阎老师

As colleges and universities send another wave of graduates out into the world this spring, thousands of other job seekers with liberal-arts degrees like Martin's find themselves in a similar bind. True enough, this is an era of record-breaking lows in unemployment. But technology companies, which are contributing the lion's share of new jobs, are simultaneously declaring a shortage of qualified workers. The emphasis is on the word qualified.

　　It's no surprise that high-tech companies rarely hire liberal-arts graduates. "Our p.r. people, our marketers, even our attorneys have technical talent," says Tracy Koon, director of corporate affairs at Intel. The need for technical expertise is so pervasive that even retailers are demanding such skills. "Company-wide, we're looking for students with specific information-systems skills," says David McDearmon, director of field human resources at Dollar Tree Stores. "Typically we shy away from independent-college students who don't have them."

　　Fortunately for Martin, some invaluable help was at hand when he needed it. The Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, a network of 15 liberal-arts colleges in the state, has teamed up with local companies to bridge the learning gap faced by its members' graduates. VFIC invited 30 companies, including First Union and Electronic Data Systems, to link the needs of businesses with the skills being taught in college classrooms. With grants from corporate sponsors like AT&T, VFIC asked 20 information-technology managers to help its members create an exam, based on the work students will be expected to do in the real world, to test and certify their technological proficiency.

　　The result, Tek.Xam, is an eight-part test that requires students to design a website, build and analyze spreadsheets, research problems on the Internet and demonstrate understanding of legal and ethical issues. Says Linda Dalch, president of VFIC: "If an art-history major wants a job at a bank, he needs to prove he has the skills. That's where this credential can help." This year 245 students at VFIC's member colleges have gone through the program. The long-term hope is that Tek.Xam will win the same kind of acceptance as the LSAT or CPA for law or accounting students. "To know a student has taken the initiative and passed could mean that less training is needed," explains John Rudin, chief information officer at Reynolds Metals, one of the corporations that helped create the test.

　　All this begs an important question: Has the traditional liberal-arts curriculum become obsolete? College presidents naturally argue that the skills their schools provide are invaluable. A B.A. degree, says Mary Brown Bullock of Atlanta's Agnes Scott College, "gives graduates the ability to reinvent themselves time and time again...and the knowledge and thinking skills that transcend a particular discipline or time frame."

　　Martin is finding that to be the truth. "It would be nice to have computer classes on my transcript," he says, but Tek.Xam has armed him with the power to learn those skills on his own--and a credential to show he has done so. He's now waiting to hear when his job as a network-support assistant for a large Boston firm will start.

1.The main problem many liberal-arts students face in job seeking is ____________.
　　[A] too much competition in job market
　　[B] their lack of technical expertise
　　[C] company’s discrimination against liberal-arts students
　　[D] the recording-breaking unemployment rate

2.It can be inferred from the text that _____________.
　　[A] in the modern era, technical talent means everything in securing a job
　　[B] independent colleges are not giving their students proper educationt
　　[C] retailers are following the fashion only to promote sales
　　[D] there is a big demand for students with technical skills

3.Tek-Xam is designed to _____________.
　　[A] offer VFIC members’ graduates more job opportunities
　　[B] compete with LSAT and CPA
　　[C] help students cope with real world problems
　　[D] test students’ technical skills

4.We can draw a conclusion from the text that ____________.
　　[A] liberal arts education still proves valuable to students
　　[B] Tek-Xam is gaining wide acceptance among employers and students alike
　　[C] Technology companies are eager to promote Tek-Xam
　　[D] computer classes will be excluded from the curriculum of liberal-arts students

5.From the text we can see that the writer seems____________.
　　[A] positive
　　[B] suspicious
　　[C] pessimistic
　　[D] disapproving

阎老师

答案：B D D A A

 

　　篇章剖析：

　　本篇文章是说明文，主要介绍当前就业市场对技术知识的巨大需求以及为应对这种需求而设

　　立的“技术考试”。文章第一段介绍了用人单位所面临的问题，即缺少合格的员工；第二段说明文科生在就业市场不受青睐的原因：他们缺少技术知识；第三段交待了“技术考试”设立的背景；第四段介绍了“技术考试”的内容，设立考试的目的，考试举办情况以及考试前景；第四段提出文科教育是否过时的问题，最后一段以一个具体例子说明二者结合的好处。

　　词汇注释：

　　bind: [baind] n困扰；困境

　　lion’s share: 最大或最好的部分

　　pervasive: [pE:5veisiv] adj. 遍布的；普遍的

　　shy: [Fai] v. （常与away from, at连用）躲避，退避

　　proficiency: [prE5fiFEnsi] n. 熟练, 精通, 熟练程度

　　spreadsheet: [5spred5Fi:t] n. [计] 电子制表软件, 电子数据表

　　credential: [kri5denFEl] n.文凭；凭证；证书

　　initiative:[ i5niFiEtiv] n. 主动

　　obsolete: [5CbsEli:t] adj. 废弃的；过时的

　　discipline: [5disiplin] n. 学科

　　transcript: [5trAnskript] n. 成绩单

　　难句突破：

　　But technology companies, which are contributing the lion’s share of new jobs, are simultaneously declaring a shortage of qualified workers.

　　主体句式：But technology companies… are declaring a shortage…

　　结构分析：这一句句子结构并不算复杂，只包含一个非限定性定语从句，但其中用到的表达“the lion’s share”可能不太容易被理解。“the lion’s share”意味“最大或最好的部分”。

　　句子译文：但同时招聘岗位最多的技术公司仍然宣布缺少合格的员工。

　　题目分析：

　　1. 答案是B，属于事实细节题。从文章第一段和第二段的内容可知，技术公司的用人需求最大，但却缺少合格的员工。在市场上，the need for technical expertise is pervasive。而很多公司不愿意要文科生的原因是“they don’t have them”，他们因缺少技能而难以找到工作。

　　2. 答案是D，属于判断推理题。文章第二段提到对技术知识的需求如此普遍，连零售商都要求员工具有这种技能。由此可见，D是正确答案。

　　3. 答案是D，属于事实细节题。文章第三段最后一行提到设立这一考试目的是“to test and certify their technological proficiency”，所以应选择D。

　　4. 答案是A，属于推理判断题。从文章第五段引用大学校长的话，以及马丁的例子可以推知，文科教育仍然很有价值。

　　5. 答案是A，属于推理判断题。作者的态度可以从作者的选材角度判断出来。本文提到了Tek Xam这种考试设立的背景，考试的前景以及他带给参加考试者的积极变化。由此可见，作者对这种考试是持肯定态度的。

　　参考译文

　　今年春天又有一批毕业生从大学步入社会，与此同时，成千上万像马丁那样具有文科学历的求职者也面临同样的问题。的确，现在的失业率比以往任何时候都低。但同时招聘岗位最多的技术公司仍然宣布缺少合格的员工。关键就在这个词：合格。

