2002年考研冲刺谈——如何准备考研英语阅读测试(3)

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四川大学陈春发

　　三、练习与答案

　　People in the United States in the nineteenth century were haunted by the prospect that unprecedented change in the nation's economy would bring social chaos．In the years following 1820，after several decades of relative stability，the economy entered a period of sustained and extremely rapid growth that continued to the end of the nineteenth century．Accompanying that growth was a structural change that featured increasing economic diversification and a gradual shift in the nation's labor force from agriculture to manufacturing and other nonagricultural pursuits．

　　Although the birth ratecontinued to decline from its high level of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries， the population roughly doubled every generation during the rest of the nineteenth century． As the population grew，its makeup also changed． Massive waves Of immigration brought new ethnic groups into the country． Geographic and social mobility-downward as well as upward-touched almost everyone．Local studies indicate that nearly three — quarters Of the population-in the North and South，in the emerging cities“the Northeast and in the restless rural counties O{the West-changed their residence each decade．As a consequence，historian David Donald has written，‘Social atomization affected every segment of society，’and it seemed to many people that‘all the recognized values of orderly civilization were gradually being eroded. ’

　　Rapid industrialization and increased geographic mobility in the nineteenth century had special implications for women because these changes tended to magnify social distinctions．As the roles Ofmen and women played in society became more rigidly defined， so did the roles they played in the home．In the context of extreme competitiveness and dizzying social change，the household lost many of its earlier functions and the home came to serve as a haven of tranquility and order． As the size of families decreased，the roles Ofhusband and wife became more clearly differentiated than ever before．In the middle class especially，men participated in the productive economy while women ruled the home and served as the custodians of civility and culture．The intimacy of marriage that was common in earlier periods was rent，and a gulf that at times seemed unbridgeable was created between husbands and wives．

　　1．What does the passage mainly discuss?
　　(A)The economic development Of the Unites States in the eighteenth century．
　　(B)Ways in which economic development let to social changes in the United States．
　　(C)Population growth in the western United States．
　　(D)The increasing availability of industrial jobs for women in the Unites States．

　　2．According to the passage as the nineteenth century progressed，the people of the United States
　　(A)emigrated to other countries．
　　(B)often settled in the West．
　　(C)tended to change the place in which they lived．
　　(D)had a higher rate of birth than ever before．

　　3．Which of the following best describes the society about which David Donald wrote：
　　(A)A highly conservative society that was resistant tO new ideas．
　　(B)A society that was undergoing fundamental change．
　　(C)A society that had been gradually changing since the early 1700's．
　　(D)A nomadic society that was starting permanent settlements．

　　4．With which of the following opinions would the author be likely to agree?
　　(A)Women's lives significantly improved as the United States economy expanded．
　　(B)Women had more opportunities for employment in the western United States than in other regions．
　　(C)The home after 1820 was a superior social entity tO that of the eighteenth century．
　　(D)Increased social fragmentation negatively affected middle class family．

　　5．All the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT：
　　(A)More and more people were leaving the farm to take up nonagricultural jobs．
　　(B)There was a significant change Ofmeaning in the word family．
　　(C)People no longer wanted to get married．
　　(D)The rapid economic growth lasted for more than half a century．

　　第1题属主旨归纳题。如果用一个短语来回答 What is the passage about? 的话，那应该是“社会变化”。文章的第一句话讲到人们的担心：史无前例的社会变更会带来社会动荡，接着文章讲述了美国社会各方面的变化，如经济的增长、人口及其结构的变化、妇女在社会及家庭中角色的变化等。四个选项中的中心词分别是：(A)economic development，(B)social changes，(C)population growth，(D)availability Of industrial jobs。显然选项应该是(B)，中心内容是社会变化。第一段提到过经济的增长，但选项(A)明显与文章中心相去甚远；选项(C)是部分信息，即第二段的部分内容，选项(D)所讲的工作变化可以从第一段最后一句推断出来，但远远不是中心内容。

　　第2题考查对细节的理解。选项(A)明显错误，文章提到有移民移居美国，但未涉及美国人移居国外；选项(B)涉及美国人的搬迁，但并非局限于西部；选项 (D)与原文刚好相反，虽然人口增长了近一倍，但增长率下降；选项(C)与原文的geographic mobility相符，故为正确答案。这种选项往往是原文意思的另一种表达，或将原文倒过来讲。

　　第3题也是考查对细节及对引文的理解。“社会的急剧变化影响到了社会的各个方面”，“有序的文明中被人们所接受的价值观念正渐渐受到侵蚀”。那么这种社会应该是正经历“急剧变化”的社会。四个选项所描述的社会(及每个选项的中心词)分别是：(A)保守的社会；(B)经历根本变化的社会；(C)逐渐变化的社会； (D)游牧社会。因此，选项应为(B)。

　　第4题为观点、态度题。因为此题题干里没有提到对何种人、物、事等的观点、看法，所以必须对每个选项的关键词进行判断。选项(A)和(B)都与妇女有关，文章最后一段讲妇女在社会、家庭中角色的变化，其角色有了更严格的定义，其空间变得更窄小，家庭失去了曾有过的亲密，夫妻之间出现了不可逾越的鸿沟。显然这些变化都是负面的，所以选项(A)和(B)是不成立的。因此在这以后的家庭就不会是“更高级的社会单位” (superior social entity)，选项(C)也就不成立。选项 (D)针对社会变革，其影响是负面的(negatively)，这就是作者在最后一段流露出来的意思。

　　第5题属推断题型，而且有EXCEPT一词，即要推断出三个正确的选项，不能从文章里推断出来的内容为正确选项。第一段最后一句说，伴随经济增长的是产业结构的变化。其特点是经济的多元化及全国劳动力从农业向其他行业的转移。因此，可以判定选项(A) 是正确的。选项(B)的主题词是family，属最后一段的信息，所以要判断a significant change是否正确。而最后一段讲家庭已失去以前的功能，夫妻的角色也有更明显的区别，其间曾有的亲昵不复存在，代之以不可逾越的鸿沟。这都表明家庭这个概念所发生的巨大变化，故(B)是正确的。选项(C)涉及婚姻一事应属最后一段的信息。但原文只讲了家庭所发生的变化，而没有提及人们对婚姻本身的观点和态度，故不能从文章推断出 (C)的内容。选项(D)的主题词rapid economic growth 表明信息在第一段，选项(D)是正确的。

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