考研英語沖刺班講義及內部模擬試題

考研沖刺班講義[主講人：周固]

-:英語知識運用

05版：

Thehumannoseisanunderratedtool.Humansareoftenthoughttobeinsensitivesmellers

comparedwithanimals,(1)thisislargelybecause,(2)animals,westandupright.Thismeansthat

ournosesare(3)toperceivingthosesmellswhichfloatthoughtheair,(4)themajorityofsmells

whichsticktosurfaces.Infact,(5),weareextremelysensitivetosmells,(6)wedonotgenerally

realizeit.Ournosesarecapableof(7)humansmellsevenwhentheseare(8)tofarbelowonepart

inonemillion.

Strangely,somepeoplefindthattheycansmellonetypeofflowerbutnotanother,(9)others

aresensitivetothesmellsofbothflowers.Thismaybebecausesomepeopledonothavethe

genesnecessarytogenerate(10)smellreceptorsinthenose.Thesereceptorsarethecellswhich

sensesmellsandsend(11)tothebrain.However,ithasbeenfoundthatevenpeopleinsensitiveto

acertainsmell(12)cansuddenlybecomesensitivetoitwhen(13)toitoftenenough.

Theexplanationforinsensitivitytosmellseemstobethatbrainfindsit(14)tokeepallsmell

receptorsworkingallthetimebutcan(15)newreceptorsifnecessary.Thismay(16)explainwhy

wearenotusuallysensitivetoourownsmellswesimplydonotneedtobe.Wearenot(17)ofthe

usualsmellofourownhousebutwe(18)newsmellswhenwevisitsomeoneelse's.Thebrain

findsitbesttokeepsmellreceptors(19)forunfamiliarandemergencysignals(20)thesmellof

smoke,whichmightindicatethedangeroffire.

1.[A]although[B]as[C]but[D]while

2.[A]above[B]unlike[C]excluding[D]besides

3.[A]limited[B]committed[C]dedicated[D]confined

4.[A]catching[B]ignoring[C]missing[D]tracking

5.[A]anyway[B]though[C]instead[D]therefore

6.[A]evenif[B]ifonly[C]onlyif[D]asif

7.[A]distinguishing[B]discovering[C]determining[D]detecting

8.[A]diluted[B]dissolved[C]dispersed[D]diffused

9.[A]when[B]since[C]for[D]whereas

10.[A]unusual[B]particular[C]unique[D]typical

11.[A]signs[B]stimuli[C]messages[D]impulses

12.[A]atfirst[B]atall[C]atlarge[D]attimes

13.[A]subjected[B]left[C]drawn[D]exposed

14.[A]ineffective[B]incompetent[C]inefficient[D]insufficient

15.[A]introduce[B]summon[C]trigger[D]create

16.[A]still[B]also[C]otherwise[D]nevertheless

17.[A]sure[B]sick[C]aware[D]tired

18.[A]tolerate[B]r叩el[C]neglect[D]notice

19.[A]available[B]reliable[C]identifiable[D]suitable

20.[A]similarto[B]suchas[C]alongwith[D]asidefrom

06版:

ThehomelessmakeupagrowingpercentageofAmerica'spopulation.1,homelessnesshas

reachedsuchproportionsthatlocalgovernmentscan'tpossibly2.Tohelphomelesspeople3

independence,thefederalgovemmentmustsupportjobtrainingprograms,4theminimumwage,

andfundmorelow-costhousing.

5everyoneagreesonthenumberofAmericanswhoarehomeless.Estimates6anywherefrom

600,000to3million.7_thefiguremayvary,analystsdoagreeonanothermatter:thatthenumber

ofthehomelessis8_.Oneofthefederalgovernment^studies9thatthenumberofthehomeless

willreachnearly19millionbytheendofthisdecade.

