考研英语阅读真题考研英语第篇毙考题
考研英语阅读真题:考研英语(一)第1篇_毙考题

2016考研英语阅读真题:考研英语(一)第1篇France, which prides itself as the global innovator of fashion, has decided its fashion industry has lost an absolute right to define physical beauty for woman.Its lawmakers gave preliminary approval last week to a law that would make it a crime to employ ultra-thin models on runways.The parliament also agreed to ban websites that “incite excessive thinness” by promoting extreme dieting.Such measures have a couple of uplifting motives.They suggest beauty should not be defined by looks that end up with impinging on health.That’s a start.And the ban on ultra-thin models seems to go beyond protecting models from starving themselves to death – as some have done.It tells the fashion industry that it must take responsibility for the signal it sends women, especially teenage girls, about the social tape – measure they must use to determine their individual worth.The bans, if fully enforced, would suggest to woman (and many men)that they should not let others be arbiters of their beauty.And perhaps faintly, they hint that people should look to intangible qualities like character and intellect rather than dieting their way to size zero or wasp-waist physiques.The French measures, however, rely too much on severe punishment to change a culture that still regards beauty as skin-deep-and bone-showing.Under the law, using a fashion model that does not meet a government-defined index of body mass could result in a $85,000 fine and six months in prison.The fashion industry knows it has an inherent problem in focusing on material adornment and idealized body types.In Denmark, the United States, and a few other countries, it is trying to set voluntary standard for models and fashion images that rely more on peer pressure for enforcement.In contrast to France’s actions, Denmark’s fashion industry agreed last month on rules and sanctions regarding age, health, and other characteristics of models.The newly revised Danish Fashion Ethical charter clearly states, we are aware of and take responsibility for the impact the fashion industry has on body ideals, especially on young people.The charter’s main tool of enforcement is to deny access for designers and modeling agencies to Copenhagen Fashion Week(CFW), which is run by the Danish Fashion Institute.But in general it relies on a name-and–shame method of compliance.Relying on ethical persuasion rather than law to address the misuse of body ideals may be the best step.Even better would be to help elevate notions of beauty beyond the material standards of a particular industry.法国一向以作为全球时尚革新者为傲,如今它已决定其时尚产业已经失去了定义女性体型美的绝对权力。
考研阅读理解真题英语一

考研阅读理解真题英语一考研阅读理解真题英语一1Text 2When Liam McGee departed as president of Bank of America in August, his explanation was surprisingly straight up. Rather than cloaking his exit in the usual vague excuses, he came right out and said he was leaving “to pursue my goal of running a pany.” Broadcasting his ambition was “very much my decision,” McGee says. Within two weeks, he was talking for the first time with the board of Hartford Financial Services Group, which named him CEO and chairman on September 29.McGee says leaving without a position lined up gave him time to reflect on what kind of pany he wanted to run. It also sent a clear message to the outside world about his aspirations. And McGee isn‘t alone. In recent weeks the No.2 executives at Avon and American Express quit with the explanation that they were looking for a CEO post. As boardsscrutinize succession plans in response to shareholder pressure,executives who don’t get the nod also may wish to move on. A turbulent business environment also has senior managers cautious of letting vague pronouncements cloud their reputations.As the first signs of recovery begin to take hold, deputy chiefs may be more willing to make thejump without a net. In the third quarter, CEO turnover was down 23% from a year ago as nervous boards stuck with the leaders they had, according to Liberum Research. As the economy picks up,opportunities will abound for aspiring leaders.The decision to quit a senior position to look for a better one is unconventional. For years executives and headhunters have adhered to the rule that the most attractive CEO candidates are the ones who must be poached. Says Korn/Ferry senior partner Dennis Carey:“I can‘t think of a single search I’ve done where a board has not instructed me to look atsitting CEOs first.”Those who jumped without a job haven‘t always landed in top positions quickly. Ellen Marram quit as chief of Tropicana a decade age, saying she wanted to be a CEO. It was a year before she became head of a tiny Internet-based modities exchange. Robert Willumstad left Citigroup in 20XX with ambitions to be a CEO. He finally took that post at a major financial institution three years later.Many recruiters say the old disgrace is fading for top performers. The financial crisis has made it more acceptable to be between jobs or to leave a bad one. “The traditional rule was it‘s safer to stay where you are,but that’s been fundamentally inverted,” says one headhunter. “The people who‘ve bee n hurt the worst are those who’ve stayed too long.”26. When McGee announced his departure, his manner can best be described as being[A]arrogant.