现实生活中，我们会遇到各种类型的材料。不同类型的材料有不同的文体风格，并不是每一种文体的材料有一套独特的阅读技巧。我们只要初步认识不同材料的语言特点，就能有效地掌握阅读它们的方法。
新闻报道并不是一个固定文体。一般地讲，这种文章的特点有纪实、娱乐、或者纪实娱乐兼而有之。从形式上看，有特写、专访、人物介绍、述评等等。英美报刊记者通才多，知识面广，他们笔下的东西涉及的题材范围很广，常常把新闻、政治、科技、历史、文化教育、生活等知识融为一体。
现代英语报刊经常发明一些词汇，有人把这种文体叫做“新闻语言”（journalese）。有趣的是，journal ese本身就是发明出来的词，人们识别它还是要通过联想到Chinese，Japanese，Vietnamese等表示语言的词汇。导致尼克松成为美国历史上第一位引咎辞职的总统之“水门事件”（Watergate Incident）发生后，国外记者把Watergate一词开发使用得淋漓尽致，把参与这一丑闻的人称作Watergater，把制造丑闻称作to Watergate或Watergating。他们常常借用Watergate一词比喻各种丑闻和轰动性事件，如油轮泄漏原油污染大海的Oilgate、化工厂爆炸泄漏毒气导致人畜死亡和环境恶化的Gasgate。里根总统绕开国会决定向伊朗出售武器的丑闻被称作“伊朗门”（Iraniangate），把让克林顿总统懊恼不已的性丑闻被称作“拉链门”（Zippergate），这两件事也许大家印象最深。
新闻报道的句子偏长，结构也比较复杂。但是，篇章结构的特点就是开门见山。这类文章不需要太细致地阅读，一般地只需要领会大意抓住中心思想即可。最好使用略读的办法，读者可试着给下面几则实例各写出一个总结性的题目：
例1
The United States faces no more challenging international relationship than that with China。 For more than two centuries，America and China have fascinated each other，traded with each other，and，unhappily，sometimes contended with each other。Today，at the cusp of a new century，our relations with China will define American presence in Asia，the world's fastest growing region，and will directly affect global security。We must be able to engage creatively the modern，self-confident and powerful China now taking its place on the world stage。
Already in the nearly two decades since the United States recognized the People's Republic of China，we have seen our relations with the world's most populous country grow to astounding breadth and complexity。 With“ping-pong diplomacy”far behind us，America today engages China in every imaginable field：trade and investment，political dialogue，immigration，educational and cultural exchange，military relations and the new transnational issues of law enforcement and environmental protection。
As the American Ambassador to China，I recognize the conditions and challenges we face in this huge land。 The challenge to American leadership and American diplomacy could not be clearer。
提示：这是美国驻华大使论述中美关系的新闻评述性讲话节选。评述内容明确，没有很深的大道理，完全是外交口气，讲话的人面对的是所有关心中美两国关系的人。主题很明确：美国领导层和外交界所面临的中美关系的挑战是不言而喻的。
例2
BIOGRAPHY looks at the pivotal moments in Hillary's life——How did she go from Goldwater Girl from conservative Park Ridge，Illinois，to campus activist at Wellesley？Why did a bright，young lawyer with offers from the nations'top law firms decide to move to Arkansas？Once there，how did she balance keeping her own career with being a Southern politician's wife？Why did Hillary and Bill only have one child？How did she handle accusations of extra-marital affairs both in Arkansas and later，on the campaign trail？And，of course，how did she end up being the first co-candidate in a presidential election——and how would she hold up to being attacked just like any other candidate？
The program shows that Hillary Rodham Clinton has always inspired powerful reactions。 Interviewed are her first date，Rick Ricketts，who mentions that Hillary was voted“most likely to succeed”her senior year in high school；her youth minister from Park Ridge，Don Jones，who introduced Hillary to Martin Luther King。Jones says，“She's been political since she was a tiny tot。”Her best friend from Park Ridge，Betsy Johnson Ebeling，who has remained very close to Hillary through the years，discusses how Hillary's sense of confidence in junior high made her subject to the most devastating pre-teen moniker：she was called“conceited”。Betsy also tells about Hillary's intimate wedding to Bill Clinton，buying her wedding dress only the day before。And she talks about how her dear friend dealt with allegations that the Governor was having extra-marital affairs，and why the couple did not have a larger family。