　　高技术公司很少雇用文科毕业生这不足为奇。“我们的公关人员，市场营销人员，甚至律师都有技术才能，”英特尔公司企业事务部主管特雷茜·库恩说。对于技术专长的需求非常普遍，连零售商都要求具有这种技能。“我们公司各个部门都需要掌握一定信息系统技术的毕业生，”美元树（Dollar Tree Stores）的人力资源总监大卫·麦克德蒙说。“一般我们都不会聘用那些没有这些技能的独立学院毕业生。”

　　马丁算是比较幸运的，现在他能够得到急需的帮助。弗吉尼亚独立学院基金会（VFIC）是该州15所文科大学的网络组织。它同当地公司合作一起帮助其成员学校的毕业生弥补知识的不足。VFIC邀请了30家公司，包括第一联合国家银行和电子数据系统公司，将企业需求和大学课堂教授的技巧结合起来。在美国电话电报公司（AT&T）等企业的资助下，VFIC邀请了20位信息技术经理来帮助其成员学校举办一个考试，考试内容基于学生在现实世界中所需要做的工作，目的是测试和证明他们对技术的熟练程度。

　　“技术考试”（Tek Xam）由此诞生。它分为八个部分，要求学生设计网站，建立和分析电子数据表，在互联网上调查和研究问题以及证明自己对法律和伦理问题的理解等。VFIC的负责人琳达·戴奇说：“如果一个艺术史专业的学生想得到一份银行的工作，他就要证明自己有这方面的技能。这个证书就是要在这方面帮助他。”今年VFIC成员学校的245名学生参加了这一考试。今后“技术考试”也许能够像法律专业学生参加的“法学院入学考试”（LSAT）和会计专业学生参加的“注册会计师考试”（CPA）一样推广开来。“如果某个学生主动参加并且通过了这个考试，那么也就意味着他需要接受的培训相应减少了，”雷诺兹金属公司的信息主管约翰·鲁丁说到。雷诺兹金属公司也参加了创立这一考试的工作。

　　所有这一切都避开了一个重要问题：传统的文科课程过时了吗？大学校长们自然会说他们学校给学生传授的技能是无价的。亚特兰大艾格尼丝·斯考特学院的玛丽·布朗·布洛克说，一个本科学历“让毕业生有能力不断重新塑造自己……而他们所学的知识和思维技巧超越了任何一个特定的学科或者时期。”

　　马丁也有同感。“成绩单上有电脑课当然好，”他说，但“技术考试”让他有能力自学这些技能---而且一张证书可以证明他所付出的努力。现在他已经受聘成为一家波士顿大公司的网络支持助理，正在等待上班通知。

阎老师

Plowing through the New York Times on a recent Sunday, I read in the Metro Section that infertile couples in the market for smart-kid genes regularly place advertisements in the newspapers of their own Ivy League alma maters offering female undergraduates $7,500 for a donated egg. Before I could get that news comfortably digested, I came across an article in the Magazine section describing SAT prep courses for which parents spend thousands in the hope of raising their child's test scores enough to make admission to an Ivy League college possible. So how can people who have found a potential egg donor at an Ivy League college tell whether the donor carries genuine smart-kid genes or just pushy-parents genes?

　　The donor herself may not even be aware that such a distinction exists. After years of expensive private schooling and math tutors and tennis camps and SAT prep courses and letters of recommendation from important family friends, she's been told that, unlike beneficiaries of affirmative action, she got into an Ivy League college on pure merit.

　　Since it is probably safe to assume that people intent on securing high-priced Ivy League eggs are carrying some pushy-parents genes themselves, their joining forces with a donor who got into an Ivy League college by dint of her family's willingness to fork over 10 grand to an SAT prep course could result in a child with somewhere between a dose and a half and 2 1/2 doses of pushy-parents genes. Apparently the egg seekers aren't troubled by the prospect of having their grandchildren raised by this sort of person.

　　If you have any doubts about whether the dosages I cite are based on a thorough grounding in genetics and statistics and advanced microbiology, rest assured that I attended an Ivy League college myself. That was in the days, I'll admit, when any number of people were admitted to such institutions without having shown any evidence of carrying smart-kid genes even in trace elements. Somehow, most of these dimmer bulbs managed to graduate--every class needs a lower third in order to have an upper two-thirds--and somehow most of them are now millionaires on Wall Street.

　　One element many of them had going for them in the admissions process was that they were identified as "legacies"--the offspring of alumni. In Ivy League colleges, alumni children are even now admitted at twice the rate of other applicants. For that reason, egg seekers may not actually need genuine smart-kid genes for their children: after all, an applicant whose mother and father and egg donor were all alumni could be considered a triple legacy.

　　But how about the college-admission prospects of the grandchildren? As methods are perfected of enhancing a college application through increasingly expensive services--one young man mentioned in the magazine article had $25,000 worth of SAT preparation--it might become more important to have a parent who's a Wall Street millionaire than to have smart-kid genes. Maybe it would be prudent to add a sentence to those ads in college papers: "Preference given to respondents in the lower third of the class."

1.In the author’s eyes, a female student from an Ivy League college is__________.
　　[A] an ideal egg donor
　　[B] not necessarily an intelligent person
　　[C] more influenced by her parents than by anything else
　　[D] more likely to carry smart-kid genes

2.According to the author, what may chiefly be the reason for the donor’s admission in an

　　Ivy League college?
　　[A] her own merits
　　[B] the affirmative action
　　[C] her smart-kid genes
　　[D] her parents’ efforts

3.Which of the following is true according to the author?
　　[A] American parents would send their children into an Ivy League college at any cost
　　[B] Ivy League colleges used to admit students who showed no sign of intelligence
　　[C] alumni children stand a better chance to be admitted than other applicants
　　[D]egg-seekers care nothing about the pushy-parents genes

4.The author’s attitude towards the issue seems to be ____________.
　　[A] approving
　　[B] objective
　　[C] indifferent
　　[D] ironic

5.It could be inferred from the text that____________.
　　[A] wealth is more important than intelligence in application for Ivy League colleges
　　[B] Ivy League colleges are increasingly expensive
　　[C] egg-seekers can get better genes from millionaires
　　[D] the prospects of college-admission are gloomy

阎老师

答案：B D C D A

 

　　篇章剖析：

　　本文为议论文，指出不孕夫妇高价求购名校大学生卵子之事的荒谬之处以及名校门槛难进的严峻现实。本文采用的是提出问题―分析问题―解决问题的模式。在第一段，作者指出为了生下聪明宝宝而高价求购名校大学生卵子的人无法真正知道捐卵人的基因是聪明孩子的基因还是要强家长的基因。第二段着重说明这些捐卵者都是在家庭的帮助下进入名校学习的。第三段分析了了求卵者与捐卵者联合的可能结果。第四段指出智商和成功之间联系并不明显――因为很多差生也能成为百万富翁。第五段进一步分析名校学生被录取的一个原因，那就是他们的“校友子女”身份。最后一段提出一个讽刺性的解决办法：优先考虑可能成为百万富翁的差生。

