2000 Passage 1??

　　A history of long and effortless success can be a dreadful handicap, but, if properly handled, it may become a driving force. When the United States entered just such a glowing period after the end of the Second World War, it had a market eight times larger than any competitor, giving its industries unparalleled economies of scale. Its scientists were the world's best, its workers the most skilled. America and Americans were prosperous beyond the dreams of the Europeans and Asians whose economies the war had destroyed.　

　　It was inevitable that this primacy should have narrowed as other countries grew richer. Just as inevitably, the retreat from predominance proved painful. By the mid-1980s Americans had found themselves at a loss over their fading industrial competitiveness. Some huge American industries, such as consumer electronics, had shrunk or vanished in the face of foreign competition. By 1987 there was only one American television maker left, Zenith. (Now there is none: Zenith was bought by South Korea's LG Electronics in July.) Foreign-made cars and textiles were sweeping into the domestic market. America's machine-tool industry was on the ropes. For a while it looked as though the making of semiconductors, which America had invented and which sat at the heart of the new computer age, was going to be the next casualty.

　　All of this caused a crisis of confidence. Americans stopped taking prosperity for granted. They began to believe that their way of doing business was failing, and that their incomes would therefore shortly begin to fall as well. The mid-1980s brought one inquiry after another into the causes of America's industrial decline. Their sometimes sensational findings were filled with warnings about the growing competition from overseas.

　　How things have changed! In 1995 the United States can look back on five years of solid growth while Japan has been struggling. Few Americans attribute this solely to such obvious causes as a devalued dollar or the turning of the business cycle. Self-doubt has yielded to blind pride. "American industry has changed its structure, has gone on a diet, has learnt to be more quick-witted," according to Richard Cavanaugh, executive dean of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. "It makes me proud to be an American just to see how our businesses are improving their productivity," says Stephen Moore of the Cato Institute, a think-tank in Washington, D.C. And William Sahlman of the Harvard Business School believes that people will look back on this period as "a golden age of business management in the United States."

51. The US achieved its predominance after World War Ⅱ because________.
　　[A] it had made painstaking efforts towards this goal
　　[B] its domestic market was eight times larger than before
　　[C] the war had destroyed the economies of most potential competitors
　　[D] the unparalleled size of its workforce had given an impetus to its economy

52. The loss of US predominance in the world economy in the 1980s is manifested in the fact that the American________.
　　[A] TV industry had withdrawn to its domestic market
　　[B] semiconductor industry had been taken over by foreign enterprises
　　[C] machine-tool industry had collapsed after suicidal actions
　　[D] auto industry had lost part of its domestic market

53. What can be inferred from the passage?
　　[A] It is human nature to shift between self-doubt and blind pried.
　　[B] Intense competition may contribute to economic progress.
　　[C] The revival of the economy depends on international cooperation.
　　[D] A long history of success may pave the way for further development.

54. The author seems to believe the revival of the US economy in the 1990s can be attributed to the________.
　　[A] turning of the business cycle
　　[B] restructuring of industry
　　[C] improved business management
　　[D] success in education

重點(diǎn)詞匯：

handicap /5hAndikAp/ （v.阻礙；使不利）←hand+i(n)+cap，據(jù)說源自古代一種賭博：將罰金置于帽子里，手進(jìn)入帽子抽簽，抽中者處不利地位。cultural handicap 文化障礙；language handicap 語言障礙。

unparalleled /Qn5pArEleld/ （無可比擬的）←un+parallel+ed；parallel（n.v.a.平行；相似）即para+llel，para-前綴“在旁邊”=beside，llel三個l看作是“平行線”。parallel points in the characters of different men 不同人的個性的相同之處。

