1、1998 Passage 1 重点词汇:imagination/ (想象;想象力)imagin(e)想象+tion 名词后缀。Imagination is more important than knowledge.想象力比知识更重要。imagination the highest kite one can fly a poor substitute for experience 想象一个人能放得最高的风筝 经验的劣质替代品。symbol /(符号;象征)即 sym+bol,sym-共同,bol 看作 ball, “共同喜欢球类运动”这是现代人的“象征” 。Light is the symbo
2、l of truth.光是真理的象征。cement/ (v.胶合;巩固 n.水泥;胶接剂) 。A sweet and innocent compliance is the cement of love.温柔天真的依从是爱情的粘合剂。deprive/ (v.剥夺)即 de+priv+e,de-(=away) ,priv 词根“个人的”(如 privatepriv+ate 私人的) , “使某物离开个人”剥夺。Poverty often deprives a man of all spirit and virtue; it is hard for an empty bag to stand upr
3、ight.贫穷常使人丧失全部精神与美德,空袋子是难以直立的。persist/(v.坚持,持续)即 per+sist,per-“完全” ,sist 词根“站立” ,于是“自始至终都站着”坚持。参 consistently(始终如一地) ,1999 年Passage 5。To persist in efforts without losing the aim will finally result in success.不失目标地坚持努力终将导致成功。complex/(复杂的;综合的;联合体)即 com+plex,com-“一起”,plex 词根“重叠” , “重叠在一起的”复杂的。参 perpl
4、ex(使困惑,使复杂化)per完全+plex,2003 年 Text 2。Everything is simpler than you think and at the same time more complex than you imagine.凡事都比你思考的简单,同时比你想象的复杂。go-ahead n.批准,允许。wrong-headed 执迷不悟的。environmental(周围的,环境的)environment环境+al 形容词后缀。What is the thing called health? Simply a state in which the individual h
5、appens transiently to be perfectly adapted to his environment. Obviously, such states cannot be common, for the environment is in constant flux.称为健康的东西是什么?不过是一种状态,处于这种状态的人刚好一时对环境完全适应。这种状态显然不可能常见,因为环境是在不断改变的。environment everything that isnt me 环境 除我以外的一切。proper(适当的;合乎体统的;固有的) 。Proper words in proper
6、places make the true definition of style.风度的准确定义就是在适当的场合说适当的话。A fool, indeed, has great need of a title; it teaches men to call him count or duke, and thus forget his proper name of fool.傻瓜的确非常需要头衔,那使人们称他为伯爵或公爵,从而忘掉他固有的名字傻瓜。resolve(v.n.决心;解决;决议) re+solve 解决。同根词:dissolve(v.溶解;解散)dis+solve。The reason
7、why a great man is great is that he resolves to be a great man.伟人之所以伟大,是因为他立志要成为伟人。conflict (v.n.冲突)即 con+flict,con- 一起,flict 词根“打” ,“打在一起”冲突。A marriage without conflicts is almost as inconceivable as a nation without crisis.没有冲突的婚姻几乎与没有危机的国家一样难以想象。hydroelectric/ (水电的)即 hydro+electric,hydro词根“水的” ,e
8、lectric 单词“电的” 。另记:hydrogen(氢)hydro+gen,这是化学家创造的英文单词,因为氢气燃烧的唯一产物是水,-gen 后缀意为 “致的物质” 。irrigation(灌溉;水利)与 irritation(激怒;刺激物)一字母之差,联想记忆:“溉”的声母为 g,故灌溉为 irriGation,而 irriTAtion 为激怒“他” 。at the mercy of 受支配;stop just short of 几乎要;far from guaranteed 根本没有保障。重点词汇:assume (v.假定;承担;呈现) 。Optimism assumes, or att
9、empts to prove, that the universe exists to please us, and pessimism that it exists to displease us.乐观主义假定或企图证明宇宙存在是为了使我们快乐;悲观主义则假定或企图证明那是为了使我们不快乐。When a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself as public property.当一个人承担了公众的信任,就应该视自己为公众财产。They who assume a character that does not belon
