考研英语阅读解析

Text 1

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 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…verywell?after ten years of residence. “The children of immigrants tend to be bilingual and proficient in English. “By t he third generation，the original language is lost in the majority of immigrant families. “Hence the description of America as a“graveyard”for languages. By 1996 foreign–born immigrants who had arrived before 1970 had a homeownership 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 immigrant 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 indu ces 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.

重点词汇：

homogenize:/h?'m?d??naiz/ vt.cause to become equal or homogeneous as by mixing；均质化，使（某物）成分均匀

【形】homogeneous a. 由同类部分组成的【名】homogeneity n. 同种，同质

【构词】词头：homo- 同、相同如homophone n. 同音异形词；homosexual a. 同性恋的democratize: / di'm?kr?taiz/vt. become (more) democratic; of nations 使民主化

【例】democratize the administration of an organization 使一组织的管理民主化

【名】democracy n. 民主、民主政治，民主制度；democrat n. 民主主义者；（Democrat指美国民主党党员或其拥护者）democratization n. 民主化

【形】democratic a. 民主的，民主政治的；民主作风的，平等的

discourse: [ dis'k?:s, 'disk?:s ]n. lengthy or serious treatment of a subject in speech or writing 论文、演讲vi. talk、preach or lecture about sth（usu at length）（通常长篇大论的）论说、宣扬或讲授某事物

【例】The speaker discoursed knowledgeably on a variety of subjects 演讲者头头是道的论述了一系列问题。intimate: [ 'intimit ]a. having or being a very closely or friendly relationship 亲密的,私人的,秘密的；private and personal 私人的，个人的；

vt make sth known to sbexp discreetly or indirectly

将某事透露给某人，（尤其指谨慎的或间接的）暗示、示意【例】She has intimated to us that she no longer wishes to be considered for the post 她已向我们透露希望不再考虑让她担任该职。

【习】be/get on intimate terms with sb（渐渐）熟悉某人并关系密切

【名】intimation n. 示意、暗示

cater:[ 'keit? ]v. provide food or services，esp. at social functions 备办食物或服务（尤其指社交方面）；投合,迎合

【用法】～for sb/sth由某人/某事物提供、迎合（即主语必须是被用来迎合sb/sth的那个东西）

～to sth满足某种需要或要求（即主语必须是发起迎合动作的主体）

【例】TV must cater for many different tastes 电视节目必须迎合各种人的爱好。

Newspapers catering to people?s love of scandal 迎合人们爱看丑闻消息的报纸

【名】catering n. 承办酒席（的行为或行业）caterer n. 承办酒席的人

elevate:v. lift up，raise to a higher place or rank 举起,提拔；make the mind or morals better or more educated 使思想或道德更好，更有修养

【例】He has been elevated to the peerage 他已升为贵族The teacher hoped to elevate the minds of her young pupils by reading them religious stories.教师希望给小学生读宗教故事来提高他们的修养.

【形】elevated a. 好的，高尚的elevating a. 提高思想道德的，引人向上的

【名】elevation n. 提高、被提高，高度（尤指海拔），建筑物正视图

unprecedented:a. 空前的

【例】Science and technology have come to pervade every aspect of our lives and, as a result, society is changing at a speed which is quite unprecedented.科学和技术已经开始渗透了我们生活的各个领域；结果，社会正以空前的速度改变着

resistant:a. relating to or conferring immunity (to disease or infection)抵抗的,反抗的

【例】This new type of infection is resistant to antibiotics.这种新的传染病对抗菌素有抗药性。

【名】resistance n. 抵抗，对抗

难句分析：

①Immigrants are quickly fitting into this common culture, which may not be altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous.

▲分析：该句话是由一个主句加一个非限定性定语从句组成，immigrants做主语，fit做谓语，culture做宾语，which引导非限定性从句。

翻译：移民们很快适应了这个主流文化，他们也许总共也不能为这个文化增色多少，但也不会有害于它的。

②Rodriguez not that children in remote villages around world are fans of superstars like Amold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks, yet “some Americans fear that immigrant living within the United States remain somehow immune to the nation?s assimilative power.”

▲分析：这是个复杂句，yet把它分成两部分，前后是转折关系。前半部分是个简单句；后半部分由that引导了一个宾语从句。

翻译：罗得里格斯岛那些在世界各地偏僻村庄的的孩子们也许并非都是诸如Amold Schwarzenegger 和Garth Brooks 等明星的星迷，然而一些美国人害怕住在美国的移民或多或少的对这个国家的同化力量保持免疫。

答案分析：

21.

参考答案：C。homogenizing是homogenize的动名词形式，本意是：vi.均质化vt.使均匀。即同一化。在第一段可以看出，文章是说明美国社会的民主化和其巨大的亲和力，因此在American society is an amazing machine for homogenizing people这句话中，将homogenizing翻译成吸引，吸收最贴切。然后观察四个选项，A选项是identifying，意思是：识别, 鉴别, 把...和...看成一样。与文章没有联系，排除。B选项associating是比较强的干扰项，其意思是：vt.使发生联系, 使联合vi.交往, 结交。如果能引申为团结的意思的话，与文章倒是有点关系，但是根据最优选项的原则，此选项也不能入选。C选项assimilateing是吸收的意思，最符合原文的观点，即吸收以融为一体的意思。因此C选项入选。D 选项monopolizing的意思是独占，垄断的意思，与原文没有联系，排除。

22..

参考答案：A。该题目定位到第一段的这几句话：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.”大体意思是说，商店不再只是属于那些有见识的精英们了，而成为一种任何人都可以进入，不管你的社会地位或背景的地方。最重要的是最后一句，说商店使购物成为一种公众的，民主的活动。因此，商店在普及文化中扮演着重要的角色。此中的文化也可以具体到消费文化。联系A选项：商店在普及通俗文化中发挥着作用。因此A入选。B选项属于比较强的干扰项，主要是intimate这个词的用法不够理解。intimate的意思是adj.亲密的, 隐私的vt.宣布, 明白表示。在文章的意思应该是私人的意思。由原句Instead of intimate shops catering to a knowledgeable elite可以得出，intimate是为...所私有的意思。因此B选项应该翻译为：变成了普通消费者的私有商店。因此排除该选项。C选项意思是：满足了知识渊博的社会精英们的需要。这与原文正好相反，注意instead这个词。因此C 选项排除。D选项意思是：其出现归功于消费文化。恰恰相反，应该是普及的消费文化归功于这种商店的出现。因此D选项排除。

23.

