No country in the world has more daily newspapers than the USA. There are almost 2,000 of them, as compared with 180 in Japan, 164 in Argentina and 111 in Britain. The quality of some American papers is extremely high and their views are quoted all over the world. Famous dailies like the Washington Post or the New York Times have a powerful influence all over the country. However, they are not national newspapers in the sense that The Times is in Britain or Le Monde is in France, since each American city has its own daily newspaper. The best of these present detailed description of national and international news, but many tend to limit themselves to state or city news.
　　Like the press in most other countries, American newspapers range from the "sensational" which feature crime and gossip（闲谈）, to the "serious", which focus on factual news and the analysis of world events. But with few exceptions, American newspapers try to entertain as well as give information, for they have to compete with the attraction of television.
　　Just as American newspapers satisfy all tastes, so do they also try to attract readers of all political parties. A few newspapers support extremist（极端主义的）groups on the far right and on the far left, but most daily newspapers try to attract middle-of-the-road Americans who are moderate（中立的）. Many of these papers print columns by well-known journalists of different political and social views, in order to present a balanced picture.
　　As in other countries, American newspapers can be either responsible or irresponsible, but it is generally accepted that the American press serves its country well and that it has more than once courageously exposed political scandals（丑闻）or crimes, for instance, the Watergate Affair（水门事件）. The Newspapers drew the attention of the public to the horrors of the Vietnam War.

3. Many American newspapers attract readers of different political preference by ______.

      The Oregonian（俄勒冈报）is the daily newspaper for the state of Oregon where the Hagens live. Since it is published in the largest city, which is Portland, most of the readers live within 50 miles of Portland.
　　From Monday to Saturday, the paper has about 75 pages, of which 20 pages are advertisements. It normally has 5 sections which are called Nation, Sports, Metro（大都会）, Living and Business.
　　Nation is national news mostly with some international news about earthquakes, floods, and tensions（紧张）around the world. Sports cover the professional sports in season, college sports, and high school sports. Metro is local news of the city of Portland which includes political stories, comics, music, stories about pets, and advice. Business has listing of more than 10,000 stocks and a regular report about the stock market and business news. The advertising section includes apartments and houses, employment opportunities and items to buy, especially cars and trucks.
　　On Sunday, the paper is very large weighing more than two kilos. There are additional sections called Art, Books, International, and Travel. Since this is the day most Americans do not work, they have more time for reading. Each of the daily sections is longer so the newspaper is twice the size of the daily sections. However, the advertisements are nearly as many pages as the news on Sunday so the entire paper is more than four times larger than the daily paper.
　　 Some companies print their own advertisements and pay to put them in The Oregonian. These include grocery（杂货）stores, clothing stores, car agencies（代理处）, camera and video equipment stores, toy stores, and computer stores. All of the companies feel that the best way to advertise is to put a beautiful color advertisement in every Sunday.

7. Who are the regular readers of The Oregonian?

　　Why do people smoke? One reason is that people become addicted（有瘾）to cigarettes. The addictive substance（物质）in cigarettes is nicotine. When people smoke, the nicotine goes right into the blood stream and makes people feel relaxed. A smoker's body gets used to the nicotine and if he stops smoking, he feels nervous. Many smokers try to stop smoking, but because of the addiction to nicotine they feel so uncomfortable that they often find it too difficult to do so. Another reason is that people simply enjoy smoking. Having a cigarette for many people means taking a break. For some people smoking becomes part of certain social rituals（礼节）, for example, the cigarette after dinner. Many people enjoy smoking because it gives you something to do with your hands. Reaching for a cigarette, lighting it, flicking（轻弹）the ashes are especially comfortable in situation where a person feels nervous.
　　Many people also like the taste of tar（焦油）in cigarettes. However, it is the tar that causes cancer（癌）. While governments and health experts （专家）have tried to get people to give up smoking completely, cigarette manufacturers（制造商）have tried to keep selling them by producing cigarettes with less tar. Many people in Western countries have welcomed these cigarettes since they find it hard to stop smoking but want to reduce the danger to their health.

　　Each year, a half-million people die from smoking in China which in 1990 overtook the United States in the number of such deaths. And by the year 2025, 2 million Chinese will die each year from smoking and related diseases. Professor Weng cited（引用）a report from the World Health Organization（WHO, 世界卫生组织）.
　　With Westerners increasingly dropping the habit, the smoking population in China is on a constant increase. "In 1964 the smoking population in America was 54 percent, which dropped to 26 percent by the year 1996. But China's smoking population is at least 30 times its number in the 1950s." Weng said.
　　Smoking has become a popular game, especially among young people and women.
　　Weng pointed out that women are more and more the targets of tobacco marketing campaigns. "As China witnesses（目睹）rapid change in women's roles, smoking among women is increasing, with most new smokers being educated women."
　　Weng said that in countries such as the United States, Britain － where female smoking was popular long ago － lung cancer caused by smoking has surpassed breast cancer（乳腺癌）, becoming the largest cancer-killer of women.
　　"At present only some 8 percent of Chinese women smoke, which has kept the total smoking population below 40 percent. If women in China insist on demanding the same rights as men, the figure will at least double the present one." Weng said.

　　BERLIN—Marlene Dietrich is finally to be honoured by her home city, Berlin.
　　For more than half a century, the famous film star won huge fame in Hollywood, but remained a highly controversial（可能引起争论的）figure in Germany .
　　When the city's new Film Museum is opened on September 26, three of its 15 rooms will show the star's possessions collected over a lifetime.
　　In addition to various collections by Marlene, visitors will be able to see all Marlene Dietrich's movies. There will also be key excepts from a vast range of German-made films.
　　Dietrich became a world star after her wonderful performance in a movie. After that, she turned her back on Germany, horrified by the sudden movement of Nazi in her hometown.
　　A few years after the war, the star was persuaded to pay a short visit to Berlin. But the trip proved disaster. At a city hall gathering in west Berlin, crowds turned out to see her, but not all friendly.
　　She was attacked at times. She found herself being blamed for wearing an American uniform during the war when pleasing us troops in Europe. She was also scolded for "turning her back on the country."
　　Dietrich, deeply hurt, decided she would never return to Berlin again. But later she softened her judgment.
　　When she died in Paris in 1972, it was at her express wish that her body should be sent back to Berlin for burial alongside her mother in a local cemetery.