10、g to them generally betray themselves by overacting.装模作样的人常常由于表现过火而露出原形。lump(团块;使成团块) 。An overdose of praise is like ten lumps of sugar in coffee; only a very few people can swallow it.过量的赞扬有如在咖啡里放了十块糖,只有极少数的人能咽得下去。acceleration(加速;加速度)即 ac+celer+ation,ac- 加强前缀,celer 词根 “速度” ,-ation 名词后缀;反义词为 deceler
11、ation(减速)de 向下+celer+ation。rebound ( v.n.反弹)re 反+bound 跳。evidence(证据,迹象)即 e+vid+ence,e-(=ex-),vid 词根“看”=vis(如 visiblevis+ible 可见的) ,-ence 名词后缀, “能看出来的东西 ”证据。Growth is the only evidence of life.成长是生命的唯一证明。treasury(宝库,国库)即 treasur(e)+y,treasure(n.财宝 v.珍爱) ,-y表“地方” ,于是“放财宝的地方”宝库。Collection of famous qu
12、otes and collection of mottoes are the most important treasure of the society.名言集和格言集是社会最可贵的财富。Let us learn to treasure only good and reject the evil in everything.让我们学会只珍视善,而排斥一切事物中的恶。disjunction(n.分离,分裂)即 dis+junction,dis-否定前缀,junction(n.连接,连接处) 。anecdote(趣闻,轶事)谐音:安妮(Annie)可逗她用“趣闻”来逗女孩子开心。anecdote
13、 a joke in evening dress 趣闻穿着晚礼服的笑料。profitability(收益率)即 profit+ability,profit(v.n.收益) ,-ability 名词后缀;参 profitable,1999 年 Passage 5。profitability the sovereign criterion of the enterprise 有利可图企业的至高无上的准则。ineptly(不相宜地;无能地)即 in+ept+ly,in-否定前缀,ept(=apt) 适宜的,-ly 副词后缀。revenue (财政收入;税收)re+venue,另可记 avenue(林
14、荫道;途径)a+venue。Economy is of itself a great revenue.节约本身就是一大笔收入。blunt率直的;钝的;使钝。consultant (顾问)即 consult+ant,consult (v.商量;查询) ,-ant表“人” ;参 consultancy,2002 年 Text 3。consultant someone who will take your watch off your wrist and tell you what time it is 顾问把你的手表从你手腕上摘下来,然后告诉你时间的人。1998 Passage 3 重点词汇:re
15、lationship/(关系)relation 关系+ship 抽象名词后缀(如:friendship 友谊) 。There is no more lovely, friendly, and charming relationship, communion, or company than a good marriage.世上没有一种关系、交流或陪伴比美满的婚姻更愉快、友好和迷人。The relation of genius to talent is the same as that of instinct to reason.天赋与才能的关系一如本能与理智的关系。aspect/(外表;方面)
16、 ;参 spectacle(场面;奇观) ,2000 年 Passage 5。A real genius possesses talents in many aspects, but they are brought into play only by chance and in a single field.真正的天才具有多方面的才能,只是处于偶然而仅在单一的领域中得到施展。rebelling/( n.反叛)看作 re+bell+ing,re-反复,bell 铃,-ing 表“现在进行时” ,联想:监狱里警铃大作犯人们“造反”了!rebel(v.反叛 n.反叛者) 。As long as t
17、he world shall last there will be wrong, and if no man rebelled, those wrongs would last forever.只要世界继续存在就会有不公正,如果没有人反抗,这些不公正将永远存在下去。No one can go on being a rebel too long without turning into an autocrat.没有人能一直做叛逆者而不变成独裁者。rebel a man who says no 反叛者说“不”的人。Catholic/(天主教的;天主教徒)看作 Cat+hol(e)+ic 后缀, “
18、天主教的”“天主教徒”像“猫”一样住在“洞”里刻苦修行。As a Roman Catholic I thank God for the heretics. Heresy is only another word for freedom of thought.身为天主教徒,我为异端者的存在而感谢上帝,异端不过是思想自由的别名。harsh / (粗糙的;刺耳的;严厉的)意同 hard,因发音为“哈嘘” ,故又表示“刺耳的” 。Harsh counsels have no effect: they are like hammers which are always repulsed by the a
