考研英语阅读文章
考研是个漫长的过程,途中风风雨雨,荆棘丛生,要走完这段路,需要的是坚持,需要的是不断的从堕落中重生,从放松中觉醒!下面给大家准备了考研英语阅读的文章,大家一起来看一下吧!
考研英语阅读文章1
He emerged, all of a sudden, in 1957: the most explosive new poetic talent of the English post-war era. Poetry specialised, at that moment, in the wry chronicling of the everyday. The poetry of Yorkshire-born Ted Hughes, first published in a book called "The Hawk in the Rain" when he was 27, was unlike anything written by his immediate predecessors. Driven by an almost Jacobean rhetoric, it had a visionary fervour. Its most eye-catching characteristic was Hughes’s ability to get beneath the skins of animals: foxes, otters, pigs. These animals were the real thing all right, but they were also armorial devices-symbols of the countryside and lifeblood of the earth in which they were rooted. It gave his work a raw, primal stink.
It was not only England that thought so either. Hughes’s book was also published in America, where it won the Galbraith prize, a major literary award. But then, in 1963, Sylvia Plath, a young American poet whom he had first met at Cambridge University in 1956, and who became his wife in the summer of that year, committed suicide. Hughes was vilified for long after that, especially by feminists in America. In 1998, the year he died, Hughes broke his own self-imposed public silence about their relationship in a book of loose-weave poems called "Birthday Letters".In this new and exhilarating collection of real letters, Hughes returns to the issue of his first wife’s death, which he calls his "big and unmanageable event". He felt his talent muffled by the perpetual eavesdropping upon his every move. Not until he decided to publish his own account of their relationship did the burden begin to lighten.
The analysis is raw, pained and ruthlessly self-aware. For all the moral torment, the writing itself has the same rush and vigour that possessed Hughes’s early poetry. Some books of letters serve as a personalised historical chronicle. Poets’ letters are seldom like that, and Hughes’s are no exception. His are about a life of literary engagement: almost all of them include some musing on the state or the nature of writing, both Hughes’s own or other people’s. The trajectory of Hughes’s literary career had him moving from obscurity to fame, and then, in the eyes of many, to life-long notoriety. These letters are filled with his wrestling with the consequences of being the part-private, part-public creature that he became, desperate to devote himself to his writing, and yet subject to endless invasions of his privacy.
Hughes is an absorbing and intricate commentator upon his own poetry, even when he is standing back from it and good-humouredly condemning himself for "its fantasticalia, its pretticisms and its infinite verballifications". He also believed, from first to last, that poetry had a special place in the education of children. "What kids need", he wrote in a 1988 letter to the secretary of state for education in the Conservative government, "is a headfull [sic] of songs that are not songs but blocks of refined and achieved and exemplary language." When that happens, children have "the guardian angel installed behind the tongue". Lucky readers, big or small.
1.The poetry of Hughes’s forerunners is characteristic of ______
[A] its natural, crude flavor.
[B] its distorted depiction of people’s daily life.
[C] its penetrating sight.
[D] its fantastical enthusiasm.
2.The word "vilified" most probably means _____
[A] tortured
[B] harassed
[C] scolded
[D] tormented
3.According to the third paragraph, Hughes’s collection of letters are _____
[A] personal recollection of his life.
[B] personalised historical chronicle of his literary engagement.
[C] reflections of his struggle with his devotion and the reality.
[D] his meditation on the literary world.
4. From the letters, we may find the cause of Hughes’s internal struggle is _____
[A] his devotion to the literary world.
[B] that he is a part-private, part-public creature.
[C] that he is constrained by the fear of his privacy being invaded.
[D] his fame and notoriety.
5. By "lucky readers" in the last sentence, the author means_____
[A] children who read poetry.
[B] children who have a headfull of songs.
[C] children who own blocks of refined and achieved and exemplary language.