　　词汇注释：

　　SAT: （美国）学术能力测验（Scholastic Aptitude Test）

　　admission: [Ed5miFEn] n. 许可入场；入学、入会

　　pushy: [5pJFI] adj. 有进取心的

　　affirmative action: 平权措施，指美国大学在录取新生和分配奖学金时，在成绩相同或相近的条件下优先考虑少数族裔的学生，如非洲裔、西班牙裔和印第安裔考生。

　　dint: [dint] n. 力量，努力；权力 by dint of 由于；凭藉

　　fork over: 花费，为…投入金钱

　　trace element: 微量元素

　　alumni: [E5lQmnai] n. 校友

　　prudent: [5pru:dEnt] adj. 谨慎的；明智的

　　难句突破：

　　1.Since it is probably safe to assume that people intent on securing high-priced Ivy League eggs are carrying some pushy-parents genes themselves, their joining forces with a donor who got into an Ivy League college by dint of her family’s willingness to fork over 10 grand to an SAT prep course could result in a child with somewhere between a dose and a half and 2 1/2 doses of push-parents genes.

　　主体句式：their joining forces…could result in a child…

　　结构分析：本句是个复杂长句，首先由since引导一个原因状语从句，在这个从句里又包含了一个宾语从句（assume后面that引导的部分），一个较长的定语（intent on securing high-priced Ivy League eggs），主句的主语是一个较长的动名词短语，其中包含了一个定语从句（who引导的部分），而这个定语从句中还含有一个较长的状语（由介词词组by dint of引导），主句的宾语里也包含有一个由介词with引导的长定语。在阅读的时候，一定要先理清主次，然后把各部发之间的修饰，限定等关系看清楚，才不至于出错。

　　句子译文：也许可以安全地假定那些想要获得高价常青藤联盟卵子的人自己身上就带有要强的家长的基因，他们和那些靠家庭心甘情愿花1万美元参加SAT考前辅导班而进入常青藤联盟学校的捐卵者联合，其结果也许就是生出的孩子身上的要强父母基因剂量介于1.5至2.5之间 。

　　2.As methods are perfected of enhancing a college application through increasingly expensive services---one young man mentioned in the magazine article had $25,000 worth of SAT preparation---it might become more important to have a parent who’s a Wall Street millionaire than to have smart-kid genes.

　　主体句式：it might become more important to have a parent…

　　结构分析：本句也是一个复杂长句。as引导一个较长的原因状语从句，其中还含有一个插入语，对increasingly expensive进行实例说明，从句中的时态为被动，主语method的定语修饰成分（of引导的部分）因为过长而被后置到谓语之后；主句是以it做形式主语，两个被比较的不定式做为真正主语的结构。

　　句子译文：由于通过日益昂贵的服务来提高大学申请成功的可能性的方法日臻完美---杂志文章里面提到的一个年轻人花了25000美元准备SAT考试---那么有个华尔街百万富翁家长也许比有聪明孩子基因更重要。

　　题目分析：

　　1. 答案为B，属于推理判断题。作者在第一段提出疑问：how can people…tell whether the donor carries genuine smart-kid genes or just pushy-parents genes? 接着又在下文中分析这些学生是如何入学的：父母不惜重金的栽培以及父母为校友的优势。文中第二段末作者以讽刺的口吻说道：they were told…they got into an Ivy League college on pure merit。文中第四段作者以那些后来成为百万富翁的差生来说明名校的学生未必聪明。可见作者并不认为那些名校女生真的是因为聪明智慧而被录取的。

　　2. 答案为D，属于事实细节题。文章举了很多例子说明捐卵者的家庭为她们进入常青藤联盟学校所作的一切：多年的昂贵私立学校教育，数学辅导，网球训练营，不惜重金的SAT考前辅导班，有身分地位的家庭友人的推荐信以及父母的校友身份等。可见D为最佳答案。

　　3. 答案为C，属于事实细节题。文章第5段提到了校友子女的录取比例是其他申请人的两倍，可见他们的被录取机会较大。

　　4. 答案为D，属于推理判断题。作者通过分析举例来说明高价求购名校女生卵子做法的荒谬之处，并在文章最后写道：应该在这类求卵广告上加一句“差生应征，优先考虑”，语气中充满讽刺意味，应该选D。

　　5. 答案为A，属于推理判断题。作者在文章最后一段指出：“methods are perfected of enhancing a college application through increasingly expensive service”在下文中又说：“it might become more important to have a parent who’s a Wall Street millionaire than to have smart-kid genes”，可见跨入名校门槛需要付出高昂代价，因此申请这些学校的时候，财富比智慧更重要。

　　参考译文：

　　最近的某个星期天，我在翻阅《纽约时报》的时候，在都市版读到一则消息，说一些不孕不育夫妇到市场上求购能生下聪明宝宝的基因，这些夫妇定期在他们自己的常青藤联盟母校的报纸上刊登广告，出资7500美元欲求大学本科女生捐赠一枚卵子。我还没有从那条消息中回过味来，就又在杂志版读到一篇文章，讲述家长们花费数千元让孩子参加SAT（大学入学考试）考前辅导班，希望孩子的考试成绩能提高到有可能考取常青藤联盟学校。那么那些在常青藤联盟学校找到捐卵者的人怎么能够辨别捐卵人的基因是真正的聪明孩子的基因还是那些要强的家长的基因呢？

　　捐卵者本人也许甚至都没有意识到存在这样一种区别。多年的昂贵私立学校教育，数学辅导，网球训练营，SAT考前辅导班以及有身分地位的家庭友人的推荐信，这些都在告诉她，不像那些平权措施的受益者，她是因为表现出色而被常青藤联盟学校录取的。

　　也许可以安全地假定那些想要获得高价常青藤联盟卵子的人自己身上就带有要强的家长的基因，他们和那些靠家庭心甘情愿花1万美元参加SAT考前辅导班而进入常青藤联盟学校的捐卵者联合，其结果也许就是生出的孩子身上的要强父母基因剂量介于1.5至2.5之间 。显然，那些渴望得到卵子的人不会因为他们的孙子可能会由这种人抚养长大而烦恼。

　　如果你怀疑我引用的剂量是否完全基于遗传学和统计学以及先进的微生物学，那么大可以放心，因为我本人就曾在常青藤联盟学校就读。我要承认，那时候上这些学校的人很多，而且不必出示任何证据来证明连他们的微量元素里面都有聪明孩子基因。不知何故，这些成绩不太出色的学生大都顺利毕业---每个班都需要有三分之一的差生，这样才会有另外三分之二的好学生---而且他们中的大部分人现在都成了华尔街的百万富翁。

