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考研英语阅读理解有一部分是截取自报刊文章,因此考生在复习备考的过程中要注意提高报刊文章的阅读能力,把握时事阅读。下面新东方在线小编分享历年真题同源的30篇报刊文章,附有注释和解析,希望考生认真阅读,提高对此类文章的阅读能力和增加相关词汇量。
考研英语阅读真题同源报刊文章30篇(28)
Don’t shoot the messenger
They poison the mind and corrupt the morals of the young, who waste their
time sitting on sofas immersed in dangerous fantasy worlds. That, at least, was
the charge levelled against novels during the 18th century by critics worried
about the impact of a new medium on young people. Today the idea that novels can
harm people sounds daft. And that is surely how history will judge modern
criticism of video games, which are accused of turning young people into violent
criminals. This week European justice ministers met to discuss how best to
restrict the sale of violent games to children. Some countries, such as Germany,
believe the answer is to ban some games altogether. That is going too far.
Criticism of games is merely the latest example of a tendency to demonise
new and unfamiliar forms of entertainment. In 1816 waltzing was condemned as a
"fatal contagion" that encouraged promiscuity; in 1910 films were denounced as
"an evil pure and simple, destructive of social interchange"; in the 1950s rock
’n’ roll music was said to turn young people into "devil worshippers" and comic
books were accused of turning children into drug addicts and criminals. In each
case the pattern is the same: young people adopt a new form of entertainment,
older people are spooked by its unfamiliarity and condemn it, but eventually the
young grow up and the new medium becomes accepted-at which point another example
appears and the cycle begins again.
The opposition to video games is founded on the mistaken belief that most
gamers are children. In fact, twothirds of gamers are over 18 and the average
gamer is around 30. But the assumption that gamers are mostly children leads to
a double standard. Violent films are permitted and the notion that some films
are unsuitable for children is generally understood. Yet different rules are
applied to games.
Aren’t games different because they are interactive? It is true that video
games can make people feel excited or aggressive, but so do many sports. There
is no evidence that videogaming causes longterm aggression.
Games ought to be agerated, just as films are, and retailers should not
sell adultrated games to children any more than they should sell them
adultrated films. Ratings schemes are already in place, and in some countries
restrictions on the sale of adultrated games to minors have the force of
law.
Oddly enough, Hillary Clinton, one of the politicians who has led the
criticism of the gaming industry in America, has recently come round to this
view. Last month she emphasised the need for parents to pay more attention to
game ratings and called on the industry, retailers and parents to work together.
But this week some European politicians seemed to be moving in the other
direction: the Netherlands may follow Germany, for example, in banning some
games outright. Not all adults wish to play violent games, just as not all of
them enjoy violent movies. But they should be free to do so if they wish.
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