2011年考研英语阅读理解精读篇 - 印建坤

2011年考研英语阅读理解精读篇

第一篇

European Union environmental officials have determined that two kinds of genetically modified corn could harm butterflies, affect food chains and disturb life in rivers and streams, and they have proposed a ban on the sale of the seeds, which are made by DuPont Pioneer, Dow Agrosciences and Syngenta. The preliminary decisions are circulating within the European Commission, which has the final say. Some officials there are skeptical of a ban that would upset the powerful biotechnology industry and could exacerbate tensions with important trading partners like the United States. The seeds are not available on the European market for cultivation.

In the decisions, the environment commissioner, Stavros Dimas, contends that the genetically modified corn, or maize could affect certain butterfly species, specifically the monarch, and other beneficial insects. For instance, research this year indicates that larvae of the monarch butterfly exposed to the genetically modified corn ''behave differently than other larvae.'' In the decision concerning the corn seeds produced by Dow and Pioneer, Mr. Dimas calls ''potential damage on the environment irreversible.'' In the decision on Syngenta's corn, he says that ''the level of risk generated by the cultivation of this product for the environment is unacceptable.''

A decision by the European Union to bar cultivation of the genetically modified crops would be the first of its kind in the trade bloc, and would intensify the continuing battle over genetically modified corn. Banning the applications for corn crops also would mark a bold new step for European environmental authorities, who are already aggressively pursuing regulations on emissions from cars and aircraft, setting it at odds with the United States and angering industries.

''These products have been grown in the U.S. and other countries for years,'' said Stephen Norton, a spokesman for the United States trade representative. ''We are not aware of any other case when a product has been rejected after having been reviewed and determined safe'' by European food safety authorities, he said. Barbara Helfferich, a spokeswoman for Mr. Dimas, declined to comment on the specifics of the procedure because commissioners had not yet made a final decision. But she said that the European Union was within its rights to make decisions based on the ''precautionary principle'' even when scientists had found no definitive evidence proving products can cause harm. She said that the decisions by Mr. Dimas could go before the commission within a few weeks, but she said that no date had been set. In the decisions, Mr. Dimas cited recent research showing that consumption of genetically modified ''corn byproducts reduced growth and increased mortality of nontarget stream insects'' and that these insects ''are important prey for aquatic and riparian predators'' and that this could have ''unexpected ecosystem-scale consequences.''

Although still preliminary, his decisions could drastically tilt the policy against future approvals of genetically modified crops, said Nathalie Moll, a spokeswoman for Europabio, an industry group with 80 members including Syngenta, Pioneer and Dow. Europabio says that the crops grown using the genetically modified corn are already imported into several European countries, including France and Germany, where they are used to feed animals like cows and chickens. Rob Gianfranceschi, spokesman at the United States mission to the European Union in Brussels, said it was too early to comment on a decision that had not yet been formalized. But he made clear that the United States remained frustrated with European policies on genetically modified crops.

1. The preliminary decisions are made by_____. [A] DuPont Pioneer, Dow Agrosciences and Syngenta [B] European Union environmental officials [C] European Commision [D] Starvros Dimas

2. To the decisions, the European Commission officials’ attitudes are _____. [A] skeptical [B] controversial [C] contradictory [D] divergent

3. About the decisions, which one of the following statements is TRUE? [A] The decisions aims to put a ban the sale of the seeds of genetically modified corn due to political and biological concerns.

[B] The decisions are warmly embraced by all EU members but bitterly rejected by their trade partners.

[C] The decisions could probably be made even if no definitive evidence proving the products harmful is found.

[D] there is high possibility that the decisions would be approved by the European Commission.

4. Mr. Dimas cited many researches on the genetically modified corn in his decision in order to_____.

[A] dispel some officials’ doubt on his decisions [B] enhance the strength of his decision-making [C] demonstrate the latest achievement of his decision

[D] assure that they can be presented before the commission with solid evidence 5. The word “tilt” (Line 1, Paragraph 6) most probably means_____. [A] incline [B] affect [C] induce [D] evoke

文章剖析：

这篇文章介绍了联合国环境官员就转基因食品提出的决议的一些情况。第一段介绍该决议目前在欧洲委员会中流传；第二段是环境专员具体在其决议中的观点；第三段讲述如果该决议落实将会是首例；第四段是美国贸易代表发言人的观点；第五段讲述Dimas先生决议的一些情况；第六段、第七段是其他人和机构的一些观点。

词汇注释：

genetically adv. 基因地 exacerbate v. 恶化，使加剧

monarch n. 黑脉金斑蝶 larvae n. 幼虫

aquatic adj. 水生的 riparian adj. 河边的，水滨的 predator n. 掠夺者，捕食其他动物的的动物 难句突破：

(1) European Union environmental officials have determined that two kinds of genetically modified corn could harm butterflies, affect food chains and disturb life in rivers and streams, and they have proposed a ban on the sale of the seeds, which are made by DuPont Pioneer, Dow Agrosciences and Syngenta. [主体句式] EU environmental officials have determined that…and they have proposed…

[结构分析] 该句是一个并列结构的复杂句。前一个分句带有宾语从句，宾语从句的谓语是三个并列结构的动词；后一个分句中，which 引导的非限定性定语从句是用来修饰the seeds的。

(2) In the decisions, Mr. Dimas cited recent research showing that consumption of genetically modified ''corn byproducts reduced growth and increased mortality of nontarget stream insects'' and that these insects ''are important prey for aquatic and riparian predators'' and that this could have ''unexpected ecosystem-scale consequences.''

[主体句式] Mr. Dimas cited recent research…

[句子结构] 该句是一个简单句，宾语research后面的现代分词是它的定语，该现代分词结构看似复杂，其实是三个并列的that 引导的从句构成的。

[句子译文] 在这些决定中，Dimas引用了最近的一些研究，这些研究表明转基因“谷物副产品”消费“抑制生长，增加nontarget昆虫死亡率”，而且这些昆虫“是水生动物重要的食物”，因此这可能有“未预料到的生态系统规模的后果”。

题目分析：

1. The preliminary decisions are made by_____. 1. 这些决议是由_____拟定的。 [A] DuPont Pioneer, Dow Agrosciences and Syngenta [B] European Union environmental officials [C] European Commision [D] Starvros Dimas [A] DuPont Pioneer, Dow Agrosciences and Syngenta [B] 欧盟环境官员 [C] 欧洲委员会 [D] Starvros Dimas [答案]D

[难度系数] ☆☆☆☆

[分析] 细节题。本题具有一定的难度，文章一开头就提到欧盟环境官员确定了一些事实，并且建议要禁止销售转基因作物的种子。然后就提到决议在欧盟委员会中间流传。这样感觉仿佛是这些官员拟定的决议，但从文章下面的论述多次提到Dimas先生在决议中的观点，第六段也提到他的决议虽然是初步的但可能有很大影响。由此看来，该决议是Dimas先生提出的可能性大，答案为D。

2. To the decisions, the European Commission officials’ attitudes are _____. [A] skeptical [B] controversial [C] contradictory [D] divergent 2．欧洲委员会官员对于这些决议的态度为_____。 [A] 怀疑的 [B] 有争议的 [C] 矛盾的 [D] 有分歧的 [答案]D

[难度系数] ☆☆☆

[分析] 推理题。文章第一段提到这些决议目前在欧洲委员会中间流传，一些官员对禁令表示怀疑，主要害怕禁令会影响外交关系。而从文章下面的部分可以看出，这些决议仿佛在欧

洲委员会中间得到一些支持，那么可以这些官员所持的态度是有分歧的。选项D最为符合题意。B选项有一定的合理性和迷惑性，但是相比D选项显得不够准确。

3. About the decisions, which one of the following statements is TRUE? [A] The decisions aim to put a ban the sale of the 3. 关于这些决定，以下陈述中哪一个是正确的？ [A]这些决定禁止出售转基因谷物的种子主要seeds of genetically modified corn due to political and 是出于政治和生物上的原因。 biological concerns. [B] The decisions are warmly embraced by all EU [B] 这些决议受到欧盟成员国的热情欢迎，但members but bitterly rejected by their trade partners. 是却遭到了贸易国的反感和拒绝。 [C] The decisions could probably be made even if no [C] 即使找不到可以证明这些产品有害的确凿definitive evidence proving the products harmful is 证据，这些决议也可以通过。 found. [D] there is high possibility that the decisions would [D] 这些决议由欧洲委员会批准的可能性非常be approved by the European Commission. 大。 [答案]C