　　他们很多人有一样帮助他们顺利入学的共同之处，那就是他们的“传承者”身份---他们是校友们的子女。在常青藤联盟学校里，校友子女的入学率是其他申请人的两倍之多。鉴于此，渴望得到卵子的人也许实际上并不需要给他们的子女一些真正的聪明孩子基因：毕竟，申请人的父母和捐卵者都是校友的话，那么他就算得上是一个三倍“传承者”了。

　　那么他们的孙子辈的大学入学前景如何呢？由于通过日益昂贵的服务来提高大学申请成功的可能性的方法日臻完美---杂志文章里面提到的一个年轻人花了25000美元准备SAT考试---那么有个华尔街百万富翁家长也许比有聪明孩子基因更重要。不妨在这些大学报纸广告上加上一句：“优先考虑成绩在班级后三分之一的应征者。”

阎老师

Jim Clark, 55, is the first person ever to start three companies that each grew to be worth more than $1 billion--an achievement celebrated in Michael Lewis' best-selling book, The New New Thing. Clark saw in primitive computer graphics chips the potential for powerful new workstations built by Silicon Graphics. He looked at a simple interface for websites, and turned it into the Netscape Web browser. And he most recently has exploited the potential of the Web for dispensing medical information through a company called Healtheon. Each of these ideas has netted Clark a cool billion or so. Shouldn't such a visionary come up with a similarly new way of giving those bucks away?

　　Well, no. Clark has bestowed his money the old-fashioned way--by attaching his name to a building at Stanford University, his alma mater. His $150 million grant, establishing the Jim C. Clark Center for Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, reflects his belief that just as computer technology has been driving today's economy, biotech will power it over the next 40 years. "Some people say you should give where the need is greatest," he says, shrugging. "But that's the job for government. For me, with only a few billion, I have more impact targeting a specific priority."

　　Clark also wanted to reward Stanford, whose labs he used while engineering the chip for his Silicon Graphics workstations. And this was the sort of philanthropic gesture that would still leave him time to have fun running companies, building yachts and flying helicopters. Clark has a personal insight into why some tech multimillionaires postpone serious charitable giving. At one point in 1998, he watched the value of his Netscape stock erode from $2 billion to $200 million. And other wealthy techies have seen similar wild swings in their personal fortunes. Explains Clark: "When you see your net worth drop like that, you think, 'If this keeps going, I'm going to have to sell my airplane.'"

　　Clark is critical of some of his Silicon Valley brethren who haven't been as generous, despite their multibillion-dollar net worth. He hopes his gift will spur other tech billionaires to action, particularly Yahoo founders Jerry Yang and David Filo, who don't discuss specifics of any giving they may have done--and who Clark believes have been too frugal. "These guys actually ran the Yahoo servers out of Stanford," says Clark. "They should be giving something back. These guys are young, but they've got more money than me. Or take Larry Ellison; he should be doing more."

　　But Clark remains optimistic: "These new-money guys, first they have to get a couple of houses, the plane. At that point they'll think about, How can I do something more impacting?"

　　Time; 07/24/2000, Vol. 156 Issue 4, p59, 2/3p, 1 chart, 1 diagram, 1c

1. The author begins his article with Clark’s experience to _________. 　　
　　[A]show the great achievements of Clark
　　[B]show the richness of Clark
　　[C]show the payback of Clark’s brilliant ideas
　　[D]show his desire to get fortunes

2.Clark believes that the bestowal of the money _________.
　　[A]should be done in an old way
　　[B]should take the form of generosity
　　[C]should be given in limited field
　　[D]should involve all rich men

3. The founders of Yahoo are mentioned to show ________.
　　[A]their way of saving money
　　[B]their ungenerosity and less interest in donating
　　[C]Clark’s contempt of the new money
　　[D]their difficulty in getting rich

4.Clark’s attitude toward his Silicon Valley brethren is _________.
　　[A]strong disapproval
　　[B] reserved consent
　　[C]slight contempt
　　[D]enthusiastic support

5. From the text we learn that Larry Ellison is _________. 　　
　　[A]a Yuppie
　　[B]Clark’s competitor
　　[C]a successful techie
　　[D]a young tech billionaire

阎老师

答案：ABBAD

 

　　难句突破

　　本文是一篇记叙文。主要记述了一位成功开办了三家大公司的电脑专家克拉克本人的捐赠方式以及他对同行富豪们捐赠的态度。第一段指出克拉克所取得的成就；第二段指出克拉克的捐赠方式及其原因；第三段、四段和五段指出克拉克对他的同行富豪们在捐赠方面的态度的看法。

　　词汇注释

　　techie [teki]:‘Tech’是‘technology’的缩略形式，它的结尾为‘-ie’，表示人。这个词是上个世纪80年代早期计算机变得越来越普及的时候出现了出现的，意思是高电脑技术的技师，或对计算机技术很熟悉的人，尤指计算机编程人员或迷恋计算机技术的人；电脑迷，电脑专家,电脑高手。

　　硅谷图形(Silicon Graphics)公司

　　网景(Netscape)公司

　　健康保险网络(Healtheon)公司

　　net vt. 净赚，净得，赢利

　　cool （价格）实价的；(数额)不打折扣的，整整的

　　visionary n. 幻想家; 空想家，梦想者

　　attach one’s name to 在...上签名

　　engineer vt. 设计, 修建；监督(工程等)；操纵, 指挥；图谋, 策划

　　philanthropic  adj.慈善事业的；博爱的

　　charitable  adj. 心慈的；仁慈的；慈善的；大慈大悲的

　　have an insight into adv. 有对...的了解，有对...的洞察力

　　postpone  vt. 使延期, 推迟, 搁置(until, till, to, for)；把...放在次要地位(to)

　　erode  vt. 侵蚀掉，腐蚀掉，像磨蚀、侵蚀那样使…减少、减弱或消失

　　swing n. 巨大的改变，巨大的变迁

　　net worth 资本净值

　　critical adj. 有判断力的；批评的；批判的

　　be critical of sth. 对某事表示谴责

　　brethren  n. 兄弟；会友，教友；同业人士，同行

　　frugal  adj. 节俭的；俭朴的

　　new money 暴发户，新贵

　　注释：

　　1. Jim Clark (吉姆·克拉克): 硅谷图形(Silicon Graphics)公司、网景(Netscape)公司、健康保险网络(Healtheon)公司的创始人、董事长，资产：25亿美元，财富积累时间：17年；格言：“最初的几百万最难赚。”，他不但开创了许多偶发事件，他本身就是一个偶发事件。国际畅销书作家刘易斯花了18个月的时间，贴身采访这位硅谷传奇人物，让世人得以一窥硅谷之所以成为硅谷，并不在于制造新电脑来致富，而是设计新事物让电脑来执行；也就是永远不满足现状，不断寻求突破，比新还要更新。

