科技英語閱讀試卷

《科技英語閱讀》課程期末考試卷A

（2013-2014學(xué)年度第二學(xué)期）

班級學(xué)號姓名考試時間:

題號IIIIIIIV總分

得分

閱卷教師

復(fù)核人

LVocabularyandFastReading(40points)

PartOne.Eachofthefollowingsentenceshasawordinboldtype.Inthe

blank,writetheletterofthewordthatbestdefinesthewordinbold.

l.Toooften,theindigenouspeopleoftherainforestsareconsideredbackward;

however,theyhavelivedsuccessfullyintheirhomelandsforthousandsofyears.

a.nativec.uneducated

b.poord.displaced

2.Californiapowercompanieshadblackoutsbecausetherewasnotenough

energytosupplytheresidents'electricalneeds.

a.faintingspellsc.ratehikes

b.powerfailuresd.lowerprices

3.RebeccawasaccusedofslanderwhenshespreadliesaboutRossafterthey

brokeup.

b.stalkingc.burglary

b.damagetoaperson'sreputationd.hatefulness

4.Jordandemonstratedhisagilitywhenhecaughtthefootball,turnedinmidair,

outranthedefense,andscoredatouchdown.

c.clumsinessandfearc.quicknessandgrace

b.determinationd.courage

5.Theperimeterofafigureisthetotaldistancearoundtheedgeofthefigure.

a.borderc.center

b.insided.value

6.Mariesmiledandwhistledassheobliginglyhelpedherfatherwiththecar.

a.resentfullyc.reluctantly

b.agreeablyd.skillfully

7.MarkandSandimadenoadvancedplansfortheirtrip;theysimplymeandered

acrossthecountryfortwoweeks.

a.ranc.rushed

b.driftedd.drove

8.Theemergenceofthebutterflyfromitscocoonsurprisedanddelightedthe

youngchild.

a.beautyc.change

b.appearanced.shape

9.Kayecoercestheotherchildrentogivetheirallowancetoherbythreateningto

beatthemup.

a.forcesc.helps

b.limitsd.discourages

10.TheLincolnMemorialinWashington,D.C.,isanenduringreminderofthe

strength,wisdom,andsacrificeofAbrahamLincoln.

a.temporaryc.humble

b.lastingd.final

PartTwo.Readthefollowingpassageadaptedfromthecollegecommunications

textbook,Thenanswerthequestions

TALKRADIO

(1)Between1990and1995,manymorestationsbegandevoting,or

giving,thegreaterpartoftheiron-airtimetotalk.(2)Infact,talkshows

almosttripled,from450to1,130.(3)Withtalk,radiostationsdiscovereda

newwaytoboosttheirratingsandbringinadvertisers.(4)Bytheendofthe

1990s,ratingsmadetalkoneofthetopradioformatsintheUnitedStates.

(5)Expertsbelievethattalkradiocapitalizeson,ratherthanavoids,

emotion.Issueslikehomosexualitymayarouseangerandfear.(6)Thetalk

showhostsknowthis.(7)Theytalkmoreaboutsuchsubjectsthanmayseem

needed.(8)Theystartheateddebatesandpushpeopletobecomeexcited.

(9)Thatboostsratings.

(10)Thepopularityoftalkradiohascreatedawiderangeofhosts.

(1l)TheyrangefromconservativeRushLimbaughtooutrageousHoward

Stern.(12)Evensomepoliticianshadtheirownshows.(13)Forexample,Pat

Buchanan,whoranforPresident,wasthefirsttounderstandthepowerofa

talkshowtogethisideastotheAmericanpeople.

(14)A1993surveyshowedthatalmostone-thirdofadultshadlistenedto

politicaltalkshows.(15)Manylistenerssaidtheystronglydisagreedwiththe

talkshowhostmostofthetime.

(16)Somecriticsoftalkradiospeculateaboutwhyitissosuccessful.