19、nvil.刺耳的劝告不会收效:它们就像总是被铁砧弹回的锤。schism / (组织的分裂;派系)sch+ism ,sch 看作 scholar(学者) ,-ism 抽象名词后缀,学者之间是分“派系”的。superstition / (迷信)即 super+sti+tion,super- 前缀=over ,sti 词根=stand,-tion 名词后缀, “超出站的地方”在理性观念之外 迷信。Superstition comes from fear, while fear in turn comes from ignorance.迷信来自恐惧,恐惧又来自无知。superstition someo
20、ne elses religion 迷信别人的宗教。creationism /(神创论)creation+ism 。elimination / (消除)即 e+limin+ation,e-(=ex-)出,limin 词根“门”,-ation 名词后缀, “拒之门外”排除;动词形式为 eliminatee+limin+ate 。同根词:preliminary(预备的,初步的)pre 在前+limin+ary 形容词后缀。 Envy is more difficult to eliminate than hate between two people.在两个人之间,忌妒比仇恨更难消除。smallp
21、ox / (天花)即 small+pox,small 小,pox 看作 box(据说古人老外书写字母无方向性,故对称字母常可替换而词义不变) ,感染天花者所发的皮疹像一个个凸出皮肤表面的“小盒子” 。BTW:天花是首个在全球范围内被人类所消灭的传染病,现天花病毒仅存在于少数科学实验室中,对于是否彻底销毁这些病毒植株曾引起极大争论,故真题原文中提到“提倡消灭所有现存的天花病毒的官方人士” 。dispute / (v.争论)即 dis+put+e,dis-否定前缀,put 看作单词“放” ,e 小词,有人说“放”有人说“不放”争论。A long dispute means that both pa
22、rties are wrong.持久的争论意味着双方都是错的。Unabomber /(邮寄炸弹的恐怖分子)是 FBI(Federal Bureau of Investigation)造的新词,由 university and airline bomber 缩略而成,原指某位专向高级行政或科研人员邮寄炸弹的遁世大学教授,后泛指类似行为者。关于 Unabomber 尚需补充两点:一、今年出版的某品牌考研辅导书竟将 Unabomber 译作“ 反原子弹组织” ,想必是把 un 理解为否定前缀,在对译者丰富想象力表示由衷倾佩的同时,考研资料之良莠不齐亦可见一斑。二、那位被称作 Unabomber 的早
23、年毕业于哈佛的教授于 1995 年出版了著名的Unabombers Manifesto(网上到处有原文下载) ,书中作者将 environmentalists 视为同盟,并表达了 scorns science and longs for return to a pretechnological utopia 的观点,于是可理解真题文章中为何人们将“环境主义者”与“反科学”联系起来。manifesto/ (n.宣言)manifest+o,manifest(v.表明,见 2000 年Passage 1) ,o 看作张大的嘴, “用嘴表明”宣言。Manifesto of the Communist
24、Party 共产党宣言 。scorn / (v.n.轻蔑)可看作 s+corn,s 象形“蛇” ,corn 谷,蛇因不吃谷物而对之“蔑视” 。Silence is the perfect expression of scorn.沉默是轻蔑的充分表达。In the very books in which philosophers bid us scorn fame, they inscribe their names.正是在教导我们蔑视名声的书籍中,哲人们题下了自己的大名。depletion / (损耗)即 de+plet+ion,de-(=away),plet 充满,-ion 名词后缀, “离
25、开充满的状态”损耗。ozone /(臭氧)o+zone,o 看作“洞” ,zone 区域,联想:由于全球变暖,“臭氧”层出现一个大洞。epithet / (称号,绰号)看作 epi+the+t,epi-前缀=up,the 定冠词,t 他, “在他名字上面加个东西”绰号。exemplify / (v.举例说明)即 exempl(e)+ify,exemple=example (元音替换词义不变) ,-ify 动词后缀。1998 Passage 4 重点词汇:standstill (n.停止;停顿的)stand+still。enthrone (使登基;给予最高地位)即 en+throne,en- 前
26、缀“使” ,throne(宝座;王权) 。numerically (在数字上)即numer+ical+ly, numer=number(b 脱落) ,-ical 形容词后缀,-ly 副词后缀。prevail ( v.取胜;盛行)pre+vail 。I believe that man will not merely endure. He will prevail.我相信人不会仅仅是忍受,他终将胜利。Culture has one great passion the passion for sweetness and light. It has one even yet greater, the
