眾所周知，考研是人生的重新洗牌和重大機(jī)遇，而在考研的四門課程中，英語(yǔ)成了許多考生前進(jìn)征途上的一只兇猛攔路虎和十分困難的羈跘與障礙。
詳細(xì)分析歷年考研英語(yǔ)試卷，又可以發(fā)現(xiàn)主要矛盾在于閱讀（占60％的分?jǐn)?shù)），故可謂：得閱讀者得天下。閱讀的60分細(xì)分為Part A、Part B 和Part C，其中Part A為四篇閱讀理解，占40分，是閱讀理解考試中的主戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)。那么，閱讀Part A有沒(méi)有什么技巧呢？
技巧一：看懂
閱讀理解其實(shí)主要考的是“閱讀”之后的“理解”，所以，看得懂乃是第一項(xiàng)技巧。
任何一篇文章，若要能看懂它，至少需要兩個(gè)條件：認(rèn)識(shí)單詞和看明白句子。單詞就像蓋房的磚瓦，考研詞匯大約為5500個(gè)，這不是一個(gè)小數(shù)字，也并非三兩天時(shí)間可以記住的，所以，考生必須先買一本考研英語(yǔ)詞匯書進(jìn)行系統(tǒng)、長(zhǎng)期的學(xué)習(xí)和記憶。（推薦《考研英語(yǔ)詞匯真題詞頻語(yǔ)境記憶》，該書打破了傳統(tǒng)考研詞匯書按字母順序排序的做法，而是采用歷年真題作為單詞出現(xiàn)頻率的統(tǒng)計(jì)依據(jù)，將所有大綱單詞及超綱單詞按照歷年真題出現(xiàn)的頻率從高到低排列，而且全部按照考過(guò)的不同詞義配不同的真題例句，可以使學(xué)生用少的時(shí)間獲得好的學(xué)習(xí)效果）。
拿到詞匯書之后，首先用大約一周的時(shí)間把這些單詞中你根本不認(rèn)識(shí)的挑出來(lái)，如rear，tedious，deteriorate，plausible，jargon，isotope，……，（因?yàn)檫@些單詞你可能完全不認(rèn)識(shí)，看到之后兩眼漆黑，所以稱之為“黑”字）。“黑”字是閱讀的頭一個(gè)障礙，單詞不認(rèn)識(shí)，句子當(dāng)然看不懂，所以，消滅“黑”字是當(dāng)務(wù)之急。（爭(zhēng)取用一個(gè)月左右的時(shí)間消滅它們?。?BR> 考研詞匯中，除“黑”字外，還有大量意思非常明白的所謂“白”字，如：able，benefit，culture，space，topic，……。此類單詞可一掠而過(guò)，除“黑”（完全不認(rèn)識(shí)）和“白”（完全明白）字兩類外，還有許多似會(huì)不會(huì)的“灰”字，如：treaty，tutor，sample，saddle，fuss，……。甚至還有大量你覺(jué)得會(huì)但其實(shí)并非如此的“灰”字，如：spring 除了“春天”之外，還當(dāng)“泉水”、“彈簧”講;account除了“帳戶”，還作“原因;理由;解釋;說(shuō)明;報(bào)告;占……”解。affect除了“愛(ài)，深情”之外，還有“對(duì)……發(fā)生作用”之義。背誦單詞時(shí)，一定要多看詞匯書中所給的例句才能牢記其意義。
除單詞外，有時(shí)句子太長(zhǎng)也會(huì)對(duì)閱讀造成致命的傷害，如：
If you add to this the effects of a sonar set mounted in the small nose of a torpedo rushing through the water at speeds up to 80 miles per hour with its consequent noise and vibration，plus hullborne vibrations from the power plant，it can be seen that only the most advanced electronic filtering gives any chance of success.
看完此句，很多考生如墜五里霧中，不知所云。其實(shí)，看懂長(zhǎng)難句有點(diǎn)像撒網(wǎng)捕魚(yú)，收網(wǎng)時(shí)應(yīng)收緊網(wǎng)繩（叫綱），漁網(wǎng)自然會(huì)合攏。不要去亂抓網(wǎng)眼（那叫目）?？撮L(zhǎng)難句亦應(yīng)該做到“綱舉目張”，先找句子的骨架（主＋謂＋賓），再解決修飾成份（定、狀等）。
此句it后為主句，但it不是其真正主語(yǔ)，叫形式主語(yǔ)，真正主語(yǔ)為后邊的that從句，一般來(lái)說(shuō)，英語(yǔ)的“主＋謂＋賓”也應(yīng)像漢語(yǔ)那樣按順序放好，主語(yǔ)放謂語(yǔ)前，即：“只有先進(jìn)的電子過(guò)濾器才有成功的可能這一點(diǎn)可以被看得很明白?！保ㄐ问街髡Z(yǔ)it不必譯）但英譯漢中，應(yīng)盡量少用被動(dòng)句型。所以，此句可譯為：“可以很清楚地看出：只有先進(jìn)的電子過(guò)濾器才有可能獲得成功”。
it前邊不是句子的主要部分，而是一個(gè)由if 所引領(lǐng)的長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的狀語(yǔ)從句。（如果說(shuō)“主＋謂＋賓”是樹(shù)干的話，定、狀則像樹(shù)葉，要繁雜和麻煩得多。）在整個(gè)if...這樣一個(gè)句子構(gòu)成的狀語(yǔ)中，if you（主語(yǔ)）add （謂語(yǔ)）the effects to this（雙賓語(yǔ)）為基本框架;那第二個(gè)賓語(yǔ)為何要倒過(guò)來(lái)呢？因?yàn)榈谝粋€(gè)賓語(yǔ)effects 后面跟了那么長(zhǎng)那么多的定語(yǔ)。（注意：英語(yǔ)常將定語(yǔ)寫在名詞后，這一點(diǎn)與中文大相徑庭：中文的定語(yǔ)一律放在名詞前）
第一個(gè)定語(yǔ)為介詞詞組“of a sonar set ”，修飾effects，譯為：“一套聲納設(shè)施的效果”;第二個(gè)定語(yǔ)為“mounted in the small nose”，過(guò)去分詞當(dāng)定語(yǔ)：“被安裝在一個(gè)小鼻子上的”;第三個(gè)定語(yǔ)“of a torpedo”：“一個(gè)魚(yú)雷的”;第四個(gè)定語(yǔ)“rushing...”譯為：“以每小時(shí)80英里速度穿行于水里的”;后邊還有一個(gè)“with...”(“plus...”為兩逗號(hào)間的插入語(yǔ)) 英文定語(yǔ)在名詞后，中文卻將定語(yǔ)放在名詞effects前邊。若定語(yǔ)不止一個(gè)，常采用倒著翻譯的方法，我們稱之為“倒解連環(huán)”。
故整句意思為：
“如果你把帶著巨大噪音和震動(dòng)的、以每小時(shí)80英里速度穿過(guò)水中的一個(gè)魚(yú)雷的鼻尖部位上所安裝的一套聲納設(shè)備的效果也加進(jìn)去考慮的話，再加上還有由電機(jī)部分所造成的外殼的震動(dòng)，那么，可以清楚地看到：只有先進(jìn)的電子過(guò)濾器才有可能獲得成功。”
這就是考研英語(yǔ)的實(shí)情，怪不得每年的百萬(wàn)考研大軍中，過(guò)60分者寥寥無(wú)幾，每年也只有18％左右，英語(yǔ)考得好的同學(xué)，前途自然也比其他人更為光明。