[B]frank.[C]self-centered.[D]impulsive.27. According to Paragraph 2, senior executives‘ quitting may be sp urred by[A]their expectation of better financial status.[B]their need to reflect on their private life.[C]their strained relations with the boards.[D]their pursuit of new career goals.28. The word “poached” (Line 3, Paragraph 4) most probably means[A]approved of.[B]attended to.[C]hunted for.[D]guarded against.29. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that[A]top performers used to cling to their posts.[B]loyalty of top performers is getting out-dated.[C]top performers care more about reputations.[D]it‘s safer to stick to the traditional rules.30. Which of the following is the best title for the text?[A]CEOs: Where to Go?[B]CEOs: All the Way Up?[C]Top Managers Jump without a Net[D]The Only Way Out for Top Performers考研阅读理解真题英语一2TEXT 2Just how much does the Constitution protect your digital data? The Supreme Court will now consider whether police can search the contents of a mobile phone without a warrant if the phone is on or around a person during an arrest.California has asked the justices to refrain from a sweeping ruling, particularly one that upsets the old assumptions that authorities may search through the possessions of suspects at the time of their arrest. It is hard, the state argues, for judges to assess the implications of new and rapidly changing technologies.The court would be recklessly modest if it followed California's advice. Enough of the implications are discernable, even obvious, so that the justice can and should provide updated guidelines to police, lawyers and defendants.They should start by discarding California's lame argument that exploring the contents of a smartphone- a vast storehouse of digital information is similarto say, going through a suspect's purse .The court has ruled that police don't violate the Fourth Amendment when they go through the wallet or pocketbook, of an arrestee without a warrant. But exploring one's smartphone is more like entering his or her home. A smartphone may contain an arrestee's reading history, financial history, medical history and prehensive records of recent correspondence. The development of "cloud puting." meanwhile, has made that exploration so much the easier.But the justices should not swallow California's argument whole. New, disruptive technology sometimes demands novel applications of the Constitution's protections. Orin Kerr, a law professor, pares the explosion and accessibility of digital information in the 21st century with the establishment of automobile use as a digital necessity of life in the 20th: The justices had to specify novel rules for the new personal domain of the passenger car then; they must sort out how the Fourth Amendment applies to digital information now.26. The Supreme court, will work out whether, during an arrest, it is legitimate to[A] search for suspects' mobile phones without a warrant.[B] check suspects' phone contents without being authorized.[C] prevent suspects from deleting their phone contents.[D] prohibit suspects from using their mobile phones.27. The author's attitude toward California's argument is one of[A] tolerance.[B] indifference.[C] disapproval.[D] cautiousness.28. The author believes that exploring one's phone content is parable to[A] getting into one's residence.[B] handing one's historical records.[C] scanning one's correspondences.[D] going through one's wallet.29. In Paragraph 5 and 6, the author shows his concern that[A] principles are hard to be clearly expressed.[B] the court is giving police less room for action.[C] phones are used to store sensitive information.[D] citizens' privacy is not effective protected.30.Orin Kerr's parison is quoted to indicate that(A)the Constitution should be implemented flexibly.(B)New technology requires reinterpretation of the Constitution.(C)California's argument violates principles ofthe Constitution.(D)Principles of the Constitution should never be altered.