【例69】

Is language, like food, a basic human need without which a child at a critical period of life can be starved and damaged? Judging from the drastic experiment of Frederick II in the thirteenth century, it may be. Hoping to discover what language a child would speak if he heard no mother tongue, he told the nurses to keep silent.

(1993年考题)

31. The purpose of Frederick II’s experiment was .

［A］ to prove that children are born with the ability to speak

［B］ to discover what language a child would speak without hearing any human speech

［C］ to find out what role careful nursing would play in teaching a child to speak

［D］ to prove that a child could be damaged without learning a language

【分析】选择项［B］表达的内容可以一分为二，to discover what language a child would speak是表示“实验”的目的，without hearing any human speech是表示“实验”的方法。前半部分对应原句的to discover what language a child would speak，后半部分对应if he heard no mother tongue, he told the nurses to keep silent。

二者从目的和方法两方面对仗完整，极为贴切。

另请参阅例44。

【例70】

In general, our society is becoming one of giant enterprises directed by a bureaucratic (官僚主义)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 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 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 right 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 behaviour, 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 nineteen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.

(1993年考题)

37. The real cause of the anxiety of the workers and employees is that                     .

［A］ they are very likely to lose their jobs

［B］ they have no genuine satisfaction or interest in life

［C］ they are faced with the fundamental realities of human existence

［D］ they are deprived of their individuality and independence

【分析】对照原文来看，选择项［A］和［B］所传达的内容虽都提到了，但都不全面，只有［D］才是使工人焦虑的“真正的” (real)、深刻的原因。

详见例30和例34分析。

【例71】

Some people believe that international sport creates goodwill between the nations and that if countries play games together they will learn to live together. Others say that the opposite is true; that international contests encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred. There is probably some truth in both arguments, but in recent years the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sports encourages international brotherhood. Not only was there the tragic incident involving the murder of athlete, but the Games were also ruined by lesser incidents caused principally by minor national contests.

One country received its secondplace medals with visible indignation after the hockey (曲棍球)final. There had been noisy scene at the end of the hockey match, the losers objecting to the final decisions. They were convinced that one of their goals should not have been disallowed and that their opponents’victory was unfair. Their manager was in a rage when he said, “This wasn’t hockey. Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished”. The president of the Federation said later that such behavior could result in the suspension of the team for at least three years.

The American basketball team announced that they would not yield first place to Russia, after a disputable end to their contest. The game had ended in disturbance. It was thought at first that the United States had won, by a single point, but it was announced that there were three seconds still to play. A Russian player then threw the ball from one end of the court to the other, and another player popped it into the basket. It was the first time the USA had ever lost an Olympic basketball match. An appeal jury debated the matter for four and a half hours before announcing that the result would stand. The American players then voted not to receive the silver medals.

Incidents of this kind will continue as long as sport is played competitively rather than for the love of the game. The suggestion that athletes should compete as individuals, or in non-national teams, might be too much to hope for. But in the present organization of the Olympics there is far too much that encourages aggressive patriotism.

(1992年考题)

44. The author gives the two examples in Paragraph 2 and 3 to show                     .

［A］ how false national pride led to undesirable incidents in international games

［B］ that sportsmen have been more obedient than they used to be

［C］ that competitiveness in the games discourages international friendship

［D］ that unfair decisions are common in Olympic Games

【分析】文章的第二、第三段举了两个例子，第四段第一句对以上进行了总结。选择项［C］与原文均把原因归于竞赛中所表现出来的竞争性 (注意原文中的 competitively 和［C］项中的competitiveness)，从这个意义上来说，选择项［C］的内容与原文更接近。

详见例36的分析。

【例72】

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.

(1996年考题)

59. It’s true of the old family firms that                     .

［A］ they were spoiled by the younger generations

［B］ they failed for lack of individual initiative

［C］ they lacked efficiency compared with modern companies

［D］ they could supply adequate services to the taxpayers

分析】很清楚，原文将许多传统的家族公司的败落、被现代有限公司所取代归因于效率的缺乏，这与选择项［C］表达的内容极为吻合。

【例63】

It is all very well to blame traffic jams, the cost of petrol and the quick pace of modern life, but manners on the roads are becoming horrible. Everybody knows that the nicest men become monsters behind the wheel. It is all very well, again, to have a tiger in the tank, but to have one in the driver’s seat is another matter altogether. You might tolerate the odd roadhog, the rude and inconsiderate driver, but nowadays the well-mannered motorist is the exception to the rule. Perhaps the situation calls for a Be Kind to Other Drivers-campaign, otherwise it may get completely out of hand.