[难度系数] ☆☆☆☆

[分析] 细节题。选项A，从全文可以看出，这些决议只是初步拟定的，还没有最后确定，而且文章也没有明确说明是否同时处于政治和生物上的考虑。因此该选项不正确。选项B，文章并没有提到是否欧盟所有成员国都对该项决议表示热情欢迎；选项C，文章第五段Dimas先生的发言人谈到了这一点，说即使没有确凿证据，欧洲委员会可以基于“预防原则”做出决定，这个选项是正确的；D，目前该决议还未有明确说法，该选项错误。因此，答案为C。

4. Mr. Dimas cited many researches on the genetically modified corn in his decisions in order to_____. [A] dispel some officials’ doubt on his decisions [B] enhance the strength of his decision-making 4. Dimas先生在其决议中引用了许多关于转基因谷物的研究，他这样做是为了___。 [A] 打消一些官员对她决议的疑虑。 [B] 使自己的决议更有说服力。

[C] show the latest achievements on the research [D] demonstrate the latest achievement of his decision [C] 展示这方面研究最新的成果。 [D] 表明他的最新决议进展。 [答案]B

[难度系数] ☆☆☆

[分析] 推理题。Dimas先生在其拟定的决议中多次引用了关于转基因产品的研究，其目的是证实自己的决议是有根据的，这样就更有说服力。选项A，他自己拟定决议在先，这些官员怀疑在后，拟订时不一定存在这种想法；D，这不是其主要的目的。因此，A最为恰当。

5. The word “tilt” (Line 1, Paragraph 6) most probably means_____. [A] incline [B] affect [C] induce [D] evoke 5. “tilt”一词（第六段第一行）最有可能的意思是_____。 [A] 使倾向于 [B] 影响 [C] 导致，引起 [D] 引起，博得 [答案]A [难度系数] ☆☆

[分析] 猜词题。根据上下文意思“Although still preliminary, his decisions could drastically tilt the policy against future approvals of genetically modified crops, said Nathalie Moll, a spokeswoman for Europabio, an industry group with 80 members including Syngenta, Pioneer and Dow”，尽管他的决议还是初步的，但是却能够让政策倾向于反对未来批准转基因食品。答案中A最为符合。

参考译文：

欧盟环境官员已经确定有两种转基因作物会伤害蝴蝶、影响食物链、妨害水游生物。他们还建议禁止出售该类种子，这些种子由DuPont Pioneer, Dow Agrosciences 和Syngenta

研制的。初步决议在欧盟委员会中通报，由该委员会做出最后决定。该禁令对蓬勃发展的生物技术业是一个打击，也可能会恶化与重要贸易伙伴（如美国）的紧张关系，因此一些官员持怀疑态度。目前在欧洲培育市场还没有销售这些种子。

在决议中，环境专员Stavros Dimas称转基因谷物或玉米可能对一些蝴蝶品种有害，尤其是黑脉金斑蝶，对于其他一些益虫也有害。比如，今年的一项研究表明在转基因谷类中的黑脉金斑蝶的幼虫“和其他幼虫表现不一样。”在关于Dow 和 Pioneer公司生产的种子的决议中，Dimas先生认为“对环境潜在的危害是不可逆转的。”而就Syngenta生产的谷物，他说“培育这种产品带来的风险级别对环境来说是不能接受的。”

欧盟决定禁止转基因作物的种植，这是在贸易集团中的首例，也将激化就转基因作物一直进行的斗争。禁止将该技术用于谷物作物也标志着欧洲环境机构大胆迈出新的一步，该环境机构一直在大胆地就汽车和飞机排放制定规则，这次将自己和美国以及充满怒气的工厂置于纷争。

“这些产品已经在美国和其他国家生长数年了，”美国贸易代表发言人斯蒂芬·诺顿这样说，“我们还不知道有这样的先例，那就是一种产品已经为欧洲卫生安全机构审查并经过安全确定，现在却又被否定。”

Dimas 先生的女发言人Barbara Helfferich不愿意就程序的细节作评论，因为委员们还未做出最后决定。但是她说欧盟有权利基于“预防原则”做出决定，即使是科学家并未发现确定证据可以证明该产品有害。她说Dimas先生的决定在未来几周内就可在委员会前出台，但是具体日期还未确定。在这些决定中，Dimas引用了最近的一些研究，这些研究表明转基因“谷物副产品”消费“抑制生长，增加nontarget昆虫死亡率”，而且这些昆虫“是水生动物重要的食物”，因此这可能有“未预料到的生态系统规模的后果”。

尽管他的决定还是初步的，但是却会极大倾斜针对同意未来转基因谷物的政策，这是Europabio女发言人Nathalie Moll的观点，Europabio是拥有80名成员的一个工业组织，Syngenta, Pioneer and Dow都是其成员。Europabio称运用转基因谷物生长的作物已经进口到几个欧洲国家，包括法国和德国，用于饲养牛、鸡这样的喂养动物。

赴欧盟的美国发言人Rob Gianfranceschi称目前就还未正式成立的决定作评论还为时尚早，但是他明确表示美国对于欧洲对转基因谷物的政策表示失望。

第二篇

When there is blood in the water, it is only natural that dorsal fins swirl around excitedly. Now that America's housing market is ailing, predators have their sights on the country's credit-card market. Analysts at Goldman Sachs reckon that credit-card losses could reach $99 billion if contagion spreads from subprime mortgages to other forms of consumer credit. Signs of strain are clearly visible. There are rises in both the charge-off and delinquency rates, which measure the share of balances that are uncollectable or more than 30 days late respectively. HSBC announced last month that it had taken a $1.4 billion charge in its American consumer-finance business, partly because of weakness among card borrowers.

It is too early to panic, though. Charge-offs and delinquencies are still low. According to Moody's, a rating agency, the third-quarter delinquency rate of 3.89% was almost a full percentage point below the historical average. The deterioration in rates can be partly explained by technical factors. A change in America's personal-bankruptcy laws in 2005 led to an abrupt fall in bankruptcy filings, which in turn account for a big chunk of credit-card losses; the number of filings (and thus charge-off rates) would be rising again, whether or not overall conditions for borrowers were getting worse. The industry also reports solid payment rates, which show how much of their debt consumers pay off each month. And confidence in credit-card asset-backed securities is pretty firm despite paralysis in other corners of structured finance. Dennis Moroney of TowerGroup, a research firm, predicts that issuance volumes for 2007 will end up being 25% higher than last year.

Direct channels of infection between the subprime-mortgage crisis and the credit-card market certainly exist: consumers are likelier to load up on credit-card debt now that home-equity loans are drying up. But card issuers look at cash flow rather than asset values, so falling house prices do not necessarily trigger a change in borrowers' creditworthiness. They may even work to issuers' advantage. The incentives for consumers to keep paying the mortgage decrease if properties are worth less than the value of the loan; card debt rises higher up the list of repayment priorities as a result.

Card issuers are also able to respond much more swiftly and flexibly to stormier conditions than mortgage lenders are, by changing interest rates or altering credit limits. That should in theory reduce the risk of a rapid repricing of assets. “We are not going to wake up one day and totally revalue the loans,” says Gary Perlin, Capital One's chief financial officer.

If a sudden subprime-style meltdown in the credit-card market is improbable, the risks of a sustained downturn are much more real. If lower house prices and a contraction in credit push America into recession, the industry will undoubtedly face a grimmer future. Keep watching for those dorsal fins.

