2007北京太奇培训学校考研英语强化班授课讲义(十三)

朱泰祺 网络资源/2006-05-30

2007北京太奇培训学校考研英语强化班授课讲义(十三)

2007 – KY-- 13  内部资料 翻印必究

I. Reading Comprehension:

Text  1

    Genetic engineering holds great potential payoffs for farmers and consumers by making crops resistant to pests, diseases, and even chemicals used to kill surrounding weeds. But new research raises concerns that altering crops to withstand such threats may pose new risks – from none other than the weeds themselves. This is due to the weeds’ ability to acquire genes from the neighboring agricultural crops. Researchers found that when a weed cross-breeds with a farm-cultivated relative and thus acquires new genetic traits – possibly including artificial genes engineered to make the crop hardier – the hybrid weed can pass along those traits to future generations.

    “The result may be very hardy, hard-to-kill weeds,” said Allison Snow, a plant ecologist at Ohio State University in Columbus who conducted the experiments over the past six years along with two colleagues. They presented their results last week at the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America in Madison, Wisconsin. The findings suggest that genetic engineering done with the aim of improving crops – giving them new genetic traits such as resistance to herbicides or pests – could ultimately have unintended and harmful consequences for the crops if weeds acquire the same trait and use it to out-compete the crops. “Gene movement from crops to their wild relatives is an ongoing process that can be ultimately harmful to crops,” said Snow.

    The results of the experiments challenge a common belief that hybrids gradually die out over several generations, Snow explained. “There has been an assumption that [crop] genes wouldn’t persist in crop-weed hybrids” because hybrids are thought to be less successful at reproducing, she said. However, Snow’s research contradicted this assumption: Hybrid wild radishes survived in all six generations that were grown since the study began.

    Although the genetic traits which the scientists monitored were natural and not genetically engineered, the findings nonetheless suggest that artificial improvements introduced into crops through genetic engineering could spread to weeds and become permanent traits of the weed population. So strengthened, the weeds may pose a serious risk to the long-term health of agricultural crops. The danger exists in a number of crop plants – including rice, sunflower, sorghum, squash, and carrots – that are closely related to weeds with which they compete. Snow is concerned that the transfer of genes from crops to related weeds could rapidly render many herbicides (chemicals which kill weeds) ineffectual. That situation, she said, would be much like bacterial diseases acquiring resistance to antibiotics.

    Because plant hybrids arise in a single generation, however, it could happen much more quickly. “Modern agriculture is heavily dependent on herbicides,” she said, “so people will notice when those don’t work any more. ”  (441 words)

Notes: none other than 不是别的,正是…;cross-breed (with) 杂交;hardy a. 强壮的,耐寒的;pass along…to 把…传给;hybrid 杂交的;herbicide 除草剂;reproduce 繁殖;radish小萝卜;sorghum 高粱;squash南瓜。

1. The word “This” in Line 3, Para. 1, most probably refers to __________.

  A. the great results made in recent research              B. risks of altering crops’ genetic make-ups
  C. dangers inherent in the nature of weeds              D. threats posed by chemicals used to kill weeds

2. According to the text, genetic engineering can be used to ___________.

  A. kill the weeds in fields through cross-breeding        B. give crops new genetic traits and make them hardy
  C. improve the yield and quality of most crops          D. make crops resistant to many of chemical fertilizers

3. Genetically modified crops could have harmful effects since ___________.

  A. gene movement between cultivated plants and wild ones is inevitable
  B. genetically altered plants are in a position to develop into weeds
  C. it is generally accepted that cross-breeding is a natural process
  D. in general hybrids are more successful at breeding than natural plants

4. Allison Snow uses the example of wild radishes to argue that __________.

  A. most of hybrids are certain to vanish in the future generations
  B. hybrids are regarded as being less successful at reproducing
  C. hybrid wild radishes can be grown in artificial environment
  D. new genetic traits could continue to exist in crop-weed hybrids

5. From the text we can see that the author seems ___________.

  A. biased           B. impartial             C. worried             D. optimistic       

Text  2

    While anti-slavery sentiment eventually dictated policy in both the United States and Great Britain, the course of abolition differed greatly in the two nations. In America, the institution of slavery was strongly defended in a debate that ultimately resulted in the Civil War of 1860. In Britain, by contrast, slavery was done away with by 1807 and barred throughout its colonial possessions by 1833. In analyzing Britain’s course, historians have well documented the influences of economic change, humanitarian protest and reform movement.