Findingwaysto10thisgrowinghomelesspopulationhasbecomeincreasinglydifficult.11

whenhomelessindividualsmanagetofinda12_thatwillgivethemthreemealsadayandaplace

tosleepatnight,agoodnumberstillspendthebulkofeachday13_thestreet.Partoftheproblem

isthatmanyhomelessadultsareaddictedtoalcoholordrugs.Andasignificantnumberofthe

homelesshaveseriousmentaldisorders.Manyothers,14_notaddictedormentallyill,simply

lacktheeveryday15skillsneededtoturntheirlives16_.BostonGlobereporterChrisReidynotes

thatthesituationwillimproveonlywhenthereare17_programsthataddressthemanyneedsof

thehomeless.18_EdwardZlotkowski,directorofcommunityserviceatBentleyCollegein

Massachusetts,19_it,“Therehastobe20_ofprograms.What'sneededisapackagedcal.^^

1.[A]Indeed[B]Likewise[C]Therefore[D]Furthermore

2.[A]stand[B]cope[C]approve[D]retain

3.[A]in[B]for[C]with[D]toward

4.[A]raise[B]add[C]take[D]keep

5.[A]Generally[B]Almost[C]Hardly[D]Not

6.[A]cover[B]change[C]range[D]differ

7.[A]Nowthat[B]Although[C]Provided[D]Exceptthat

8.[A]inflating[B]expanding[C]increasing[D]extending

9.[A]predicts[B]displays[C]proves[D]discovers

10.[A]assist[B]track[C]sustain[D]dismiss

11.[A]Hence[B]But[C]Even[D]Only

12.[A]lodging[B]shelter[C]dwelling[D]house

13.[A]searching[B]strolling[C]crowding[D]wandering

14.[A]when[B]once[C]while[D]whereas

15.[A]life[B]existence[C]survival[D]maintenance

16.[A]around[B]over[C]on[D]up

17.[A]complex[B]comprehensive[C]complementary[D]compensating

18.[A]So[B]Since[C]As[D]Thus

19.[A]puts[B]interprets[C]assumes[D]makes

20.[A]supervision[B]manipulation[C]regulation[D]coordination

英譯漢

05版

Itisnoteasytotalkabouttheroleofthemassmediainthisoverwhelminglysignificantphase

inEuropeanhistory.Historyandnewsbecomeconfused,andone'simpressionstendtobea

mixtureofskepticismandoptimism.(46)Televisionisoneofthemeansbywhichthesefeelings

arecreatedandconveyedandperhapsneverbeforehasitservedsomuchtoconnectdifferent

peoplesandnationsasintherecenteventsinEurope.TheEuropethatisnowformingcannotbe

anythingotherthanitspeoples,theirculturesandnationalidentities.Withthisinmindwecan

begintoanalyzetheEuropeantelevisionscene.(47)InEurope,aselsewhere,multimediagroups

havebeenincreasinglysuccessfulgroupswhichbringtogethertelevision,radionewspapers,

magazinesandpublishinghousesthatworkinrelationtooneanother.OneItalianexamplewould

betheBerlusconigroupwhileabroadMaxwellandMurdochcometomind.

Clearly,onlythebiggestandmostflexibletelevisioncompaniesaregoingtobeabletocompete

insucharichandhotlycontestedmarket.(48)Thisalonedemonstratesthatthetelevisionbusiness

isnotaneasyworldtosurvivein,afactunderlinedbystatisticsthatshowthatoutofeighty

Europeantelevisionnetworks,nolessthan50%tookalossin1989.

Moreover,theintegrationoftheEuropeancommunitywillobligetelevisioncompaniesto

cooperatemorecloselyintermsofbothproductionanddistribution.

(49)Creatinga“Europeanidentity^^thatrespectsthedifferentculturesandtraditionswhichgo

tomakeuptheconnectingfabricoftheoldcontinentisnoeasytaskanddemandsastrategic

choicethatofproducingprogramsinEuropeforEurope.Thisentailsreducingourdependenceon

theNorthAmericanmarket,whoseprogramsrelatetoexperiencesandculturaltraditionswhich

aredifferentfromourown.

Inordertoachievetheseobjectives,wemustconcentratemoreoncoproductions,the

exchangeofnews,documentaryservicesandtraining.Thisalsoinvolvestheagreementsbetween

EuropeancountriesforthecreationofaEuropeanbankwillhandlethefinancesnecessaryfor

productioncosts.(50)Indealingwithachallengeonsuchascale,itisnoexaggerationtosay

“Unitywestand,dividedwefair9andifIhadtochooseasloganitwouldbe“Unityinour

diversity."Aunityofobjectivesthatnonethelessrespectthevariedpeculiaritiesofeachcountry.

