考研英语阅读理解精读100篇unit75
As students primp and preen to wow their favorite colleges, there's one characteristic they can't control: their race. That's one reason voters, courts and politicians in six states have outlawed racial preferences in college admissions, while other colleges, fearful of lawsuits, play down their affirmative-action efforts these days. But make no mistake: race still matters. How much depends on the school and the state.
In Texas, public universities have managed to counteract the effect of racial-preference bans by automatically admitting the top 10% of the graduating class of every high school, including those schools where most students are minorities. But Rice University in Houston, private and highly selective, has had to reinvent its admissions strategies to maintain the school's minority enrollment. Each February, 80 to 90 black, Hispanic and Native American kids visit Rice on an expenses-paid trip. Rice urges counselors from high schools with large minority populations to nominate qualified students. And in the fall, Rice sends two recruiters on the road to find minority applicants; each recruiter visits about 80 predominantly black or Hispanic high schools. Two weeks ago, Rice recruiter Tamara Siler dropped in on Westlake High in Atlanta, where 99% of the 1,296 students are black. Siler went bearing literature and advice, and though only two kids showed up, she said, "I'm pleased I got two."
Rice has also resorted to some almost comical end-runs around the spirit of the law. The university used to award a yearly scholarship to a Mexican-American student; now it goes to a student who speaks Spanish really well. Admissions officers no longer know an applicant's race. But a new essay question asks about each student's "background" and "cultural traditions." When Rice officials read applications, they look for "diverse life experiences" and what they awkwardly call "overcome students," who have triumphed over hardship.
Last spring, admissions readers came across a student whose SAT score was lower than 1,200 and who did not rank in the top 10% of her class. Numerically speaking, she lagged far behind most accepted applicants. But her essay and recommendations indicated a strong interest in civil rights and personal experience with racial discrimination. She was admitted. "All the newspapers say affirmative action is done," says a veteran counselor at a large New York City high school. "But nothing has changed. I have a [minority] kid at Yale with an SAT score in the high 900s."
While minority admissions at the University of California system overall have dipped only slightly since a ban on affirmative action took effect in 1998, they have plummeted at the most selective campuses. At Berkeley, for example, the class entering this fall included 608 Chicano students, vs. 1,013 in 1997. In response, the elite schools have moved aggressively to recruit at minority high schools--and even to improve the performance of students who are graduating from them. This year the U.C. system will spend $250 million on outreach, from installing tutors at low-income schools to inviting high school teachers to summer calculus seminars.
注（1）：本文选自Time；10/23/2000, p77；
注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象2001年真题text 2和2002年真题text 2第2题（5）
1. Affirmative action is something ___________.
[A] that guarantees students of different races to be admitted equally
[B] American citizens fight against because it discriminates minority students
[C] colleges take to give preference to minority students in college admission
[D] favored by American colleges yet unpopular with American public
2. Rice University sent two recruiters to find minority applicants because _________.
[A] Rice wanted to maintain minority enrollment
[B] minority students have better school performance
[C] Rice has a large minority population
[D] Rice is famous for admitting minority students
3. The writer mentioned Rice’s some comic end-runs around the spirit of the law to show
that_____________.
[A] Rice abides by the law strictly
[B] Rice deals with students in a comic way
[C] Rice prefers minority students
[D] Rice has its own ways of dealing with the law
4. It seems that minority students _________.
[A] are still benefiting from affirmative action
[B] have lower SAT scores
[C] are often admitted by universities because they have unique racial experience