    One factor that has been largely ignored by scholars, however, is the impetus that was provided by children’s literature. This medium gained great popularity in Britain during the last half of the 18th century and provided direct access to young, impressionable minds. Consequently, children’s literature constituted the perfect vehicle for the spreading of humanitarian ideas and played a vital role in creating anti-slavery concerns.

    In 1761, John Newberry’s Tom Telescope included the first known reference to the slave trade in children’s literature. Tom, the book’s hero, took issue with a man who was fond of his household pet yet, as a slave merchant, thought “nothing of separating the husband from the wife, the parents from the children.” Slavery was not only cruel and oppressive, Tom seemed to be saying, but it was also irrational and contrary to natural law. Written before much of the horrors of the Atlantic slave trade were revealed, Tom Telescope contained an implicit message. Soon afterwards, writers and publishers were in a position to be more explicit. One of the leaders in this movement was the Society of Friends who, in 1787, published Little Truths. Passages in this work directly related conditions aboard slave ships: “children were in the ship, pressed like fishes in a barrel.”

    Around the turn of the 18th century, blacks were introduced for the first time as main characters in children’s literature. An early example of this device is found in Thomas Day’s immensely popular The History of Sandford and Merton, in which a black beggar miraculously rescues Harry Sandford from a raging bull. Significantly, Day says very little about the institution of slavery itself, but the reader is left with no doubt that it is inhuman and cruel.

    While it would be misleading to assume that every children’s book published between 1750 and 1850 contained anti-slavery sentiments, the numbers are significant enough to suggest that they played a vital role in shaping their attitudes toward blacks. At the same time, even when the capabilities of blacks were recognized, there was always a tendency to depict them as different rather than equal. Perhaps unwittingly, children’s literature helped to form a stereotype that --- while successfully attacking slavery --- also strengthened the 19th century Englishmen’s sense of racial superiority.   (457 words)

Notes: dictate vt. 口授;强行制定。take issue with 与…争论。unwittingly 出于无意。stereotype 千篇一律的模式。

1. According to the text, all of the following may be the factors in creating anti-slavery sentiment in the British territories except ____________.

A. children’s literature                               B. protest by humanitarian groups
C. the Civil War of 1860                              D. economic changes and the reform movement

2. It can be inferred from the text that at the time of the publication of John Newberry’s Tom Telescope in 1761, _______.

A. there seemed to be no anti-slavery sentiment in England
B. little was known about the horrors of conditions aboard slave ships
C. the hero of the book, Tom, became a popular literary character in England
D. it was generally accepted in England that slavery was irrational and contrary to natural law

3. According to the author, which of the following is true about British authors of children’s literature in the mid-18thcentury?

A. They believed that blacks were equal rather than different.
B. A significant number of these writers were opposed to slavery.
C. Their writing played a major role in all reforms of the 19th century.
D. Most were not only talented story-writers but accomplished historians.

4. Which of the following best describes the organization of the text?

A. Current beliefs are challenged and new evidence is presented.
B. A theory is presented and then data are introduced to support it
C. An observation is made and then some exceptions to it are noted.
D. An idea is first supported and then evidence is introduced to challenge it.

5. The primary purpose of the text is to ____________.

A. emphasize the unnatural oppression inherent in the institution of slavery
B. highlight the way the abolition of slavery in Great Britain differed from that in the U.S.
C. underline the continued racism in Great Britain despite that country’s abolition of slavery
D. discuss the influence of the 18th- and 19th-century children’s literature on the debate over slavery in Britain

Word Study

1. differ vi. 不同;有分歧:1) In many respects they differ greatly from the Chinese.  2) The brothers differ in their interests.  3) He differed with his brother about [on/over] a political question.    4) On one point, I differ with [or from] you.

2. by contrast 对比起来,与之相比:By contrast, even the most modern aircraft look clumsy and slow.
in contrast to [with] 和…形成对比,与…比较起来:1) His white hair was in sharp contrast to [with] his dark skin.    2) In contrast to his brother, he was always considerate in his treatment of others.

3. impetus 惯性,动力,推动力:1) The car ran down the hill under its own impetus.   2) Children need an impetus to study.  3) Her speech gave an impetus to my ideas.   4) The impetus that produced the age of exploration was the increased need for trade.   5) The exposure of widespread graft (贪污) among city officials gave great impetus to demands for reform.

