真题训练

1998 Passage 4
Emerging from the 1980 census is the picture of a nation developing more and more regional competition, as population growth in the Northeast and Midwest reaches a near standstill.
This development — and its strong implications for US politics and economy in years ahead — has enthroned the South as America's most densely populated region for the first time in the history of the nation's head counting.
Altogether, the US population rose in the 1970s by 23.2 million people — numerically the third-largest growth ever recorded in a single decade. Even so, that gain adds up to only 11.4 percent, lowest in American annual records except for the Depression years.
Americans have been migrating south and west in larger numbers since World War II, and the pattern still prevails.
Three sun-belt states — Florida, Texas and California — together had nearly 10 million more people in 1980 than a decade earlier. Among large cities, San Diego moved from 14th to 8th and San Antonio form 15th to 10th — with Cleveland and Washington DC dropping out of the top 10.
Not all that shift can be attributed to the movement out of the snow belt, census officials say. Nonstop waves of immigrants played a role, too — and so did bigger crops of babies as yesterday's "baby boom" generation reached its child-bearing years.
Moreover, demographers see the continuing shift south and west as joined by a related but newer phenomenon: More and more, Americans apparently are looking not just for places with more jobs but with fewer people, too. Some instances —
● Regionally, the Rocky Mountain states reported the most rapid growth rate — 37.1 percent since 1970 in a vast area with only 5 percent of the US population.
● Among states, Nevada and Arizona grew fastest of all: 63.5 and 53.1 percent respectively. Except for Florida and Texas, the top 10 in rate of growth is composed of Western states with 7.5 million people — about 9 per square mile.
The flight from overcrowdedness affects the migration from snow belt to more bearable climates.
Nowhere do 1980 census statistics dramatize more the American search for spacious living than in the Far West. There, California added 3.7 million to its population in the 1970s, more than any other state.
In that decade, however, large numbers also migrated from California, mostly to other parts of the West. Often they choose — and still are choosing — somewhat colder climates such as Oregon, Idaho and Alaska in order to escape smog, crime and other plagues of urbanization in the Golden State.
As a result, California's growth rate dropped during the 1970s, to 18.5 percent — little more than two-thirds the 1960s' growth figure and considerably below that of other Western states.

63. Discerned from the perplexing picture of population growth the 1980 census provided, America in 1970s ________.
[A] enjoyed the lowest net growth of population in history
[B] witnessed a southwestern shift of population
[C] underwent an unparalleled period of population growth
[D] brought to a standstill its pattern of migration since World War II

64. The census distinguished itself from previous studies on population movement in that ________.
[A] it stresses the climatic influence on population distribution
[B] it highlights the contribution of continuous waves of immigrants
[C] it reveals the Americans' new pursuit of spacious living
[D] it elaborates the delayed effects of yesterday's "baby boom"

65. We can see from the available statistics that ________.
[A] California was once the most thinly populated area in the whole US
[B] the top 10 states in growth rate of population were all located in the West
[C] cities with better climates benefited unanimously from migration
[D] Arizona ranked second of all states in its growth rate of population

66. The word "demographers" (line 1, paragraph 7) most probably means ________.
[A] people in favor of the trend of democracy
[B] advocates of migration between states
[C] scientists engaged in the study of population
[D] conservatives clinging to old patterns of life
难句解析