[D] children who have the guardian angel installed behind the tongue
篇章剖析:
本文讲述了英国著名诗人特德·休斯作品的特点和其所反映的诗人的一些情况。第一段讲述休斯诗歌的特色;第二段讲述因其妻子的原因而创作了一部书信集的情况。第三段讲述这本书信集的特点和反映的内容。第四段讲述休斯对诗歌的看法和态度。
词汇注释:
wry adj. 枯燥乏味的
predecessorn.前辈, 前任
rhetoric n. 浮夸与修饰
fervour n.热情
armorial adj.徽章的, 家徽的
lifeblood n. 生命力或生命之源的力量
stink n. 气息,气味
vilifie vt.诽谤, 辱骂, 贬低, 轻视
muffle vt.压抑;阻止
eavesdropping n.偷听
trajectory n. 道路选择好的或采用的路径:
notoriety n.恶名, 丑名, 声名狼藉
absorbing adj.吸引人的, 非常有趣的
难句突破:
(1)But then, in 1963, Sylvia Plath, a young American poet whom he had first met at Cambridge University in 1956, and who became his wife in the summer of that year, committed suicide.
主体句式:But then Sylvia Plath committed suicide.
结构分析:这是一个同位语带有定语从句的复合句。whom和who引导的两个定语从句修饰a young American poet, 整体作为Sylvia Plath的同位语。
句子译文:但是在1963年,西尔维亚·普拉斯自杀了,这个美国年轻诗人与他第一次见面是在1956年的剑桥大学,而当年夏天又成为了他妻子。
(2)These letters are filled with his wrestling with the consequences of being the part-private, part-public creature that he became, desperate to devote himself to his writing, and yet subject to endless invasions of his privacy.
主体句式:These letters are filled with his wrestling.
结构分析:这是一个简单句,难点在于最后两个形容词词组的成分(desperate to devote himself to his writing, and yet subject to endless invasions of his privacy)。这两个形容词词组是用来修饰前面的名词creature, 而creature后面紧跟着的that 引导的从句也是修饰它的.定语从句。
句子译文:这些信中处处都显现出休斯因为自己成为半私人、半公开这么样一个人物而心理反复挣扎,他渴望将自己奉献给文字,但又时时受到私人空间受到侵袭的威胁。
题目分析
1.The poetry of Hughes’s forerunners is characteristic of ______休斯先前的诗人们创作的诗歌特点是______
[A] its natural, crude flavor.[A] 自然、原始的风味。
[B] its distorted depiction of people’s daily life.[B] 对人们日常生活的变形描写。
[C] its penetrating sight.[C] 洞穿一切的视角。
[D] its fantastical enthusiasm.[D] 梦幻式的热情。
[答案] B
[分析] 细节题。本文第一段讲述了休斯诗歌的特点。第一段第二句说明了当时盛行的诗歌的特色是the wry chronicling of the everyday,紧接着第三句就指出休斯的作品不同于他前辈的诗歌,接下来的几句都是讲述休斯作品具体是什么特色。由此可以推理,第二句所描写的就是其前人作品的特点,是"对日常生活的变形描述",选项B为正确答案。
2.The word "vilified" most probably means _____ "vilified"这个词(第二段第三行)最有可能的意思是_____
[A] tortured[A] 折磨。
[B] harassed[B] 骚扰。
[C] scolded[C] 斥责。
[D] tormented[D] 折磨。
[答案] C
[分析] 猜词题。这个词的意思要根据上下文推断。该词出现的前一句讲述休斯妻子,一位美国诗人自杀。紧接着就说,该事件发生后很长一段时间里美国的女权主义者对休斯采取了一种行动。后面又讲述了休斯在去世之前将他与妻子的关系情况以书信集的方式表达出来,直到这本集子出版他的背负才得以减?一种精神上的谴责,答案[C]最为符合。
3.According to the third paragraph, Hughes’s collection of letters are _____从第三段可以得知,休斯的书信集是_____
[A] personal recollection of his life.[A] 他对自己生命的个人回忆。
[B] personalised historical chronicle of his literary engagement.[B] 他文学生涯的个人事件的历时纪录。
[C] reflections of his struggle with his devotion and the reality.[C] 他在信仰与现实间挣扎的反映。
[D] his meditation on the literary world.[D] 他对文学世界的思考。