大家切記，英語(yǔ)的句子中，“主＋謂＋賓”基本與中文一致，是按順序擺放的，而定、狀語(yǔ)經(jīng)常倒著放，又長(zhǎng)又多，比主、謂、賓要難很多。定、狀語(yǔ)放好了，句子才能看明白，想看懂閱讀理解中的長(zhǎng)難句，語(yǔ)法基本功一定要扎實(shí)。
技巧二：選題
看懂文章之后，還有一個(gè)如何選題的問(wèn)題，所以第二項(xiàng)技巧是選題問(wèn)題。
眾所周知，讀完文章之后就要對(duì)文章后面的問(wèn)題作出選擇：是選A呢？還是選B、C？還是選D？許多考生說(shuō)，文章有時(shí)看懂了，題就是選不對(duì)。其實(shí)選題也是大有技巧的，閱讀的問(wèn)題基本上分為五大類：
1.主旨題（又稱中心思想題）：這類題基本上是問(wèn)main idea， 或best title是什么；也可以問(wèn)作者寫此文章的purpose何在；或問(wèn)此文的conclusion可總結(jié)為什么。碰到這類題簡(jiǎn)單的方法是把文中每段的首句串起來(lái)考慮。若是僅問(wèn)其中某一段的中心思想為何，則可將該段的首、尾句加起來(lái)考慮。
2.詞匯題（又稱詞語(yǔ)釋義題）：這類題常問(wèn)考生一些不認(rèn)識(shí)、從未見(jiàn)過(guò)的一些生詞或詞組的意思是什么。解題技巧為參考上、下文，尤其是下文。因?yàn)橄挛某３Ｊ菍?duì)該詞的解釋、說(shuō)明、舉例等等。
3.作者態(tài)度題：常問(wèn)作者對(duì)某事是什么態(tài)度：主觀（subjective）還是客觀（objective）;肯定（positive）還是否定（negative）;贊成（approval）還是反對(duì)（opposition）等等。解題的關(guān)鍵是要看作者在文中用了什么樣的口氣。若用褒義詞，顯然是贊成。若用貶義詞，顯然是反對(duì)。若客觀陳述，則是中性的立場(chǎng)，不偏不倚。注意：作者態(tài)度常常在轉(zhuǎn)折詞后表明出來(lái)。所以，but一詞至關(guān)重要（還有類似的yet，however，although，nevertheless等）。
4.推理性問(wèn)題：其典型詞有兩個(gè)：infer和imply。如：What can you infer from the story? 或What is the implied meaning of this sentence?
切記，推理性問(wèn)題原文中沒(méi)有現(xiàn)成的答案。答案是你自己推想出來(lái)的，但不能憑空瞎想，必須以原文中某句話或某個(gè)詞語(yǔ)為依據(jù)去合理推測(cè)才能找到合適的答案。
注意：以上四種題型頂多占閱讀理解考試總分的1/4左右，而其他約30分的題都屬于以下提到的：細(xì)節(jié)性問(wèn)題！
5.細(xì)節(jié)性問(wèn)題：（聲明：本書中沒(méi)有指出題型的，大多為細(xì)節(jié)題）
此類題占閱讀總分40分中的30分左右，因此十分重要。注意，這類問(wèn)題與推理性問(wèn)題截然相反，都可以從原文中找到答案，只不過(guò)為了迷惑考生，常常將原文進(jìn)行改寫，換一種說(shuō)法。所以，照抄原文，一字不改的不一定就是答案，而與原文意思相同的，才是正確的。
除了將文章看懂，把題目選對(duì)之外，閱讀理解還有兩個(gè)非常重要的注意事項(xiàng)：速度與步驟。
技巧三：速度
大家都知道，僅僅把題選對(duì)是不夠的，因?yàn)榭荚囘€有時(shí)間的限制。（你就算選對(duì)，每篇文章花一個(gè)小時(shí)那能行嗎？?。┯涀?，考試總共180分鐘，四篇閱讀多占70～80分鐘（即17～20分鐘一篇），其余時(shí)間還要寫作文、做翻譯、英語(yǔ)知識(shí)運(yùn)用等。
那么，對(duì)于速度過(guò)慢的考生，郭老師有什么建議呢？
第一、加大詞匯量，這樣讀起來(lái)才會(huì)勢(shì)如破竹，一氣呵成。若生詞太多，自然會(huì)磕磕跘跘，走不了太快。
第二、閱讀中忌諱的是一個(gè)字一個(gè)字地去讀，那樣又慢又差。正確的方法是用眼去抓句子的大致結(jié)構(gòu)（叫意群閱讀法）。還記得前面那個(gè)長(zhǎng)難句嗎？郭老師并沒(méi)有孤零零地去看每一個(gè)詞，而是先找到了it后面的主句，前頭的if句雖然很長(zhǎng)，只不過(guò)是個(gè)狀語(yǔ)而已。而在主句中，我又抓住了它的主語(yǔ)that only the most advanced electronic filtering gives any chance of success和謂語(yǔ)can be seen。這種提綱挈領(lǐng)的讀法，不僅可以使速度加快，更可以使準(zhǔn)確率提高。www.Ｅxamda.CoM
第三、考研是一場(chǎng)艱苦卓絕的拼搏?？佳杏⒄Z(yǔ)又比四、六級(jí)要難，所以保持頭腦清醒和旺盛的斗志也至關(guān)重要。因此，考試前一天晚上的充足睡眠十分重要，可以在考場(chǎng)上保持敏銳、清醒的頭腦，這對(duì)提高速度和專注精力大有裨益！
技巧四：步驟
閱讀的步驟也十分重要。許多考生拿到文章之后從頭讀起，讀完再去一個(gè)一個(gè)選答案。這種方法十分傳統(tǒng)，叫整體閱讀法。其優(yōu)點(diǎn)是可以有一種全局感或整體感。缺點(diǎn)是文章太長(zhǎng)，讀后細(xì)節(jié)記不住，再去找答案又費(fèi)勁又容易出錯(cuò)，許多細(xì)節(jié)都混淆在一起了，得分經(jīng)常不高。郭老師建議同學(xué)們用一下查找閱讀法：讀完第一段就做第一題。然后看第二個(gè)問(wèn)題問(wèn)的什么，帶著這個(gè)問(wèn)題去看第二段，然后是第三段、第四段，依此類推。（注意，有一種問(wèn)題可能此方法不太適用，那就是：主旨性問(wèn)題）。查找式閱讀法雖然把文章看得支離破碎，但得分往往很高，因?yàn)槟銊偪匆欢尉腿プ鲆坏李}，這樣記得住細(xì)節(jié)，抓得很準(zhǔn)，廣大考生不妨一試！
在開(kāi)始研究歷年真題閱讀理解之前，有一件特別重要的事必須提醒廣大讀者：要使自己的閱讀水平真正提高，必須先做題，后看答案和解析。如果順序倒過(guò)來(lái)，閱讀水平絲毫得不到提高。做題時(shí)間為一篇文章17至20分鐘，Part A四篇文章時(shí)間控制在70~80分鐘。下面，以近考過(guò)的2008年全國(guó)碩士研究生入學(xué)統(tǒng)一考試英語(yǔ)試題中的閱讀理解題為開(kāi)篇，請(qǐng)同學(xué)們以這幾篇真題閱讀文章為練習(xí)，在規(guī)定的時(shí)間內(nèi)，檢測(cè)自己的真實(shí)水平。無(wú)論做的結(jié)果如何，都保持一種從零開(kāi)始的心態(tài)，認(rèn)真研讀此書，一定會(huì)獲益匪淺！
TEXT 1
While still catchingup to men in some spheres of modern life, women appear to be way ahead in at least one undesirable category. “Women are particularly susceptible to developing depression and anxiety disorders in response to stress compared to men,”according to Dr. Yehuda, chief psychiatrist at New York’s Veteran’s Administration Hospital.
