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TEXT FOUR

Just as Norman Mailer, John Updike and Philip Roth were at various times regarded as the greatest American novelist since the second world war, John Ashbery and Robert Lowell vied for the title of greatest American poet. Yet the two men could not be more different. Lowell was a public figure who engaged with politics—in 1967 he marched shoulder-to-shoulder with Mailer in protest against the Vietnam war, as described in Mailer's novel “The Armies of the Night”. Lowell took on substantial themes and envisioned himself as a tragic, heroic figure, fighting against his own demons. Mr Ashbery's verse, by contrast, is more beguilingly casual. In his hands, the making of a poem can feel like the tumbling of dice on a table top. Visible on the page is a delicately playful strewing of words, looking to engage with each other in a shyly puzzled fashion. And there is an element of Dada-like play in his unpredictability of address with its perpetual shifting of tones.

Lowell, who died in 1977 at the age of 60, addressed the world head on. By contrast, Mr Ashbery, who celebrated his 80th birthday earlier this year, glances wryly at the world and its absurdities. In this edition of his later poems, a substantial gathering of verses selected from six volumes published over the past 20 years, his poetry does not so much consist of themes to be explored as comic routines to be improvised. He mocks the very idea of the gravity of poetry itself. His tone can be alarmingly inconsequential, as if the reader is there to be perpetually wrong-footed. He shifts easily from the elevated to the work-a-day. His poems are endlessly digressive and there are often echoes of other poets in his writings, though these always come lightly at the reader, as though they were scents on the breeze.

Lowell wrote in strict formal measures; some of his last books consisted of entire sequences of sonnets. Mr Ashbery can also be partial to particular forms of verse, though these tend to be of a fairly eccentric kind—the cento (a patchwork of other poets' works), for example, and the pantoum (a Malaysian form, said to have been introduced to 19th-century Europe by Victor Hugo). Often he writes in a free-flowing, conversational manner that depends for its success upon the fact that the ending of lines is untrammelled by any concern about whether or not they scan. Within many of his poems, there often seems to be a gently humorous antagonism between one stanza and the next. Mr Ashbery likes using similes in his poetry. This is often the poet's stock-in-trade, but he seems to single them out in order to send up the very idea of the simile in poetry, as in “Violets blossomed loudly/ like a swear word in an empty tank”.

Life, for Lowell, was a serious matter, just as he was a serious man. Mr Ashbery's approach, as evinced by his poetry, is more that of a gentle shrug of amused bewilderment. Unlike Lowell's, his poems are neither autobiographical nor confessional. He doesn't take himself that seriously. “Is all of life a tepid housewarming?” For a poet this is a tougher question to answer than you might think.

1.The word “substantial” (Line 4, Paragraph 1) most probably means_____.

[A] serious

[B] big

[C] important

[D] real

2. The last words of Lowell mean that_____.

[A] the world should go forward without stopping.

[B] the world should not mourn for him.

[C] the world should forget him totally.

[D] the world should go on its path for a bright future.

3. Which one of the following is NOT the characteristics of Ashbery’s poetry?

[A] Some lines are borrowed from the other poets’ works.

[B] Stanzas are different from each other in one poem.

[C] Words are scattered casually in his poetry.

[D] Tones are continuously changing from the highbrow to the common.

4. Mr. Ashbery’s similes in poetry are different from that of the other poets in that_____.

[A] he likes to single them out.

[B] he uses them in an eccentric way.

[C] he uses simile for simile.

[D] he uses simile to express his complex thought.

5. Why the author think the question Ashbery raised is a tougher one for a poet than we might think?

[A] Because a poet looks at things in a very complicated way.

[B] Because a poet takes life seriously.

[C] Because this question is a difficult one.

[D] Because the theme of life is worth thinking for a poet.

篇章剖析：

这篇文章介绍了美国诗人Ashbery和其诗歌的特点，文章虽然是以两个诗人对比的形式写作的，但是却对Ashbery着墨偏多，另外一个诗人洛厄尔只是一个陪衬而已。第一段讲述了两个诗人竞争美国最伟大诗人的称号；第二段第三段都是对两位诗人作品特点的描述；第四段讲述他们对生活的不同态度。

词汇注释：

vie v.竞争 envision vt.想象, 预想

dice n.骰子 strew vt.散播, 点缀, 撒满

wryly adv.挖苦地, 表情冷漠地 improvise v.临时准备

digressive adj.离题的, 枝节的 cento n. 杂烩, 摘录

pantoum n.(根据隔行同韵的马来诗体改编的) 由隔行同韵的四行诗节组成的诗

untrammel adj.自由自在的, 无阻碍的 tepid adj.微温的, 温热的, 不太热烈的

难句突破：

(1) In this edition of his later poems, a substantial gathering of verses selected from six volumes published over the past 20 years, his poetry does not so much consist of themes to be explored as comic routines to be improvised.

[主体结构] His poetry does not so much consist of …

[结构分析] 本句为简单句，作状语的介词短语成分比较复杂，a substantial gathering of verses是edition的同位语，该同位语是带有作定语的分词短语。在主句中，不定式短语to be explored…用来修饰themes, 而不定式短语to be improvised 又用来修饰comic routines.