4. gain vt. 获得,得到,赢得;加快,增加;改进:1) He gained full marks in the examination.  2) This medium gained great popularity in Britain during the last century.  3) Mike has gained a reputation as an expert football player.   4) To gain time, I pretended that I had not heard the question.  5) Step by step he gained the students’ confidence.    6) Last week I gained another five pounds.    7) The doctors say that she continues to gain (好转).  、 8) gain ground 取得进展:The Iraqi soldiers fought hard and began to gain ground. 9) gain control of 控制住,占领:They finally gained control of the city.    10) They have gained in strength. (他们已增强了力量。)

5. take issue with 与…争论:He thought his boss was wrong but was afraid to take issue with him on the matter.
at issue 讨论/争论的[问题]:The point at issue is whether you are willing to go abroad or not.

6. think nothing of 觉得不怎样,不以为然:1) He thinks nothing of your work. 2) He thinks nothing of walking 10km. a day. 
think highly of 赞赏:1) The people think very highly of him. 2) Our work was well (=highly) thought of.
think much of 对…评价很高:1) He thinks too much of himself. 2) I don’t think much of him as a teacher.

7. contrary to 与…相反,违反:1) What you wish to do is contrary to the regulations. 2) Contrary to expectation, the war was long and painful.
on the contrary 相反:On the contrary, the war is bound to deepen the eventual economic collapse.

8. implicit 含蓄的,隐含的:It is implicit in your statement that I was wrong. 反义词:explicit 明确的,直截了当的:He gave explicit instructions not to be disturbed.

9. relate vt. 1) 讲述:1) He has related the whole story.  2) 把…联系起来:It is difficult to relate these results to any known cause. 3) be related to 与…有关:All things are related to all other things.

Text  3

[2000, RC 1,试题重编]

    A history of long and effortless success can be a dreadful handicap, but, if properly handled, it may become a driving force. When the United States entered just such a glowing period after the end of the Second World War, it had a market eight times larger than any competitor, giving its industries unparalleled economies of scale. Its scientists were the world’s best, its workers the most skilled. America and Americans were prosperous beyond the dreams of the Europeans and Asians whose economies the war had destroyed.

    It was inevitable that this primacy would narrow as other countries grew richer. Just as inevitably, the retreat from predominance proved painful. By the mid-1980s Americans had found themselves at a loss over their fading industrial competitiveness. Some huge American industries, such as consumer electronics, had shrunk or vanished in the face of foreign competition. By 1987 there was only one American television maker left, Zenith. (Now there is none: Zenith was bought by South Korea’s LG Electronics in July.) Foreign-made cars and textiles were sweeping into the domestic market. America’s machine-tool industry was on the ropes. For a while it looked as though the making of semiconductors, which America had invented and which sat at the heart of the new computer age, was going to be the next casualty.

    All of this caused a crisis of confidence. Americans stopped taking prosperity for granted. They began to believe that their way of doing business was failing, and that their incomes would therefore shortly begin to fall as well. The mid-1980s brought one inquiry after another into the causes of America’s industrial decline. Their sometimes sensational findings were filled with warnings about the growing competition from overseas.

    How things have changed! In 1995 the United States can look back on five years of solid growth while Japan has been struggling. Few Americans attribute this solely to such obvious causes as a devalued dollar or the turning of the business cycle. Self-doubt has yielded to blind pride. “American industry has changed its structure, has gone on a diet, has learnt to be more quick-witted,” according to Richard Cavanagh, executive dean of Harvard’s School of Government. “It makes me proud to be an American just to see how our businesses are improving their productivity,” says Stephen Moore of the Cato Institute, think-tank in Washington, DC. And William Sahlman of the Harvard Business School believes that people will look back on this period as “a golden age of business management in the United States.” (420 words)

Notes: think-tank 智囊团,专家小组。

1. What is stated in the first paragraph can best be summarized as the ____________.

A. predominance of the U.S. in global economy after World War II
B. long and effortless success achieved by the U.S. economy
C. prosperous period of the U.S. economy during the Second World War
D. unparalleled advantages of the U.S. workforce over its competitors

