With only a click of the mouse, rumors can be forwarded between microblogs very quickly. As an example, recently, perceptive netizens discovered that some photos displayed on microblogs depicting Beijing’s June rainstorm had actually been fabricated.
Sina. is one of the major internet portals(门户网站) in China with hundreds and thousands of users, and a majority of celebrities and renowned citizens have their microblog accounts on this portal. As recently as six months ago, the website decided to establish a specialized team to verify rumors and provide accurate information for its users. Tan Chao is in charge of the team.
“Before I took the job, I usually couldn’t identify what information was real and what was fake. But during the rumor verification process, we discovered that a lot of information was false, including fake photos, fake news stories and rumors that had been spread through microblogs.”
It‘s not just website portals which are taking on fact-checking responsibilities, but also a number of civic-minded netizens, who recently set up a Rumor Verification Federation on Sina.’s microblog system to help netizens identify fake information online.
Dianzizheng is the team leader of the federation. He says they’ve publicized more than 150 pieces which refute rumors, which attracted more than 10 thousand visitors within two months.
“We live in an age of new media, so we can’t use the old methods to verify rumors. We can’t wait for the media to verify the facts with related administrative departments and then release a formal announcement. We can’t allow rumors to run rampant and then deal with it, we need to fight rumors while they’re spreading. I think that this is the best way to deal with rumors nowadays.”
Some experts say this demonstrates the advantages of the internet pared to other traditional media. The open platform allows information to be examined and clarified by netizens. But experts like Ding Wenguo, President of the Journalism and Communication College at the China University of Political Science and Law says this self-correction function of the internet is still quite limited.
“It’s still quite difficult to tell which information is true in such an open environment by just reading a number of different opinions on the same issue. This is something which we need to pay attention to. If society is deluged with too much false information, and it’s allowed to spread in such a fast manner, then people will be suspicious of all kinds of information including important information from authorities. It also exacerbates(恶化) problems relating to social munications and mutual-understanding, which in turn harms society as a whole.”
Experts suggest that the government should react more quickly in the internet age. Once a rumor begins to spread, administrative departments should make announcements as early as possible to dispel rumors before they lead to bad outes.
【小题1】Sina. decided to found a specialized team to .A．limit the number of microblogsB．advance the development of microblogsC．prevent the spread of rumors on the Internet D．urge the government to react quickly to the rumors【小题2】Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?A．All the rumors have been spread through microblogs.B．Sina. is the most popular Internet portal in China.C．The photos displayed on microblogs might be fake.D．Traditional media tend to get rumors examined and clarified.【小题3】The underlined word fabricated in the first paragraph can be replaced by . A．dug outB．made upC．got roundD．given away【小题4】What is the best way to prove rumors on microblogs?A．Examining and checking while they are spreading.B．Substituting the Internet for traditionally media.C．Shutting down the website immediately. D．Making announcements after they are spread.【小题5】The writer cited Ding Wenguo's words in Paragraph 8 to . A．draw a conclusionB．support an argumentC．introduce a topicD．describe a sceneC
网友回答
(答案→)C
解析：文章大意：文章主要讲述了网络上出现的虚假信息和网络谣言，以及各方人士对此的反应。并提出如何应对这样的问题。
【小题1】C细节题。根据文章第2段和第6段We can’t allow rumours to run wild and then deal with it, we need to fight rumours while they’re spreading. I think that this is the best way to deal with rumours nowadays.”和the website decided to establish a specialized team to prove rumours and provide accurate information for its users.说明这个队伍的成立是为了与网络上的虚假信息谣言做斗争。故C正确。
【小题2】C推理题。根据第三段2,3行we discovered that a lot of information was false, including fake photos, fake news stories and rumours that had been spread through microblogs.说明他们发现了很多这样的虚假图片，这些图片有可能会传播一些假的信息，会对社会有很多的副作用。故要清除，故C正确。
【小题3】B词义推测题。根据第一段内容，说明人们只需要点击鼠标就能传播谣言，又举北京6月大雨中的那些图片例子来说明这一点，说明这些图片可能都是假的，都是编出来的。故B正确。
【小题4】A细节题。根据第六段最后两句We can’t allow rumours to run wild and then deal with it, we need to fight rumours while they’re spreading. I think that this is the best way to deal with rumours nowadays.”。故A正确。
【小题5】B推理题。在文章第7段中提出了一个争论，有人认为这是网络好的一方面，而Ding Wenguo却认为网络上的谣言需要仔细甄别，如果我们让这样的谣言流传下去，会有很大的影响。故第8段内容是为了支持这个辩论而给出的论据。故B正确。