考研英语真题阅读详解资料.doc

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1998年阅读真题精解

Text 1

Few creations of big technology capture the imagination like giant dams. Perhaps it is humankind's long suffering at the mercy of flood and drought that makes the ideal of forcing the waters to do our bidding so fascinating. But to be fascinated is also, sometimes, to be blind. Several giant dam projects threaten to do more harm than good.

The lesson from dams is that big is not always beautiful. It doesn't help that building a big, powerful dam has become a symbol of achievement for nations and people striving to assert themselves. Egypt's leadership in the Arab world was cemented by the Aswan High Dam. Turkey's bid for First World status includes the giant Ataturk Dam.

But big dams tend not to work as intended. The Aswan Dam, for example, stopped the Nile flooding but deprived Egypt of the fertile silt that floods left — all in return for a giant reservoir of disease which is now so full of silt that it barely generates electricity.

And yet, the myth of controlling the waters persists. This week, in the heart of civilized Europe, Slovaks and Hungarians stopped just short of sending in the troops in their contention over a dam on the Danube. The huge complex will probably have all the usual problems of big dams. But Slovakia is bidding for independence from the Czechs, and now needs a dam to prove itself.

Meanwhile, in India, the World Bank has given the go-ahead to the even more wrong-headed Narmada Dam. And the bank has done this even though its advisors say the dam will cause hardship for the powerless and environmental destruction. The benefits are for the powerful, but they are far from guaranteed.

Proper, scientific study of the impacts of dams and of the cost and benefits of controlling water can help to resolve these conflicts. Hydroelectric power and flood control and irrigation are possible without building monster dams. But when you are dealing with myths, it is hard to be either proper, or scientific. It is time that the world learned the lessons of Aswan. You don't need a dam to be saved.

51. The third sentence of paragraph 1 implies that ________.

　[A] people would be happy if they shut their eyes to reality

　[B] the blind could be happier than the sighted

　[C] over-excited people tend to neglect vital things

　[D] fascination makes people lose their eyesight

52. In paragraph 5, "the powerless" probably refers to ________.

　[A] areas short of electricity

　[B] dams without power stations

　[C] poor countries around India

　[D] common people in the Narmada Dam area

53. What is the myth concerning giant dams?

　[A] They bring in more fertile soil.

　[B] They help defend the country.

　[C] They strengthen international ties.

　[D] They have universal control of the waters.

54. What the author tries to suggest may best be interpreted as ________.

　[A] "It's no use crying over spilt milk"

　[B] "More haste, less speed"

　[C] "Look before you leap"

　[D] "He who laughs last laughs best"