prosperous /5prCspErEs/ （繁榮的）←prosper（v.繁榮）+ous；prosperity /prCs5periti/ （繁榮）←prosper+ity名詞后綴。The problems to be resolved demand, and create, spiritual resources which the prosperous ease of a golden age will never inspire.等待解決的問題需要并且造成了黃金時代的繁榮安逸不可能激發(fā)的精神資源。The prosperity of a people is proportionate to the number of hands and minds usefully employed.國家的繁榮與有效使用的人手和頭腦的數(shù)量成比例。If we did not something taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.如果不偶爾遭遇不幸，幸福就不會如此甜蜜。prosperity — something the businessmen create for the politicians to take credit for 繁榮——實業(yè)家發(fā)明出來讓政客居功的某種東西。

predominance /pri5dCminEns/ （優(yōu)勢）即pre+domin+ance，pre-“在前”，domin詞根“支配”（如dominate→domin+ate動詞后綴→支配；占優(yōu)勢），-ance名詞后綴；predominant（占優(yōu)勢的；起主要作用的）←pre+domin+ant形容詞后綴。the predominant feature of sb.'s character 某人性格的主要特征。

sensational /sen5seiFEnEl/ （感動的；引起轟動的）即sens(e)+ation+al，sense詞根“感覺”，-sation名詞后綴，-al形容詞后綴。sensational literature 令人激動的作品；a sensational crime 駭人聽聞的罪行。

attribute /E5tribju:t/ （屬性v.歸因于）即at+tribute，at-(=to)，tribute詞根“給”，于是“把屬性給某物”→歸因于；contribute /kEn5tribju:t/ （v.貢獻(xiàn)；捐獻(xiàn)；投稿）即con一起+tribute，“一起給”→捐獻(xiàn)→引申為“投稿”。參distribution，2003年Text 1。I attribute the little I know to my not having been ashamed to ask for information, and to my rule of conversing with all descriptions of men on those topics that form their own peculiar professions and pursuits.我把自己這點(diǎn)知識歸因于不恥于提問，歸因于常常與各種各樣的人談?wù)撃切┰斐闪怂麄兏髯詫I(yè)與行當(dāng)?shù)闹黝}。The value of a man is decided by what he has contributed, not by what he has obtained.人的價值取決于他所貢獻(xiàn)的，而非他所獲取的。

executive /i^5zekjutiv/ （執(zhí)行的；執(zhí)行官）可看作exe+cut+ive，exe即“可執(zhí)行文件”后綴名，cut切，-ive后綴，“執(zhí)行(exe)官的任務(wù)是——如果你不聽話，就把你cut掉”。The business system is blessed with a built-in corrective, namely, that one executive's mistakes become his competitor's assets.商界有一條天然的校正法則，即：決策者的失誤會變成競爭對手的資產(chǎn)。executive — a person who always decides; sometimes he decides correctly 管理人員——總在做決定的人；有時候他也能做出正確決定。

productivity /7prCdQk5tiviti/ （生產(chǎn)率）即produc(e)+tiv(e)+ity，produce生產(chǎn)，-tive形容詞后綴，-ity名詞后綴。raise the labour productivity 提高勞動生產(chǎn)率。

impetus /5impitEs/ （n.推動；推動力）可看作im+pet+us，im-即in-（in-在p前變形為im-），pet寵物，us我們，寵物(pet)里面(im)有我們(us)的動力(impetus)。the primary impetus behind the economic recovery 促使經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇的主要推動力。

manifest /5mAnifest/ （明白的；v.表明）看作man+if+est，man男人，if是否，est形容詞最高級，“男人是否最明白”。No amount of manifest absurdity... could deter those who wanted to believe from believing.無論明顯的荒唐有多大……都無法阻止那些由于相信而相信的人。

withdraw /wiT5drC:/ （v.撤銷；縮回；提?。?/span>with+draw，with-(=back, against)，draw拉，“拉回來”。This is no time for any man to withdraw into some ivory tower and proclaim the right to hold himself aloof from the problems and the agonies of his society.現(xiàn)在對于任何人都不是縮進(jìn)某座象牙塔并聲明自己有權(quán)置身于社會問題與痛苦之外的時候。

restructure /ri5strQktFE/ （v.重組）←re+structure，re-再=again，structure（v.n.構(gòu)造）。The past has revealed to me the structure of the future.過去向我揭示了未來的結(jié)構(gòu)。

at a loss 不知所措；on the ropes 岌岌可危；take sth. for granted 認(rèn)為理所當(dāng)然；quick-witted 機(jī)智的；think-tank 智囊團(tuán)。