(17)Onereasongivenisthattalkradioisthenewtownmeeting.(18)Ina

societythatissofragmented(notunifiedorintouchwitheachother),radio

offersaplacetoconnecttoeachother.(19)Inthisnewtownmeeting,the

populacespeaksratherthanrelyingonofficialvoices.(20)Infact,critics

creditthepublicinterestintalkradiotoarisingdistrustofpublicofficials.

(21)Criticsoftenattack,talkradioasaharmfulforce.(22)Criticssuggest

thattalkradioexploits,insteadofeducates.(23)Tatkradio,theysay,spreads

fearandparanoia.

1.Whatdoesdevotingmeaninsentence1?

a.givingc..talking

b.takingawayd.growing

2.Whatdoesboostmeaninsentence3?

a.hurtc.stop

b.raised.See

3.Whatdoescapitalizesonmeaninsentence5?

a.ignoresc.tearsdown

b.takesadvantageofd.furthers

4.Whatdoesconservativemeaninsentencell?

a.extremec.simple

b.cruded.traditional

5.Whatdoesspeculatemeaninsentence16?

a.guessc.gamble

b.knowd.bet

6.Whatdoesfragmentedmeaninsentence18?

a.joinedtogetherc.brokenapart

b.strongd.afraid

7.Whatdoespopulacemeaninsentence19?

a.publicc.government

b.privated.popular

8.Whatdoesdistrustmeaninsentence20?

a.trustdeeplyc.respect

b.doubtd.hate

9.Whatdoesexploitsmeaninsentence22?

a.takesadvantageofc.teaches

b.helpsd.kills

10.Whatdoesparanoiameaninsentence23?

a.trustc.mistrust

b.hoped.caution

PartThreeFastReading(20points)

LowcarbonFuture:WeCanAffordtoGoGreen

Tacklingclimatechangewillcostconsumerstheearth.Thosewhocampaignfora

greenrevolutionareouttodestroyourwesternlifestyles.Sucharethecriesof

opponentsofemissionscuts,andtheirmessagehaspoliticalimpact:anumberof

surveyshavefoundthattheenthusiasmofvotersforpoliciestoreduceclimate

changefallsoffasthepricetagincreases.

However,anewmodellingexercisesuggeststhatthesefearsarelargely

unfounded,ItprojectsthatradicalcutstotheUK'semissionswillcausebarely

noticeableincreasesinthepriceoffood,drinkandmostothergoodsby2050.

Electricityandpetrolcostswillrisesignificantly,butwiththerightpoliciesin

place,saythemodellers,thisneednotleadtobigchangesinourlifestyle.

"Theseresultsshowthattheglobalprojecttofightclimatechangeis

feasible,"saysAlexBowen,aclimatepolicyexpertattheLondonSchoolof

Economics.HIt'snotsuchabigaskaspeoplearemakingout.”

Althoughitisimpossibletopreciselypredictpricesfourdecadesfromnow,

theexerciseisoneofthemostdetailedexaminationsyetoftheimpactofclimate

changepoliciesonUKconsumers.Itprovidesausefulroughguidetoour

economicfuture.

ThoughitsresultsspeakdirectlytotheUKconsumer,previousresearchhas

cometosimilarconclusionsfortheUS.InJune,onestudyfoundthatiftheUS

weretocutemissionsby50percentby2050,pricesofmostconsumergoods

wouldincreasebylessthan5percent.Thefindingsarealsoconsistentwith

analysesbythePewCenteronGlobalClimateChangeinWashingtonDC."Even

cuttingemissionsby80percentoverfourdecadeshasaverysmalleffecton

consumersinmostareas,"saysManikRoyofthePewCenter."Thechallengeis

nowtoconvinceconsumersandpolicy-makersthatthisisthecase."

TheIntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChangerecommendsthatwealthy

nationscuttheiremissionstobetween80and95percentbelow1990levelsby

2050inordertoavoidtheworsteffectsofclimatechange.TheUKgovernment

aimstoreduceitscontributionby80percentandleadersoftheotherG8nations

havediscussedfollowingsuit.Tomeetthisgoal,industrieswillhavetocutdown

fossilfuelconsumption,andlow-carbonpower

sourceswillhavetomassivelyexpand.Companieswillhavetopayincreasingly

higherpricesfortherighttoemitgreenhousegases.

Howwillthisaffecttheaveragecitizen'swallet?Tomeasuretheimpactofthe

80percenttargetontheUKpopulation,NewscientistapproachedCambridge

Econometrics,afirmknownforitsmodellingoftheEuropeane-conomy.The

firmusedhistoriceconomicdatatopredicttheimpactofemissionsreductionson

pricesinover40categoriesofgoodsandservices.Itcomparedtheimpactofthe

80percentcutwithabaselinesituationinwhichthegovernmenttakesnoaction

otherthanthelimitedemissionsrestrictionsalreadyinplaceasaresultofthe

Kyotoprotocol.

Mostofthepriceincreasesareaconsequenceofrisingenergycosts,inpart

becausecoalandgasarereplacedbymoreexpensivelow-carbonsources.The

priceofelectricityisprojectedtobe15percenthigherin2050comparedwiththe

baseline.Intoday'sprices,thatwouldaddaround￡5ontotypicalmonthly

householdelectricitybills.Itwillalsoresultinhigherpriceselsewhere,asevery

industrialsectoruseselectricity.

Butelectricityandotherformsofenergymakeuponlyasmallpartofthe

priceofmostgoods.Otherfactors—rawmaterials,labourandtaxes—arefar

moreimportant.Theenergythatgoesintoproducingfood,alcoholicdrinksand

tobacco,forexample,makesupjust2percentoftheconsumerprice.Formotor

vehiclepurchasesandhotelstays,thefigureis1percent.Onlyfor

energy-intensiveindustriesdoesthecontributionclimbabove3percent.

Asaresult,mostproductscostjustafewpercentmoreby2050.Atcurrent

prices,goinglow-carbonisforecasttoaddaround5pencetothepriceofasliceof

breadorapintofbeer.Thepriceofhouseholdappliancessuchaswashing

machinesrisesbyafewpounds.

Thereisonemajorexceptiontothepattern.Airlinesdonotcurrentlyhavea

low-carbonalternativetojetfuel.Unlessoneisfound,theywillbear,thefull

burdenofcarbonpricing,andaveragefareswillrisebyatleast140per

cent-raisingthecostofatypicalLondontoNewYorkreturntripfromaround

￡350to￡840.

Achievingtheoverallpictureoflowpricesdoesrequiregovernmentaction.

Themodelforecaststhatby2050naturalgasandpetrolwillcost160percentand

32percentmorerespectively.Toavoidlargepricerisesinhomeheatingandroad

transportwhilestillhittingthe80percenttarget,theCambridgeresearchershad

tobuildtwomajorpoliciesintotheiranalysis.Theyassumedthatfuture

governmentswillprovidegrantstohelpswitchalldomesticheatingandcooking

toelectricity,andinvestinthebasicfacilitiesneededforelectriccarstoalmost

completelyreplacepetroleum-fuelledvehicles.

BothpolicieshavebeendiscussedinrecentUKgovernmentstrategy

documents,thoughthedetailofhowtheywouldbeimplementedstillneeds

furtherdiscussion.Firmpoliciesmustfollowifambitiousemissionscutsare

goingtobemade,saysChrisThoungofCambridgeEconometrics.

Soistacklingclimatechangegoingtobeeasierthanexpected,intermsof

consumercosts?WhiletheCambridgeEconometricsmodeliswidelyrespected

andregularlyusedbytheUKgovernment'sclimatechangeadvisers,anyattempt

toforecastfourdecadesaheadcanbedivertedfromitsintendedcourseby

unforeseenevents.Thatleadssomeeconomiststoquestionthemodel'sresults.

