Narrator: Listen to part of a conversation between a student and her history professor.

旁白：听一段一个学生和她的历史教授之间的对话。

Student: So I definitely want to write my term paper on American journalism in the eighteenth century.

学生：所以我确定要写一篇关于十八世纪美国新闻业的学期论文。

That old copy of the New York Daily Gazette you showed us, the one printed from the library's microfilm.

就是你向我们展示的纽约日报的旧版，从图书馆的缩微胶片印刷出来的那版。

Just seeing a newspaper that was published in 1789... that was really cool!

仅仅是看到1789年刊登的报纸这件事……真的很棒！

Professor: Yes, reading old newspapers can be a powerful experience, specially to a budding historian like yourself.

教授：是的，读旧报纸可以是一个不错的经历，特别是像你这样的一个初学历史学的学生。

As a resource for scholars and researchers, I don't think any form of publication really captures the day-to-day life of a community better than a local newspaper.

对于学者和研究人员来说，他们想要获取资源的话，没有什么比地方报纸更能抓住一个社区的日常生活的正是特点了。

Student: Yeah, I mean, I knew that the number of newspapers exploded in the 18th century,

是的，我的意思是，我知道报纸的数量在第十八世纪呈爆炸增长，

but I figured they all deteriorated before the technology was invented to preserve them, or you know, make copies.

但我认为在能够保存它们或者制作副本的技术出现之前，它们都已经腐化了。

Professor: Well, actually, before the mid-1800s, newspapers were printed on fairly sturdy paper made from cotton fibers.

教授：嗯，事实上，在19世纪中叶前，报纸印刷在相当坚固的由棉花纤维制成的纸上。

Those that survived are in surprisingly good shape.

那些保存下来的报纸状态出奇地良好。

Student: Are there many more copies of the Gazette on microfilm?

学生：公报的的微缩胶片上还有很多复本吗？

Professor: Yeah, we've got a great microfilm library on campus. You'll find it invaluable, I'm sure, as you research your paper.

教授：是的，我们在校园有一个很大的缩微图书馆。当你研究论文时，我相信你会发现它是非常宝贵的。

Um, but also talk to the librarians because they are creating an online archive of their microfilm collection.

嗯，但是你也可以跟图书馆员谈谈，因为他们正在创建微缩胶片收藏的在线档案

I'm not sure of the project's status, but if it's done, it'll probably save you time.

我不确定该项目的进展情况，但如果它已经完成了，它可能会节省你的时间。

So, um, 18th-century journalism, you must realize that that topic is too broad for this assignment.

那么，嗯，你必须意识到如果你写十八世纪的新闻业，这个话题太广了。

Student: I do. So one idea I had was like looking at an important world event like maybe the French revolution of 1789, since we just finished a unit on it.

学生：我明白。所以我的想法是谈论世界历史的重要的事件，比如1789的法国革命，因为我们刚刚学完了这个单元。

The readings you've given us were incredibly vivid. I loved them, but they were translations of French writers, historians.

你给我们的阅读资料是非常生动的。我很喜欢这些资料，但他们是法国作家、历史学家的翻译。

So I thought it'd be interesting to pick the Gazette and one other American newspaper to see how each covered the revolution,

因此，我认为选择公报和其他的美国报纸来看看这些报纸是如何报道这次革命，

how the journalists reported it from America's perspective.

记者如何从美国人的角度来报道它

Professor: Hmm, interesting approach.

教授：嗯，很有趣的方法。

But remember, I'll be grading your paper based on the details you include.

但请记住，我会基于你论文中包含的细节来给你的论文评分。

And at some point in your paper, you'll want to focus on a particular event of the revolution like maybe the storming of the Bastille prison.

在你论文中的一些地方，你会想要关注革命中的某个特殊事件，就像攻占巴士底狱监狱这样的特定事件。

Student: How about the formation of the French national constituent assembly?

学生：我写法国国民议会大会的形成如何？

Professor: Sure! That would work.

教授：当然可以！这个可以写。

Student: And since I'm gonna look at newspapers from two cities, I could read the editorials, the opinion pieces, to find out what each community thought about the national assembly.

学生：因为我会读两个城市的报纸，我可以读社论的评论，找出每个社区对国民大会的看法。

Professor: Ok, but, you know, I once attended a history conference where a professor presented a paper on the American press in the French Revolution.

教授：好吧，但是，我曾经参加了一个历史会议，一位教授展示了一篇关于法国革命时期的美国新闻界的论文。

She was discussing the development of democratic ideals here and in France at that time.

她当时正在讨论这里和法国的民主理想的发展。

But she also pointed out that using old newspapers as primary sources... to be aware that they reflected the values of only a segment of society, and should not be used to draw conclusions about all Americans.

她也指出，使用旧报纸作为主要来源……要意识到，它们仅仅反映了一部分社会价值，不应该被用来对所有美国人下结论。

I don't think I held on to her paper, but it was subsequently published, so you'll have no trouble tracking it down on the Internet. Let me give you her name.

我不认为我保存了她的论文，但它随后还是发表了。所以你可以在互联网上找到这篇论文。我把她的名字给你吧。