由上表可见,社会科学是考研英语阅读的主要和重点选材,自然科学一直保持在1篇文章左右的分量,人文科学的重要性则有上升的趋势。
考生在准备考研的过程中,应该充分重视上述的一些英美报纸杂志,平时要多看这些刊物,尤其是其中的议论、评论、报道和分析文章等。现在在国内买到英美国家原版报刊杂志的过刊还是比较容易的。如果考生想掌握最新文章,可以登陆这些刊物的官方网站去阅读,通常这些文章都是免费的,但有的需要交费订阅才可以,考生可以灵活把握。笔者在这里主要推荐The Economist (《经济学家》)的网站,不仅因为The Economist 是考研选材的重点刊物之一,同时,考生在上面可以免费阅读近一两年的印刷版文章,非常方便实用。如果考生有着广泛阅读的兴趣和习惯,能紧跟时代步伐、了解全球的重大事件、信息和资讯,就能够为考研阅读准备丰富厚实的背景材料,因而在阅读时可以充分利用自己的相关知识来帮助理解原文。考生应特别重视加强对于美国文化背景知识的了解,因为美国报纸杂志以及关于美国的报道是近几年考研阅读文章选材的重点。
以下是部分英美权威报刊杂志的网站地址:
The Economist (《经济学家》):www.economist.com
Newsweek (《新闻周刊》): www.newsweek.com,id
Times(《时代周刊》): www.timesonline.co.uk,tol,news
U.S. News and World Report 《美国新闻与世界报道》): www.usnews.com
Now York Times (《纽约时报》):www.nytimes.com
(五)、考研阅读理解的考点和命题原则
根据笔者对考研英语阅读理解文章以及题目多年进行的潜心研究,总结出了以下13个重点考点和四大命题原则。考生应该熟记这些重点考点,并在平时的练习中训练自己对这些考点的敏感程度,做到使自己的神经能够一找到这些考点就会条件反射般地兴奋起来,从而增强对重点的记忆和理解。下面首先将一一介绍阅读理解文章的敏感考点。
1、首段和尾段
一篇文章的主题句、或者说是中心思想往往出现在文章的首段或者尾段。大家在阅读了一定数量的文章之后就能够发现,许多文章开门见山地在文章第一段中就提出了要说明的对象或者要论证的观点,这些中心思想句的位置一般都是文章第一句话或者第一段的最后一两句话。
此外,文章的最后一段一般都会对全文的说明和论证进行总结,这些句子往往位于最后一段的第一句话或最后一句话。通过一些标志性词汇或者短语,我们可以更快地找到这些总结性句子,如:all in all, in short, to conclude, in consequence, in summary, in a word, as a result, therefore, accordingly, thus等。
主题句考查了考生是否能够把握文章大意的能力,因此是常考且几乎是必考的一个考点。
2、段首和段尾
无论是说明文还是议论文,一篇文章往往会分成几个部分或层次进行说明和论证,每一个段落一般都是一个部分或者层次。英美人写文章的逻辑性非常强,文章结构都非常规范,因此每个段落的首句和尾句也经常是该段落的中心思想句,因此也是出题的重点区域,涉及的问题包括了中心思想题、推理判断题和细节题等。下文也将会提到,在进行快速阅读的时候,考生只需要浏览文章每一段的第一句话就大致能够判断这篇文章的中心思想和主旨。
3、长难句
上文提到了长难句是阅读理解的主要难度所在,其中包含了同位语、插入语、定语、不定式、分词、各种从句等,使得句子长达好几行。因此这些复杂的句型也往往成为了试题的重点所在。考生应该加强训练自己对付长难句的能力,平时练习中有意识地去分解这些句子,理解其中的指代关系和句子层次。
4、列举处
所谓的列举是指通过一些表示顺承关系的词语逐项列出一些事实或者观点,标志性的词汇包括First, Second, Third… ; Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly… Finally; First of all, Then, In addition, Further, Furthermore, Besides, Moreover… 针对这一考点的题目通常考查文章细节,有时候也涉及对文章内容的推理判断。这种题目没有固定的提问方式,不过通常会有两种题型:第一种是从四个答案选项中选择正确的一项,错误选项的意思往往与文章的意思相反或因果关系颠倒;第二中是从四个答案选项中选择错误的一项,即“except”题型,一般对照原文就能够找出错误的选项。
5、举例处
一般的说明文和议论文都需要一些例子来支持作者的说明和论证,这些例子往往与作者的说明与论述有很大的关联,具有重大的意义,因此也成为了考题出处的热点。这种题目在文章中的线索非常明显,一般都带有如下的标志性词汇:for example, for instance, take … as an example, as, such as, like 等。在做这种题目的时候,考生要牢记所举的例子一般都与文章的中心思想有着密切的联系,因此要在选项中去寻找与中心思想意思最接近的那一项。同时,一般文章举例处的前一句或者前几句就是与该例子相关的作者论点,所以在做此类题目的时候就需要追本溯源地往前读,才能保证所选答案的正确率。1999年以后几乎每年的考研阅读题中都有1-2道关于例证的题目,这应当引起考生的高度重视。常用的举例方法有两种:一是先提出观点,后举例说明;二是先列举事例再做出结论。考生应当学会举一反三,在具体的阅读文章中识别出个种例证。
6、引用处
说明文或者议论文中经常引用他人的观点来支持、佐证作者的观点。引文有可能是从正面来支持作者的观点,也有可能是作者通过驳斥反面观点从而论证自己的观点。因此,引文间接地表达了作者自己的观点,有一定的隐蔽性和迷惑性,所以也是出题考查的热点地区,通常会考查考生的推理能力和对作者态度观点的判断能力。
7、因果关系处
表示因果关系的句子也是考研英语命题者所青睐的出题来源,因为因果句阐述了两个事件或者事实之间的内在联系,是作者进行分析或者得出结论的地方。出题者为了考查考生的阅读能力和逻辑分析能力,经常会把含有因果关系的句子倒过来考,因此选项中因变成了果、果变成了因,考生需要注意辨别实际的因果关系,防止受到迷惑。
表示因果关系的词语有:because, because of, so, for, since, as, thus, therefore, consequently, in consequence, as a result; result from, result in, cause, originate from, lead to, attribute to, derive from; base, basis, reason, result, consequence等。有时候文章中虽然没有出现表示因果关系的标志性词语,但是在逻辑上也存在着因果关系,这个时候考生就需要自己进行判断和推理。
8、转折、对比和类比处
文章的转折出也是体现作者观点和文章主题的地方,作者经常通过先抑后扬的办法在转折词之后才明确提出自己的观点。一些明显的转折词包括but, however, on the contrary, yet, as a matter of fact, in fact, actually等,转折词前后的意思一般来说都是相反的,而作者会偏重其中的某一方。因此,在阅读过程中看到转折词,考生最好能作上标志以方便做题时候的查找。
另外,作者也经常把两个事物、两件事实、两种观点进行对比,从而论证自己观点的正确性。表示对比的一些标志性词语有in contrast, in comparison, compared with 等。特别需要指出的是,只要文章第一段中出现一组对比的概念或事物,这个地方往往会成为考题的命题重点,考生应掌握这一规律,在看到文章首段出现转折对比的内容时,应当立即集中注意力,同时还要明白,第一段出现转折关系时,转折后所表述的一定是文章的中心思想,而在首段出现的对照或对比的内容将在下文中进行具体的议论,并在文章最后得出结论。
此外,由于议论文和说明文在论证说明事理的时候非常抽象,为了让读者更形象地理解这些抽象的概念,文章经常会运用类比的手法以增强文章的生动性。好的类比手法不仅有助于将抽象的道理阐释清楚,更可以让读者加深印象。类比在文中有两种体现方式,一是明喻,即A像B一样;二是暗喻,说A是B,由于暗喻更加隐蔽,近年来命题专家也越来越趋向于在暗喻内容上设置问题。
9、特殊词汇
考研阅读试题中经常考查考生对于一些词语和词汇的理解,这些特殊词汇包括了平时不经常使用的生僻词、常见词语平时不经常用到的意思或搭配、以及关系代词等。这类题目的解题关键在于读懂词汇所在文章位置的上下文,从而推断中其意思。
10、数字和年代
考研阅读中经常出现对于数字和年代等细节的考查,看似容易,但是考生经常由于疏忽大意而失掉这些最容易的分数。其中要注意以下几点原则:首先,如果出现需要进行运算的题目,一般来说文章的原始数据不是正确答案;其次,如果答案中的四个数字或者时间都与文章的某一个部分相符合,那么要注意这些数字和时间所对应的不同问题,只选择与题目相关的那个数据;此外,要注意年份和世纪之间的差别,比如1999年就是20世纪,2009年就是21世纪,也就是说世纪的数字是年份的前两个数字加1。如果考生记不住这个原则,那么可以在考试的时候用自己熟悉的年份和世纪进行现场推算。
11、专有名词
所谓的专有名词包括人名、地名、机构名称、书籍文章影视作品的名称以及其他专有名词。在阅读文章的过程中,考生每每遇到专有名词可以用铅笔作上标记,以便如果在题目中出现相应专有名词可以进行快速定位。
12、特殊标点符号
有一些特殊的标点符号也经常成为出题的对象,因此考生应该对以下标点符号的用法较为熟悉:冒号、括号、破折号以及引号。
l 逗号:两个逗号之间的内容、或者一个逗号后面的内容,通常都起到补充说明第一个逗号前面内容的作用。
l 冒号:冒号后面的内容通常都是用来解释说明前面的内容,例如前面是抽象的概念后面就是对这个概念的具体说明。
l 括号:括号中间的内容通常用来解释或补充说明括号前面的内容。
l 破折号:两个破折号之间的内容、或者一个破折号后面的内容,通常表示解释说明或者补充说明。
l 引号:表示引用他人的观点,一般用来从正面或者反面支持作者的观点。
相关的考题一般都是关于文章细节的问题。需要注意的是考题在考查标点符号用法是往往不会明确说明,需要考生自己去判断并根据具体情况分析标点符号的用法。
13、最高级以及绝对性词汇
最高级词汇以及其他一些表示唯一性的词汇由于其意义的绝对性,因而不容易产生歧义,所以也经常成为出题对象。这些词语包括形容词和副词的最高级,以及以下词汇:only, sole (solely), mere (merely), sheer, simply, entirely, absolutely, just, always, forever, never, none, must, all, any (anyone, anybody, anywhere) 等。
考研英语阅读四大命题原则
命题专家在设计阅读题目时,总是会使尽浑身解数以各种方式迷惑考生,为他们选择正确的答案设置各种障碍。以下四大原则就是考研命题专家们最常用的一些方式和原则:
• 语言简化:“语言简化”是命题专家使用语言时所必须遵守的一条重要原则。一般来说,一道题的四个答案不仅长度差不多,语言的用词水平和语法难度也都差不多。此外,答案的文字难度一般低于文章本身,这也是对考生非常有利的一点,有时候甚至还可以通过答案来帮助理解原文。由于这是一个普遍的原则,在这里我们就不具体地举例子。
• 关键词替换:关键词替换是阅读理解题目中出现最频繁的命题原则,一般都会在正确答案中用原文某个关键词的同义词或者近义词进行替代。或者从更广的意义上来说,有时候命题者会以和原文意思相同但是遣词造句不同的方式来设计正确答案,即用不同的话把原文的某个句子复述一遍,而错误答案反而往往会看上去和原文差不多,这个时候考生需要仔细阅读加以区别。
例题:This speeding up of life, says the Futurist, receives a new form of expression.