難句解析：

①A history of long and effortless success can be a dreadful handicap, but, if properly handled, it may become a driving force.
▲該句是一個并列句，由前后兩個轉(zhuǎn)折關(guān)系的分句組成，其間的連詞為but。but與后一個分句之間又插入一個由if引導(dǎo)的條件狀語if properly handled，該狀語原來是一個if引導(dǎo)的條件狀語從句，即if it(a history of long and effortless success) is properly handled，其中的it is由于和該分句的主句部分主謂語一致而被省略掉了。
△本句結(jié)構(gòu)比較簡明，只需注意but與it may become a driving force之間的if結(jié)構(gòu)是一個插入語，并且是一個省略了主語和系動詞的被動語態(tài)。此外handicap意為“不利條件”。

②Its scientists were the world's best, its workers the most skilled. America and Americans were prosperous beyond the dreams of the Europeans and Asians whose economies the war had destroyed.
▲前一句中its workers the most skilled是一個伴隨狀語，省略了其中的being，補(bǔ)齊成分后應(yīng)為its workers being the most skilled。后一句中beyond the dreams of the Europeans and Asians作prosperous的狀語，beyond為介詞，是“超越，超出”的意思。而whose economies the war had destroyed作定語從句修飾the Europeans and Asians，原形是the war had destroyed the economies of the Europeans and Asians。
△注意beyond一詞的意思，它表示“在……之外”。

③For a while it looked as though the making of semiconductors, which America had invented and which sat at the heart of the new computer age, was going to be the next casualty.
▲該句帶有一個表語從句，其表語從句中又套有兩個并列的定語從句。全句主句部分的主謂結(jié)構(gòu)是it looked...，as though（即as if好像）引導(dǎo)的從句是looked（看上去）的表語。表語從句中主語為the making of semiconductors，謂語為was going to be，而逗號之間的兩個which從句是the making of semiconductors的非限定性定語，同時又是插入語。
△注意理解the next casualty的含義，casualty本意為“傷亡”，此處是“被國外產(chǎn)品擊敗的美國本土產(chǎn)業(yè)”。

④Their sometimes sensational findings were filled with warnings about the growing competition from overseas.
▲英語的句式詞匯一般都比較簡練，如果將本句用中國人習(xí)慣的語式講出應(yīng)該如下：Their sometimes surprising findings about the causes of American's industrial decline are full of the warnings about the growing competition from overseas nations.
△sensational即surprising。另外注意本句的中心意思在句末的the growing competition from overseas。

⑤Few Americans attribute this solely to such obvious causes as a devalued dollar or the turning of the business cycle. Self-doubt has yielded to blind pride.
▲attribute... to...將……歸功或歸咎于……。solely作狀語修飾attribute，this指代上一句中的five years of solid growth，此外as a devalued dollar or the turning of the business cycle作賓語such obvious causes的補(bǔ)語。
△yield to是“向……屈服”，即“被取代”。此處使用了現(xiàn)在完成時，證明這種狀態(tài)到現(xiàn)在已成型。

試題解析：

51. [C] 意為：戰(zhàn)爭摧毀了多數(shù)潛在的競爭國的經(jīng)濟(jì)。
　　提問中predominance意為“優(yōu)勢”。
　　第一段指出，第二次世界大戰(zhàn)以后，美國進(jìn)入一個欣欣向榮的(glowing)發(fā)展時期，它擁有八倍于其他任何一個競爭國家的市場，工業(yè)經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展到空前規(guī)模，它擁有世界上最優(yōu)秀的科學(xué)家和技術(shù)最高的工人。美國的繁榮和美國人的富裕水平，是歐洲人和亞洲人做夢也達(dá)不到的，因為戰(zhàn)爭摧毀了他們的經(jīng)濟(jì)。
　　A意為：它已經(jīng)為實現(xiàn)這一目標(biāo)付出了艱苦的努力。
　　B意為：其國內(nèi)市場比以前大八倍。
　　D意為：其勞動力（數(shù)量）空前的規(guī)模促進(jìn)了經(jīng)濟(jì)的發(fā)展。

