《新版新概念英语第三册(英音)Lesson (45)》歌词

[00:00:01] --- lesson 45 the power of the press

[00:00:06] --- listen to the tape then answer the question below.

[00:00:11] --- does the writer think the parents were lucky or unlucky to gain prosperity in this way? why?

[00:00:21] in democratic countries any efforts to restrict the freedom of the press are rightly condemned.

[00:00:28] however, this freedom can easily be abused.

[00:00:32] stories about people often attract far more public attention than political events.

[00:00:38] though we may enjoy reading about the lives of others, it is extremely doubtful whether we would equally enjoy reading about ourselves.

[00:00:48] acting on the contention that facts are sacred,

[00:00:51] reporters can cause untold suffering to individuals by publishing details about their private lives.

[00:00:59] 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.

[00:01:10] the story of a poor family that acquired fame and fortune overnight, dramatically illustrates the power of the press.

[00:01:18] the family lived in aberdeen, a small town of 23,000 inhabitants in south dakota.

[00:01:25] as the parents had five children, life was a perpetual struggle against poverty.

[00:01:30] they were expecting their sixth child and were faced with even more pressing economic problems.

[00:01:36] if they had only had one more child, the fact would have passed unnoticed.

[00:01:42] they would have continued to struggle against economic odds and would have lived in obscurity.

[00:01:48] but they suddenly became the parents of quintuplets, four girl and a boy, an event which radically changed their lives.

[00:01:57] the day after the birth of the five children, an aeroplane arrived in aberdeen bringing sixty reporters and photographers.

[00:02:06] the rise to fame was swift.

[00:02:09] television cameras and newspapers carried the news to everyone in the country.

[00:02:15] newspapers and magazines offered the family huge sums for the exclusive rights to publish stories and photographs.

[00:02:23] gifts poured in not only from unknown people, but from baby food and soap manufacturers who wished to advertise their products.

[00:02:32] the old farmhouse the family lived in was to be replaced by a new $500,000 home.

[00:02:39] reporters kept pressing for interviews so lawyers had to be employed to act as spokesmen for the family at press conferences.

[00:02:47] while the five babies were still quietly sleeping in oxygen tents in a hospital nursery,

[00:02:53] their parents were paying the price for fame.

[00:02:56] it would never again be possible for them to lead normal lives.

[00:03:01] they had become the victims of commercialization, for their names had acquired a market value.

[00:03:08] instead of being five new family members, these children had immediately become a commodity.