Futurists claim that we must.
[A] increase the production of literature
[B] use poetry to relieve modern stress
[C] develop new modes of expression
[D] avoid using adjectives and verbs[2000年第61题]
[正确答案]C
• 正话反说:即选项用否定的方式(如双重否定句,或者一个否定形式加上另一个否定词如never, none等)来表述文中用肯定方式所表述的内容,两者的意思是相同的。
例题:How many men would have considered the possibility of an apple falling up into the tree? Newton did because he was not trying to predict anything. He was just wondering. His mind was ready for the unpredictable. Unpredictability is part of the essential nature of
research. If you don't have unpredictable things, you don't have research. Scientists tend to forget this when writing their cut and dried reports for the technical journals, but history is filled with examples of it.
The author asserts that scientists
[A]shouldn't replace “scientific method” with imaginative thought
[B]shouldn't neglect to speculate on unpredictable things
[C]should write more concise reports for technical journals
[D]should be confident about their research findings[1999年第68题]
[正确答案]B
• 反话正说:顾名思义,即文中用否定方式所来表述一定的内容,而选项中用肯定的方式把同样的意思再表达一遍。
例题:“Few Americans attribute this solely to such obvious causes as a devalued dollar or the turning of the business cycle.”
The author seems to believe the revival of the U.S. economy in the 1990s can be attributed to the.
[A] turning of the business cycle
[B] restructuring of industry
[C] improved business management
[D] success in education[2000年第54题]
[正确答案]A
2009年考研英语长篇连载:阅读理解A命题思路透析(3)
(六)、考研阅读理解文章的结构特点
对于一篇完整的英文说明文或者议论文来说,不论其形式看上去有多么复杂多样,但是套用一句老话:“万变不离其宗。”一般考研阅读的文章都是采取传统的三段论形式:即提出问题(提出说明的事物或者现象)、分析问题(对事物或者现象进行说明)、解决问题(对说明的事物或者现象进行总结)。当然这里所说的“三段论”不是指所有的文章都分为三个段落,但是大部分文章基本上都是由这三个部分组成的。下面我们列举几种具体的情况来进行简单的分析,并在每种模式后面都举出了一篇考研真题的文章以帮助具体考生理解这些模式的特点,考生在平时的复习中也应该自己注意训练相关的判断力。
模式1、第一部分:提出问题,可以开门见山地提出问题或者先阐述他人的观点然后揭示自己与之相左的观点;
第二部分:层层递进地进行分析,段落之间的逻辑联系非常强,每一段的论述都之前一段为依据,这些段落经常以moreover, further, furthermore, besides, in addition 等词语或者词组开头;
第三部分:在第二部分逻辑推理的基础上得出结论。
例文:95年Passage 3
In such a changing, complex society formerly simple solutions to informational needs become complicated. Many of life’ s problems which were solved by asking family members, friends or colleagues are beyond the capability of the extended family to resolve. Where to turn for expert information and how to determine which expert advice to accept are questions facing many people today.
In addition to this, there is the growing mobility of people since World War Ⅱ. As families move away from their stable community, their friends of many years, their extended family relationships, the informal flow of information is cut off, and with it the confidence that information will be available when needed and will be trustworthy and reliable. The almost unconscious flow of information about the simplest aspects of living can be cut off. Thus, things once learned subconsciously through the casual communications of the extended family must be consciously learned.
Adding to societal changes today is an enormous stockpile of information. The individual now has more information available than any generation, and the task of finding that one piece of information relevant to his or her specific problem is complicated , time-consuming and sometimes even overwhelming .
Coupled with the growing quantity of information is the development of technologies which enable the storage and delivery of more information with greater speed to more locations than has ever been possible before. Computer technology makes it possible to store vast amounts of data in machine-readable files, and to program computers to locate specific information. Telecommunications developments enable the sending of messages via television, radio, and very shortly, electronic mail to bombard people with multitudes of messages. Satellites have extended the power of communications to report events at the instant of occurrence. Expertise can be shared world wide through teleconferencing, and problems in dispute can be settled without the participants leaving their homes and/or jobs to travel to a distant conference site. Technology has facilitated the sharing of information and the storage and delivery of information, thus making more information available to more people.
In this world of change and complexity, the need for information is of greatest importance. Those people who have accurate, reliable up-to-date information to solve the day-to-day problems, the critical problems of their business, social and family life, will survive and succeed. "Knowledge is power" may well be the truest saying and access to information may be the most critical requirement of all people.
其中中间三段的第一句话都是对上文的承接并引出新的话题,分别为“In addition to this…”、“Adding to societal changes is an enormous stockpile of information”、“Coupled with the growing quantity of information is…”。
模式2、第一部分:开头提出一个概念、一个中心思想或者一种现象;
第二部分:围绕着这个概念、中心思想或者现象,从各个方面进行分析和解释说明,这种文章比较容易定位其主旨;
第三部分:对文章进行总结,并再一次对该概念、中心思想进行阐述,或对相关现象进行说明。
例文:2000年Passage 5
If ambition is to be well regarded, the rewards of ambition health, distinction, control over one’s destiny must be deemed worthy of the sacrifices made on ambition’s behalf. If the tradition of ambition is to have vitality, it must be widely shared; and it especially must be highly regarded by people who are themselves admired, the educated not least among them. In an odd way, However, it is the educated who have claimed to have give up on have give up on ambition as an ideal. What is odd is that they have perhaps most benefited from ambition-if not always their own the that of their parents and grandparents. There is heavy note of hypocrisy in this, a case of closing the barn door after the horses have escaped with the educated themselves riding on them.
Certainly people do not seem less interested in success and its signs now than formerly. Summer homes, European travel, BMWs. The locations, place names and name brands may change, but such items do not seem less in demand today than a decade or two years ago. What has happened is that people cannot confess fully to their dreams, as easily and openly as once they could, lest they be thought pushing, acquisitive and vulgar. Instead, we are treated to fine hypocritical spectacles, which now more than ever seem in ample supply: the critic of American materialism with a Southampton summer home; the publisher of radical books who takes his meals in three-star restaurants; the journalist advocating participatory democracy in all phases of life, whose own children are enrolled in private schools. For such people and many more perhaps not so exceptional, the proper formulation is," Succeed at all costs but avoid appearing ambitious."
The attacks on ambition are many and come from various angles; its public defenders are few and unimpressive, where they are not extremely unattractive. As a result, the support for ambition as a healthy impulse, a quality to be admired and fixed in the mind of the young, is probably lower than it has ever been in the United States. This does not mean that ambition is at an end, that people no longer feel its stirrings and promptings, but only that, no longer openly honored, it is less openly underground, or made sly. Such, then, is the way things stand: on the left angry critics, on the right stupid supporters, and in the middle, as usual, the majority of earnest people trying to get on in life.
这篇文章主要围绕着地质活动的热点(hot pot)理论这个概念进行讨论。
模式3、第一部分:提出问题,该问题涵盖了两个方面(或者更多);
第二部分:分别对这两(或更多)个方面进行分析和论述;
第三部分:总结全文,其中包含了对以上所涉及的各个方面的概括。
例文:2001年Passage1
Specialisation can be seen as a response to the problem of an increasing accumulation of scientific knowledge. By splitting up the subject matter into smaller units, one man could continue to handle the information and use it as the basis for further research. But specialisation was only one of a series of related developments in science affecting the process of communication. Another was the growing professionalisation of scientific activity.
No clear-cut distinction can be drawn between professionals and amateurs in science: exceptions can be found to any rule. Nevertheless, the word 'amateur' does carry a connotation that the person concerned is not fully integrated into the scientific community and, in particular, may not fully share its values. The growth of specialisation in the nineteenth century, with its consequent requirement of a longer, more complex training, implied greater problems for amateur participation in science. The trend was naturally most obvious in those areas of science based especially on a mathematical or laboratory training, and can be illustrated in terms of the development of geology in the United Kingdom.
A comparison of British geological publications over the last century and a half reveals not simply an increasing emphasis on the primacy of research, but also a changing definition of what constitutes an acceptable research paper. Thus, in the nineteenth century, local geological studies represented worthwhile research in their own right; but, in the twentieth century, local studies have increasingly become acceptable to professionals only if they incorporate, and reflect on, the wider geological picture. Amateurs, on the other hand, have continued to pursue local studies in the old way. The overall result has been to make entrance to professional geological journals harder for amateurs, a result that has been reinforced by the widespread introduction of refereeing, first by national journals in the nineteenth century and then by several local geological journals in the twentieth century. As a logical consequence of this development, separate journals have now appeared aimed mainly towards either professional or amateur readership. A rather similar process of differentiation has led to professional geologists coming together nationally within one or two specific societies, whereas the amateurs have tended either to remain in local societies or to come together nationally in a different way.
Although the process of professionalisation and specialisation was already well under way in British geology during the nineteenth century, its full consequences were thus delayed until the twentieth century. In science generally, however, the nineteenth century must be reckoned as the crucial period for this change in the structure of science.
文章开头就提出了问题的两个方面,即科学发展的specialization(专业化)和professionalization(职业化)。
模式4、第一部分:提出一个现存的需要解决问题;
第二部分:分析问题产生的原因,存在的因素以及可能的解决方案,作者可能提到几个不同的解决方案,但是之后作者自己认可的那种方案才是文章的重点和主题
第三部分:对问题进行总结说明并进一步强调作者支持的那种解决办法。
例文:1999年Passage 2
In the first year or so of Web business, most of the action has revolved around efforts to tap the consumer market. More recently, as the Web proved to be more than a fashion, companies have started to buy and sell products and services with one another. Such business-to-business sales make sense because businesspeople typically know what product they’re looking for.