[句子译文] 他这本晚些出版的诗集选编了过去20年间出版的六本诗集中的诗歌，其主题不再是象那种临时准备的老套滑稽节目，他戏谑诗歌本身具有严肃性这个话题

(2) This is often the poet's stock-in-trade, but he seems to single them out in order to send up the very idea of the simile in poetry, as in “Violets blossomed loudly/ like a swear word in an empty tank”.

[主体句式] This is … but he …

[结构分析] 这是一个并列句，后面分句成份较为复杂，带有一个不定式短语作目的状语，as 引导成分修饰的是整个分句。

[句子译文] 虽然这是诗人的惯用手法，但他却把这些比喻单独挑出来，以突出诗里面明喻这个概念。比如“紫罗兰纵声开放/ 宛如空桶里的一句毒誓”。

题目分析：

1.The word “substantial” (Line 4, Paragraph 1) most probably means_____.

1. “Substantial”这个词最有可能的意思是_____。

[A] serious

[A] 严肃的。

[B] grand

[B] 宏大的。

[C] heroic

[C] 英雄的。

[D] tragic

[D] 悲剧的。

[答案] B

[分析] 猜词题。根据上下文来断定该词的意思，这个词是用来形容Lowell 诗歌主题的特点的。由第一段中Lowell喜欢参与政治，在诗歌中经常将自己视为悲剧的英雄人物这一点可以看出，他主题选择应该是比较宏大的。这一点在后面的几个段落中也可以发现。选项A也容易混淆，但要从tragic heroic 这几个词中推导正确答案，因为这些就是宏大叙事中常见的特征。因此，B为正确答案。

2. The last words of Lowell mean that_____.

2. 洛厄尔的临终遗言意思是_____。

[A] the world should go forward without stopping.

[A] 世界应该继续前行，不要停止。

[B] the world should not mourn for him.

[B] 世界不要为他而哀痛。

[C] the world should forget him totally.

[C] 世界应该把他完全忘记。

[D] the world should go on its path for a bright future.

[D] 世界应该继续它朝向美好未来的道路行进。

[答案]D

[分析] 推理题。洛厄尔的临终时addressed the world head on，意思是让世界继续前行，但其深层次的意思要结合洛厄尔的性格来判断。根据整篇文章，洛厄尔是比较正统的一位诗人，他对待世界的态度是严肃的，他这句话的深层意思是世界应该一直努力向前，最终能够走到光明的未来。选项D最为符合题意。

3. Which one of the following is NOT the characteristics of Ashbery’s poetry?

3.以下哪个不是Ashbery 诗歌的特点？

[A] Some lines are borrowed from the other poets’ works.

[A] 许多句子是借用其他诗人的。

[B] Stanzas are different from each other in one poem.

[B] 诗中节与节差异颇大。

[C] Words are scattered casually in his poetry.

[C] 诗中的词都是随意散落搭配的。

[D] Tones are continuously changing from the highbrow to the common.

[D] 语调不停变化，有时是阳春白雪，有时是下里巴人。

[答案]A

[分析] 细节题。题干要求选出不属于Ashbery 诗歌特点的一项，因为文章通篇都有对其诗歌特点的描述，因此就要细心查找每一选项是否在文章中提及。选项A, 文章第二段最后一句提到，there are often echoes of other poets in his writings, 有其他诗人的调子，但并没有说直接借用其作品中的句子，可能是模仿其风格或语调。因此，答案A 不一定正确。选项B, 关于诗歌节的特点，文章第三段提到there often seems to be a gently humorous antagonism between one stanza and the next，关键要知道 “antagonism”的意思，“对抗的”，说明节与节之间是截然不同的对立的风格，答案B是其诗歌特点。答案C 是关于诗歌用词的特点，第一段有提及，提到他诗歌中的词就像散落在桌上的色子一样，那么C也是其特点。D是关于诗歌语调的，文章有两处提及，第一段提到its perpetual shifting of tones，第三段有更为详细的描述: He shifts easily from the elevated to the work-a-day, D也是其特点。因此，答案应选A。

4．Mr. Ashbery’s similes in poetry are different from that of the other poets in that_____.

4．Ashbery先生诗歌中的比喻和其他诗人所用的比喻不同在于_____。

[A] he likes to single them out.

[A] 他喜欢把比喻单独列出来。

[B] he uses them in an eccentric way.

[B] 他用比喻的方式很奇怪。

[C] he uses simile in order to make fun of it.

[C] 他为捉弄比喻而用比喻。

[D] he uses simile to express his complex thought.

[D] 他用比喻来表达自己复杂的思想。

[答案]C

[分析] 细节题。文章第三段提到，Ashbery喜欢在诗歌中运用比喻手法，但和一般诗人不同的是，他喜欢把比喻单独列出来，好像要戏谑诗歌中的比喻似的。然后作者举了一个例子，是个非常奇怪的比喻，“紫罗兰纵声开放/ 宛如空桶里的一句毒誓”。这个题目有一定难度，send up 这个短语的意思考生不一定熟悉，但考生可以根据Ashbery一贯游戏人生的态度分析出来。选项AB只是表层的现象，C才是真正的实质。

5. Why the author think the question Ashbery raised is a tougher one for a poet than we might think?

5. 为什么作者认为Ashbery 提出的问题要一个诗人回答其困难程度要比我们想象的难得多？

[A] Because a poet looks at things in a very complicated way.