2. According to the logical clue of the text, the second paragraph is written to show ___________.

  A. the destruction of American industries by its powerful competitors
  B. the loss of part of U.S. predominance in the world economy in the 1980s
  C. the reduction of U.S. industrial products in its domestic market
  D. the fading industrial competitiveness of U.S. economy after the 1980s

3. From the third paragraph we can reasonably deduce that, in a broad sense, ___________.

  A. the crisis of confidence discouraged the rapid expansion of the American economy
  B. international cooperation contributed to the revival of America’s economy in the 1990s
  C. the economic progress in America in the 1990s resulted in a great measure from the intense competition from abroad
  D. the reconstruction of industry and improved business management helped to rapidly develop the American economy

4. By saying “ Self-doubt has yielded to blind pride.” the author is most likely to attribute the economic progress of the U.S.  in the 1990s to the ___________.

  A. efficient business management                        B. rapid growth of productivity in industries
  C. change in the structure of businesses                       D. turning of the business cycle or a devalued dollar

5. The best title for the text would be ___________.

  A. A Long History of Economic Success in the U.S.A.           B. U.S. Economic Reforms and Its Achievements
  C. Change in U.S. Economic Situation over the Past 50 Years    D. Predominance of U.S. Economy in the World

Word Study

1. be at a loss … 对…不知所措。例如:1) We are at a loss what to do next.   2) Her statement left me completely at a loss. 

2. in (the) face of 面对着,在(危险困难)情况下。例如:1) He ran away in the face of danger.   2) In the face of threats and dangers they didn’t retreat.  3) What could we do in the face of all these difficulties?

3. sweep into 昂然走进,以绝对多数进入。例如:The Conservative swept into power in the election of last year.

4. be on the ropes 步履艰难,困难重重。例如:Frank was out of work and broke, and he was on the ropes.

5. take … for granted 把…认为理所当然。例如:I keep telling myself never to take anything for granted.

6. look back on 回顾。例如:I look back on my childhood with mixed feelings. (回想到我的童年,我百感交集。)

7. attribute …to 把…归因于:1) Jim attributes his success to hard work.  2) The car accident was attributed to faulty brakes.

8. diet 适合某种病人的特种饮食。例如:1)The doctor put her on a diet.  2) I mustn’t have chocolate – I’m on a diet.

II. Writing (I)

Directions: In this section, you are to write an essay entitled “What Is Success?”

Your composition must be based on the information given in the outline below.

1. Different opinions on success
2. Ways to achieve success
3. My view on success

    什么是成功? 不同的人对此问题有不同的看法。有些人认为, 如果一个人能挣许多的钱, 他就是成功者。 另一些人则争辩说, 成功意味着高居政府要职。还有些人则认为, 谁有高级职称, 谁就是成功者。可见, 对成功有截然不同的看法。

    要成为成功者, 首先, 你必须有毅力, 又勤奋。正如你所知道的,不管你做什么事, 总有两种可能的结果:成功或失败。当你失败时,你不应丧失信心。相反,你应该增强信心,并加倍努力。你应始终牢记, 毅力是成功之母, 勤奋则是成功的关键。此外,你应注意工作方法。你应不断总结经验。提高工作效率。最后你应该和你的同事搞好协作,互相帮助,互相关心。如果你遵循这些原则, 你将来一定能取得成功。

    我认为, 成功就是在一个人的工作中取得辉煌成就, 也就是说, 对国家的发展做出贡献、为人民带来幸福。因此, 我的结论是, 即使你在工作中取得了巨大的进步, 你也没有任何理由固步自封。

What Is Success?

    What is success? Different people hold different views on this question. Some people  think that one is successful if he can make a great deal of money. Others argue that success means holding an important government post. Still others believe that whoever has got a high academic title is successful. It is clear that there are quite different opinions on success.

    In order to become successful, you should first of all be both perseverant and hardworking. As you know, whatever you do, there are always two possible results: success and failure. When you fail, you should never lose heart. On the contrary, you must build up your confidence and work even harder. You should always keep in mind that perseverance is the mother of success and industry is the key to it. In addition, you should pay great attention to your work method. It is necessary for you to sum up your experience constantly and improve the efficiency of your work. Finally, it is important for you to get along well with your co-workers, care for each other and help each other. If you follow these principles, you will certainly achieve remarkable success in the future.