难句解析：
①Emerging from the 1980 census is the picture of a nation developing more and more regional competition, as population growth in the Northeast and Midwest reaches a near standstill.
▲这是主从复合句，逗号前面是主句，是个倒装句，主干句其实是The picture is emerging from the 1988 census。倒装的原因是这个句子的主语the picture后面有一个of引导的很长的修饰成分，其中nation后面跟随的分词短语表述了nation的某种状态；逗号后面是as引导的从句表示伴随，基本结构是population growth reaches a standstill。
△认识到第一个分句的倒装构成，nation后面的分词结构是对nation的表述；再者就是要搞清楚两个分句之间并列转折的关系。
②This development — and its strong implication for US politics and economy in years ahead — has enthroned the South as America's most densely populated region for the first time in the history of the nation's head counting.
▲首先不看破折号之间的内容，找出这个句子的主干：This development has enthroned the South as region。再看各个部分的修饰成分：主语后面的破折号之间是对主语的补充，即this development产生的另一种暗示，注意其中介词for和in的用法；然后看region后面的状语for the first time in the history（有史以来第一次）。
△注意破折号之间的插入部分在意义上是主语的补充部分；enthrone和head counting对这个句子的理解很关键。注意head counting是census通俗的说法。
③Nonstop waves of immigrants played a role, too — and so did bigger crops of babies as yesterday's "baby boom" generation reached its child-bearing years.
▲这是由两个分句组成的并列句，只不过第二个分句简化了一下。第一个分句很简单，主干是immigrants played a role。主语immigrants前面是其修饰成分。第二个分句是个主从复合句，主句是倒装形式，还原过来应该是Bigger crops of babies also played a role。因为前面已经提到了played a role，为了简洁，用so前导，后跟助动词did加主语就可以了；as引导了一个原因状语从句，指出这种情况发生的社会原因。
△关键是要理解破折号后面倒装句的构成与意义，这样就会明白这个句子要说明的就是影响人口增长的两个原因：immigrants和bigger crops of babies，crop在这里是“大量，大批”的意思。
④Often they choose — and still are choosing — somewhat colder climates such as Oregon, Idaho and Alaska in order to escape smog, crime and other plagues of urbanization in the Golden State.
▲我们先来分析这个单句的主干结构：They choose and are still choosing colder climates in order to escape...。注意破折号之间是谓语动词的补充，表示另一种时间状态。在climates后面跟的是such as引导的三个州名，列举的是较为寒冷的几个州；后面是一个由in order to引导的表示目的的短语，其中escape的宾语有三个：smog，crime and other plagues，of短语修饰plagues，说明plagues发生的原因。
△在时态上注意同一个谓语动词choose的两种时态，表示的两个时间概念；短语the Golden State是美国加利福尼亚州的别称。
⑤As a result, California's growth rate dropped during the 1970's, to 18.5 percent — little more than two thirds the 1960's growth figure and considerably below that of other Western states.
▲这个句子的结构是由数字的比较构成。第一处在于dropped to 18.5％（下降到了18.5％），不要理解成下降了18.5％；再一个是two thirds the 1960's growth figure，指的是60年代生长率的三分之二；below后面的that代替的是growth rate，目的是与其它西部各州相比较。
△对数字的理解是这个句子的关键，注意其中比较的是70年代与60年代、加州与西部其它各州的生长率。
试题解析

