1996年硕士入学考试英语阅读真题附答案详解:TEXT4
日期:2014-07-11 15:24

(单词翻译:单击)

真题训练

What accounts for the great outburst of major inventions in early America — breakthroughs such as the telegraph, the steamboat and the weaving machine?
Among the many shaping factors, I would single out the country's excellent elementary schools; a labor force that welcomed the new technology; the practice of giving premiums to inventors; and above all the American genius for nonverbal, "spatial" thinking about things technological.
Why mention the elementary schools? Because thanks to these schools our early mechanics, especially in the New England and Middle Atlantic states, were generally literate and at home in arithmetic and in some aspects of geometry and trigonometry.
Acute foreign observers related American adaptiveness and inventiveness to this educational advantage. As a member of a British commission visiting here in 1853 reported, "With a mind prepared by thorough school discipline, the American boy develops rapidly into the skilled workman."
A further stimulus to invention came from the "premium" system, which preceded our patent system and for years ran parallel with it. This approach, originated abroad, offered inventors medals, cash prizes and other incentives.
In the United States, multitudes of premiums for new devices were awarded at country fairs and at the industrial fairs in major cities. Americans flocked to these fairs to admire the new machines and thus to renew their faith in the beneficence of technological advance.
Given this optimistic approach to technological innovation, the American worker took readily to that special kind of nonverbal thinking required in mechanical technology. As Eugene Ferguson has pointed out, "A technologist thinks about objects that cannot be reduced to unambiguous verbal descriptions; they are dealt with in his mind by a visual, nonverbal process.... The designer and the inventor... are able to assemble and manipulate in their minds devices that as yet do not exist."
This nonverbal "spatial" thinking can be just as creative as painting and writing. Robert Fulton once wrote, "The mechanic should sit down among levers, screws, wedges, wheels, etc, like a poet among the letters of the alphabet, considering them as exhibition of his thoughts, in which a new arrangement transmits a new idea."
When all these shaping forces — schools, open attitudes, the premium system, a genius for spatial thinking — interacted with one another on the rich US mainland, they produced that American characteristic emulation. Today that word implies mere imitation. But in earlier times it meant a friendly but competitive striving for fame and excellence.

63. According to the author, the great outburst of major inventions in early America was in a large part due to ________.
[A] elementary schools
[B] enthusiastic workers
[C] the attractive premium system
[D] a special way of thinking

64. It is implied that adaptiveness and inventiveness of the early American mechanics ________.
[A] benefited a lot from their mathematical knowledge
[B] shed light on disciplined school management
[C] was brought about by privileged home training
[D] owed a lot to the technological development

65. A technologist can be compared to an artist because ________.
[A] they are both winners of awards
[B] they are both experts in spatial thinking
[C] they both abandon verbal description
[D] they both use various instruments

66. The best title for this passage might be ________.
[A] Inventive Mind
[B] Effective Schooling
[C] Ways of Thinking
[D] Outpouring of Inventions
难句解析

