Almost every family buys at least one copy of a newspaper every day. Some people can have as many as two or three different newspapers. But why do people read newspapers?
Five hundred years ago, news of important happenings, such as battles lost and won, kings or rulers(统治者) overthrown(推翻) or killed, took months and even years to travel from one country to another. The news passed by words of mouth. Today we can read in our newspapers of important things that happen in faraway countries at the same time.
Besides giving news from all over the world, newspapers tell us a lot of other useful information. There are weather reports, as well as radio, television and film guides. There are also book reviews, stories, and of course, advertisements(广告). There are all kinds of advertisements. They pay the newspapers thousands of dollars for the advertising space (广告版面), but it is worth the money because news of what they make in factories goes into almost every home in the country. For those who make newspapers, advertisements are also very important. Money from advertisements makes it possible for them to sell their newspapers at a low price and still make a profit(利润).
