考研英语真题阅读理解试题及名师解析(27)
In spite of “endless talk of difference,” American society is an amazing machine for homogenizing people. There is “the democratizing uniformity of dress and discourse, and the casualness and absence of difference” characteristic of popular culture. People are absorbed into “a culture of consumption” launched by the 19th-century department stores that offered “vast arrays of goods in an elegant atmosphere. Instead of intimate shops catering to a knowledgeable elite。” these were stores “anyone could enter, regardless of class or background. This turned shopping into a public and democratic act。” The mass media, advertising and sports are other forces for homogenization。
Immigrants are quickly fitting into this common culture, which may not be altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous. Writing for the National Immigration Forum, Gregory Rodriguez reports that today’s immigration is neither at unprecedented level nor resistant to assimilation. In 1998 immigrants were 9.8 percent of population; in 1900, 13.6 percent .In the 10 years prior to 1990, 3.1 immigrants arrived for every 1,000 residents; in the 10years prior to 1890, 9.2 for every 1,000. Now, consider three indices of assimilation－language, home ownership and intermarriage。
The 1990 Census revealed that “a majority of immigrants from each of the fifteen most common countries of origin spoke English ‘well’ or ‘very well’ after ten years of residence。” The children of immigrants tend to be bilingual and proficient in English. “By the third generation, the original language is lost in the majority of immigrant families。” Hence the deion of America as a “graveyard” for languages. By 1996 foreign–born immigrants who had arrived before 1970 had a home ownership rate of 75.6 percent, higher than the 69.8 percent rate among native-born Americans。
Foreign-born Asians and Hispanics “have higher rates of intermarriage than do U.S.–born whites and blacks。” By the third generation, one third of Hispanic women are married to non-Hispanics, and 41 percent of Asian–American women are married to non-Asians。
Rodriguez notes that children in remote villages around the world are fans of superstars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks, yet “some Americans fear that immigrants living within the United States remain somehow immune to the nation’s assimilative power。”
Are there divisive issues and pockets of seething anger in America? Indeed. It is big enough to have a bit of everything. But particularly when viewed against America’s turbulent past, today’s social indices hardly suggest a dark and deteriorating social environment。
21. The word “homogenizing”(Line 2, Paragraph 1) most probably means
[A] identifying. [B] associating. [C] assimilating. [D] monopolizing。
22. According to the author, the department stores of the 19th century
[A] played a role in the spread of popular culture。
[B] became intimate shops for common consumers。
[C] satisfied the needs of a knowledgeable elite。
[D] owed its emergence to the culture of consumption。
23. The text suggests that immigrants now in the U.S。
[A] are resistant to homogenization。
[B] exert a great influence on American culture。
[C] are hardly a threat to the common culture。
[D] constitute the majority of the population。
24. Why are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks mentioned in Paragraph 5?
[A] To prove their popularity around the world。
[B] To reveal the public’s fear of immigrants。
[C] To give examples of successful immigrants。
[D] To show the powerful influence of American culture。
25. In the author’s opinion, the absorption of immigrants into American society is
[A] rewarding. [B] successful. [C]. fruitless. [D]. harmful。
名师解析
21. The word “homogenizing” (Line 2, Paragraph 1) most probably means
“homogenizing”(第一段第二行)一词的大致意思是
[A] identifying. 识别 确认 [B] associating. 联系，联合
[C] assimilating. 吸收，同化 [D] monopolizing. 独占，垄断
【答案】 C
【考点】 词义题。
【分析】 本题的答案直接可以定位到第一句话。文章说“尽管人们不停地谈论差异”，用到了表示转折的“in spite of”，后面显然就是与前面的意思相反了。差异的反面自然是相同。如果考生没有把握，只要继续读两句，就会发现作者描述的都是一个同化了的社会的特征。而“homogenize”这个单词，如果从词根来分析，也不难判断。“homo”表示相同的，比如同性恋就是“homosexual”，而“homogenize”的原意就是“使均匀，均质化”，所以只有[C]“assimilate”这个单词合适。“assimilate”的本意是“吸收，消化”，后引申为“使相同、使相象”，以及“把(移民或文化出色的群体)同化到盛行的文化中”。[A]“identify”一般表示对身份的“识别，确认”，不合题意。[B]“associate”表示“联系，联合”，不合题意。[D]“monopolize”(独占， 垄断)，这个单词由“mono(单一)＋pole(极)”构成，用在本处意思不符合。
22. According to the author, the department stores of the 19th-century
在作者看来，19世纪的商场
[A] played a role in the spread of popular culture. 在传播流行文化方面发挥了作用。
[B] became intimate shops for common consumers. 成为了和普通消费者关系亲密的商店。
[C] satisfied the needs of a knowledgeable elite. 满足了知识精英的需要。
[D] owed its emergence to the culture of consumption. 其出现归功于消费文化。
【答案】 A
【考点】 事实细节题。
【分析】 题干关键词“department stores”出现在第一段第三句，该句子的意思是“人们沉迷于一种始于19世纪的商场的消费文化”。随后进一步解释说“商场和那些精品店不一样，是人人都可以去的，购物变成了一种民主和公众的活动”。也就是说，商场对于流行文化的传播起到了推动的作用，故[A]为本题的正确答案。[B]的错误在于它故意将那些迎合精英人士的精品店与其顾客的那种亲密的关系用在商场与普通消费者的关系上。[C]的错误在于商场满足的是普通大众的需要，而不是那些知识精英的需要。至于[D]，它故意颠倒了因果关系，商场的出现推动了流行文化的发展，而并不是流行文化导致了商场的出现。而且作者在这一段结束的时候，还提到，其它的一些推动流行文化发展的因素还有大众传媒、广告以及运动业。
23. The text suggests that immigrants now in the U.S。
本文暗示现在美国的移民
[A] are resistant to homogenization. 对于同化是抵制的。
[B] exert a great influence on American culture. 对美国文化施加了很大的影响。
[C] are hardly a threat to the common culture. 对大众文化几乎没有威胁。
[D] constitute the majority of the population. 占人口大多数。
【答案】 C
【考点】 推断题。
【分析】 题干中出现了“immigrant”这个关键单词，就是告诉考生，本题解题的关键是和移民相关的内容。只有阅读完相关的内容，才有可能正确答对本题。“immigrant”可以定位到第二段。文章说“移民正在快速适应这个大众文化”。第二句就引用记者的话说“如今的移民既未达到前所未有的水平，而且也不抵制同化”。这样一来，就可以排除[A]。后面提到美国移民的人口比率只有百分之几，显然不可能是人口的大多数，因此[D]“移民占人口大多数”可以被我们排除。不但人数不占优势，所占比率还在缩小，因此，可以说[C]“对大众文化几乎没有威胁”是合适的。至于[B]项，文中没有提及。但是考虑到人数这么少，对美国施加巨大的影响一说就不太现实了。
24. Why are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks mentioned in Paragraph 5?
第五段中为什么提到阿诺德·施瓦辛格和葛斯·布鲁克斯？
[A] To prove their popularity around the world. 为了证明他们在全球都很受欢迎。
[B] To reveal the public’s fear of immigrants. 为了表明公众对移民的恐惧。
[C] To give examples of successful immigrants. 为了举出成功移民的范例。
[D] To show the powerful influence of American culture. 为了展示美国文化的强大影响。
【答案】 D