Road politeness is not only good manners, but good sense too. It takes the most cool-headed and good-tempered of drivers to resist the temptation to revenge when subjected to uncivilized behaviour. On the other hand, a little politeness goes a long way towards relieving the tensions of motoring. A friendly nod or a wave of acknowledgment in response to an act of politeness helps to create an atmosphere of goodwill and tolerance so necessary in modern traffic conditions. But such acknowledgments of politeness are all too rare today. Many drivers nowadays don’t even seem able to recognize politeness when they see it.

However, misplaced politeness can also be dangerous. Typical examples are the drivers who brakes violently to allow a car to emerge from a side street at some hazard to following traffic, when a few seconds later the road would be clear anyway; or the man who waves a child across a zebra crossing into the path of oncoming vehicles that may be unable to stop in time. The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they care to. It always amazes me that the highways are not covered with the dead bodies of these grannies.

A veteran driver, whose manners are faultless, told me it would help if motorists learnt to filter correctly into traffic streams one at a time without causing the total blockages that give rise to bad temper. Unfortunately, modern motorists can’t even learn to drive, let alone master the subtler aspects of roadsmanship. Years ago the experts warned us that the car-ownership explosion would demand a lot more give-and-take from all road users. It is high time for all of us to take this message to heart.

(1992年考题)

31. According to this passage, troubles on the road are primarily caused by                  .

［A］ people’s attitude towards the roadhog

［B］ the rhythm of modern life

［C］ the behaviour of the driver

［D］ traffic conditions

32. The sentence “You might tolerate the odd roadhog … the rule.” (Paragraph 1) implies that                   .

［A］ our society is unjust towards well-mannered motorists

［B］ rude drivers can be met only occasionally

［C］ the well-mannered motorist cannot tolerate the roadhog

［D］ nowadays impolite drivers constitute the majority of motorists

33. By “good sense”, the writer means .

［A］ the driver’s ability to understand and react reasonably

［B］ the driver’s prompt response to difficult and severe conditions

［C］ the driver’s tolerance of rude or even savage behaviour

［D］ the driver’s acknowledgment of politeness and regulations

34. Experts have long pointed out that in the face of car-ownership explosion,                     .

［A］ road users should make sacrifice

［B］ drivers should be ready to yield to each other

［C］ drivers should have more communication among themselves

［D］ drivers will suffer great loss if they pay no respect to others

35. In the writer’s opinion                      .

［A］ strict traffic regulations are badly needed

［B］ drivers should apply road politeness properly

［C］ rude drivers should be punished

［D］ drivers should avoid traffic jams

【分析】既然第32、第33、第34和第35题的答案分别是［D］、［A］、［B］和［B］ (注意：贯穿这些选择项的核心是 driver)，那么是否可以说第31题的答案应该是［C］呢？ 因为后四个问题都是着眼于司机们的所作所为，这当然是因为作者认为司机的行为是造成交通问题的主要因素。

【例66】

There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process. People have generally viewed personal growth as an external result or product that can easily be identified and measured. The worker who gets a promotion, the student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new language-all these are examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts.

By contrast, the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since by definition it is a journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way. The process is not the road itself, but rather the attitudes and feelings people have, their caution or courage, as they encounter new experiences and unexpected obstacles. In this process, the journey never really ends; there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept.

In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to confront the unknown, and to accept the possibility that they may “fail” at first. How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is essential to our ability to grow. Do we perceive ourselves quick and curious? If so, then we tend to take more chances and to be more open to unfamiliar experiences. Do we think we’re shy and indecisive? Then our sense of timidity can cause us to hesitate, to move slowly, and not to take a step until we know the ground is safe. Do we think we’re slow to adapt to change or that we’re not smart enough to cope with a new challenge? Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not to try at all.

These feelings of insecurity and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to change and grow. If we do not confront and overcome these internal fears and doubts, if we protect ourselves too much, then we cease to grow. We become trapped inside a shell of our own making.