    In my opinion, success means achieving brilliant results in one’s work, that is, making outstanding contributions to the development of the country and bringing happiness to the people. So my conclusion is that even if one has made great progress in what he does, I don’t think there’s any reason for him to be conceited (自满). (248 words)

背记重点词语汉英对照:1. 挣钱:make money。 2. 担任重要职位:hold an important post。 3. 一些人…,另一些人…,还有一些人…:Some people … , others … , still others …。 4. 丧失信心:lose heart=lose confidence。5. 树立信心:build up(=create, establish) confidence。 6. 牢记某事:keep sth. in mind=bear sth. in mind。7. 非常注意:pay great attention to; attach great importance to …。 7. 总结经验:sum up one’s experience。 8. 与某人相处融洽:get along with sb.。 9. 奉行/遵守这些原则:follow /observe these principles。 10. 对…做出杰出贡献:make outstanding contributions to sth.。 10. 在…方面取得进步:make progress in …。

Put the following sentences from English into Chinese:
1. 他过去在政府中担任要职,现在他已下海经商挣钱。
2. 有些人年轻模仿明星的衣着和谈吐,而另一些人则是学明星的发式。
3. 无论何时我们都不应该丧失信心,我们应该牢记:失败是成功之母。
4. 只要你遵循这些原则,你一定会对社会做出杰出贡献。

(II) 课外背诵篇

III. Writing:

Directions: You are to write an essay of 160—200 words, which is based on the following outline:
1. Interpret the graph below,
2. Give possible reasons for the change in the number of film-goers and TV-watchers,
3. Predict future prospect.

    最近对某市看电影者和看电视者的一次调查分析了二者人数的变化。曲线图表明,1993年到2003年期间看电影的人数已急趋下降,2003年总计为4万人。而看电视的人数在过去的10 年中持续上升, 2003年达到15万。最后,有趣的是, 1997年电影观众和电视观众数量相等。

    我想,这种变化可能有两点原因。首先,电视不仅是一种方便的消遣形式,而且相对来说价钱便宜。看电视不必安排交通工具。人们也不须支付电影院昂贵的座位费。第二,电视可以使人及时了解当前大事和科技的最新发展。因此, 许多人宁愿呆在家里看电视,而不愿出去看电影,因为看电影既费时又费钱。

    依我看,到现在仍有许多人爱看电影。他们声称,电影是一种令人心旷神怡的艺术形式。 舒适地坐在电影院里, 人们可以欣赏到最新的影片,而这些影片通常要过很长时间才会在电视上播放。因此, 我认为电影观众的人数将来会增加。  

   A recent survey analyzed the change in the number of film-goers and TV watchers in X city. As is shown by the graph, during the period from 1993 to 2003 there has been a sharp decline in the number of film-goers, adding up to 40,000 persons in 2003. On the other hand, the number of TV watchers has steadily increased in the last decade, reaching 150,000 in 2003. Finally, it is interesting to note that there were as many film-goers as TV watchers in the year 1997.

    There might be two reasons, I think, for the change. Firstly, TV is not only a convenient source of entertainment, but a comparatively cheap one. arranging transport. And one needn’t pay for expensive seats at the cinema. Secondly, TV makes it possible for one (=allows one; enables one) to keep abreast of (=keep track of; keep up with) current events and the latest developments in science and technology. As a consequence, most people prefer to stay at home, watching TV, rather than go out to the cinema, which wastes both time and money.

   Personally, there are still a lot of people who enjoy watching films. They argue that the film is a fascinating form of art. Sitting comfortably in the cinema, one can appreciate the latest movies, which will usually be shown on TV far later on. Therefore, I trust the number of film-goers will be on the rise in the future. (232 words)                                 

背记重点词语汉英对照:1. 分析在…方面的变化:analyzed the change in …。 2. 总计达到:add up to。 3. There is no point in doing sth. 没有必要做某事。 4. 及时了解:keep abreast of (=keep track of; keep up with)。 5. 宁愿做某事而不愿做另一事:prefer to do sth. rather than do sth. else。 6. 在上升:be on the rise;在下降:be on the decline。 7. 因此:as a consequence。

作业:1. 结合“复习与指导”一书中的相关内容, 认真复习书中材料;
      2. 词汇复习必须参照“牛津高级英汉双解词典”;
      3. 做词汇练习时要仔细阅读和背记“复习指导”的注释, 注意近义词辨析和词的搭配和习语;
      4. 要把主要精力逐渐转移到精读和快读上去, 以此带动完形填空选搭题和英译汉。

