2 2000年英语一阅读理解Text2

2 2000年英语一阅读理解Text2

Paragraph I

Being a man has always been dangerous. There are about 105 males born for every 100 females, but this ratio drops to near balance at the age of maturity, and among 70-year-olds there are twice as many women as men. But the great universal of male mortality is being changed. Now, boy babies survive almost as well as girls do. This means that, for the first time, there will be an excess of boys in those crucial years when they are searching for a mate. More important, another chance for natural selection has been removed. Fifty years ago, the chance of a baby (particularly a boy baby) surviving depended on its weight. A kilogram too light or too heavy meant almost certain death. Today it makes almost no difference. Since much of the variation is due to genes, one more agent of evolution has gone.

Being a man has always been dangerous.

  • 动名词作主语
    • 结构:【Ving (+ 宾语)】(作主语)+ 谓语(单数) + 宾语
    • 动名词作主语非谓语动词前置 并不是一回事,本质上一个是动词,一个是名词。
      • Reading many books, I can learn a lot of things.
      • Doing 打头基本只有这两种情况。

There are about 105 males born for every 100 females, but this ratio drops to near balance at the age of maturity, and among 70-year-olds there are twice as many woman as men.

  • There be:译为“有”,没有表示地理位置的意思,不要被 there 误导。
  • about + 数字:译为“大约”而不是“关于”。
  • for:介词,灵活译为“相对于”,后加名词。
  • maturity:n. 成熟; mature a.成熟的
  • among:介词,译为“在……中”,后加名词,即70多岁的人群。
  • as……as
    • 读这个结构的方法:
      • 1.直接划掉第一个 as
      • 2.把两个 as 中间的部分和前面连在一起
      • 3.第二个 as 理解成 “正如”
    • 例句:Your books are as useful in many fields as my books.
      • 译为:你的书很有用在很多领域,正如我的书一样。
    • 写作中要注意,中间部分要在语法上可以和前面连在一起:
      • You play soccer as beautiful as he does.
      • 错误,应改为:beautifully

But the great universal of male mortality is being changed.

  • the 的 3 种用法:
    • 相当于 this,实意,特指上文的某物:The apple is red.
    • 无实意,表特指,常与定语搭配:
      • The apple on the table is red.
      • The apple which is sweet is red.
      • The apple coming from China is red.
    • 固定搭配:the United States, the world, ...
  • the XXX :根据这个结构应该能推断出 universal 是名词,译为“普遍性”。
  • A of B:中心词是 universal
  • mortality
    • mortal:adj. 致命的,终有一死的
    • mortality:n. 死亡数量,死亡率
    • immortal:adj. 不朽的,不死的

Now, boy babies survive almost as well as girls do.

  • as well as:有两个用法
    • 1.相当于 “and”:I have a book, as well as my phone.
    • 2.与前面 as ... as 结构相同:I can play soccer as well as he does.

This means that, for the first time, there will be an excess of boys in those crucial years when they are searching for a male.

  • excess:n. 过度,过多;excessive adj. 过多的
  • crucial:adj. 至关重要的
  • 本句后面是个大的宾语从句,主句就是 this means xxx

More important, another chance for natural selection has been removed.

Fifty years ago, the chance of a baby (particularly a boy baby) surviving depended on its weight.

  • A of B:核心词是 chance,即它就是主语
  • surviving:形容 baby

A kilogram too light or too heavy meant almost certain death.

Today it makes almost no difference.

Since much of the variation is due to genes, one more agent of evolution has gone.

  • since:介词(+名词)、连词(+从句)
    • 译为“因为”,相当于 because(连词) 或 because of(介词)
    • 译为“自从”(+时间)
  • due to:相当于 because of
  • agent:n. 中介,代理

Paragraph II

There is another way to commit evolutionary suicide: stay alive, but have fewer children. Few people are as fertile as in the past. Except in some religious communities, very few women has 15 children. Nowadays the number of births, like the age of death, has become average. Most of us have roughly the same number of offspring. Again, differences between people and the opportunity for natural selection to take advantage of it have diminished. India shows what is happening. The country offers wealth for a few in the great cities and poverty for the remaining tribal peoples. The grand mediocrity of today — everyone being the same in survival and number of offspring — means that natural selection has lost 80% of its power in upper-middle-class India compared to the tribes.

There is another way to commit evolutionary suicide: stay alive, but have fewer children.

  • commit suicide:固定搭配,自杀。
  • 开头句可以看出这一段要说进化停止的另一个方面了。

Few people are as fertile as in the past.

  • fertile:adj. 土地肥沃的(本文译为 能生育的)

Except in some religious communities, very few women have 15 children.

Nowadays the number of births, like the age of death, has become average.