　　2. The New New Thing (新新事物)：经济学家罗莫提出的“新增长理论”强调科技在经济成长过程扮演的重要角色，等于强调新新事物(The New New Thing)的重要。不过，他也提出另一个更深入的理由，说明科技为什么会日新月异，千变万化。“一旦认定现实生活还有精益求精的空间，就是认定现有成就外还有更大的可能，只要稍有变动，已知的世界将截然不同。我们不得不接受一个事实：如今已知的世界，只是一长串偶发事件的结果。”

　　3. Michael Lewis (迈克尔·刘易斯)：出生于新奥尔良，毕业于美国普林斯顿大学和英国伦敦经济学院，曾任所罗门兄弟公司的债券交易员，后来为《纽约时报》撰稿和英国《观察家周刊》的美国版编辑，目前是加州大学柏克莱校区新闻学院的客座研究员。他的成名之作《说谎者的扑克牌》被公认是描写80年代华尔街文化的经典名作，至今仍然在亚马逊书店热销，其中的精彩片段被各种媒体广为引用。他80年代的成名作「说谎者的扑克牌」及2000年的《一个想法一千万》是对变革的两个时代最真实细腻的写照，对美国商业文化产生了重大的影响。在福布斯2001年评选的20年来最伟大的20本商业书籍中，他的两本著作全部入选。

　　难句突破

　　His $150 million grant, establishing the Jim C. Clark Center for Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, reflects his belief that just as computer technology has been driving today's economy, biotech will power it over the next 40 years.

　　主体句式：His $150 million grant … reflects his belief that …

　　结构分析：此句是一个定语从句。主语是“$150 million grant”，谓语是“reflects”，其中“establishing”是现在分词做伴随状语来修饰“grant”；“that”引导定语从句来修饰“belief”，在从句中注意“just as”的用法，“正如…一样”，后面可跟句子。

　　句子译文：他捐赠的用于建立生物医学工程学和科学系的吉姆·C·克拉克中心1.5亿美元的赠款反映了他的这种信念：像计算机技术推动了今天的经济那样，生物技术也同样会在以后的40 年里给经济提供强大的动力。

　　题目分析

　　1.答案为A,属事实细节题。原文对应信息是“Jim Clark, 55, is the first person ever to start three companies that each grew to be worth more than $1 billion--an achievement celebrated in Michael Lewis' best-selling book, The New New Thing.”。

　　2.答案为B，属推理判断题。从句子“Clark is critical of some of his Silicon Valley brethren who haven't been as generous, despite their multibillion-dollar net worth.”我们可看出克拉克对于其他富翁吝啬的举动是持否定态度的。

　　3.答案为B，属事实细节题。原文对应信息是“He hopes his gift will spur other tech billionaires to action, particularly Yahoo founders Jerry Yang and David Filo, who don't discuss specifics of any giving they may have done--and who Clark believes have been too frugal.”

　　4.答案为A，属情感态度题。原文对应信息是“Clark is critical of some of his Silicon Valley brethren who haven't been as generous, despite their multibillion-dollar net worth.”。注意把握词组“be critical of”的含义。

　　5.答案为D，属推理判断题。原文对应信息是“They should be giving something back. These guys are young, but they've got more money than me. Or take Larry Ellison; he should be doing more.”句中“they”指的是那些赚钱比克拉克还多的年轻富豪，那些新贵们（new money）。Larry Ellison也是他们中的一分子。由此我们可做出判断。

　　参考译文

　　吉姆·克拉克今年55岁，是创办了三家公司，并且每家公司都发展成价值超过10亿美元大公司的第一人。他所取得的成就在迈克尔·刘易斯的最畅销书《新新事物》里被大力颂扬。克拉克在原始计算机图形芯片里看到了硅谷图形公司开发的强大新型工作站的潜力。他看了一下简单的网络用接口, 就把它变成了网景公司的浏览器。就在最近，他利用网络的潜力通过一个叫健康保险网络的公司来分发医疗信息。克拉克的每个点子都为自己净赚了高达十亿多美元的利润。这样的一个幻想家是否也应该想出类似的捐赠这笔钱的新方法呢？

　　嗯, 没有。克拉克以古老的方式——在他的母校斯坦福大学一座建筑物上刻上自己的名字的方式——捐出了他的钱。他捐赠的用于建立生物医学工程学和科学系的吉姆·C·克拉克中心1.5亿美元的赠款反映了他的这种信念：像计算机技术推动了今天的经济那样，生物技术也同样会在以后的40 年里给经济提供强大的动力。“有人说，你应该把钱投到最需要的地方，” 他耸了耸肩说，“但这是政府的事。对我来说，把这区区几十亿用到某个优先发展的项目上会产生更大的影响。”

　　克拉克也想酬谢一下斯坦福大学, 因为他设计他的硅谷图形工作站所用的芯片时使用的就是该校的实验室。而这是一种仍然能给他留出时间让他尽享开办公司、建造游艇和驾驶直升机之乐的慈善之举。克拉克对为什么有些搞技术的千万富翁把严肃的为慈善事业捐款放在无足轻重的地位有个人见解。1998年某一时刻，他密切注视着他的网景公司股票价值从20亿美元逐渐降到2亿美元。其他技术富豪们在他们个人时运方面也经历了类似疯狂的大起大落。克拉克解释说：“当你看到你的资本净值跌得那么快, 你会想，‘如果再继续这样跌下去，我必须卖我的飞机了。’”

　　克拉克对硅谷的那些尽管拥有数十亿美元资本净值却不够大方的亿万富翁同行们持批评态度。他希望他的馈赠能激励其他技术亿万富翁们行动起来，特别是雅虎公司的创始人杰尔?杨和大卫?非罗。这两人从不谈论他们完全可以做得到的任何捐助事宜——克拉克认为他们两人太过于精打细算。“这些人实际上是靠斯坦福来经营雅虎服务器的。”克拉克说，“他们应该做出一定的回报。这些人很年轻，但他们挣得钱却比我多。就拿拉里?埃利森来说，他应该做得更多一些。”

　　但克拉克仍保留乐观态度：“这些新贵们, 他们首先得有两三套房子，得有飞机。只有到了那时候他们才会考虑，我如何做些更有影响力的事？”

阎老师

At the close of the Kyoto Global-Warming Treaty discussions held in Bonn last week, exhausted negotiators from nearly every country on earth had reason to be proud. They had done what no one expected--they reached a breakthrough agreement to limit greenhouse gases. During the concluding remarks, as each speaker praised the next, only the chief U.S. official on the scene drew an undiplomatic response. When Paula Dobriansky told the gathering that the Bush Administration "will not abdicate our responsibility" to address global warming, the hall filled with boos. That's because the U.S., the world's largest producer of greenhouse gases, sat on the sidelines in Bonn.

　　George W. Bush has yet to decide what, if anything, he will do to combat global warming. But he believes the Kyoto treaty is fatally flawed because it doesn't require developing countries to limit their fossil-fuel use immediately, as it does industrialized countries. So he kept the U.S. out of the discussions. In doing so, the Administration may have lost its last opportunity to help shape the international response to the problem. And Bush may be in danger of losing control over climate action domestically. After months of internal debate, the Administration is still "consulting" on the issue.