Nonetheless, many companies still hesitate to use the Web because of doubts about its reliability. "Businesses need to feel they can trust the pathway between them and the supplier," says senior analyst Blane Erwin of Forrester Research. Some companies are limiting the risk by conducting online transactions only with established business partners who are given access to the company’ s private internet .
Another major shift in the model for Internet commerce concerns the technology available for marketing. Until recently, Internet marketing activities have focused on strategies to "pull" customers into sites. In the past year, however, software companies have developed tools that allow companies to "push" information directly out to consumers, transmitting marketing messages directly to targeted customers. Most notably, the Pointcast Network uses a screen saver to deliver a continually updated stream of news and advertisements to subscribers’ computer monitors. Subscribers can customize the information they want to receive and proceed directly to a company’s Web site. Companies such as Virtual Vineyards are already starting to use similar technologies to push messages to customers about special sales, product offerings, or other events. But push technology has earned the contempt of many Web users. Online culture thinks highly of the notion that the information flowing onto the screen comes there by specific request. Once commercial promotion begins to fill the screen uninvited, the distinction between the Web and television fades. That’s a prospect that horrifies Net purists.
But it is hardly inevitable that companies on the Web will need to resort to push strategies to make money. The examples of Virtual Vineyards, Amazon.com, and other pioneers show that a Web site selling the right kind of products with the right mix of interactivity, hospitality, and security will attract online customers. And the cost of computing power continues to free fall, which is a good sign for any enterprise setting up shop in silicon. People looking back 5 or 10 years from now may well wonder why so few companies took the online plunge.
模式5、第一部分:把开头分为两段,第一段不直接进入要论述的问题和作者的观点,而是通过一个引子展开,或讲述一个有趣的故事、或交待一些背景知识,到了第二段才正式提出问题,因此在这种情况下考生要避免直接去第一段找主旨,而是要通过阅读全文正确地定位主题所在段落;
第二部分:对提出的问题进行论述;
第三部分:得出结论,总结全文。
例文:1994年Passage 2
One hundred and thirteen million Americans have at least one bank-issued credit card. They give their owners automatic credit in stores, restaurants, and hotels, at home, across the country, and even abroad, and they make many banking services available as well. More and more of these credit cards can be read automatically, making it possible to withdraw or deposit money in scattered locations, whether or not the local branch bank is open. For many of us the "cashless society" is not on the horizon—it’s already here.
While computers offer these conveniences to consumers, they have many advantages for sellers too. Electronic cash registers can do much more than simply ring up sales. They can keep a wide range of records, including who sold what, when, and to whom. This information allows businessmen to keep track of their list of goods by showing which items are being sold and how fast they are moving. Decisions to reorder or return goods to suppliers can then be made. At the same time these computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient, allowing personnel and staffing assignments to be made accordingly. And they also identify preferred customers for promotional campaigns. Computers are relied on by manufacturers for similar reasons. Computer-analyzed marketing reports can help to decide which products to emphasize now, which to develop for the future, and which to drop. Computers keep track of goods in stock, of raw materials on hand, and even of the production process itself.
Numerous other commercial enterprise, from theaters to magazine publishers, from gas and electric utilities to milk processors, bring better and more efficient services to consumers through the use of computers.
文章第一段通篇在谈论信用卡服务的优点,而第二段的第一句话才是主题句,指出了使用计算机的便利,因为信用卡的便利正式由于计算机技术的发展和普及带来的。
模式6、第一部分:提出问题,作者将要对该问题的存在进行指责和批判;
第二部分:从各个方面或者各个层次对问题进行反驳;
第三部分:指出问题存在根本原因、可能带来的后果、相应的改进措施、或者正确的看法和观点等。
例文:这类反证类的文章至今还没有在考研真题中出现过,但是考生应该对这种模式有所了解。
(一)、做题基本“三步走”
考研阅读理解的做题顺序一般都是以下三个步骤,即阅读全文、审题并定位原文、最后选出正确答案。我们建议考生如果没有一套自己独创的并且适合自己的方法时,应严格按照以下步骤进行,只有这样才能保证做阅读理解选择题的精确性。
在时间安排上,一般分配给每篇文章的总时间平均为16-20分钟,考生可以根据文章的难度自行调整时间的分配,在相对简单的文章上节省出几分钟、匀给相对难度较大的文章(考生要记住在考研的过程中必须分秒必争,每一分钟都是一段很长的时间,要充分加以利用,绝对不能浪费!)。具体到每一篇文章的时间分配,一般阅读文章的时间和做题时间应该相当,即每部分的时间约为8-10分钟。如果在阅读过程中花费太多的时间去斟酌文章字里行间的深意,这样虽然可以帮助考生更好地理解文章、在一定程度上提高做题的精确程度,但是往往会花掉太多的时间,影响后面的做题。相反,如果阅读过快,则考生对于文章的主旨和细节的印象都太模糊,到做题的时候或者容易凭借印象选择错误的答案,或者做题是花太多的时间回去原文找答案、反而浪费更多的时间,所谓“欲速则不达”。因此,考生在平时的练习中要养成合理分配时间的好习惯。
第1步、纵览全文
做阅读理解题的第一步就是要纵览全文,掌握要义,这是做题的前提和基础。需要注意的是,考生在阅读过程中既不能太钻牛角尖弄懂每一个词和每一句话意思,又要保证自己能够充分理解大义。这个程度的把握是非常微妙的,需要经过许多的练习才能根据自己的实际情况具体把握。在阅读文章的过程中,应该遵循以下原则:
阅读原则一:有一支不闲着的笔。在第一次阅读文章的时候,考生千万不要以阅读休闲文学作品的心态去看待文章,而一定要充分调动自己所有的感官集中精力去阅读,而且手也不能闲着,在考试时带上几支好用的铅笔,随时在文章中做标记,标记的形式可以随意、以自己习惯为好,这样以便于在做题的时候能够快速定位文章对应内容,节省了寻找的时间。
阅读原则二:抓住重点部分。在总论的第一部分,我们提到了阅读理解命题的13大考点,这些考点对应的文章部分就是其重点部分。首先,要重视首末段,尤其是首段,因为一般文章的主旨就出现在首段,是出题频度相当高的一个段落。最后一段中可能会有作者的总结论述,因此也与文章的中心思想紧密相关。其次,要在每个段落的第一句话上放慢速度、仔细研读,因为段落的首句一般都是该段主要意思的概括,考生应该在相关内容上做好标记。此外,如果碰到长难句,考生也要做好相应的标记,因为长难句也是出题的高频处。最后,在阅读过程中要格外注意涉及到作者态度的内容,及时标出其位置,以便正确把握态度题的选项。
