It seems to me that British newspapers aren't really newspapers at all. They contain news, it is true, but much of this news only appears in print because it is guaranteed to shock, surprise or cause a chuckle.

What should we expect to find in a real newspaper? Interesting political articles? Accurate reports of what has been happening in distant comers of the world? The latest news from the stack exchange? Full coverage of great sporting events? In-depth interviews with leading personalities?

It is a sad fact that in Britain the real newspapers, the ones that report the facts, sell in thousands, while the popular papers that set out to shock or amuse have a circulation of several million. One’s inescapable conclusion is that the vast majority of British readers do not really want a proper newspaper at all. They just want a few pages of entertainment.

I buy the same newspaper every day. In this paper political matters, both British and foreign, are covered in full. The editorial column may support government policy on one issue and oppose it on another. There is a full page of book reviews and another devoted to the latest happenings in the theatre, the cinema and the world of art. Stock exchange prices are quoted daily. So are the exchange rates of the world's major currencies. The sports correspondents are among the best in the country, while the standard of the readers’letters is absolutely first class. If an intelligent person were to find a copy of this paper 50 years from now, he or she would still find it entertaining, interesting and instructive.

So my favourite newspaper is obviously very different from those popular papers that have a circulation of several million. But that does not mean that it is "better" or that they are “worse”. We are not comparing like with like. A publisher printing a newspaper with a circulation of several million is running a highly successful commercial operation. The people who buy his product are obviously satisfied customers and in a free society everybody should have the right to buy whatever kind of newspaper he pleases.

1.What kind of newspaper does the author prefer?

A. A popular newspaper.

B. An entertaining newspaper.

C. A daily newspaper.

D. A serious newspaper.

Best Answer:D

详解：答案D。从文章中可知作者喜欢real newspaper。文章第四段对这种报纸的内容进行了详细的说明，可见real newspaper其实是一种客观、严肃的报纸。D项说法与此相近，因此D项为正确答案。

2. The reason the popular newspapers sell better is that ________.

A. people don't like real news

B. people have bad taste

C. people are mostly uneducated

D. people want entertainment

Best Answer:D

详解：答案D。从文章第三段更后一句：They just want a few pages of entertainment.可知D项为正确答案。

3.The author thinks that the popular newspapers are not _______.

A. entertaining

B. instructive

C. interesting

D. amusing

Best Answer:B

详解：答案B。从文章中可知，大众报的内容主要是一些令人震惊(shocking)或娱乐性的文章。A、C、D三项是大众报 的特征。从第四段更后一句可知instructive（有教育意义的）属于real newspaper的特点。因此D项为正确答案。

4.The real newspapers are more suitable for _______.

A. common people

B. hard-working people

C. intelligent people

D. curious people

Best Answer:C

详解：答案C。第四段更后一句指出：如果一个聪明人找到了一份50年前的这种报纸，他或她将发现这种报纸仍是有趣、有教育意义的。可见这种报纸更适合intelligent people。因此C项为正确答案。

5. According to the author, the popular papers are _______.

A. better than the real newspapers

B. different from the real newspapers

C. worse than the real newspapers

D. more interesting than the real newspapers

Best Answer:B

详解：答案B。第五段开头两句指出“我”更喜欢的报纸与这些有着几百万销售量的大众报明显不同。但这并不意味着其中哪种更好或更差。A、C两项说法不对。D项文章未提到。从文章中可知，其实real newspaper也很有趣。因此B项为正确答案。