The New York Times announced
Wednesday that it intended to charge frequent readers for access to its Web
site, a step being debated across the industry that nearly every major
newspaper has so far feared to take.
Starting in early 2011, visitors
to NYTimes.com will get a certain number of articles free every month before
being asked to pay a flat fee for unlimited access. Subscribers（訂閱者） to the newspaper’s print edition will
receive full access to the site.
But executives(執(zhí)行主管) of The New York Times
Company said they could not yet answer fundamental questions about the plan,
like how much it would cost or what the limit would be on free reading. They
stressed that the amount of free access could change with time, in response to
economic conditions and reader demand.
Still, publishers fear that
income from digital subscriptions would not compensate for the resulting loss
of audience and advertising revenue.
NYTimes.com is by far the most
popular newspaper site in the country, with more than 17 million readers a
month in the United States, according to Nielsen Online, and analysts say it is
easily the leader in advertising revenue, as well. That may make it better
positioned than other general-interest papers to charge — and also gives The
Times more to lose if the move backfires.
The Times Company has been
studying the matter for almost a year, searching for common ground between pro-
and anti-pay camps — a debate mirrored in dozens of media-watching blogs — and
the system will not go into effect until January 2011. Executives said they
were not bothered by the prospect of absorbing barbs（冷嘲熱諷） for moving cautiously.
“There’s no prize for getting it
quick,” said Janet L. Robinson, the company’s president and chief executive.
“There’s more of a prize for getting it right.”
1.The first paragraph serves as a __________.
A. conclusion B.
comment C. lead-in D.
background
2. We may know from the passage that __________.
A. non-paying readers will get no
access to NYTimes.com
B. readers will be charged more
to read more articles on NYTimes.com
C. visitors to NYTimes.com
frequently will get more free online articles
D. subscribers to the print
edition will enjoy free access to the site as well
3. Which of the following best describes The Times Company's
attitude towards its announcement?
A. rude B. serious C.
hurried D. doubtful
4. The passage is mainly about_________.
A. the Times
to offer free access to its web site
B. the Times to increase audience
to its web site
C. the Times to attract
advertisement to its web site
D. the Times to charge for
frequent access to its web site