阅读原则三:抓住关键词语词组。所谓关键词语和词组也涉及到了命题的13大考点,即涉及列举、举例、引用、因果关系、转折、对比、类比、数字和年代、专有名词、特殊标点符号、最高级和绝对性词汇等。具体的一些标志性词汇请参见上文,在这里就不赘述,考生但凡遇到这次兴奋点应该保持敏感性、及时做上标记。
需要特别注意的是,关于专有名词,如人名、地名、机构名称、书籍文章影视作品的名称等,考生不需要用太多时间去理解其每一个词的意思,只要做上标记到时候能够找到即可。有时候一些专有名字非常长而且包括了很多生词,如一些地名和机构的名称,在阅读过程中可以考虑跳过以加快速度。
阅读原则四:不畏生词。考研阅读理解的文章中总是会出现考生不认识的单词,即使考生掌握了所有的大纲词汇,也会有一些超纲词汇的出现。考生千万不要因为读不懂一些单词就望而生畏,产生挫折感。有一些词语不认识并不会影响对全文的理解,有一些则可以通过上下文、背景知识、以及构词法等猜出意思。因此,在阅读过程中遇到不认识的单词只要做简单的分析猜测词义或者跳过即可。
第2步、快速审题
所谓的“快速审题”要求考生保持速度又要有非常细心的态度,在审题的过程中抓住题干的关键词,以方便去原文中定位相应内容。这些关键词可能与就是原文中用到的词语,或者是原文的同义词,考生注意应该加以辨析。在遇到态度题的时候,应该要分清题干问的是作者本人的原因,还是文中的某种态度(不一定是作者的态度)。在遇到涉及原因的题目是,一般问的都是主要原因,即main reason or major reason,考生不要纠缠于细枝末节,要从总体上把握。
第3步、精确答题
在读完题干和选项后,有些考生会立即作答,但是由于只是凭借第一次阅读后的模糊印象选择答案,因此往往容易被选项中的干扰项所蒙蔽、出错率较高。考生在作答是如果不是百分之百的确定自己选择的是正确答案,一定要回到原文进行定位,将问题与原文进行比较,找出最符合原文意思的选项。关于每一种题型如何进行精确答题,我们下面简单地一一讨论。
Ø 中心思想题:在总论中,我们已经强调多次,一篇文章的中心思想部分一般出现在首段或者尾段,考生只要去这两个段落定位即可,加上自己第一遍阅读的印象,得出正确答案是比较容易的。如果文中的主旨句比较模糊,考生可以快速阅读首段和其他段段落的首句得出文章的中心思想。
Ø 情感态度题:态度题的数量很少,难度也较大,即使做错也不会影响大局,但是也要保证尽量拿分。态度题一般没有具体的句子或者段落对应,但是如果考生在第一次阅读文章的过程能够标出表示作者感情态度的词语(或者文中其他人的态度),在做题的时候再略读相应的内容,就会有助于正确判断字面背后隐藏着的态度。
Ø 猜词题:这类题型的题干中一般都会给出词语的出处,考生只要找到原文对应的词及其上下文,就能够推断出该词语的意思。一般对这些词语进行解释的内容为,该词前后的同位语、宾语从句、定语从句、以及位置并列的词组句子等。有时候考查的词语是一个平时经常使用的词语,此时一般命题的目的都在于考查常用词语的不常用用法,那么在选项中出现了该词的平常意思就一定是错误答案(比如abandon这个词平常的意思是“放弃,遗弃, 丢弃”,而这个词有一个不常用的意思是“放肆, 放纵; 沉湎于”,这个时候就有可能考查后一种涵义)。总之考生一定可以在原词周围找到解释的内容。
Ø 细节题:这类题型是阅读理解中出现最多的题型,考生应该争取拿到细节题的所有分数。做好细节题的关键在于快速准确地定位原文,因为细节题对应的一般就是原文的一句话、或者长句的一部分、甚至是一个词组、以及关键词的同义词和近义词。只要考生能够正确定位,选出正确答案还是比较容易的。
Ø 推理判断题:推理判断题虽然考查考生对于文章逻辑的理解能力,但是考生也不用担心,因为这类题型涉及到的题型都是最简单的逻辑关系,即语言上的逻辑关系而不是深层思维上的逻辑关系,因而是一般人都能够掌握的逻辑能力。推理题经常运用的命题方法就是对句子或者意群的同义替换,即把原文一句话的说法用另一种方式进行表述,而意思是一样的。但是在这种paraphrase的过程中,一些看似不起眼的小词的变化可能就成为了干扰选项,特别是最高级和绝对性词汇的变化,比如把“often”变成“all the time”等。一般推理判断题的选项中,形式上与原文最接近的往往不是正确答案,而要读懂每一个选项的具体意思。作者: wuyu1224 时间: 08-8-6 10:43 标题: 【新东方印建坤】2009年考研英语阅读理解A命题思路透析(贰) 2009年考研英语长篇连载:阅读理解A命题思路透析(5)
(二)、阅读方法和技巧
1、三种常见阅读方法的介绍
Ø 精读法:精读法是指对全文全面而系统的掌握。在词汇的层面上,通过一些工具如字典等理解并掌握文章中的每一个生词的意思和用法。在句子的层面上,如果遇到了结构复杂难以理解的长句,要通过语法知识对句子的结构进行完整的分析,首先理出主谓关系,然后逐步分解句子的其他部分。在篇章的层面上,要认真研究通篇文章,对全文的中心思想有一个精确的认识,并且文章的每一个细节,同时还要了解与文章相关的一些背景知识。当然,这种方法并不适合应试,而主要适用于平时的英语学习。考生在考研复习的过程中要把精读和泛读结合起来,对一些重点文章、尤其是考研真题文章进行精读学习,才能从根本上提高自己的能力。关于如何研读真题,下文将有更详细的介绍。
Ø 扫读法:扫读法是指在阅读文章过程中只寻找那些重点信息阅读,如只找与阅读题题干相关的部分进行阅读,从而快速定位关键信息,而略过其他的内容。这种方法有较大的难度,适用于英语水平和能力较高的考生,一般考生要谨慎使用。因为扫读法要求考生能够在短时间内快速扫过一篇文章的所有段落,如果没有对于英语足够的敏感性,则有限不仅找不到有用的信息,还很可能略过了一些关键的内容。考生可以尝试一些这种方法看看是否适用于自己,但是在考研实战中还是谨慎为好。
Ø 跳读法:跳读法是指以一般的顺序从头到尾地阅读一篇文章,但是在阅读的过程中速度并不一致,而是有快有慢。读到文章的重要部分时,可以减慢速度;而读到一些无关大局的细枝末节时,则快速跳过。前文已经较为详细地介绍了文章中应该重点阅读的内容,下面我们在简单说明一下可以省略和跳过的内容。
n 不影响大局的陌生词汇:这一点我们在前文已经强调过,即一些考研阅读文章中出现的超纲词汇并不影响对文章的整体理解,因此在阅读过程中可以跳过。
n 冗长的人名、地名、机构名等专有名词:当专有名字作为考点的时候,它主要考查的是与此相关的一些内容,比如某个人的观点、在某地发生的事情、某机构的举动等等,而至于这些名称具体的内容其实无关紧要,有时候这些名称长达好几个词,考生基本上可以用一个字母来代替这次名称,后者标记上这些名称出现的位置,如果题目中出现这些名词则方便查找。
n 并列多项的列举内容:在前文我们强调了例证的重要性,这个我们这里说的列举是不同的。例证一般都是对一个例子的详细描述,用以佐证作者的观点,因而对于理解文章比较重要。而并列多项的列举一般都是相对次要的内容,而且列举的内容一般都超过了三项,比如以such as, e.g. 等开头的一些列举。这些内容一般都是对前文的具体说明,因此可以跳过。
n 某些举例处:举例通常是对抽象论证的补充说明,具有一定的重要性。尤其是当读者较难理解前文的抽象论述时,能够帮助读者得到更加具体生动的理解,因此应当引起考生的高度重视。但是如果考生在阅读文章时已经能够较好地理解抽象概念,那么在阅读具体例子是可以跳过或粗粗读过并做上标记,以节省时间,待做题是遇到对应题目在回过来细读。
2、阅读顺序
一般的阅读顺序为:阅读文章——浏览问题——在文章中定位并确定问题答案,这也是我们一直倡导的较为保险的做题方法。但是,因为每个人都有不同的阅读思路和习惯,因此考生可以根据自己的采取情况采取不同的办法。常见的一些阅读顺序还有以下几种:
顺序一:在阅读文章之前先浏览题目的题干,大致了解考查哪些题型以及重点,接着阅读文章,在阅读过程中牢记题目并随时画出重点,之后直接做题。这种阅读做题顺序的优势在于在读文章的过程中带着问题去读,因此对文章相关部分会更加敏感,做题的精确度也更高。但是这种方法因人而异,对一些考生来说可能要花费比较多的时间,因为他们先要读题目,之后读文章,再之后做题时因为不确定又返回原文找答案,反而导致步骤更加繁琐。采用这种方法的考生要注意,一开始只需要阅读题目的题干,千万不要读所有的选项,一来费时间,二来那些干扰选项可能还会影响阅读文章时的正确理解。
顺序二:直接以问题为切入点,并不阅读全文。每做一道问题,回到原文用扫读法寻找答案。这种方法的优点在于节省时间,但缺点在于考生无法对全文有一个宏观的了解,只见树木不见森林,因此在中心思想题上容易出错。此外,对于细节题的把握也有可能因为对文章的不熟悉而定位错误,从而选出错误的答案。这种方法对考生的扫读能力和整体英语阅读能力的要求颇高,考生应当谨慎使用。
顺序三:不读文章,只做题目。这个手段只有在时间紧迫、万不得已的情况下才能采用,此时考生由于没有时间来阅读全文,只好凭猜测和自己平时的积累以及背景知识来勉强做题。一般情况下不建议采用这种做题顺序。
3、克服不良阅读习惯
阅读习惯对于提高阅读的速度和效率也有比较大的影响。考生在平时的练习中应该要注意养成良好的阅读习惯,尤其需要克服以下问题:
1、母语译读:许多考生没有养成良好的英语思维习惯,在阅读英语文章的过程中习惯在脑子里先把文章翻译成中文进行理解,这样既影响了阅读速度,又可能造成理解的偏差和错误,是考生一定要避免的。解决方案就是要养成用英语进行直接阅读和思考的习惯,可以通过平时多阅读英文文章(包括英文报刊杂志、英文小说等休闲读物)、多收看英文电视节目和收听英文广播节目,来给自己造成一个英语的氛围,从而形成英语思维习惯,提高阅读效率。
2、手指划读:很多考生无论是在读中文还是读英文的时候,都习惯用手指或者笔指着每个单词一个一个地读,这样会严重影响眼睛扫视文章的功能,从而减慢阅读速度。考生要练习离开自己的手指和笔,用眼睛扫读文章的习惯,从而提高阅读速度和效率。
3、轻声朗读:有一些考生阅读文章时只有读出来才能理解,而看的时候却一头雾水,因此即使在考生的时候也要轻声朗读。这样不仅在考试过程中会影响其他考生,而且还会被误以为是在作弊。同时,由于要把每一个单词都读出来,也影响了阅读的速度。因此考生要在平时练习中放弃这个习惯,学会默读。
4、摇头阅读:有的考生习惯在阅读文章的时候头随着视线的移动而移动,尤其是换行的时候,头转动的幅度更大。这种习惯不仅使人很容易产生疲劳状况,也会影响到阅读文章的速度,应该予以纠正。
5、重复阅读:有的考生在阅读文章的时候,一旦没有读懂一个单词或者一个意群就会不断地回到句子开头重新读、并反复地琢磨整句话的意思以达到透彻的理解。这个习惯却是考研阅读的大忌,因为这不仅仅限制了阅读的速度,更重要的是如果考生养成这种习惯,就会影响对于英语文章理解的整体效率,不仅影响到应试结果,而且对考生长期英语能力的培养都有较大的负面影响。大家平时在阅读中文文章的时候即使有部分内容不理解也可以顺利地继续往下读,读英文也是一样,因此如果有类似的重复阅读习惯就一定要纠正过来。在对每篇文章进行第一次阅读时,尽量做到一气呵成。
4、攻克长难句
长难句是阅读过程中的重点和难点,也是考生经常感到无所适从的地方,但长难句恰恰是命题的重点区域,因此不可小觑。其实,对付长难句的办法也很简单,就是八个字“化繁为简、找出主干”。与汉语行文松散的结构不同,英语中每一个完整的句子都必须严格地遵守语法习惯,由“主语+ 谓语”这个基本结构构成。因此在阅读长难句的时候,考生应该首先找到这个句子的主谓(宾)结构,其余的成分包括定语从句、宾语从句、同位语、插入语、定状补语等可以一概略过。这个时候就剩下了一个干净简单的句子,这个主局一般都能够说明句子的大意。在主句的基础上,考生在逐步地把句子的其他部分和主干句联系起来,分析并理清其中的关系,这个时候就该长句就会比较容易理解了。
例:Just as on smoking, voices now come from many quarters insisting that the science about global warming is incomplete, that is OK to keep pouring fumes into the air until we know for sure.