考研阅读理解真题英语一3Text 2A new survey by Harvard University finds more than two-thirds of young Americans disapprove of President Trump’s use of Twitter. The implication is that Millennials prefer news from the White House to be filtered through other source, Not a president’s social media platform.Most Americans rely on social media to check daily headlines. Yet as distrust has risen toward all media, people may be starting to beef up their medialiteracy skills. Such a trend is badly needed. During the 20XX presidential campaign, nearly a quarter of web content shared by Twitter users in thepolitically critical state of Michigan was fake news, according to the University of Oxford. And a survey conducted for BuzzFeed News found 44 percent of Facebook users rarely or never trust news from the media giant.Young people who are digital natives are indeed being more skillful at separating fact from fictionin cyberspace. A Knight Foundation focus-group survey of young people between ages 14and24 found they use “distributed trust” to verify stories. They cross-check sources and prefer news from different perspectives—especially those that are open aboutany bias. “Many young people assume a great deal of personal responsibility for educating themselves and actively seeking out opposing viewpoints,” thesurvey concluded.Such active research can have another effect. A20XX survey conducted in Australia, Britain, and the United States by the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that young people’s reliance on social medialed to greater political engagement.Social media allows users to experience newsevents more intimately and immediately while alsopermitting them to re-share news as a projection of their values and interests. This forces users to be more conscious of their role in passing along information. A survey by Barna research group found the top reason given by Americans for the fake news pheno menon is “reader error,” more so than made-up stories or factual mistakes in reporting. About a third say the problem of fake news lies in “misinterpretation or exaggeration of actual news” via social media. In other words, the choice to share news on social media may be the heart of the issue. “This indicates there is a real personal responsibility in counteracting this problem,” says Roxanne Stone, editor in chief at Barna Group.So when young people are critical of an over-tweeting president, they reveal a mental discipline in thinking skills – and in their choices on when to share on social media.26. According to the Paragraphs 1 and 2, many young Americans cast doubts on[A] the justification of the news-filtering practice.[B] people’s preference for social media platforms.[C] the administrations ability to handle information.[D] social media was a reliable source of news.27. The phrase “beer up”(Line 2, Para. 2) is closest in meaning to[A] sharpen[B] define[C] boast[D] share28. According to the knight foundation survey, young people[A] tend to voice their opinions in cyberspace.[B] verify news by referring to diverse resources.[C] have s strong sense of responsibility.[D] like to exchange views on “distributedtrust”29. The Barna survey found that a main cause for the fake news problem is[A] readers outdated values.[B] journalists’ biased reporting[C] readers’ misinterpretation[D] journalists’ made-up stories.30. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?[A] A Rise in Critical Skills for Sharing News Online[B] A Counteraction Against the Over-tweeting Trend[C] The Accumulation of Mutual Trust on Social Media.[D] The Platforms for Projection of Personal Interests.考研阅读理解真题英语一4Text 2All around the world, lawyers generate more hostility than the members of any other profession---with the possible exception of journalism. But there are few places where clients have more grounds for plaint than America.During the decade before the economic crisis, spending on legal services in America grew twice as fast as inflation. The best lawyers made skyscrapers-full of money, tempting ever more students to pile into law schools. But most law graduates never get a big-firm job. Many of them instead bee the kind of nuisance-lawsuit filer that makes the tort system a costly nightmare.There are many reasons for this. One is the excessive costs of a legal education. There is just one path for a lawyer in most American states: afour-year undergraduate degree at one of 200 law schools authorized by the American Bar Association and an expensive preparation for the bar exam. This leaves today’s average law-school graduate with $100,000 of debt on top of undergraduate debts. Law-school debt means that they have to work fearsomely hard.Reforming the system would help both lawyers and their customers. Sensible ideas have been around for a long time, but the state-level bodies that govern the profession have been too conservative to implement them. One idea is to allow people to study law as an undergraduate degree. Another is to let students sit for the bar after only two years of law school. If the bar exam is truly a stern enough test for a would-be lawyer, those who can sit it earlier should be allowed to do so.Students who do not need the extra training could cut their debt mountain by a third.The other reason why costs are so high is the restrictive guild-like ownership structure of the business. Except in the District of Columbia, non-lawyers may not own any share of a law firm. This keeps fees high and innovation slow. There is pressure for change from within the profession, but opponents of change among the regulators insist that keeping outsiders out of a law firm isolates lawyers from the pressure to make money rather than serve clients ethically.In fact,allowing non-lawyers to own shares in law firms would reduce costs and improve services tocustomers, by encouraging law firms to use technology and to employ professional managers to focus on improving firms’ efficiency. After all, other countries, such as Australia and Britain, havestarted liberalizing their legal professions. America should follow.26.a lot of students take up law as their profession due to[A]the growing demand from clients.[B]the increasing pressure of inflation.[C]the prospect of working in big firms.[D]the attraction of financial rewards.。