Studies of both animals and humans have shown that sex hormones somehow affects the stress response, causing females under stress to produce more of the trigger chemicals than do males under the same conditions. In several of the studies, when stressedout female rats had their ovaries (the female reproductive organs) removed, their chemical responses became equal to those of the males.
Adding to a woman’s increased dose of stress chemicals, are her increased “opportunities” for stress. “It’s not necessarily that women don’t cope as well. It’s just that they have so much more to cope with,” says Dr. Yehuda. “Their capacity for tolerating stress may even be greater than men’s,” she observes, “It’s just that they’re dealing with so many more things that they become worn out from it more visibly and sooner.”
Dr. Yehuda notes another difference between the sexes. “I think that the kinds of things that women are exposed to tend to be in more of a chronic or repeated nature. Men go to war and are exposed to combat stress. Men are exposed to more acts of random physical violence. The kinds of interpersonal violence that women are exposed to tend to be in domestic situations, by, unfortunately, parents or other family numbers, and they tend not to be oneshot deals. The wearandtear that comes from these longer relationships can be quite devastating.”
Adeline Alvarez married at 18 and gave birth to a son, but wad determined to finish college. “I struggled a lot to get the college degree. I was living in so much frustration that that was my escape to go to school, and get ahead and do better.” Later her marriage ended and she became a single mother. “It’s the hardest thing to take care of a teenager, have a job, pay the rent, pay the car payment, and pay the debt. I lived from paycheck to paycheck.”
Not everyone experiences the kinds of severe chronic stresses, Alvarez describes. But most women today are coping with a lot of obligations, with few breaks, and feeling the strain. Alvarez’s experience demonstrates the importance of finding ways to diffuse stress before it threatens your health and your ability to function.
21. Which of the following is true according to the first two paragraphs?
［A］Women are biologically more vulnerable to stress.
［B］Women are still suffering much stress caused by men.
［C］Women are more experienced than men in coping with stress.
［D］Men and women show different inclinations when faced with stress.
22. Dr. Yehuda’s research suggests that women
［A］need extra doses of chemicals to handle stress.
［B］have limited capacity for tolerating stress.
［C］are more capable of avoiding stress.
［D］are exposed to more stress.
23. According to Paragraph 4, the stress women confront tends to be
［A］domestic and temporary.
［B］irregular and violent.
［C］durable and frequent.
［D］trivial and random.
24. The sentence “I lived from paycheck to paycheck.”(Line 6, Para. 5) probably means that
［A］Alvarez cared about nothing but making money.
［B］Alvarez’s salary barely covered her household expenses.
［C］Alvarez got paychecks from different jobs.
［D］Alvarez paid practically everything by check.
25. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
［A］Strain of Stress: No Way Out?
［B］Responses to Stress: Gender Difference
［C］Stress Analysis: What Chemicals Say
［D］Gender Inequality: Women Under Stress
TEXT 2
It used to be so straightforward. A team of researchers working together in the laboratory would submit the results of their research to a journal. A journal editor would then remove the authors’ names and affiliations from the paper and send it to their peers for review. Depending on the comments received, the editor would accept the paper for publication or decline it. Copyright rested with the journal publisher, and researchers seeking knowledge of the results would have to subscribe to the journal.
No longer. The Internet and pressure from funding agencies, who are questioning why commercial publishers are making money from governmentfunded research by restricting access to it-is making access to scientific results a reality. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) was just issued a report describing the farreaching consequences of this. The report, by John Houghton of Victoria University in Australia and Graham Vickery of the OECD, makes heavy reading for publishers who have, so far, made handsome profits. But it goes further than that. It signals a change in what has, until now, been a key element of scientific endeavor.
The value of knowledge and the return on the public investment in research depends, in part, upon wide distribution and ready access. It is big business. In America, the core scientific publishing market is estimated at between $7 billion and $11 billion. The International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers says that there are more than 2,000 publishers worldwide specializing in these subjects. They publish more than 1.2 million articles each year in some 16,000 journals.
This is now changing. According to the OECD report, some 75% of scholarly journals are now online. Entirely new business models are emerging; three main ones were identified by the report’s authors. This is the socalled big deal, where institutional subscribers pay for access to a collection of online journal titles through sitelicensing agreements. There is openaccess publishing, typically supported by asking the author (or his employer) to pay for the paper to be published. Finally, there are openaccess archives, where organizations such as universities or international laboratories support institutional repositories. Other models exist that are hybrids of these three, such as delayed openaccess, where journals allow only subscribers to read a paper for the first six months, before making it freely available to everyone who wishes to see it. All this could change the traditional form of the peerreview process, at least for the publication of papers.
26. In the first paragraph, the author discusses
［A］ the background information of journal editing.
［B］ the publication routine of laboratory reports.
［C］ the relations of authors with journal publishers.
［D］ the traditional process of journal publication.
27. Which of the following is true of the OECD report?
［A］ It criticizes governmentfunded research.
［B］ It introduces an effective means of publication.