难句解析:
①Among the many shaping factors, I would single out the country's excellent elementary schools; a labor force that welcomed the new technology; the practice of giving premiums to inventors; and above all the American genius for nonverbal, "spatial" thinking about things technological.
▲句首是介词词组among the many shaping factors作状语,谓语动词would single out后面用分号隔开的各个部分都是名词性的词组,这些词组都是single out的宾语。a labor force that welcomed the new technology中that引导定语从句,修饰前面的labor force。最后的形容词technological是后置定语,修饰前面的things。
△single out后面列举的各种因素都属于shaping factors,但是是作者认为比较重要的因素,其中要注意在最后一个因素前面加的修饰词组above all用来强调American genius for nonverbal, "spatial" thinking about things technological其实是要比其它因素更重要的,在阅读中一定要注意这一点。
②Acute foreign observers related American adaptiveness and inventiveness to this educational advantage.
▲这句话是比较容易理解的简单句。句子主干结构是observers related A to B。
△关键是理解relate... to的用法:把……和……联系起来。
③A further stimulus to invention came from the "premium" system, which preceded our patent system and for years ran parallel with it.
▲这是一个主从复合句,句子的主干结构是... stimulus came from...,其中逗号后的which引导了一个非限定性定语从句,修饰前面的"premium" system。句末的it指代前面的patent system。定语从句中,and连接了两个并列的谓语动词:preceded和ran。
△关键要明白,定语从句中which指代前面的"premium" system,是谓语动词preceded和ran的动作发出者。parallel:平行的,这里ran parallel with意思是两种制度都在运作。
④Americans flocked to these fairs to admire the new machines and thus to renew their faith in the beneficence of technological advance.
▲句子的主干结构是Americans flocked to these fairs...,后面的动词不定式to admire and thus to renew都是表明flocked的目的的,作状语。
△句子的结构比较简单,关键是理解几个动词的层次关系:... flocked to admire... and renew...。thus是副词,“因而”的意思。另外,renew their faith应该理解为“进一步加深其信仰”。
⑤As Eugene Ferguson has pointed out, "A technologist thinks about objects that cannot be reduced to unambiguous verbal descriptions; they are dealt with in his mind by a visual, nonverbal process.... The designer and the inventor... are able to assemble and manipulate in their minds devices that as yet do not exist."
▲句子的主体部分是直接引语部分。直接引语中有两个句子。第一个句子中是分号连接的两个并列句。第一个分句的主体结构是A technologist thinks about objects...,其中that引导了定语从句:that cannot be reduced to unambiguous verbal descriptions,修饰前面的objects。第二个分句中使用了被动语态,主语they指代前面的objects。第二个句子中,that引导定语that as yet do not exist修饰前面的devices。
△注意reduce... to的用法:reduce to这里的意思是“简化为,归纳为”;另外应该注意as yet的用法:as yet的意思是“指导此时,指导目前为止”,用在否定句和疑问句当中。
⑥Robert Fulton once wrote, "The mechanic should sit down among levers, screws, wedges, wheels, etc., like a poet among the letters of the alphabet, considering them as an exhibition of his thoughts, in which a new arrangement transmits a new idea."
▲句子的结构是Robert Fulton wrote+直接引语。直接引语中,句子的主干部分是The mechanic should sit down...。like在这里是连词,意思是“in the same way as,如同,同样”,这里是构成比较。like a poet后面省略了和前面句子一样的谓语部分:should sit down。considering them as an exhibition of his thoughts是现在分词作状语,表示伴随动作,其中them指代前面的letters。后面的which引导定语从句in which a new arrangement transmits a new idea修饰前面的exhibition。
△理解这个句子的关键是理解like作为连词的用法。而且要明白which指代的是exhibition而不是thoughts,因为of词组an exhibition of his thoughts中的中心词是exhibition。