参考答案：C。该题目首先能定位到第二段的首句：Immigrants are quickly fitting into this common culture, which may not be altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous.意思是说移民迅速融入了这种通俗文化，虽然不至于能够促进这种文化，但是决不至于有害。因此联系C选项：对通俗文化基本构不成威胁，入选。再看A选项，意思是移民对同一化的抗拒。由上面这句原文可以轻松排除这个选项。B选项的意思是移民对美国文化产生了巨大影响。同样还是那句原文，可看出移民不至于能够促进这种文化，也不至于毒害这种文化，因此可以得出结论，即移民对文化的影响不大。因此排除B选项。最后看D选项，意思是组成了人口的大多数。即使从常识角度来看，这也肯定不对。哪怕像新西兰之类的高移民率国家，也不至于让移民们反客为主了。而且原文也可看出，只是不到五分之一而已。因此D选项排除。24.

参考答案：D。定位到题目所说的第五段：Rodriguez not that children in remote villages around world are fans of superstars like Amold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks, yet “some Americans fear that immigrant living within the United States remain somehow immune to the nation’s assimilative power.”大体意思是说即使偏远地区的孩子们也是美国明星的追随者，然而却有美国人害怕自己国家的吸引力对移民者不起作用。显然后半句用的是反语，可以说是批评那些美国人的。因此作者的意思是说美国的吸引力非常大。再联系全文的中心思想:美国是个

有巨大吸引力和融合力的大熔炉。因此D选项：表现了美国文化的巨大影响力。入选。再看A选项：证明了他们在全世界的知名度。这个选项显然是表面的，并没有深入到作者的本意中去。因此排除。然后是B选项：揭露了公众对移民的害怕。首先，文章只是说有些美国人，而没有达到公众这么大的范围。而且，作者的用意更不是说公众对移民的害怕，而是借此说明美国的巨大融合力。因此B选项排除。最后是C选项，意思是列举了成功移民者的例子。这个和B选项属于相同的干扰项，都不是作者的本意。即使你知识渊博，知道史瓦辛格是移民，但是也不能以偏概全。因此同样不能入选。

25.

参考答案：B。文章的中心思想就是说美国是个有巨大融合力的大熔炉，当然对于吸收移民者来讲也是很成功的了。A选项意思是有益的，有好处的。文章并没有说吸收移民是有益的，而只是说美国在吸收移民方面做的很成功。因此该选项属于偷换概念，不能入选。这个选项也有较大争议。C选项意思是没有结果的，显然可以排除。D选项意思是有害的，属于很有争议的选项。因为文章最后一段明显看出作者对美国现在的社会非常不满，并用了黑暗，恶化之类的词。如果硬是把这种现象归因于吸收移民的话，D选项就是正确的了。但是我个人觉得既然原文中没有根据，那么只有从常理角度推断，美国之所以出现如今的这种混乱的社会现象，最大的原因还是因为其经济发展过度迅速以导致其他方面的进步速度跟不上，从而发生了物质文明与精神文明脱节的现象，自然会导致社会环境恶化。如果用马克思主义理论讲的话，就是资本主义社会的基本矛盾，即生产力和消费水平的脱节…所以和移民之类的问题并没多大关系。而且还有比较关键的一点，就是文章第一段已经说过了which may not be altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous，因此可看出移民问题没有害。虽然扯的远了，不过既然这道题很有争议，还是希望大家能以最后的标准答案为准，我的个人意见仅供参考。

全文翻译：

不管我们如何喋喋不休地谈论差别，美国社会实际上是一台同化人们的神奇的机器。这就是民主化的着装和话语的统一以及十九世纪在高雅的氛围中陈列着琳琅满目的商品的百货商店所发起的随意消费及没有消费的活动。他们不是为了迎合有知识的精英们而开设亲情商店，而是创建了“不分阶层和背景人人都可以进入”的大众商店。这使得购物成为一种大众的、民主的行为。大众传媒、广告和体育也是协助人们均质化的推动力。

尽管这种文化一点也不高雅，但也不是完全有害的，移民们很快就融入了这种共同文化。Gregory Rodriguez为美国移民研讨会撰文指出，今天的移民既不是处于空前的水平，也不抵制同化。在1998年，移民占全国人口的9.8%；在1900年为13.6%。在1990年以前的十年之中，在每千位居民当中，有3.1位新来的移民；而在1890年以前的十年之中，每千位居民当中就有9.2位移民。现在，让我们来看一下三个同化指标——语言、拥有产权住房和异族结婚情况。

1990年的人口普查透露：“来自十五个移民数量最多的国家的移民在到美国十年后英语说得‘好’或‘很好’。”移民的子女几乎都说两种语言，且精通英语。“到了第三代，在大多数移民家庭，他们的母语就消失了。”因此，有人就把美国描述成了“语言的坟场”。到了1965年，出生于国外的、在1970年以前到达美国的移民有75.6%购置了自己的住房，这个数字高出土生土长的美国人的拥有自己所有权住房的百分比——69.8%。

在国外出生的亚裔和西班牙裔移民“与美国本土白人和黑人相比，与异族通婚的比率要高。”到了第三代，有三分之一的西班牙裔女性与非西班牙裔男性结婚，而有41%亚裔美国妇女与非亚裔男性结婚。Rodriguez注意到，世界边远地区的儿童是诸如阿诺德?施瓦辛格和加斯?布鲁克斯等超级明星的星迷，而“一些美国人担心生活在美国的移民在某种程度上并不受美国的同化力量的影响。”

在美国是否存在不和以及潜在的不安？答案是肯定的，而且问题的严重性足以超越其他事宜。但是与美国动荡的过去相比，这些社会指标说明美国的社会环境变得黑暗，且正在恶化。

Text 2

Stratford-on-Avon，as we all know，has only one industry-William Shakespeare-but there are two distinctly separate and increasingly hostile branches. There is the Royal Shakespeare Company （RSC），which presents superb productions of the plays at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre on the Avon. And there are the townsfolk who largely live off the tourists who come，not to see the plays，but to look at Anne Hathaway‘s Cottage，Shakespeare’s birthplace and the other sights.