［C］ It upsets profitmaking journal publishers.
［D］ It benefits scientific research considerably.
28. According to the text, online publication is significant in that
［A］ it provides an easier access to scientific results.
［B］ it brings huge profits to scientific researchers.
［C］ it emphasizes the crucial role of scientific knowledge.
［D］ it facilitates public investment in scientific research.
29. With the openaccess publishing model, the author of a paper is required to
［A］ cover the cost of its publication.
［B］ subscribe to the journal publishing it.
［C］ allow other online journals to use it freely.
［D］ complete the peerreview before submission.
30. Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of the passage?
［A］ The Internet is posing a threat to publishers.
［B］ A new mode of publication is emerging.
［C］ Authors welcome the new channel for publication.
［D］ Publication is rendered easier by online service.
TEXT 3
In the early 1960s Wilt Chamberlain was one of only three players in the National Basketball Association (NBA) listed at over seven feet. If he had played last season, however, he would have been one of 42. The bodies playing major professional sports have changed dramatically over the years, and managers have been more than willing to adjust team uniforms to fit the growing numbers of bigger, longer frames.
The trend in sports, though, may be obscuring an unrecognized reality: Americans have generally stopped growing. Though typically about two inches taller now than 140 years ago, today’s people-especially those born to families who have lived in the U.S. for many generations-apparently reached their limit in the early 1960s. And they aren’t likely to get any taller. "In the general population today, at this genetic, environmental level, we’ve pretty much gone as far as we can go," says anthropologist William Cameron Chumlea of Wright State University. In the case of NBA players, their increase in height appears to result from the increasingly common practice of recruiting players from all over the world.
Growth, which rarely continues beyond the age of 20, demands calories and nutrients-notably, protein-to feed expanding tissues. At the start of the 20th century, undernutrition and childhood infections got in the way. But as diet and health improved, children and adolescents have, on average, increased in height by about an inch and a half every 20 years, a pattern known as the secular trend in height. Yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, average height-5′9″ for men, 5′4″for women-hasn’t really changed since 1960.
Genetically speaking, there are advantages to avoiding substantial height. During childbirth, larger babies have more difficulty passing through the birth canal. Moreover, even though humans have been upright for millions of years, our feet and back continue to struggle with bipedal posture and cannot easily withstand repeated strain imposed by oversize limbs. "There are some real constraints that are set by the genetic architecture of the individual organism," says anthropologist William Leonard of Northwestern University.
Genetic maximums can change, but don’t expect this to happen soon. Claire C. Gordon, senior anthropologist at the Army Research Center in Natick, Mass., ensures that 90 percent of the uniforms and workstations fit recruits without alteration. She says that, unlike those for basketball, the length of military uniforms has not changed for some time. And if you need to predict human height in the near future to design a piece of equipment, Gordon says that by and large, "you could use today’s data and feel fairly confident."
31. Wilt Chamberlain is cited as an example to
［A］ illustrate the change of height of NBA players.
［B］ show the popularity of NBA players in the U.S..
［C］ compare different generations of NBA players.
［D］ assess the achievements of famous NBA players.
32. Which of the following plays a key role in body growth according to the text?
［A］ Genetic modification.
［B］ Natural environment.
［C］ Living standards.
［D］ Daily exercise.
33. On which of the following statements would the author most probably agree?
［A］ NonAmericans add to the average height of the nation.
［B］ Human height is conditioned by the upright posture.
［C］ Americans are the tallest on average in the world.
［D］ Larger babies tend to become taller in adulthood.
34. We learn from the last paragraph that in the near future
［A］ the garment industry will reconsider the uniform size.
［B］ the design of military uniforms will remain unchanged.
［C］ genetic testing will be employed in selecting sportsmen.
［D］ the existing data of human height will still be applicable.
35. The text intends to tell us that
［A］ the change of human height follows a cyclic pattern.
［B］ human height is becoming even more predictable.
［C］ Americans have reached their genetic growth limit.
［D］ the genetic pattern of Americans has altered.
TEXT 4
In 1784, five years before he became president of the United States, George Washington, 52, was nearly toothless. So he hired a dentist to transplant nine teeth into his jaw-having extracted them from the mouths of his slaves
.
That’s far different image from the cherrytreechopping George most people remember from their history books. But recently, many historians have begun to focus on the roles slavery played in the lives of the founding generation. They have been spurred in part by DNA evidence made available in 1998, which almost certainly proved Thomas Jefferson had fathered at least one child with his slave Sally Hemings. And only over the past 30 years have scholars examined history from the bottom up. Works of several historians reveal the moral compromises made by the nation’s early leaders and the fragile nature of the country’s infancy. More significantly, they argue that many of the Founding Fathers knew slavery was wrong and yet most did little to fight it.
More than anything, the historians say, the founders were hampered by the culture of their time. While Washington and Jefferson privately expressed distaste for slavery, they also understood that it was part of the political and economic bedrock of the country they helped to create.
For one thing, the South could not afford to part with its slaves. Owning slaves was "like having a large bank account," says Wiencek, author of An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America. The southern states would not have signed the Constitution without protections for the "peculiar institution," including a clause that counted a slave as threefifths of a man for purposes of congressional representation.
And the statesmen’s political lives depended on slavery. The threefifths formula handed Jefferson his narrow victory in the presidential election of 1800 by inflating the votes of the southern states in the Electoral College. Once in office, Jefferson extended slavery with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803; the new land was carved into 13 states, including three slave states.
Still, Jefferson freed Hemings’s children-though not Hemings herself or his approximately 150 other slaves. Washington, who had begun to believe that all men were created equal after observing the bravery of the black soldiers during the Revolutionary War, overcame the strong opposition of his relatives to grant his slaves their freedom in his will. Only a decade earlier, such an act would have required legislative approval in Virginia.
36. George Washington’s dental surgery is mentioned to
［A］ show the primitive medical practice in the past.
［B］ demonstrate the cruelty of slavery in his days.
［C］ stress the role of slaves in the U.S. history.
［D］ reveal some unknown aspect of his life.
37. We may infer from the second paragraph that
［A］ DNA technology has been widely applied to history research.
［B］ in its early days the U.S. was confronted with delicate situations.
［C］ historians deliberately made up some stories of Jefferson’s life.
［D］ political compromises are easily found throughout the U.S. history.
38. What do we learn about Thomas Jefferson?
［A］ His political view changed his attitude towards slavery.
［B］ His status as a father made him free the child slaves.
［C］ His attitude towards slavery was complex.
［D］ His affair with a slave stained his prestige.
39. Which of the following is true according to the text?
［A］ Some founding Fathers benefit politically from slavery.
［B］ Slaves in the old days did not have the right to vote.
［C］ Slave owners usually had large savings accounts.
［D］ Slavery was regarded as a peculiar institution.
