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Unit 8
The Media
In-Class Reading
It's Radio!
The medium that can turn anywhere into somewhere
1 The truth is that radio has not been eclipsed by television and cable and the Internet. In fact, radio is as popular as it has ever been. According to the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association, 675 million radio receivers are currently in use in the United States; on average, Americans over the age of eleven spend three hours and eighteen minutes of every weekday listening to at least one of them.
2 I don't mention this to make the case that radio is "better" than other electronic media (I use and enjoy all of them), but I will say that it is different, very different. Radio is special to people. And in an era when we have so many other media available to us, radio still inspires a kind of loyalty that premium channels and Web sites cannot claim.
3 This loyalty is largely due to radio's very limitations. Radio can't dazzle us with visual spectacles; it has to capture and hold our attention aurally. That is, it has to speak to us, through either words or music. Combine this with the fact that radio is a curiously intimate medium: people tend to feel that they are connecting with their radios one-on-one. This is generally not the case with television, where the individual viewer invariably senses that he or she is nothing more than an anonymous, statistically insignificant part of a huge and diverse audience. But because radio is a "smaller" medium, the individual listener can somehow believe that the signal is traveling directly and uninterruptedly from the studio microphone to his set alone, that the announcer is speaking and playing records just for him. Few people exploited this quality as well as did Franklin Delano Roosevelt. His radio "Fireside Chats" endeared him to countless listeners, who reported feeling during his broadcasts as if the President were sitting in their living room and talking with them like a next-door neighbor. Roosevelt was given credit for his ability to use the new medium so effectively, but a case can be made that it was actually the nature of the new medium, its peculiar power and personality that made Roosevelt so effective on it.
4 Intimacy is itself both cause and effect of another singular truth about radio: most people, most of the time, listen to their radios in solitude. Radio, then, is usually more than just a medium; it is company. Whether it is the company of first choice or of last resort makes no difference. It is a reliable and tireless buffer between solitude and loneliness, and for this it is often regarded, consciously or otherwise, as an old and valued friend.
5 I had no real use for radio until after I graduated from college. I was born in New York City in the late 1960s, and grew up in its dense suburbs toward the end of the transition from black-and-white to color television. In junior high school twenty-channel cable TV came along; in high school we got "microcomputers", which boasted two whole kilobytes of random-access memory for information storage. In retrospect, of course, these innovations look hopelessly crude, but at the time they were more than enough to render radio seemingly irrelevant to my life.
6 Then I found myself working as a reporter at a daily newspaper in the Mississippi Delta. The Delta is a place that can blind you, if not drive you mad, with its sameness and isolation. It is endlessly flat and completely rural. My job often required me to drive great distances, usually on long, straight two-lane roads with vast plantation fields on both sides. It was not at all unusual for me to travel many miles without seeing another car, a house, or even a road sign. In such an atmosphere it is not difficult to imagine that one is the last person on the planet. Not difficult, and not pleasant, either.
7 On one such journey I turned off the tape deck in my car and started listening to the radio. I can't say exactly what day that happened, or why, but I can say, with confidence, that the first day I listened to the radio while driving through the Delta was also the last day I used the tape deck. The radio was the perfect cure for the paralyzing remoteness of the Delta. It didn't matter anymore that I couldn't detect any evidence of humankind on a lonely stretch of Highway 49; I could always turn on the radio and hear a human voice. I began to realize that radio could do more even than preserve my sanity and defeat my homesickness; it could provide me with a wealth of information on, and a hearty appreciation for, a place as different from my home town as any in the country.
8 It was also in Mississippi that I discovered what might be my favorite thing about radio--its durability. Sometimes on clear nights I would get in my car and drive out of town, out along the narrow highways of the Delta, where we--my car and I--would be surrounded by a darkness so intense that it seemed tangible. Often I drove without any particular destination in mind. My real objective on these trips was simply to drive my car along the small roads while sliding back and forth along the AM dial to see what distant, exotic stations I could pull in. I don't believe in magic, but I do know that sitting in my car in the middle of Mississippi and listening to a signal that traveled more than a thousand miles, over nearly a dozen states, and came down into my car through an antenna and two speakers, was as near to a magical experience as ever I'm likely to have.