06版

IsittruethattheAmericanintellectualisrejectedandconsideredofnoaccountinhissociety?I

amgoingtosuggestthatitisnottrue.FatherBruckbergentoldpartofthestorywhenheobserved

thatitistheintellectualswhohaverejectedAmerica.Buttheyhavedonemorethanthat.They

havegrowndissatisfiedwiththeroleofintellectual.Itisthey,notAmerica,whohavebecome

anti-intellectual.

First,theobjectofourstudypleadsfordefinition.Whatisanintellectual?(46)1shalldefinehim

asanindividualwhohaselectedashisprimarydutyandpleasureinlifetheactivityofthinkingin

Socratic(蘇格拉底的)wayaboutmoralproblems.Heexploressuchproblemsconsciously,

articulately,andfrankly,firstbyaskingfactualquestions,thenbyaskingmoralquestions,finally

bysuggestingactionwhichseemsappropriateinthelightofthefactualandmoralinformation

whichhehasobtained.(47)Hisfunctionisanalogoustothatofajudge,whomustacceptthe

obligationofrevealinginasobviousamatteraspossiblethecourseofreasoningwhichledhimto

hisdecision.

Thisdefinitionexcludesmanyindividualsusuallyreferredtoasintellectuals-theaverage

scientist,forone.(48)1haveexcludedhimbecause,whilehisaccomplishmentsmaycontributeto

thesolutionofmoralproblems,hehasnotbeenchargedwiththetaskofapproachinganybutthe

factualaspectsofthoseproblems.Likeotherhumanbeings,heencountersmoralissuesevenin

theeverydayperformanceofhisroutineduties-heisnotsupposedtocookhisexperiments,

manufactureevidence,ordoctorhisreports.(49)Buthisprimarytaskisnottothinkaboutthe

moralcode,whichgovernshisactivity,anymorethanabusinessmanisexpectedtodedicatehis

energiestoanexplorationofrulesofconductinbusiness.Duringmostofhiswakinglifehewill

takehiscodeforgranted,asthebusinessmantakeshisethics.

Thedefinitionalsoexcludesthemajorityofteachers,despitethefactthatteachinghas

traditionallybeenthemethodwherebymanyintellectualsearntheirliving.(50)Theymayteach

verywell,andmorethanearntheirsalaries,butmostofthemmakelittleornoindependent

reflectionsonhumanproblemswhichinvolvemoraljudgment.Thisdescriptionevenfitsthe

majorityofeminentscholars.Beinglearnedinsomebranchofhumanknowledgeisonething;

livingin"publicandindustriousthoughts",asEmersonwouldsay,issomethingelse.

一Q47滿分譯文參考：

(1)他的功能是一個分析家，好比一個法官，他必須接受這個責任：用盡可能明顯的方

式揭示導致他做出決定的這個原因的過程。

(2)他的功能類似于一個有責任和義務用盡可能明顯的方式展現導致他做出決定的理性

過程的法官。

(3)他的功能與法官相似，必須以盡可能明顯的方式對引導他做出判斷的推理過程進行

揭示為己任。

(4)他的作用被類比為一名法官，這個法官必須以顯而易見的方式盡可能接受導致他做

出決定的推理過程所揭示的責任。

(5)知識分子的職能是具有分析能力的審判官，他必須接受這樣的責任，用盡可能明顯

的方式揭示出他得出結論的推理過程。

寫作

Directions:(04版)

Studythefollowingdrawingcarefullyandwriteanessayinwhichyoushould

1)describethedrawing.

2)interpretitsmeaning,and.

3)supportyourviewwithexamples.

Youshouldwriteabout200wordsneatlyonANSWERSHEET2.(20points)

終點又是起點

Sample1

Asisshowninthepicture,onarrivingatthefinishinglineofaraceontheplayground,the

activeyoungmanhastocontinuehisnewjoumeyinnotimeinsteadofstoppingtotakearest.He

hassuccessfullysettledthepuzzleof“stoppingorgoingon“whichmighthaveconfusedmany

others.