　　That noise you hear is Congress rushing to fill the leadership vacuum. At least six climate plans have been proposed so far. The first is sponsored by former Republican, now Independent Senator Jim Jeffords, chairman of the Senate Environment Committee, who proposes to cut greenhouse-gas emissions from power plants. Congressional action this week will center on reducing emissions by raising vehicle fuel-efficiency standards, including those for SUVs. If SUVs had to meet the same standards as cars--something Massachusetts Representative Ed Markey will propose this week--they could save consumers an estimated $7 billion at the pump this year and cut gasoline demand by tens of billions of gallons over 10 years.

　　The "drill Detroit, not the Arctic" campaign will find some support this week when the National Academy of Sciences releases a long-awaited study. The report, toned down after the auto industry protested that raising fuel-efficiency standards, by making cars lighter, makes vehicles less safe, is still likely to conclude that fuel efficiency can be increased at least 25% with existing technology.

　　If a fuel-efficiency bill reaches his desk, Bush could be in a bind--caught between auto lobbyists (his chief of staff used to be one) and his concern for energy security. With new technology putting impressive fuel efficiency within reach, it will be hard for him to oppose measures that could reduce the national appetite for foreign oil by millions of barrels a year.

1.In the opening paragraph, the author introduces his topic by
　　[A] making a comparison.
　　[B]justifying as an assumption.
　　[C]posing a contrast.
　　[D]explaining a phenomenon.

2.The statement “sat on the sidelines” (Line 7, Paragraph 1) means
　　[A]not sitting together with the representatives from other countries.
　　[B]not taking part in the activity even though they should do.
　　[C]not getting involved in the discussion.
　　[D]not paying attention to the international affair.

3.Bush kept U.S. out of the discussions because he believes
　　[A]the industrialized countries should not shoulder the responsibility alone.
　　[B]developing countries fail to meet the same requirement.
　　[C]the industrialized countries seem to share more in tacking this issue.
　　[D]the developing countries should not be included.

4.The National Academy of Sciences found in the study that
　　[A]the auto industry should not raise the fuel efficiency standards.
　　[B]the lighter car is not safe enough.
　　[C]the existing technology can increase the fuel efficiency.
　　[D]the lighter the car is, the less safety it will be.

5.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
　　[A]New technology can help Bush out of trouble.
　　[B]Bush intends to stir the national appetite for foreign oil.
　　[C]Auto lobbyists have different ideas from Bush.
　　[D]Bush fails to deal with the subtle situation.

阎老师

答案：CBACB

 

　　篇章剖析

　　本文采用提出问题——分析问题的模式。文章从布什政府对《京都议定书》的反应入手，分析了布什这么做的原因以及在国内产生的影响和后果。第一段指出布什政府在波恩会议上的局外人的态度；第二段指出其原因以及造成的后果；第三段和第四段指出在美国国内提出的有关限制温室气体排放的建议；第五段指出布什所处的进退两难的境地。

　　词汇注释

　　Dubya《美国未来词典》最鲜明的特色就是拿布什“开涮”，该词典将“乔治·Ｗ·布什”名字中的“Ｗ”挑出来，以其谐意称总统为“达不溜”（ｄｕｂｙａ）。

　　SUVs（sport utility vehicles）越野车，运动休闲车

　　at the close of n.在...结束时,在...末

　　the Kyoto Global-Warming Treaty为了人类免受气候变暖的威胁，１９９７年１２月，在日本京都召开的《联合国气候变化框架公约》缔约方第三次会议通过了旨在限制发达国家温室气体排放量以抑制全球变暖的《京都议定书》。

　　Bonn[bCn]n.波恩(原西德首都,位于莱茵河畔)

　　on the scene出现；登场

　　undiplomatic adj无外交策略的

　　abdicate v.退位, 放弃(职位,权力等)

　　address vt.从事, 忙于

　　boo[5bu:]v.作嘘声int.嘘!

　　sideline[5saIdlaIn]n.副业, 边界线, 兼职, 附带销售的货物, 局外人的观点

　　tone down v.降低, 柔和, 缓和

　　in a bind adv.处于困境

　　lobbyist[5lRbIIst]n.活动议案通过者, 说客

　　chief of staff n.(陆海空军的)参谋长,<美>(陆空军)司令

　　难句突破

　　1．The report, toned down after the auto industry protested that raising fuel-efficiency standards, by making cars lighter, makes vehicles less safe, is still likely to conclude that fuel efficiency can be increased at least 25% with existing technology.

　　主体句式：The report … is still likely to conclude that …

　　结构分析：这句话的主语是report，后面跟的过去分词toned down做伴随状语来修饰the report; toned down后面又跟了after引导的时间状语从句，从句中又有一个that引导的宾语从句，宾语从句中raising fuel-efficiency standards是主语，by making cars lighter来修饰之；这句话的谓语是is still likely…;谓语后又跟了一个that引导的宾语从句。

　　句子译文：由于汽车生产企业的抗议——通过减轻车身的重量来提高燃油效率的标准这种做法会使汽车的安全性降低，这项报导处以低调，但仍可能得出这样的结论：现在的科技水平能使燃料效率至少提高25%。

　　题目分析

　　1． 答案为C，属事实细节题。作者以布什政府和与会代表就《京都议定书》的不同反应为切入点，意在指出美国政府的局外人态度。

　　2．答案为B，属推理判断题。从第一段“the hall filled with boos”我们知道全场对美国代表的发言发出唏嘘声，其中不乏不满、意外、责备等情感因素。后作者又做出解释：“That's because the U.S., the world's largest producer of greenhouse gases, sat on the sidelines in Bonn.”这是因为美国作为全球温室气体排放量最大的国家，本应该带头为解决这一问题去做出一些尝试，但恰恰相反，美国代表的发言完全是局外人、与己不相干的态度。从而可猜出词义。

　　3．答案为A，属事实细节题。原文对应信息是“But he believes the Kyoto treaty is fatally flawed because it doesn't require developing countries to limit their fossil-fuel use immediately, as it does industrialized countries. So he kept the U.S. out of the discussions.”美国之所以没有参与讨论，是因为布什认定京都协定有致命的缺陷，其缺陷在于它没有要求发展中国家同其它工业国一样，立即限制矿物燃料的使用。

　　4．答案为C，属事实细节题。原文对应信息是“The report, toned down after the auto industry protested that raising fuel-efficiency standards, by making cars lighter, makes vehicles less safe, is still likely to conclude that fuel efficiency can be increased at least 25% with existing technology.”对应信息不难找到，难点在于对句子结构的把握上。参照“难句突破”部分的解释。

　　5．答案为B，属推理判断题。原文对应信息是“it will be hard for him to oppose measures that could reduce the national appetite for foreign oil by millions of barrels a year.”