考研英语阅读真题考研英语二毙考题

考研英语阅读真题考研英语二毙考题文档编制序号:[KK8UY-LL9IO69-TTO6M3-MTOL89-FTT688]2013考研英语阅读真题:考研英语(二)第1篇In an essay, entitled “Making It in America,” the author Adam Davidsonrelates a joke from cotton country about just how much a modern textile mill has been automated:The average mill has only two employees today, “a man and a dog.The man is there to feed the dog, and the dog is there to keep the man away from the machines.”Davidson’s article is one of a n umber of pieces that have recently appearedmaking the point that the reason we have such stubbornly high unemployment and declining middle-class incomes todayis largely because of the big drop in demand because of the Great Recession,but it is also because of the advances in both globalization and the information technology revolution,which are more rapidly than ever replacing labor with machines or foreign workers.In the past, workers with average skills, doing an average job, could earn an average lifestyle.But, today, average is officially over. Being average just won’t earn you what it used to.It can’t when so many more employers have so much more access to so much more above average cheap foreign labor,cheap robotics, cheap software, cheap automation and cheap genius.Therefore, everyone needs to find their extratheir unique value contribution that makes them stand out in whatever is their field of employment.Yes, new technology has been eating jobs forever, and always will.But there’s been an acceleration.As Davidson notes, “In the 10 years ending in 2009, US factories shed workers so fastthat they erased almost all the gains of the previous 70 years;roughly one out of every three manufacturing jobs--about 6 million in total--disappeared.”There will always be change —new jobs, new products, new services.But the one thing we know for sure is that with each advance in globalization and the I.T. revolution,the best jobs will require workers to have more and better education to make themselves above average.In a world where average is officially over, there are many things we need to do to support employment,but nothing would be more important than passing some kind of G.I. Bill for the 21st centurythat ensures that every American has access to post-high school education.亚当·戴维森《在美国制造》一文中提到南部种棉地区的一个笑话,内容涉及现代纺织厂自动化的程度:如今的普通工厂只有两个雇员,“一个人外加一条狗。
考研英语阅读真题:考研英语(二)第篇_毙考题

2012考研英语阅读真题:考研英语(二)第1篇Homework has never been terribly popular with students and even many parents, but in recent years it has been particularly scorned. School districts across the country, most recently Los Angeles Unified, are revising their thinking on his educational ritual. Unfortunately, L.A. Unified has produced an inflexible policy which mandates that with the exception of some advanced courses, homework may no longer count for more than 10% of a student’s academic grade.This rule is meant to address the difficulty that students from impoverished or chaotic homes might have in completing their homework. But the policy is unclear and contradictory. Certainly, no homework should be assigned that students cannot do without expensive equipment. But if the district is essentially giving a pass to students who do not do their homework because of complicated family lives, it is going riskily close to the implication that standards need to be lowered for poor children.District administrators say that homework will still be a pat of schooling: teachers are allowed to assign as much of it as they want. But with homework counting for no more than 10% of their grades, students can easily skip half their homework and see vey little difference on their report cards. Some students might do well on state tests without completing their homework, but what about the students who performed well on the tests and did their homework? It is quite possible that the homework helped. Yet rather than empowering teachers to find what works best for their students, the policy imposes a flat, across-the-board rule.At the same time, the policy addresses none of the truly thorny questions about homework. If the district finds homework to be unimportant to its stude nts’ academic achievement, it should move to reduce or eliminate the assignments, not make them count for almost nothing. Conversely, if homework does nothing to ensure that the homework students are not assigning more than they are willing to review and correct.The homework rules should be put on hold while the school board, which is responsible for setting educational policy, looks into the matter and conducts public hearings. It is not too late for L.A. Unified to do homework right.家庭作业从来就没有受到学生甚至家长的真正欢迎,但最近几年来,家庭作业却受到人们的鄙视。