The worthy residents of Stratford doubt that the theatre adds a penny to their revenue. They frankly dislike the RSC’s actors，them with their long hair and beards and sandals and noisiness. It’s all deliciously ironic when you consider that Shakespeare，who earns their living，was himself an actor （with a beard）and did his share of noise - making.

The tourist streams are not entirely separate. The sightseers who come by bus- and often take in Warwick Castle and Blenheim Palace on the side–don‘t usually see the plays，and some of them are even surprised to find a theatre in Stratford. However，the playgoers do manage a little sight - seeing along with their play going. It is the playgoers，the RSC contends，who bring in much of the town’s revenue because they spend the night （some of them four or five nights）pouring cash into the hotels and restaurants. The sightseers can take in everything and get out of town by nightfall.

The townsfolk don…t see it this way and local council does not contribute directly to the subsidy of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Stratford cries poor traditionally. Nevertheless every hotel in town seems to be adding a new wing or cocktail lounge. Hilton is building its own hotel there，which you may be sure will be decorated with Hamlet Hamburger Bars，the Lear Lounge，the Banqueting Room，and so forth，and will be very expensive.

Anyway，the townsfolk can’t understand why the Royal Shakespeare Company needs a subsidy. （The theatre has broken attendance records for three years in a row. Last year its 1，431 seats were 94 per cent occupied all year long and this year they’ll do better.）The reason，of course，is that costs have rocketed and ticket prices have stayed low.

It would be a shame to raise prices too much because it would drive away the young people who are Stratford ‘s most attractive clientele. They come entirely for the plays，not the sights. They all seem to look alike （though they come from all over）–lean，pointed，dedicated faces，wearing jeans and sandals，eating their buns and bedding down for the night on the flagstones outside the theatre to buy the 20 seats and 80 standing-room tickets held for the sleepers and sold to them when the box office opens at 10：30 a.m.

26. From the first two paragraphs，we learn that

A. the townsfolk deny the RSC…s contribution to the town?s revenue

B. the actors of the RSC imitate Shakespeare on and off stage

C. the two branches of the RSC are not on good terms

D. the townsfolk earn little from tourism

27. It can be inferred from Paragragh 3 that

A. the sightseers cannot visit the Castle and the Palace separately

B. the playgoers spend more money than the sightseers

C. the sightseers do more shopping than the playgoers

D. the playgoers go to no other places in town than the theater

28. By saying “Stratford cries poor traditionally”（Line 2-3，Paragraph 4），the author implies that

A. Stratford cannot afford the expansion projects

B. Stratford has long been in financial difficulties

C. the town is not really short of money

D. the townsfolk used to be poorly paid

29. According to the townsfolk，the RSC deserves no subsidy because

A. ticket prices can be raised to cover the spending

B. the company is financially ill-managed

C. the behavior of the actors is not socially acceptable

D. the theatre attendance is on the rise

30. From the text we can conclude that the author

A. is supportive of both sides

B. favors the townsfolk‘s view

C. takes a detached attitude

D. is sympathetic to the RS

重点词汇：

superb:[ sju:'p?:b ]a. 卓越的，杰出的，极好的

【例】After six months training, the whole team is insuperbform.全队经过六个月的训练竞技状态极佳。townsfolk:n. 市民, 市镇居民

sandal:[ 's?ndl ]n. 便鞋,凉鞋

playgoer:[ 'pleig???(r) ]n. 爱看戏的人,常看戏的人lounge:[ laund? ]n. 闲逛,休闲室,长沙发v. 闲混,懒洋洋地躺卧

【例】Don't lounge around all day: do something! 别整天闲逛，做点事情吧！

She is waiting for me in the departure lounge. 她在候机室等我。

I don't want to lounge about town. I have other things to do. 我不想在市区闲逛。我还有别的事要做。

subsidy:[ 's?bsidi ]n. 补助金,津贴（尤指政府为扶持工业、资助艺术事业、平抑物价而发放的）

【例】The islanders don't want to leave, and probably wouldn't if there were a subsidy to reduce freight charges. But they don't see that happening.岛上居民不愿离开；要是有补助金使运输费用降低的话，他们很可能不会离开。但是，他们对补助金并不存奢望。

【动】subsidize v. 给某人津贴或补贴

lean:[ li:n ]n. 瘦肉,倾斜,弯曲a. 瘦的,贫乏的,歉收的v.

倚靠,倾斜,依赖

【例】The little girl only eats lean pork. 这个小女孩只吃瘦肉。

He leant on the back of the sofa. 他斜靠在沙发的背上。

If they don't pay soon we'll have to lean on them a little. 要是他

们不马上付款，我们就得给他们加点压力了。

He leans towards more lighthearted subjects in his later works. 他在後期的创作中倾向於比较轻松的主题。

bun:n. 小面包

难句分析：

①And there are the townsfolk who largely live off the tourists who come, not to see the plays, but to look at Anne Hathaway?s Cottage, Shakespeare?s birthplace and the other sights.

分析：who引导定语从句修饰townsfolk，not… but 结构的意思是不是…而是。

翻译：也有一些市镇居民很大程度上依靠游客生活，这些游客不是来看戏剧的，而是游览安娜.海瑟威的小屋，莎士比亚诞生地以及其他景点的。

②They all seem to look alike (though they come from all over)---lean, pointed, dedicated faces, wearing jeans and sandals, eating their buns and bedding down for the night on the flagstones outside the theatre to buy the 20 seats and 80 standing—room tickets held for the sleepers and sold to them when the box office opens at 10:30 a.m.

