations as supplements to print exhibits in the Public Service category. The board left open the distinct possibility of further inclusions in the Pulitzer process of online journalism as the electronic medium developed. The other major change was in music,a category that was added to the Plan of Award for prizes in 1943. The prize always had gone to composers of classical music. 173 The definition and entry requirements of the music category beginning with the 1998 competition were broadened to attract a wider range of American music. In an indication of the trend toward bringing mainstream music into the Pulitzer process,the 1997 prize went to Wynton Marsaliss“Blood on the Fields,”which has strong jazz elements,the first such award. In music,the board also took tacit note of the criticism leveled at its predecessors for failure to cite two of the countrys foremost jazz composers. It bestowed a Special Award on George Gershwin marking the 1998 centennial celebration of his birth and Duke Ellington on his 1999 centennial year. Over the years the Pulitzer board has at times been targeted by critics for awards made or not made. Controversies also have arisen over decisions made by the board counter to the advice of juries. Given the subjective nature of the award process,this was inevitable. The board has not been captive to popular inclinations. Many,if not most,of the honored books have not been on bestseller lists,and many of the winning plays have been staged offBroadway or in regional theaters. In journalism the major newspapers,such as the New York Times,the Wall Street Journal,and the Washington Post,have harvested many of the awards,but the board also has often reached out to work done by small,littleknown papers. The Public Service Award in 1995 went to the Virgin Islands Daily News,St. Thomas, for its disclosure of the links between the regions rampant crime rate and corruption in the local criminal justice system. In letters,the board has grown less conservative over the years in matters of taste. In 1963 the drama jury nominated Edward Albees Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,but the board found the script insufficiently“uplifting,”a complaint that related to arguments over sexual permissiveness and rough dialogue. In 1993 the prize went to Tony Kushners Angels in America:Millennium Approaches,a play that dealt with problems of homosexuality and AIDS and whose script was replete with obscenities. On the same debated issue of taste,the board in 1941 denied the fiction prize to Ernest Hemingways For Whom the Bell Tolls, but gave him the award in 1953 for The Old Man and the Sea,a lesser work. Notwithstanding these contretemps,from its earliest days,the board has in general stood firmly by a policy of secrecy in its deliberations and refusal to 174 publicly debate or defend its decisions. The challenges have not lessened the reputation of the Pulitzer Prizes as the countrys most prestigious awards and as the most soughtafter accolades in journalism,letters,and music. The Prizes are perceived as a major incentive for highquality journalism and have focused worldwide attention on American achievements in letters and music. The formal announcement of the prizes,made each April,states that the awards are made by the President of Columbia University on the recommendation of the Pulitzer Prize board. This formulation is derived from the Pulitzer will, which established Columbia as the seat of the administration of the prizes. Today,in fact,the independent board makes all the decisions relative to the prizes. In his will Pulitzer bestowed an endowment on Columbia of $2,000,000 for the establishment of a School of Journalism,onefourth of which was to be“applied to prizes or scholarships for the encouragement of public, service, public morals, American literature,and the advancement of education. ”In doing so,he stated:“I am deeply interested in the progress and elevation of journalism,having spent my life in that profession,regarding it as a noble profession and one of unequaled importance for its influence upon the minds and morals of the people. I desire to assist in attracting to this profession young men of character and ability,also to help those already engaged in the profession to acquire the highest moral and intellectual training. ” In his ascent to the summit of American journalism, Pulitzer himself received little or no assistance. He prided himself on being a selfmade man,but it may have been his struggles as a young journalist that imbued him with the desire to foster professional training.