[答案]D
[分析]推理题。根据文章第三段,休斯的这本书信集和一般书信集不同,不是将自己的经历做一陈述,而是所有书信都包含有对自己或对别人作品的思考,是他文学思想的一个展示。最后一句是说从这些书信中可以看出他为是要完全展示在作品中还是要维护个人隐私而苦苦挣扎过。从这些描述可以看出,该书信集主要是他文学观点的一些表述,从中可以看出他的思想发展历程,因此答案D最符合。
4. From the letters, we may find the cause of Hughes’s internal struggle is _____由休斯书信的内容可以看出休斯内心挣扎的原因在于_____
[A] his devotion to the literary world.[A] 他全心奉献给了文学世界。
[B] that he is a part-private, part-public creature.[B] 他是一个半隐密、半公开的人物。
[C] that he is constrained by the fear of his privacy being invaded in his literary engagement.[C] 他在文学创作中担心自己的私人世界受到侵犯。
[D] his fame and notoriety.[D] 他的名声以及后来的败落。
[答案]C
[分析] 细节题。题干是要求找出休斯内心挣扎的原因,这在第三段最后一句中有提及。文章指出书信中处处都体现了休斯和自己半隐密、半公开这么一个身份进行斗争的印迹,一方面他想在创作中完全投入,但又担心自己隐私会受到侵害。可以看出,休斯之所以内心挣扎,是由于他自己一面想要在作品中公开自己,而在现实中又想保护自己的隐私,因此答案C最为符合。
5. By "lucky readers" in the last sentence, the author means_____在文章最后一句话中的"幸运的读者",作者指的是_____。
[A] children who read poetry.[A] 读诗的孩子。
[B] children who have a headfull of songs.[B] 脑子里有许多歌的孩子。
[C] children who own blocks of refined and achieved and exemplary language.[C] 拥有精致、优雅的语言的孩子。
[D] children who have the guardian angel installed behind the tongue.[D] 舌头后面有守卫天使的孩子。
[答案]A
[分析] 细节题。理解这句话需要结合上下文来看,文章最后一段主要是讲述休斯认为诗歌在孩子教育方面发挥特殊的作用,他认为孩子需要的是诗歌,是精致、完美的语言,如果真的拥有这些了,那么孩子舌头后面就有了守卫天使,那他们就是幸运的读者了。虽然四个答案都仿佛正确,但从最根本的来说,是因为读诗,孩子才会拥有以上所说得一切,才是幸运的,而且本段也着重强调诗歌对于孩子的重要性。因此,最佳答案为A。
参考译文:
1957年,他横空出世,成为英国战后最具爆炸性的诗坛天才。当时,诗歌主要题材是日常生活的扭曲纪录。但出生在约克郡的特德·休斯的作品却与其前辈大相径庭,他27岁时在名为《雨中的鹰》一书中发表了第一首诗。
受詹姆士一世风格的影响,其诗歌呈现出幻觉式的激情,最显著的特点是休斯可以描述动物外表下面的东西,无论是狐狸、水獭还是猪。这些动物的确是真实的,但同时又是标志性的,代表着乡村,代表着它们植根的地球的生命之源。正是这一点赋予了其作品一种野性、原始的气息。
这一点不仅仅在英国得以认同。休斯的书也在美国出版,并且赢得了一项重要的文学奖--加尔布雷思奖。但是在1963年,西尔维亚·普拉斯自杀了,这个美国年轻诗人与他第一次见面是在1956年的剑桥大学,而当年夏天又成为了他妻子。这之后很长时间里休斯都受到人们的谴责,尤其是美国的女权主义者。1998 年,也就是休斯去世的那一年,他在自己一本名为《生日信札》的结构松散的诗集中公开了他俩的关系,打破了他自己一直以来的缄默。在这本令人兴奋的新书信集中,休斯回忆了他第一个妻子的死,"难以处理的大事情"--他这样形容。他感觉自己的一举一动都受到监视,他的天赋因而受到了制约。直到他出版了自己的这本有关他们关系的书时,他身上的负担才得以减轻。
他的剖析自然、饱含痛苦,具有强烈的自我意识。尽管书中极尽表达了其精神的苦痛,但文字本身却具有休斯早期诗歌的激情和活力。一些书信集只是个人的经历记录而已,但是诗人的书信集却不同,休斯也不例外。他的书信集描写了其文学生涯:几乎所有的书信都有关于写作状态或写作性质的思考,有他自己,也有别人的。休斯的文学生命轨迹是从无名到闻名,而后,在众人看来又经历了漫长的名誉扫地的阶段。这些信中处处都显现出休斯和自己成为半私人、半公开人物这样一个结果而心理反复挣扎,他渴望将自己奉献给文字,但又时时受到私人空间受到侵袭的威胁。
有意思而且令人费解的是,休斯还对自己诗歌进行评论,他甚至还以局外人的身份来看待自己的作品,很幽默地批评自己"诗歌有空想色彩、唯美化且一直咬文嚼字 "。他还从始至终坚信诗歌在教育孩子方面有特殊的作用。1988年他在给保守*政府国家***长得一封信中这样写道:"孩子们需要的是满脑子的歌曲,其实不是歌曲,而是精致、优秀、具有代表性的语言。"如果真能这样,那么孩子们"舌头后面就会有守卫天使"了。
考研英语阅读文章2
