1、 Unit Three Show BusinessBackground Information1. Neil Postman (March 8, 1931 - October 5, 2003) an American author, media theorist and cultural critic, who is best known by the general public for his 1985 book about television, Amusing Ourselves to Death. For more than forty years, he was associate
2、d with New York University. Postman was a humanist, who believed that new technology could never substitute for human values.2. Amusing Ourselves to Death Postmans best known book, published in 1985, a historical narrative which deplores the decline of the communication medium as television images h
3、ave replaced the written word. Postman argues that television confounds serious issues with entertainment, demeaning and undermining political discourse by making it less about ideas and more about image. He also argues that television is not an effective way of providing education, as it provides o
4、nly top-down information transfer, rather than the interaction that he believes is necessary to maximize learning. He refers to the relationship between information and human response as the Information-action ratio.He draws on the ideas of media theorist Marshall McLuhan to argue that different med
5、ia are appropriate for different kinds of knowledge, and describes how oral, literate, and televisual cultures value and transfer information in different ways. He states that 19th century America was the pinnacle of rational argument, an Age of Reason, in which the dominant communication medium was
6、 the printed word. During this period, complicated arguments could be transmitted without oversimplification. Amusing Ourselves to Death was translated into eight languages and sold 200,000 copies worldwide. This passage is an excerpt from the book.3. Show Business sometimes shortened to show biz, i
7、s a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment from the business side (including managers, agents, producers and distributors) to the creative element (including artists, performers, writers and musicians). The term was in common usage throughout the 20th century. By the latter part of the cen
8、tury it had acquired a slightly arcane quality associated with the era of variety, but the term is still in active use. 4. “talking heads” an interview format where the picture on the screen shows the interviewer and the interviewee but no additional shots. This is considered very boring television
9、and most producers try to avoid it. Language Points1. Para. 2: Television does not extend or amplify literate culture.Television does not help people to be better educated.2. Para. 9: it has made entertainment itself the natural format for the representation of all experience.it has made entertainme
10、nt the natural way to represent all experience. ORit has made all experience entertaining.3. Para. 11: It is that off the screen the same metaphor prevails.Entertainment is still the metaphor for all discourse off the television screen.4. Para. 12: Our priests and presidents, our surgeons and lawyer