[D] lag far behind than other students in school performance
5. The word “plummeted” (Line 2, Paragraph 5) most probably means_________.
[A] doubled
[B] risen
[C] stayed the same
[D] decreased
答案：C A D A D
篇章剖析
本文是一篇说明文，介绍了各大学是如何应对不允许在招生中照顾少数族裔的法律的。在第一段作者指出虽然一些州规定在大学招生中照顾某些种族的政策为非法，但学生的种族身份仍然很重要。第二段介绍了德克萨斯州公立大学的应对策略和私立大学莱斯大学对付这一情况的办法。第三段介绍了莱斯大学所采用的迂回策略。第四段以两个例子说明少数族裔的学生即使SAT成绩不高也能上名牌大学。最后一段介绍了加利福尼亚禁止平权措施带来的影响以及加利福尼亚大学为了克服这些不利影响所作的努力。
词汇注释：
primp: [primp] v. 梳理（头发），打扮
preen: [pri:n] v. 把(自己)打扮漂亮
wow: [wau] v. 激起热烈赞扬, 使惊叹, 使佩服
affirmative-action: 平权措施
counteract: [7kauntE5rAkt] v. 抵抗；抵制；消除，抵消
enrollment: [in5rEulmEnt] n. 登记, 注册, 入学
counselor: [5kaunsElE] n. 顾问
nominate: [5nCmineit] v. 提名, 推荐
predominantly: [pri5dCminEntli] adv. 主要地，占优势地
Hispanic: [his5pAnik] adj. 西班牙的
literature: [5litEritFE] n. 印刷品
resort: [ri5zC:t] v. 求助, 诉诸, 采取(某种手段等)
end-run: 迂回
diverse: [dai5vE:s] adj. 不同的, 变化多的
SAT: 学术能力测验指代（美国）学术能力测试的一种标志
numerically: [nju(:)5merikEli] adv. 用数字, 在数字上
recommendation: [7rekEmen5deiFEn] n. 推荐信
discrimination: [dis7krimi5neiFEn] n. 歧视
veteran: [5vetErEn] n. 老手, 富有经验的人
dip: [dip] v. （短时间）降下一点，降低一些
plummet: [5plQmit] v. 骤降，爆跌突然和大幅度地降低
Chicano: [tFi:`kB:nEJ] adj. <美>n.奇卡诺人(指墨西哥裔美国人或在美国的讲西班牙语的拉丁美洲人后裔)
outreach: [aut5ri:tF] n. 扩大服务项目；有系统地尝试向一团体的特别部门提供超常规的服务
calculus: [5kAlkjulEs] n. 微积分学
seminar: [5seminB:] n. 研究会, 讨论发表会
难句突破:
That's one reason voters, courts and politicians in six states have outlawed racial preferences in college admissions, while other colleges, fearful of lawsuits, play down their affirmative-action efforts these days.
主体句式That’s one reason…
结构分析：这是一个复杂句，reason后面的成分是一个同位语从句，在这个从句里又包含了一个while引导的状语从句，表示对照。文中比较难的语言表达是play down和affirmative-action。“play down”的意思是“降低，减少”，而“affirmative action”指的是美国大学为了保证少数族裔的受教育机会而采取的照顾政策，称为“平权措施”。
句子译文：正因如此，才会有六个州的选民，法庭和从政者将大学招生中的对某些种族的照顾政策宣布为非法，而其它的大学最近也因为担心法律诉讼而减少了在实施平权法案方面的努力。
题目分析：
1. 答案为C，属推理判断题。根据第一段中的上下文，美国六个州制定法律，规定“racial preferences in college admissions”为非法，继而说美国的学校为了免于诉讼就减少了“affirmation action”的努力，可见“affirmation action”应该是指在大学入学方面给与少数民族学生的照顾政策。
2. 答案为A，属事实细节题。第二段第四行讲述了Rice University不得不重新制定策略“to maintain the school’s minority enrollment”，下面派招生员到各处招收少数族裔申请者则是实现这一目的的一个方式。可见答案是A。
3. 答案为D，属推理判断题。文章第二段提到Rice University为了应对新法律不得不重新制定策略来保证学校少数族裔学生入学。接着在第三段中举了三个根法律玩擦边球的例子：把原来给墨西哥裔学生的年度奖学金变成给西班牙语流利的学生（墨西哥裔学生的母语多位西班牙语）；虽然不知道申请人的种族，但申请者要回答的论文问题却是“背景”和“文化传统”，而且招生人员看重的是“不同的体验”和“克服困难”的学生（少数族裔学生通过回答这些问题就可以轻易地让招生人员把他们挑出来）。可见Rice大学自有一套对付法律的办法。