People often complain that plastics are too durable. Water bottles, shopping bags, and other trash litter the planet, from Mount Everest to the Mariana Trench, because plastics are everywhere and don’t break down easily. But some plastic materials change over time. They crack and frizzle. They “weep” out additives. They melt into sludge. All of which creates huge headaches for institutions, such as museums, trying to preserve culturally important objects. The variety of plastic objects at risk is dizzying: early radios, avant-garde sculptures, celluloid animation stills from Disney films, the first artificial heart.
Certain artifacts are especially vulnerable because some pioneers in plastic art didn’t always know how to mix ingredients properly, says Thea van Oosten, a polymer chemist who, until retiring a few years ago, worked for decades at the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands. “It’s like baking a cake: If you don’t have exact amounts, it goes wrong,” she says. “The object you make is already a time bomb.”
And sometimes, it’s not the artist’s fault. In the 1960s, the Italian artist Piero Gilardi began to create hundreds of bright, colorful foam pieces. Those pieces included small beds of roses and other items as well as a few dozen “nature carpets”—large rectangles decorated with foam pumpkins, cabbages, and watermelons. He wanted viewers to walk around on the carpets—which meant they had to be durable.
Unfortunately, the polyurethane foam he used is inherently unstable. It’s especially vulnerable to light damage, and by the mid-1990s, Gilardi’s pumpkins, roses, and other figures were splitting and crumbling. Museums locked some of them away in the dark.
So van Oosten and her colleagues worked to preserve Gilardi’s sculptures. They infused some with stabilizing and consolidating chemicals. Van Oosten calls those chemicals “sunscreens” because their goal was to prevent further light damage and rebuild worn polymer fibers. She is proud that several sculptures have even gone on display again, albeit sometimes beneath protective cases.
Despite success stories like van Oosten’s, preservation of plastics will likely get harder. Old objects continue to deteriorate. Worse, biodegradable plastics, designed to disintegrate, are increasingly common.
And more is at stake here than individual objects. Joana Lia Ferreira, an assistant professor of conservation and restoration at the NOVA School of Science and Technology, notes that archaeologists first defined the great material ages of human history—Stone Age, Iron Age, and so on—after examining artifacts in museums. We now live in an age of plastic, she says, “and what we decide to collect today, what we decide to preserve … will have a strong impact on how in the future we’ll be seen.”