分析：从结构上讲，这是一个简单句，波折号前面是主干，后面是修饰性短语。Held for 以及sold to 分别引导两个分词结构修饰tickets。

翻译：尽管他们来自各地，看起来却都差不多――有一张很瘦、严肃而专注的面孔，穿着牛仔和凉鞋，啃着小面包，晚上睡在剧院外面的石板上，为了在早上10点半售票窗口打开的时候买到为这些睡觉的人准备的20张坐票和80张站票。

答案分析：

26. 参考答案：A。由题目定位到前两段。首先看A选项，意思是：市民否认了RSC对城镇收入的恭献。由文章第二段一句The worthy residents of Stratford doubt that the theatre adds a penny to their revenue可明显看出，居民们怀疑剧院是否对收入作出一点贡献。意思就是否认了其对城镇收入的贡献。注意RSC就是这里的theatre。接着看B 选项，意思是：RSC的演员在台上和台下模仿莎士比亚。这个在前两段确实有相关的内容，但是第二段中只是说演员在相貌上模仿莎士比亚，但是没有提到台上台下的问题。因此不能入选。然后是C选项，意思是：RSC的两个分支相处不好。这个选项属于偷换概念类干扰项。原文说的是这个城镇有两个分支互相敌对，而不是RSC有两个分支互相敌对。因此排除。

最后是D选项，意思是：城镇居民从旅游业获取的利润很少。

但是请看原文这句话：And there are the townsfolk who largely live off the tourists who come。其中的largely

这个词明显表明他们赚的钱肯定不少。因此也不能入选。27. 参考答案是：B。由题目定位到第三段。首先看A选项，意思是：观光者不能单独参观城堡和宫殿。请看The sightseers who come by bus- and often take in Warwick Castle and Blenheim Palace on the side这句话。这里只说观光者经常这么做，而不是一直都这么做。A选项将其绝对化了，因此不能入选。接着看B选项，意思是：看戏的人比观光的人花钱多。由第三段这句话It is the playgoers, the ESC contends, who bring in much of the town?s revenue because they spend the night可以看出，看戏的人对城镇的收入贡献最大。而且从细节上看，看戏的人一般都住四五天，而观光的人一天就走了。因此B正确。关于C选项与B选项是相反的，既然B对，C自然就排除了。具体到do some shopping的细节，原文没有提到（如果在旅店和饭店消费不算shopping的话），因此更不能入选。最后是D选项，意思是看戏者除了看戏哪里都不去。这种选项属于绝对化选项，一般是不对的。由原文中However, the playgoers do manage a little sight-seeing along with their playgoing.看出，看戏者还是做点观光之类的事情的。因此D选项排除。

28. 参考答案是：C。由题目定位到所指原句，然后接着往下读：Nevertheless every hotel in town seems to be adding a new wing or cocktail lounge. Hilton is building its own hotel there, which you may be sure will be decorated with Hamlet Hamburger Bars, the Lear Lounge, the Banquo Banqueting Room, and so forth, and will be very expensive.可以看出，这个城镇并不穷。如果穷，怎么会有那么多旅店里有鸡尾酒和休息室，甚至一些very expensive的东西。因此，所谓的cry poor，在中文里就是哭穷的意思。自然看出Stratford是在装着哭穷。再联系C选项：这个城镇事实上并不缺钱。因此入选。再看A 选项，说其不能承担工程的费用。既然不缺钱，当然不会承担不起了。因此自然排除。然后是B选项，意思是其一直都有经济困难。和A选项一样，都是一个原因。只要明白了其并不缺钱这个事实，就不会选这个选项了。最后是D选项，意思是说市民曾经的收入很少。也许这也是个事实，但是在原文中并未体现。原文只是表明了市民现在的收入很可观。因此也不能入选。

29. 参考答案是：D。题目问到，为什么市民认为不应该给RSC补贴？定位到原文倒数第二段：The theatre has broken attendance records for three years in a row. Last year its 1,431 seats were 94 percent occupied all year long and this year they?ll do better.可见市民认为剧院几乎场场爆满的状况肯定赚了很多钱。但是他们并不知道其实票价很低。所以市民是通过剧院的就座率看出RSC并不需要补贴的。联系D选项：剧院的就座率在上升。自然入选。再看A选项，意思是：票价能够涨到抵消花费的程度。但是原文中虽然提到了票价的问题，但是市民并不知道票价的高低，他们只是看到了剧院的就座率。因此该选项不能入选。然后是B选项，意思是公司的经济管理不善。这个选项从常理上就是不对的，经济管理不善应该导致收入减少，所以才应该接收补贴。从原文中也并没有提到公司的管理问题，因此该选项排除。最后是C选项，意思是演员的表现并不能在社会上被接受。这个选项和财政问题基本没关系，而且即使有关系，演员表现不好自然会导致收入减少，同样也就应该接受补贴了。

30. 参考答案是：D。这个是全文理解题。只要你读懂了全文，自然这道题就明白了。文章的大意就是说明RSC表面上生意很好，场场基本爆满，但是其实并赚不到多少钱。然而当地的居民却不理解，认为其接收补贴不合理。因此可以看出，作者在同情RSC。因此D选项入选。而A选项：两边都支持，显然不合作者的本意。作者至少是不支持当地居民的。B选项：赞成当地居民的观点。由文章大意可以看出这是个相反的干扰项。最后是C选项，里面有这个词：detached。意思是：超然的，不偏不倚的：不含感情因素的，不含个人偏见的参见。这个词在以往试题中并不多见，看来考试中心也有创新精神呵呵。但是同样是由于从文章大意中看出作者的态度比较鲜明，因此不是不偏不倚的。

全文翻译：

众所周知Stratford-on-Avon只有一个产业,那就是威廉?莎士比亚,但这儿却有两个相互独立的部门,他们随着时间的变化而日益变得敌对。这儿有皇家莎士比亚公司（RSC），它拥有莎士比亚记忆剧院的戏剧绝对出品权。这儿的居民大部分是靠来游玩的游客生活，这些游客并不是来看戏剧的，而是来看Anne Hathaway的庄园，莎士比亚的出生地和其他的景色。

Stratford的当地乡绅们都质疑剧院有没有增加税收。他们直言讨厌RSC的演员，这些演员留着长头发，长胡须，拖着凉鞋，吵吵嚷嚷。这真是一种绝妙的讽刺，当你看到以此为生的莎士比亚,作为演员留着胡子制造并享受着这些噪声.