4. 答案为A，属推理判断题。第四段举了两个大学入学考试成绩不高但依然被录取的少数族裔学生的例子，接着引用一位中学顾问的话：“所有的报纸都说平权措施（affirmative action）要过时了，但一切都是老样子。”来说明少数族裔的学生依然从平权措施中受益。
5. 答案为D，属猜词题。这个词的意思可以从下文中给出的例子猜测出来。文中说：以伯克利为例，今年秋季入学的班级有608名奇卡诺裔学生，而在1997年，这个数字是1013人。可见少数族裔的入学人数是大幅下降了。
参考译文：
当学生们为了给自己喜爱的学校留下好印象而打扮修饰的时候，有一点却是他们无法控制的：那就是他们的种族身份。正因如此，才会有六个州的选民，法庭和从政者将大学招生中的对某些种族的照顾政策宣布为非法，而其它的大学最近也因为担心法律诉讼而减少了在实施平权措施方面的努力。但别弄错了：种族身份仍然很重要。到底有多重要则因学校和州而异。
在德克萨斯州，公立大学通过自动录取各个中学毕业班成绩在前10%的学生，包括那些以少数族裔为主的学校的学生来抵消禁止照顾某些种族所产生的影响。但休斯敦的私立大学莱斯大学对学生的挑选比较严格，因而不得不重新制定其招生方针以保持学校少数民族学生的入学情况。每年二月，80到90名黑人，西班牙裔和印第安人儿童会免费参观莱斯。莱斯鼓励少数民族学生较多的中学的顾问提名合格的学生。今年秋季，莱斯还派了两名招生员到外地寻找少数族裔的申请人；每一名招生员走访了将近80所以黑人和西班牙裔学生为主的中学。两星期前，莱斯的招生员塔玛拉·塞勒顺便走访了亚特兰大市的西湖中学，该校1296名学生中99%都是黑人。塞勒带着印刷品和建议去到那所学校，虽然只有两个孩子露面，她仍然说：“我很高兴我招到了两个”
莱斯大学还采取了一些可笑的迂回手段来应对这条法律。 这所大学以前每年都会给一位墨西哥裔美国学生授予年度奖学金；现在的要求则是能够说一口流利的西班牙语。招生官员再也无从知道申请人的种族身份。但一个新的考试题目问及每个学生的“背景”和“文化传统”。当莱斯的官员阅读申请书的时候，他们寻找的是“不同的生活体验”以及被他们笨拙地称为“克困学生”的那些成功克服困难的学生。
去年春天，阅读招生信息的读者发现有一个学生的SAT（学术能力测验）成绩低于1200分，而且她也不在班里的前10%之列。如果按排序的话，她比大部分已经被接受的申请人的成绩要差很多。但她的论文和推荐信表明她对于民权有着浓厚的兴趣，而且还亲身经历过种族歧视。最后她被录取了。“所有的报纸都说平权措施要过时了，”来自一所规模较大的纽约市中学的一位资深顾问说道。“但一切都是老样子。我知道一个[少数族裔]学生上了耶鲁，SAT成绩也就900多分。”
自从1998年开始禁止平权措施以来，加利福尼亚大学少数族裔的整体录取情况只是略有下降，尽管如此，他们在淘汰率高的校区却下降较多。以伯克利为例，今年秋季入学的班级有608名奇卡诺裔学生，而在1997年，这个数字是1013人。为了应对这一情况，那些主力学院都开始积极在少数民族中学招生---甚至还积极帮助那些从这类学校毕业的学生提高学习成绩。今年加利福尼亚大学将会花2.5亿美元系统地扩大服务项目，从在低收入学校安排指导教师到邀请中学老师参加夏季微积分研讨会等不一而足。
考研英语阅读理解精读100篇unit76
Carmen Arace Middle School is situated in the pastoral town of Bloomfield, Conn., but four years ago it faced many of the same challenges as inner-city schools in nearby Hartford: low scores on standardized tests, dropping enrollment and high rates of detention. Then the school's hard-driving principal, Delores Bolton, persuaded her board to shake up the place by buying a laptop computer for each student and teacher to use, in school and at home. For good measure, the board provided wireless Internet access at school. Total cost: $2.5 million.
Now, an hour before classes start, every seat in the library is taken by students eager to get online. Fifth-grade teacher Jen Friday talks about sedimentary rocks as students view them at a colorful website. After school, students on buses pull laptops from backpacks to get started on homework. Since the computers arrived, enrollment is up 20%. Disciplinary suspensions are down 80%. Scores on state achievement tests are up 35%. Bolton, who is black, is proud to run "a school with 90% black enrollment that is on the cutting edge."