核心词汇

1. few 没有几个，含否定意思，little 没有一点儿，含否定意思；

2. capture 抓住，捕获，吸引住

3. like 比如，像，喜欢

4. giant 巨人，巨型物；gigantic 巨大的

5. at the mercy of 任…摆布或控制；

6. flood and drought 洪涝和旱灾；earthquake 地震；tsunami 海啸；

7. ideal 理想，理想的

8. do our bidding 按我们的要求办事

9. fascinate 对…着迷；fascinating 着迷的

10. threaten 威胁

11. do more harm than good 弊大于利

12. lesson 教训；teach me a lesson 给我一个教训；lessen 减轻

13. symbol 象征

14. achieve 达到；获得成就；achiever 获得成就的人；achievement 成就

15. strive to 努力做

16. assert 说明，宣称，认为

17. cement 水泥引申为：巩固，加强

18. bid 投标；申请

19. tend to 易于，倾向于

20. work 起作用；

21. as 正如，复习as的六大考点

22. intended 所料想的；相当于expected=desired=anticipated =designated

23. deprive…of 剥夺…；相当于rob…of=deny sth

24. fertile 肥沃的；多产的

25. in return 作为回报

26. reserve 保留，预定；reservation; reservoir水库

27. so…that 如此…以致

28. barely=hardly=scarcely 几乎不

29. generate 产生；regenerate再生；regenerable 可再生的

30. myth 神话，不现实的东西；相当于illusion 幻觉；

31. civilized 文明的；civilization 文明

32. stop just short of 差一点儿就; be short of 缺少；缺乏

33. contention 争吵；争论

34. complex 综合工程；综合物；联合体；复杂的；

35. bid for =apply for 申请

36. go-ahead =permission容许，许可

37. cause 造成，引起；原因；事业

38. hardship 困境；苦难

39. powerless 无权利的；powerful 当权的；强大的

40. far from 远非；绝不

41. guarantee 保证；确保；担保

42. proper 恰当的，合理的

43. study 研究

44. impact 影响，相当于influence=effect

45. resolve 解决，相当于solve=settle；决心，决议

46. power 电；电源；power-off 断电；

47. irrigation 灌溉

48. monster 怪物，在此引申为巨大的

49. deal with 解决；对付，与…交往

50. hard 艰难的，困难的；强硬的；

51. wrong-headed 执迷不悟的

52. hydro-electric 水电的

难句精解

①Perhaps it is humankind's long suffering at the mercy of flood and drought that makes the ideal of forcing the waters to do our bidding so fascinating.

▲这个句子中包含了一个强调句型，基本结构是it is... that...，强调部分的关键词是suffering，这个词就是后面that引导的从句的主语，因而这个句子的核心句其实就是Suffering makes the ideal so fascinating。名词suffering加上前后的修饰限定成分是humankind's long suffering at the mercy of flood and drought（人类受水旱灾害控制的长期的苦难）；ideal后面跟了一个of引导的分词短语：forcing the waters to do our bidding（让河水听我们吩咐［的这个理想］）；后面的so fascinating做宾补。

②It doesn't help that building a big, powerful dam had become a symbol of achievement for nations and people striving to assert themselves.

▲这个句子中第一个单词it指代的是文章中上面的一句话，即“从大型水坝中得到的教训是：大的不一定就是好的”。help后面是一个从句，在这个从句中，主语是一个现在分词短语，核心句是Building a dam had become a symbol of achievement。分词短语striving to assert themselves是修饰nations and people的限定成分。

③The Aswan Dam, for example, stopped the Nile flooding but deprived Egypt of the fertile silt that floods left — all in return for a giant reservoir of disease which is now so full of silt that it barely generates electricity.

▲这个句子首先要注意的是有两个谓语：stopped和deprived；然后可以找出这个句子的核心句：The Aswan Dam stopped the Nile flooding but deprived Egypt of the silt。第一个silt后面有一个that引导的从句that floods left修饰silt；破折号后面的all代替的是破折号前面所说的the fertile silt，介词短语in return for后面的宾语带了一个which引导的从句，修饰的是这个宾语：a giant reservoir of disease，同时这个从句中还有一个so... that的结构。如果把这个which引导的从句分解开来就是The reservoir is now full of silt, so it barely generates electricity。

△此句理解的关键有三个：一是找到两个谓语：stopped和deprived；二是要明白all指的是前面所说的the fertile silt；三就是which引导的从句修饰的是the reservoir of disease这个名词短语。

④This week, in the heart of civilized Europe, Slovaks and Hungarians stopped just short of sending in the troops in their contention over a dam on the Danube.

▲这个句子理解的困难可能出现在短语上。撇开前面的时间状语和地点状语不看，这个句子的核心句其实是Slovaks and Hungarians stopped sending troops。这里有两个短语需要理解：short of差一点就；send in派遣。后面的in their contention over a dam说的是他们sending in the troops的原因。再加上前后的状语短语，就有了一个完整理解。

△这个句子的短语和介词非常重要，除了结构分析中所说的两个短语之外，in the contentions，over a dam，on the Danube都对句子理解非常重要。

⑤Proper, scientific study of the impacts of dams and of the cost and benefits of controlling water can help to resolve these conflicts.