11、s, our educators and newscasters need worry less about satisfying the demands of their discipline than the demands of good showmanship.Our priests and presidents, our surgeons and lawyers, our educators and newscasters need to worry about whether they are good at entertaining the audience/good perfo
12、rmers rather than whether they are capable of getting their work done.Word Study1. restore v. (1) give back 归还 He hurried to restore the borrowed books before the library was closed. The stolen bike was restored to its owner.(2) make well or normal again; bring back (to a former condition)使恢复健康或正常；使
13、恢复（以前的情况） With the good care of her mom, she was restored to health. The army was called in to restore law and order to the place.(3) repair; rebuild as before; reconstruct (sth.) so that it is like the original 修复；重建；重制（某物）使像原形 Large amount of money was donated to restore the ruined abbey local peo
14、ple pay frequent visit to. I wonder if this picture can be restored.2. amplify v.(1) make larger or fuller, esp give fuller information, more details, etc, about 扩大；放大；扩充；详述 Johns major concern was to reconsider and amplify the theme already treated somewhat sketchily by Peter. Let me amplify my ear
15、lier remarks.(2) increase the strength of (voltage or current, etc)增强（电压或电流等） An electronic device amplified the speakers voice.3. available adj.(1) (of objects) able to be used; that may be obtained（指物）可用的；有效的；可获得的 These tickets are available for one month only. The book you ordered is not availabl
16、e.(2) (of persons) able to be present（指人）能出席的 Are you available for a meeting tomorrow morning?4. furtherance n. furthering; advancement 增进；促进 Hes gone to the university for the furtherance of his studies. This admirable principle for the furtherance of human happiness is perfectly familiar to busin
17、essmen and advertisers.5. the case adj. true 真的 Is it the case that you have lost all your money? He thought he had already solved the problem, but that was not the case.Key to text AText Comprehension:1. He thinks that television does not extend or amplify literate culture. It attacks it.2. A techn
18、ology is merely a machine while a medium is the social and intellectual environment a machine creates. In America, television has found in liberal democracy and a relatively free market economy a nurturing climate in which its full potentialities as a technology of images have been exploited. 3. Tel
19、evision suppresses the content of ideas in order to accommodate the requirements of visual interest; that is to say, to accommodate the values of show business.4. His song “Theres NO Business Like Show Business” is changed by the author into “Theres NO Business But Show Business” for humor and sarca
20、sm.5. In other parts of the world television is used as a technology, with all its potentials prevented from developing and its social consequences kept to a minimum.6. The glittering neon signs of Broadway and 42nd Street at night were beautiful without any textual explanation.Structural Analysis o