[2005年真题Text 2]
首先,我们应该找到这个句子的主干,即“voices now come from many quarters …”,insisting 是一个现在分词,作为伴随状语描述voices,其后跟随了两个用that引导的宾语从句。在第二个宾语从句中,还包含了一个以until引导的时间状语从句。在经过这么一番分析之后,这个看似复杂的长句的结构和意思就一目了然了。
例句译文:正如对待吸烟问题一样,现在来自许多方面的声音都坚持认为关于全球变暖的科学研究还不够充分,并且认为在得到确切的证据之前,我们都可以继续向大气中排放废气。
2、句子
句子是表达意思的基本结构。因此,考生即使掌握了大量的词汇,但是如果不了解英语的基本语法,没有掌握句子的构成法和规律,便依旧无法理解文章的内容。特别是考研阅读理解重点考查对于长难句的分析能力,因此如果没有扎实的句型知识基础,会给做题带来很大的困难。一个复杂的句子中包含的复杂语法主要包括:非谓语动词的用法、主从复合句的用法、以及特殊句式的用法(包括省略、分隔、插入、强调、倒装、双重否定、排比句式等)。语法基础较弱的考生应该专门找一本比较好的语法书进行系统的学习。下面将简单介绍一种特殊句式的用法。
(1)倒装句式:一般的英语句式都是主语在前,谓语在后。但是有时候为了强调某个意思,会将谓语的一部分或者全部提前到主语的前面,构成倒装句式。因此,倒装句式分为全部倒装句和部分倒装句。
例1:全部倒装句
With economic growth has come centralization. (2000年Passage 4)
译文:随着经济的发展实现了居住的集中化。
例2:部分倒装句
No where do 1980 census statistics dramatize more the American search for spacious living than in the Far West. (1998年Passage 4)
译文:1980年人口普查的统计数字最充分地描绘出美国人迁往最西部是为了找到更广阔的生存空间。
(2)分隔句式:分隔句式是指把在一个完整的句子中间加入其他成分,以达到进行补充说明的作用。加入的成分可以是状语、插入语、定语从句、主语从句、同位语等等。
例:One theory, dreamt up in all the spare time enjoyed by the alphabetically disadvantaged, is that the rot sets in early. (2004年 Text 2)
译文:按字母表顺序排名靠后的人在享受闲暇时光时凭空想出一种理论,认为这种倒霉事老早就开始了。
(3)省略句式:省略句式是指删去句子一些重复的部分,使句子显得更加简洁。考生应该通过语法规则找出省略的部分,否则就会影响理解。
例:Railroads typically charge such “captive” shippers 20 to 30 percent more than they do when another railroad is competing for the business. (do 指代了前文的charge,2003年Text 3)
译文:这样铁路比有竞争对象时向“受制”的承运商一般多收20%-30%的费用。
(4)强调句式:强调句式主要用来强调突出句子的部分后者全部内容,一般都是将助动词do, does, did提前,或者用it is,was… that…结构。
例1:Highly creative individuals really do march to a different drummer. (1994年Passage 5)
译文:极富创造性的人的确是伴着不同鼓手打出的鼓点前进的。
例2:It is not simply to raise everyone’s job that all children are legally required to attend school into their teens. (1999年Passage 3)
译文:法律要求所有孩子十几岁前接受教育的目的并不是为了改善他们的就业前景。
(5)双重否定句:即一个句子中有两个否定成分,互相抵消而表达肯定的意思。相比肯定句式,双重否定句能够起到强调句子全部或者部分内容的作用。
例:Certainly people do not seem less interested in success and its signs now than formerly. (2000年Passage 5)
译文:当然,现在人们对成功及其标志的兴趣似乎并为比以前减弱。
(6)排比句式:用平行的语法结构来表达类似的事物、观点等,使句子显得整齐、连贯、有韵律感。
例:American industry has changed its structure, has gone on a diet, has learnt to be more quick-witted. (2000年Passage 1)
译文:美国的工业改变了结构,消除了臃肿,学会了明智。
第二章、中心思想题命题思路透析
Part I、命题规律透析
中心思想题,顾名思义就是考查考生是否能够把握一篇文章的主题和中心思想,是否能够从总体和宏观的角度上把握文章的主旨大意。对于一篇说明文或者议论文来说,中心思想就是文章旨在说明的事物、现象或者进行讨论和论证的问题,因此对这种整体能力的要求使得中心思想题成为命题者每年都会出题的一种重要题型。这种题型一般数量不会很多,每篇文章中至多出现一道题目。在考研阅读理解一篇文章的四道题目中,中心思想题一般都作为第一题或者最后一题出现。当作为第一题时,一般相对应考查的是文章第一段的内容,当然有的时候也有例外情况。当作为最后一题时,有可能考查最后一段的内容、也有可能考查全文的总体情况,要视具体情况而定。这种题型的提问方式多种多样,考生应学会辨认,同时要在平时随时训练自己概括文章中心思想的能力。
一般的中心思想题都要求考生推断全文的大意,或者采取一种迂回的方式,即问从第一段或者最后一段中可以推测出什么。此外,还有一种形式,就是要求考生从答案选项中选出最适合该篇文章的一个标题。这也是中心思想题的一种变化了的问法,因为一般文章标题的功能就在于用比较简洁明了的词组来精确地概括了文章的大意。
中心思想题常见表达方式
We can learn from the last paragraph that the author believes . (2006)
What does the author think of intellect? (2004)
To which of the following is the author likely to agree? (2004)
The text intends to express the idea that . (2003)
We can draw a conclusion from the text that . (2002)
From the first three paragraphs, we can learn that . (2002)
What is the passage mainly about? (2001,1994)
From the last paragraph the conclusion can be drawn that ambition should be maintained . (2000)
The passage is mainly . (2000)
We can learn from the last paragraph that . (1999)
The passage is mainly about . (1998, 1994)
From the passage we learn that . (1997)
The passage mainly deals with . (1994)
其他问法还包括:
The main point the author makes in the passage is .
What does the author intend to convey through the passage?
In this passage the author , writer mainly argues that .
What does this passage mainly discuss?
The general , central , main idea of the passage is .
The passage is primarily concerned with .
The article is written to explain .
The purpose of the passage is .
This passage is intended to .
What’s the main topic of the passage?
The central conveyed in the above passage is that .
The passage tells us .
Which of the following best sum up the passage?
Which of the following statements best expresses , summarizes the main idea of the passage?
Which of the following best states the theme of the passage?
关于标题的提问方式
Which of the following is the best title for this text? (2007)
Which of the following proverbs is closest to the message the text tries to convey? (2007)
The best title for the text may be . (2002)
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? (2000)
What the author tries to suggest may best be interpreted as . (1998)
The best title for this passage could be . (1997)
从以上例子中我们可以看出,中心思想题的提问方式有多种多样,其中我们也可以发现一些规律。
首先,一般中心思想题中不会出现考生不熟悉的内容,只要考生阅读了全文,就能够把握题干的意思。
其次,题干经常会出现mainly about, best statement, central idea, primarily about 等等的字眼。
再次,提问的方式经常以we can learn that, mainly deals with等方式呈现。
最后,有时候题干中会指明提问的对应段落,如from the first paragraph, from the last paragraph等表述。以上的标志性词汇应当引起考生的注意,以便作出迅速的反应。
1993年Passage 3
When an invention is made, the inventor has three possible courses of action open to him: he
can give the invention to the world by publishing it, keep the idea secret, or patent it.
A granted patent is the result of a bargain struck between an inventor and the state, by which the inventor gets a limited period of monopoly (垄断) and publishes full details of his invention to the public after that period terminates. Only in the most exceptional circumstances is the lifespan of a patent extended to alter this normal process of events.
The longest extension ever granted was to Georges Valensi; his 1939 patent for color TV receiver circuitry was extended until 1971 because for most of the patent’ s normal life there was no colour TV to receive and thus no hope of reward for the invention.
Because a patent remains permanently public after it has terminated, the shelves of the library attached to the patent office contain details of literally millions of ideas that are free for anyone to use and, if older than half a century, sometimes even re-patent. Indeed, patent experts often advise anyone wishing to avoid the high cost of conducting a search through live patents that the one sure way of avoiding violation of any other inventor’ s right is to plagiarize a dead patent. Likewise , because publication of an idea in any other form permanently invalidates further patents on that idea, it is traditionally safe to take ideas from other areas of print. Much modern technological advance is based on these presumptions of legal security.
Anyone closely involved in patents and inventions soon learns that most \"new\" ideas are, in fact, as old as the hills. It is their reduction to commercial practice, either through necessity or dedication, or through the availability of new technology, that makes news and money. The basic patent for the theory of magnetic recording dates back to 1886. Many of the original ideas behind television originate from the late 19th and early 20th century. Even the Volkswagen rear engine car was anticipated by a 1904 patent for a cart with the horse at the rear.
41. The passage is mainly about
[A] an approach to patents
[B] the application for patents
[C] the use of patents
[D] the access to patents
1994年Passage 1
The American economic system is organized around a basically private-enterprise, market-oriented economy in which consumers largely determine what shall be produced by spending their money in the marketplace for those goods and services that they want most. Private businessmen, striving to make profits, produce these goods and services in competition with other businessmen; and the profit motive, operating under competitive pressures, largely determines how these goods and services are produce[D] Thus, in the American economic system it is the demand of individual consumers, coupled with the desire of businessmen to maximize profits and the desire of individuals to maximize their incomes, that together determine what shall be produced and how resources are used to produce it.
An important factor in a market-oriented economy is the mechanism by which consumer demands can be expressed and responded to by producers. In the American economy, this mechanism is provided by a price system, a process in which prices rise and fall in response to relative demands of consumers and supplies offered by seller-producers. If the product is in short supply relative to the demand, the price will be bid up and some consumers will be eliminated from the market. If, on the other hand, producing more of a commodity results in reducing its cost, this will tend to increase the supply offered by seller-producers, which in turn will lower the price and permit more consumers to buy the product. Thus, price is the regulating mechanism in the American economic system.
The important factor in a private-enterprise economy is that individuals are allowed to own productive resources (private property) , and they are permitted to hire labor, gain control over natural resources, and produce goods and services for sale at a profit. In the American economy, the concept of private property embraces not only the ownership of productive resources but also certain rights, including the right to determine the price of a product or to make a free contract with another private individual.
54. The passage is mainly about__.
[A] how American goods are produced
[B] how American consumers buy their goods
[C] how American economic system works
[D] how American businessmen make their profits
[答案] C
[解题思路]
本文的第一句话就直截了当地说明了文章的中心思想,即“The American economic system is organized around a basically private-enterprise, market-oriented economy in which consumers largely determine what shall be produced by spending their money in the marketplace for those goods and services that they want most”(从根本上说,美国经济体制是围绕私有企业、在以市场为导向的经济基础上建立起来的。在这种体制下需要生产什么在很大程度上是消费者通过到市场花钱购买他们最需要的商品和服务来决定的),文章最后两段随即就美国经济体系运作的两个方面进行讨论,因此正确答案为C选项。
1994年Passage 2
One hundred and thirteen million Americans have at least one bank-issued credit card. They give their owners automatic credit in stores, restaurants, and hotels, at home, across the country, and even abroad, and they make many banking services available as well. More and more of these credit cards can be read automatically, making it possible to withdraw or deposit money in scattered locations, whether or not the local branch bank is open. For many of us the \"cashless society\" is not on the horizon—it’s already here.
