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第五课

一、课文原文

The Facts

Editors and writers are never short of things to write about, for the simple reason that there are always more news stories than there is space to print them. Consequently, the editor must decide which stories to print and which to discard. He must also decide how much space to give each story. This is not an easy task, for the editor must bear in mind that the news he prints must be true and that he must not give undue prominence to trivial stories.

Journalists, too, have their problems. They must decide what facts to include in their stories and what to leave out. They must also decide how to present these facts. Should they give the bare facts, or should they add color and human interest? Should they emphasize the positive aspects of a story, or should they highlight the negative? These are difficult questions, for the journalist must bear in mind that his readers want to be informed, but they also want to be entertained.

The truth is that neither the editor nor the journalist can ever be completely objective. They are both influenced by their own background, their own beliefs, and their own prejudices. Consequently, the news we read is never a perfect reflection of reality. It is, at best, an interpretation of reality. We must, therefore, read the news with a critical eye and always bear in mind that there are two sides to every story.

二、核心词汇与词组精讲、拓展及例句

1. Short of

  • 英文释义：Not having enough of something; lacking.
  • 中文释义：缺乏；不足。
  • 核心词组：never short of（从不缺乏/从不缺少）。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • lack（缺乏，动词/名词）：The project failed due to a lack of funding.
    • be deficient in（缺乏，不足，较正式）：His diet is deficient in vitamin C.
    • run out of（用完，耗尽）：We have run out of milk.

2. Discard

  • 英文释义：To get rid of something that is no longer useful or desirable.
  • 中文释义：丢弃；抛弃；舍弃。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • abandon（放弃，遗弃，多指计划、希望或人）：They had to abandon the plan due to bad weather.
    • dispose of（处理掉，处置）：Please dispose of your trash properly.
    • reject（拒绝，驳回）：The committee rejected his proposal.

3. Bear in mind

  • 英文释义：To remember something or consider it when making a decision.
  • 中文释义：记住；考虑到；体谅。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • keep in mind（记住，最常用）：Please keep in mind that the deadline is Friday.
    • take into account（考虑到）：We must take the weather into account.
    • bear in consideration（考虑到，较正式）：Please bear in consideration the feelings of others.

4. Undue

  • 英文释义：More than is reasonable, appropriate, or necessary; excessive.
  • 中文释义：过度的；不适当的；过分的。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • excessive（过度的，过多的）：He has an excessive fear of failure.
    • immoderate（不节制的，过分的）：His immoderate spending led to debt.
    • unwarranted（无正当理由的，不适当的）：The criticism was completely unwarranted.

5. Trivial

  • 英文释义：Of little value or importance; insignificant.
  • 中文释义：琐碎的；微不足道的；不重要的。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • insignificant（无足轻重的，微小的）：The difference in price is insignificant.
    • petty（琐碎的，小气的，多指人或事）：Don't be so petty about small mistakes.
    • negligible（可忽略不计的）：The risk is negligible.

6. Bare

  • 英文释义：Just enough; basic; without addition.
  • 中文释义：仅仅的；基本的；赤裸的。
  • 核心词组：the bare facts（基本事实/赤裸裸的事实）。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • mere（仅仅，只不过）：It was a mere accident.
    • sheer（纯粹的，完全的）：It was sheer luck.
    • stark（赤裸裸的，严酷的）：The stark reality is that we have no money.

7. Highlight

  • 英文释义：To emphasize something or make it stand out.
  • 中文释义：强调；突出；使显著。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • emphasize（强调，最常用）：I want to emphasize the importance of safety.
    • underscore（强调，在……下面划线）：The report underscores the need for reform.
    • accentuate（突出，使更明显）：The dress accentuates her figure.

三、特别语法点拨（长难句）

Consequently 引导的逻辑衔接

  • 原句：Consequently, the editor must decide which stories to print...
  • 解析：Consequently 是副词，意为“因此、所以”，用于句首，表示因果关系。它比 so 更正式，比 therefore 更强调必然的结果。在议论文中，使用 Consequently, As a result, Thus 等词，能让段落之间的逻辑推进更加丝滑、有力。
  • 注意：Consequently 后面通常有逗号，且不能像 because 那样连接两个分句，它必须独立成句或作为插入语。

四、智慧版写作指导

1. 用“让步+转折”构建客观立场

  • 写作指导：在议论文中，不要一味地输出观点。先承认对方的合理性或现实的复杂性（让步），再引出你的核心论点（转折），这样会让你的观点显得理性、全面、不可反驳。
  • 课文示范：The truth is that neither the editor nor the journalist can ever be completely objective. They are both influenced by...（先承认“人不可能完全客观”这一事实，再解释原因，最后引出“新闻是解读”的结论。）
  • 实战仿写：Admittedly, technology has brought convenience to our lives. However, it has also eroded our ability to focus.（诚然，科技带来了便利。然而，它也侵蚀了我们专注的能力。）

2. 巧用“平行结构”增强气势与节奏

  • 写作指导：在列举问题、选择或对比时，使用相同的语法结构（如：Should they... Or should they...?），能产生强烈的节奏感和逻辑张力，让读者感受到问题的复杂性和作者的思考深度。
  • 课文示范：Should they give the bare facts, or should they add color...? Should they emphasize the positive..., or should they highlight the negative...?
  • 实战仿写：Do we want a society that values profit over people, or a society that values people over profit? Do we want to build walls, or do we want to build bridges?

3. 用“抽象名词”提升文章的学术感

  • 写作指导：在讨论社会现象或抽象概念时，尽量用抽象名词（如：objectivity, reality, interpretation, prominence）代替具体的动词或形容词。这能让文章从“讲故事”上升到“讲道理”的层面。
  • 课文示范：It is, at best, an interpretation of reality.（用 interpretation 和 reality 两个抽象名词，精准概括了新闻的本质。）
  • 实战替换：
    • 不说 People think differently. → 说 There is a divergence in perspective.
    • 不说 The problem is getting worse. → 说 The deterioration of the situation is alarming.

注意

以上内容由AI生成，请自主辨明是否存在问题。