40. Washington’s decision to free slaves originated from his
［A］ moral considerations.
［B］ military experience.
［C］ financial conditions.
［D］ political stand.
詳細(xì)分析歷年考研英語(yǔ)試卷，又可以發(fā)現(xiàn)主要矛盾在于閱讀（占60％的分?jǐn)?shù)），故可謂：得閱讀者得天下。閱讀的60分細(xì)分為Part A、Part B 和Part C，其中Part A為四篇閱讀理解，占40分，是閱讀理解考試中的主戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)。那么，閱讀Part A有沒(méi)有什么技巧呢？
技巧一：看懂
閱讀理解其實(shí)主要考的是“閱讀”之后的“理解”，所以，看得懂乃是第一項(xiàng)技巧。
任何一篇文章，若要能看懂它，至少需要兩個(gè)條件：認(rèn)識(shí)單詞和看明白句子。單詞就像蓋房的磚瓦，考研詞匯大約為5500個(gè)，這不是一個(gè)小數(shù)字，也并非三兩天時(shí)間可以記住的，所以，考生必須先買一本考研英語(yǔ)詞匯書進(jìn)行系統(tǒng)、長(zhǎng)期的學(xué)習(xí)和記憶。（推薦《考研英語(yǔ)詞匯真題詞頻語(yǔ)境記憶》，該書打破了傳統(tǒng)考研詞匯書按字母順序排序的做法，而是采用歷年真題作為單詞出現(xiàn)頻率的統(tǒng)計(jì)依據(jù)，將所有大綱單詞及超綱單詞按照歷年真題出現(xiàn)的頻率從高到低排列，而且全部按照考過(guò)的不同詞義配不同的真題例句，可以使學(xué)生用少的時(shí)間獲得好的學(xué)習(xí)效果）。
拿到詞匯書之后，首先用大約一周的時(shí)間把這些單詞中你根本不認(rèn)識(shí)的挑出來(lái)，如rear，tedious，deteriorate，plausible，jargon，isotope，……，（因?yàn)檫@些單詞你可能完全不認(rèn)識(shí)，看到之后兩眼漆黑，所以稱之為“黑”字）。“黑”字是閱讀的頭一個(gè)障礙，單詞不認(rèn)識(shí)，句子當(dāng)然看不懂，所以，消滅“黑”字是當(dāng)務(wù)之急。（爭(zhēng)取用一個(gè)月左右的時(shí)間消滅它們?。?BR> 考研詞匯中，除“黑”字外，還有大量意思非常明白的所謂“白”字，如：able，benefit，culture，space，topic，……。此類單詞可一掠而過(guò)，除“黑”（完全不認(rèn)識(shí)）和“白”（完全明白）字兩類外，還有許多似會(huì)不會(huì)的“灰”字，如：treaty，tutor，sample，saddle，fuss，……。甚至還有大量你覺(jué)得會(huì)但其實(shí)并非如此的“灰”字，如：spring 除了“春天”之外，還當(dāng)“泉水”、“彈簧”講;account除了“帳戶”，還作“原因;理由;解釋;說(shuō)明;報(bào)告;占……”解。affect除了“愛(ài)，深情”之外，還有“對(duì)……發(fā)生作用”之義。背誦單詞時(shí)，一定要多看詞匯書中所給的例句才能牢記其意義。
除單詞外，有時(shí)句子太長(zhǎng)也會(huì)對(duì)閱讀造成致命的傷害，如：
If you add to this the effects of a sonar set mounted in the small nose of a torpedo rushing through the water at speeds up to 80 miles per hour with its consequent noise and vibration，plus hullborne vibrations from the power plant，it can be seen that only the most advanced electronic filtering gives any chance of success.
看完此句，很多考生如墜五里霧中，不知所云。其實(shí)，看懂長(zhǎng)難句有點(diǎn)像撒網(wǎng)捕魚(yú)，收網(wǎng)時(shí)應(yīng)收緊網(wǎng)繩（叫綱），漁網(wǎng)自然會(huì)合攏。不要去亂抓網(wǎng)眼（那叫目）?？撮L(zhǎng)難句亦應(yīng)該做到“綱舉目張”，先找句子的骨架（主＋謂＋賓），再解決修飾成份（定、狀等）。
此句it后為主句，但it不是其真正主語(yǔ)，叫形式主語(yǔ)，真正主語(yǔ)為后邊的that從句，一般來(lái)說(shuō)，英語(yǔ)的“主＋謂＋賓”也應(yīng)像漢語(yǔ)那樣按順序放好，主語(yǔ)放謂語(yǔ)前，即：“只有先進(jìn)的電子過(guò)濾器才有成功的可能這一點(diǎn)可以被看得很明白?！保ㄐ问街髡Z(yǔ)it不必譯）但英譯漢中，應(yīng)盡量少用被動(dòng)句型。所以，此句可譯為：“可以很清楚地看出：只有先進(jìn)的電子過(guò)濾器才有可能獲得成功”。
it前邊不是句子的主要部分，而是一個(gè)由if 所引領(lǐng)的長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的狀語(yǔ)從句。（如果說(shuō)“主＋謂＋賓”是樹(shù)干的話，定、狀則像樹(shù)葉，要繁雜和麻煩得多。）在整個(gè)if...這樣一個(gè)句子構(gòu)成的狀語(yǔ)中，if you（主語(yǔ)）add （謂語(yǔ)）the effects to this（雙賓語(yǔ)）為基本框架;那第二個(gè)賓語(yǔ)為何要倒過(guò)來(lái)呢？因?yàn)榈谝粋€(gè)賓語(yǔ)effects 后面跟了那么長(zhǎng)那么多的定語(yǔ)。（注意：英語(yǔ)常將定語(yǔ)寫在名詞后，這一點(diǎn)與中文大相徑庭：中文的定語(yǔ)一律放在名詞前）
第一個(gè)定語(yǔ)為介詞詞組“of a sonar set ”，修飾effects，譯為：“一套聲納設(shè)施的效果”;第二個(gè)定語(yǔ)為“mounted in the small nose”，過(guò)去分詞當(dāng)定語(yǔ)：“被安裝在一個(gè)小鼻子上的”;第三個(gè)定語(yǔ)“of a torpedo”：“一個(gè)魚(yú)雷的”;第四個(gè)定語(yǔ)“rushing...”譯為：“以每小時(shí)80英里速度穿行于水里的”;后邊還有一個(gè)“with...”(“plus...”為兩逗號(hào)間的插入語(yǔ)) 英文定語(yǔ)在名詞后，中文卻將定語(yǔ)放在名詞effects前邊。若定語(yǔ)不止一個(gè)，常采用倒著翻譯的方法，我們稱之為“倒解連環(huán)”。
故整句意思為：
“如果你把帶著巨大噪音和震動(dòng)的、以每小時(shí)80英里速度穿過(guò)水中的一個(gè)魚(yú)雷的鼻尖部位上所安裝的一套聲納設(shè)備的效果也加進(jìn)去考慮的話，再加上還有由電機(jī)部分所造成的外殼的震動(dòng)，那么，可以清楚地看到：只有先進(jìn)的電子過(guò)濾器才有可能獲得成功。”
這就是考研英語(yǔ)的實(shí)情，怪不得每年的百萬(wàn)考研大軍中，過(guò)60分者寥寥無(wú)幾，每年也只有18％左右，英語(yǔ)考得好的同學(xué)，前途自然也比其他人更為光明。