9 A year later, when I was a graduate student in Alabama, I decided to seek employment at the school's FM radio station to make some extra money. I ended up hosting my own show, playing jazz from ten at night until two in the morning several nights a week. We had a toll-free number, so people weren't shy about calling, and many did, from dozens of small towns I'd never heard of and couldn't even find on the station's gigantic wall map. They called for any number of reasons to request a song or an artist and to tease me for mispronouncing the name of their county. Most times, I think, they called for no reason at all except to make contact with someone who had made contact with them to express, without saying it openly, their appreciation. I worked at the station alone, and I was as thankful for the contact as they. It is a powerful feeling to send your voice out into the night over thousands of square miles, and it is powerfully satisfying to know that your voice is being heard, by real people sitting in real living rooms in real houses.
10 Like the telephone, radio enables human voices to be heard on a one-to-one basis over vast distances, and in the final analysis, it is the intimacy and the friendliness of radio that I appreciate the most. (1187 words)
Time taken: _______ minutes
Proper Names
Highway 49
49号公路
Mississippi
（美国州名）密西西比
Mississippi Delta
密西西比三角洲
the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association
民用电子设备生产者协会
New Words
AM = amplitude modulation: a type of radio and television sound signal 调幅广播系统
announcer*
n. someone who introduces programs on radio or television or who reads the text of a radio or television advertisement 电（视）台的节目报告员（或时事评论员，球类比赛的讲解员）
e.g. I) The radio announcer said it was nine o'clock.
II) He is the television announcer for football games.
antenna
n. a device that sends and receives television or radio signals （无线电或电视的）天线
e.g. The antenna for my car radio is a fine wire in the windshield (挡风玻璃).
aurally
adv. by the sense of hearing, through the ears 听觉地，听觉上地
e.g. I need to work on my listening skills because I learn more easily visually than I do aurally.
buffer
n. a person or thing that serves as a protective barrier 起保护作用的人或物
cable
n.
1) cable television 有线电视
e.g. I) The other five games were carried on Telemundo, a Spanish language cable station.
II) He is taking action against 4 cable television companies for being too slow in building their networks.
2) a very strong, thick rope made of wires, twisted together 缆绳，钢索
e.g. The cable snapped (断开) and the boat flowed away from the bank.
dazzle
v. make someone feel strong admiration 使赞叹不已，使倾倒
e.g. George dazzled her with his knowledge of the world.
deck
n.
1) a component or unit in sound-reproduction equipment for discs or tapes 音响设备中放光盘或磁带的装置
e.g. I) I put a tape in the deck.
II) The new music system-CD player, cassette deck and loudspeakers on either side of the unit-can be hung on a wall.
2) the top part of a ship that forms a platform in the open air 甲板
e.g. She stood on the deck and waved to them as the steamer moved off.
delta
n. a flat low area shaped like a triangle made by a river entering the sea 三角洲
e.g. The Mississippi Delta and the delta of the Nile are huge areas.
durability *
n. quality of lasting a long time without breaking or becoming weaker 经久性，耐用性
e.g. Airlines recommend hard-sided suitcases for durability.
eclipse
1) v. cause to seem less important, clever, famous, etc. , by comparison 使黯然失色，使相形见绌
e.g. He is eclipsed by his wife, who is cleverer and more amusing than he is.
2) n. the total or partial obscuring of one celestial body by another 日食，月食
e.g. We saw a partial eclipse of the sun by the moon.
endear *
v. make someone loved or liked by someone else 使受喜爱
e.g. Her kindness to my children greatly endeared her to me.
exotic
adj. unusual and often exciting, especially from a distant country 奇异的，外（国）来的
e.g. Thanks to greenhouses and international flights, even the most exotic flowers can be acquired all the year round.
fireside*
n. the part of a room which surrounds a coal or wood fire 壁炉边
e.g. They spent their winter evenings by the fireside.
FM = frequency modulation: a system of radio broadcasting by means of frequency modulation 调频
e.g. My FM radio plays wonderful music.
gigantic
adj. extremely large in size, amount, or degree 巨大的，庞大的
e.g. I) The cost of the whole operation has been gigantic.