考研英语真题试卷(题后含答案及解析)

考研英语真题试卷(题后含答案及解析)考研英语真题试卷(题后含答案及解析)第一部分:阅读理解(共两节,满分40分)第一节 (共15小题; 每小题2分,满分30分)阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。
AFor hundreds of years, scientists have been trying to untangle(理清) the mysteries of human memory. 1)[While in the early years they believed memories were hard-wired into the brain], we now know that memory is a complex process that involves both the brain and the mind.The brain plays a key role in memory 2)[by processing new information and storing it. However, it cannot act alone. Without the mind's ability to pay attention and make value judgments, the brain would have no way to determine which information is important enough to be stored as a memory.] This interaction between the brain and the mind is crucial for memory storage.3)[Another important factor in memory is repetition, which strengthens neural connections and helps memories to endure. Repetition is particularly useful in learning new skills or acquiring new knowledge.] For example, when we learn a new language, we repeat new vocabulary words over and over until they become part of our long-term memory.Emotion is also closely related to memory. 4)[Emotional experiences tend to be more memorable than neutral ones.] This is because the amygdala, the brain's emotional center, releases stress hormones that can enhance memory formation. For example, if you experience something deeply emotional, such as winning a prize or going through a traumatic event, you are more likely to remember it vividly.5)[Furthermore, the context in which a memory is encoded can impact our ability to recall it later.] Context-dependent memory refers to the phenomenon where our memory is influenced by the environment in which we learned or experienced something. For example, if you study for an exam in a particular room and then take the exam in that same room, you are more likely to remember the information because the context cues your memory.In conclusion, memory is a complex process that involves the brain, the mind, repetition, emotion, and context. 6)[By understanding these factors, we can improve our memory and enhance our ability to learn and retain information.]1. According to the passage, what was the early belief about memory?A. It is a simple process controlled by the brain.B. It is a complex process involving both the brain and the mind.C. It is a natural ability of human beings.D. It is a hard-wired function of the mind.2. What is the role of the mind in memory storage?A. It determines which information is important.B. It processes new information and stores it.C. It helps repeat words and phrases.D. It releases stress hormones for memory formation.3. What does the passage say about repetition?A. It helps acquire new skills.B. It strengthens neural connections.C. It enhances emotional experiences.D. It cues memory in a particular context.4. Why are emotional experiences more memorable?A. They involve repetitive learning.B. They trigger the brain's emotional center.C. They release stress hormones for memory formation.D. They are associated with context-dependent memory.5. How does context impact memory recall?A. It determines the importance of information.B. It influences emotional experiences.C. It strengthens neural connections.D. It cues memory in a particular environment.6. What is the main purpose of the passage?A. To describe the complexities of human memory.B. To discuss the role of the brain in memory storage.C. To explain the connection between emotion and memory.D. To offer strategies for improving memory.解析:1. D。
2017考研英语阅读材料:没有声音的闹钟_毙考题

2017考研英语阅读材料:没有声音的闹钟每天早上当还在香甜的梦中的时候却被一阵恼人的铃声吵醒,这对很多人来说都是很痛苦的,那么如果是用香味叫醒你会是怎样的体验。
下面一起来看一下网的专家精心的为大家准备的关于2017考研英语阅读材料:没有声音的闹钟的一些资料,帮助同学们更好的做好考研英语的复习备考工作。
This scent-producing alarm clock wakes you up with the smell of coffee and croissants没有声音的闹钟:让香味唤醒你Nobody likes waking up in the morning to the nagging, electronic bleep of regular alarm clocks or smartphones, but the smell of just-baked croissants and freshly roasted coffee? Now you re talking.没有人喜欢早晨普通闹钟或智能手机里闹铃发出的吵闹不休的声音,那刚烤好的羊角面包和刚煮好的咖啡的味道呢?这还差不多。
The Sensorwake, currently debuting at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, takes a vastly different approach to getting your attention when it s time to wake up. Instead of using sound to stir you, the clock uses smell, thanks to the timed release of an aroma of your choice .气味闹钟最近在拉斯维加斯举行的消费电子展上首次登台亮相,它采用一种完全不同的方式喊你起床。
考研英语阅读真题考研英语毙考题