Withtheincreasingpaceofmodernlife,perhapsnochangehascharacterizedthepastdecade

moredramaticallythatthatofpeople'sviewontheirlife.Itisgenerallyagreeduponthatpeople

havetoadjustthemselvestothisnewchange.Ontheonehand,nodoubt,peoplewillgainalotby

settingnewgoalsintheirdailylife.TakethefamousscientistThomasEdisonforexample.Hehad

doneverywellinhisearlylife,butcontinuedtopursuesomethingmoredifficultallthroughhis

life.Ontheotherhand,ifoneisobsessedwiththesuccesshehasachieved,hewouldlosethe

chancetopursuenewsuccess.What'smore,hemaybecometheslaveofhissuccess.Thereare

manycasesshowingthatpeoplelosetheircouragetobetterthemselvesafterbecomingsuccessful.

Tosumup,one'sviewonhissuccessdetermineshisfuture.Inmyopinion,itisnecessaryto

carryoutanation-widecampaignpublicizingpeoplewhohaveaburningdesireformoreandever

greaterachievementwhentheyarealreadywellknown.Sothatpeopleinthesocietywilldevelop

aforward-lookingattitudeandmaketheirlifeworthlivingandtheworldmorebeautifulaswell.

Sample2

Thedrawingdepictsthataboyafteralongdistancerunning,isjusthittingtheendingrod.

Therearetwomarksontheground.Theoneaftertheboymarks"ending“andtheoneinfrontof

theboymarks“starting”.

Fromthedrawing,wecanconcludeeasilythat“Endingmeansanotherbeginning”.Defferent

racesthatcomeonearoundanotherconsistourlives.Wehavenochoicebuttofacethem.In

college,we"run"withourclassmates.Incompany,we"run"withourcolleagues.Duringtherace,

wemustalwaystryourbestforifyouarelazyyouwilllossyourposition.To“run”fasterandto

keepupwiththequickdevelopmentofmoderntechnologyandoursocietyistheprincipleof

futuresociety.Theearlyyouendtherace,theearlyyoucanbeginthenextone,themorechances

youmayheld.

Nowadayswiththequickdevelopmentoftechnology,wescientificcollegestudentmusttryto

keepupwithit.Weshouldn'tfeelsatisfiedwithwhatwehaveachieved.Developingisthefirst

principle.Theonlythingwecandonowisrunninganddeveloping.

Sample3

Asisknowntoallpeopleshouldnevergiveuphardworking.Justlikeadrawinghastoldus.In

thedrawing,thereisarunnerwhohasreachedtheend,buthedoesn'tstop,heiskeepingon

running.Therunnerdoesn'thavearestbecauseofheknowstheendisalsothenewbeing.

Defferentpeople,however,havedifferentopinionsonwhetherweshouldkeeponrunningor

havearestattheendofajob.Somepeoplethinkweshouldkeeponrunning,becausetheendis

alsothenewbeing.Intheiropinionifonewanttobeasuccessormustalwaysworkhard.Others

thinkwewon'tkeeponrunning,weshouldtakearest.Intheiropiniontheycan'tdoapainswork.

Tomyview,Ithinktheendisalsothenewbeing,wemustdoourbesttokeeponrunning,

working.Forexample,ChinesepeoplehasfightagainstSARSforseveralmonths,andwegota

stagesuccess,butweshouldn'thavearest,becauseifwedon'ttakecareofSARSandifwedon't

keeponworkinghard,perhapswewillbeillagain.

AsfarasIamconcerned,Ithinkweshouldkeeponrunningattheendbecausetheendis

alwaysthenewbeing,andIbelieveifwewanttobesuccesskeeponrunningisbothsoundable

andwell-grounded.

Sample4

Therunnergettotheendoftherun-waybuthegettothebeganoftherun-waytoo.

Theoveristhebegain,itisnotmeaningthatthebegainisnotaccordingtotheend.Thebegain

isneuwlevefsbegain.Itmeansthattheonethingbegainingtodo.

Thethingmustgototheothebegainofonethebegain.Thesuccessmustbaseontheother

success,ifnot,theworldwouldnotdevelop.Tome,itisthissureaction.

