2000年考研英语阅读理解

2000Text1Ahistoryoflongandeffortlesssuccesscanbeadreadfulhandicap,but,ifproperlyhandled,itmaybecomeadrivingforce.WhentheUnitedStatesenteredjustsuchaglowingperiodaftertheendoftheSecondWorldWar,ithadamarketeighttimeslargerthananycompetitor,givingitsindustriesunparalleledeconomiesofscale.Itsscientistsweretheworld'sbest,itsworkersthemostskilled.AmericaandAmericanswereprosperousbeyondthedreamsoftheEuropeansandAsianswhoseeconomiesthewarhaddestroyed.Itwasinevitablethatthisprimacyshouldhavenarrowedasothercountriesgrewricher.Justasinevitably,theretreatfrompredominanceprovedpainful.Bythemid-1980sAmericanshadfoundthemselvesatalossovertheirfadingindustrialcompetitiveness.SomehugeAmericanindustries,suchasconsumerelectronics,hadshrunkorvanishedinthefaceofforeigncompetition.By1987therewasonlyoneAmericantelevisionmakerleft,Zenith.(Nowthereisnone:ZenithwasboughtbySouthKorea'sLGElectronicsinJuly.)Foreign-madecarsandtextilesweresweepingintothedomesticmarket.America'smachine-toolindustrywasontheropes.Forawhileitlookedasthoughthemakingofsemiconductors,whichAmericahadinventedandwhichsatattheheartofthenewcomputerage,wasgoingtobethenextcasualty.Allofthiscausedacrisisofconfidence.Americansstoppedtakingprosperityforgranted.Theybegantobelievethattheirwayofdoingbusinesswasfailing,andthattheirincomeswouldthereforeshortlybegintofallaswell.Themid-1980sbroughtoneinquiryafteranotherintothecausesofAmerica'sindustrialdecline.Theirsometimessensationalfindingswerefilledwithwarningsaboutthegrowingcompetitionfromoverseas.Howthingshavechanged!In1995theUnitedStatescanlookbackonfiveyearsofsolidgrowthwhileJapanhasbeenstruggling.FewAmericansattributethissolelytosuchobviouscausesasadevalueddollarortheturningofthebusinesscycle.Self-doubthasyieldedtoblindpride.Americanindustryhaschangeditsstructure,hasgoneonadiet,haslearnttobemorequick-witted,accordingtoRichardCavanaugh,executivedeanofHarvard'sKennedySchoolofGovernment.ItmakesmeproudtobeanAmericanjusttoseehowourbusinessesareimprovingtheirproductivity,saysStephenMooreoftheCatoInstitute,athink-tankinWashington,D.C.AndWilliamSahlmanoftheHarvardBusinessSchoolbelievesthatpeoplewilllookbackonthisperiodasagoldenageofbusinessmanagementintheUnitedStates.51.TheU.S.achieveditspredominanceafterWorldWarⅡbecause________.[A]ithadmadepainstakingeffortstowardsthisgoal[B]itsdomesticmarketwaseighttimeslargerthanbefore[C]thewarhaddestroyedtheeconomiesofmostpotentialcompetitors[D]theunparalleledsizeofitsworkforcehadgivenanimpetustoitseconomy52.ThelossofU.S.predominanceintheworldeconomyinthe1980sismanifestedinthefactthattheAmerican______.[A]TVindustryhadwithdrawntoitsdomesticmarket[B]semiconductorindustryhadbeentakenoverbyforeignenterprises[C]machine-toolindustryhadcollapsedaftersuicidalactions[D]autoindustryhadlostpartofitsdomesticmarket53.Whatcanbeinferredfromthepassage?[A]Itishumannaturetoshiftbetweenself-doubtandblindpride.[B]Intensecompetitionmaycontributetoeconomicprogress.[C]Therevivaloftheeconomydependsoninternationalcooperation.[D]Alonghistoryofsuccessmaypavethewayforfurtherdevelopment.54.TheauthorseemstobelievetherevivaloftheUSeconomyinthe1990scanbeattributedtothe________.[A]turningofthebusinesscycle[B]restructuringofindustry[C]improvedbusinessmanagement[D]successineducation核心词汇1.effortless没有努力的2.dreadful可怕的3.handicap障碍4.handle处理；解决5.drive驱动；drivingforce驱动力6.glowing光辉的；灿烂的7.competitor竞争对手8.unparalleled无可比拟的；unmatched=matchless无可比拟的9.skilled熟练的10.beyond超出11.inevitable不可避免的12.primacy主导地位13.narrow缩小14.retreat撤退；后退15.predominance绝对主导地位16.atalossover对…不知所措17.fade消退；减弱18.competitiveness竞争力19.shrink缩小；萎缩20.vanish消失21.inthefaceof面对22.textile纺织品23.sweepinto涌入24.domestic国内25.ontheropes危在旦夕；命悬一线26.casualty牺牲品27.cause引起28.take…forgranted想当然29.inquiry调查；询问30.sensational轰动一时的31.lookbackon回顾32.solid稳定；固定33.attribute…to把….归因于34.solely仅仅35.devalue贬值36.self-doubt自我怀疑37.yieldto让位于38.blindpride盲目自豪39.goonadiet减肥；裁剪机构40.quick-witted才智敏捷难句精解①Ahistoryoflongandeffortlesssuccesscanbeadreadfulhandicap,but,ifproperlyhandled,itmaybecomeadrivingforce.▲该句是一个并列句，由前后两个转折关系的分句组成，其间的连词为but。but与后一个分句之间又插入一个由if引导的条件状语ifproperlyhandled，该状语原来是一个if引导的条件状语从句，即ifit(ahistoryoflongandeffortlesssuccess)isproperlyhandled，其中的itis由于和该分句的主句部分主谓语一致而被省略掉了。△本句结构比较简明，只需注意but与itmaybecomeadrivingforce之间的if结构是一个插入语，并且是一个省略了主语和系动词的被动语态。此外handicap意为“不利条件”。②Itsscientistsweretheworld'sbest,itsworkersthemostskilled.AmericaandAmericanswereprosperousbeyondthedreamsoftheEuropeansandAsianswhoseeconomiesthewarhaddestroyed.▲前一句中itsworkersthemostskilled是一个伴随状语，省略了其中的being，补齐成分后应为itsworkersbeingthemostskilled。后一句中beyondthedreamsoftheEuropeansandAsians作prosperous的状语，beyond为介词，是“超越，超出”的意思。而whoseeconomiesthewarhaddestroyed作定语从句修饰theEuropeansandAsians，原形是thewarhaddestroyedtheeconomiesoftheEuropeansandAsians。△注意beyond一词的意思，它表示“在……之外”。③Forawhileitlookedasthoughthemakingofsemiconductors,whichAmericahadinventedandwhichsatattheheartofthenewcomputerage,wasgoingtobethenextcasualty.▲该句带有一个表语从句，其表语从句中又套有两个并列的定语从句。全句主句部分的主谓结构是itlooked...，asthough（即asif好像）引导的从句是looked（看上去）的表语。表语从句中主语为themakingofs