Also interviewed，her younger brother Hugh，who tells wonderful stories about Hillary's“Ozzie and Harriet”childhood，as well as how difficult it was for Hillary and her family when her father，Hugh，Sr。，passed away。
Then there is Hillary the children's rights activist，political advisor and precedent-setting First Lady。 For that，we turned to Betsey Wright，the Clinton's long-time friend and campaign manager，to the actress Mary Steenburgen，who became close to the Clintons in Arkansas，and to Jeff Greenfield，ABC News'political commentator，who puts Hillary's role，the reasons why she inspires such powerful reactions，into cultural and historical perspective。She is the first woman in the White House to have been a part of the social and political movements of the'60s，and the first woman in the White House to have been an integral part of the women's movement。As she said so eloquently in her April 22nd press conference，“……I think having been independent，having made decisions，it's a little difficult for us as a country maybe to make the transition of having a woman，like many women in this room，sitting in this house……I'm trying to find my way through it and trying how best to be true to myself and how to fulfill my responsibilities to my husband and to my daughter and the rest of the country。”
87 words
提示：本篇报道是克林顿夫人希拉里极力参加竞选进入美国立法界的大背景下抛出的。如果希拉里竞选成功，她将会是美国历史上第一个参政的总统夫人。关于她的竞选，褒贬不一，有极力拥护的，也有竭力反对的。本文介绍了作者从极端保守派的青年希拉里到积极的政治活动家第一夫人希拉里的巨变，也描述了从她中学时代到成为第一夫人这一漫长过程中的一个个重大的甚至常人难以理解的举动。文章第一段提出了一大堆问题。随后列举了希拉里与众不同的品质和处事方式，通过采访到的各界知情人物对这些问题逐个做了披露和阐释。读者应该注意作者的叙事方式，希拉里在处理与总统的婚姻、婚外情等琐碎而重大的事件时，有什么不同寻常之处，总结出作者开始提出的一个个问题最后是怎么得到回答的。
Goldwater：指美国保守派参议院Barry Morris Goldwater（1909-），他的名字“戈德华特”已经成为极端保守主义的代名词，并且派生出Goldwaterism（戈德华特主义）；Ozzie and Harriet：1944-1966年间美国极为流行的电视家庭喜剧，由Ozzie和Harriet夫妇合演；the Clintons：克林顿夫妇，克林顿全家。英语中family name戴上冠词并以复数形式出现时，表示该姓氏全家；ABC：美国广播公司（American Broadcasting Company）。
例3
LONDON（Reuters）——Rogue trader Nick Leeson arrived home Sunday apologetic for breaking Britain's oldest merchant bank and looking forward to a cup of tea with his family。
“I know I did wrong，”Leeson told a news conference at a hotel at Heathrow airport on his return from jail in Singapore。
“I was foolish and I very much regret what happened，but I've done my time。”
Leeson said the colon cancer that struck him while he was in jail had responded to treatment but that he still needed specialist care which he would seek in the next two weeks。
Lawyer Stephen Pollard said doctors had told Leeson he had a 30 percent chance of dying within the next four years。
The 32-year-old former top derivatives trader for Barings Bank was dressed in an open-necked long-sleeved blue shirt and cream slacks and looked in good shape after his 12-hour flight。
He smiled frequently while reading his 25-line statement。
His unauthorized deals buried Barings under1. 4 billion of debt，mainly from Japanese futures，as he tried to cover losses during his high-flying days in Singapore's financial markets。
“Just to be home and to see my family is something I have longed for。 Also，I have really looked forward to doing the ordinary things like being able to have a cup of tea or a drink with my mates when I want to，where I want to，”he said。
“Simple things like these have come to mean a lot to me over the last four years。”
Leeson was sentenced in December 1995 to 6-1/2 years in prison。 He was released early for good behavior。
He said jail had been tough but fair，and that he had“taken my punishment and now I want to get on with my life。”