1. The author makes mention of dorsal fins which are irrelevant to the topic in order to _____.

[A] make people alert to the potential danger

[B] attract the readers’ attention by presenting an interesting phenomenon [C] make people realize the graveness of the issue by showing a similar case [D] make the passage more vivid by imparting new knowledge to readers

2. Rises in the charge-off and delinquency rate indicate _____. [A] the deterioration of the subprime mortgage [B] the inadequate ability of card borrowers [C] the influence of the technical factors [D] the change in relevant laws

3. According to the third paragraph, the number of bankruptcy fillings would be rising again because_____.

[A] there is a change in America’s personal-bankruptcy laws [B] the charge-offs and delinquencies are still low

[C] the influence of the personal-bankruptcy laws has been digested [D] the overall conditions for borrowers are getting worse

4. The subprime-mortgage crisis influnces the credit-card market in that_____. [A] the fall of asset values affects the card borrowers’ creditworthiness [B] the decrease in the mortgage payment leads to the rises of the card debt [C] the drying up of the home-equity loans spur consumers’ incectives to repay the card debt

[D] the falling house prices makes the card debt rising higher

5. According to the author, the credit-card market will more likely be threatened by_____.

[A] a gradual downward tendency

[B] a rapid collapse

[C] a sustained trend of lowering price [D] the accumulation of economic recession

文章剖析：

这篇文章分析了美国次级抵押贷款危机可能影响到的信用卡市场。第一段指出信用卡市场已经出现疲软迹象；第二段、第三段通过分析表示信用卡市场危机并未确定，不需要过于恐慌；第四段指出次级抵押危机与信用卡市场之间的传染渠道；第五段指出信用卡规避风险的优势；第六段指出信用卡市场更趋于经历持续低迷的情况。

词汇注释：

dorsal fin n.[动物]背鳍 ailing adj. 景况不佳的，生病的 contagion n.传染, 传染病, 蔓延 charge-off n. 损耗 delinquency n. 逾期债款 难句突破：

(1) There are rises in both the charge-off and delinquency rates, which measure the share of balances that are uncollectable or more than 30 days late respectively.

[主体句式] There are rises in…

[结构分析] 这是一个简单句，which 引导的非限定性定语从句是修饰前面的the charge-off and delinquency rates；在该定语从句中还有定语从句修饰the share of balances，在该定语从句中，前半个句子对应修饰the charge-off rates，后半个句子是个省略句，对应修饰the delinquency rates.

[句子译文] 损耗率和逾期债款率都上升了，这两个数据分别代表收不回来的收支差额的份额和晚了30天的份额。

(2) A change in America's personal-bankruptcy laws in 2005 led to an abrupt fall in bankruptcy filings, which in turn account for a big chunk of credit-card losses; the number of filings (and thus charge-off rates) would be rising again, whether or not overall conditions for borrowers were getting worse.

[主体句式] A change led to an abrupt fall; the number would be rising.

[结构分析]这是一个复杂句，分号将前后两个句子隔开。前面句子中，宾语带有which引导的非限定性定语从句；后面句子是带有方式状语从句的复杂句。

[句子译文]2005年美国个人破产法的一个改动使得破产登记急速下降，而后引起了信用卡大规模的亏损。破产登记数量（随之的charge-off率）可以重新上升，不管贷款人的整体状况是否变得更糟糕了。

题目分析：

作者提到背鳍是为了_____。 1. The author makes mention of dorsal fins 1. 背鳍与本文主题无关，which are irrelevant to the topic in order to _____. [A] make people alert to the potential danger [B] attract the readers’ attention by presenting an interesting phenomenon [C] make people realize the graveness of the [C] 通过一个类似的案例让人们意识到事情的严重性 [B] 通过描述一个有趣的现象来吸引读者的眼球 [A] 提醒人们注意潜在的危险

issue by showing a similar case [D] make the passage more vivid by imparting new knowledge to readers [D] 通过向读者传授新的知识来使得文章更生动 [答案]A

[难度系数] ☆☆☆

[分析]推理题。文章在首尾都提到了背鳍。开头提到一旦水中有血，背鳍就会变得兴奋起来，接着就提到美国房地产衰退后，捕食者将目光转移到信用卡市场。末尾提到要留心背鳍。可以看出，作者提到背鳍是一种隐喻，意味着危险，因此选项A 比较符合题意。

2. Rises in the charge-off and delinquency rate indicate _____. [A] the deterioration of the subprime mortgage 2.损耗率和逾期债款率的升高意味着_____。 [A] 次级抵押贷款恶化 [B] the inadequate ability of card borrowers [B] 信用卡借贷人还贷能力较弱 [C] the influence of the technical factors [D] the change in relevant laws [C] 技术因素的影响 [D] 相关法律的变化 [答案]B [难度系数] ☆☆

[分析] 推理题。文章在第一段提到，信用卡市场的疲软迹象已经出现，接着就提到这两个数字，损耗率和逾期债款率分别代表无法收回来的收支差额的份额和晚付了30天的份额，接着还举例说香港汇丰银行的14亿美元费用就是部分因为信用卡借款人偿还能力较弱。因此，这两项升高表明信用卡市场出现问题。A不符合；B，是信用卡市场问题；CD在第二段提到，是引起这两项升高的部分原因所在。因此，答案为B。

3. According to the third paragraph, the 2. 根据第三段，破产申请数量会再次增多是因为 number of bankruptcy fillings would be rising

again because_____. [A] there is a change in America’s personal-bankruptcy laws _____。 [A] 美国个人破产法发生了变化 [B] the charge-offs and delinquencies are still [B] 损耗率和逾期债款率还很低 low [C] the influence of the change in the personal-bankruptcy laws has been digested [D] the overall conditions for borrowers are [D] 贷款人整体的情形趋于糟糕 getting worse [C] 个人贷款法律变化的影响已经被消化了 [答案]C

[难度系数] ☆☆☆

[分析] 推理题。文章第三段最后提到不管贷款人整体的情况是否变坏，破产申请数量都会再次增多。前面又提到是因为2005年美国个人破产法有一定变化，破产申请才急剧降低，而后引发了信用卡市场的一些问题。因此，这项法律实行一段时间后，大家已经消化了这个变化，趋势又会恢复正常。答案C最为贴切。

4. The subprime-mortgage crisis influnces the credit-card market in that_____. 3. 次级抵押贷款危机影响信用卡市场 在于_____。 [A] the fall of asset values affects the card borrowers’ creditworthiness 的信用度 [B] the decrease in the mortgage payment leads to the rises of the card debt [C] the drying up of the home-equity loans [C]家庭资产贷款的衰竭激发消费者偿还信用卡贷款的[B]抵押支付的减少导致了信用卡贷款的增加。 [A]资产价值的降低影响了信用卡借款人 spur consumers’ incectives to repay the card 积极性。 debt [D] the falling house prices makes the card [D]房屋价格的下降使得信用卡贷款增加了更多。

debt rising higher [答案]C

[难度系数] ☆☆☆

[分析] 细节题。文章第四段提到次级抵押贷款危机和信用卡市场之间有直接感染的通道，因为家庭资产贷款衰竭，借款人就更愿意把信用卡的贷款偿还清；而且因为房屋的价格比贷款还低，大家就不愿意还房屋抵押贷款，因此信用卡贷款偿还在偿还方面位居前列。选项中C符合这种推理，为正确答案。

5. According to the author, the credit-card market will more likely be threatened by_____. [A] a gradual downward tendency [B] a rapid collapse [C] a sustained trend of lowering prices 5. 依作者来看，信用卡市场更可能受到_____的威胁。 [A] 缓慢的衰退趋势 [B] 快速的崩溃 [C] 价格持续走低 [D] the accumulation of economic recession [D] 经济衰退日趋严重 [答案]A

[难度系数] ☆☆☆

[分析] 细节题。文章最后一段指出，次级抵押贷款式的突然垮台可能不会出现在信用卡市场，更容易出现的是一种持续不断的低迷。因此，信用卡市场更可能受到这种缓慢的低迷趋势的影响。答案A最为符合题意。

参考译文：

如果水中有血的话，那么自然地背鳍就会兴奋地游来游去。现在美国的房产市场景况不佳，掠夺者就把目光转向了这个国家的信用卡体系。GoldmanSachs的分析师们认为如果这种趋势从次级抵押扩散到消费者信用的其他形式的话，那么信用卡损失可能要达到990亿美元。目前这种趋紧的迹象已经显现。损耗率和逾期债款率都上升了，这两个数据分别代表收

