The power of the press

原文

In democratic countries any efforts to restrict the freedom of the press are rightly condemned. However, this freedom can easily be abused. Stories about people often attract far more public attention than political events. Though we may enjoy reading about the lives of others, it is extremely doubtful whether we would equally enjoy reading about ourselves. Acting on the contention that facts are sacred, reporters can cause untold suffering to individuals by publishing details about their private lives. Newspapers exert such tremendous influence that they can not only bring about major changes to the lives of ordinary people but can even overthrow a government.

The story of a poor family that acquired fame and fortune overnight, dramatically illustrates the power of the press. The family lived in Aberdeen, a small town of 23,000 inhabitants in South Dakota. As the parents had five children, life was a perpetual struggle against poverty. They were expecting their sixth child and were faced with even more pressing economic problems. If they had only had one more child, the fact would have passed unnoticed. They would have continued to struggle against economic odds and would have lived in obscurity. But they suddenly became the parents of quintuplets, an aeroplane arrived in Aberdeen bringing sixty reporters and photographers.

The rise to fame was swift. Television cameras and newspapers carried the news to everyone in the country. Newspapers and magazines offered the family huge sums for the exclusive rights to publish stories and photographs. Gifts poured in not only from unknown people, but room baby food and soap manufacturers who wished to advertise their products. The old farmhouse the family lived in was to be replaced by new $500,000 home. Reporters kept pressing for interviews so lawyers had to be employed to act as spokesmen for the family at press conferences. While the five babies were babies were still quietly sleeping in oxygen tents in hospital nursery, their parents were paying the price for fame. It would never again be possible for them to lead normal lives. They had become the victims of commercialization, for their names had acquired a market value. Instead of being five new family members, these children had immediately become a commodity.

译文

在民主国家，任何限制新闻自由的努力都是正确的谴责。然而，这种自由很容易被滥用。关于人们的报道往往比政治事件更能吸引公众的注意。虽然我们可能喜欢阅读他人的生活，但我们是否同样喜欢阅读自己的生活却极可怀疑。记者们坚持认为事实神圣，通过公布个人私生活细节，他们可能给个人带来无法形容的痛苦。报纸具有巨大的影响力，不仅能给普通人的生活带来重大变化，甚至能推翻一个政府。

一个贫穷家庭一夜之间获得名利的故事，戏剧性地说明了新闻的力量。那个家庭住在南达科他州的阿伯丁，一个拥有23,000居民的小镇。由于父母有五个孩子，生活是与贫困的不断斗争。他们正在期待第六个孩子，并面临着更加紧迫的经济问题。如果他们只生了一个孩子，这件事就会悄无声息。他们会继续与经济困难作斗争，并在默默无闻中生活下去。但是，他们突然成了五胞胎的父母，一架飞机抵达阿伯丁，带来了六十名记者和摄影师。

成名是迅速的。电视摄影机和报纸把这个消息传遍了全国。报纸和杂志出高价向这个家庭购买独家报道和照片的权利。礼物如潮水般涌来，不仅来自陌生人，还来自婴儿食品和肥皂制造商，他们希望借此宣传自己的产品。那个家庭居住的旧农舍将被一栋价值50万美元的新住宅所取代。记者们不断要求采访，因此不得不雇用律师在记者招待会上作为家庭的发言人。当五个婴儿还在医院的育婴室里安静地睡在氧气帐里时，他们的父母已经在为名声付出代价。他们再也不能过正常的生活了。他们成了商业化的受害者，因为他们的名字已经有了市场价值。这些孩子不再是五个新的家庭成员，而立即变成了一种商品。

词汇表

freedom

名词

英:/ˈfriːdəm/

美:/ˈfriːdəm/

定义

1. 自由 - The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance.

例子: Freedom of speech allows people to express their opinions openly.

例子: In many countries, freedom is a fundamental human right.

2. 解放 - The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.

例子: After years in jail, he finally gained his freedom.

例子: The bird enjoyed its freedom in the open sky.

近义词

liberty: 强调法律或政治上的权利，常用于正式语境，而 'freedom' 更广泛地包括个人选择。

independence: 侧重于脱离控制或自给自足，常用于国家或个人自治，与 'freedom' 相比更强调自主性。

autonomy: 特指自我管理或决策的权利，常用于组织或地区层面，而 'freedom' 更泛指一般自由。

反义词:

oppression, slavery, captivity

用法

常用于政治、社会或个人语境中，常见搭配如 'freedom of speech' 或 'fight for freedom'，在民主国家中尤为重要。

形式:

复数: freedoms

关键句型 "such...that"

定义

"such...that" 句型用于强调某事物的程度导致了特定结果，结构通常是 such + 形容词/副词 + 名词 + that + 从句。例如，在文章中：“Newspapers exert such tremendous influence that they can not only bring about major changes...”。根据《剑桥英语语法手册》，这个句型表示因果关系，其中 such 强调名词或形容词的极端程度，导致 that 引导的结果从句。它的核心是突出一种强烈的对比或影响，让句子更生动和说服力强。

这是一个常见的英语表达方式，帮助学习者描述事物如何引发后果。

用法

"such...that" 常用于描述某事物的极端特征及其引发的结果，适用于口语和书面语中，如新闻报道或故事叙述。在语法体系中，它属于连接词结构的一部分，与其他表示结果的句型（如 "so...that"）相关联，但 such...that 专门用于修饰名词短语，而 so...that 则修饰形容词或副词。

横向比较：与 "so...that" 相比，such...that 必须与名词结合（如 "such great influence that"），而 "so...that" 用于形容词（如 "so tired that"），这有助于区分它们在句子中的位置。同时，与 "because" 或 "as a result" 相比，such...that 更强调程度的直接影响，提供更流畅的叙述。跨语法联系：它可以与条件句或虚拟语气结合，进一步扩展句子复杂性，比如在文章中与 "can not only...but also" 一起使用，展示因果和并列的结合。

例如，在日常对话中，你可以说：“He has such a busy schedule that he rarely has time for hobbies.” 这强调了忙碌程度的后果。

注意事项

学生常犯的错误包括：误用 "such" 和 "so"，如将 "such tired" 说成 "such tired that"（应为 "so tired that"）；或者遗漏 that 从句，导致句子不完整。纠正建议：记住 such 后跟形容词 + 名词的模式，并练习完整的句子结构。另一个常见问题是用法不当时句子变得awkward，例如说 "It was such a day that I stayed home" 而忽略上下文的逻辑。

错误示例：She has such beauty she became a model.  // 缺少 "that"
正确示例：She has such beauty that she became a model.

始终确保 that 从句清晰表达结果，以避免歧义。

练习

一个原创例子：想象你在描述一个朋友的才华，你可以说：“My friend has such amazing cooking skills that everyone at the party asks for her recipes.” 学生可以替换关键词，比如将 "amazing cooking skills" 换成 "strong leadership abilities"，并创建新场景，如在工作中说：“Our team has such dedication that we finished the project ahead of schedule。”

通过这种替换，学生能将句型应用到个人经历中，加深记忆和实际使用。

额外内容

背景知识："such...that" 起源于古英语的强调结构，在现代英语中常用于文学和新闻中，以增加戏剧性。对比分析：与中文的 "如此...以至于" 类似，但英语版本更结构化。相比西班牙语的 "tan...que"，英语的 "such...that" 更依赖词序而非词汇变化，这让它对初学者更易掌握。同时，了解这个句型能帮助学生欣赏英语文章的修辞技巧，如在历史名著中常见，提升阅读欣赏能力。