　　参考译文

　　上周在波恩举行的商讨《京都议定书》会议结束的时候，来自世界各国的筋疲力尽的谈判者完全有理由感到自豪。他们取得的成果是任何人都没有预料到的——就限制温室气体排放问题达成了一项突破性协议。在致闭幕词的时候，与会的每一位发言人都对此表示称赞，惟独美国官方代表作出了毫无外交策略的回应。当保拉·多布里扬斯基向大会宣布布什政府“不会放弃自己的责任”去处理全球变暖这一问题时，全场报以唏嘘声。这是因为美国作为全球温室气体排放量最大的国家在波恩会议上完全是一种局外人的态度。

　　如果真有什么可做的话，乔治·沃特·布什必须决定应该为遏制全球气候变暖做些什么。但是他认定京都协定有致命的缺陷，因为它没有要求发展中国家同其它工业国那样，立即限制矿物燃料的使用，因此美国没有参与讨论。这样做的结果是，布什政府可能失去了最后的机会去影响国际社会对此问题做出的反应。在国内，布什可能会有对气候问题处于失控状态的危险。经过几个月的内部讨论之后，布什政府对这一问题仍然处于“磋商”阶段。

　　你所听到的都是些国会成员争先抢后去填补领导层空缺的议论。至今已提出了至少六种有关气候治理计划。第一种计划是由吉姆·杰福兹提出的。吉姆·杰福兹是前共和党派，现在的无党派参议员，并任参议院环境工程委员会主席。他提议减少电厂的温室气体排放量。本周国会议题是围绕通过提高机动车燃料效率标准来减少气体排放量这一论点展开的，其中也包括提高越野车的标准。如果越野车要达到的标准和小汽车一样的话——这是本周来自麻萨诸塞州的代表爱德·马奇提出来的——那么消费者今年估计仅气泵一项就能节省70亿美元，十年中汽油需求量能减少好几百亿加仑。

　　本周国家科学研究院公布了一项令人期待已久的研究，这项研究将会使“在底特律而不要在北极进行石油勘探”这一运动从中获得一些支持。由于汽车生产企业的抗议——通过减轻车身的重量来提高燃油效率的标准这种做法会使汽车的安全性降低，这项报导处以低调，但仍可能得出这样的结论：现在的科技水平能使燃料效率至少提高25%。

　　如果一份有关燃料效率的议案送到布什的案头，他会进退两难——夹在汽车企业的说客（他的参谋长就是其中一个）和自己对能源安全问题的担忧中间。应用新科技能达到令人满意的燃油效率，那么也就使他很难反对能减少国人每年对外国石油几百万桶的需求量的方案。

阎老师

Jim Boon is a hybrid kind of guy. He drives a Toyota hybrid to work, a Honda hybrid on weekends and, as a manager for Seattle public transit he recently placed the world's largest order for hybrid electric buses.

　　Now, with the biggest hybrid-bus fleet in the world, Seattle has become the main testing ground for a technology that claims it can drastically cut air pollution and fuel consumption. In the 1990s, demo fleets of 35 buses or fewer started cropping up in cities such as Tempe, Ariz. Sixteen of these early hybrids still service Genoa, Italy, where drivers switch from diesel to electric power when passing the city's downtown architectural treasures. But no city has gone as far as Seattle, which last year bought 235 GM hybrid buses at $645,000 a pop. When the final one rolls out this December, the region's bus system will be 15 percent hybrid.

　　But why Seattle, and why now? The Pacific Northwest has long been a hotbed of both Green politics and cutting-edge technology. Fourteen years ago the Seattle area bought 236 Italian-made Breda buses to service a mile-long downtown tunnel. They were supposed to operate as clean electric trolleys underground, but the switching mechanism often failed and "the bus drove through the tunnel as a diesel," says Boon. "It was pretty loud and smoky."

　　When the Bredas hit retirement age in 2002, Boon went shopping. He chose the GM buses because they use an automatic transmission and diesel boosters that provide power to scale inclines without strain. In hilly Seattle, the prospect of a hybrid that could climb like a diesel but accelerate without belching black fumes helped justify a price $200,000 higher than that of a regular bus. "The days of seeing a diesel pull away and pour out smoke are over," says Boon. "After we drove these hybrid buses across the country, I wiped a handkerchief inside the tailpipe. It came out spotless."

　　Experts say buses are critical to realizing the hybrid dream of greater efficiency and cleaner air. It would take thousands of hybrid cars to save as many gallons of gas (750,000) as Boon expects his buses to save Seattle each year. GM claims that compared with conventional diesels, its new buses also churn out 90 percent less particulate matter--a known carcinogen. "Buses are a major source of pollution in any city," says Dave Kircher of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. "They operate where people are breathing this exhaust, so this is a major step forward in terms of emissions."

　　And a major step forward in the marketplace: Philadelphia; Honolulu; Long Beach, Calif., and Albuquerque, N.M., have all bought the GM buses in recent months. GM is now touting itself in ads as the top hybrid-bus innovator, but Siemens is among the global giants dueling GM for new business, and New York plans to deploy 325 BAE Systems hybrids by 2006. "There's room for competition," says James Cannon, editor of Hybrid Vehicles newsletter. Seems Seattle isn't the only city trying to leave grunge behind.

1． How does Genoa protect its architectural treasures?
　　[A]Following Seattle’s steps to reduce pollution.
　　[B]Using electric power of the car when crossing.
　　[C]Shifting the power of the hybrids when crossing.
　　[D]Reducing the number of the buses crossing there.

2． Which of the following can be the main advantage of hybrid bus?
　　[A]Cutting air pollution and fuel consumption
　　[B]Producing less smoke and noise.
　　[C]Owning strong switching mechanism.
　　[D]Producing less dangerous matter.

3． The expression “churn out”(Line 4, Paragraph 5) most probably means ______.
　　[A]increase
　　[B]destroy
　　[C]reduce
　　[D]produce

4． Why buses are critical to realizing the hybrid dream of higher efficiency?
　　[A]Buses are a major source of pollution.
　　[B]A single bus saves much more gas than a single car.
　　[C]Buses carry more passengers.
　　[D]New buses produce less harmful material.

5． Which of the following is true according to the text?
　　[A]Many cities plan to buy GM buses.
　　[B]GM buses have the incomparable advantages over other buses.
　　[C]There is severe competition in the field of hybrid vehicles.
　　[D]The best way to keep the city clean is to buy hybrid buses.