不回来的收支差额的份额和晚了30天的份额。汇丰银行上个月宣布在美国消费者金融行业的抵押款为14亿美元，部分原因就在于信用卡贷款人的弱势。

但现在恐慌还为时尚早。Chargeoffs和逾期债款率还不是很高。据一家评估机构Moody's估算，第三季度3.89%的逾期债款率比历史平均值还低整整一个百分点。比率变差部分是由于技术原因。2005年美国个人破产法的一个改动使得破产登记急速下降，而后引起了信用卡大规模的亏损。破产登记数量（随之的chargeoff率）可以重新上升，不管贷款人的整体状况是否变得更糟糕了。

该行业还报告了真正的支付率，就是表示有多少贷款消费者每个月还清贷款了。尽管在其他结构性金融部分出现了瘫痪，但是对信用卡负债支持的有价证券信心还是坚定的。一家研究机构TowerGroup的工作人员Dennis Moroney 预计2007年发行数量最后将比去年高出25%。

次级抵押危机和信用卡市场之间存在直接的传染通道，既然家庭资产贷款就衰竭了，消费者更倾向于将信用卡的贷款贷满。但是信用卡发行人看到的是现金流动而不是资产价值，因此房产价格的下降并不一定会带来贷款人信用度的改变，甚至会有利于发行人。如果消费者的财产还没有贷款的金额高，那么消费者一直支付抵押贷款的动机就会削弱，最后信用卡贷款就会成为偿还款项的最首位。

信用卡发行人也可以在遇到更为严峻的情况时，通过改变利率或信用额度，比房屋抵押借款人作出反应更快、更灵活些。这在理论上可以降低资产快速重新定价的风险。“我们不希望有天一睁开眼就得全部重新估算贷款，”Capital One的首席金融官员Gary Perlin这样说。

如果在信用卡市场中那种次级抵押式的突如其来的彻底崩溃是不可能的话，那么持续低迷的风险是更为真实的。如果房产低价格和信贷紧缩将美国引致衰退，那么该行业将会面临更惨淡的未来。时刻留心那些背鳍吧。

第三篇

Richard Burton probably knew nothing of the small South African town of Cullinan when he bought yet another

chunky diamond for Elizabeth Taylor in 1969. Now the Cullinan mine itself, like so many of the diamonds unearthed there, is about to change hands. On November 22nd De Beers, the diamond giant that has owned the mine since 1930, said it was selling it to a consortium led by Petra Diamonds, one of South Africa's emerging diamond producers, for 1 billion rand in cash. Provided regulators approve the deal, the transfer should take place by the middle of next year.

De Beers is selling because the mine is no longer profitable, despite attempts to turn it around. But Petra reckons the mine still has another 20 years of production in it and plans to extract at least 1m carats a year. The unexploited “Centenary Cut” deposit, which lies under the existing mine, could yield a lot more. This is good news for the mine's 1,000 or so employees and for the town, which has depended on the diamond business since Sir Thomas Cullinan discovered a prospect there in 1898 that contained kimberlite, a rock that can be rich in diamonds. The mine, established in 1903, is one of 30 or so kimberlite diamond mines in the world, and is believed to be still the world's second-most-valuable diamond resource

Petra is a relatively small outfit, listed on London's Alternative Investment Market, that specialises in buying mines that bigger companies see as marginal. Its trick is to extract better returns by rationalising production and processing, and keeping operating costs and overheads down. Petra has already bought two of De Beers's loss-making South African mines—both of which are now profitable—and is

finalising the 78.5m rand acquisition of the group's underground operation in Kimberley, which stopped working in 2005.

It already operates four mines in South Africa and has promising exploration in Angola (a joint-venture with BHP Billiton), Sierra Leone and Botswana. Petra expects to produce over 1m carats by 2010—quite a jump from 180,474 carats in the year to June. The company has yet to make a profit, but expects to be making money by the middle of next year.

In the 1990s De Beers decided that it was no longer a good idea to try to

monopolise the diamond market. It started focusing on higher returns rather than market share, and has been revamping its mine portfolio, selling off mines that are no longer profitable and investing in more enticing operations, such as its mine off the west coast of South Africa, its Voorspoed operation in the Free State province, and two new mines in Canada. This has opened the way for a new class of diamond firm that operates in the vast middle ground between the world's handful of large producers and a multitude of much smaller exploration firms. The Cullinan deal should entrench Petra in this middle tier, alongside firms such as Kimberley Diamond and Trans Hex. But even if it does reach its target of 1m carats a year, Petra will still not be able to match the sparkle of the giants. Last year De Beers produced 51m carats from its mines in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Tanzania, which amounted to 40% of the world's diamonds by value.

1. The Cullinan mine was named after_____. [A] the original name of the town [B] the name of its first owner [C] the name of its discoverer

[D] the name of the town’s first colonist

2. Which one of the following statements is TRUE of the Cullinan mine? [A] The mine is the only business of the town which employs most of the local residents

[B] It can be mined for another 20 years given Petra’s advanced technology [C] It is the world’s second largest diamond mine with a yearly capacity of 1m carats

[D] Whether the mine will maintain its profitability is yet to know. 3. Petra’s opearting philosophy can be said as _____. [A] to make profits by reducing the costs

[B] to exploit the surrounding areas of an existing mine

[C] to integrate the resources of all the money-losing small mines

[D] to restructure the mine portfolio and to optimize the process management 4. De Beers has made changes on its development stratege because_____. [A] it plans to shrink its market share and ends its long-term monopoly

[B] it wants to open the way for the middle tier of diamond market [C] it switches its attention to making larger profits

[D] it wants to turn around the loss-making mines by cooperating with companies of smaller size.

5. The future of the new class of diamond firm is _____. [A] promising [B] dim [C] unknown [D] frustrating

文章剖析：

文章从Petra公司收购矿产为契因，介绍了钻石矿业新兴的一个中间阶层。第一段讲述了Cullinan矿将要转手的消息；第二段介绍了De Beers公司之所以将矿转手的原因；第三段、第四段介绍Petra公司的一些经营方式和情况；第五段讲述De Beers公司的运营调整；第六段介绍了钻石矿业的新阶层。

词汇注释：

chunky adj. 含小而厚的块： consortium n. 财团

kimberlite n. 金伯利岩 entrench v. 确立，使处于牢固地位

portfolio n. 组合 enticing adj. 引诱的, 迷人的, 动人心目的

难句突破：

(1) This is good news for the mine's 1,000 or so employees and for the town, which has depended on the diamond business since Sir Thomas Cullinan discovered a prospect there in 1898 that contained kimberlite, a rock that can be rich in diamonds.

[主体句式] This is good news for …

[结构分析] 这是一个简单句，for后面的宾语比较复杂，which 引导的非限定性定语从句修饰the town，在该从句中有一个since引导的状语从句；在该状语从句中，that 引导的定语从句修饰prospect, a rock…是kimberlite的同位语。

[句子译文] 这对于这个矿的1000名左右的雇工以及这个小镇来说是个好消息，这个小镇从1898年Thomas Cullinan爵士发现该矿含有金伯利岩（可能富含钻石的一种岩石）后，就一直依赖钻石生意存活。

(2) It started focusing on higher returns rather than market share, and has been revamping its mine portfolio, selling off mines that are no longer profitable and investing in more enticing operations, such as its mine off the west coast of South Africa, its Voorspoed operation in the Free State province, and two new mines in Canada.