21. According to Paragraph 1, museums are faced with difficulties in ______.
[A] maintaining their plastic items
[B] obtaining durable plastic artifacts
[C] handling outdated plastic exhibits
[D] classifying their plastic collections
22. Van Oosten believes that certain plastic objects are ______.
[A] immune to decay
[B] improperly shaped
[C] inherently flawed
[D] complex in structure
23. Museums stopped exhibiting some of Gilardi’s artworks to ______.
[A] keep them from hurting visitors
[B] duplicate them for future display
[C] have their ingredients analyzed
[D] prevent them from further damage
24. The author thinks that preservation of plastics is ______.
[A] costly
[B] unworthy
[C] unpopular
[D] challenging
25. In Ferreira’ s opinion, preservation of plastic artifacts ______.
[A] will inspire future scientific research
[B] has profound historical significance
[C] will help us separate the material ages
[D] has an impact on today’s cultural life
Section II Reading Comprehension
答案解析:
21. [A] maintaining their plastic items
22. [C] inherently flawed
23. [D] prevent them from further damage
24. [D] challenging
25. [B] has profound historical significance
考研英语阅读文章3
As the latest crop of students pen their undergraduate application form and weigh up their options, it may be worth considering just how the point, purpose and value of a degree has changed and what Generation Z need to consider as they start the third stage of their educational journey.
Millennials were told that if you did well in school, got a decent degree, you would be set up for life. But that promise has been found wanting. As degrees became universal, they became devalued. Education was no longer a secure route of social mobility. Today, 28 per cent of graduates in the UK are in non-graduate roles, a percentage which is double the average among OECD countries.
This is not to say that there is no point in getting a degree, but rather stress that a degree is not for everyone, that the switch from classroom to lecture hall is not an inevitable one and that other options are available.
Thankfully, there are signs that this is already happening, with Generation Z seeking to learn from their millennial predecessors, even if parents and teachers tend to be still set in the degree mindset. Employers have long seen the advantages of hiring school leavers who often prove themselves to be more committed and loyal employees than graduates. Many too are seeing the advantages of scrapping a degree requirement for certain roles.
For those for whom a degree is the desired route, consider that this may well be the first of many. In this age of generalists, it pays to have specific knowledge or skills. Postgraduates now earn 40 per cent more than graduates. When more and more of us have a degree, it makes sense to have two.
It is unlikely that Generation Z will be done with education at 18 or 21; they will need to be constantly up-skilling throughout their career to stay employable. It has been estimated that this generation, due to the pressures of technology, the wish for personal fulfilment and desire for diversity, will work for 17 different employers over the course of their working life and have five different careers. Education, and not just knowledge gained on campus, will be a core part of Generation Z’s career trajectory.
Older generations often talk about their degree in the present and personal tense: ‘I am a geographer’ or ‘I am a classist’. Their sons or daughters would never say such a thing; it’s as if they already know that their degree won’t define them in the same way.
26. The author suggests that Generation Z should ______.
[A] be careful in choosing a college
[B] be diligent at each educational stage
[C] reassess the necessity of college education
[D] postpone their undergraduate application
27. The percentage of UK graduates in non-graduate roles reflect ______.
[A] Millennial’s opinions about work
[B] the shrinking value of a degree
[C] public discontent with education
[D] the desired route of social mobility
28. The author considers it a good sign that ______.
[A] Generation Z are seeking to earn a decent degree
[B] school leavers are willing to be skilled workers
[C] employers are taking a realistic attitude to degrees
[D] parents are changing their minds about education
29. It is advised in Paragraph 5 that those with one degree should ______.
[A] make an early decision on their career
[B] attend on the job training programs
[C] team up with high-paid postgraduates
[D] further their studies in a specific field
30. What can be concluded about Generation Z from the last two paragraphs?
[A] Lifelong learning will define them.
[B] They will make qualified educators.
[C] Degrees will no longer appeal them.
[D] They will have a limited choice of jobs.
答案解析:
26. [C] reassess the necessity of college education
27. [B] the shrinking value of a degree
28. [C] employers are taking a realistic attitude to degrees
29. [D] further their studies in a specific field
30. [A] Lifelong learning will define them.