Ihavefinishedminlityschool,itistheend,butIbegaintostudy,universityclass,itisthe

begain.Ibegaintostudyuniversityclassisbaseonthathavingfinishedtheminlingschoolclass.

Ifnot,Ican'tstudyuniversityclass.

Thebegainisnewbegain.

閱讀理解A節

Text1

Inspiteof“endlesstalkofdifference,Americansocietyisanamazingmachinefor

homogenizingpeople.Thereis"thedemocratizinguniformityofdressanddiscourse,andthe

casualnessandabsenceofdeference,,characteristicofpopularculture.Peopleareabsorbedinto”a

cultureofconsumption^^launchedbythe19th-centurydepartmentstoresthatoffered“vastarrays

ofgoodsinanelegantatmosphere.Insteadofintimateshopscateringtoaknowledgeableelite^^

thesewerestores“anyonecouldenter,regardlessofclassorbackground.Thisturnedshopping

intoapublicanddemocraticact."Themassmedia,advertisingandsportsareotherforcesfor

homogenization.

Immigrantsarequicklyfittingintothiscommonculture,whichmaynotbealtogetherelevating

butishardlypoisonous.WritingfortheNationalImmigrationForum,GregoryRodriguezreports

thattoday'simmigrationisneitheratunprecedentedlevelnorresistanttoassimilation.In1998

immigrantswere9.8percentofpopulation;in1900,13.6percent.Inthe10yearspriorto1990,

3.1immigrantsarrivedforevery1,000residents;inthe10yearspriorto1890,9.2forevery1,000.

Now,considerthreeindicesofassimilation-language,homeownershipandintermarriage.

The1990Censusrevealedthat“amajorityofimmigrantsfromeachofthefifteenmost

commoncountriesoforiginspokeEnglish'well'or'verywelTaftertenyearsofresidence."The

childrenofimmigrantstendtobebilingualandproficientinEnglish.4tBythethirdgeneration,the

originallanguageislostinthemajorityofimmigrantfamilies."HencethedescriptionofAmerica

asa“graveyard“fbrlanguages.By1996foreign-bornimmigrantswhohadarrivedbefore1970

hadahomeownershiprateof75.6percent,higherthanthe69.8percentrateamongnative-born

Americans.

Foreign-bomAsiansandHispanics“havehigherratesofintennarriagethandoU.S.bom

whitesandblacks.^^Bythethirdgeneration,onethirdofHispanicwomenaremarriedto

non-Hispanics,and41percentofAsian-Americanwomenaremairiedtonon-Asians.

Rodrigueznotesthatchildreninremotevillagesaroundtheworldarefansofsuperstarslike

ArnoldSchwarzeneggerandGarthBrooks,yet“someAmericansfearthatimmigrantsliving

withintheUnitedStatesremainsomehowimmunetothenation'sassimilativepower.”

AretheredivisiveissuesandpocketsofseethingangerinAmerica?Indeed.Itisbigenoughto

haveabitofeverything.ButparticularlywhenviewedagainstAmerica'sturbulentpast,today's

socialindiceshardlysuggestadarkanddeterioratingsocialenvironment.

21.Thewordt4homogenizing,,(Line2,Paragraph1)mostprobablymeans

[A]identifying.

[B]associating

[C]assimilating.

[D]monopolizing.

22.Accordingtotheauthor,thedepartmentstoresofthe19thcentury

[A]playedaroleinthespreadofpopularculture.

[B]becameintimateshopsforcommonconsumers.

[C]satisfiedtheneedsofaknowledgeableelite.

[D]oweditsemergencetothecultureofconsumption.

23.ThetextsuggeststhatimmigrantsnowintheU.S.

[A]areresistanttohomogenization.

[B]exertagreatinfluenceonAmericanculture.

[C]arehardlyathreattothecommonculture.

[D]constitutethemajorityofthepopulation.

24.WhyareArnoldSchwarzeneggerandGarthBrooksmentionedinParagraph5?

[A]Toprovetheirpopularityaroundtheworld.

[B]Torevealthepublic'sfearofimmigrants.

[C]Togiveexamplesofsuccessfulimmigrants.