试题解析：
63. [B] 意为：人口向西南部迁移。
第二段指出，这一变化对美国未来几年(in years ahead)的政治和经济都有很大影响，同时，在人口统计史上，美国南部第一次成为人口最稠密的地区；第四段指出，自第二次世界大战以来，美国人一直有南迁和西迁的趋向，现在还是如此(and the pattern prevails)，所谓西迁，主要是指向位于西南部的加利弗尼亚州迁移（见第五、九段）；另外，本文所提到的人口增长速度较快的加利弗尼亚、亚利桑那、内华达等州都在美国西南部。
A意为：是历史上人口净增长最低的十年。第二段指出，70年代，美国共增长了2320万人，从增长数量上来看，该年代增长幅度居于有史以来第三高位；但这一数字仅为总人口的11.4％，除了大萧条时代以外，这是美国有史最低的。
C意为：是有史以来人口增长最快的十年。
D意为：自第二次世界大战以来的迁移趋向告一段落。参阅第四段。
64. [C] 意为：它显示了美国人寻求宽阔的生活空间的新倾向。
第七段指出，除了继续的南迁和西迁趋向外，人口统计学家还发现了一个相关的新现象：美国人迁移的目的不仅是寻找工作，而是越来越明显地寻找人口稀少的地区居住；第八段指出，离开拥挤的地区同时也改变了过去美国人一味逃离寒带、迁向气候温和地带(more-bearable climates)的做法；第九段也指出，1980年的统计最清楚地表明：美国人迁向最西部地区，是因为他们想寻找宽阔的生存空间(spacious living)。
A意为；它强调了气候对人口分布的影响。参考第八段。第六段第一句也指出，统计官员们说：并非所有的迁移都是因为想脱离寒带。
B意为：它强调了不断的移民热对人口增长的影响。第六段第二句指出，不断的移民热潮(nonstop waves of immigrants)也起了一定作用，另外还有出生率的增长，因为上一轮“出生高潮”(baby boom)出生的一代已经到了生育期。这里虽然提到了移民因素的影响，但作者并未强调它的作用。
D意为：它（详细地）说明了上一轮“出生高潮”的后期效果。
65. [D] 意为：在所有州中，亚利桑那州的人口增长率名列第二。
第七段第二句指出，在所有州中，内华达州和亚利桑那州人口增长最多，分别为63.5％和53.1％。
A意为；加利弗尼亚州曾经是美国人口最稀少的州。
B意为：人口增长最快的十个州全在西部。第七段第二句指出，除了佛罗里达州（位于东南部）和得克萨斯州（位于中部）以外，人口增长速度最快的前十个州都在美国西部，人口750万，每平方英里约9人。
C意为：气候好的城市普遍受益于人口的迁移。
66. [C] 意为：研究人口的科学家。
该词意为：人口统计学家。
A意为：支持民主运动的人。
B意为：主张州际迁移的人。
D意为：坚持旧生活模式的保守分子。
全文翻译

全文翻译：
1980年美国人口普查显示出这样一幅图像：随着东北部和中西部人口增长近乎停止，地区间的竞争越来越激烈了。
这一发展——以及它对今后几年美国政治和经济的强大影响——使南部在美国人口普查史上第一次成为人口最密集的地区。
20世纪70年代，美国人口总共增长了2320万——从数字上看，这是有纪录以来10年期人口增长的第三高峰。即使如此，人口总数也只增加了11.4％，除了大萧条时期，这是美国年度记录最低的增长率。
第二次世界大战以来，美国人大量向南部和西部迁移，而且这种趋势如今仍很盛行。
佛罗里达、得克萨斯和加利福尼亚这三个阳光充沛的地区，1980年的人口比前10年增加了近1000万。在大城市排行榜上，圣地亚哥从第14位上升到第8位，圣安东尼奥从第15位升到第10位，而克利夫兰和华盛顿特区却被挤出了前10位。
普查官员说，并非所有这些人口迁移都是为了离开寒冷地带。不断涌入的移民潮，还有以前“生育高峰”出生的那些孩子也已到了生育年龄，这些都发挥着作用。
而且，人口学家发现，向南部和向西部的不断迁移还伴随着一种相关却又较新的现象：越来越多的美国人显然不再仅仅寻找有更多工作机会的地方，也在寻找人口稀少的地方。例证如下：
从区域上看，洛基山脉各州上报了自1970年以来最高的人口增长率——37.1％，而以前这片广阔的土地上的人口仅占美国总人口的5％。
从各州情况看，内华达和亚利桑那是增长最快的两个州：其增长率分别为63.5％和53.1％。除了佛罗里达州和得克萨斯州外，处于人口增长率前10位的都是西部各州，共有750万人——每平方英里约9个人。
离开人口过度稠密区的做法影响了以前那种离开寒冷地带去气候宜人之地的趋势。
没有哪次调查比1980年美国人口普查更能突出显示美国人迁往最西部是为了找到更广阔的生存空间。正因为如此，加利福尼亚州在70年代人口增加了370万，比其他任何州都多。
70年代也有大量的人离开加利福尼亚，大多数去了西部其他的地方。他们常常选择——现在依然这样选择——一些气候较冷的地区，如俄勒冈、爱达荷和阿拉斯加，为的是躲开“金州”加利福尼亚）的烟雾、犯罪和其他城市化进程中的问题。
结果，加利福尼亚的人口增长率在70年代降到了18.5％——略高于60年代增长率的2/3，但大大低于西部其他各州。