  • the number of:核心词是 number;a number of sth 核心词通常是 sth
  • 逗号:表示后面的 like 一定不可能是谓语,因为英语里没有主谓之间随意加逗号的习惯。因此读到这里应瞬间反应出来 like 是介词。

Most of us have roughly the same number of offspring.

Again, differences between people and the opportunity for natural selection to take advantage of it have diminnished.

  • The difference between A and B:比较 A 和 B,要求二者可以比较。
  • The difference between these apples:在复数的物品内部两两比较。
  • 通过意思,如果理解成 difference between A and B 的话,那么 people 和 opportunity 并不是可以相比的事物,可以判断这样理解一定是错误的。因此应该是上述第二种用法,译为:“这些人之间的差异和利用自然选择的机会”,而不是“这些人和机会之间的区别”。
  • take advantage of:利用

India shows what is happening.

The country offers wealth for a few in the great cities and poverty for the remaining tribal peoples.

The grand mediocrity of today -- everyone being the same in survival and number of offspring -- means that natural selection has lost 80% of its power in upper-middle-class India compared to the tribes.

  • mediocrity:n. 平庸,平常;
    • mediocre adj. 平庸的
  • 两个破折号:之间的内容语法上可以是任何形式,但是意思上一定用来解释说明前面的东西。本句就是用来解释具体如何 mediocrity。
  • tribe:部落。

Paragraph III

For us, this means that evolution is over; the biological Utopia has arrived. Strangely, it has involved little physical change. No other species fills so many places in nature. But in the past 100,000 years — even the past 100 years — our lives have been transformed but our bodies have not. We did not evolve, because machines and society did it for us. Darwin had a phrase to describe those ignorant of evolution: they "look at an organic being as a savage looks at a ship, as at something wholly beyond his comprehension." No doubt we will remember a 20th century way of life beyond comprehension for its ugliness. But however amazed our descendants may be at how far from Utopia we were, they will look just like us.

For us, this means that evolution is over; the biological Utopia has arrived.

  • Utopia:乌托邦,表示一种美好的虚构的环境,中文中类似于桃花源。

Strangely, it has involved little physical change.

  • involve 译为 “涉及到”会比较顺。
  • physical 译为 “身体上的”,也有“物理的”意思。

No other species fills so many places in nature.

But in the past 100,000 years — even the past 100 years — our lives have been transformed but our bodies have not.

We did not evolve, because machines and society did it for us.

Darwin had a phrase to describe those ignorant of evolution: they "look at an organic being as a savage looks at a ship, as at something wholly beyond his comprehension."

  • those / these:如果后面没有加其他名词,那么默认译为“这些人”
  • be ignorant of sth:对……无知的
  • as:正如
  • comprehend v. 理解;
    • comprehension n. 理解;
    • comprehensive adj. 综合的

No doubt we will remember a 20th century way of life beyond comprehension for its ugliness.

But however amazed our descendants may be at how far from Utopia we were, they will look just like us.

  • however,有时不是 副词表示“但是” ;而是 连词,表示 “无论”。本文就是连词的意思。
  • descendant:n. 后代
  • far:这里表示距离,本文其实意思是多么的近。

题目

What used to be the danger in being a man according to the first paragraph?
  [A] A lack of mates.
  [B] A fierce competition.
  [C] A lower survival rate.
  [D] A defective gene.

  • used to:过去一直在做一件事,现在不做了
    • I used to play soccer.
  • be/get used to doing:习惯做某事
    • I am used to eating pizzas in school.
  • be used to do:被用来做某事
  • 本题应该选 C,可以通过原文推断出在自然环境中,男性存活率低,导致多余的男性被淘汰从而达到男女平衡。所以选【C】比较合适。

What does the example of India illustrate?
  [A] Wealthy p
- eople tend to have fewer children than poor people.
  [B] Natural selection hardly works among the rich and the poor.
  [C] The middle class population is 80% smaller than that of the tribes.
  [D] India is one of the countries with a very high birth rate.

  • hardly,rarely,seldom,scarcely 等词通常是否定意思。相当于 not。
  • 本题明显选【B】

The author argues that our bodies have stopped evolving because __________.
  [A] life has been improved by technological advance
  [B] the number of female babies has been declining
  [C] our species has reached the highest stage of evolution
  [D] the difference between wealth and poverty is disappearing

  • 明显选【A】

Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
  [A] Sex Ration Changes in Human Evolution.
  [B] Ways of Continuing Man's Evolution.
  [C] The Evolutionary Future of Nature.
  [D] Human Evolution Going Nowhere.

  • 对于这种题目,先找出每个选项的核心词在哪里
    • A:changes
    • B:ways
    • C:future
    • D:evolution
  • 应当选 【D】
posted @ 2025-02-23 11:32  xc0208  阅读(19)  评论(0编辑  收藏  举报
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