[主体句式]It started focusing on…, and has been…

[结构分析] 这是一个并列句，由连词and 连接，后半分句结构比较复杂；has been 后面带有三个并列的成分，第二个成分selling off mines后面有that 引导的定语从句，第三个成分中such as 后面都是用来修饰operations的。

[句子译文] 它开始修关心更高的回报率而不是市场份额了，也一直在修改它的矿产组合，卖掉不再盈利的矿产，投资更让人动心的项目，如南非西海岸的矿产、自由州省的Voorspoed项目、加拿大的两处新矿。 题目分析：

1. The Culliman mine in deal was named after_____. [A] the original name of the town [B] the name of its first owner [C] the name of its discoverer [D] the name of the town’s first colonist 1. 正在交易的矿是以_____命名的。 [A]小镇原来的名字 [B] 第一个矿主的名字 [C] 矿场发现者的名字 [D] 小镇第一个殖民者的名字 [答案] C [难度系数] ☆☆

[分析] 细节题。该矿的名字为Culliman, 从第一段可以看到它所在的小镇的名字也是这个，但是第二段提到1898年Thomas Cullinan爵士发现了这个矿含有金伯利岩，1903年该矿成立。那么可以推断，这个镇和矿的名字都是以Cullinan爵士、即其第一个发现者的名字命名的。因此，正确答案为C。

2. Which one of the following statements is TRUE 2.关于Cullinan矿，以下的陈述哪个是正确的？ of the Cullinan mine? [A] The mine is the only business of the town which employs most of the local residents [B] It can be mined for another 20 years given [B] 有了Petra的先进技术，该矿山还可以被挖掘[A] 该矿山是小镇大多数人工作的地方。

Petra’s advanced technology 20年。 [C] It is the world’s second largest diamond mine [C] 它是世界上第二大钻石矿山，年产钻石100万with a yearly capacity of 1m carats [D] Whether the mine will maintain its profitability is yet to know. 克拉。 [D] 该矿山是否还会保持盈利还是一个未知数。 [答案]D

[难度系数] ☆☆☆☆

[分析] 细节题。文章第二段之处小镇上的大部分人都依赖于钻石产业，但这并不意味着他们都在矿山工作，因此A选项错误。文章第三段谈到Petra的盈利策略主要是改进流程、降低成本，并没有强调使用先进的技术。选项C，在第二段提到Cullinan目前仍被认为是世界第二大最有价值的钻石矿，但并不一定在规模上也是第二大的，而且年产量1百万克拉指的不是该矿山的年产量，而是Petra公司的计划年产量。选项D，文章没有明确指出该矿山将来究竟是否会赢利，因为不得而知，答案D为正确的陈述。

3. Petra’s opearting philosophy can be said as _____. [A] to make better profits by reducing the costs 3. Petra 的运营理念可以说是_____。 [A] 通过削减成本来取得更好的收益 [B] to exploit the surrounding areas of an existing [B] 从已经存在的矿山周围寻找资源 mine [C] to integrate the resources of all the money-losing small mines [D] to restructure the mine portfolio and to optimize the process management [D] 调整矿产组合并且优化流程管理 [C] 整合那些亏损的小矿山的资源 [答案]A

[难度系数] ☆☆☆☆

[分析]推理题。文章第三段提到Petra专门收购大公司边缘化的矿产，其秘诀就在于通过合理化生产和加工，降低运作和管理费用来获得更好的收益。可以看出，公司运营理念就是通过自己的努力，比如合理化生产、加工，降低费用来盈利，因此，选项A最为符合这一点。

4. De Beers has made changes on its development stratege because_____. 4. De Beers 改变了自己的发展战略因为_____。 [A] it plans to shrink its market share and ends [A] 它计划缩小其市场份额并中止长期的垄断 its long-term monopoly [B] it wants to open the way for the middle tier [B] 它希望可以为钻石市场的中间阶层开辟道路 of diamond market [C] it switches its attention to making larger profits [D] it wants to turn around the loss-making mines by cooperating with companies of smaller size [D] 它想要通过与小规模公司的合作来扭转那些亏损的矿产 [C] 它的注意力转移到如何谋取更大的利润 [答案]C

[难度系数] ☆☆☆

[分析] 推理题。文章第五段提到De Beers 认为试图垄断市场已经不是什么很好的策略了，它开始关心更高的利润而不是市场份额了，还采取了一系列的措施来实现这个策略。因此，它改变了自己的发展策略，主要是想要谋取更大的利润，B为正确答案。A是公司改变策略的方式，B不符合原文内容。D选项具有一定的迷惑性，但要注意De Beers知识将一些矿山卖给小公司，这并不意味着它与小公司合作，因此该选项错误。

5. The future of the new class of diamond firm is 5. 钻石业新阶层的未来会是_____。 _____. [A] promising [B] dim [C] unknown [A] 有前景的 [B] 暗淡 [C] 未知的

[D] frustrating [D] 困难重重的 [答案]C [难度系数] ☆

[分析]推理题。关于钻石业新出现的中间阶层，文章只是介绍了其刚刚开始发展的情况，但是未来怎么样文章并没有给出明确的看法，因此，答案为C，其余三个选项的态度显然不符合题意。

参考译文：

理查德·伯顿在1969年为伊丽莎白·泰勒又买了一块小而厚的钻石时，他可能对南非小镇Cullinan一无所知。现在Cullinan连同埋在地下的钻石一起都将易主了。11月22日， De Beers，这个从1930年就一直是这个矿的主人的钻石巨头说要以10亿兰特现金的价格卖给Petra Diamonds为首的财团，Petra Diamonds是南非新兴的钻石制造商。现在管理者已经同意了这笔交易，该矿将于明年年中易手。

De Beers要做这笔买卖是因为尽管他采取了好多措施，这个矿不再是那么利润丰厚了。但是Petra 估计该矿还可以生产20年，计划每年最少挖掘100万克拉。而位于该矿下方的未被开采的“百年切割”层，生产力更高。这对于这个矿的1000名左右的雇工以及这个小镇来说是个好消息，这个小镇从1898年Thomas Cullinan爵士发现该矿含有金伯利岩（可能富含钻石的一种岩石）后，就一直依赖钻石生意存活。该矿建立于1903年，是世界上30个左右金伯利岩钻石矿之一，现在仍被认为是世界上最有价值的第二大钻石储藏矿。 Petra是比较小的一个商业组织，现在列于伦敦选择性的投资市场中London's Alternative Investment Market。该组织专门收购大公司认为是不重要的那么矿产，其秘诀在于通过合理化生产和加工、以及降低运作和管理费用来获得更好的收益。Petra已经收购了De Beers两家南非亏损的矿（这两个矿目前都在盈利），目前也即将完成以7850万兰特收购该组织在金伯利地下矿的项目，该矿于2005年停产。

目前它在南非运作有四家矿，在安哥拉、塞拉利昂和博茨瓦纳也有非常好的勘探项目（和BHP Billiton的合资公司）。Petra希望到2010年产量可以超过100万克拉，相比截至

六月的这一年产量180，474克拉来说是一个飞跃。公司现在还未赢利，但可望明年年中就可以赚钱了。

20世纪90年代，De Beers认为垄断钻石市场其实不再是个好主意了。它开始关心更高的回报率而不是市场份额了，也一直在修改它的矿产组合，卖掉不再盈利的矿产，投资更让人动心的项目，如南非西海岸的矿产、自由州省的Voorspoed项目、加拿大的两处新矿。

这就为钻石行业的一个新阶层开辟了道路，这个阶层处于世界上少数的大生产商和众多小勘探公司之间那片广阔的区域。Cullinan这笔交易确立了Petra的这个中间阶层的地位，类似的公司还有金伯利钻石和Trans Hex。不过即使达到年产量100万克拉，Petra还是不及那些钻石巨头一毛。去年，De Beers在其博茨瓦纳、纳米比亚、南非和坦桑尼亚矿的产量为5100万克拉，从价值估算占到世界钻石的40% 。

第四篇

Boosted by booming international financial markets, the City of London has not had it so good since the end of the dotcom bonanza in the late 1990s. Basking in double-digit growth rates, London's law firms have both contributed to that success and benefited from it. The earnings of top City lawyers can now exceed ￡2m a year.

Having opted to expand and go global ahead of most others, Britain's leading law firms tend to be bigger than their American rivals. Indeed, according to a survey of the world's top 50 law firms, compiled by Legal Business, a British trade paper, five of the world's top six law firms—in terms of turnover—are now British (if DLA Piper, the result of an Anglo-American merger, is included). But they have tended to lag behind in terms of their profitability. That is now changing.