Forexample,companiescouldmovetocountrieswithlessstrictcarbon

regulations,pointsoutRichardToloftheEconomicandSocialResearchInstitute

inDublin,Ireland.IncomesintheUKwouldfall,makinggoodsrelativelymore

expensive.Tolalsoquestionswhetheritisreasonabletousehistoricalpricesasa

basisforprojectingbeyond2020.

Despitethis,theCambridgeEconometricsresults,togetherwithotherrecent

studies,doprovideausefulguideforgovernments,saysMichaelGrubbofthe

UniversityofCambridge.Theysuggestthattheoverallchallengeisconquerable,

evenifmanyofthedetailswillonlybecomeclearinyearstocome.

1.Whydoestheenthusiasmofthepolicy-makerstolessenclimatechange

decrease?

A)Economicrecessioniswidelyspread.B)Westernlifestylesare

destroyed.

C)Thecostofagreenrevolutionrises.D)Theenvironmentis

improved.

2.Accordingtothemodellers,emissioncutswon'tchangethelifestyle,provided

that.

A)thepriceoffoodanddrinkremainsstableB)appropriatepoliciesare

carriedout

C)electricityandpetrolcostsdon'triseD)thepublichasastrong

faithinit

3.ThestudiesreleasedinUKandUSshowthat.

A)cuttingemissionswon'taffectthepriceofdailygoodsmuch

B)thetwocountries*situationsofthegreenrevolutionaredifferent

C)theconsumersstronglysupportcuttingemission

D)themostchallengingproblemishowtostabilizetheprice

4.CambridgeEconometricspredictedtheimpactofemissionsreductionsonprices

from____________________________________________________________________

A)computeranalysisB)pasteconomicdata

C)currentcategoriesofgoodsD)abaselinesituation

5.What'sthemajorcauseofthehigherpriceaccordingtothepassage?

A)Highertaxesoncarbonemissions.B)Changesofthelifestyle.

C)Therisinglivingstandards.D)Risingenergycosts.

6Whyaretheairfarespredictedtorisedramatically?

A)Moreandmorepeoplewilltaketheplane.B)Nocleanenergycan

replacethejetfuel.

C)Manyairlinescollapseduetocarbonpricing.D)Thecostofanairline

increasesforEndingnewenergy.

7.ThetwomajorpoliciesbuiltbytheCambridgeresearchersinclude—.

A)imposinghighertaxesforpetroleum-fuelledvehicles

B)stabilizationofthepriceofdailygoodsandservice

C)theelectrificationofresidentialheatingandcookingsystem

D)theprohibitionofdrivingpetroleum-fuelledvehicles

8.Someeconomistsdoubtthemodefsresultsbecausethepredictionmaybe

divertedby__________

9.RichardTolpointsoutthatgoodsinUKmaybecomemoreexpensiveas

companiescouldfindotherlocationswith

lO.TheCambridgeEconometricsresultsprovideausefulguidefor

policy-makers,withasuggestionthatthegovernmentcanthe

challenge.

ILTopicsandMainIdeas(20points)

ThefollowingparagraphsareadaptedfromanarticlebyTimWendellcalled

"HealingHarmonies."Readtheparagraphsfromthearticle,andanswerthe

questionsthatfolloweachone.

1Musicisgoodforus.2Newstudiespointtotheideathatmusiccanchange

howourbrainsandbodiesfunction.3Expertsusemusictobattlecancer,stir

memoryinAlzheimer'spatients,relievestress,andboosttestscores.4Doctors

believeusingmusicasatherapy(treatment)inhospitalsandnursinghomes

makesthesickfeelbetterandhealfaster.5Agrowingnumberofnursinghomes

havehiredmusictherapiststohelpolderpatientswithphysicalandsocialskills.

6ASaresult,somestrokepatientshaveimprovedrapidlybylisteningtomusicas

theyexercise.