(1995年考题)

56. In the author’s eyes, one who views personal growth as a process would                   .

［A］ succeed in climbing up the social ladder

［B］ judge his ability to grow from his own achievements

［C］ face difficulties and take up challenges

［D］ aim high and reach his goal each time

58. For personal growth, the author advocates all of the following except                  .

［A］ curiosity about more chances

［B］ promptness in selfadaptation

［C］ open-mindedness to new experiences

［D］ avoidance of internal fears and doubts

【分析】在第56 (正确答案为［C］)题中，有in the authors eyes这一措辞，而在第58(正确答案为［D］)题中有the author advocates，这说明：这两个题提问的都是作者的观点，本文作者谈的问题就是对待成长的过程应该持什么态度——是积极的还是消极的。

【例68】

The period of adolescence, i.e., the period between childhood and adulthood, may be long or short, depending on social experience and on society’s definition as to what constitutes maturity and adulthood. In primitive societies adolescence is frequently a relatively short period of time, while in industrial societies with patterns of prolonged education coupled with laws against child labor, the period of adolescence is much longer and may include most of the second decade of one’s life. Furthermore, the length of the adolescence period and the definition of adulthood status may change in a given society as social and economic conditions change. Examples of this type of change are the disappearance of the frontier in the latter part of the nineteenth century in the United States, and more universally, the industrialization of an agricultural society.

In modern society, ceremonies for adolescence have lost their formal recognition and symbolic significance and there no longer is agreement as to what constitutes initiation ceremonies. Social ones have been replaced by a sequence of steps that lead to increased recognition and social status. For example, grade school graduation, high school graduation and college graduation constitute such a sequence, and while each step implies certain behavioral changes and social recognition, the significance of each depends on the socio-economic status and the educational ambition of the individual. Ceremonies for adolescence have also been replaced by legal definitions of status roles, rights, privileges and responsibilities. It is during the nine years from the twelfth birthday to the twenty-first that the protective and restrictive aspects of childhood and minor status are removed and adult privileges and responsibilities are granted. The twelve-year-old is no longer considered a child and has to pay full fare for train, airplane, theatre and movie tickets. Basically, the individual at this age loses childhood privileges without gaining significant adult rights. At the age of sixteen the adolescent is granted certain adult rights which increase his social status by providing him with more freedom and choices. He now can obtain a driver’s license; he can leave public schools; and he can work without the restrictions of child labor laws. At the age of eighteen the law provides adult responsibilities as well as rights; the young man can now be a soldier, but he also can marry without parental permission. At the age of twenty-one the individual obtains his contracts, and he is entitled to run for public office. No additional basic rights are acquired as a function of age after majority status has been attained. None of these legal provisions determine at what point adulthood has been reached but they do point to the prolonged period of adolescence.

(1991年考题)

38. No one can expect to fully enjoy the adulthood privileges until he is                   .

［A］ eleven years old

［B］ sixteen years old

［C］ twentyone years old

［D］ between twelve and twentyone years old

39. Starting from 22,                       .

［A］ one will obtain more basic rights

［B］ the older one becomes, the more basic rights he will have

［C］ one won’t get more basic rights than he is 21

［D］ one will enjoy more rights granted by society

【分析】既然到21岁时已经可以享受成人的全部权利(第38题正确答案为［C］)，自然22岁以后就不再有其他基本权利了(第39题正确答案为［C］)。可见，对第38题的回答实际上暗示了对第39题的回答。

本部分举出实例，对提问和选择项进行更深刻的分析，提示考生应注意的答题线索，帮助考生进一步提高命中率。

(一)精读问题及选择项，仔细品味问题的所指及选择项之间的意思差别，切忌望文生义、草率处之。请看下面例题，尤其注意文章中用黑体标出的部分

【例56】

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.

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.

(1993年考题)

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

【分析】 选择项［D］是正确答案。原文主要谈的是如何利用已有的思路进行新的发明创造并取得专利的方法。最后一段前两句可译为：与专利和发明紧密相关的人很快发现，许多所谓的“新”思路实质上与山一样古老，而只有通过满足需要或努力研究或通过新技术的使用，将它们转化为商品，才能产生新的价值并赚到钱。可见，这一结论还是在于鼓励人们充分利用已有的思路进行新的发明创造。

【例57】

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.

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.

(1993年考题)

42. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

［A］ When a patent becomes out of effect, it can be re-patented or extended if necessary.

［B］ It is necessary for an inventor to apply for a patent before he makes his invention public.

［C］ A patent holder must publicize the details of his invention when its legal period is over.

［D］ One can get all the details of a patented invention from a library attached to the patent office.

【分析】选择项［C］是正确答案。与原文相比，［A］缺少一个repatent 的先决条件 (if older than half a century)。［B］不对，文章指出， 专利到期后，持有者必须将其思路公开。［B］意为：在公开自己的发明之前，发明者必须申请专利。［D］中的patented invention 意为“获得专利的发明”，即：受专利权保护的发明创造。原文的意思是：只有一项发明专利到期后，它才被公开。可见，只有［C］是正确的。

【例58】

Some people believe that international sport creates goodwill between the nations and that if countries play games together they will learn to live together. Others say that the opposite is true; that international contests encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred. There is probably some truth in both arguments, but in recent years the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sports encourages international brotherhood. Not only was there the tragic incident involving the murder of athlete, but the Games were also ruined by lesser incidents caused principally by minor national contests.