游客群并不是完全分开的。游览者乘公车来,，经常会去游览Warwick城堡和Blenheim宫殿，通常不会去看戏，并且他们中的一些人甚至会对在Stratford能找到剧院感到惊讶。然而，游客也只是在他们旅游途中沿途看风景。RSC辩解说，游客会给城镇带来许多地税收，因为他们通常花晚上（有些是四到五个晚上）的时间住在宾馆。这些游览者可以在黄昏做任何事情。

居民却没有看到这种方式。地方政府也直接没有给予RSC 补贴。Stratford一向都比较穷。然而城镇上每一家旅馆似乎没有增加一张新的房间或新的休息室。希尔顿也建在这儿建了一座酒店，这里可以确定的是被装饰一新的Hamlet Hamburger吧，Lear休息室，宴会厅等等。这里的消费将很贵。

无论如何，居民不明白为什么RSC需要补贴。（剧院已经打破了连续三年以来的缺席率。去年整年的1431个座位的就坐率达到了94%，今年将会更好。）当然，原因是，花费高了，而票价仍然很低。

增加票价是一件很为难的事情，因为这样会把Stratford 的最大吸引者年轻人赶走。他们完全是为了戏而来，不是为风景。他们看上去都很相似（尽管他们来自世界各地）－都一样身体倾斜，言语尖锐，娇好的面容，穿着牛仔裤，拖着凉鞋，吃着小面包，晚上睡在剧院外的石头上，他们买上20张座位票和80张站票，然后在上午10：30把这些票卖掉。

Text 3

When prehistoric man arrived in new parts of the world，something strong happened to the large animals；they suddenly became extinct. Smaller species survived，the large，slow-growing animals were easy game，and were quickly hunted to extinction.

Now something similar could be happening in the oceans that the seas are being over-fished has been known for years what researchers such as Ransom Myers and Boris Worm have shown is just how fast things are changing. They have looked at half a century of data from fisheries around the world. Their methods de not attempt to estimate the actual biomass （the amount of living biological matter）of fish species in particular parts

of the ocean，but rather changes in that biomass over time. According to their latest paper published in Nature，the biomass of large predator s （animals that kill and eat other animals）inanes fishery is reduced on average by 80% within 15 years of the start of exploitation. In some long-fished areas，it has halve d again since then Dr. Worm acknowledges that these figures are conservative，one reason for this is that fishing technology has improved Today?s vessels can find their prey using satellites and sonar，which were not available 50 years ago that means a higher proportion of what is in the sea is being caught，so the real difference between present and past is likely to be worse than the one recorded by changes in catch sizes.In the early days，too，loneline would have been more saturate d with fish. Some individuals would therefore not have been caught，since to baited hooks would have been available to trap them，leading to an underestimate of fish stocks in the past. Furthermore，in the early days of longline fishing，a lot of fish were lost to sharks after they had been hooked. That is no longer a problem，because there are fewer sharks around noise.

Dr. Myers and Dr. worm argue that their work gives a correct baseline，which future management efforts must take into account. They believe the date support an idea current among marine biologists，that of the “shifting baseline”。The notion is that people have failed to detect the massive changes which have happened in the ocean because they have been looking back only a relatively short time into the past. That matters because theory suggests that the maximum sustainable yield that can be cropped form a fishery comes when the biomass of a target species is about 50% of its original levels. Most fisheries are well below that，which is a bad way to be business.

31、The extinction of large prehistoric animals is noted to suggest that

A、large animal were vulnerable to the changing environment

B、small species survived as large animals disappeared

C、large sea animals may face the same threat today.

D、Slow-growing fish outlive fast-growing ones

32、who can infer form Dr Myers and Dr. Worm…s paper that

A、the stock of large predators in some old fisheries has reduced by 90%

B、there are only half as many fisheries are there were 15 years ago

C、the catch sizes in new fisheries are only 20% of the original amount

D、the number of larger predators dropped faster in new fisherish than in the old

33、By saying these figures are conservative （line in ，paragragf-3），Dr worm means that

A、fishing technology has improved rapidly

B、then catch-sizes are actually smaller then recorded

C、the marine bio mass has suffered a greater loss

D、the date collected so far are pit pf date.

34、Dr Myers and other researchers hold that

A、people should look for a ba seline that can…t work for a longer time

B、fisheries should keep the yield below 50% of the biomass

C、the ocean biomass should restored its original level.

D、people should adjust the fishing baseline to changing situation.

35、The author seems to be mainly concerned with most fisheries…

A、management efficiency

B、biomass level

C、catch-size limits

D、technological application.

重点词汇：

halve:[ hɑ:v ] vt. divide sth into two equal parts 分成两半,平分,减少到一半；reduce sth by a half 减半【例】The latest planes have halved the time needed for crossing the Atlantic. 最新型号的飞机把飞越大西洋所需的时间减少了一半。

predator:[ 'pred?t? ]n. 食肉动物；person who exploit others 奴役他人者

【例】He denounced all landlords and money-lenders as evil predators. 他痛斥所有地主和放债者都是罪恶的剥削者.

【形】predatory a. （指动物）食肉的；掠夺的，以掠夺为目的的

【反】herbivore n. 食草动物vegetarian n. 素食者prey:[ prei ] n. animal，bird etc hunted and killed by another for food 被掠食者,牺牲者v. 捕食,掠夺,使...苦恼

【习】be/fall prey to sth被捕食，成为其他动物的捕获物；为某事物所苦，受到谋事无的折磨

She was prey to irrational fears 她遭受着无端恐惧的折磨。【习】prey on sb?s mind 烦扰某人

Fear of the consequences preyed on her mind 她担心其后果而惴惴不安。

sonar:[ 's?unɑ: ] n. 声纳装置

saturate:[ 's?t??reit ]v. make sth very wet 浸湿或浸透某物～sth/sb with/in sth

【例】We lay on the beach, saturated in sunshine. 我们躺在沙滩上, 沐浴在阳光里.

【形】saturated a. 湿透的，（指溶液）饱和的

【名】saturation n. 浸湿，浸透，饱和

trap:[ tr?p ] n. device for catching animals，plan for capturing or detecting sb圈套,陷阱；v. keep sb in a place from which he wants to move but cannot 设圈套,设陷阱

【用】～sb into doing/sth用计捕捉某人使某人上当

【例】The police set a trap to catch the thief. 警察设下了捉拿窃贼的圈套。

By clever questioning they trapped him into making a confession. 他们用巧妙的提问诱使他招认了。

难句分析：

①What researchers such as Ransom Myers and Boris Worm have shown is just how fast things are changing.