_1.Thewordtherapyinsentence3means

a.sickness.c.treatment.

b.music.d.distraction.

_2.Whatisthetopicoftheparagraph?

a.therapytoboosttestscoresc.patientsdancingtomusic

b.musictobattlecancerd.positiveeffectsofmusic

_3.Whatisthemainideaoftheparagraph?

a.sentence2c.sentence1

b.sentence4d.sentence5

7Someexpertsfoundthesoundofdrumsmayinfluencehowourbodies

work.“GratefulDeaddrummerMickeyHartbelievesasimpledrumbeatcanstir

long-forgottenmemories.9Hevisitsnursinghomes,handsoutdrums,andleads

residentsinimpromptu,orspur-of-the-moment,concerts.l()Oneresearcherstates,

"Deepinourlong-termmemoryisthisrehearsedmusic.nHereiswhereyou

rememberthemusicplayedatyourwedding,themusicofyourfirstlove,that

firstdance.,2Suchthingscanstillberememberedeveninpeoplewith

progressive(non-improving)diseases.1Itcanbeawindowtoreachthem."

4.Thewordimpromptuinsentence9means

a.plannedfarinadvance.

b.loud.

c.fast-paced.

d.occurringonthespurofthemoment.

5.Thewordprogressiveinsentence12means

a.serious.c.improving.

b.short-lived.d.nonimproving.

6.Whatisthetopicoftheparagraph?

a.musicandmemoryc.music

b.theGratefulDeadd.memory

7.Whatisthemainideaoftheparagraph?

a.sentence7c.sentence12

b.sentence8d.sentence13

uMusicisseenasfodderorfoodfortheyoung,growingbrain.15Asmall

groupofcollegestudentsdidbetteroncertaintestsafterlisteningtoMozart.

16ASaresult,manymothersplayedclassicalmusictotheirbabiesinthewomb.

I7NOWnewerstudiesfocusonthebenefitofmusicmakinginsteadofjust

listeningtomusic.l8Onestudyfoundthat3-and4-year-oldswhoweretaughtto

playthepianoscoredhigherinabstractreasoning,suchasmathandsciencethan

childrenwhogotcomputerinstruction.

—TimWendell,"HealingHarmonies,"USA

WeekendMagazine,26-28Oct.2001,pp.7-8.

Copyright?2001,USAToday.Reprintedby

permission.

_8.Thewordfodderinsentence14means

a.stress.c.food.

b.poison.d.help.

_9.Thetermabstractreasoninginsentence18means

a.problemsolving.c.collegecourses,

b.hardlypossible.d.highschool.

_10.Whatisthetopicoftheparagraph?

a.musicandtheyoungbrainc.theyoungbrain

b.testscoresd.classicalmusic

III.Readthefollowingtext.Choosethebestword(s)foreachnumbered

blackandmarkA,B,CorDonANSWERSHEET1.(20points)

TheInternetaffordsanonymitytoitsusers,ablessingtoprivacyand

freedomofspeech.Butthatveryanonymityisalsobehindtheexplosionof

cyber-crimethathasIacrosstheWeb.

Canprivacybepreserved2bringingsafetyandsecuritytoaworldthat

seemsincreasingly3?

Lastmonth,HowardSchmidt,thenation'scyber-czar,offeredthefederal

governmenta4tomaketheWebasaferplace-a''voluntarytrustedidentity^^

systemthatwouldbethehigh-tech5ofaphysicalkey,afingerprintandaphoto

IDcard,allrolled6_one.Thesystemmightuseasmartidentitycard,oradigital

credential7toaspecificcomputer.andwouldauthenticateusersatarangeof

onlineservices.

Theideaisto8afederationofprivateonlineidentitysystems.Usercould9

whichsystemtojoin,andonlyregistereduserswhoseidentitieshavebeen

authenticatedcouldnavigatethosesystems.Theapproachcontrastswithonethat

wouldrequireanInternetdriver'slicense10bythegovernment.