(1992年考题)

41. According to the author, recent Olympic Games have               .

［A］ created goodwill between the nations

［B］ bred only false national pride

［C］ barely showed any international friendship

［D］ led to more and more misunderstanding and hatred

【分析】选择项［C］是正确答案。该题中 according to the author 几个词极为重要，因为从原文的措辞来看，只有［C］较准确地传达了作者的观点。［A］为some people 的看法，［B］与［D］是others 的观点。

详见例36的分析。

以上几个例子中所使用的措辞极其微妙，不细心的考生在做它们时会遇到很大困难。

仔细阅读问题及选择项还要求考生找出问题及选择项中的关键词，否则便答非所问。另外，有时将四个选择项表达的内容根据原文相关部分的意思简单分一下类可以使考生更明确地认识选择项、做出选择。

【例59】

With the start of BBC World Service Television, millions of viewers in Asia and America can now watch the Corporations news coverage, as well as listen to it.

And of course in Britain listeners and viewers can tune in to two BBC television channels, five BBC national radio services and dozens of local radio stations. They have brought sport, comedy, drama, music, news and current affairs, education, religion, parliamentary coverage, children’s programmes and films for an annual licence fee of 83 pounds per household.

It is a remarkable record, stretching back over 70 years-yet the BBC’s future is now in doubt. The Corporation will survive as a publicly-funded broadcasting organization, at least for the time being, but its role, its size and its programmes are now the subject of a nation-wide debate in Britain.

The debate was launched by the Government, which invited anyone with an opinion of the BBC including ordinary listeners and viewers-to say what was good or bad about the Corporation, and even whether they thought it was worth keeping. The reason for its inquiry is that the BBC’s royal charter runs out in 1996 and it must decide whether to keep the organization as it is, or to make changes.

Defenders of the Corporation-of whom there are many-are fond of quoting the American slogan “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The BBC “ain’t broke”, they say, by which they mean it is not broken (as distinct from the word “broke”, meaning having no money), so why bother to change it?

Yet the BBC will have to change, because the broadcasting world around it is changing. The commercial TV channels-ITV and Channel 4-were required by the Thatcher Government’s Broadcasting Act to become more commercial, competing with each other for advertisers, and cutting costs and jobs. But it is the arrival of new satellite channels-funded partly by advertising and partly by viewers’ subscriptions-which will bring about the biggest changes in the long term.

(1996年考题)

58. The foremost reason why the BBC has to readjust itself is no other than                     .

［A］ the emergence of commercial TV channels

［B］ the enforcement of Broadcasting Act by the government

［C］ the urgent necessity to reduce costs and jobs

［D］ the challenge of new satellite channels

【分析】选择项［D］是正确答案。本题中foremost 一词极为重要，它对应全文最后一段(本文的结论)最后一句中的 biggest。另外，考生还应该认识 no other than 的意思是：就是，正是。

详见例25。

【例60】

Personality is to a large extent inherent-A-type parents usually bring about A-type offspring. But the environment must also have a profound effect, since if competition is important to the parents, it is likely to become a major factor in the lives of their child-ren.

One place where children soak up A characteristics is school, which is, by its very nature, a highly competitive institution. Too many schools adopt the “win at all costs” moral standard and measure their success by sporting achievements. The current passion for making children compete against their classmates or against the clock produces a twolayer system, in which competitive A types seem in some way better than their B type fellows. Being too keen to win can have dangerous consequences: remember that Pheidippides, the first marathon runner, dropped dead seconds after saying,“Rejoice, we conquer!”

By far the worst form of competition in schools is the disproportionate emphasis on examinations. It is a rare school that allows pupils to concentrate on those things they do well. The merits of competition by examination are somewhat questionable, but competition in the certain knowledge of failure is positively harmful.

Obviously, it is neither practical nor desirable that all A youngsters change into B’s. The world needs types, and schools have an important duty to try to fit a childs personality to his possible future employment. It is top management.

If the preoccupation of schools with academic work was lessened, more time might be spent teaching children surer values. Perhaps selection for the caring professions, especially medicine, could be made less by good grades in chemistry and more by considerations as sensitivity and sympathy. It is surely a mistake to choose our doctors exclusively from A type stock. B’s are important and should be encouraged.

(1995年考题)

65. The selection of medical professionals are currently based on                  .

［A］ candidates’ sensitivity                     ［B］ academic achievements

［C］ competitive spirit                            ［D］ surer values

【分析】选择项［