The profit margins of the City's five “magic circle” firms—Clifford Chance, Slaughter and May, Allen & Overy, Linklaters and Freshfields—have soared in recent years and are now comparable with, if not higher than, those of New York's “white shoe” elite. Slaughter and May, the only one of the five not to have gone global, has the joint second-highest profit margin among the top 50. 3.The phrase “white shoe” (Line 3, Paragraph 3) most probably means____. [A] white collars [B] first-class law firms [C] financial agencies [D] international banks

3.The phrase “white shoe” (Line 3, Paragraph 3) 3. “白鞋子”这个短语(第三段第三行) 最有可能指most probably means____. [A] white collars [B] first-class law firms [C] financial agencies [D] international banks _____。 [A] 白领 [B] 一流的律师事务所 [C] 金融机构 [D] 国际银行 [答案] B

[难度系数] ☆☆☆

[分析] 猜词题。根据上下文，主要谈论的都是律师事务所，并没有涉及到其他的行业，因此可以推测这里应该指的是美国相应业界的同行，这样才有可比性，那么选项中B最为符合题意。

Not so long ago, a London surgeon could expect to earn as much as a City lawyer. But even the recent big rises in hospital consultants' earnings pall in comparison

with those enjoyed by London lawyers. At Slaughter and May, for example, average profits per equity partner (PEP) jumped by almost a third (in dollar terms) last year to $2.75m—more than at any other of the top 50 law firms bar two in New York where PEP averaged $2.8m and $3.0m respectively. Some senior partners get a lot more of course.

Competition for the best lawyers is fierce and poaching frequent. Hence the need to keep headline PEP figures up—even at the cost of getting rid of equity partners, leaving a bigger share of the bounty for the remaining ones. Freshfields is in the process of shedding around 100 of its equity partners. Other leading firms are also undertaking painful restructuring.

Newly qualified lawyers' salaries have also been shooting up in the search for the best talent. Both Freshfields and Allen & Overy now pay their first-year associates ￡65,000, rising to around ￡90,000 after three years. (First-year associates at America's top law firms get the equivalent of ￡80,000.)

But, as many other top-rank City employers have discovered, big earnings do not necessarily guarantee big satisfaction. According to a YouGov poll, published by the Lawyer earlier this month, a quarter of Britain's lawyers (including a fifth of law-firm partners) would like to leave the profession. The disgruntled complained about cripplingly long hours, intense competition and the impersonality of the biggest firms (some with more than 3,000 lawyers). So why don't they quit? Because, say three-quarters, of the pay.

1. Which one of the following is TURE of the status quo of London’s economy? [A] London is enjoying its best time of economic development since 1990s. [B] The growth rate of London is doubled since the beginning of the 1990s. [C] The growth rate started to boost since the end of the dotcom era.

[D] The current economy of London is mostly driven by its legal instead of financial market.

2. The world’s top 50 law firms are graded according to _____. [A] their annual margin [B] their profitability [C] their sale volume

[D] their quantity of business

4. In order to be competitive, the law firms take the following measures except_____.

[A] dismissing equity partners [B] carrying out restructuring

[C] having their best lawyers turn more competitive. [D] raising salaries for recruiting talents

5. From the YouGov poll, it can be inferred that____. [A] this profession is far from satisfactory

[B] most lawyers will leave the profession sooner or later

[C] most lawyers are satisfied with the profession because of the fat pay [D] high salary is always contradictory to big satisfaction 词汇注释：

bonanza n. 富矿带, 带来好运之事, 幸运 bask v. 晒太阳(享受温暖), 感到温暖, 愉快或舒适

turnover n. 营业额 cipplingly adv. 临界地，极限地

pall v.覆盖, 使平淡无味 bounty n. 奖金，补助金 disgruntled adj. 不高兴的，不满意的 文章剖析：

这篇文章介绍英国伦敦律师事务所的现状。第一段讲述因为伦敦经济增长迅速，律师业也受益匪浅；第二段、第三段讲述伦敦律师事务所在世界上的排名；第四段讲述伦敦事务所律师的工资待遇；第五段、第六段讲述律师事务所的竞争手段；第七段讲述对该行业的满意度。

难句突破：

(1) Indeed, according to a survey of the world's top 50 law firms, compiled by Legal Business, a British trade paper, five of the world's top six law firms—in terms of turnover—are now British (if DLA Piper, the result of an Anglo-American merger, is included).

[主体句式] Five of the world’s top six law firms are now British.

[结构分析] 这是一个简单句。前面according to引导的是状语，状语种compile by …做前面a survey的定语，而a British trade paper是Legal Business的同位语。 [句子译文]实际上，根据英国商业报纸《法律商业》的一项世界领先50家律师事务所的调查，世界领先的六家律师事务所（按营业额计算）有五家是英国事务所（算上英美合资的DLA Piper事务所）。

(2) At Slaughter and May, for example, average profits per equity partner (PEP) jumped by almost a third (in dollar terms) last year to $2.75m—more than at any

other of the top 50 law firms bar two in New York where PEP averaged $2.8m and $3.0m respectively.

[主体句式] Average profits per equity partner jumped by almost a third. [结构分析] 这是一个简单句，破折号后面的是前面$2.75m的定语。

[句子译文] 比如在Slaughter and May,去年PEP平均收入以275万美元为基数涨了1/3（以美元计算），这要比任何全球前50名律师事务所或美国的律师界工资都高，其PEP平均为280万美元和300万美元。

题目分析：

1. Which one of the following is TURE of the 1.下列哪一个是关于伦敦经济现状的正确表述？ status quo of London’s economy? [A] London is enjoying its best time of economic development since 1990s. [B] The growth rate of London is doubled since the beginning of the 1990s. [C] The growth rate started to boost since the [C] 伦敦经济从网络时代末尾的时候开始兴盛。 end of the dotcom era. [D] The current economy of London is mostly [D] 伦敦现在经济的繁荣主要是由其司法市场、而不是driven by its legal instead of financial market. 金融市场驱动的。 [A]伦敦现在正在享受其自20世纪90年代末以来经济最好的时候。 [B] 伦敦的经济增长率翻倍了。 [答案]A

[难度系数] ☆☆☆☆

[分析]细节题。这题关键要看对于文章第一句话的理解，Boosted by booming

international financial markets, the City of London has not had it so good since the end of the dotcom bonanza in the late 1990s. “have it good”是一个词组，意思

为“过得优裕”，那么这句话意思就是伦敦在20世纪90年代末享受过经济很好的一段时间后，一直到现在才又开始经济很好。选项A最为符合该句意思，是正确答案。C选项的时间概念不正确，而D选项则是无中生有。

2. The world’s top 59 law firms are graded according to _____. [A] their margin [B] their profitability [C] their sale volume [D] their quantity of business 2. 世界前50强律师事务所是依据_____来划分的。 [A] 他们的利润 [B] 他们的收益率 [C] 他们的销售额 [D] 他们的业务数量 [答案]C

[难度系数] ☆☆☆

[分析] 细节题。文章第二段提到five of the world's top six law firms—in terms of turnover，可以看出是以turnover（营业额）来评定的。如果不知道turnover的意思，也可以用排除法来选择。因为第二段提到，要是用收益率来衡量，那么它们排名就不会那么前了，因此A和B可以排除。D的业务数量又从来没有提及。可以猜出C可能是正确选项。

4. In order to be competitive, the law firms take the following measures except_____. [A] dismissing equity partners [B] carrying out restructuring [C] having their best lawyers turn more competitive [D] raising salaries for recruiting talents 4.为了让自己更有竞争力，律师事务所采取了以下除选项_____外的措施。 [A] 解雇了股东合作人。 [B] 实行重组。 [C] 让最好的律师变得更加有竞争力。 [D] 提高工资以吸引更多人才。 [答案]C

[难度系数] ☆☆☆

[分析] 细节题。题干相关的内容在文章第五、第六段有提及。第五段提到，各律师事务所为了争夺最优秀的律师采取了许多措施，不得已都要解雇股东合作人，这样就可以将比较大的利润给剩下有限的人分配，从而保证顶尖律师的利润，有的还进行重组。而第六段提到为了找到最好的人才，还不惜提高新律师的工资。因此，选项中C是没有提到的。

5. From the YouGov poll, it can be inferred that____. [A] this profession is far from satisfactory 5. 从YouGov的民意调查结果可以看出_____。 [A] 这个职业是让人不满意的。 [B] most lawyers will leave the profession sooner or [B] 大多数律师迟早都会离开这个职业。 later [C] most lawyers are satisfied with the profession [C] 大多数律师因为收入高的原因对这个职业满because of the fat pay [D] high salary is always contradictory to big satisfaction 意。 [D] 高工资和满意度总是相对立的。 [答案]A