27、 passion for making them prevail.教养有种强烈地对友善的渴望,还有一种甚至更强烈的渴望,即渴望使友善盛行。nonstop (不断的;不停地)non+stop。demographer (人口统计学家)即 demo+graph+er,demo 词根“人”,graph 词根“写” ,-er 表“人” ;参 democracy,2000 年 Passage 5。overcrowdedness (过于拥挤)over+crowd+ed+ness。Ant says, nothing can beat the crowd.蚂蚁说,群体是不可战胜的。plague (瘟疫;灾害)谐
28、音:怕累咯怕“瘟疫”累及自身。Bad habits are as infectious by example as the plague itself is by contact.恶习易于由实例传播,就像瘟疫的传播借助于接触。One was never married, and thats his hell; another is, and thats his plague.一个人从未结婚,这是他的痛苦;另一个结了婚,这是他的灾难。1957 年获诺贝尔文学奖的法国现代存在主义思想家加缪(Camus)的代表作之一就是长篇小说The Plague(鼠疫 ) 。urbanization (都市化)即
29、 urban+iz(e)+ation,urban 都市的,-ize“使” , -ation 名词后缀。discern (v.认出;辨别)dis+cern。The beginning of all war may be discerned not only by the first act of hostility, but by the counsels and preparations foregoing.一切战争的开端不仅可由首次敌对行动区分,也可由事前的策划和准备识别。distinguish (v.区别) ,参 extinguish,2003 年 Text 2。We drink with
30、out thirst, and we make love any time, madame. Only this distinguishes us from the other animals.我们不渴而饮,随时示爱,夫人。使我们与其它动物相区别的只有这一点。unanimously (无异议地)即 un(i)+anim+ous+ly,uni-“ 一” ,anim 词根 “生命;精神 ”(如 animalanim+al动物) ,-ous 形容词后缀,-ly 副词后缀,“在精神上一致地”无异议地。1998 Passage 5 重点词汇:interior (内部的;内部)inter+ior,inte
31、r“在里面” ,-ior 后缀。Laughter, n. An interior convulsion, producing a distortion of the features and accompanied by inarticulate noises.笑,名词一种体内痉挛,造成面容的变形并伴有说不出话的阵阵难听的声音。milestone (里程碑)mile+stone。The invention of the wheel was a milestone in the history of the world.发明轮子是世界历史上的重大事件。reminder (n.暗示)remind
32、提醒 +er。The music at a marriage procession always reminds me of the music of soldiers marching to battle.结婚行列行进时的音乐总是使我想起士兵们投入战斗的音乐。construct (v.建设,构造)即 con+struct,con-“一起” ,struct 词根“建造” ;同义同根词:structure(v.n.构造)struct+ure 后缀。Taking to pieces is the trade of those who cannot construct.拆卸是那些不会建造的人的行为。
33、readily (容易地;乐意地)即 ready 的副词形式,已经准备好的事情做起来当然是“容易地” ,于是做事的人当然是非常“乐意地” 。Nothing is so easy as to deceive ones self; for what we wish, that we readily believe.再没有比欺骗自己更容易的事了,因为对于希望的事,我们总是乐于相信。opposite (对立的;对立面)即 op+pos+ite,op-“反” (ob- 在 p 前变形为op-) ,pos 词根“放” ,-ite 后缀, “反过来放”对立的。Almost every wise saying
34、 has an opposite one, not less wise, to balance it.几乎所有的格言都有意思相反的一句,其智慧并不逊色,以便使之平衡。The opposite of love is indifference.爱的对立物是冷漠。instrument (工具,仪器,乐器)即 instru(ct)+ment,instruct 指导,-ment 后缀, “能帮人们做事的东西”仪器。Circumstances are the rulers of the weak, instruments of the wise.弱者受制于环境,智者利用环境。significance (意
35、义;重要性)即 signify(y 变形为 i)表示+cance 名词后缀, “表示出来的东西”意义。形容词形式为 significant,见 2002 年 Text 3。The whole significance of life lies in the unremitting efforts to explore the unknown and increase knowledge.生活的全部意义在于不懈努力探索未知事物与增加知识。It is undesirable to try to damage the significance of all life simply for love.