He left it to his lawyer to take questions。
Pollard dismissed reports that Leeson had a secret stash of about2 million that he had hidden from liquidators：“It is an absurd story。 He has nothing left of any substance。”
He said Leeson would not rush to find a job because his illness would make it difficult to focus on a long-term career：“He's going to get through the next year and then make plans。”
Legal officials said dozens of bondholders who had lost their savings in the Barings crash were considering reviving an attempt at a criminal prosecution in Britain，blocked in 1995 because Singapore wanted to try Leeson first。
Pollard said：“I would be astonished and it would be inconceivable that，after British police decided not to prosecute him in 1995，they would press charges now。”
He also said he did not expect any criminal proceedings against Barings officials now Leeson was free to tell his story：
“To his credit，from day one，Nick has said he was the only person who was involved in criminal action。”
But Pollard said Leeson felt he was the only one in the bank who has“really paid a serious price”for its collapse。
Leeson returned home with his personal life in ruins。
London's High Court has frozen his assets but allowed him up to 5，000 pounds（7，900）a month in living costs。
The court order specifically stops him cashing in on his autobiography“Rogue Trader”or the film adaptation，starring Ewan McGregor，that was launched last week。
Leeson's wife has remarried while his father was unable to visit him in Singapore because of ill health。
British newspapers，most of whom sent reporters on Leeson's flight from Singapore，picked over every minute of his journey。
They denounced special seating arrangements for him and the fine food and wine，including champagne and smoked salmon，he was offered for his 1，500-pound（2，300）one-way fare。
“Not a word of remorse as Leeson comes home，”the Sunday Mail said。“You'd think Leeson was a tycoon or a Hollywood star，”the Sunday Mirror commented。
提示：几年前，一个涉世未深的毛头小伙子里森，在新加坡通过与日本的期货交易，一夜之间搞垮了具有数百年历史的英国头号招商银行——巴林银行的事。这在当时是极为轰动的大新闻。巴林银行倒闭，里森因违法被新加坡政府判处6年半徒刑入狱，人们渐渐地快要忘记这当事了。今年，里森因在狱中表现良好提前获释，谁料患了结肠癌。里森又一次成为新闻记者追逐的热点，被称为“流氓交易家”。他只为自己过去的愚蠢行为感到“遗憾”，但是本文记者援引其他报刊的话向大众表明，里森毫无忏悔之意，犹如衣锦还乡，似大亨，似好莱坞巨星。这世界变化快，十年河东十年河西，让人真正摸不着北。
Reuters：路透社；Heathrow Airport：英国希思罗国际机场；Sunday Mail：《星期日邮报》；Daily Mirror：《每日镜报》。
例4
Buffalo——June 22，1999——You think finding a place to park down here is hard。 Try finding a place to land on Mars。That's what a group of leading planetary geologists will try to decide June 22-23 when they meet at the University at Buffalo for the Mars Surveyor 2001 Landing Site Workshop。
The workshop will be held in conjunction with the 1999 Planetary Geological Mappers meeting，also to be held at UB。
The Surveyor mission，expected to be launched in the Fall of 2001，will carry experiments designed to demonstrate technologies needed to support eventual human colonization of Mars，according to Tracy Gregg，Ph。 D。，UB assistant professor of geology and a member of the workshop organizing committee。
“For example，will we be able to extract useful materials，such as construction supplies and metal ores，from Martian rocks？”she asked。“And can we extract oxygen from the soils？”
The mission also will include experiments to help determine the composition of Martian rocks，theresults of which will assist scientists in understanding the evolution of Mars，as well as determine if there are useful materials that can be mined to support communities on the planet。
