2019年(全国3卷)
C
Before the 1830s,most newspapers were sold through annual subscriptions in America, usually $8 to $10 a year. Today $8 or $10 seems a small amount of money, but at that time these amounts were forbidding to most citizens. Accordingly, newspapers were read almost only by rich people in politics or the trades. In addition, most newspapers had little in them that would appeal to a mass audience. They were dull and visually forbidding. But the revolution that was taking place in the 1830s would change all that.
The trend, then, was toward the "penny paper"-a term referring to papers made widely available to the public. It meant any inexpensive newspaper; perhaps more importantly it meant newspapers that could be bought in single copies on the street.
This development did not take place overnight. It had been possible(but not easy)to buy single copies of newspapers before 1830,but this usually meant the reader had to go down to the printer's office to purchase a copy. Street sales were almost unknown. However, within a few years, street sales of newspapers would be commonplace in eastern cities. At first the price of single copies was seldom a penny-usually two or three cents was charged-and some of the older well-known papers charged five or six cents. But the phrase "penny paper " caught the public's fancy, and soon there would be papers that did indeed sell for only a penny.
This new trend of newspapers for "the man on the street" did not begin well. Some of the early ventures(企业)were immediate failures. Publishers already in business, people who were owners of successful papers, had little desire to change the tradition. It took a few youthful and daring businessmen to get the ball rolling.
28.Which of the following best describes newspapers in America before the 1830s?
A. Academic. B. Unattractive. C. Inexpensive. D. Confidential.
29.What did street sales mean to newspapers?
A. They would be priced higher. B. They would disappear from cities.
C. They could have more readers. D. They could regain public trust.
30.Who were the newspapers of the new trend targeted at?
A. local politicians. B. common people.
C. Young publishers. D. Rich businessmen.
31.What can we say about the birth of the penny paper?
A. It was a difficult process. B. It was a temporary success.
C. It was a robbery of the poor. D. It was a disaster for printers.
答案解析：
28. 根据文章第一段中的描述，"They were dull and visually forbidding."，可以推断出当时的报纸在视觉上并不吸引人，因此选项B "Unattractive"是最佳描述。
29. 文章第三段提到，街头销售使得报纸可以被公众广泛获取，这意味着报纸可能有更多的读者。因此，选项C "They could have more readers."是正确的。
30. 文章第二段提到了"penny paper"-a term referring to papers made widely available to the public，这意味着新趋势的报纸是针对普通大众的。因此，选项B "Common people."是正确的。
31. 文章最后一段提到，这种新趋势的报纸起初并不顺利，一些早期的企业立即失败了，而且需要一些年轻且大胆的商人来推动这个变化。这说明便士报纸的诞生是一个困难的过程。因此，选项A "It was a difficult process."是正确的。