分析：这句子中，what引导主语从句，is是谓语，how引导的从句做宾语。

翻译：诸如Ransom Myers和Boris Worm这些研究人员向我们展示的是事情的变化速度是如何之快。

②That means a higher proportion of what is in the sea is being caught, so the real difference between present and past is likely to be worse than the one recorded by changes in catch sizes.

分析：这是一个因果关系的复杂句，what引导的从句修饰propotion

翻译：那表示占更高比例的海洋生物被捕获，所以过去的数据和现在的数据之间的差别要比通过捕捉量的变化记录下来的差别更加大。

答案分析：

31.参考答案是：C。该题可迅速定位到文章第一段，最后有这么一句话：Now something similar could be happening in the oceans。这可以说是一个承上启下句，基本上表明了作者的写作方向和部分中心思想。由此可看出作者在第一段描述古代动物的灭绝，是为了影射当今在海洋发生的同样的事情。联系C选项：大部分海洋动物可能会面临同样的威胁。因此C 入选。再看A选项，意思是：大部分动物对于环境改变十分脆弱。这个在原文中没有体现，属于就事论事，不属于“to suggest that”的范围。即使从常识角度上是正确的，在原文中没有根据的选项也不能入选。接着是B选项，意思是：当大部分动物消失时有小部分种族残存了下来。这也是个无中生有的选项，在文章中找不到任何根据。文章只说了有大量远古动物灭绝而已。最后是D选项，意思是：成长慢的鱼比成长快的鱼寿命长。这个在原文中更是找不到根据了，而且，由题设就可以看出这道题只是和第一段有关，而关于鱼的话题并不在第一段，因此自然可以排除。

32. 参考答案是：A。这道题还是比较有难度的，有一定的数学因素在里面。由题设定位到原文第二段这么几个句子：What researchers such as Ransom Myers and Boris Worm have shown is just how fast things are changing. They have looked at half a century of data from fisheries around the world. Their methods do not attempt to estimate the actual biomass (the amount of living biological matter) of fish species in particular parts of the ocean, but rather changes in that biomass over time. According to their latest paper published in Nature, the biomass of large predators (animals that kill and eat other animals) in a new fishery is reduced on average by 80% within 15 years of the start of exploitation. In some long-fished areas, it has halved again since then.接下来就是从这些句子中找到与某个选项一致的地方了。首先看A选项，意思是：在一些老渔场，大型捕食者的数量已经减少了90％。请看原文的这句话：According to their latest paper published in Nature, the biomass of large predators (animals that kill and eat other animals) in a new fishery is reduced on average by 80% within 15 years of the start of exploitation. In some long-fished areas, it has halved again since then大体意思是说，捕食者的数量在新渔场已经平均下降了80％，而在一些长期捕鱼的区域，即老渔场，这个数目又少了一半（注意原文中again这个词，非常关键），即由原来的（100％－80％）下降到了1/2*（100％－80％）=10%,因此等价于下降了90％。由此可看出，A选项是正确的。接着是B选项，意思是：与15年前相比，现在只剩下一半数量的鱼了。上面的解释如果看懂了，自然能排除此选项了。然后是C选项，意思是：在新渔场所捕获到的鱼的尺寸只有起初数量的20％了。Size除了尺寸之外，的确也有数量的意思，但是请注意，原文中说的是捕食者large predators下降了80％，而该选项并未提到，因此属于比较危险的干扰项，不能

入选。最后是D选项，意思是在新渔场里，大型捕食者的数量下降的要比老渔场里快。这个如果读懂了第二段最后两句话的

话，是比较容易排除的。请参阅上面的解释，正确的说法应该

是相反的，即在老渔场下降的快。可能有些人错把it has halved again since then理解成老渔场从那时起只降低了一

半，因此得出了80％>50%的结论，选择了D。但是原文中

的again这个词表明了是在80％的基础上又少了一半，因此应该是90％>80%.

33.

参考答案是：C。由题目定位到第三段第一句，意思是说这些数据是保守的。由中文常识可知，意思是说实际的数据要比统计数据大。由之后的句子也可以看出，由于捕鱼技术的进步，鱼类实际减少的数量要大的多。因此可以间接得出这个结论：海洋生物的数量正在大幅减少。联系C选项，入选。再看A 选项，意思是：捕鱼技术飞快进步。这属于太表面的选项了，这种在原文中直接抽出来的句子，基本不可能是正确答案。作者的用意是说明海洋动物的大量减少，而不是什么技术的进步。接着是B选项，意思是捕获的数量事实上比记录的要少。这和原文的意思正好相反，正因为技术进步了，所以捕获的应该会更多才对。因此该选项排除。最后是D选项，意思是所收集的数据过期了。这基本和原文没什么联系，即使数据收集的有偏差，这也是在所难免的，就和全国人口普查一样，即使理论上收集的数据比事实上多或是少，但也没有什么过期之说。因此该选项排除。

34.

参考答案是：D。由题设可定位到原文的最后一段，观察Dr Myers所说的话，Dr Myers and Dr Worm argue that their work gives a correct baseline, which future management efforts must take into account. They believe the data support an idea current among marine biologists, that of the "shifting baseline"。意思是说未来的渔业管理应该改变一下基准，即shifting baseline。因此联系D选项：人们应该调节一下渔业基准来改变现在的形势。因此入选。再看A选项，意思是：人们应该寻找一种有效期不长的基准。有效期不长这在原文中肯本没有体现，原文只是强调了应该改变现在的基准。因此该选项排除。接着看B选项，意思是：渔业应该将捕鱼量降低到总数量的50％以下。在原文寻找50％这个字眼，找到了这句：That matters because theory suggests that the maximum sustainable yield that can be cropped from a fishery comes when the biomass of a target species is about 50% of its original levels。这句话比较有难度，大体意思是说当某特定种群的数量在起初数量的50％时，一个渔场所收益的最大捕鱼量到来了。作者的用意是说明如果一个渔场的总储量如果连起初的50％都不到，就应该降低捕鱼数量了。而B选项的意思是说捕鱼量不要超过总数量的50％，显然两者是有区别的，因此不能入选。最后是C选项，意思是海洋生物的数量应该恢复到起始水平。这个选项有些夸张了，显然是在夸大事实。作者只是在号召保护海洋动物，适当调整捕鱼数量，但是没有也不可能说出C选项这种话来。达到起始的程度显然是不现实的。因此该选项排除。