考研英语阅读真题考研英语毙考题2015考研英语阅读真题:考研英语(一)第2篇Just how much does the Constitution protect your digital data?The Supreme Court will now considerwhether police can search the contents of a mobile phone without a warrant if the phone is on or around a person during an arrest.California has asked the justices to refrain from a sweeping ruling,particularly one that upsets the old assumptions that authorities may search through the possessions of suspects at the time of their arrest.It is hard, the state argues, for judges to assess the implications of new and rapidly changing technologies.The court would be recklessly modest if it followed California’s advice.Enough of the implications are discernable, even obvious,so that the justice can and should provide updated guidelines to police, lawyers and defendants.They should start by discarding California’s lame argument that exploring the contents of a smart phone —a vast storehouse of digital information is similar to say, going through a suspect’s pur se.The court has ruled that police don’t violate the Fourth Amendment when they go through the wallet or pocket book, of an arrestee without a warrant.But exploring one’s smart phone is more like entering his or her home.A smart phone may contain an arrestee’s reading history,financial history, medical history and comprehensive records of recent correspondence.The development of “cloud computing.” meanwhile, has made that exploration so much the easier.Americans should take steps to protect their digital privacy.But keeping sensitive information on these devices is increasingly a requirement of normal life.Citizens still have a right to expect private documents to remain private and protected by the Constitution’s prohibition on unreaso nable searches.As so often is the case, stating that principle doesn’t ease the challenge of line-drawing.In many cases, it would not be overly onerous for authorities to obtain a warrant to search through phone contents.They could still invalidate Fourth Amendment protections when facing severe, urgent circumstances,and they could take reasonable measures to ensure that phone data are not erased or altered while a warrant is pending.The court, though, may want to allow room for police to cite situations where they are entitled to more freedom.But the justices should not swallow California’s argument whole.New, disruptive technology sometimes demands novel applications of the Constitution’s protec tions.Orin Kerr, a law professor, compares the explosion and accessibility of digital information in the 21st century with the establishment of automobile use as a digital necessity of life in the 20th:The justices had to specify novel rules for the new personal domain of the passenger car then;they must sort out how the Fourth Amendment applies to digital information now.宪法对你的数字资料的保护到底有多大?最高法院现在将会考虑如果手机在嫌疑人的身上或身边,警察是否能在未经许可的前提下搜索其手机的内容。
204考研英语阅读真题:考研英语(一)第3篇-毙考题

2014考研英语阅读真题:考研英语(一)第3篇The US$3-million Fundamental Physics Prize is indeedan interesting experiment,美国三百万美元的基础物理学奖的确是一项令人觉得有趣的试验,as Alexander Polyakov said when he accepted thisyear’s award in March.正如今年三月Alexander Polyakov领取本年度的基础物理学奖所说。
And it is far from the only one of its type.而且这种类型的奖项可不止只有基础物理学奖。
As a News Feature article in Nature discusses, a stringof lucrative awards for researchers have joined the Nobel Prizes in recent years.正如《自然》杂志的一篇新闻专题文章论述,近年来,一系列给研究者设立的利益丰厚的奖项能与诺贝尔奖相媲美。
Many, like the Fundamental Physics Prize, are funded from the telephone-number-sized bankaccounts of Internet entrepreneurs.许多奖项,比如基础物理学奖,其资金来自于互联网企业家们如电话号码长度般的巨额银行存款。
These benefactors have succeeded in their chosen fields, they say,这些捐助者在他们各自的领域很成功,他们说,and they want to use their wealth to draw attention to those who have succeeded in science.而且他们想用他们的财富让人们注意到那些科学领域的有所成功的人。
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2013考研英语阅读真题:考研英语(一)第1篇
In the 2006 film version of The Devil Wears Prada, Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep,
scolds her unattractive assistant for imagining that high fashion doesn’t affect her.
Priestly explains how the deep blue color of the assistant’s sweater
descended over the years from fashion shows to department stores and to the bargain bin in which the poor girl doubtless found her garment.
This top-down conception of the fashion business couldn’t be more out of date
or at od ds with the feverish world described in Overdressed, Elizabeth Cline’s three-year indictment of “fast fashion”.
In the last decade or so, advances in technology have allowed mass-market labels such as Zara, H M, and Uniqlo
to react to trends more quickly and anticipate demand more precisely.
Quickier turnarounds mean less wasted inventory, more frequent releases, and more profit.
Those labels encourage style conscious consumers to see clothes as disposable—meant to last only a wash or two,
althoug h they don’t advertise that—and to renew their wardrobe every few weeks.
By offering on-trend items at dirt cheap prices, Cline argues, these brands have hijacked fashion cycles,
shaking an industry long accustomed to a seasonal pace.
The victims of this revolution, of course, are not limited to designers.
For H M to offer a $ knit miniskirt in all its 2,300-plus stores around the world,
it must rely on low-wage overseas labor, order in volumes that strain natural resources, and use massive amounts of harmful chemicals.