▲这个句子的核心句是Study can help to resolve conflicts。但是理解的重点却在study后面的修饰成分，因为study后面有两个并列关系的of，说明了study的内容：study of the impacts of dams和study of the cost and benefits of controlling water。第三个of修饰的是the cost and benefits两个名词，of后面是个动名词短语。这个修饰成分解决了，后面的句子就好理解了，再注意一下help to do sth.的用法。

△主要是四个of的用法，注意哪两个of是并列关系（of the impacts和of the cost and benefits）。

试题解析

51. [C] 意为：过于兴奋的人容易忽视极为重要的事情。

第一段指出，在重大技术所创造的东西中，很少有比大坝更能体现人的幻想的。也许是因为人类长期遭受洪涝和干旱的袭击，使人类（通过筑坝）制服洪水的愿望显得更加令人兴奋不已（该句是一个强调句，基本句型是：it is... that makes... so fascinating）。这两句谈的是人们的愿望；本段第三、四句话锋一转，指出愿望与现实往往相反，所以，第三句应该在第一、二句意思的基础上理解。第三句可理解为：但是，兴奋有时候也表现为盲目be blind。而第三句的意思又被第四句进一步阐释为：有些大坝工程弊大于利(do more harm than good)。盲目建设大坝的危害在第三、五段都举了具体例子加以说明。

[A]人们如果无视现实就会感到高兴。[B]盲人比有眼睛的人更幸福，常识都不对。[D]兴奋使人双目失明，是对blind字义的歪曲理解。

52. [D] 意为：讷尔默达河大坝周围的平民百姓。

文章中提到，银行的顾问指出，大坝将给powerless带来苦难，给环境带来破坏，但是，银行方面却一意孤行。大坝的建设也许会给powerful(掌权有势的人)带来益处。因为Powerful 绝对不能理解为：有电的意思，只能理解为有权力的人，强大的；强势的；所以上句中的the powerless，只能理解为无权利的人，意思也就理解为平民百姓。在意思上应该对应于下一句的the powerful（有权势者）。属于反义词在上下文中同现来猜题技巧。

[A]缺电力的地区。[B]没建电站的大坝。[C]印度周边的穷国。定冠词the置于形容词之前经常指一类人，如：the poor穷人，the rich富人，the miserable受苦难的人，the young年轻人，等等。

53. [D] 意为：它们普遍能控制住洪水。

第一段第一、二句指出，人们幻想大坝来达到控制洪水的目的，但有时意识不到大坝会带来意想不到的后果。第三段也指出，大坝有时有违其建设目的，埃及的阿斯旺高坝(Aswan High Dam)就是一个例子。大坝起到了制服尼罗河洪水泛滥的作用，但也不再有洪水过后留下的肥沃的冲积土壤；换来的只是(all in return for)一个硕大的病态水库，水库被淤泥填满，几乎无法发电。

第四段指出，尽管如此，制服洪水的神话还在继续传送。这句话的意思是：人们仍然一味地幻想着通过建坝来控制水：其含义是，尽管大坝的建设有时弊多于利，会给人类带来意想不到的后果，但是，人们建坝的热情还是很高，本段下文提到了斯洛伐克和匈牙利拟在多瑙河上建坝的事。最后一段第二句指出，其实，水力发电也好，治水也好，灌溉也好，未必都只有通过建坝进行。因此文章中提到的神话也就是指建坝能控制洪水这一作用。

[A]它们带来更肥沃的土地。 [B]它们有助于国防。第二段第二句指出，有些人把建设硕大的大坝看作是国家成就的象征，是一个民族独立(assert themselves)的体现，这其实是一种幻想(It doesn't help that...)；第四段第二、三、四句指出，本周，在文明的欧洲中心，为了多瑙河上的建坝事宜，斯洛伐克人和匈牙利人几乎就要派驻军队了，该大坝也可能产生其他大坝存在的所有问题，但是，斯洛伐克正在闹独立(is bidding for independence)，想脱离捷克，它想通过大坝来证明自己的能力和独立性(prove itself)。可见，人们想通过大坝证明自己的国力和独立性，并非将大坝用于国防。 [C]它们增强国际联系。