While computers offer these conveniences to consumers, they have many advantages for sellers too. Electronic cash registers can do much more than simply ring up sales. They can keep a wide range of records, including who sold what, when, and to whom. This information allows businessmen to keep track of their list of goods by showing which items are being sold and how fast they are moving. Decisions to reorder or return goods to suppliers can then be made. At the same time these computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient, allowing personnel and staffing assignments to be made accordingly. And they also identify preferred customers for promotional campaigns. Computers are relied on by manufacturers for similar reasons. Computer-analyzed marketing reports can help to decide which products to emphasize now, which to develop for the future, and which to drop. Computers keep track of goods in stock, of raw materials on hand, and even of the production process itself.
Numerous other commercial enterprise, from theaters to magazine publishers, from gas and electric utilities to milk processors, bring better and more efficient services to consumers through the use of computers.
58. What is this passage mainly about?
[A] Approaches to the commercial use of computers.
[B] Conveniences brought about by computers in business.
[C] Significance of automation in commercial enterprises.
[D] Advantages of credit cards in business.
[答案] B
[解题思路]
本题考察的是文章的中心思想。通过文章第二段和第三段的首句“While computers offer these conveniences to consumers, they have many advantages for sellers too”(计算机在为消费者提供诸多方便的同时,也给商家带来很多优势)和“Numerous other commercial enterprise, from theaters to magazine publishers, from gas and electric utilities to milk processors, bring better and more efficient services to consumers through the use of computers”(许多其他商业企业,从剧院到杂志社,从燃气电器公司到牛奶加工厂都通过计算机的使用为消费者提供更好、效率更高的服务)可以看出,本文主要讨论的是计算机给商业带来的便利,因此B为正确答案。D选项与文章第一段有一定联系,但信用卡的例子仅仅是为了引出主要话题,并不是文章关注的重点。而A和C选项都与文章强调“计算机带来的便利”这一侧重点不同。
1994年Passage 3
Exceptional children are different in some significant way from others of the same age. For these children to develop to their full adult potential, their education must be adapted to those differences.
Although we focus on the needs of exceptional children, we find ourselves describing their environment as well. While the leading actor on the stage captures our attention, we are aware of the importance of the supporting players and the scenery of the play itself. Both the family and the society in which exceptional children live are often the key to their growth and development. And it is in the public schools that we find the full expression of society’ s understanding—the knowledge, hopes, and fears that are passed on to the next generation.
Education in any society is a mirror of that society. In that minor we can see the strengths, the weaknesses, the hopes, the prejudices, and the central values of the culture itself. The great interest in exceptional children shown in public education over the past three decades indicates the strong feeling in our society that all citizens, whatever their special conditions, deserve the opportunity to fully develop their capabilities.
\"All men are created equal.”We’ve heard it many times, but it still has important meaning for education in a democratic society. Although the phrase was used by this country’s founders to denote equality before the law, it has also been interpreted to mean equality of opportunity. That concept implies educational opportunity for all children-the right of each child to receive help in learning to the limits of his or her capacity, whether that capacity be small or great. Recent court decisions have confirmed the right of all children-disabled or not-to an appropriate education, and have ordered that public schools take the necessary steps to provide that education. In response, schools are modifying their programs, adapting instruction to children who are exceptional, to those who cannot profit substantially from regular programs.
61. This passage mainly deals with__.
[A] the differences of children in their learning capabilities
[B] the definition of exceptional children in modern society
[C] the special educational programs for exceptional children
[D] the necessity of adapting education to exceptional children
[答案] D
[解题思路]
文章第一句就提出了“Exceptional children are different in some significant way from others of the same age”(特殊儿童与其他同龄的正常孩子相比有一些重要的不同之处),第二段的第一句话“Although we focus on the needs of exceptional children, we find ourselves describing their environment as well”(尽管我们关注的焦点是特殊儿童的需要,但我们发现自己也在描述他们的生活环境)进而揭示了文章的重点是关于exceptional children的教育,因而D为正确答案。结合文章其余部分内容也进一步确证该选项概括了全文。
[题目译文]
这篇文章主要讨论的问题是 。
[A] 儿童学习能力的不同
[B] 现在社会中特殊儿童的定义
[C] 为特殊儿童制定的特殊教育项目
[D] 为特殊儿童而调整教育的必要性作者: wuyu1224 时间: 08-8-6 10:44 标题: 【新东方印建坤】2009年考研英语阅读理解A命题思路透析(叁) 1996年Passage 4
What accounts for the great outburst of major inventions in early America-breakthroughs such as the telegraph, the steamboat and the weaving machine?
Among the many shaping factors, I would single out the country’s excellent elementary schools; a labor force that welcomed the new technology; the practice of giving premiums to inventors; and above all the American genius for nonverbal , “spatial” thinking about things technological .
Why mention the elementary schools? Because thanks to these schools our early mechanics ,especially in the New England and Middle Atlantic states, were generally literate and at home in arithmetic and in some aspects of geometry and trigonometry.
Acute foreign observers related American adaptiveness and inventiveness to this educational advantage. As a member of a British commission visiting here in 1853 reported, “With a mind prepared by thorough school discipline, the American boy develops rapidly into the skilled workman.”
A further stimulus to invention came from the “premium” system, which preceded our patent system and for years ran parallel with it. This approach, originated abroad, offered inventors medals, cash prizes and other incentives.
In the United States, multitudes of premiums for new devices were awarded at country fairs and at the industrial fairs in major cities. Americans flocked to these fairs to admire the new machines and thus to renew their faith in the beneficence of technological advance.
Given this optimistic approach to technological innovation, the American worker took readily to that special kind of nonverbal thinking required in mechanical technology. As Eugene Ferguson has pointed out , “A technologist thinks about objects that cannot be reduced to unambiguous verbal descriptions; they are dealt with in his mind by a visual, nonverbal process . . . The designer and the inventor . . . are able to assemble and manipulate in their minds devices that as yet do not exist.”
This nonverbal “spatial” thinking can be just as creative as painting and writing. Robert Fulton once wrote, “The mechanic should sit down among levers, screws, wedges, wheels, etc., like a poet among the letters of the alphabet, considering them as an exhibition of his thoughts, in which a new arrangement transmits a new idea.”
When all these shaping forces--schools, open attitudes, the premium system, a genius for spatial thinking--interacted with one another on the rich U. S. mainland, they produced that American characteristic, emulation. Today that word implies mere imitation. But in earlier times it meant a friendly but competitive striving for fame and excellence.
66. The best title for this passage might be__
[A]Inventive Mind
[B]Effective Schooling
[C]Ways of Thinking
[D] Outpouring of Inventions
1996年Passage 5
Rumor has it that more than 20 books on creationism/evolution are in the publisher’s pipelines. A few have already appeared. The goal of all will be to try to explain to a confused and often unenlightened citizenry that there are not two equally valid scientific theories for the origin and evolution of universe and life. Cosmology , geology , and biology have provided a consistent , unified, and constantly improving account of what happened. \"Scientific\" creationism, which is being pushed by some for “equal time” in the classrooms whenever the scientific accounts of evolution are evil, is based on religion, not science. Virtually all scientists and the majority of nonfunda mentalist religious leaders have come to regard “scientific” creationism as bad science and bad religion.
The first four chapters of Kitcher’s book give a very brief introduction to evolution. At appropriate places, he introduces the criticisms of the creationists and provides answers. In the last three chapters, he takes off his gloves and gives the creationists a good beating. He describes their programmes and tactics, and, for those unfamiliar with the ways of creationists, the extent of their deception and distortion may come as an unpleasant surprise. When their basic motivation is religious, one might have expected more Christian behavior.
Kitcher is a philosopher, and this may account, in part, for the clarity and effectiveness of
his arguments. The nonspecialist will be able to obtain at least a notion of the sorts of data and
argument that support evolutionary theory. The final chapter on the creationists will be extremely clear to all. On the dust jacket of this fine book, Stephen Jay Gould says: “This book stands for reason itself.” And so it does-and all would be well were reason the only judge in the creationism/evolution debate.
70. This passage appears to be a digest of__
[A]a book review
[B]a scientific paper
[C]a magazine feature
[D] a newspaper editorial
Part I、命题规律透析
每一篇文章的作者在写作的时候,都不可避免地在文章中表达自己的情感、态度和观点,有时候这种表达非常直接,而有的时候却又非常模糊、甚至看上去模棱两可。而考生是否能够从作者的字里行间把握作者的情感、态度和观点则是对考生英语阅读能力的一大较高难度的考验。情感态度题一般用于考查考生能够正确理解作者的写作意图、作者对某种现象的看法、对某个问题或事件的观点、对所论述对象的态度。有的时候,这类题目可能避开作者的总体态度,而考查作者对文章中提到的某个细节的观点等,这需要考生在阅读题干的时候加以区分。一般而言,情感态度题涉及到的题目都是文章中相对有争议的问题,而且关于态度的表述可能并没有一个明确的句子,而是分布在文章的各个角落,没有一定的规律,因此难度也相对比较大。
情感态度题常见表达方式
What is the author\'s attitude towards IQ tests?
[A]Supportive. [B]Skeptical. [C]Impartial. [D]Biased (2007)
In the author’s opinion, the absorption of immigrants into American society is
[A]rewarding. [B]successful. [C]fruitless. [D]harmful. (2006)
From the text we can conclude that the author
[A]is supportive of both sides [B]favors the townsfolk’s view
[C]takes a detached attitude [D]is sympathetic (2006)
How do the public feel about the long-term economic situation?
[A]Optimisti[C] [B]Confused [C]Carefree. [D]Panicked (2004)
The author\'s attitude toward Richard Lamm\'s remark is one of
[A]strong disapproval. [B]reserved consent.
[C]slight contempt. [D]enthusiastic support. (2003)
What is many captive shippers\' attitude towards the consolidation in the rail industry?
[A]Indifferent. [B]Supportive. [C]Indignant. [D]Apprehensive. (2003)
From the text we can see that the writer seems .
[A]optimisti[C] [B]sensitive. [C]gloomy. [D]scared (2002)
Towards the new business wave, the writer’s attitude can be said to be .
[A]optimisti[C] [B]objective. [C]perssmistic [D]biased (2001)
The author` s attitude towards the issue seems to be__
[A]biase[D] [B]indifferent. [C]puzzling. [D]objective. (1999)
The author`s attitude toward the issue of “science vs. antiscience” is _____ .