Overdressed is the fashion world’s answer to consumer-activist bestsellers like Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma.
“Mass-produced clothing, like fast food, fills a hunger and need, yet is non-durable and wasteful,” Cline argues.
Americans, she finds, buy roughly 20 billion garments a year--about 64 items per person
and no matter how much they give away, this excess leads to waste.
Towards the end of Overdressed, Cline introduced her ideal, a Brooklyn woman named Sarah Kate Beaumont,
who since 2008 has made all of her own clothes— and beautifully.
But as Cline is the first to note, it took Beaumont decades to perfect her craft; her example can’t be knocked off.
Though several fast-fashion companies have made efforts to curb their impact on labor and the environment
including H M, with its green Conscious Collection line.
Cline believes lasting change can only be effected by the customer.
She exhibits the idealism common to many advocates of sustainability, be it in food or in energy.
Vanity is a constant; people will only start shopping more sustainably when they can’t afford not to.
在2006年上映的《穿普拉达的女王》中,由Meryl Streep出演的Miranda Priestly
臭骂她那个毫无魅力的助手,因为她居然认为高级时尚影响不到她。
Priestly解释道,这个助理的外套竟然是深蓝色的,
这个款式从时装秀场沦落到百货商场再走上打折货摊,毫无疑问,这蠢丫头在那里淘到了那件衣服。
这种自上而下的观念太过时了,
或者说它与Elizabeth Cline在历时三年完成的《过度装扮》一书中描述的那个狂热的世界完全不同。
近十年,科技的进步使得Zara、H M、Uniqlo等大众品牌
能更快地追上潮流,更精准地预测需求。
更快的周转期意味着更少的库存浪费,更频繁的上新,也意味着更多的利润。
这些时装厂商鼓励追求时尚的消费者把时装变成一次性消费品--顶多洗两次就扔,
尽管他们没有明确打广告--过几周就更新一次衣柜。
Cline称,通过超低价销售时装,这些厂商破坏了时尚周期,
动摇了时尚潮流随季节变化的步伐。
当然,这么频繁更新,折腾的不光是服装设计师。
以H M为例,他们在全球有2300多家分店,若想同时推出一款售价为美元的针织迷你裙,只能依赖低工资的海外劳动力与消耗自然资源的批量订单,并大量使用有害化学物质。
《过度装扮》其实就是对像Michael Pollan’s所着的《杂食动物的困境》这一类活跃的消费类畅销书的回应。
Cline琳认为,大量的生产的衣服,就和快餐一样,能对付饥饿和需求,却不持久且浪费。
她发现,美国人一年购置服装多达二百亿件,相当于每人六十四件,
不管他们花了多少钱,这种过度买衣服就会导致浪费。
在《过度装扮》书末,Cline琳介绍了她理想中的人,一位叫做Sarah Kate Beaumont,住在布鲁克林的女士,
这位女士从2008年开始所有的衣服都是自己做的,而且衣服都做得很漂亮。
不过Cline也承认,Beaumont花了几十年来完善她的手艺,以她做例子,难以服众。
尽管几个快时尚公司都在设法控制他们对劳工和环境的影响,
包括H M推出了Conscious Collection系列衣服。
Cline认为只有客户能带来持久的改变。
Cline指出,不管是在食物还是在能源上,可持续性的倡导都太理想化了。
虚荣是常态,人们只有在没法儿承担不合理购物的影响时才会合理购物。
重点单词
encourage[in’k?rid?]vt. 鼓励,促进,支持
unattractiveadj. 不吸引人注意的;没有魅力的;不美丽的
renew[ri’nju:]v. 更新,重新开始
bin[bin]n. 箱柜,[计] DOS文件名,二进制目标文件
frequent[‘fri:kw?nt]adj. 经常的,频繁的vt. 常到,常去
constant[‘k?nst?nt]adj. 经常的,不变的n. 常数,恒量
inventory[‘inv?ntri]n. 详细目录,存货(清单) vt. 编制
idealism[ai’di?liz?m]n. 唯心论,唯心主义,观念论,理想主义
collection[k?’lek??n]n. 收集,收取,聚集,收藏品,募捐
accustomed[?’k?st?md]adj. 习惯了的,通常的。