JOSEPH PULITZER,1847— 1911

Joseph Pulitzer was born in Mako,Hungary on April 10,1847,the son of a wealthy grain merchant of MagyarJewish origin and a German mother who was a devout Roman Catholic. His younger brother,Albert,was trained for the priesthood but never attained it. The elder Pulitzer retired in Budapest and Joseph grew up and was educated there in private schools and by tutors. Restive at the age of seventeen,the gangling youth decided to become a soldier and tried in turn to enlist in the Austrian Army,Napoleons Foreign Legion for duty in Mexico,and the British Army for service in India. He was 175 rebuffed because of weak eyesight and frail health,which were to plague him for the rest of his life. However,in Hamburg,Germany,he encountered a bounty recruiter for the U. S. Union Army and contracted to enlist as a substitute for a draftee,a procedure permitted under the Civil War draft system. At Boston he jumped ship and,as the legend goes,swam to shore, determined to keep the enlistment bounty for himself rather than leave it to the agent. Pulitzer collected the bounty by enlisting for a year in the Lincoln Cavalry,which suited him since there were many Germans in the unit. He was fluent in German and French but spoke very little English. Later,he worked his way to St. Louis. While doing odd jobs there,such as muleteer, baggage handler,and waiter,he immersed himself in the citys Mercantile Library,studying English and the law. His great career opportunity came in a unique manner in the librarys chess room. Observing the game of two habitues,he astutely critiqued a move and the players,impressed,engaged Pulitzer in conversation. The players were editors of the leading German language daily,Westliche Post,and a job offer followed. Four years later, in 1872, the young Pulitzer, who had built a reputation as a tireless enterprising journalist,was offered a controlling interest in the paper by the nearly bankrupt owners. At age 25,Pulitzer became a publisher and there followed a series of shrewd business deals from which he emerged in 1878 as the owner of the St. Louis PostDispatch, and a rising figure on the journalistic scene. Earlier in the same year,he and Kate Davis,a socially prominent Washingtonian woman,were married in the Protestant Episcopal Church. The Hungarian immigrant youth — once a vagrant on the slum streets of St. Louis and taunted as“Joey the Jew”— had been transformed. Now he was an American citizen and as speaker,writer,and editor had mastered English extraordinarily well. Elegantly dressed,wearing a handsome,reddishbrown beard and pincenez glasses,he mixed easily with the social elite of St. Louis,enjoying dancing at fancy parties and horseback riding in the park. This lifestyle was abandoned abruptly when he came into the ownership of the St. Louis PostDispatch. James Wyman Barrett,the last city editor of the New York World,records in his biography Joseph Pulitzer and His World 176 how Pulitzer,in taking hold of the PostDispatch,“worked at his desk from early morning until midnight or later,interesting himself in every detail of the paper. ”Appealing to the public to accept that his paper was their champion, Pulitzer splashed investigative articles and editorials assailing government corruption,wealthy taxdodgers,and gamblers. This populist appeal was effective,circulation mounted,and the paper prospered. Pulitzer would have been pleased to know that in the conduct of the Pulitzer Prize system which he later established,more awards in journalism would go to exposure of corruption than to any other subject. Pulitzer paid a price for his unsparingly rigorous work at his newspaper. His health was undermined and,with his eyes failing,Pulitzer and his wife set out in 1883 for New York to board a ship on a doctorordered European vacation. Stubbornly,instead of boarding the steamer in New York,he met with Jay Gould,the financier,and negotiated the purchase of the New York World,which was in financial straits. Putting aside his serious health concerns,Pulitzer immersed himself in its direction,bringing about what Barrett describes as a“oneman revolution”in the editorial policy,content, and format of the World. He employed some of the same techniques that had built up the circulation of the PostDispatch. He crusaded against public and private corruption,filled the news columns with a spate of sensationalized features,made the first extensive use of illustrations,and staged news stunts. In one of the most successful promotions,The World raised public subscriptions for the building of a pedestal at the entrance to the New York harbor so that the Statue of Liberty,which was stranded in France awaiting shipment,could be emplaced. The formula worked so well that in the next decade the circulation of the World in all its editions climbed to more than 600,000,and it reigned as the largest circulating newspaper in the country. But unexpectedly Pulitzer himself became a victim of the battle for circulation when Charles Anderson Dana,publisher of the Sun,frustrated by the success of the World launched vicious personal attacks on him as “the Jew who had denied his race and religion. ”The unrelenting campaign was designed to alienate New Yorks Jewish community from the World. Pulitzers health was fractured further during this ordeal and in 1890,at the age of 43,he withdrew from the editorship of the World and never returned to its newsroom. Virtually blind, 177 having in his severe depression succumbed also to an illness that made him excruciatingly sensitive to noise,Pulitzer went abroad frantically seeking cures. He failed to find them,and the next two decades of his life he spent largely in soundproofed“vaults,”as he referred to them,aboard his yacht, Liberty,in the “Tower of Silence” at his vacation retreat in Bar Harbor Maine,and at his New York mansion. During those years,although he traveled very frequently,Pulitzer managed,nevertheless,to maintain the closest editorial and business direction of his newspapers. To ensure secrecy in his communications he relied on a code that filled a book containing some 20,000 names and terms. During the years 1896 to 1898 Pulitzer was drawn into a bitter circulation battle with William Randolph Hearsts Journal in which there were no apparent restraints on sensationalism or fabrication of news. When the Cubans rebelled against Spanish rule,Pulitzer and Hearst sought to outdo each other in whipping up outrage against the Spanish. Both called for war against Spain after the U. S. battleship Maine mysteriously blew up and sank in Havana harbor on February 16,1898. Congress