[D]ToshowthepowerfulinfluenceofAmericanculture.

25.Intheauthor'sopinion,theabsorptionofimmigrantsintoAmericansocietyis

[A]rewarding.

[B]successful.

[C]fruitless.

[D]harmful.

Text2

Stratford-on-Avon,asweallknow,hasonlyoneindustry—WilliamShakespeare-butthereare

twodistinctlyseparateandincreasinglyhostilebranches.ThereistheRoyalShakespeare

Company(RSC),whichpresentssuperbproductionsoftheplaysattheShakespeareMemorial

TheatreontheAvon.Andtherearethetownsfolkwholargelyliveoffthetouristswhocome,not

toseetheplays,buttolookatAnneHathaway?sCottage,Shakespeare^birthplaceandtheother

sights.

TheworthyresidentsofStratforddoubtthatthetheatreaddsapennytotheirrevenue.They

franklydisliketheRSC'sactors,themwiththeirlonghairandbeardsandsandalsandnoisiness.

It'salldeliciouslyironicwhenyouconsiderthatShakespeare,whoearnstheirliving,washimself

anactor(withabeard)anddidhisshareofnoise-making.

Thetouriststreamsarenotentirelyseparate.Thesightseerswhocomebybus—andoftentake

inWarwickCastleandBlenheimPalaceontheside-don'tusuallyseetheplays,andsomeof

themareevensurprisedtofindatheatreinStratford.However,theplaygoersdomanagealittle

sight-seeingalongwiththeirplay-going.Itistheplaygoers,theRSCcontends,whobringinmuch

ofthetown'srevenuebecausetheyspendthenight(someofthemfourorfivenights)pouringcash

intothehotelsandrestaurants.Thesightseerscantakeineverythingandgetoutoftownby

nightfall.

Thetownsfolkdon'tseeitthiswayandthelocalcouncildoesnotcontributedirectlytothe

subsidyoftheRoyalShakespeareCompany.Stratfordcriespoortraditionally.Neverthelessevery

hotelintownseemstobeaddinganewwingorcocktaillounge.Hiltonisbuildingitsownhotel

there,whichyoumaybesurewillbedecoratedwithHamletHamburgerBars,theLearLounge,

theBanquoBanquetingRoom,andsoforth,andwillbeveryexpensive.

Anyway,thetownsfolkcan'tunderstandwhytheRoyalShakespeareCompanyneedsa

subsidy.(Thetheatrehasbrokenattendancerecordsfbrthreeyearsinarow.Lastyearits1,431

seatswere94percentoccupiedallyearlongandthisyearthey'lldobetter.)Thereason,ofcourse,

isthatcostshaverocketedandticketpriceshavestayedlow.

Itwouldbeashametoraisepricestoomuchbecauseitwoulddriveawaytheyoungpeople

whoareStratford'smostattractiveclientele.Theycomeentirelyfortheplays,notthesights.They

allseemtolookalike(thoughtheycomefromallover)-lean,pointed,dedicatedfaces,wearing

jeansandsandals,eatingtheirbunsandbeddingdownfbrthenightontheflagstonesoutsidethe

theatretobuythe20seatsand80standing-roomticketsheldforthesleepersandsoldtothem

whentheboxofficeopensat10:30a.m.

26.Fromthefirsttwoparagraphs,welearnthat

[A]thetownsfolkdenytheRSC'scontributiontothetown'srevenue.

[B]theactorsoftheRSCimitateShakespeareonandoffstage.

[C]thetwobranchesoftheRSCarenotongoodterms.

[D]thetownsfolkearnlittlefromtourism.

27.ItcanbeinferredfromParagraph3that

[A]thesightseerscannotvisittheCastleandthePalaceseparately.

[B]theplaygoersspendmoremoneythatthesightseers.

[C]thesightseersdomoreshoppingthantheplaygoers.

[D]theplaygoersgotonootherplacesintownthanthetheater.

28.Bysaying"Stratfordcriespoortraditionally”(Lines2—3,Paragraph4),theauthorimplies

that

[A]Stratfordcannotaffordtheexpansionprojects.

[B]Stratfordhaslongbeeninfinancialdifficulties.