Studded with giant craters and huge volcanoes——including the largest one in the solar system——the surface of Mars is a tough place to land anything，especially a remote-controlled vehicle equipped with tens of millions of dollars of equipment and exquisitely sensitive scientific instruments。
Gregg noted that while searching for evidence of life on Mars is always important，the Surveyor，which has a range of about 2 miles or 3 kilometers，can land safely only in certain places。
“Most of the places available for safe landings are not optimum places to search for Martian life，”she explained。“Instead，we are trying to maximize the science return；in other words，to find a place that will give us the greatest access to the widest variety of different types of rocks in a small space。”
Candidate sites are those near flood plains，which are similar to those sites where previous missions have landed，as well as places that are home to many different types of rocks，such as the point at which a volcanic plain intersects an ancient crater。
At the meeting，Gregg and volcanologist Mark Bulmer of the Smithsonian Institution will give a presentation on how their experience exploring undersea volcanoes using a remote-controlled vehicle may be relevant to missions on Mars。
The 1999 Planetary Geological Mappers meeting will include presentations of geological mapping studies and discussion of planetary geological-mapping procedures and issues。
Once the conference presentations are done，scientists will continue their work by donning hiking books and embarking on field trips in and around Western New York，courtesy of their UB hosts。
“The reason for the field trips is that there is some controversy over whether or not glaciers may have existed in the past on Mars，”Gregg explained。“So we'll be showing these geologists who specialize in Mars what glaciated terrain and glacial deposits really look like。”
The field trips will showcase the most fascinating features of Western New York's large-scale glacial geology，including Niagara Falls，the Niagara Gorge，the shorelines of the glacial Great Lakes and other geological features，such as drumlins，eskers，moraines and the Finger Lakes。
提示：人类完成登月后的高科技时代，人们普遍关心的一个问题是登上太阳系其他星球甚至更远的宇宙中的星球。这篇报道讲述的是有关登上火星的学术研讨会情况。理解基本情况即可，不一定要把文中的每一个细节搞清楚。
Buffalo：布法罗，纽约州一港市。
境外出版的报刊有些报道不免有强烈的政治偏见，有时为了一定的政治目的或某些团体的利益不惜捕风捉影。不见得所报道的东西都是客观事实，有些甚至是故意捏造，这一点是我们阅读新闻报道类文章时需要警惕的。如下面一篇外刊有关中国窃取美国核秘密的报道节选就是个极为典型的例子。阅读时请注意哪些是事实，哪些是所谓事实，哪些是作者自己的观点和臆测。
Technology Theft：China Nukes Might Outpace U。 S。Missile Defense
Part 1
NEW YORK，April 9——Most experts agree：China may have greatly increased its nuclear weapons capabilities through the alleged theft of data on one of America's most advanced nuclear warheads。
The warhead in question，known as the W-88，is miniaturized。 As many as five such warheads canbe clustered on top of a missile to separate and strike at separate targets。Last month，the Clinton administration acknowledged it was investigating evidence that China stole W-88 technology from Los Alamos laboratory in the 1980s。The administration has not yet confirmed the theft——though it did fire last month a Los Alamos employee suspected of leaking the technology。China has denied any espionage，and this week Premier Zhu Rongji，on a visit to Washington，said top Chinese leaders had no knowledge of any such theft。
Experts say if China has obtained and mastered the W-88 technology，it could quintuple in short order the number of land-based warheads it has to strike the mainland United States，from around 20 to as many as 100.