reacted to the outcry with a war resolution. After the fourmonth war,Pulitzer withdrew from what had become known as“yellow journalism. ”The World became more restrained and served as the influential editorial voice on many issues of the Democratic Party. In the view of historians,Pulitzers lapse into “yellow journalism”was outweighed by his public service achievements. He waged courageous and often successful crusades against corrupt practices in government and business. He was responsible to a large extent for passage of antitrust legislation and regulation of the insurance industry. In 1909,the World exposed a fraudulent payment of $40 million by the United States to the French Panama Canal Company. The federal government lashed back at the World by indicting Pulitzer for criminally libeling President Theodore Roosevelt and the banker J. P. Morgan,among others. Pulitzer refused to retreat,and the World persisted in its investigation. When the courts dismissed the indictments,Pulitzer was applauded for a crucial victory on behalf of freedom of the press. In May 1904,writing in the North American Review in support of his proposal for the founding of a school of journalism, Pulitzer summarized his credo:“Our Republic and its press will rise or fall 178 together. An able, disinterested, publicspirited press, with trained intelligence to know the right and courage to do it,can preserve that public virtue without which popular government is a sham and a mockery. A cynical,mercenary,demagogic press will produce in time a people as base as itself. The power to mould the future of the Republic will be in the hands of the journalists of future generations. ” In 1912,one year after Pulitzers death aboard his yacht,the Columbia School of Journalism was founded,and the first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded in 1917 under the supervision of the advisory board to which he had entrusted his mandate. Pulitzer envisioned an advisory board composed principally of newspaper publishers. Others would include the President of Columbia University and scholars,and“persons of distinction who are not journalists or editors. ”In 2000 the board was composed of two news executives,eight editors,five academics including the President of Columbia University and the Dean of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism,one columnist, and the administrator of the prizes. The dean and the administrator are nonvoting members. The chair rotates annually to the most senior member. The board is selfperpetuating in the election of members. Voting members may serve three terms of three years. In the selection of the members of the board and of the juries,close attention is given to professional excellence and affiliation,as well as diversity in terms of gender,ethnic background, geographical distribution, and in the choice of journalists and size of newspaper.

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PULITZER PRIZES

More than 2,000 entries are submitted each year in the Pulitzer Prize competitions,and only 21 awards are normally made. The awards are the culmination of a yearlong process that begins early in the year with the appointment of 102 distinguished judges who serve on 20 separate juries and are asked to make three nominations in each of the 21 categories. By February 1,the Administrators office in the Columbia School of Journalism has received the journalism entries — in 2004,typically 1,423. Entries for journalism awards may be submitted by any individual from material appearing in a United States newspaper published daily,Sunday,or at least once a week during the calendar year. In early March, 77 editors, 179 publishers,writers,and educators gather in the School of Journalism to judge the entries in the 14 journalism categories. From 1964— 1999 each journalism jury consisted of five members. Due to the growing number of entries in the public service,investigative reporting,beat reporting,feature writing and commentary categories,these juries were enlarged to seven members beginning in 1999. The jury members,working intensively for three days,examine every entry before making their nominations. Exhibits in the public service, cartoon, and photography categories are limited to 20 articles,cartoons,or pictures,and in the remaining categories,to 10 articles or editorials — except for feature writing,which has a maximum of five articles. In photography, a single jury judges both the Breaking News category and the Feature category. Since the inception of the prizes the journalism categories have been expanded and repeatedly redefined by the board to keep abreast of the evolution of American journalism. The cartoons prize was created in 1922. The prize for photography was established in 1942,and in 1968 the category was divided into spot or breaking news and feature. With the development of computeraltered photos, the board stipulated in 1995 that “no entry whose content is manipulated or altered, apart from standard newspaper cropping and editing, will be deemed acceptable. ” These are the Pulitzer Prize category definitions for the 2004 competition: 1. For a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper through the use of its journalistic resources which may include editorials, cartoons,and photographs,as well as reporting. 2. For a distinguished example of local reporting of breaking news. 3. For a distinguished example of investigative reporting by an individual or team,presented as a single article or series. 4. For a distinguished example of explanatory reporting that illuminates a significant and complex subject,demonstrating mastery of the subject, lucid writing and clear presentation. 5. For a distinguished example of beat reporting characterized by sustained and knowledgeable coverage of a particular subject or activity. 6. For a distinguished example of reporting on national affairs. 180 7. For a distinguished example of reporting on international affairs,including United Nations correspondence. 8. For a distinguished example of feature writing giving prime consideration to high literary quality and originality. 9. For distinguished commentary. 10. For distinguished criticism. 11. For distinguished editorial writing,the test of excellence being clearness of style,moral purpose,sound reasoning,and power to influence public opinion in what the writer conceives to be the right direction. 12. For a distinguished cartoon or portfolio of cartoons published during the year,characterized by originality, editorial effectiveness, quality of drawing,and pictorial effect. 