赠言: 考研成功三要素:早作准备、把握方向 + 刻苦钻研、培养能力 + 教师指导、总结规律 = 成功。

Text  1  参考译文

    基因工程为农民和消费者带来巨大的潜在报偿,它使庄稼能抵抗害虫、疾病和用来除去周围野草的化学物质。但是最新研究又提出了新的问题:改变庄稼以便经受这样的威胁可能会产生新的危险,这种危险不是来自其它因素,而恰好来自野草本身。这是因为野草可以从邻近农作物获得基因。研究人员发现,当一种野草和农场培育的近亲庄稼杂交并因而获得新的基因特征时 - 可能包括使庄稼更有抗性的人工合成基因 - 这种杂交野草就会把那些特征代代传下去。

    “其结果可能会出现非常有抗性的、很难杀灭的野草,”Allison Snow 说,这位哥伦布市俄亥俄州立大学的植物生态学家在过去6年中与两位同事进行了这方面的实验。他们在上周威斯康星洲麦迪逊市的美国生态协会年会上发布了他们的研究成果。

    这些发现表明,为改良农作物所做的基因工程 - 即给农作物新的基因特征,如抗除草剂或害虫 - 会最终对农作物造成意想不到的有害影响,假如野草获得了同样的基因特征并使用这些特征战胜农作物。斯诺说,“从农作物到它们的野草近亲的基因转移是一个不断进行的过程,它最终可能对农作物有害。”

    斯诺解释说,实验结果对普遍持有的一种想法提出了质疑,这种想法认为,杂交品种会在以后几代逐渐绝迹。“一直有一种想法认为,农作物的基因在作物-野草的杂交品种中不会长期存在”,因为杂交品种被认为是较难成功繁衍后代的,她说。然而,斯诺的研究与这种想法相矛盾,因为杂交的野生小萝卜自从研究开始起培育出来存活了6代。

    虽然科学家所观察的基因特征是天然的,而不是通过基因工程合成的,但是这些发现表明,通过基因工程引入农作物的人工改良品种可以传给野草并变成野草的永久性基因特征。

    这样被强化的野草对农作物的长期健康造成严重的危险。这种危险存在于许多农作物中,其中包括水稻、向日葵、高粱、南瓜和胡罗卜,所有这些都和与它们竞争的野草有密切的亲缘关系。斯诺担心,基因从农作物转移到亲缘的野草可以很快使许多除草剂(除草的化学制剂)失去效用。她说,这种情况很像能抵抗抗生素的细菌疾病一样。

    然而,由于植物的杂交品种只要一代就产生,所以这种情况能很快发生。她说,“现代农业非常依赖于除草剂。” “因此人们将注意何时那些除草剂将不起作用。”

Text  2 参考译文

    虽然反奴隶制的情绪在美国和英国最终强行制订了政策,但是废除奴隶制的进程在两国却大不相同。在美国,奴隶制在一场辩论中得到有力的维护,最终导致了1860年的国内战争。相反,英国到1807年已经废除了奴隶制,到1833年在全部英属殖民地都已禁止奴隶制。在分析英国废除奴隶制的进程时,历史学家用文件清楚地说明了经济变革、人道主义的抗议和改革运动所起的影响。

    然而,学者们大都没有注意到的一个因素是儿童文学所提供的推动作用。儿童文学在18世纪下叶在英国深受欢迎,并提供了直接了解年轻的、易受影响的儿童心灵的途径。因此,儿童文学就成了传布人道主义思想的完美工具,并且在引起人们反奴隶制的关注方面起了十分重要的作用。

    1761年,John Newberry所写的“汤姆的望远镜”一书中首次在儿童文学中谈到了奴隶贸易。这本书的主人公汤姆与一个喜爱家庭宠物的奴隶贩子之间发生了争论;作为奴隶贩子,此人对妻离子散不以为然。“汤姆的望远镜”这本书写在大西洋奴隶贸易的许多可怕情景被揭露以前,所以书中写到的还是一些隐含的故事。后来,作家和出版商有能力写得更加直截了当。“朋友协会”是这场运动中的领导人之一,于1787年出版了“真实的故事”一书。该书中的许多章节直接讲述了奴隶船上的情况:“黑人儿童在船里就像木桶中的鱼一样挤压在一起。”