[A]impartial. [B]subjective. [C]biased [D]puzzling. (1998)
The author`s attitude towards euthanasia seems to be that of _____.
[A]opposition. [B]suspicion. [C]approval. [D]indifference.
其他的提问方式还包括:
According to the author, .
The author’s main purpose in this passage is .
The author argues in the passage that .
The author’s purpose of writing this passage is .
The author’s main thought is that .
The author probably feels that .
What is the mood , tone of the passage?
In this passage the author’s attitude towards … can best be described as .
Which of the following best describe the author’s attitudes towards ?
In the author’s opinion, .
The author holds a(n) attitude towards ...
The author appears to feel that .
从以上例子中我们可以看出,情感态度题的提问方式也有一些规律可循。
首先,题目中一般都会用到the author’s attitude或者attitude 的近义词来进行表述。但是有的时候考查的不是作者的观点态度,而是文中某个人的观点态度,此时都会有according to, in the eyes of 等字样,考生应当加以区分
其次,情感态度题的词语选项一般可以分为以下几种:
(1)褒义词:positive (肯定的, 积极的), optimistic (乐观的), useful (有用的, 有益的), admiring (赞赏的, 钦佩的), interesting (有趣的), instructive (有益的, 教育性的), enthusiastic (热心的, 热情的), supportive (支持的), support(支持), approval (赞成, 承认), approving (满意的), confident (自信的, 确信的), impressed (留下印象的), reverent (尊敬的), polite (有礼貌的, 文雅的)
(2)贬义词:negative (否定的, 消极的), pessimistic (悲观的, 厌世的), subjective (主观的, 个人的), disappointed (失望的), frustrated (失败的, 落空的), critical (批评的), questioning (质疑的), doubtful (可疑的, 不确的), compromising (妥协的), dissatisfied (不满意的, 不高兴的), biased (有偏见的), satirical (讽刺的), tolerant (容忍的, 宽恕的), puzzling (迷惑的), suspicious (怀疑的), gloomy (令人沮丧的), scared (恐惧的), cynical (愤世嫉俗的), oppose (反对), opposition (反对), disgust (令人反感), disgusting (令人厌恶的), worried (闷闷不乐的), depressed (沮丧的), contemptuous (轻蔑的, 侮辱的), hostile (敌对的), opinionated (武断的)
(3)中性词:objective (客观的), impartial (公平的, 不偏不倚的), indifferent (无关紧要的), impassive (冷漠的), detached (超然的,不偏不倚的), concerned (关心的), unconcerned (不关心的), uninterested (不感兴趣的), neutral (中性的), cautious (谨慎的, 小心的), humorous (滑稽的, 诙谐的), apathetic (缺乏兴趣的), disinterested (无私的), sensitive (敏感的), factual (事实的, 实际的), informative (提供资讯的), persuasive (说服的), personal (个人的,), formal (正式的), informal (非正式的), casual (偶然的), analytical (分析的)
1993年Passage 2
In general, our society is becoming one of giant enterprises directed by a bureaucratic (官僚主义的) management in which man becomes a small , well-oiled cog in the machinery. The oiling is done with higher wages, well-ventilated factories and piped music, and by psychologists and \"human-relations\" experts; yet all this oiling does not alter the fact that man has become powerless, that he does not wholeheartedly participate in his work and that he is bored with it. In fact, the blue-and the white-collar workers have become economic puppets who dance to the tune of automated machines and bureaucratic management.
The worker and employee are anxious, not only because they might find themselves out of a job; they are anxious also because they are unable to acquire any real satisfaction or interest in life. They live and die without ever having confronted the fundamental realities of human existence as emotionally and intellectually independent and productive human beings.
Those higher up on the social ladder are no less anxious. Their lives are no less empty than those of their subordinates. They are even more insecure in some respects. They are in a highly competitive race. To be promoted or to fall behind is not a matter of salary but even more a matter of self-respect. When they apply for their first job, they are tested for intelligence as well as for the tight mixture of submissiveness and independence. From that moment on they are tested again and again-by the psychologists, for whom testing is a big business, and by their superiors, who judge their behavior, sociability, capacity to get along, etc. This constant need to prove that one is as good as or better than one’ s fellow-competitor creates constant anxiety and stress, the very causes of unhappiness and illness.
Am I suggesting that we should return to the preindustrial mode of production or to nineteenth-century \"free enterprise\" capitalism? Certainly not. Problems are never solved by returning to a stage which one has already outgrown. I suggest transforming our social system from a bureaucratically managed industrialism in which maximal production and consumption are ends in themselves into a humanist industrialism in which man and full development of his potentialities-those of love and of reason-are the aims of all social arrangements. Production and consumption should serve only as means to this end, and should be prevented from ruling man.
40. The author’s attitude towards industrialism might best be summarized as one of __
[A] approval
[B] dissatisfaction
[C] suspicion
[D] tolerance
[答案] B
[解题思路]
纵观全文,其主要基调就是表达了对目前这个工业化体制的不满,人在其中失去了个性和独立性。其中,文章第一段最后一句指出“In fact, the blue-and the white-collar workers have become economic puppets who dance to the tune of automated machines and bureaucratic management”(事实上,蓝领和白领工人已经成了伴随自动化机器和官僚主义管理方式的节奏翩翩起舞的经济玩偶)。最后一段第二句话进一步指出“I suggest transforming our social system from a bureaucratically managed industrialism in which maximal production and consumption are ends in themselves into a humanist industrialism in which man and full development of his potentialities-those of love and of reason-are the aims of all social arrangements”(我建议把我们的社会制度从以最大限度生产和最大限度消费为目的的官僚主义管理工业体制变成一个充分发挥人的潜能——如爱和理性的潜能——为目的的人道主义工业体制),要求改变这个社会体制,作者的不满情绪也是显而易见的。
1995年Passage l
Money spent on advertising is money spent as well as any I know of. It serves directly to assist a rapid distribution of goods at reasonable price, thereby establishing a firm home market and so making it possible to provide for export at competitive prices. By drawing attention to new ideas it helps enormously to raise standards of living. By helping to increase demand it ensures an increased need for labour, and is therefore an effective way to fight unemployment. It lowers the costs of many services: without advertisements your daily newspaper would cost four times as much, the price of your television license would need to be doubled, and travel by bus or tube would cost 20 per cent more.
And perhaps most important of all, advertising provides a guarantee of reasonable value in the products and services you buy. Apart from the fact that twenty-seven acts of Parliament govern the terms of advertising, no regular advertiser dare promote a product that fails to live up to the promise of his advertisements. He might fool some people for a little while through misleading advertising. He will not do so for long, for mercifully the public has the good sense not to buy the inferior article more than once. If you see an article consistently advertised, it is the surest proof I know that the article does what is claimed for it , and that it represents good value.
Advertising does more for the material benefit of the community than any other force I can think of.
There is one more point I feel I ought to touch on. Recently I heard a well-known television personality declare that he was against advertising because it persuades rather than informs. He was drawing excessively fine distinctions. Of course advertising seeks to persuade.
If its message were confined merely to information-and that in itself would be difficult if not impossible to achieve, for even a detail such as the choice of the colour of a shirt is subtly persuasive----advertising would be so boring that no one would pay any attention. But perhaps that is what the well-known television personality wants.
54. In the author’s opinion,__.
[A]advertising can seldom bring material benefit to man by providing information
[B]advertising informs people of new ideas rather than wins them over
[C]there is nothing wrong with advertising in persuading the buyer
[D]the buyer is not interested in getting information from an advertisement
[答案] C
[解题思路]
本题对应于文章最后一段,该段第一句话指出“If its message were confined merely to information-and that in itself would be difficult if not impossible to achieve, for even a detail such as the choice of the colour of a shirt is subtly persuasive----advertising would be so boring that no one would pay any attention”(如果广告内容仅限于提供信息——这件事如果不是不可能,也很难实现,因为即使是对于衬衫颜色的挑选也具有一些劝诱性——那么广告将会变得非常索然无味,甚至没有人会注意到它),这是对那位电视名人的反驳,因而说明作者认为广告试图说服人们购买产品并不是一个问题,因此正确答案为C选项。B选项与原文意思相反,而A和D选项的表述在原文中没有提及。
1995年Passage 5
That experiences influence subsequent behaviour is evidence of an obvious but nevertheless remarkable activity called remembering. Learning could not occur without the function popularly named memory. Constant practice has such as effect on memory as to lead to skillful performance on the piano, to recitation of a poem, and even to reading and understanding these words. So-called intelligent behaviour demands memory, remembering being a primary requirement for reasoning. The ability to solve any problem or even to recognize that a problem exists depends on memory. Typically, the decision to cross a street is based on remembering many earlier experiences.
Practice (or review) tends to build and maintain memory for a task or for any learned material. Over a period of no practice what has been learned tends to be forgotten; and the adaptive consequences may not seem obvious. Yet, dramatic instances of sudden forgetting can seem to be adaptive. In this sense, the ability to forget can be interpreted to have survived through a process of natural selection in animals. Indeed, when one’s memory of an emotionally painful experience lead to serious anxiety, forgetting may produce relief. Nevertheless, an evolutionary interpretation might make it difficult to understand how the commonly gradual process of forgetting survived natural selection.
In thinking about the evolution of memory together with all its possible aspects, it is helpful to consider what would happen if memories failed to fade. Forgetting clearly aids orientation in time, since old memories weaken and the new tend to stand out, providing clues for inferring duration. Without forgetting, adaptive ability would suffer, for example, learned behaviour that might have been correct a decade ago may no longer be. Cases are recorded of people who (by ordinary standards) forgot so little that their everyday activities were full of confusion. This forgetting seems to serve that survival of the individual and the species.
Another line of thought assumes a memory storage system of limited capacity that provides adaptive flexibility specifically through forgetting. In this view, continual adjustments are made between learning or memory storage (input) and forgetting (output). Indeed, there is evidence that the rate at which individuals forget is directly related to how much they have learned. Such data offers gross support of contemporary models of memory that assume an input-output balance.