52. [D] 意為：汽車工業(yè)失去了部分國內(nèi)市場。
　　第二段第六句提到，進(jìn)口車和紡織品涌進(jìn)（美國）國內(nèi)市場。
　　A意為；電視工業(yè)萎縮回到了國內(nèi)市場（即：該工業(yè)失去了國際市場）。根據(jù)第二段，到80年代中期，面對其工業(yè)競爭力的日益衰退，美國人感到無計可施(at a loss)，美國某些大的行業(yè)——如電子消費(fèi)品——在園際競爭的壓力下，面臨萎縮或消亡的威脅。到1987年為止，美國僅存的電視制造商只有Zenith一家了（現(xiàn)在已蕩然無存：Zenith于7月份（指文章寫作年代的7月份）被韓國LG電子有限公司購買）。這里并沒有直接提到美國電視失去國際市場，事實上，它連國內(nèi)市場也保不住了。
　　B意為：半導(dǎo)體行業(yè)被外國公司接管。第二段最后一句提到，在一段時間內(nèi)，半導(dǎo)體制造業(yè)似乎要成為下一個受害者，雖然美國是半導(dǎo)體的發(fā)明者，而且半導(dǎo)體又處于新的計算機(jī)時代的核心位置（即：在新的時代中起著關(guān)鍵作用）。本句中casualty意為“傷亡”、“受害者”，與上一句中be on the ropes（美語俚語，意為“即將完蛋”）相照應(yīng)。這里所說的是半導(dǎo)體制造商似乎(as though)要失去國內(nèi)外市場．而不是被國外企業(yè)接管。
　　C意為：機(jī)床制造業(yè)自取滅亡。第二段提到了機(jī)床制造業(yè)“即將完蛋”(on the ropes)。這顯然也是說它正在失去國內(nèi)外市場，并未提到它的滅亡是由其自身原因造成的。

53. [B] 意為：激烈的競爭可能促進(jìn)經(jīng)濟(jì)的發(fā)展。
　　第三段提到，嚴(yán)峻的現(xiàn)實（this指上一段中提到的諸多現(xiàn)狀）使美國人失去了自信，他們不再認(rèn)為繁榮是自然而至的事，他們開始認(rèn)識到自己的經(jīng)營方式存在嚴(yán)重問題(failing)。在80年代中期，他們開始挖掘美國經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退的原因，他們有時有些驚人的(sensational)發(fā)現(xiàn)，其中往往提示人們警惕外來競爭。第四段提到了90年代的經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇。其中的含義是：在競爭的壓力下，美國人在80年代進(jìn)行了自我反思和產(chǎn)業(yè)結(jié)構(gòu)調(diào)整，因此帶來了90年代的經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇。
　　A意為：在自我懷疑和盲目驕傲之間擺來擺去是人的本性。（即：人傾向于在這兩種心態(tài)之間搖擺）。
　　C意為：經(jīng)濟(jì)的復(fù)蘇取決于國際間的合作。
　　D意為：長期的成功可以為進(jìn)一步的發(fā)展鋪平道路。

54. [A] 意為：經(jīng)濟(jì)周期的轉(zhuǎn)機(jī)。
　　在第四段，作者指出，截止到1995年，美國已經(jīng)經(jīng)歷了五年的穩(wěn)定（經(jīng)濟(jì)）增長，而日本卻在困境中掙扎，但是，美國人并不將這一增長看做是美元貶值或經(jīng)濟(jì)周期的轉(zhuǎn)機(jī)等明顯的因素直接帶來的，而是由自我懷疑變?yōu)槊つ康尿湴痢＿@里作者實際上對當(dāng)前美國人的盲目樂觀情緒進(jìn)行了批評，認(rèn)為，90年代的增長是由美元貶值或經(jīng)濟(jì)周期的轉(zhuǎn)機(jī)等因素造成的。
　　B意為：產(chǎn)業(yè)結(jié)構(gòu)的調(diào)整。根據(jù)Richard Cavanaugh的看法，美國經(jīng)濟(jì)的持續(xù)增長是由產(chǎn)業(yè)結(jié)構(gòu)的調(diào)整造成，他認(rèn)為美國的產(chǎn)業(yè)正在“節(jié)食”(go on a diet)，正在變得更加理智。但這并不是作者的觀點(diǎn)。參閱第四段。
　　C意為：經(jīng)營管理的改善。根據(jù)Stephen Moore的看法，美國的經(jīng)濟(jì)正在提高其生產(chǎn)率。但這也不是作者的觀點(diǎn)。參閱第四段。
　　D意為：教育上的成功。