13. For a distinguished example of breaking news photography in black and white or color,which may consist of a photograph or photographs,a sequence or an album. 14. For a distinguished example of feature photography in black and white or color,which may consist of a photograph or photographs,a sequence or an album. While the journalism process goes forward,shipments of books totaling some 800 titles are being sent to five letters juries for their judging in these categories: ● For distinguished fiction by an American author,preferably dealing with American life. ● For a distinguished book upon the history of the United States. ● For a distinguished biography or autobiography by an American author. ● For a distinguished volume of original verse by an American author. ● For a distinguished book of nonfiction by an American author that is not eligible for consideration in any other category. The award in poetry was established in 1922 and that for nonfiction in 1962. Unlike the other awards which are made for works in the calendar year,eligibility in drama and music extends from March 2 to March 1. The drama jury of four critics and one academic attend plays both in New York and the regional theaters. The award in drama goes to a playwright but production of the play as well as script are taken into account. 181 The music jury,usually made up of four composers and one newspaper critic,meet in New York to listen to recordings and study the scores of pieces,which in 2004 numbered 82. The category definition states: For distinguished musical composition of significant dimension by an American that has had its first performance in the United States during the year. The final act of the annual competition is enacted in early April when the board assembles in the Pulitzer World Room of the Columbia School of Journalism. In prior weeks,the board had read the texts of the journalism entries and the 15 nominated books,listened to music cassettes,read the scripts of the nominated plays,and attended the performances or seen videos where possible. By custom,it is incumbent on board members not to vote on any award under consideration in drama or letters if they have not seen the play or read the book. There are subcommittees for letters and music whose members usually give a lead to discussions. Beginning with letters and music,the board,in turn,reviews the nominations of each jury for two days. Each jury is required to offer three nominations but in no order of preference,although the jury chair in a letter accompanying the submission can broadly reflect the views of the members. Board discussions are animated and often hotly debated. Work done by individuals tends to be favored. In journalism,if more than three individuals are cited in an entry, any prize goes to the newspaper. Awards are usually made by majority vote, but the board is also empowered to vote “no award,” or by threefourths vote to select an entry that has not been nominated or to switch nominations among the categories. If the board is dissatisfied with the nominations of any jury,it can ask the Administrator to consult with the chair by telephone to ascertain if there are other worthy entries. Meanwhile,the deliberations continue. Both the jury nominations and the awards voted by the board are held in strict confidence until the announcement of the prizes,which takes place about a week after the meeting in the World Room. Towards three oclock p. m. (Eastern Time) of the day of the announcement,in hundreds of newsrooms across the United States,journalists gather about news agency 182 tickers to wait for the bulletins that bring explosions of joy and celebrations to some and disappointment to others. The announcement is made precisely at three oclock after a news conference held by the administrator in the World Room. Apart from accounts carried prominently by newspapers, television,and radio,the details appear on the Pulitzer Web site. The announcement includes the name of the winner in each category as well as the names of the other two finalists. The three finalists in each category are the only entries in the competition that are recognized by the Pulitzer office as nominees. The announcement also lists the board members and the names of the jurors (which have previously been kept confidential to avoid lobbying). A gold medal is awarded to the winner in Public Service. Along with the certificates in the other categories,there are cash awards of $10,000,raised in 2002 from $7,500. Four Pulitzer fellowships of $7,500 each are also awarded annually on the recommendation of the faculty of the School of Journalism. They enable three of its outstanding graduates to travel,report, and study abroad and one fellowship is awarded to a graduate who wishes to specialize in drama,music,literary,film,or television criticism. For most recipients of the Pulitzer Prizes,the cash award is only incidental to the prestige accruing to them and their works. There are numerous competitions that bestow far larger cash awards, yet which do not rank in public perception on a level with the Pulitzers. The Pulitzer accolade on the cover of a book or on the marquee of a theater where a prizewinning play is being staged usually does translate into commercial gain. The Pulitzer process initially was funded by investment income from the original endowment. But by the 1970s the program was suffering a loss each year. In 1978 the advisory board established a foundation for the creation of a supplementary endowment,and fund raising on its behalf continued through the 1980s. The program is now comfortably funded with investment income from the two endowments and the $50 fee charged for each entry into the competitions. The investment portfolios are administered by Columbia University. Members of the Pulitzer Prize Board and journalism jurors receive no compensation. The jurors in letters,music,and drama,in appreciation of their yearlong work,receive honoraria,raised to $2,000,effective in 1999. Unlike the elaborate ceremonies and royal banquets attendant upon the 183 presentation of the Nobel Prizes in Stockholm and Oslo,Pulitzer winners receive their prizes from the President of Columbia University at a modest luncheon in May in the rotunda of the Low Library in the presence of family members,professional associates,board members,and the faculty of the School of Journalism. The board has declined offers to transform the occasion into a television extravaganza. Appendix Ⅵ: Newspaper and Newspaper Advertisement Appreciation English News Writing and Reading

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