36、仅仅由于爱情就试图抹杀全部生活的意义是不可取的。confine (v.限制)即 con+fine,con-“ 一起” ,fine 词根“界限” ,于是“全部有界限”限制。参 define(2002 年 Text 4) ;finite(2000 年 Passage 3)等。The world owes all its onward impulses to men ill at ease. The happy man inevitably confines himself within ancient limits.世界的全部前进动力都归功于对现状不满的人们,感到愉快的人必然把自己限制在旧框架之内
37、。reference (涉及;参考)refer 参考+ence。We live in reference to past experience and not to future events, however inevitable.我们参照过去的经验而非未来的事件生活,不管那些事件如何必然发生。propel (v.推动,驱使)即 pro+pel,pro- 向前,pel 词根“推” 。同根词:compel(v.强迫)com+pel;repel(v.击退;抵制)re(=back)+pel。fissure (v.裂开 n.裂隙)看作 f+is+sure, “裂开”的东西上面有“缝”(f) 是(is
38、)肯定(sure)的。formation (构成)form 构成+ation 名词后缀。The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.自我并非现成之物,而是通过行为的选择不断形成的。mutability (易变性)即 mut+ability,mut 词根“交换” ,-ability 名词后缀表性质, “具有交换的性质 ”易变性。参 commute,2000 年 Passage 4。mutability of human affairs 人世
39、沧桑。推荐1997 年考研英语阅读真题重点单词记忆1997 Passage 1 重点词汇:parliamentary (议会的,国会的)parliament+ary。A parliament is nothing less than a big meeting of more or less idle people.议会无非是多少有些懒散的人们的一个大聚会。parliament the longest running farce in the West End 议会伦敦西区连续演出时间最长的闹剧。incurably (不可治地)即 in+cur+ably,in-否定前缀,cur 词根“治疗”
40、,-ably 可地;形容词形式为 incurablein+cur+able。a incurably disease 不治之症。bulletin (布告)可看作 bullet+in, “留有弹痕的布告” ,如图(偶用 PS做的 ):euthanasia (安乐死)看作 eu+than+asia,eu 谐音“已有” ,than 比,asia 亚洲, “安乐死在亚洲之外的地方已有了 ”。 euthanasia a way of putting old people out of their familys misery never having to tell your parents youre
41、sorry 安乐死将老人从家庭的痛苦中解脱出来 绝对不必向父母道歉。domino (多米诺骨牌)用谐音记。diagnose (v.诊断)diag+nose,diag 看作 dog(元音替换) ,nose鼻子, “狗鼻子”闻(联想中医之“望闻问切” )诊断。certificate (证书)即 certif(y)+ic+ate,certify 证明,-ic 形容词后缀,-ate 作名词后缀表“物” ,于是“具证明性质的东西”证书。I must discard riches, the certificate of slavery.我必须抛弃财富这张奴隶证书。objection (反对)即 ob+je
42、ct+ion,ob-前缀“朝向” ,ject 词根“投掷”,-ion 名词后缀, “向别人扔东西”反对。同根词:rejectre(=back)+ject扔回去拒绝;inject in+ject向里扔注入。All poets pretend to write for immortality, but he whole tribe have no objection to present pay and present praise.所有诗人都自称是为不巧的名声而写作,可这些家伙对眼前的稿酬与眼前的赞扬却全无异议。sink in 被了解;cool off 使冷静。1997 Passage 2 重点
43、词汇:courteous (有礼貌的)即 court+eous,court 看作单词“宫廷” ,-eous形容词后缀, “宫廷的”有礼貌的。observation (观察;pl.观察后的言论)observe 观察+ation。God creates by intuition; man creates by inspiration, strengthened by observation.上帝凭着直觉创造,人类凭着由观察加强的灵感创造。deserve (v.应受,值得)与 desert 一起记, “沙漠是应该受到重视的” 。It is better to deserve honors and n
44、ot to have them than to have them and not deserve them.理应拥有荣誉而不拥有它们胜过拥有荣誉而不应拥有它们。charitable (仁慈的)即 charit(y)+able,charity 仁慈,-able 形容词后缀。A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.给狗一根骨头算不上仁慈,仁慈是在你跟狗一样饥饿时与狗分享的骨头。charity giving so
45、meone the washing machine it wasnt worth having mended the only thing that can persuade us to get rid of old clothes and shoes 慈善将已经不值得修理的洗衣机送给别人 唯一能够说服我们清除破旧衣鞋的理由。assumption (假定;承担;呈现)是 assume 的名词形式;参consumption,2002 年 Text 3。assumption the mother of screw-up 臆断把事情弄糟的根源。interrelationship (相互关系)即inter+relation+ship,inter-相互, relation 关系,-ship 抽象名词后缀。encounter (v.n.遭遇)即 en+counter,en-使,counter 对面, “使面对面”遭遇。If we encountered a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he read.若遇到才智非凡的人,就应该问他读的