全文翻譯：

　　一段長時間并且不費(fèi)力而成功的歷史可能成為一種可怕的不利因素，但若處理得當(dāng)，這種不利因素也有可能轉(zhuǎn)化為一種積極的推動力。二戰(zhàn)結(jié)束后，美國恰好進(jìn)入了這樣的一個輝煌時期，當(dāng)時，它擁有比任何競爭者大8倍的市場，這使其工業(yè)經(jīng)濟(jì)具有前所未有的規(guī)模經(jīng)濟(jì)。美國的科學(xué)家是世上最優(yōu)秀的，它的工人是最富于技術(shù)的。美國的國富民強(qiáng)是那些經(jīng)濟(jì)遭到戰(zhàn)爭破壞的歐亞諸國做夢也無法達(dá)不到的。
　　隨著其他國家日益強(qiáng)盛，美國的這一優(yōu)勢地位逐漸下降是不可避免的。從優(yōu)勢地位上退出的痛苦也同樣是不可避免的。到了80年代中期，面對其日益衰退的工業(yè)競爭力，美國人感到不知所措。面對國外競爭，一些大型的美國工業(yè)，如消費(fèi)電子產(chǎn)業(yè)，已經(jīng)萎縮或漸漸消失。到1987年，美國只剩下Zenith這一家電視生產(chǎn)商。（現(xiàn)在一家也沒有了：Zenith于當(dāng)年7月被韓國LG電器公司收購。）外國制造的汽車和紡織品正在大舉進(jìn)入國內(nèi)市場。美國的機(jī)床工業(yè)也即將滅亡。人們曾一度感覺下一個在海外品牌面前全軍覆沒的似乎該輪到美國的半導(dǎo)體制造業(yè)了，而在新計算機(jī)時代有著核心作用的半導(dǎo)體正是美國人發(fā)明的。
　　所有這一切導(dǎo)致了信任危機(jī)。美國不再視繁榮為理所當(dāng)然之事。他們開始相信自己的商業(yè)經(jīng)營方式不靈了，也相信不久他們的收入也會因此而下降。80年代中期，人們對美國工業(yè)衰退的成因作了一次又一次的探尋。在美國人那些有時聳人聽聞的發(fā)現(xiàn)中充滿著對其他國家日益增長的經(jīng)濟(jì)競爭的警告之詞。
　　情況的變化真快！1995年，當(dāng)日本還在奮力拼搏的時候，美國卻可以對5年的穩(wěn)固發(fā)展作一回顧了。沒幾個美國人將這一巨變單純歸因于美元貶值或商業(yè)周期循環(huán)這些顯而易見的原因。到如今，對自身的懷疑已被盲目樂觀所取代?！懊绹墓I(yè)已經(jīng)改變了結(jié)構(gòu)，消除了滯脹，學(xué)會了明智”，這是哈佛大學(xué)肯尼迪管理學(xué)院行政院長理查德·卡佛納的看法。華盛頓特區(qū)的智囊團(tuán)——卡托研究院的史蒂芬·莫爾說，“看到我們的企業(yè)正在提高自身的生產(chǎn)率，作為一個美國人，我感到自豪?！惫鹕虒W(xué)院的威廉·薩爾曼相信人們將會把這一時期視為“美國企業(yè)管理的黃金時代”。