    大约在18世纪末,黑人首次作为儿童文学中的主要人物被介绍。这种创作手法的一个早期例子可以在Thomas Day所写的一本深受欢迎的小说“Sandford and Merton的历史”中看到;书中一个黑人乞丐奇迹般地从一头愤怒公牛的角下救出了Harry Sandford。值得一提的是,Day很少谈到奴隶制度本身,但是给读者留下的印象是,毫无疑问,奴隶制是不人道的,残酷的。
虽然如果以为从1750年到1850年之间出版的每一本儿童书籍都含有反奴隶制情绪,那是误导人的,但是这类书籍数量之多足以表明,它们在形成人们对黑人的态度方面确实起了很重要的作用。不过,即使书中承认了黑人的能力,可总是存在一种倾向把黑人描绘得与白人不一样而不是平等的。或许出于无意,儿童文学有助于形成一种刻版的模式,即尽管它成功地抨击了奴隶制,但也增强了19世纪英国人的种族优越感。

Text  3  参考译文

    一段长期而不费力气的成功历史可能成为一种可怕的障碍,但是,如果处理得好,它也可能成为一股推动力。当二战结束后美国进入了这样一段辉煌的时期,它拥有的市场比任何竞争者大8倍,使它的工业成为无与伦比的规模经济。美国的科学家是世界第一流的,美国的工人是最有技术的。美国和美国人的繁荣超出了欧洲人和亚洲人的梦想,战争毁灭了欧亚各国的经济。

    随着其它国家变得越来越富,美国的这种主导地位变弱本来是不可避免的。同样不可避免的是,从优势地位退出来也是痛苦的。到80年代中期,美国人已经发现在自己日益萎缩的工业竞争力面前感到彷徨。有些美国大工业部门,如电子消费品,在外来竞争面前已经萎缩或消失。到1987年只剩下一家美国电视制造商Zenith。(现在则一家不剩,Zenith在七月份被南朝鲜的LG电子产品公司收购。)外国制造的汽车和纺织品大举进入美国国内市场。美国的机床工业举步维艰。在一段时期内,半导体制造业,虽然是美国发明的而且是崭新的计算机时代的核心,似乎也将成为下一个被淘汰的对象。

    所有这一切引发了一场信心危机。美国不再把繁荣视为理所当然。他们开始认为,他们的经商办法正在节节败退,因而他们的收入也将很快下降。20世纪80年代中期对美国工业衰退的原因进行了一次又一次的探究。有时他们的调查发现不乏危言耸听之词,但却充满对来自海外的日益增长的竞争的告诫。

    事态的变化何等之大!1995年美国可以回顾稳步发展的五年,而日本却一直在苦苦挣扎。很少有美国人把这种情况归因于诸如美元贬值或商业循环中的转折这样一些明显的原因。盲目的骄傲代替了自我反省。根据哈佛大学肯尼迪行政学院执行院长理查德 卡佛纳的看法,“美国的工业已经改变了结构,进行了合理的发展选择,学会了更为机智的快速反应。”华盛顿特区智囊人物、卡托学院的史蒂芬 莫尔说,“作为一个美国人看到我们的企业在大幅度提高生产率是何等令人自豪。”哈佛商学院的威廉 萨尔曼认为,人们将把这段时期作为“美国企业管理的黄金时代”来回顾。

趣味英语

    A man was shopping in a toy store with his two sons. Both boys were clamoring(吵闹着) for electronic guns that make a loud, outerspace-like sound when fired, so the father picked up two. As the clerk rang up(将收入记录下来) the sale, he said, “These things make a lot of noise. They’ll drive you crazy.”

    The man smiled a wicked little smile. “Not me, he replied. “The boys live with my ex-wife(前妻).”

帮助你学习记忆单词的有效方法 -- 同根词解析

hospit, host  [拉丁语]   客人
*hospital  n. 医院   *host  n. 主人,东道主;节目主持人;(a host of)许多  *host vt. 主持  *hospice n. 晚期病人收容院 *hostess   n. 女主人  *hospitable  a. 好客的,招待殷勤的 *hospitality  n. 好客,殷勤,款待  *hotel  n. 旅馆  *hostage  n. 人质   *hostile  [host 陌生人,敌人 + ile]  a. 敌对的,不友善的 *hostility  n. 敌意


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