文章主要讲述了19世纪30年代前美国报纸的销售模式、受众情况，以及“便士报”这一新趋势的出现、发展过程和初期面临的状况。
Before the 1830s, most newspapers were sold through annual subscriptions in America, usually $8 to $10 a year. Today $8 or $10 seems a small amount of money, but at that time these amounts were forbidding to most citizens. Accordingly, newspapers were read almost only by rich people in politics or the trades. In addition, most newspapers had little in them that would appeal to a mass audience. They were dull and visually forbidding. But the revolution that was taking place in the 1830s would change all that.
在19世纪30年代以前，美国大多数报纸通过年度订阅的方式售卖，通常每年8到10美元。如今，8美元或10美元看似是一笔小钱，但在当时，这些金额对大多数市民来说高得难以承受。因此，报纸几乎只有政界或商界的富人才会阅读。此外，大多数报纸内容很少能吸引大众读者。它们枯燥乏味，视觉上也缺乏吸引力。然而，19世纪30年代正在发生的变革将改变这一切。
The trend, then, was toward the "penny paper"—a term referring to papers made widely available to the public. It meant any inexpensive newspaper; perhaps more importantly it meant newspapers that could be bought in single copies on the street.
当时的趋势是走向“便士报”——这个术语指的是向公众广泛提供的报纸。它指的是任何价格低廉的报纸；或许更重要的是，它指的是可以在街上单独购买到的报纸。
This development did not take place overnight. It had been possible(but not easy) to buy single copies of newspapers before 1830, but this usually meant the reader had to go down to the printer's office to purchase a copy. Street sales were almost unknown. However, within a few years, street sales of newspapers would be commonplace in eastern cities. At first the price of single copies was seldom a penny—usually two or three cents was charged—and some of the older well-known papers charged five or six cents. But the phrase "penny paper " caught the public's fancy, and soon there would be papers that did indeed sell for only a penny.
这种发展并非一蹴而就。在1830年以前，购买单份报纸是有可能的（但并不容易），但这通常意味着读者得去印刷商的办公室购买一份。街头售卖几乎闻所未闻。然而，几年之内，报纸的街头售卖在东部城市就会变得十分常见。起初，单份报纸的价格很少是一便士——通常收费两到三美分，一些较老且知名的报纸收费五到六美分。但是“便士报”这个说法引起了公众的兴趣，不久后，确实会有只卖一便士的报纸出现。
This new trend of newspapers for "the man on the street" did not begin well. Some of the early ventures(企业) were immediate failures. Publishers already in business, people who were owners of successful papers, had little desire to change the tradition. It took a few youthful and daring businessmen to get the ball rolling.
面向“街头大众”的这种报纸新趋势起初并不顺利。一些早期的企业立刻就失败了。已经在经营报纸的出版商，即那些拥有成功报纸的人，几乎不想改变传统。是一些年轻且大胆的商人推动了这一趋势的发展。
一、重点词汇
1. subscription /səbˈskrɪpʃn/ n. 订阅；订购；订阅费
2. amount /əˈmaʊnt/ n. 数量；金额
3. forbidding /fəˈbɪdɪŋ/ adj. 令人却步的；冷峻的
4. accordingly /əˈkɔːdɪŋli/ adv. 因此；于是
5. politics /ˈpɒlətɪks/ n. 政治；政治事务
6. trade /treɪd/ n. 行业；职业；贸易
7. appeal /əˈpiːl/ v. 吸引；呼吁；n. 吸引力；上诉
8. mass /mæs/ adj. 大规模的；大量的；n. 大量；众多
9. audience /ˈɔːdiəns/ n. 观众；听众；读者
10. dull /dʌl/ adj. 枯燥的；单调的
11. visually /ˈvɪʒuəli/ adv. 视觉上；形象化地
12. revolution /ˌrevəˈluːʃn/ n. 革命；变革
13. trend /trend/ n. 趋势；倾向
14. available /əˈveɪləbl/ adj. 可获得的；可找到的
15. inexpensive /ˌɪnɪkˈspensɪv/ adj. 便宜的；不贵的
16. single /ˈsɪŋɡl/ adj. 单个的；单一的
17. overnight /ˌəʊvəˈnaɪt/ adv. 一夜之间；突然
18. printer /ˈprɪntə(r)/ n. 印刷商；打印机
19. commonplace /ˈkɒmənpleɪs/ adj. 常见的；普通的
20. venture /ˈventʃə(r)/ n. 企业；商业冒险
二、重点短语与固定搭配
1. annual subscription 年度订阅
2. a small amount of 一小笔；少量的
3. appeal to 吸引；迎合
4. mass audience 普通大众；广大观众
5. penny paper 便士报
6. make available to 向…… 开放；供…… 使用
7. single copy 单份；单行本
8. take place 发生；举行
9. overnight success 一夜成名；一蹴而就
10. catch the public's fancy 深得民心；受大众喜爱
11. sell for 售价为；以…… 价格出售
12. the man on the street 普通民众；街头路人
13. in addition 此外；另外
14. at first 起初；首先
15. refer to 指的是；涉及
16. go down to 去……；到……去
17. street sales 街头售卖
18. catch one's fancy 引起某人的兴趣
19. immediate failures 立刻失败
20. in business 经营；在营业
21. have little desire to 几乎没有……的欲望
22. get the ball rolling 使……开始进行；推动事情发展