大家切記，英語(yǔ)的句子中，“主＋謂＋賓”基本與中文一致，是按順序擺放的，而定、狀語(yǔ)經(jīng)常倒著放，又長(zhǎng)又多，比主、謂、賓要難很多。定、狀語(yǔ)放好了，句子才能看明白，想看懂閱讀理解中的長(zhǎng)難句，語(yǔ)法基本功一定要扎實(shí)。
技巧二：選題
看懂文章之后，還有一個(gè)如何選題的問(wèn)題，所以第二項(xiàng)技巧是選題問(wèn)題。
眾所周知，讀完文章之后就要對(duì)文章后面的問(wèn)題作出選擇：是選A呢？還是選B、C？還是選D？許多考生說(shuō)，文章有時(shí)看懂了，題就是選不對(duì)。其實(shí)選題也是大有技巧的，閱讀的問(wèn)題基本上分為五大類：
1.主旨題（又稱中心思想題）：這類題基本上是問(wèn)main idea， 或best title是什么；也可以問(wèn)作者寫此文章的purpose何在；或問(wèn)此文的conclusion可總結(jié)為什么。碰到這類題簡(jiǎn)單的方法是把文中每段的首句串起來(lái)考慮。若是僅問(wèn)其中某一段的中心思想為何，則可將該段的首、尾句加起來(lái)考慮。
2.詞匯題（又稱詞語(yǔ)釋義題）：這類題常問(wèn)考生一些不認(rèn)識(shí)、從未見(jiàn)過(guò)的一些生詞或詞組的意思是什么。解題技巧為參考上、下文，尤其是下文。因?yàn)橄挛某３Ｊ菍?duì)該詞的解釋、說(shuō)明、舉例等等。
3.作者態(tài)度題：常問(wèn)作者對(duì)某事是什么態(tài)度：主觀（subjective）還是客觀（objective）;肯定（positive）還是否定（negative）;贊成（approval）還是反對(duì)（opposition）等等。解題的關(guān)鍵是要看作者在文中用了什么樣的口氣。若用褒義詞，顯然是贊成。若用貶義詞，顯然是反對(duì)。若客觀陳述，則是中性的立場(chǎng)，不偏不倚。注意：作者態(tài)度常常在轉(zhuǎn)折詞后表明出來(lái)。所以，but一詞至關(guān)重要（還有類似的yet，however，although，nevertheless等）。
4.推理性問(wèn)題：其典型詞有兩個(gè)：infer和imply。如：What can you infer from the story? 或What is the implied meaning of this sentence?
切記，推理性問(wèn)題原文中沒(méi)有現(xiàn)成的答案。答案是你自己推想出來(lái)的，但不能憑空瞎想，必須以原文中某句話或某個(gè)詞語(yǔ)為依據(jù)去合理推測(cè)才能找到合適的答案。
注意：以上四種題型頂多占閱讀理解考試總分的1/4左右，而其他約30分的題都屬于以下提到的：細(xì)節(jié)性問(wèn)題！
5.細(xì)節(jié)性問(wèn)題：（聲明：本書中沒(méi)有指出題型的，大多為細(xì)節(jié)題）
此類題占閱讀總分40分中的30分左右，因此十分重要。注意，這類問(wèn)題與推理性問(wèn)題截然相反，都可以從原文中找到答案，只不過(guò)為了迷惑考生，常常將原文進(jìn)行改寫，換一種說(shuō)法。所以，照抄原文，一字不改的不一定就是答案，而與原文意思相同的，才是正確的。
除了將文章看懂，把題目選對(duì)之外，閱讀理解還有兩個(gè)非常重要的注意事項(xiàng)：速度與步驟。
技巧三：速度
大家都知道，僅僅把題選對(duì)是不夠的，因?yàn)榭荚囘€有時(shí)間的限制。（你就算選對(duì)，每篇文章花一個(gè)小時(shí)那能行嗎？?。┯涀?，考試總共180分鐘，四篇閱讀多占70～80分鐘（即17～20分鐘一篇），其余時(shí)間還要寫作文、做翻譯、英語(yǔ)知識(shí)運(yùn)用等。
那么，對(duì)于速度過(guò)慢的考生，郭老師有什么建議呢？
第一、加大詞匯量，這樣讀起來(lái)才會(huì)勢(shì)如破竹，一氣呵成。若生詞太多，自然會(huì)磕磕跘跘，走不了太快。
第二、閱讀中忌諱的是一個(gè)字一個(gè)字地去讀，那樣又慢又差。正確的方法是用眼去抓句子的大致結(jié)構(gòu)（叫意群閱讀法）。還記得前面那個(gè)長(zhǎng)難句嗎？郭老師并沒(méi)有孤零零地去看每一個(gè)詞，而是先找到了it后面的主句，前頭的if句雖然很長(zhǎng)，只不過(guò)是個(gè)狀語(yǔ)而已。而在主句中，我又抓住了它的主語(yǔ)that only the most advanced electronic filtering gives any chance of success和謂語(yǔ)can be seen。這種提綱挈領(lǐng)的讀法，不僅可以使速度加快，更可以使準(zhǔn)確率提高。www.Ｅxamda.CoM
第三、考研是一場(chǎng)艱苦卓絕的拼搏?？佳杏⒄Z(yǔ)又比四、六級(jí)要難，所以保持頭腦清醒和旺盛的斗志也至關(guān)重要。因此，考試前一天晚上的充足睡眠十分重要，可以在考場(chǎng)上保持敏銳、清醒的頭腦，這對(duì)提高速度和專注精力大有裨益！
技巧四：步驟
閱讀的步驟也十分重要。許多考生拿到文章之后從頭讀起，讀完再去一個(gè)一個(gè)選答案。這種方法十分傳統(tǒng)，叫整體閱讀法。其優(yōu)點(diǎn)是可以有一種全局感或整體感。缺點(diǎn)是文章太長(zhǎng)，讀后細(xì)節(jié)記不住，再去找答案又費(fèi)勁又容易出錯(cuò)，許多細(xì)節(jié)都混淆在一起了，得分經(jīng)常不高。郭老師建議同學(xué)們用一下查找閱讀法：讀完第一段就做第一題。然后看第二個(gè)問(wèn)題問(wèn)的什么，帶著這個(gè)問(wèn)題去看第二段，然后是第三段、第四段，依此類推。（注意，有一種問(wèn)題可能此方法不太適用，那就是：主旨性問(wèn)題）。查找式閱讀法雖然把文章看得支離破碎，但得分往往很高，因?yàn)槟銊偪匆欢尉腿プ鲆坏李}，這樣記得住細(xì)節(jié)，抓得很準(zhǔn)，廣大考生不妨一試！
在開(kāi)始研究歷年真題閱讀理解之前，有一件特別重要的事必須提醒廣大讀者：要使自己的閱讀水平真正提高，必須先做題，后看答案和解析。如果順序倒過(guò)來(lái)，閱讀水平絲毫得不到提高。做題時(shí)間為一篇文章17至20分鐘，Part A四篇文章時(shí)間控制在70~80分鐘。下面，以近考過(guò)的2008年全國(guó)碩士研究生入學(xué)統(tǒng)一考試英語(yǔ)試題中的閱讀理解題為開(kāi)篇，請(qǐng)同學(xué)們以這幾篇真題閱讀文章為練習(xí)，在規(guī)定的時(shí)間內(nèi)，檢測(cè)自己的真實(shí)水平。無(wú)論做的結(jié)果如何，都保持一種從零開(kāi)始的心態(tài)，認(rèn)真研讀此書，一定會(huì)獲益匪淺！
TEXT 1
While still catchingup to men in some spheres of modern life, women appear to be way ahead in at least one undesirable category. “Women are particularly susceptible to developing depression and anxiety disorders in response to stress compared to men,”according to Dr. Yehuda, chief psychiatrist at New York’s Veteran’s Administration Hospital.