[难度系数] ☆☆☆

[分析] 推理题。从文章最后一段可以看出，该民意调查中有1/4的律师表明想要离开这个行业，因为种种不满意的地方，但还有3/4不会离开就是因为高工资原因。因此，可以看出，律师这个行业并不让人满意，吸引人的只是高收入而已。A反映了这一点。B选项不符合文章最后一段，因为大多数律师表示都不会离开；D单单从律师行业的这个调查不能反映所有行业的情况、表述过于绝对。因此，答案为A。

参考译文：

虽然受到急速发展的国际金融市场的推动，伦敦自20世纪90年代末网络富源之后还没有享受过这样的好日子。伦敦的律师行业一直享受着双位数增长速率的成绩，一方面对经济的成功贡献了自己的力量，另一方面也得益于经济成长。目前伦敦市一流的律师一年的薪水超过了200万英镑。

英国的顶尖律师事务所选择了不断扩大，走在世界前列，现在要比美国同类的事务所大一些。实际上，根据英国商业报纸《法律商业》的一项世界领先50家律师事务所的调查，世界领先的六家律师事务所（按营业额计算）有五家是英国事务所（算上英美合资的DLA Piper事务所）。但是就盈利能力来讲，他们却滞后了。不过目前这种情况正在改变。

伦敦五家“魔力圈”事务所（Clifford Chance, Slaughter and May, Allen & Overy, Linklaters and Freshfields）的利润近年来飞速上升，现在不能说超过，也可以说可以和纽约“白鞋子”精英相抗衡了。Slaughter and May是五家中唯一没有走向世界的事务所，目前已经成为全球50家第二高利润事务所。

不久前，一个伦敦的外科医生还有望和一个市律师挣得一样多。但是尽管最近医院会诊医生的收入有了大的涨幅，但和伦敦律师的工资涨幅比起来还是相形见拙。比如在Slaughter and May,去年PEP平均收入以275万美元为基数涨了1/3（以美元计算），这要比任何全球前50名律师事务所或美国的律师界工资都高，其PEP平均为280万美元和300万美元。当然一些资深律师收入更高。

争取最好律师的竞争是激烈的，挖角时有发生。因此，有必要保持名人的PEP数字上升，有时甚至以消灭股东为代价，从而将奖金的更大一部分留给剩下的人。Freshfields目前就正在裁减大约100名股东左右。其他领先的事务所也同样经历重组的痛苦。

新的资格律师也因寻找最好的天才，其工资大涨。Freshfields 和 Allen & Overy支付给他们第一年的律师工资为6万5千英镑，三年后升至9万英镑。（在美国顶尖律师事务所第一年律师工资为8万英镑。）

但是，正如伦敦许多其他顶尖的雇主所发现的，高工资并不意味着高满意度。根据本月初刊登在《律师》上的一项YouGov民意调查，英国律师有1/4（包括1/5的律师搭档）都想要离开这个行业。那些不满意的人抱怨几近极限的工作时间、激烈的竞争和最大事务所（拥有3000名以上雇工）的非人性化。那么他们为什么不放弃这个工作呢？因为工资，3/4的人这样回答。

第五篇

The animal dissection requirement of biology classes has been getting under the skin of students for generations, and there have always been some who asked to be excused from the requirement. Now, a growing number of technological alternatives are making it possible for students to swap that scalpel for a computer mouse. There are laws in nearly a dozen states—including California, Florida, New Jersey, and New York—protecting a student's choice to learn about animal anatomy sans scalpel. Some students choosing to opt out feel we should be kinder to our web-footed friends. Others are just queasy at the thought of rubbery frog bodies and the smell of formaldehyde.

\icky. There's a yuck factor,\member with the National Association of Biology Teachers. \weigh the benefits with the cost of students being offended to the point that it interferes with learning.\

Virtual blades. So for cases in which a real dissection would be too slimy, it's time to try some toad tech. While the first computer-based alternatives to dissection emerged in the 1980s, modern frog dissection software can be found at different websites. These software programs use creative clicking, high-powered zoom functions, and video clips to teach anatomy. Froguts software, for example, lets students trace incision lines with a computer mouse and snip through skin with a virtual blade. There are even sound effects like a \\one-year software license, though some organizations will lend programs out free of charge.)

Earlier this year, a graduate student from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver designed the first-ever haptic (the Greek word for \which uses a penlike tool to create a sensation similar to cutting into real flesh. The hand-held device connects to a computer, and students move the device through the air while watching the results of their actions on a computer screen.

With Digital Frog—a popular program that's had approximately 1,500 frog demo downloads since January and is currently in use in 2,000 schools—students can add or subtract those amphibious organs with a mere mouse click. They can then assess their learning with sporadic frog anatomy quizzes.

\over and over again is important,\research issues at the Humane Society of the United States. \animal's organs are all shriveled and discolored. You look for things and can't find them because body parts have changed drastically since the animal was killed. But on a computer screen, layers can be digitally peeled away.\experts think the dissection technology has its limits. Gerry Wheeler, executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, says that artificial simulations don't give as enriching an experience as the real thing. Still others worry the programs are depriving kids of experiential learning.

1. The word “swap” (Line 3, Paragraph ) most probably means_____. [A] exchange [B] throw away [C] reject [D] refuse

2. Some students ask to be excused from the requirement of biology classes because of the following reason except that_____.

[A] dissection consists of disgusting procedures and unpleasant smells.

[B] they are entitled to reject dissection requirement given the legal regulation [C] they are offended when fulfilling the requirements of animal dissection [D] they insist that people should treat animals more as friends instead of simply objects

3．Brian Shmaefsky’s statement implies that_____.

[A] he indeed supports the students’ animal protection movement [B] he thinks the animal dissection should be banned

[C] he thinks the animal dissection may not be good for students to learn biology effectively

[D] he always evaluate the teaching effect by weighing reluctant factors of cost and effect

4．Compared with the real dissection, the dissection on computer has the following advantages except_____.

[A] It has authentic sound effect like a “slish” or “shwoosh” .

[B] there is a sensation of always dealing with fresh and recognizable organs. [C] The process can be repeated so that students can gather better insight of the animal structure.

[D] Students can take quizzes with the software to evaluate the learning effect 5.The author’s attitude towards the toad tech can be said to be_____. [A] supportive [B] doubtful

[C] objective [D] biased

文章剖析：

这篇文章介绍了一种可以替代生物课解剖的电脑程序。第一段讲述传统解剖的弊端，引出解剖科技替代品；第二段是一位委员对传统解剖的看法；第三段讲述电脑解剖的效果；第四段、第五段介绍了两个电脑解剖程序；第六段讲述电脑解剖的优点和局限性。

词汇注释：

dissection n. 解剖 swap v. 交换

scalpel n. 解剖刀 queasy adj. 不安的，易恶心的 formaldehyde n. 甲醛 incision n. 切割，切口 icky adj.粘得讨厌的 yuck n. 讨厌

slimy adj. 粘糊糊的 toad n. 蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆 haptic adj.触觉的 demo n. 示范样品

amphibious adj. 两栖的 sporadic adj. 零星的，时有时无的 shrivel v.(使)起皱纹, (使)枯萎, (使)束手无策

难句突破：

(1) Earlier this year, a graduate student from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver designed the first-ever haptic (the Greek word for \dissection program, which uses a penlike tool to create a sensation similar to cutting into real flesh.

[主体句式] A graduate designed the program.

[结构分析] 这是一个简单句，earlier this year是做整个句子的状语，后面which 引导的菲限定性定语从句是用来修饰program的。

[句子译文] 在今年年初，温哥华西蒙·弗雷泽大学一位研究生设计出了第一个haptic（希腊词为“触觉”）青蛙解剖程序。这个程序用一种类似笔的工具创造出一种类似于切割真正皮肉的感觉。

(2) With Digital Frog—a popular program that's had approximately 1,500 frog demo downloads since January and is currently in use in 2,000

schools—students can add or subtract those amphibious organs with a mere mouse click.