21、f the Text:Part 1: (para.1 to para. 2 ): introduction to introduce the topic and the authors idea about it.Part 2: (para.3 to para. 9 ): illustration of the topicPart 3: (para.10): conclusion: America is becoming a culture of show business.Summary Writing: In “The Age of Show Business”, professor Ne
22、il Postman argues about televisions impact on American Culture. presents his ideaTV attacks rather than supports the literate culture. To illustrate his idea, Postman first clarifies the concept of “television” not as a machine but as a media (the social and intellectual environment a machine create
23、s). Then, he points out Americans are now part of a culture in which information and ideas are disseminated predominantly by television, not by print. This shift from print to electronic media has dramatically and irreversibly altered the content and meaning of public discourse. Television offers vi
24、ewers a variety of subject matter by speaking in only one voice the voice of entertainment. Thus, he maintains television is transforming American culture into show business, to the detriment of rational public discourse. Because the medium of television has become the dominant factor in the creatio
25、n of social images, what we know and how we know it comes out of television, rather than print.Vocabulary and Structure:1. insinuate 2. amplify 3. exploit 4. beyond 5. misconstrued 6. inherent 7. predisposition 8. restore 9, accommodate 10. around the clock1-10 B A D C B C B C A A Cloze:1.declining
26、2.brought on 3.raise 4.predecessors 5.to 6. Although 7.determinant 8.flood 9.overtaxed 10. moreoverKey to Text B:Comprehension of the Text1. B 2. B 3. D 4. C 5. ATranslate the underlined sentences from the passage into Chinese. 1. 大家都知道是怎么回事：再没人关心“真正的”新闻了。读写水平、文化和品位已经下降到辨认不出的程度了。孩子们心智不健全，随时会受到四处潜伏的捕
27、食者的伤害。2. 一个在诸如枪支管制、医疗补助等一系列问题上存在严重分歧的民族竟然可以在此事上统一口径，一致认为：新媒体，大众文化，现代信息技术,所有这一切危害我们的年轻一代，腐蚀我们的公民生活，摧毁我们一切文明果实。3. 计算机文化迅速从一个圈外人鲜为人知的边缘反主流文化运动发展成为数以百万民众使用的主流信息来源，这里有老人，有宠物饲养者，宗教人士和年轻人，还有书呆子，网民和全球一些大型企业。4. 我不相信我们这个民族都成了傻瓜，也不相信我们的孩子比我们笨。相反，我接触到的孩子，不论是认识的、碰到的，还是互发电子邮件交往的都非常聪明，对于探索和操作复杂的机器很精通，而且一般比他们的父母要宽容
28、，好奇心强和开放。5. 媒体界的战争该停火了。我们只得接受事实：现在有更多的信息，传送得更迅速，形式也更多样化，这是我们任何一个人都想象不到的。我们得好好考虑考虑如何应对。参考译文娱乐业时代尼尔波斯特曼1 我认识的一位研究生，他很用功。一次重要考试的前夜，他回到了自己的小公寓准备再复习一下时，结果却发现，他惟一的一盏电灯坏了，修也修不好。片刻惊慌之后，他恢复了平静，也为取得满意的成绩赢得了可能性：他打开电视，关掉声音，背对着电视机，借助电视机微弱的光线复习第二天要测试的材料。这是电视机的一个用途成为照亮书页的光源。2我举这样一个不切实际的例子，是要嘲笑那些仍然幻想电视机能够有助于读写文化的人。
29、这种幻想完全代表了被马歇尔麦克卢汉过去称之为的“后视镜”思维：假定新鲜事物只是旧事物的延伸或扩大；比如汽车，只是一匹快马；电灯，只是一盏明亮的蜡烛。在这件事上犯了这样一个错误：完全误解了电视是如何重新界定公共话语的意义。 。电视既没有延伸也没有扩展读写文化。电视是对读写文化的一种攻击。3电视是什么？它允许怎样的交流？鼓励怎样的智力倾向？创造怎样的文化？4要想弄明白这些问题，首先必须区分什么是技术，什么是媒介。大家或许会认为，技术对于媒介，如同大脑对于思想。像大脑一样，技术是个物理仪器。如同思想，媒介是物理仪器的一种用途。技术采用某种符号代码，在某种社会环境中找到自己的位置，渗入经济、政治背景之
30、后，技术就成为了媒介。换句话说，技术只是一台机器，而媒介是机器创造的社会和智力环境。5当然，像大脑一样，每种技术都有其固有的偏见。在技术的外壳下，有着对技术具体用途的先入为主。只有那些不了解科技史的人才会相信，技术是完全中性的。每种技术都有自己的议事日程。电视这种技术也有偏见。把电视机用作台灯、看书的桌子、书柜、甚至是收音机都是可以想象的。但是电视机至少在美国从未、将来也不会这样使用。那么究竟什么是电视呢？在回答这个问题时，我们必须明白这里的电视指的不是技术，而是一种媒介。6全球有许多地方，虽拥有与美国相同的电视技术，但作为媒介的电视却是完全不同。这些地方的人们大多只有一台电视机；只有一个电视