GoogleandMicrosoftareamongcompaniesthatalreadyhavethese44single

sign-on”systemsthatmakeitpossibleforuserstoJJ.justoncebutusemany

differentservices.

12.theapproachwouldcreatea“walledgarden“ncyberspace,withsafe

“neighborhoods“andbrightt<streetlights^^toestablishasenseofa13community.

Mr.Schmidtdescribeditasa“voluntaryecosystem^^inwhich^individualsand

organizationscancompleteonlinetransactionswith_14trustingtheidentitiesof

eachotherandtheidentitiesoftheinfrastructure15whichthetransactionruns”.

Still,theadministration^planhas16privacyrightsactivists.Some

applaudtheapproach;othersareconcerned.Itseemsclearthatsuchaschemeis

aninitiativepushtowardwhatwould17beacompulsoryInternet“drive's

license^^mentality.

Theplanhasalsobeengreetedwithj_8bysomecomputersecurityexperts,

whoworrythatthe“voluntaryecosystem^^envisionedbyMr.Schmidtwould

stillleavemuchoftheInternet19.TheyarguethatallInternetusersshouldbe20

toregisterandidentifythemselves,inthesamewaythatdriversmustbelicensed

todriveonpublicroads.

1.A.sweptB.skippedC.walkedD.ridden

2.A.forB.withinC.whileD.though

3.A.carelessB.lawlessC.pointlessD.helpless

4.A.reasonB.reminderC.compromiseD.proposal

5.A.informationB.interferenceC.entertainmentD.equivalent

6.A.byB.intoC.fromD.over

7.A.linkedB.directedC.chainedD.compared

8.A.dismissB.discoverC.createD.improve

9.A.recallB.suggestC.selectD.realize

10.A.relcasedB.issuedC.distributedD.delivered

11.A.carryonB.lingeronC.setinD.login

12.A.InvainB.IneffectC.InreturnD.Incontrast

13.A.trustedB.modernizedc.thrivingD.competing

14.A.cautionB.delightC.confidenceD.patience

15.A.onB.afterC.beyondD.across

16.A.dividedB.disappointedC.protectedD.united

17.A.frequestlyB.incidentallyC.occasionallyD.eventually

18.A.skepticismB.releranceC.indifferenceD.enthusiasm

19.A.manageableB.defendableC.vulnerableD.invisible

20.A.invitedB.appointedC.allowedD.forced

IV.ReadingComprehension(20points)

Text1

RuthSimmonsjoinedGoldmanSachs'sboardasanoutsidedirectorin

January2000:ayearlatershebecamepresidentofBrownUniversity.Forthe

restofthedecadesheapparentlymanagedbothroleswithoutattractingmuch

eroticism.Butbytheendof2009Ms.Simmonswasunderfireforhavingsaton

Goldman'scompensationcommittee;howcouldshehaveletthoseenormous

bonuspayoutspassunremarked?ByFebruarythenextyearMs.Simmonshad

lefttheboard.Thepositionwasjusttakinguptoomuchtime,shesaid.

Outsidedirectorsaresupposedtoserveashelpful,yetlessbiased,advisers

onafirm'sboard.Havingmadetheirwealthandtheirreputationselsewhere,

theypresumablyhaveenoughindependencetodisagreewiththechief

executive'sproposals.Ifthesky,andthesharepriceisfalling,outsidedirectors

shouldbeabletogiveadvicebasedonhavingweatheredtheirowncrises.

TheresearchersfromOhioUniversityusedadatabasehatcoveredmorethan

10,000firmsandmorethan64,000differentdirectorsbetween1989and2004.

Thentheysimplycheckedwhichdirectorsstayedfromoneproxystatementto

thenext.Themostlikelyreasonfordepartingaboardwasage,sotheresearchers

concentratedonthose“surprise“disappearancesbydirectorsundertheageof70.