35. 参考答案是：B。题目的意思是说作者主要关心渔场的什么数据。由全文的中心思想可以看出，作者是在关心海洋生物的总数量，而且全文出现相当多的词就是biomass了。因此联系B选项：总数量水平。自然入选。再看A选项，意思是管理效率，和原文没有什么联系。渔场的管理效率不是关键，关键是捕鱼量与总储量之间的平衡。接着是C选项，意思是对捕鱼数量的限制。同样不是重点，渔场单纯限制了捕鱼数量，也不是正确的方法，文章强调的是调整一种基准，寻找捕鱼量和总储量的平衡点。最后是D选项，意思是科技的应用。同样也不是重点，作者唯一提到和科技有关的时候就是通过科技的进步来反映捕鱼量的增大，因此作者自然也不会关心这方面的问题。因此该选项排除。

全文翻译：

当史前的人到达世界的一个新的地方时，当地的动物就会

剧烈的发生变化；他们突然变得非常地稀有。种类存活越少，

狩猎体型就越大，行动较慢的动物就变得更容易，很快地，它

们就会变得稀有。

现在相类似的事情发生在大海中，这些年在海中的捕捞活动太过频繁。就像Ransom Myers和Boris Worm这些年所研究的，事物在迅速地变化着。他们研究了半个世纪以来世界上所有的捕鱼者。他们的方法不是为了试图估算海洋中动物存活种类的总数（活着生物种类的总数），而是研究这些海洋生物的变化。根据他们最近在《自然》杂志上发表的文章，大型食肉的海洋生物（一种杀死和吃其它动物的生物）的捕获量在不到15年的时间里已经减少了80%。在一些大型的捕鱼场，自从Worm博士承认这些数字还只是保守数字以来，捕获量已经减半，一个原因是今天的捕鱼技术已经大大改善，可以通过卫星和声波来发现猎物，这同50年前相比意味着可以捕获更多的海洋生物，所以现在和过去的真正不同在于，现在看起来更为糟糕。很早的时候，更多地使用鱼钩捕获鱼。因此有一些鱼种没被抓到，自从提供了用鱼饵来捕鱼，导致过低估计了过去的鱼类总数。而且，早期捕鱼的日子，有许多鱼在它们上钩后被鲨鱼给吃了。那不再是个问题，因为在声波旁边有很少的鲨鱼。

Dr. Myers和Dr. worm辩解说，他们的工作已经确定了一个正确的基本方针，这个方针重视未来的效用并需要重视帐目。他们认为海洋生物学家会支持他们的“转变基本方针”的观点。基本观点是，人类可能很难观察得到在海洋中发生的变化，因为他们只能从利用一段相关的时间追溯过去。因为理论告诉我们，只有当一个物种是原来的50%时我们才能从渔场得到数量。大多数的渔场都低于这个，这不利于商业发展。

Text 4

Many things make people think artists are weird and the weirdest may be this：artist?s only job is to explore emotions，and yet they choose to focus on the ones that feel bad.

This wasn?t always so. The earliest forms of art，like painting and music，are those best suited for expressing joy. But somewhere in the 19th century，more artists began seeing happiness as insipid，phony or，worst of all，boring as we went from Wordsworth?s daffodils to Baudelaire?s flowers of evil.

You could argue that art became more skeptical of happiness because modern times have seen such misery. But it?s not as if earlier times didn?t know perpetual war，disaster and the massacre of innocents. The reason，in fact，may be just the opposite：there is too much damn happiness in the world today.

After all，what is the one modern form of expression almost completely dedicated to depicting happiness？Advertising.The rise of anti-happy art almost exactly tracks the emergence of mass media，and with it，a commercial culture in which happiness is not just an ideal but an ideology.

People in earlier eras were surrounded by reminders of misery. They worked until exhausted，lived with few protections and died young. In the West，before mass communication and literacy，the most powerful mass medium was the church，which reminded worshippers that their souls were in peril and that they would someday be meat for worms. Given all this，they did not exactly need their art to be a bummer too.

Today the messages your average Westerner is bombarded with are not religious but commercial，and forever happy .Fast-food eaters，news anchors，text messengers，all smiling，smiling. Our magazines feature beaming celebrities and happy families in perfect homes. And since these messages have an agenda——to lure us to open our wallets to make the very idea of happiness seem unreliable. “Celebrate！” commanded the ads for the arthritis drug Celebrex，before we found out it could increase the risk of heart attacks.

What we forget——what our economy depends on is forgetting——is that happiness is more than pleasure without pain. The things that bring the greatest joy carry the greatest potential for loss and disappointment. Today，surrounded by promises of easy happiness，we need someone to tell us as religion once did，Memento mori：remember that you will die，that everything ends，and that happiness comes not in denying this but in living with it. It?s a message even more bitter than a clove cigarette，yet，somehow，a breath of fresh air.

36.By citing the example of poets Wordsworth and Baudelaire，the author intends to show that

A. Poetry is not as expressive of joy as painting or music.

B. Art grow out of both positive and negative feeling.

C. Poets today are less skeptical of happiness.

D. Artist have changed their focus of interest.

37. The word “bummer”（Line 5. paragraph 5）most probably means something

A. religious

B. unpleasant

C. entertaining

D. commercial

38.In the author?s opinion，advertising

A. emerges in the wake of the anti-happy part.

B. is a cause of disappointment for the general peer

C. replace the church as a major source of information

D. creates an illusion of happiness rather than happiness itself.

39.We can learn from the last paragraph that the author believes

A .Happiness more often than not ends in sadness.

B. The anti-happy art is distasteful by refreshing.

C. Misery should be enjoyed rather than denied.

D .The anti-happy art flourishes when economy booms

40.Which of the following is true of the text？

A Religion once functioned as a reminder of misery.

B Art provides a balance between expectation and reality.

C People feel disappointed at the realities of morality.

D mass media are inclined to cover disasters and deaths.

重点词汇：

weird:[ wi?d ] a. （frightening because it is）unnatural，uncanny or strange 不自然的，怪异的或奇怪的（常做贬义）

【例】Weird shrieks were heard in the darkness. 在黑暗中听见离奇的尖叫声.