31、台；电视机并非 24 小时不停运转；大多电视节目就是为了直接推行政府的意识形态和政策；没有商业广告，电视上尽是讲话的人头；电视机的功能更像是台收音机。基于上述种种原因，这些地方的电视没有美国电视具有的意义或影响力；也就是说，在这些地方技术的潜能无法挖掘，其社会影响被控制在最小范围。7美国的情形就不同了。在自由民主、相对自由的市场经济条件下，电视有了培育的土壤，图像技术的潜能可以得到充分地开发。好处之一就是美国的电视节目在全球大受欢迎。之所以如此并非是说美国受人爱戴，而是美国的电视人人都喜欢。8此中缘由不难理解。观看美国的电视节目，会使人想起乔治萧伯纳第一次见到夜间百老汇大街和 42 街闪烁的霓
32、虹灯时讲过的话。他说，如果你不识字，一定会非常漂亮。”美国的电视每天连续不断地播出成千上万张图片，的确，是美丽的奇观，视觉的盛宴。网络电视每个镜头的平均时长只有 3.5 秒，这么算下来，观众的眼睛从不休息，总有新的内容来观看。另外，美国的电视节目为观众呈现出丰富多彩的主题，几乎不需要任何本领就可以看懂，它主要针对的是观众的情感满足。即使是讨人厌的商业广告，也是精心制作，配上激动人心的音乐，令人赏心悦目。毫无疑问，目前世界上最好的摄影是在电视广告中看到的。换句话说，美国的电视节目倾尽全力为观众提供娱乐。9我并不反对电视节目具有娱乐性，可问题是电视使得娱乐自身成为表现一切经验的自然方式。电视机虽然
33、保持观众与世界之间不断进行交流，但观众看到的永远是张一成不变的笑脸。电视为观众提供娱乐节目并没有什么问题，可是它把所有的电视节目都变成了娱乐版，那可就要另当别论了。10关于电视最重要的事实是，大家观看它，这就是为什么它叫电视。大家看的，喜欢看的，是活动的图片，是数百万张快速、动态变化的图片。正因为电视段的本质是媒介，它必须压制节目的思想内容以满足视觉的需求；也就是说，适应娱乐业的价值观。11电视是我们文化自我认识的主要手段。因此关键的是：世界如何才能得以正确呈现取决于电视如何展现世界。这不仅仅是娱乐成为电视屏幕上一切话语的隐喻，而且，离开屏幕，同样的隐喻依然存在。12这一切意味着我们的文化已经
34、改变了处理事物的方式，尤其针对重要的事物。娱乐业与非娱乐业之间的界限一天天地更加模糊，文化中话语的性质也随之不断变化。我们的牧师和总统，医生和律师，教育家和播音员，需要担心的是他们有无娱乐观众的本领，而非满足他们专业学科的需要。若当初欧文柏林改动他名曲 题目中一个字，他就会像阿道司赫骨黎一样变成预言家，甚至比他更精练。他只需写下：没有别的，只有娱乐业。Further Reading 参考译文虚拟现实乔卡茨1纽约时报的专栏作家鲍勃赫伯特很是不安。他看了一项民意调查，显示有 60%的美国青年说不出当年下令向日本发动核攻击的总统是谁，另有 35%不知道第一颗原子弹投在了日本广岛。赫伯特采用严肃报纸和
35、广播惯用的学究腔调，怒声高呼，美利坚成了“一个傻瓜民族。 ”2大家都知道是怎么回事：再没人关心“真正的”新闻了。读写水平、文化和品位已经下降到辨认不出的程度了。孩子们心智不健全，随时会受到四处潜伏的捕食者的伤害。3 “我们被一种深刻而持久的愚昧所包围， ” 赫伯特在他的专栏中写道420 世纪 90 年代是惧怕媒体者的年代。5惧怕媒体者是又怕又气。他的恐惧超越了传统的社会，文化和政治的界限。你不由得不佩服恐惧所激发起的团结：民权活动家联合了右翼政客；以前的嬉皮士拿起武器同福音传教士站在一起；二战后出生的自由派总统与保守派反对者肩并肩作战。一个在诸如枪支管制、医疗补助等一系列问题上存在严重分歧的民
36、族竟然可以在此事上统一口径，一致认为：新媒体，大众文化，现代信息技术,所有这一切危害着我们的年轻一代，腐蚀着我们的公民生活，摧毁了我们一切文明果实。惧怕媒体者对媒体的界定过于狭隘。他们认为，只有刊登在一张张厚厚的、清醒的日报上，从前读到后，或是晚间新闻播报的，以故事的轻重顺序依次排列的才是新闻。美国新闻节目、赖利金、里基莱克和说唱乐明星道格都不是新闻节目，音乐电视新闻也不算，凡是电脑屏幕上播出的内容一概都不算。6 然而，不管传统媒体如何不满美国人还是接受并喜爱新的文化设备。录像机、电脑和光盘都是美国史上最畅销的消费品之一，仅次于移动电话和微波炉，成为中产阶级生活中必不可少的电器设备。计算机文化
37、迅速从一个圈外人鲜为人知的边缘反主流文化运动演变成为数以百万民众使用的主流信息来源，这里有老人，有宠物饲养者，宗教人士和年轻人，还有书呆子，网民和一些全球性大公司。7请注意这里明显的自相矛盾。8 惧怕媒体者的的确确就像它的名字一样不是担心某个具体的问题，而是一种焦虑性障碍，经常感到无端的恐惧而越来越不理智。9我们需要更加理智的方法来理解新媒体带来的一系列变化，搞清楚我们的真实感受。10这种文化冲突，这种新老媒体间无尽的争斗是没有意义的。新老媒体争吵不休，都不自觉地表现出傲慢气焰，每个阵营都把自己看得高人一等。11当然，我们并没有充足的理由在新老媒体中分出优劣。二者皆有存在的合理性和必要性，谁也
38、不会就此消失。新媒体的出现，对文化更加宽泛的界定并不意味着，报纸、图书出版或传统的电视新闻广播就会或是应该灭亡。但是我们正在摸索着对接收到的一切迷惑信号给出条理清楚的回答。12读者，请注意：我并不相信媒体应为暴力或是文化的衰落承担责任。我认为我们的文化多姿多彩，令人振奋，时而精彩纷呈富有创造力，时而略显幼稚、粗俗。我们必须避免对善恶进行这么简单肤浅的文化定性。13尽管新媒体带来的这些变化令我兴奋，但是它对我而言并非那么重要。新媒体体现的并不是一种优越的文明，但它的确为我们带来了一些崭新强大的政治和社会观念，有些甚至是革命性的。新媒体是进行交流、创建关系和社区的新方法，既有好的方面，也有坏的方面
39、，既有非凡、解放的可能性，也有不和谐、排他性、侵入性和混乱。请大家再次注意：我不相信我们这个民族都成了傻瓜，我们的孩子较过去有一丁点得笨。相反，我接触到的孩子，不论是认识的、碰到的，还是互发电子邮件交往的都非常聪明，对于探索和操作复杂的机器很精通，而且一般比他们的父母要宽容，好奇心强和开放。数字革命是年轻人点燃的，现在仍由他们领导，对于他们中的许多人来说，这是他们生活中的必不可少的一部分。他们永远也不会放弃。指责他们愚蠢、漫不经心，其实反映出我们自身更多的问题。我们，不是他们，得改变。14 结果证明，新闻业针对青年人的文化发动的长期战争对双方都是毁灭性的。几十年来对漫画、摇滚、说唱、电视、卡通、电脑和电子游戏的攻击，使得传统的新闻业失去了年轻读者和年轻观众。孩子们无法从新闻业提供的有用成分（包括信息、分析、语境、评论）中受益，这太糟了。同时，新闻界疏远年轻的读者和观众，只会对着持续低迷的统计数字搔头叹息，这简直是在慢性自杀。15 媒体界的战争该停火了。我们只得接受事实：现在有更多的信息，传送得更迅速，形式也更多样化，这是我们任何一个人都想象不到的。我们得好好考虑考虑如何应对。16当心，你们这些空谈家、虔诚的灵魂，自认为知道哪些是对你和家人最道德的。不要再受脱口秀和报刊专栏上危言耸听者的毒害了。镇静。深呼吸。这个问题既不困惑，也不危险。
