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  3. A few years ago it was feared that the investors buying up one media company after another and loading them with debt would ruin

A few years ago it was feared that the investors buying up one media company after another and loading them with debt would ruin

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问题     A few years ago it was feared that the investors buying up one media company after another and loading them with debt would ruin their purchases. As it turns out, some have also ruined themselves. On August 17th the Reader’ s Digest Association, publisher of America’ s most widely read magazine, said it would seek bankruptcy protection to restructure $2. 2 billion in debt.
    Reader’ S Digest is now a global business: It generates less than half of its revenue in America. Most of its money comes from direct marketing and sales of things as varied as wine, vitamins and books.
    Reader’s Digest began in the 1920s by summarizing books and "articles of lasting interest" from other publications. Gradually it acquired its own editorial voice, and with it a somewhat boring image. The magazine emphasized common values and leaned to the right—Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan were fans. In the 1970s it sold as many as 18 million copies a month. The Wall Street Journal described it as the greatest publishing success since the Bible.
    Yet cracks were appearing. The magazine came to depend on competitions and gambling, particularly to lure younger subscribers. Forced out of that business by public and legal pressure, Reader’s Digest attempted to reinvent itself as a celebrity-heavy lifestyle magazine. Despite heroic (and expensive)efforts to keep up the numbers, circulation has fallen ruthlessly. It now stands at 8.2 million in America—not many more than Better Homes and Gardens.
    These days Reader’s Digest is aiming for a circulation of about 5. 5 million, having dropped the notion of being all things to all readers. Instead it will emphasize the heartland values of family and practicality. Other initiatives point in a similar direction. In 2006 the firm successfully launched a magazine featuring Rachael Ray, a cheerful and uncomplicated television cook. Earlier this year it formed a publishing alliance with Rick Warren, whose book, The Purpose-Driven Life, has a more plausible claim to be the greatest publishing success since the Bible. Mr. Warren is conservative but pointedly non-political.
    This is wise. There are a lot of people in the heartland, and not just in America. Reader’ s Digest’ s talent for distilling complex arguments ought to be more valuable in an era of information overload. In the past year Every Day with Rachael Ray and the American edition of Reader’ s Digest have lost less than a tenth of their advertising pages, according to Mediaweek—far less than the competition. If it can escape that troublesome debt, the least sexy of publishing companies ought to be around for a while yet.
According to Paragraph 4, which of the following causes Reader’ s Digest’ s problems?
选项 A、Lack of younger subscribers.
B、Departure from competitions.
C、Encounter with legal pressure.
D、Failure to make heroic efforts.
答案C
解析 该题为细节题。由第四段第三句“Forced out of that business by public and legal pressure，Reader’s Digest attempted to reinvent itself as a celebrity-heavy lifestyle magazine．”可知，迫于大众和法律的压力被迫离开出版界后，《读者文摘》尝试将自己打造成以名人生活为重心的杂志。因此，来自于法律方面的压力成为了杂志发展的问题之一，故选C。
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