He looks like nothing on earth in those weird clothes. 他穿著奇装异服难看极了.

【名】weirdie n. （口语，通常贬义）行为、衣着等奇怪的人，古怪的人

eccentric n. （没有贬义）古怪的人

insipid:[ in'sipid ] a. having almost no taste or flavour；lacking in interest or vigour乏味的,枯燥的（常做贬义）

【例】The food was rather insipid, and needed gingering up. 这食物缺少味道，需要加点作料。【名】insipidity n. 乏味，枯燥

phony:[ 'f?uni ] （也写作phoney）a. （指某人）假装的，冒充的；（指某物）假的,伪造的；n.冒充者，赝品

【例】The phony glamour of night club soon become stale and boring. 夜总会那种虚假的荣华不久便失去了新意而使人生厌。

daffodil:[ 'd?f?dil ]n. 水仙花 a. 水仙花色的

massacre:[ 'm?s?k? ] n. 大屠杀；（口）（运动队的）惨败

【例】The press has reported the massacre of thousands of people for their religious beliefs. 新闻界报道了那场因宗教信仰原因而对千万人的大屠杀。

The game was a complete massacre; we lost 10-0. 那次比赛真是一次惨败，我们0比10输了。damn:[ d?m ] a. （口）表示不满、愤怒、不耐烦等；adv. （表示不满、愤怒等）非常

【例】Where?s that damn book 那本该死的书哪里去了？

My damn car has broken down 我的混帐汽车坏了。

You know damn well what I mean 你清清楚楚明白我的意思。

【习】damn all （口）完全没有It?s damn all use you telling me that now 你现在才告诉我，管什么用！

beam:[ bi:m ] n. 光线,横梁,容光焕发v. 微笑,闪亮

【例】From a sky of untarnished blue the sun beamed down upon Beijing. 阳光透过万里碧空照耀着北京城。

The World Cup Final was beamed live from Britain to Japan. 世界杯决赛从英国向日本作了实况转播.

【习】off（the）beam （口）不对的，错的

Your calculation is way off beam. 你的计算大错特错.

bombard: v. 炮击，轰炸；（以连珠炮似的问题）攻击、漫骂

【例】Reporters bombarded the President with questions about his economic policy. 新闻记者提出许多有关经济政策的问题围攻总统.

【用】～sb/sth with sth用sth轰炸、攻击sb/sth

难句分析：

①The rise of anti-happy art almost exactly tracks the emergence of mass media, and with it,

a commercial culture in which happiness is not just an ideal but an ideology.

分析：it 指代the rise；in which引导的从句修饰commercial culture

翻译：反快乐艺术的上升几乎精确的追踪着大众传媒的产生，并且伴随着它产生了商业文化，其中的幸福不仅仅是一种理想，而是一种空想。

②And since these messages have an agenda--to lure us to open our wallets to make the very idea of happiness seem unreliable.

分析：这是个简单句，波折号前面是主句，破折号后面的不定式结构to lure us to open ourwallets修饰agenda，to make后面的部分做补语修饰have an agenda。

翻译：因此这些信息都有一个中心目的：引诱我们掏钱，这使得那些幸福的观点看起来不可靠了。

答案分析（暂缺）

Text4由于是四篇文章里最难的一篇，因此无论从文章自身角度还是题目答案角度都存在很多争议。而且由于教育部的标准答案至今未出(反正我没有找到[>_<]谁有消息告诉我一声)，所以为了避免误人子弟和不必要的麻烦，该篇文章就先不给出答案分析了，等到标准答案出炉后再进行修订，希望大家理解，谢谢。以下是各个版的答案供大家参考：恩波周固版：DBDBA。新航道李剑版：BBDCA。恩波庆学先版及新东方引建坤版：DBDCA ….

全文翻译：

许多事情让人们觉得艺术家很古怪。最古怪可能是：艺术家的唯一工作就是寻找情感，然而他们所关注的对象大多是那些不幸的人。

当然不总是那样。艺术的最早形式，像绘画和音乐，都是最适合表达快乐的。但在19世纪的某个时期，更多的艺术家开始把快乐看成枯燥乏味的，假冒的，甚至是最糟的。我们可以从Wordsworth的黄水仙到Baudelaire的罪恶之花看出这种变化。

你可能会争论艺术变得怀疑幸福因为现代看了这样的苦难。但这不是早期为断的战争,灾难和大规模的屠杀。事实上，原因可能与之相反：现在世界上有太多快乐的事情。

归根结底，几乎完全致力于描写快乐的那种现代表现方式是什么呢？广告。反快乐艺术的兴起几乎完全与大众传媒同步出现，而随之兴起了一种商业文化，在这种文化中，快乐不仅是一个理想，而且是一种意识形态。

早期的人们周围都是痛苦的回忆。他们累得筋疲力尽，生活几无保障，年纪轻轻就命丧黄泉。在西方，在大众传媒和读写普及之前，最强大的大众媒介是教堂，它提醒信徒们，他们的灵魂处于危险之中，他们总有一天会成为蛆虫的食物。他们对此已十分了然，无须其艺术再表现这种失落感。

今天，你们普通西方人面对的信息轰炸不是宗教的，而是商业的，而且让人快乐得无法忍受。除了那位在贷款生意上一直输于Ｄｉｔｅｃｈ的银行家，快餐食客、新闻主播、发短信的人，都在微笑、微笑、微笑。我们的杂志突出刊登满面春风的名人和美满幸福的家庭。（托尔斯泰显然没有编辑过家居杂志。）由于这样的信息都有一项任务——即从我们的口袋里撬走钱包——所以它们使“幸福”的概念本身显得虚假。“欢庆吧！”宣传关节炎良药西乐葆的广告这样命令道，随后我们却发现它能增加心脏病的发病率。

我们忘记的是――我们的经济所依靠的是忘记――快乐比没有疼痛的快乐好得多。带我们最大快乐事情的同时也会带给我们巨大的失去和失望。现在，在轻易得到快乐的周围，我们需要有人告诉我们以前宗教告诉我们的，死的标志：记住你会死，每件事情都会结束，不能否定快乐但能和它一起生活。这可能比香烟更加悲惨，也许，比呼吸一口新鲜空气也痛苦。