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  3. Asked what he would do to improve a government, the ancient Chinese sage Confucius answered that his first measure would be "to

Asked what he would do to improve a government, the ancient Chinese sage Confucius answered that his first measure would be "to

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问题 Asked what he would do to improve a government, the ancient Chinese sage Confucius answered that his first measure would be "to correct language". He meant that if words don’t mean what they seem to mean people cannot put any plan into action as intended. The state of language at the dawn of the twenty-first century appears to be more confused than ever—thanks in large part to the enormous influence of television, radio, and print media over what we buy, desire, and believe.
   Benjamin Radford,  managing editor of The Skeptical Inquirer magazine,  offers hundreds of examples of deceptive practices in journalism, advertising, political activism, public relations, and charity appeals. The real danger to the public, he insists, comes not from outright lies about events or individuals, because in most cases facts can ultimately be proven and mistakes corrected. But the emotional power of images, sound bites, and slogans can exert deep and lasting influence on our opinions and behaviors as consumers, voters, and citizens.
   The detailed coverage of violent crimes dominating local TV news shows seldom includes any larger context. The cumulative impression left in the minds of viewers is that violent crime is rampant and on the rise. As a result, many people live in fear and many more support the idea of ever-larger police forces, tougher laws, and bigger prisons without considering the actual crime rates in their community or across the nation.
   Dramatic incidents like the sniper attacks in the Washington D. C. area in the fall of 2002 receive so much media attention that, again, the actual numbers of people affected and the likelihood of such attacks being repeated anywhere else become wildly exaggerated in people’s minds. In the media-fueled emotional state following such spectacular disasters, the effort and expense of turning schools into locked fortresses or putting cameras on every street to monitor suspicious individuals can seem insignificant compared to the hope of keeping our children safe from harm. Yet truly effective measures require clear thinking and clearly worded policies that citizens—not only lawyers and politicians—can understand. Too often the long-term future implications of new anticrime laws and policies are not even considered in the rush to feel safer by taking rapid and visible action.
   Misleading practices by advertisers are another subject of public concern.  Governments have long limited ads for alcohol and tobacco products and examined claims by drug companies, carmakers, food suppliers, and toy manufacturers to protect the public health. But advertising uses emotional appeals to shift the viewer’s focus away from facts. Viewers who do not take the trouble to distinguish between provable claims and pleasant but meaningless word play end up buying "the sizzle, not the steak" and often paying high.  
According to Benjamin Radford, the real danger to the public opinions lies in ______.
选项 A、deceptive practices
B、outright lies
C、unproved facts and mistakes
D、emotional images, sound bites, and slogans
答案D
解析 本题为细节题，可根据文章第2段寻找答案。这一段中提到，Benjamin Radford提供了数百例来自新闻广告、政治活动、公关慈善等方面的欺骗性做法(deceptive practices)，但他认为，对公众最危险的不是这些赤裸裸的谎言(out-right lies)本身，而是对公众有深刻持续影响的图像的情感力量、新闻采访的原声摘要(sound bites)和口号，所以D为正确答案。
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