II) The entire area looked like a gigantic rubbish heap.
hearty*
adj. sincere, friendly, warm-hearted 真诚的，亲切的，热诚的
e.g. Our friends gave us a hearty welcome when we arrived.
homesickness
n. yearning for home, family, etc.想家，思乡病
e.g. In her first month at college, she suffered from homesickness.
hopelessly
adv. having no hope 令人绝望地，没有希望地
e.g. He was hopelessly in love.
kilobyte
n. one thousand bytes of data 千字节
microcomputer
n. a small computer containing a microprocessor and designed to be used by one person at a time 微（型计算）机
e.g. Most microcomputers are also personal computers.
plantation
n. a large farm, usually in a warm climate, on which is grown a single major crop 大种植园，大农场
e.g. There were many cotton plantations in the southern USA.
powerful
adj. 1) able to control or influence people and events 强大的，有力的，有权的
e.g. I) She's the most powerful person in the organization.
II) He remains a powerful figure because of his link with President Mitterrand.
2) able to produce great physical force 强壮的，强健的
e.g. She's an extremely powerful runner.
powerfully *
adv. extremely, strongly 非常地，强有力地
e.g. She is powerfully intelligent.
premium
adj. of good quality, superior 特佳的，优质的
e.g. I always buy premium gas for my car.
receiver
n.
1) the part of a radio or television that picks up incoming signals 电视或收音机的接收器
e.g. Auto-tuning VHF receivers (自动选台高频接收机) are now common in cars.
2) the part of a telephone that is held to one's ear 电话听筒
e.g. My telephone receiver is not working, so I can't hear what you say when you call me.
remoteness*
n. being distant, far from the city, or isolated 偏僻
e.g. The remoteness of the house makes it less attractive for young families.
sameness*
n. the lack of variety 单调，千篇一律
e.g. I) He grew bored by the sameness of the speeches.
II) I was struck by the sameness of clothing among the villagers.
sanity
n. the state of being normal and healthy in mind 心智健全
e.g. This has cost me everything I ever worked for, my health and almost my sanity.
spectacle
n. a splendid public event or show, a splendid appearance 场面，奇观
e.g. I) The open-air production of the opera was advertised as being the greatest spectacle of the century.
II) In some parts of the world, football has developed into the most popular spectacle on television.
uninterruptedly *
adv. continuously, in an unbroken manner 不间断地，持续地
e.g. They spoke uninterruptedly for three hours.
Phrases and Expressions
a wealth of
a very large number or amount of 大量的，丰富的
e.g. I) Jim has a wealth of teaching experience.
II) The book covers a wealth of fascinating facts for all ages.
be shy about/of doing something
be unwilling or hesitant to do something because something might happen不愿做......，对......感到迟疑
e.g. I) You shouldn't be shy about having your say in the running of the school.
II) Don't be shy of telling them what you think.
come along
start to exist or be available 出现，来到，可得到
e.g. I) Can you imagine what life was like before electricity came along?
II) Since Tom left school, he has been doing any odd jobs that come along.
give someone credit for
give someone praise or approval for something they have or have done 相信某人具有（某种性质、优点等），为......而称赞某人
e.g. I) Bruno had more ability than the media gave him credit for.
II) You could at least give him some credit for all the effort he's put into the project.
in retrospect
looking back on a past event or situation 回顾往事
e.g. I) It was, in retrospect, one of the worst mistakes I ever made.
II) Last year, Brian was involved in an incident, which is amusing in retrospect, but was anything but it at the time.
in the final/last analysis
when everything has been considered 说到底，归根结底
e.g. I) I'm on the right track and I think in the final analysis people will understand that.
II) They realized that in the last analysis their job was to tell the public the facts.
make a/the case that
prove something by means of arguments, reasons, and facts提出理由、事实证明
e.g. I) The teacher made the case that regular attendance is essential in a conversation class.
II) She made the case that the commercial success of the company was not possible without layoffs （临时解雇、下岗）
make contact with
find out where someone is and talk or write to them 与......接触，与......联系
e.g. I) How did you make contact with the hero?
II) I don't want anyone to make any contact with the guy until I get there.
on a one-to-one basis
in a way that something is done between only two people 一对一地
e.g. I) These children require education on a one-to-one basis.
II) The value of a job interview is the opportunity for the applicant and the prospective employer to interact on a one-to-one basis.
on average
based on the average of several numbers 平均地
e.g. I) We can discover how many words, on average, a person reads in a minute.
II) Women go to their doctors, on average, six times a year, while those with children go even more frequently.
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