Studies of both animals and humans have shown that sex hormones somehow affects the stress response, causing females under stress to produce more of the trigger chemicals than do males under the same conditions. In several of the studies, when stressedout female rats had their ovaries (the female reproductive organs) removed, their chemical responses became equal to those of the males.
Adding to a woman’s increased dose of stress chemicals, are her increased “opportunities” for stress. “It’s not necessarily that women don’t cope as well. It’s just that they have so much more to cope with,” says Dr. Yehuda. “Their capacity for tolerating stress may even be greater than men’s,” she observes, “It’s just that they’re dealing with so many more things that they become worn out from it more visibly and sooner.”
Dr. Yehuda notes another difference between the sexes. “I think that the kinds of things that women are exposed to tend to be in more of a chronic or repeated nature. Men go to war and are exposed to combat stress. Men are exposed to more acts of random physical violence. The kinds of interpersonal violence that women are exposed to tend to be in domestic situations, by, unfortunately, parents or other family numbers, and they tend not to be oneshot deals. The wearandtear that comes from these longer relationships can be quite devastating.”
Adeline Alvarez married at 18 and gave birth to a son, but wad determined to finish college. “I struggled a lot to get the college degree. I was living in so much frustration that that was my escape to go to school, and get ahead and do better.” Later her marriage ended and she became a single mother. “It’s the hardest thing to take care of a teenager, have a job, pay the rent, pay the car payment, and pay the debt. I lived from paycheck to paycheck.”
Not everyone experiences the kinds of severe chronic stresses, Alvarez describes. But most women today are coping with a lot of obligations, with few breaks, and feeling the strain. Alvarez’s experience demonstrates the importance of finding ways to diffuse stress before it threatens your health and your ability to function.
21. Which of the following is true according to the first two paragraphs?
［A］Women are biologically more vulnerable to stress.
［B］Women are still suffering much stress caused by men.
［C］Women are more experienced than men in coping with stress.
［D］Men and women show different inclinations when faced with stress.
22. Dr. Yehuda’s research suggests that women
［A］need extra doses of chemicals to handle stress.
［B］have limited capacity for tolerating stress.
［C］are more capable of avoiding stress.
［D］are exposed to more stress.
23. According to Paragraph 4, the stress women confront tends to be
［A］domestic and temporary.
［B］irregular and violent.
［C］durable and frequent.
［D］trivial and random.
24. The sentence “I lived from paycheck to paycheck.”(Line 6, Para. 5) probably means that
［A］Alvarez cared about nothing but making money.
［B］Alvarez’s salary barely covered her household expenses.
［C］Alvarez got paychecks from different jobs.
［D］Alvarez paid practically everything by check.
25. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
［A］Strain of Stress: No Way Out?
［B］Responses to Stress: Gender Difference
［C］Stress Analysis: What Chemicals Say
［D］Gender Inequality: Women Under Stress
TEXT 2
It used to be so straightforward. A team of researchers working together in the laboratory would submit the results of their research to a journal. A journal editor would then remove the authors’ names and affiliations from the paper and send it to their peers for review. Depending on the comments received, the editor would accept the paper for publication or decline it. Copyright rested with the journal publisher, and researchers seeking knowledge of the results would have to subscribe to the journal.
No longer. The Internet and pressure from funding agencies, who are questioning why commercial publishers are making money from governmentfunded research by restricting access to it-is making access to scientific results a reality. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) was just issued a report describing the farreaching consequences of this. The report, by John Houghton of Victoria University in Australia and Graham Vickery of the OECD, makes heavy reading for publishers who have, so far, made handsome profits. But it goes further than that. It signals a change in what has, until now, been a key element of scientific endeavor.
The value of knowledge and the return on the public investment in research depends, in part, upon wide distribution and ready access. It is big business. In America, the core scientific publishing market is estimated at between $7 billion and $11 billion. The International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers says that there are more than 2,000 publishers worldwide specializing in these subjects. They publish more than 1.2 million articles each year in some 16,000 journals.
This is now changing. According to the OECD report, some 75% of scholarly journals are now online. Entirely new business models are emerging; three main ones were identified by the report’s authors. This is the socalled big deal, where institutional subscribers pay for access to a collection of online journal titles through sitelicensing agreements. There is openaccess publishing, typically supported by asking the author (or his employer) to pay for the paper to be published. Finally, there are openaccess archives, where organizations such as universities or international laboratories support institutional repositories. Other models exist that are hybrids of these three, such as delayed openaccess, where journals allow only subscribers to read a paper for the first six months, before making it freely available to everyone who wishes to see it. All this could change the traditional form of the peerreview process, at least for the publication of papers.
26. In the first paragraph, the author discusses
［A］ the background information of journal editing.
［B］ the publication routine of laboratory reports.
［C］ the relations of authors with journal publishers.
［D］ the traditional process of journal publication.
27. Which of the following is true of the OECD report?
［A］ It criticizes governmentfunded research.
［B］ It introduces an effective means of publication.
［C］ It upsets profitmaking journal publishers.
［D］ It benefits scientific research considerably.