试题解析

试题解析:
63. [D] 在作者看来,美国早期出现的发明创造热是由几个因素共同促成的,但是,在这些因素中,美国人在思考技术问题时所表现出的非语言的(指:无法用语言表达的)“空间”思维能力起了最大的作用。参阅第二段,持别注意本段中above all的使用。在文章最后三段,作者又对这种持殊的思维方式进行了进一步的、重点的说明。
A意为:小学。
B意为:充满热情的工人们。
C意为:吸引人的奖励制度。
[A]、[B]、[C]所谈的内容都是促成美国早期的发明创造热的因素,但都不是主要因素。
64. [A]
第三段指出,由于这些学校的存在,我们的技工们基本上都识文断字、熟知算术及某些几何学与三角学知识。可见,早期美国技工的适应能力与创造能力在很大程度上得益于数学知识。第四段对此进行了进一步说明。
B意为:解释了学校管理的严格性。
C意为:产生于优越的家庭训练。
D意为:在很大程度上归功于技术的发展。
65. [B]
第八段指出,这种非语言的“空间”思维在创造力方面可以与绘画和写作相比。正如Fulton所指出的:“正像诗人坐在字母中一样,技工应该坐在杠杆、螺钉、楔子、轮子等中间,把它们看作自己思想的展现。在这个展现过程中,每一个新的排列方式都传达一种新的思路。”可见,进行形象的空间思维是这两种人的共同特征。
A意为:他们都是获奖者。
C意为:他们都放弃了语言的描述。善于进行非语言的空间思维不等于说放弃语言的表达。
D意为:他们都使用各式各样的工具。
66. [A] 意为:创造精神。
文章第一、二段是自问自答,提出了本文旨在论证的问题;第三、四段指出了教育的影响;第五、六段指出了奖励制度带来的鼓励的影响;第七、八段探讨了早期美国人特有的思维方式所起的决定性作用。最后一段是全文的总结。可见,本文主要探讨了早期美国人的创造热情及其根源。
B意为:有效的教育。
C意为:思维方式。
D意为:发明热。
可见,[B]、[C]、[D]都太抽象而且片面。
全文翻译

全文翻译:
在早期美国,像电报、汽船和织布机这样重大的发明突破纷涌而出,这是什么原因呢?
在诸多形成因素中,我想特别指出这个国家优异的小学教育;欢迎新技术的劳动大军;对发明者进行奖励的做法;尤其是美国人在处理技术性事物所具有的非语言的空间思维才能。
为什么要提小学教育?正是因为有了这些学校,我们的早期技工才普遍能读会写,并精通算术及部分几何和三角,这种情况在新英格兰和大西洋中部各州尤为可见。
目光敏锐的外国观察家把美国人的适应能力和创新能力与这种教育优势联系起来。正如1853年访美的一个英国访问团成员所报道的那样,“由于有了学校彻底训练过的头脑,美国孩子迅速地成为技术熟练的工人。”
推动发明的另一刺激因素来自“奖赏”制度,它产生于我们的专利制度之前,且多年来与后者一同实施。这种做法来自国外,为发明者颁发奖章、奖金和其他奖励。
在美国,大量奖励新发明的奖品在乡村集市和大城市的工业博览会上颁发。美国人纷纷涌向这些集市和博览会去欣赏新机械,因而更加坚信技术进步会造福人类。
有了这种对技术革新的乐观态度,美国工人很快便习惯了机械技术需要的那种特别的非语言的思维方式。正如尤金•弗格森曾指出的:“技术人员思考那些不能被简化成功用明确的语言进行描述的物体;这些物体在他的头脑中以视觉性的、非语言性的方式被处理加工……设计者和发明者……能把那些尚不存在的机械在头脑中组装和操作。”
这种非语言的空间思维方式与绘画和写作一样具有创意。罗伯特•法欧曾写道:“技术人员坐在杠杆、螺钉、楔子、轮子等中间,如同一位诗人处在词汇之中,应该把它们看做是自己思想的一种表达,每一个新的组合都能传达一个新的意念。”
当所有这些成因——学校、开放的态度、奖赏制度及空间思维天赋在美国大陆上相互作用时,便造就了美国人的特点——竞争。今天这个词仅表示“模仿”(取其仿效之意),而在早期美国,它却意味着为名誉和优秀而进行友好、竞争的拼搏。

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重点单词
  • inventionn. 发明,发明物,虚构,虚构物
  • manipulatevt. 操纵,操作,控制,利用,(巧妙地)处理,篡改
  • arrangementn. 安排,商议,整理,布置,商定,[音]改编,改编曲
  • creativeadj. 创造性的
  • relatedadj. 相关的,有亲属关系的
  • enthusiasticadj. 热情的,热心的
  • mechanicsn. 力学,机械学,(技术的,操作的)过程,手法
  • thoroughadj. 彻底的,完全的,详尽的,精心的
  • renewv. 更新,重新开始
  • acuteadj. 敏锐的,剧烈的