70. In this article, the author tries to interpret the function of__.
[A]remembering
[B]forgetting
[C]adapting
[D]experiencing
1996年Passage 3
In the last half of the nineteenth century “capital” and “labour” were enlarging and perfecting their rival organizations on modern lines. Many an old firm was replaced by a limited liability company with a bureaucracy of salaried managers. The change met the technical requirements of the new age by engaging a large professional element and prevented the decline in efficiency that so commonly spoiled the fortunes of family firms in the second and third generation after the energetic founders. It was moreover a step away from individual initiative, towards collectivism and municipal and state-owned business. The railway companies, though still private business managed for the benefit of shareholders, were very unlike old family business. At the same time the great municipalities went into business to supply lighting, trams and other services to the taxpayers .
The growth of the limited liability company and municipal business had important consequences. Such large, impersonal manipulation of capital and industry greatly increased the numbers and importance of shareholders as a class, an element in national life representing irresponsible wealth detached from the land and the duties of the landowners; and almost equally detached from the responsible management of business. All through the nineteenth century, America, Africa, India, Australia and parts of Europe were being developed by British capital, and British shareholders were thus enriched by the world’s movement towards industrialisation. Towns like Bournemouth and Eastboume sprang up to house large. “comfortable” classes who had retired on their incomes, and who had no relation to the rest of the community except that of drawing dividends and occasionally attending a shareholders’ meeting to dictate their orders to the management. On the other hand \"shareholding\" meant leisure and freedom which was used by many of the later Victorians for the highest purpose of a great civilisation.
The “shareholders” as such had no knowledge of the lives, thoughts or needs of the workmen employed by the company in which he held shares, and his influence on the relations of capital and labour was not good. The paid manager acting for the company was in more direct relation with the men and their demands, but even he had seldom that familiar personal knowledge of the workmen which the employer had often had under the more patriarchal system of the old family business now passing away. Indeed the mere size of operations and the numbers of workmen involved rendered such personal relations impossible. Fortunately, however, the increasing power and organization of the trade unions, at least in all skilled trades, enabled the workmen to meet on equal terms the managers of the companies who employed them. The cruel discipline of the strike and lockout taught the two parties to respect each other’ s strength and understand the value of fair negotiation.
62. The author is most critical of___.
[A]family film owners
[B]landowners
[C]managers
[D]shareholders
[答案] D
[解题思路]
本文中四个选项的四中人都有所提及,但阅读细节可以发现作者对A、B、C选项中的三类人没有表明态度,而对D选项中的shareholders却颇有微词,如第二段提到他们的“irresponsible wealth”,第三段第一句话“The “shareholders” as such had no knowledge of the lives, thoughts or needs of the workmen employed by the company in which he held shares, and his influence on the relations of capital and labour was not good”(这种股东尽管持有股份,却丝毫不了解他们所持股公司里工人们的生活、思想和需求。他们对劳资关系也不会产生任何积极的影响)则更明显地表明了作者的态度。
[题目译文]
作者对 最持批评态度。
[A]家族企业老板
[B]土地所有者
[C]经理
[D]股东
2009年考研英语长篇连载:阅读真题命题思路透析(10)
1997年Passage 1
It was 3:45 in the morning when the vote was finally taken. After six months of arguing and final 16 hours of hot parliamentary debates, Australia’s Northern Territory became the first legal authority in the world to allow doctors to take the lives of incurably ill patients who wish to die. The measure passed by the convincing vote of 15 to 10. Almost immediately word flashed on the Internet and was picked up, half a world away, by John Hofsess, executive director of the Right to Die Society of Canada. He sent it on via the group’s on line service, Death NET. Says Hofsess: “We posted bulletins all day long, because of course this isn’t just something that happened in Australia. It’s world history.”
The full import may take a while to sink in. The NT Rights of the Terminally III law has left physicians and citizens alike trying to deal with its moral and practical implications. Some have breathed sighs of relief, others, including churches, right to life groups and the Australian Medical Association, bitterly attacked the bill and the haste of its passage. But the tide is unlikely to turn back. In Australia — where an aging population, life extending technology and changing community attitudes have all played their part — other states are going to consider making a similar law to deal with euthanasia. In the US and Canada, where the right to die movement is gathering strength, observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling.
Under the new Northern Territory law, an adult patient can request death — probably by a deadly injection or pill — to put an end to suffering. The patient must be diagnosed as terminally ill by two doctors. After a “cooling off” period of seven days, the patient can sign a certificate of request. After 48 hours the wish for death can be met. For Lloyd Nickson, a 54 year old Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, the NT Rights of Terminally III law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition. “I’m not afraid of dying from a spiritual point of view, but what I was afraid of was how I’d go, because I’ve watched people die in the hospital fighting for oxygen and clawing at their masks,” he says.
54. The author’s attitude towards euthanasia seems to be that of _____.
[A] opposition
[B] suspicion
[C] approval
[D] indifference
[答案] C
[解题思路]
从全文总体看来,作者虽然一直没有直接表示自己的态度,但三段中他引用的例子,如第一段中“John Hofsess”的话和最后一段中“Lloyd Nickson”的例子都是赞成安乐死的。第二段中虽然指出存在反对的声音,但该段中间作者“But the tide is unlikely to turn back”(但是安乐死这一潮流已无法逆转)一句话笔锋一转,指出这种潮流已经不可逆转,因此可见作者自己也是持支持态度的,正确答案为C。
[题目译文]
54. The author’s attitude towards euthanasia seems to be that of _____.
[A] opposition
[B] suspicion
[C] approval
[D] indifference 作者对于安乐死的态度看起来是 。
[A]反对
[B]怀疑
[C]赞成
[D]漠不关心
1997年Passage 5
Much of the language used to describe monetary policy, such as “steering the economy to a soft landing” or “a touch on the brakes”, makes it sound like a precise science. Nothing could be further from the truth. The link between interest rates and inflation is uncertain. And there are long, variable lags before policy changes have any effect on the economy. Hence the analogy that likens the conduct of monetary policy to driving a car with a blackened windscreen, a cracked rear view mirror and a faulty steering wheel.
Given all these disadvantages, central bankers seem to have had much to boast about of late. Average inflation in the big seven industrial economies fell to a mere 2.3% last year, close to its lowest level in 30 years, before rising slightly to 2.5% this July. This is a long way below the double digit rates which many countries experienced in the 1970s and early 1980s.
It is also less than most forecasters had predicted. In late 1994 the panel of economists which The Economist polls each month said that America’s inflation rate would average 3.5% in 1995. In fact, it fell to 2.6% in August, and expected to average only about 3% for the year as a whole. In Britain and Japan inflation is running half a percentage point below the rate predicted at the end of last year. This is no flash in the pan; over the past couple of years, inflation has been consistently lower than expected in Britain and America.
Economists have been particularly surprised by favorable inflation figures in Britain and the United States, since conventional measures suggest that both economies, and especially America’s, have little productive slack. America’s capacity utilization, for example, his historically high levels earlier this year, and its jobless rate (5.6% in August) has fallen bellow most estimates of the natural rate of unemployment — the rate below which inflation has taken off in the past.
Why has inflation proved so mild? The most thrilling explanation is, unfortunately, a little defective. Some economists argue that powerful structural changes in the world have up ended the old economic models that were based upon the historical link between growth and inflation.
70. The passage shows that the author is _____ the present situation.
[A]critical of
[B]puzzled by
[C]disappointed at
[D]amazed at
[答案] D
[解题思路]
从总体上看来,本文主要讨论的是经济现象中新的现象、变化和趋势。文中第一段第二、三句中指出“Nothing could be further from the truth. The link between interest rates and inflation is uncertain”(而事实并非如此。利率和通货膨胀之间的关系并不是确定的),第三段第一句话指出“It is also less than most forecasters had predicted”(这样的通胀率也低于许多预测家预测的数字),第四段第一句话指出“Economists have been particularly surprised by favorable inflation figures in Britain and the United States”(尤其让经济学家感到惊讶的是,英美两国的通胀率带来了良性的结果),而最后一段总结到“powerful structural changes in the world have up ended the old economic models that were based upon the historical link between growth and inflation”(世界经济结构强有力的变化已经打破了那个以经济增长和通货膨胀的原有关联为基础的旧有经济模式)。从这些语句中都可以判断作者也是以非常惊奇的语气来进行描述的,因此正确答案为D。
[题目译文]
70. The passage shows that the author is _____ the present situation.
[A]critical of
[B]puzzled by
[C]disappointed at
[D]amazed at 文章显示了作者对目前形势的态度是 。
[A]批评
[B]困惑
[C]失望
[D]惊奇
1998年Passage 3
Science has long had an uneasy relationship with other aspects of culture. Think of Gallileo’s 17th century trial for his rebelling belief before the Catholic Church or poet William Blake’s harsh remarks against the mechanistic worldview of Isaac Newton. The schism between science and the humanities has, if anything, deepened in this century.
Until recently, the scientific community was so powerful that it could afford to ignore its critics - but no longer. As funding for science has declined, scientists have attacked “antiscience” in several books, notably Higher Superstition, by Paul R.Gross, a biologist at the University of Verginia, and Norman Levitt, a mathematician at Rutgers University; and The Demon Haunted World, by Car Sagan of Cornell University.
Defenders of science have also voiced their concerns at meetings such as “The Flight from Science and Reason,” held in New York City in 1995, and “Science in the Age of (Mis)information,” which assembled last June near Buffalo.
Antiscience clearly means different things to different people. Gross and Levitt find fault primarily with sociologists, philosophers and other academics who have questioned science’s objectivity. Sagan is more concerned with those who believe in ghosts, creationism and other phenomena that contradict the scientific worldview.
A survey of news stories in 1996 reveals that the antiscience tag has been attached to many other groups as well, from authorities who advocated the elimination of the last remaining stocks of smallpox virus to Republicans who advocated decreased funding for basic research.
Few would dispute that the term applies to the Unabomber, those manifesto, published in 1995, scorns science and longs for return to a pretechnological utopia. But surely that does not mean environmentalists concerned about uncontrolled industrial growth are antiscience, as an essay in US News & World Report last May seemed to suggest.
The environmentalists, inevitably, respond to such critics. The true enemies of science, argues Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University, a pioneer of environmental studies, are those who question the evidence supporting global warming, the depletion of the ozone layer and other consequences of industrial growth.
Indeed, some observers fear that the antiscience epithet is in danger of becoming meaningless. “The term ‘antiscience’ can lump together too many, quite different things,” notes Harvard University philosopher Gerald Holton in his 1993 work Science and Anti Science. “They have in common only one thing that they tend to annoy or threaten those who regard themselves as more enlightened”
62. The author’s attitude toward the issue of “science vs. antiscience” is _____ .
[A] impartial
[B] subjective
[C] biased
[D] puzzling