28. According to the text, online publication is significant in that
［A］ it provides an easier access to scientific results.
［B］ it brings huge profits to scientific researchers.
［C］ it emphasizes the crucial role of scientific knowledge.
［D］ it facilitates public investment in scientific research.
29. With the openaccess publishing model, the author of a paper is required to
［A］ cover the cost of its publication.
［B］ subscribe to the journal publishing it.
［C］ allow other online journals to use it freely.
［D］ complete the peerreview before submission.
30. Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of the passage?
［A］ The Internet is posing a threat to publishers.
［B］ A new mode of publication is emerging.
［C］ Authors welcome the new channel for publication.
［D］ Publication is rendered easier by online service.
TEXT 3
In the early 1960s Wilt Chamberlain was one of only three players in the National Basketball Association (NBA) listed at over seven feet. If he had played last season, however, he would have been one of 42. The bodies playing major professional sports have changed dramatically over the years, and managers have been more than willing to adjust team uniforms to fit the growing numbers of bigger, longer frames.
The trend in sports, though, may be obscuring an unrecognized reality: Americans have generally stopped growing. Though typically about two inches taller now than 140 years ago, today’s people-especially those born to families who have lived in the U.S. for many generations-apparently reached their limit in the early 1960s. And they aren’t likely to get any taller. "In the general population today, at this genetic, environmental level, we’ve pretty much gone as far as we can go," says anthropologist William Cameron Chumlea of Wright State University. In the case of NBA players, their increase in height appears to result from the increasingly common practice of recruiting players from all over the world.
Growth, which rarely continues beyond the age of 20, demands calories and nutrients-notably, protein-to feed expanding tissues. At the start of the 20th century, undernutrition and childhood infections got in the way. But as diet and health improved, children and adolescents have, on average, increased in height by about an inch and a half every 20 years, a pattern known as the secular trend in height. Yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, average height-5′9″ for men, 5′4″for women-hasn’t really changed since 1960.
Genetically speaking, there are advantages to avoiding substantial height. During childbirth, larger babies have more difficulty passing through the birth canal. Moreover, even though humans have been upright for millions of years, our feet and back continue to struggle with bipedal posture and cannot easily withstand repeated strain imposed by oversize limbs. "There are some real constraints that are set by the genetic architecture of the individual organism," says anthropologist William Leonard of Northwestern University.
Genetic maximums can change, but don’t expect this to happen soon. Claire C. Gordon, senior anthropologist at the Army Research Center in Natick, Mass., ensures that 90 percent of the uniforms and workstations fit recruits without alteration. She says that, unlike those for basketball, the length of military uniforms has not changed for some time. And if you need to predict human height in the near future to design a piece of equipment, Gordon says that by and large, "you could use today’s data and feel fairly confident."
31. Wilt Chamberlain is cited as an example to
［A］ illustrate the change of height of NBA players.
［B］ show the popularity of NBA players in the U.S..
［C］ compare different generations of NBA players.
［D］ assess the achievements of famous NBA players.
32. Which of the following plays a key role in body growth according to the text?
［A］ Genetic modification.
［B］ Natural environment.
［C］ Living standards.
［D］ Daily exercise.
33. On which of the following statements would the author most probably agree?
［A］ NonAmericans add to the average height of the nation.
［B］ Human height is conditioned by the upright posture.
［C］ Americans are the tallest on average in the world.
［D］ Larger babies tend to become taller in adulthood.
34. We learn from the last paragraph that in the near future
［A］ the garment industry will reconsider the uniform size.
［B］ the design of military uniforms will remain unchanged.
［C］ genetic testing will be employed in selecting sportsmen.
［D］ the existing data of human height will still be applicable.
35. The text intends to tell us that
［A］ the change of human height follows a cyclic pattern.
［B］ human height is becoming even more predictable.
［C］ Americans have reached their genetic growth limit.
［D］ the genetic pattern of Americans has altered.
TEXT 4
In 1784, five years before he became president of the United States, George Washington, 52, was nearly toothless. So he hired a dentist to transplant nine teeth into his jaw-having extracted them from the mouths of his slaves
.
That’s far different image from the cherrytreechopping George most people remember from their history books. But recently, many historians have begun to focus on the roles slavery played in the lives of the founding generation. They have been spurred in part by DNA evidence made available in 1998, which almost certainly proved Thomas Jefferson had fathered at least one child with his slave Sally Hemings. And only over the past 30 years have scholars examined history from the bottom up. Works of several historians reveal the moral compromises made by the nation’s early leaders and the fragile nature of the country’s infancy. More significantly, they argue that many of the Founding Fathers knew slavery was wrong and yet most did little to fight it.
More than anything, the historians say, the founders were hampered by the culture of their time. While Washington and Jefferson privately expressed distaste for slavery, they also understood that it was part of the political and economic bedrock of the country they helped to create.
For one thing, the South could not afford to part with its slaves. Owning slaves was "like having a large bank account," says Wiencek, author of An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America. The southern states would not have signed the Constitution without protections for the "peculiar institution," including a clause that counted a slave as threefifths of a man for purposes of congressional representation.
And the statesmen’s political lives depended on slavery. The threefifths formula handed Jefferson his narrow victory in the presidential election of 1800 by inflating the votes of the southern states in the Electoral College. Once in office, Jefferson extended slavery with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803; the new land was carved into 13 states, including three slave states.
Still, Jefferson freed Hemings’s children-though not Hemings herself or his approximately 150 other slaves. Washington, who had begun to believe that all men were created equal after observing the bravery of the black soldiers during the Revolutionary War, overcame the strong opposition of his relatives to grant his slaves their freedom in his will. Only a decade earlier, such an act would have required legislative approval in Virginia.
36. George Washington’s dental surgery is mentioned to
［A］ show the primitive medical practice in the past.
［B］ demonstrate the cruelty of slavery in his days.
［C］ stress the role of slaves in the U.S. history.
［D］ reveal some unknown aspect of his life.
37. We may infer from the second paragraph that
［A］ DNA technology has been widely applied to history research.
［B］ in its early days the U.S. was confronted with delicate situations.
［C］ historians deliberately made up some stories of Jefferson’s life.
［D］ political compromises are easily found throughout the U.S. history.
38. What do we learn about Thomas Jefferson?
［A］ His political view changed his attitude towards slavery.
［B］ His status as a father made him free the child slaves.
［C］ His attitude towards slavery was complex.
［D］ His affair with a slave stained his prestige.
39. Which of the following is true according to the text?
［A］ Some founding Fathers benefit politically from slavery.
［B］ Slaves in the old days did not have the right to vote.
［C］ Slave owners usually had large savings accounts.
［D］ Slavery was regarded as a peculiar institution.
40. Washington’s decision to free slaves originated from his
［A］ moral considerations.
［B］ military experience.
［C］ financial conditions.
［D］ political stand.