54. [C] “三思而后行。”

该题实际上提问的是作者的观点：作者想通过本文说明什么道理。文章指出，人们对大坝的建设存在很多幻想，所以经常事与愿违。在最后一段最后两句，作者指出，该是我们认真吸取阿斯旺大坝的教训的时候了。言外之意，不要再存在理想化心理，我们应该变得更加理智一点，因为，我们未必非要通过大坝来拯救自己(You don't need a dam to be saved.)，这一句回溯该段第二句：其实，水力发电也好，治水也好，灌溉也好，未必都只有通过建坝实现。言外之意，应该消除对大坝的迷恋，多动脑筋，积极寻求更好的措施解决我们的问题。

[A]“覆水难收。”比喻后悔是没有用的。[B]“欲速则不达。”

[D]“笑到最后才算笑得最好。”比喻受到挫折时不要轻易放弃，应该坚持。

参考译文

在重大技术所创造的东西中很少能像大型水坝这样让人痴迷。可能正是因为人类长期遭受旱涝灾害的摆布才使得人们治理江河为我所用的理想如此令人痴迷。但让人着迷有时也就使人盲目。有几个巨型大坝项目就有弊大于利的危险。

建造大坝的教训是：大的未必总是美的。但这个教训也无法阻止修建高大雄伟的大坝已成为那些力争得到自我肯定的国家和人民的伟大成就的象征。埃及由于建造了阿斯旺大坝而巩固了在阿拉伯世界的领导地位。土耳其在力图跻身第一世界的努力中也包括修建阿塔特克大坝。

但大坝不会像预期的那样产生效果。以阿斯旺大坝为例，它阻止了尼罗河洪水泛滥，但也使埃及失去了洪水冲击过后留下的肥沃土壤，换回来的是这么一个疾病滋生的水库。现在这个水库积满了淤泥，几乎不能发电了。

不过，控制水的神话还在继续。本周，在文明的欧洲腹地，斯洛伐克人和匈牙利人就为了多瑙河上的一处水坝引起争端，差点动用了军队。这个大型工程可能会出现大坝上所有的常见问题。但斯洛伐克正在要求脱离捷克而独立，现在他们需要建一个大坝来证明自己的实力。

与此同时，世界银行已经贷款给印度来建造问题很多的纳尔马达大坝。尽管世界银行的顾问说，该大坝将给平民带来苦难，而且也会破坏那里的环境，但世界银行已经这样做了。大坝会给有权有势者带来利益，但这种利益却没有保障。

对于水坝的影响作用、水坝控制水流的成本和收益进行恰当而科学的研究能够有助于解决这些冲突。水利发电，治理洪水以及灌溉即使不建大型水坝也是可能的，不一定非要建大坝。但当你相信神话时就很难做到合理或科学。现在是世界吸取阿斯旺大坝教训的时候了。我们未必要通过大坝来拯救自己。

Text 2

Well, no gain without pain, they say. But what about pain without gain? Everywhere you go in America, you hear tales of corporate revival. What is harder to establish is whether the productivity revolution that businessmen assume they are presiding over is for real.

The official statistics are mildly discouraging. They show that, if you lump manufacturing and services together, productivity has grown on average by 1.2% since 1987. That is somewhat faster than the average during the previous decade. And since 1991, productivity has increased by about 2% a year, which is more than twice the 1978-1987 average. The trouble is that part of the recent acceleration is due to the usual rebound that occurs at this point in a business cycle, and so is not conclusive evidence of a revival in the underlying trend. There is, as Robert Rubin, the treasury secretary, says, a "disjunction" between the mass of business anecdote that points to a leap in productivity and the picture reflected by the statistics.