“It would represent an increase in capability，absolutely，”says Joseph Cirincione，director for nonproliferation at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace。
Such an increased capability could“stress the requirements”of America's multibillion-dollar National Missile Defense（NMD）program，endorsed by Congress last month but still in its earliest stages，says Henry Sokolski，director of the Non-proliferation Policy Education Center。
Virtually all of China's 140 or so known ballistic missiles each carry a single nuclear warhead。 As many as 20 of those，called DF-5s，are capable of hitting the U。S。mainland from the Chinese mainland。China is developing new DF-41 missiles with the same range as the DF-5s that might carry multiple warheads。
“It's really serious stuff，”says Richard Fisher，an expert on the Chinese military at the Heritage Foundation in Washington。
Fisher says knowledge of the W-88 gained through alleged spying，plus cooperation with U。 S。companies on commercial satellite launches，has probably given China the ability to both house multiple miniature warheads on a single missile and to direct each warhead at a separate target。
“I know for certain they have these elements and are working on these elements，”he says。
This week Fisher published photos brought back from China's Zhuhai air show in November of what he believes is a small nuclear re-entry vehicle that would contain the warhead。 The photos are from the Beijing Institute of Aerodynamics。The vehicle，he says，resembles the U。S。Navy's Poseidon re-entry vehicle。
Also，Fisher says evidence that China can launch multiple communications satellites suggests it has mastered many of the technologies needed to launch multiple nuclear warheads from its nuclear-armed ballistic missiles。
Beijing currently has 20 missiles，called DF-5s，that can reach nearly the entire United States from China，each containing a single warhead。 These missiles reportedly have been tested for independently targeting re-entry vehicles（MIRVs）that would contain the warheads。
Part 2
Whether one believes the W-88 technology would significantly increase China's threat to the United States tends to depend upon how one views China's intentions。 Fischer says China has been aggressively developing its ballistic and cruise missile capabilities with an aim of achieving goals around its periphery，especially its well-advertised aim of recapturing Taiwan from its democratic government。
“China configures its weapons as much for political as for military benefits，”he says，noting a Chinese official hinted at launching a nuclear weapon at Los Angeles in 1996，when U。 S。warships confronted China over missile firings near Taiwan。
“They see it as a different way of dealing with the Taiwan problem，”says Sokolski，who was aPentagon nonproliferation official under the Bush administration。 Indeed，Rongji reaffirmed this week China would not renounce the use of force as a means of reclaiming Taiwan from its democratic government。
Sokolski says Chinese nuclear weapons development could provide a greater challenge to the resolve of Western policy makers during some future crisis。“There's a notion now dominant among Western policy planners that China's strategic weapons are old，obsolete and small in number and therefore pose a finite deterrence force，”he says。
Part 3
Cirincione，on the other hand，argues U。 S。national security would not be significantly diminished if China increased its nuclear weapons capability using W-88 technology——because，he says，it is highly unlikely the Chinese would ever start a nuclear war with the United States。
“Twenty warheads，100 warheads，that is still not a first-strike capability and there is no chance that China could strike us first and not suffer a devastating retaliation，”he says。“That's why it doesn't make any difference。”
Cirincione views Chinese missile development somewhat benignly。“They have old technology。 They want to have new，modern missiles like everybody else。”China's ability to deploy submarine-launched nuclear warheads could particularly be enhanced by the W-88，he notes。“Shrinking the size helps you with submarine-launched ballistic missiles，”say Cirincione。
Adding the new warhead technology to China's JL-2 missile，still being developed，“would give them a secure strategic force，”he says。“But again，it's a second-strike capability and not a first-strike capability。”
Part 4
Some experts warn that Chinese development of nuclear weapons using the W-88 technology could overwhelm the U。 S。National Missile Defense program。Such a sizable force would“stress the requirements”of the nascent NMD system，says Sokolski。
The system is intended to defend the United States against a“limited”ballistic missile attack of reportedly five to 20 missiles。 The Pentagon is planning to spend10.5 billion on NMD through fiscal year 2005，but is expected to make a decision in June 2000 on whether or not to deploy the system。
“The stable door is already open，”says Tim Ripley of London's Center for Defense＆International Security Studies。“China has a limited capability now，but it is on the verge of going beyond what NMD is intended to deal with。”
注：Pentagon：五角大楼，国防部的代称。文中提到的Rongji指朱镕基总理，倒不是发言人表示亲切或者显得随和。英美国家的人名大都是由名（given name）和姓（family name或last name）构成的，所以他们经常按照自己的习惯把别人的名当作姓，使用西文习惯称呼。文中的一些技术术语，一般读者可以不予理会。