阎老师

答案：CADBC

 

　　篇章剖析

　　本文采用的是提出问题——分析问题的模式，指出混合动力公交车的优点，并分析了西雅图为什么会成为世界上拥有这种汽车最多的城市。第一段介绍了西雅图公共交通系统经理吉姆·布恩；第二段指出西雅图是世界上拥有混合动力公交车最多的城市；第三段和第四段分析了为什么会是西雅图这座城市，而且又是现在购买这么多GM公交车的原因；第五段介绍了同柴油机相比，混合动力公交车的性能优点；第七段介绍了其市场经营情况。

　　词汇注释

　　hybrid[5haIbrId]n.杂种, 混血儿, 混合物adj.混合的, 杂种的

　　place an order for sth. with v.向...定购某物

　　drastically adv.激烈地, 彻底地

　　demo[5demEJ]n.演示, 民主党员, 样本唱片

　　crop up v.突然出现

　　diesel[5di:z(E)l]n.柴油机

　　a pop每个，各

　　roll out v.铺开, 低沉地讲出, 离开, 动身, 大量生产, 滚出

　　hotbed[5hRtbed]n.温床

　　cutting-edge 尖端的，先进的

　　trolley[5trRlI]n.电车

　　accelerate[Ek5selEreIt]v.加速, 促进

　　belch[beltF]v.打嗝, (火山、炮等)冒烟、喷出

　　tailpipe[`teIlpaIp]n.[汽]排气管

　　churn out 大量产出；以一种丰富的和自动的方式产生

　　carcinogen[kB:5sInEdV(E)n]n.致癌物质

　　exhaust[I^5zC:st]n.废气

　　tout[taJt]v.吹捧

　　duel[5dju:El; (?@) 5du:El]v.决斗

　　deploy[dI5plCI]v.展开, 配置

　　grunge[^rQndV]n.<美俚>蹩脚货,难看的东西,乏味的东西

　　难句突破

　　1．In hilly Seattle, the prospect of a hybrid that could climb like a diesel but accelerate without belching black fumes helped justify a price $200,000 higher than that of a regular bus.

　　主体句式：… the prospect … helped justify a price …

　　结构分析：这句话的主语是“the prospect of a hybrid”，之后跟的是由that引导的定语从句来修饰“a hybrid”。在这个定语从句中，“climb”和“accelerate”都是谓语动词。“help”是谓语，后面经常跟“to do sth”， 其中“to”常被省略。“$200,000 higher than that of a regular bus”修饰“a price”，其中 “that”指代的是“price”。

　　句子译文：在多山的西雅图，能够像柴油机那样上下行驶，加速时又不冒黑烟这样的混合动力车比普通汽车高出200，000美元的价位还是合理的。

　　题目分析

　　1.答案为C, 属事实细节题。原文对应信息是：“Sixteen of these early hybrids still service Genoa, Italy, where drivers switch from diesel to electric power when passing the city's downtown architectural treasures.”

　　2.答案为A，属事实细节题。原文对应信息是第二段第一句话“a technology that claims it can drastically cut air pollution and fuel consumption”。第五段第一句话“Experts say buses are critical to realizing the hybrid dream of greater efficiency and cleaner air.”又进一步印证了这一点。

　　3.答案为D，属猜词题。本段的主题句是“Experts say buses are critical to realizing the hybrid dream of greater efficiency and cleaner air.”其中已经介绍过了高功效，接下来要介绍高清洁。 “churn out”所在的句子是在说明这种新型公交车在减少大气污染方面的优良性能，根据语境可猜出词组的含义。

　　4.答案为B，属事实细节题。原文对应信息是“It would take thousands of hybrid cars to save as many gallons of gas (750,000) as Boon expects his buses to save Seattle each year.”作对本题的关键是对此句的正确理解。参照“难句突破”部分的解释。

　　5.答案为C，属推理判断题。本段指出虽然美国通用汽车公司自诩是最棒的混合动力公共汽车的改革者，但是GM在这一市场中做的并不是独家生意，也还存在着激烈的竞争，其中主要竞争对手是劲敌西门子公司，而且纽约作为一大客户，准备订购的是BAE系统混合动力车，而不是GM公司的车。由此我们可作出判断。

　　参考译文

　　吉姆·布恩是个混血儿。他上班开丰田混合动力车，周末开本田混合动力车。作为西雅图公共交通系统经理，他最近订购了世界上最大一批混合电力公交车。

　　现在，拥有世界上最大的混合动力公交车车队的西雅图已经成为一项技术的主要试验地。这项技术据说能大幅度降低空气污染和燃料消耗。在二十世纪九十年代，就有35辆或再少几辆这样的示范车突然出现在诸如亚利桑那州滕比这样的城市里。这些早年的混合动力车至今仍有16辆服务于意大利的热那亚。在热那亚，途经城市市区的建筑瑰宝时，司机就会把柴油动力转换成电力动力。但是没有哪座城市的做法赶得上西雅图，去年它以每辆645，000美元的价格购买了235辆美国通用汽车公司生产的混合动力公共汽车。今年十一月，当最后一辆车生产出来的时候，这个地区的公交汽车系统中混合动力车将占到15%。

　　可为什么是西雅图？为什么又是现在呢？美国太平洋西北部长期以来一直是绿色政治和尖端科技产生的摇篮。十四年前，西雅图地区曾购买了236辆意大利制造的布雷达（Breda）公共汽车用于一英里长的市区隧道的使用。本指望能把它们当作洁净的电力有轨电车在地下使用，但是车上的转换装置经常出毛病，“而且汽车在穿越隧道时就像是辆柴油机，”布恩说，“噪音太大，烟雾太多。”

　　2002年，当布雷达汽车到了“退休”的年龄时，由布恩进行新的采购。他之所以选择美国通用汽车是因为他们使用的是自动转换装置和能够提供动力来测量没有张力的斜坡的柴油推进器。在多山的西雅图，能够像柴油机那样上下行驶，加速时又不冒黑烟这样的混合动力车比普通汽车高出200，000美元的价位还是合理的。“看着柴油机冒着黑烟开走的日子终于结束了，”布恩说，“我们开车驶过乡村，我拿出手绢擦拭排气管的内部。手绢洁白无暇。”

　　专家认为汽车是实现高功效和高清洁梦想的关键。上千辆混合动力小汽车节省下来的汽油（750，000加仑）才和布恩预计他的汽车每年为西雅图节省的石油一样多。美国通用汽车公司声称，同传统柴油机相比，他们的这种新型汽车还能把产生的某种物质—— 一种已知的致癌物减少90%。“公共汽车在任何一座城市里都是主要的污染源，”普吉特海湾清洁空气监测站（the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency）的戴夫·奇瑟说，“汽车一开动，人们就开始在呼吸这种废气。因此这是在汽车排放物方面迈出的重大一步。”

　　在市场方面也向前迈出了重大一步：最近几个月，费城、火奴鲁鲁、长堤、加州和新墨西哥州的阿尔伯克基都购买了美国通用公共汽车。现在，美国通用汽车公司在广告中把自己吹嘘成最棒的混合动力公共汽车的改革者，但是与通用公司竞争这一新生意的还有全球性的大公司西门子公司；纽约计划到2006年配备325辆BAE系统的混合动力车。“这大有竞争的余地。”《动力机动车时事通讯》的编辑詹姆士·坎农是这样说的。看来好象不只西雅图一座城市想要把肮脏抛在身后。