Indeed, school systems in rural Maine and New York City are eager to follow Arace Middle School's example. Governor Angus King has proposed using $50 million from an unexpected budget surplus to buy a laptop for all of Maine's 17,000 seventh-graders--and for new seventh-graders each fall. The funds would create a permanent endowment whose interest would help buy the computers. The plan, scaled back to $30 million in a compromise with the legislature, is scheduled to be voted on this week.
In the same spirit, the New York City board of education voted unanimously on April 12 to create a school Internet portal, which would make money by selling ads and licensing e-commerce sites. The portal will also provide e-mail service for the city's 1.1 million public school students. Profits will be used to buy laptops for each of the school system's 87,000 fourth-graders. Within nine years, all students in grades 4 and higher will have their own computers.
Back in Bloomfield, the school board is seeking federal grant money to expand its laptop program to high school students. In the meantime, most of the kinks have been worked out. Some students were using their computers to goof off or visit unauthorized websites. But teachers have the ability to track where students have been on the Web and to restrict them. "That is the worst when they disable you," says eighth-grade honors student Jamie Bassell. "You go through laptop withdrawal." The habit is rubbing off on parents. "I taught my mom to use e-mail," says another eighth-grader, Katherine Hypolite. "And now she's taking computer classes. I'm so proud of her!"
注（1）：本文选自Time；05/01/2000, p57；
注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象是1994年真题text4（1，2，3，4题）和text3第4题（第5题）；
1. The example of Carmen Arace Middle School in the text is used to ___________.
[A] show the challenges schools are faced with today
[B] prove that a school with high black enrollment can do well
[C] emphasize the importance of computers and the Internet in modern education
[D] indicate that laptops can help improve students’ school performance
2. According to the author, students in New York City’s public schools will ___________.
[A] all have their own laptops within nine years
[B] become more interested in their class activities with the application of laptop
[C] spend more time visiting unauthorized websites with the expansion of the laptop program
[D] enjoy e-mail service provided by the city’s school system in the near future.
3. By introducing the laptop program, Delore Bolton has ______________.
[A] shaken the beliefs of both teachers’ and students’
[B] witnessed a remarkable improvement in enrollment and students’ test scores
[C] found herself followers all over the country
[D] revolutionized class-room teaching in public schools
4. The word “kink” (line 2, paragraph 4) most probably means ______________.
[A] plan
[B] method
[C] problem
[D] process
5. From the passage we learn that __________________.
[A] the laptop program also has a positive influence on parents
[B] the laptop program in public schools is sponsored mainly by endowment
[C] a school Internet portal is the key to a laptop program
[D] students generally like the idea of having their online activities tracked
DDBCA
篇章剖析：
本篇文章是一篇说明文，介绍了美国的一些学校给学校师生配置笔记本电脑，引入网络教学的情况。文章一开始就引用卡曼·阿雷斯中学在引入笔记本电脑和网络教学之后发生的积极变化，以此说明这种做法值得尝试。接下来在第三段和第四段介绍了缅因州和纽约市的类似做法。最后一段介绍了教师如何确保学生将这一资源用于学习，以及这一举措的衍生价值：对家长产生积极的影响。
词汇注释：
detention: [di5tenFEn] n. 阻止, 滞留
laptop: [5lAptCp] n. 便携式电脑
sedimentary: [sedI5mentErI] adj. 沉淀性的；冲积成的
backpack: [5bAkpAk] n. 背包，背囊
disciplinary:[5disiplinEri] adj. 纪律的，执行纪律的
suspension: [sEs5penFEn] n. 暂停, 中止
surplus: [5sE:plEs] n. 盈余；余款
endowment:[in5daumEnt] n. 资助，捐赠
scale:[skeil] v. （与up, down连用）按比例逐步增加； 按比例逐步减少
unanimously: [ju(:)5nAnimEsli] adv. 全体一致地,无异议地
portal: [5pC:tEl] n. （计）门户
license: [5laIsEns] v. 准许；发给执照；批准
e-commerce: 电子商务
kink: [kiNk] n. （计划，系统中的）小问题
goof off：打发时间
unauthorized: [5Qn5C:WEraizd] adj. 未被授权的, 未经认可的
rub off on: （感情，习惯或者某种特点）感染，影响他人
难句突破
Then the school's hard-driving principal, Delores Bolton, persuaded her board to shake up the place by buying a laptop computer for each student and teacher to use, in school and at home.