[C]thetownisnotreallyshortofmoney.

[D]thetownsfolkusedtobepoorlypaid.

29.Accordingtothetownsfolk,theRSCdeservesnosubsidybecause

[A]ticketpricescanberaisedtocoverthespending.

[B]thecompanyisfinanciallyill-managed.

[C]thebehavioroftheactorsisnotsociallyacceptable.

[D]thetheatreattendanceisontherise.

30.Fromthetextwecanconcludethattheauthor

[A]issupportiveofbothsides.

[B]favorsthetownsfolk^view.

[C]takesadetachedattitude.

[D]issympathetictotheRSC.

Text3

Whenprehistoricmanarrivedinnewpartsoftheworld,somethingstrangehappenedtothe

largeanimals:theysuddenlybecameextinct.Smallerspeciessurvived.Thelarge,slow-growing

animalswereeasygame,andwerequicklyhuntedtoextinction.Nowsomethingsimilarcouldbe

happeningintheoceans.

Thattheseasarebeingover-fishedhasbeenknownforyears.WhatresearcherssuchasRansom

MyersandBorisWormhaveshownisjusthowfastthingsarechanging.Theyhavelookedathalf

acenturyofdatafromfisheriesaroundtheworld.Theirmethodsdonotattempttoestimatethe

actualbiomass(theamountoflivingbiologicalmatter)offishspeciesinparticularpartsofthe

ocean,butratherchangesinthatbiomassovertime.Accordingtotheirlatestpaperpublishedin

Nature,thebiomassoflargepredators(animalsthatkillandeatotheranimals)inanewfisheryis

reducedonaverageby80%within15yearsofthestartofexploitation.Insomelong-fishedareas,

ithashalvedagainsincethen.

Dr.Wormacknowledgesthatthesefiguresareconservative.Onereasonforthisisthatfishing

technologyhasimproved.Today'svesselscanfindtheirpreyusingsatellitesandsonar,which

werenotavailable50yearsago.Thatmeansahigherproportionofwhatisintheseaisbeing

caught,sotherealdifferencebetweenpresentandpastislikelytobeworsethantheonerecorded

bychangesincatchsizes.Intheearlydays,too,longlineswouldhavebeenmoresaturatedwith

fish.Someindividualswouldthereforenothavebeencaught,sincenobaitedhookswouldhave

beenavailabletotrapthem,leadingtoanunderestimateoffishstocksinthepast.Furthermore,in

theearlydaysoflonglinefishing,alotoffishwerelosttosharksaftertheyhadbeenhooked.That

isnolongeraproblem,becausetherearefewersharksaroundnow.

Dr.MyersandDr.Wormarguethattheirworkgivesacorrectbaseline,whichfuture

managementeffortsmusttakeintoaccount.Theybelievethedatasupportanideacurrentamong

marinebiologists,thatofthe"shiftingbaseline”.Thenotionisthatpeoplehavefailedtodetectthe

massivechangeswhichhavehappenedintheoceanbecausetheyhavebeenlookingbackonlya

relativelyshorttimeintothepast.Thatmattersbecausetheorysuggeststhatthemaximum

sustainableyieldthatcanbecroppedfromafisherycomeswhenthebiomassofatargetspeciesis

about50%ofitsoriginallevels.Mostfisheriesarewellbelowthat,whichisabadwaytodo

business.

31.Theextinctionoflargeprehistoricanimalsisnotedtosuggestthat

[A]largeanimalswerevulnerabletothechangingenvironment.

[B]smallspeciessurvivedaslargeanimalsdisappeared.

[C]largeseaanimalsmayfacethesamethreattoday.

[D]slow-growingfishoutlivefast-growingones.

32.WecaninferfromDr.MyersandDr.Worm'spaperthat

[A]thestockoflargepredatorsinsomeoldfisherieshasreducedby90%.

[B]thereareonlyhalfasmanyfisheriesastherewere15yearsago.

[C]thecatchsizesinnewfisheriesareonly20%oftheoriginalamount.

[D]thenumberoflargerpredatorsdroppedfasterinnewfisheriesthanintheold.

33.Bysaying“thesefiguresareconservative^^