[主体句式] Students can add or subtract…

[结构分析] 这是一个简单句，前面with Digital Frog是方式状语，破折号之间的是用来解释Digital Frog的，可以看作是同位语；破折号之间的这个成分中，that 引导的定语从句修饰program，这个从句是由两个并列的句子构成的，以and连接。

[句子译文] “电子青蛙”是一种很受欢迎的程序，自一月份以来有大约1500个青蛙示范样品下载，现在用于2000所学校。学生们只需用鼠标点击就可以加上或切除两栖器官。

题目分析：

1. The word “swap” (Line 3, Paragraph 1 ) most probably means_____. [A] exchange 1. “swap” (第一段第三行)最有可能的意思是_____。 [A] 交换

[B] throw away [C] reject [D] refuse [B] 抛弃 [C] 丢弃 [D] 拒绝 [答案]A [难度系数] ☆☆

[分析] 猜词题。上文提到，有一些学生要求不做这种解剖，那么现在有许多科技替代物使得这个成为现实，就是用计算机鼠标来替代解剖刀，下文也提到了用电脑程序来代替真正的用解剖刀进行的实验。因此，正确答案为A。

2. Some students ask to be excused from the requirement of biology classes because of the following reason except that_____. [A] dissection consists of disgusting procedures and unpleasant smells. [B] they are entitled to reject dissection requirement given the legal regulation [C] they are offended when fulfilling the requirement of animal dissection 2. 一些学生要求免于生物课的要求是因为除了选项_____外以下的原因。 [A]解剖的过程很恶心且气味难闻。 [B] 有相应法律允许他们拒绝修解剖课程。 [C] 他们在上动物解剖课时感觉受到自己受到了冒犯。 [D] they insist people should treat animals more as [D] 他们坚持认为人们对待动物应该更像朋友而friends instead of simply objects 不是客观物体。 [答案]B

[难度系数] ☆☆☆☆

[分析] 推理题。文章第一段提到，一些学生选择不做是因为他们感到应到对这种动物友好些，另外是因为想到青蛙的身体、闻到甲醛的味道就感到恶心。因此，答案A、D是原因，答案B并不是他们不愿意做解剖的原因，而是因为他们不愿意做才有了相关法律保护他们的这种权利。答案C包含了A和D两个选项。因此，答案为B。

3．Brian Shmaefsky’s statement implies that_____. 3. Brian Shmaefsky的话意味着_____。 [A] he indeed support the students’ animal protection movement. [B] he thinks the animal dissection should be banned [C] he thinks the animal dissection may not be good [C] 他认为动物解剖不一定有利于学生有效地学for students to learn biology effectively [D] he always evaluate the teaching effect by weighing relevant factors of cost and effect 习生物 [D] 他总是通过衡量相关的成本及产出等因素来衡量教学效果 [B] 他认为应当禁止动物解剖 [A] 他实际上支持学生们的保护动物运动 [答案]C

[难度系数] ☆☆☆

[分析] 推理题。Brian Shmaefsky的话分为两部分：解剖粘糊糊的，比较讨厌；老师应该衡量一下学生如果感觉到受到冒犯，甚至影响到了学习那就得不偿失了。前半句也是为后面的服务，又根据他是国家生物教师协会成员，那么应该是针对对学生学习，他觉得这种解剖有时会阻碍学生学习。答案C符合题意。答案D并不是他想要表达的意思；B他并没有表示出这一点来；而A选项在文章中则没有得到明确的体现。

4．Compared with the real dissection, the dissection on computer has the following advantages except_____. 4. 相对于真正的解剖，电脑解剖有以下的优点，但_____除外。 [A] It has authentic sound effect like a “slish” or [A] 它可以有真实的声音效果，如发出“嘶”“嗤”的声“shwoosh” . 音。 且[B] there is a sensation of always dealing with [B] 软件给人的感觉是这些动物器官都是新鲜的，fresh and recognizable organs. 易于辨认。 以便于学生们能够更加深入[C] The process can be repeated so that students [C] 解剖过程可以重复，can gather better insight of the animal structure. 地了解动物的结构。

[D] Students can take quizzes with the software [D] 学生可以用软件中的一些测验来评估他们的学to evaluate the learning effect 习效果。 [答案]A

[难度系数] ☆☆☆

[分析] 细节题。题目要求找出电脑解剖相对于传统解剖的优点所在，选项A是电脑模仿实际解剖的声音效果，而这种声音本身在实际解剖中也有存在，因此只是一种摹仿，并不是电脑的高超之处。B在文章第六段提到，说动物的器官都是枯萎的、没有颜色的。你想要找到什么，可是最终没能找到，因为动物被杀死后身体部分改变很大。但是在电脑屏幕上，身体每一层都可以电子式地剥下来。C在第六段也提到了，说可以重复，这样学生就可以复习。D在第五段中提到。因此，答案为A。

5.The author’s attitude towards the toad tech can 5. 作者对于这种解剖科技的态度可以说是be said to be_____. [A] supportive [B] doubtful [C] objective [D] biased _____。 [A] 支持的 [B] 怀疑的 [C] 客观的 [D] 有偏见的 [答案] A [难度系数] ☆

[分析] 态度题。在这篇文章中，作者介绍了生物课上解剖的替代物——电脑解剖程序，虽然在文章最后一段作者也提到了这种替代物的局限，但是整篇文章来看作者都是一种赞赏的态度，列举了这种方法的优点。因此，其态度是支持的，选A。

参考译文：

世世代代生物课上的动物解剖要求都是要割开皮肤，经常有人要求免于这种要求。目前，日益增多的科技替代品使得学生们可以用一个电脑鼠标来替代解剖刀。几乎十几个州中（包括

加利福尼亚州、佛罗里达州、新泽西州和纽约州）都有相关法律，保证学生可以选择不用解剖刀就可以学习动物解剖。一些选择不用解剖刀的学生认为我们对这些翼手的朋友也应该友善一些。而还有一些人一想到青蛙有弹性的身体和甲醛气味就感到恶心。

“解剖粘糊糊的，挺讨厌的。”国家生物教师联合会管理委员会委员布Brian Shmaefsky承认。老师必须得衡量一下学生感觉到被冒犯甚至影响到学习这个弊端。

虚拟刀片。因此如果真正的解剖太粘糊糊的话，那么是时候该试试一些蛤蟆科技了。第一种基于电脑的解剖替代品出现在20世纪80年代，而现代的青蛙解剖软件可以在许多不同的网站找到。这些软件程序用富有创意的点击、高性能的缩放功能以及视频片断来教授解剖。比如说 “青蛙内脏”软件可以让学生使用鼠标就可以顺着切口线用一把虚拟解剖刀切开青蛙皮肤。甚至还有声音效果，在划开青蛙身体时有“嘶”的一声，或是钉下皮肤组织时“嗤”的一声。（现在学校为软件一年的许可证支付300美元，而有的组织还免费借出程序。）

在今年年初，温哥华西蒙·弗雷泽大学一位研究生设计出了第一个haptic（希腊词为“触觉”）青蛙解剖程序。这个程序用一种类似笔的工具创造出一种类似于切割真正皮肉的感觉。这种手持工具连接到电脑，学生在空气中移动该工具，同时可以通过电脑屏幕可以观看他们动作的结果。

“电子青蛙”是一种很受欢迎的程序，自一月份以来有大约1500个青蛙示范样品下载，现在用于2000所学校。学生们只需用鼠标点击就可以加上或切除两栖器官，然后还可以不时用分散的青蛙解剖测试来检查自己学习的效果。

“重复是有帮助的，事实是学生可以一遍又一遍地回顾程序的各个部分，这是重要的。”美国保护动物协会动物研究事务副主任马丁·斯蒂芬斯这样说，“在解剖中，动物的器官都是枯萎的、没有颜色的。你想要找到什么，可是最终没能找到，因为动物被杀死后身体部分改变很大。但是在电脑屏幕上，身体每一层都可以电子式地剥下来。” 其他专家认为解剖技术有其局限性。国家科学教师协会执行理事格里·惠勒称虚拟演示并不能像真正解剖那样提供一种丰富的经验。也有其他人担心这些程序会剥夺孩子们的实践学习。

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