Some of this can be easily explained. New ways of organizing the workplace — all that re-engineering and downsizing — are only one contribution to the overall productivity of an economy, which is driven by many other factors such as joint investment in equipment and machinery, new technology, and investment in education and training. Moreover, most of the changes that companies make are intended to keep them profitable, and this need not always mean increasing productivity: switching to new markets or improving quality can matter just as much.

Two other explanations are more speculative. First, some of the business restructuring of recent years may have been ineptly done. Second, even if it was well done, it may have spread much less widely than people suppose.

Leonard Schlesinger, a Harvard academic and former chief executive of Au Bong Pain, a rapidly growing chain of bakery cafes, says that much "re-engineering" has been crude. In many cases, he believes, the loss of revenue has been greater than the reductions in cost. His colleague, Michael Beer, says that far too many companies have applied re-engineering in a mechanistic fashion, chopping out costs without giving sufficient thought to long-term profitability. BBDO's Al Rosenshine is blunter. He dismisses a lot of the work of re-engineering consultants as mere rubbish — "the worst sort of ambulance-chasing".

55. According to the author, the American economic situation is ________.

[A] not as good as it seems

[B] at its turning point

[C] much better than it seems

[D] near to complete recovery

56. The official statistics on productivity growth ________.

[A] exclude the usual rebound in a business cycle

[B] fall short of businessmen's anticipation

[C] meet the expectation of business people

[D] fail to reflect the true state of economy

57. The author raises the question "what about pain without gain?" because ________.

　[A] he questions the truth of "no gain without pain"

[B] he does not think the productivity revolution works

[C] he wonders if the official statistics are misleading

[D] he has conclusive evidence for the revival of businesses

58. Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage?

[A] Radical reforms are essential for the increase of productivity.

[B] New ways of organizing workplaces may help to increase productivity.

[C] The reduction of costs is not a sure way to gain long-term profitability.

[D] The consultants are a bunch of good-for-nothings.

核心词汇

1. no gain without pain=no pains, no gains 不劳无获；pain without gain 有劳却无获；

no sweat, no sweet 先苦后甜

2. what about 怎么样？

3. tale 故事，神话

4. corporate 公司的

5. revival 复苏

6. harder 更难的

7. assume 认为；假定；承担；担任

8. preside over 主持；领导

9. for real 真实的；for sure 确定的

10. statistics 统计数字或数据；

11. mildly 适度地=modestly=moderately

12. discouraging=depressing令人沮丧的

13. show=indicate=exhibit表明

14. lump 收集起来；堆起来

15. on average 平均

16. more than 多于；不只是

17. acceleration 加速；加快；快速增长；deceleration 减速

18. be due to 是因为

19. rebound 反弹

20. business cycle 商业周期；recycle 回收；recyclable 可以回收的

21. conclusive 结论性的

22. underlying 内在的，根本的

23. disjunction 脱节，无联系

24. anecdote 奇闻异事，含否定意思，意为不现实的东西

25. point to=point out 指出

26. leap 跳跃，上升

27. reflect 反映

28. the mass of 大量的

29. between…and 在….与…之间

30. picture 图，图像，意为真实的东西

31. re-engineering 结构重组；相当于后面的reengineering

32. downsize 缩小规模

33. contribution 贡献，促成…的因素

34. overall 整个的

35. drive 驱动；driving force 驱动力

36. factor 因素

37. such as 例如

38. joint investment 联合投资；joint efforts 共同努力

39. are intended to 目的在于，旨在

40. switch to 转向；

41. matter 起作用

42. as much 同样多；as well 也

43. speculative 推测的

44. restructure 结构重组

45. ineptly 不合适地；

46. academic 学术的；学者

47. chain 链条，连锁

48. in many cases 在许多情况下；in no case 绝不；In any case 无论如何

49. mechanistic 机械的，含贬义

50. in a …fashion 以….方式

51. chop