HAZEL: Tom, could I ask you for some advice, please?
TOM: Yes of course, if you think I can help. What’s it about?
HAZEL: It’s my first media studies assignment, and I’m not sure how to go about it. You must have done it last year.
TOM: Is that the one comparing the coverage of a particular story in a range of newspapers?
HAZEL: That’s right.
TOM: Oh yes, I really enjoyed writing it.
HAZEL: So what sort of things do I need to compare?
TOM: Well, there are several things. For example, there’s the question of which page 【Q21】 of the newspaper the item appears on.
HAZEL: You mean, because there’s a big difference between having it on the front page and the bottom of page ten, for instance?
TOM: Exactly. And that shows how important the editor thinks the story is. Then there’s the size 【Q22】 – how many column inches the story is given, how many columns it spreads over.
HAZEL: And I suppose that includes the headline.
TOM: It certainly does. It’s all part of attracting the reader’s attention.
HAZEL: What about graphics 【Q23】 – whether there’s anything visual in addition to the text?
TOM: Yes, you need to consider those, too, because they can have a big effect on the reader’s understanding of the story – sometimes a bigger effect than the text itself. Then you’ll need to look at how the item is put together: what structure 【Q24】 is it given? Bear in mind that not many people read beyond the first paragraph, so what has the journalist put at the beginning? And if, say, three are conflicting opinions about something, does one appear near the end, where people probably won’t read it?
HAZEL: And newspapers sometimes give wrong or misleading information, don’t they? Either deliberately or by accident. Should I be looking at that, too?
TOM: Yes, if you can. Compare what’s in different versions, and as far as possible, try and work out what’s true and what isn’t. And that relates to a very important point: what’s the writer’s purpose 【Q25】, or at least the most important one, if they have several. It may seem to be to inform the public, but often it’s that they want to create fear, or controversy, or to make somebody look ridiculous.
HAZEL: Gosh, I see what you mean. And I suppose the writer may make assumptions 【Q26】 about the reader.
TOM: That’s right – about their knowledge of the subject, their attitudes, and their level of education, which means writing so that the readers understand without feeling patronised. All of that will make a difference to how story is presented.
HAZEL: Does it matter what type of story I write about?
TOM: No – national or international politics, the arts … Anything, as long as it’s covered in two or three newspaper. Though of course it’ll be easier and more fun if it’s something you’re interested in and know something about.
HAZEL: And on that basis a national news item would be worth analysing – I’m quite keen on politics, so I’ll try and find a suitable topic 【Q27】. What did you choose for your analysis, Tom?
TOM: I was interested in how newspapers express their opinions explicitly, so I wanted to compare editorials in different papers, but when I started looking. I couldn’t find two on the same topic 【Q28】 that I felt like analysing.
HAZEL: In that case, I won’t even bother to look 【Q28】.
TOM: So in the end I chose a human interest story – a terribly emotional story about a young girl who was very ill, and lots of other people – mostly strangers – raised money so she could go abroad for treatment. Actually, I was surprised – some papers just wrote about how wonderful everyone was, but others considered the broader picture, like why treatment wasn’t available here.
HAZEL: Hmm, I usually find stories like that raise quite strong feelings in me! I’ll avoid that 【Q29】. Perhaps I’ll choose an arts topic 【Q30】, like different reviews of a film, or something about funding for the arts – I’ll think about that.
TOM: Yes, that might be interesting.
HAZEL: OK, well thanks a lot for your help, Tom. It’s been really useful.
TOM: You’re welcome. Good luck with the assignment, Hazel.
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
听前预测：定位词为 items in newspapers; 提示词为 what、on, 此处应填名词。
题目解析：本题需要在预判过程中判断应填入的信息性质和内容。由题干可知，此处应填报纸上某个具体的区域。在听到 “... what sort of things do I need to compare?" 时可判断答案信息即将出现，其中 things 替换了题干中的 items, compare替换了题干中的 analyse, 接着答案句由信号词 For example 引导：“... there's the question of which page of the newspaper the item appears on.”故根据预判信息，可知答案为page.
听前预测：提示词为 the、of, 此处应填名词。
题目解析：本题在定位上稍有难度，题干中没有较好的定位词，item 为此篇对话中的重复性名词，不能用于定位，另一名词 headline 极有可能在答案后面出现。本题需要在预判过程中判断应填入的信息性质和内容。由题干中的 of the item 可知，此处应填 item 的某个方面或部分。注意该部分填空题为并列信息题，故考生在做题时需跟上对话节奏，把握其结构和内容上的推进。答案句由递进信号词Then 引导："Then there's the size - how many column inches the story is given ...” 其中 the story 替换了题干中的 the item, 故根据预判信息，可知答案为 size, 通过后面听到的 that includes the headline 可进一步确认答案。
听前预测：提示词为 any、accompanying, 此处应填名词。
题目解析：同上题，本题在定位上稍有难度，题干中没有较好的定位词，考生在做题真题全解时需跟上对话节奏，把握其结构和内容上的推进。在听到 What about 时可知答案信息即将出现，可锁定答案句：What about graphics - whether there's anything visual in addtion to the text?" 其中，in addition to the text 对应问题中的 accompanying the item, 因此答案为 graphic(s), 但此处是请教者的提问，还需要通过后面的肯定回答进一步确认答案。
听前预测：提示词为 the、of, 此处应填名词。
目解析：同前两题，本题在定位上稍有难度，题干中没有较好的定位词，考生在做题时需跟上对话节奏，把握其结构和内容上的推进。答案句由递进信号词Then引导："Then you'll need to look at how the item is put together: what structure is it given?” 故根据预判信息抓取名词 structure 即可，后面两句对 structure 的具体描述则对应题干中的 what's made prominent.
听前预测：定位词为 writer's; 提示词为 main, 此处应填名词。
题目解析：本题难度较低。在听到题干中 analyse 的替换词 Compare 再次出现时可判断答案信息即将出现，可锁定答案句：“And that relates to a very important point: what's the writer's purpose..." 答案 purpose 由定位词writer's 直接引出，后面的 the most important 替换了题干中的 main.
听前预测：定位词为 the writer; 提示词为 the, 此处应填名词。
题目解析：本题难度较低。通过定位词案 the writer 可锁定答句：“And I suppose the writer may make assumptions about the reader." 其中 the writer may make assumptions about the reader 替换了题干中 the assumptions the writer may make about the reader 的名词性短语结构，因此答案为 assumption(s), 但还需注意此处是请教者提供的信息，需要通过后面的肯定回答进一步确认答案。