Theyfountthatafterasurprisedeparture,theprobabilitythatthecompanywill

subsequentlyhavetorestateearningsincreasedbynearly20%.Thelikelihoodof

beingnamedinafederalclass-actionlawsuitalsoincreases,andthestockis

likelytoperformworse.Theeffecttendedtobelargerforlargerfirms.Although

acorrelationbetweenthemleavingandsubsequentbadperformanceatthefirm

issuggestive,itdoesnotmeanthatsuchdirectorsarealwaysjumpingoffa

sinkingship.Oftenthey“tradeup."Leavingriskier,smallerfirmsforlargerand

morestablefirms.

Buttheresearchersbelievethatoutsidedirectorshaveaneasiertimeof

avoidingablowtotheirreputationsiftheyleaveafirmbeforebadnewsbreaks,

evenifareviewofhistoryshowstheywereontheboardatthetimeany

wrongdoingoccurred.Firmswhowanttokeeptheiroutsidedirectorsthrough

toughtimesmayhavetocreateincentives.Otherwiseoutsidedirectorswill

followtheexampleofMs.Simmons,onceagainverypopularoncampus.

1.AccordingtoParagraph1,Ms.Simmonswascriticizedfor.

[A]gainingexcessiveprofits

[B]failingtofulfillherduty

[C]refusingtomakecompromises

[D]leavingtheboardintoughtimes

2.WelearnfromParagraph2thatoutsidedirectorsaresupposedtobe.

[A]generousinvestors

[B]unbiasedexecutives

[C]sharepriceforecasters

[D]independentadvisers

3.AccordingtotheresearchersfromOhioUniversityafteranoutsidedirector's

surprisedeparture,thefirmislikelyto.

lAJbecomemorestable

[B]reportincreasedearnings

[C]dolesswellinthestockmarket

[D]performworseinlawsuits

4.Itcanbeinferredfromthelastparagraphthatoutsidedirectors.

(AJmaystayfortheattractiveoffersfromthefirm

[Blhaveoftenhadrecordsofwrongdoingsinthefirm

LCJareaccustomedtostress-freeworkinthefirm

[D]willdeclineincentivesfromthefirm

5.Theauthofsattitudetowardtheroleofoutsidedirectorsis.

[A]permissive

[B]positive

[C]scomful

[D]critical

Text2

Whateverhappenedtothedeathofnewspaper?Ayearagotheendseemed

near.Therecessionthreatenedtoremovetheadvertisingandreadersthathadnot

alreadyfledtotheinternet.NewspapersliketheSanFranciscoChroniclewere

chroniclingtheirowndoom.America'sFederalTradecommissionlauncheda

roundoftalksabouthowtosavenewspapers.Shouldtheybecomecharitable

corporations?Shouldthestatesubsidizethem?Itwillholdanothermeetingsoon.

Butthediscussionsnowseemoutofdate.

Inmuchoftheworldthereisthesignofcrisis.GermanandBrazilianpapers

haveshruggedofftherecession.EvenAmericannewspapers,whichinhabitthe

mosttroubledcomeoftheglobalindustry,havenotonlysurvivedbutoften

returnedtoprofit.Notthe20%profitmarginsthatwereroutineafewyearsago,

butprofitallthesame.

Ithasnotbeenmuchfun.Manypapersstayedafloatbypushingjournalists

overboard.TheAmericanSocietyofNewsEditorsreckonsthat13,500

newsroomjobshavegonesince2007.Readersarepayingmoreforslimmer

products.Somepapersevenhadthenervetorefusedeliverytodistantsuburbs.

Yetthesedesperatemeasureshaveprovedtherightonesand,sadlyformany

journalists,theycanbepushedfurther.

Newspapersarebecomingmorebalancedbusinesses,withahealthiermixof

revenuesfromreadersandadvertisers.Americanpapershavelongbeenhighly

unusualintheirrelianceonads.Fully87%oftheirrevenuescamefrom

advertisingin2008,accordingtotheOrganizationforEconomicCooperation&

Development(OECD).In