主体句式：the school's … principal persuaded her board to …
结构分析：这一句是个简单句，容易造成理解困难的是hard-driving这个单词和shake up the place这个短语。hard-driving用于指人的作风“强硬”，shake up the place的意思是：“令这个地方震动”，说明这一措施非常大胆。
句子译文：后来该校作风强硬的校长德洛丽斯·博尔顿说服校董事会给每个学生和老师购置一台笔记本电脑供他们使用，这一举措在当地引起了不小的震动。
题目分析：
1. 答案为D，属推理判断题。从文中第二段引用的一系列数字可以看出，引入笔记本电脑和互联网以后，该校教育质量有了显著提高。所以该校的例子是为了说明笔记本电脑有助于提高学生的成绩。
2. 答案为D，属事实细节题。这可以从第四段“The portal will also provide e-mail service for the city's 1.1 million public school students.”里得知。
3. 答案为B，属事实细节题。第一段里的shake up the place指她的提议在当地引起了震动，第二段就以具体数字说明学生入学率增加和测试成绩提高的事实。
4. 答案为C，属推理判断题。联系上下文，work out the kink，work out的意思是“解决, 设计出, 作出, 计算出”等，最贴近的意义应该是“问题”。
5. 答案为A，属推理判断题。这可以从文章最后一段“The habit is rubbing off on parents”可知。sth. rubs off on sb.的意思是“感染，影响”。下文从一句学生谈及她母亲上电脑班的感受”I am so proud of her”可知这种影响是积极的影响。
参考译文
卡曼·阿雷斯中学位于辛辛那提州的宁静小镇布卢姆菲尔德，但四年前它面临着许多与附近哈特福德市市区学校同样的问题：标准化考试成绩较差，入学率连年下降，留级率居高不下。后来该校作风强硬的校长德洛丽斯·博尔顿说服校董事会给每个学生和老师购置一台笔记本电脑供他们使用，这一举措在当地引起了不小的震动。此外，校董事会还为学校提供了无线上网的便利条件。总耗资为250万美元。
现在，在上课前一小时，图书馆里就坐满了想要上网的学生。五年级教师詹在星期五的课上讨论沉积岩，与此同时学生们在一个内容丰富的网站上观看沉积岩。下课后，坐上公交车的学生就把笔记本电脑从背包里拿出来，开始做作业。自从有了电脑以后，学校的入学率上升了20%，留级率下降了80%。参加全州水平考试的成绩也提高了35%。博尔顿这位黑人校长对于能够管理一所“黑人入学率高达90%，教育质量领先的学校”感到自豪。
的确，缅因州和纽约市的农村地区的学校都很渴望采用卡曼·阿雷斯中学的做法。州长安格斯·金已经提议从意外增加的预算盈余中拨出500万美元给所有缅因州17000名七年级学生---以及每年秋季升入七年级的新生购置一台笔记本电脑。这些资金将会形成一种专门帮助购置电脑的永久资助。这一计划最终在和立法机关达成的妥协意见中被减少到300万美元，本周将对这一计划进行投票表决。
出于同样的想法，纽约市教育局在4月12日一致投票同意创建一个学校互联网门户，其收益将通过销售广告和特许电子商务网站的方式获得。这一门户还能为城里的110万公办中学的学生提供电子邮件服务。门户利润将被用来给该教育系统内87000名四年级学生每人购置一台笔记本电脑。在九年之内，所有四年级和更高年级的学生都将拥有他们自己的电脑。
在布卢姆菲尔德，校董事会正在寻求联邦津贴以使笔记本电脑项目也能覆盖到中学生。与此同时，操作指南的大部分内容也已经做出来了。一些学生曾经用电脑访问未授权网站来打发时间。不过教师可以跟踪学生的网上活动并对他们进行限制。“最糟糕的就是他们让你无法访问这些网站，”八年级优秀生杰米·巴塞尔说。“你经历的是笔记本电脑上的撤退。”这种习惯还能对家长产生影响。“我教妈妈使用电子邮件，”另一位八年级学生凯瑟琳·海珀莱特说道。“现在她正在学习电脑课程。我真为她骄傲！”