[A] 因为诗人看待事物的方式很复杂。

[B] Because a poet takes life seriously.

[B] 因为诗人对待生活的态度很严肃。

[C] Because this question is a difficult one.

[C] 因为这个问题本身很难。

[D] Because the theme of life is worth thinking for a poet.

[D] 因为对于一个诗人生活这个主题值得思考。

[答案] D

[分析] 推理题。最后的这个问题是：“生活的全部是不是只是迁入新居？”这个问题的提出要结合文章最后一段来看，最后一段是描写Ashbery对于生活的态度，洛厄尔对待生活的态度是很严肃的，但是Ashbery 却是一种玩世不恭的态度，对于这个问题他给出的答案可能是肯定的，但是对于其他诗人呢，则需要好好地考虑一下了, 尤其是生活主题对于诗人来说是一个非常复杂的问题。答案中D最为符合。

参考译文：

二战后的几个时期里，诺曼·梅勒、约翰·厄普代克、菲利普·罗斯成为美国公认的最伟大的小说家，同样地，约翰·Ashbery和罗伯特·洛厄尔也争取美国最伟大的诗人这个名号。但是，这两个家伙可是截然不同。洛厄尔是个公众人物，参与政治活动。1967年，他和梅勒肩并肩抗议越战，梅勒在其小说《夜行军》曾描述了这些情景。洛厄尔选择的主题宏大，把自己想象成富有悲剧色彩的英雄形象，和自己的恶魔战斗。而Ashbery的诗却颇有闲逸气。于他而言，做诗就好像是在桌上滚动的色子，纸上呈现的词精妙地散落着，彼此都羞涩地挨在一起。其不断的语气变化又使得本来变化莫测的措辞平添了一丝达达派的意味。

洛厄尔1977年去世，终年60岁，他还号召世界继续前进。而今年年初才庆贺了自己80岁生日的Ashbery，却冷眼瞧着这个世界，以及这个世界的荒诞。他这本晚些出版的诗集选编了过去20年间出版的六本诗集中的诗歌，其主题不再是象那种临时准备的老套滑稽节目，他戏谑诗歌本身具有严肃性这个话题。他的语气极其不合逻辑，好像读者永远都站不对阵脚。他的语气一会是严肃的，一会马上就成了work-a-day。他的诗歌是那么的不着边际，中间或夹杂有其他诗人的一词半调，但轻轻地来到读者面前，就好像风中的一丝气息而已。

洛厄尔遵循严格的格式，他最后的一些作品有完整的十四行诗体例。Ashbery先生的诗歌也有一定的格式，只是有点怪异罢了——比如集锦（其他诗人作品的杂合），比如潘顿诗体（一种马来西亚诗体，据说是由维克托·雨果引入19世纪的欧洲的）。他常以一种随意、会话式的方式创作，关键就在于每行结尾不必非得符合格律。在他的许多诗里面，两节之间常是有点滑稽的对立。Ashbery先生喜欢用明喻。虽然这是诗人的惯用手法，但他却把这些比喻单独挑出来，好像要戏谑诗里面明喻这个概念。比如“紫罗兰纵声开放/ 宛如空桶里的一句毒誓”。

对于洛厄尔，生活是件严肃的事情，正如他本人一样。而Ashbery的生活方式却不止是因困惑而轻轻地耸一下肩，从他的诗中就可以看出来。和洛厄尔不同，他的诗既不是自传性质的，也不是忏悔的。他并不那么较真。“生活的全部是不是只是迁入新居？”这个问题让一个诗人来回答，可是比我们想象的难得多。

 

 

 

 

 

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TEXT EIGHTEEN

Richard Burton probably knew nothing of the small South African town of Cullinan when he bought yet another chunky diamond for Elizabeth Taylor in 1969. Now the Cullinan mine itself, like so many of the diamonds unearthed there, is about to change hands. On November 22nd De Beers, the diamond giant that has owned the mine since 1930, said it was selling it to a consortium led by Petra Diamonds, one of South Africa's emerging diamond producers, for 1 billion rand in cash. Provided regulators approve the deal, the transfer should take place by the middle of next year.

De Beers is selling because the mine is no longer profitable, despite attempts to turn it around. But Petra reckons the mine still has another 20 years of production in it and plans to extract at least 1m carats a year. The unexploited “Centenary Cut” deposit, which lies under the existing mine, could yield a lot more. This is good news for the mine's 1,000 or so employees and for the town, which has depended on the diamond business since Sir Thomas Cullinan discovered a prospect there in 1898 that contained kimberlite, a rock that can be rich in diamonds. The mine, established in 1903, is one of 30 or so kimberlite diamond mines in the world, and is believed to be still the world's second-most-valuable diamond resource

Petra is a relatively small outfit, listed on London's Alternative Investment Market, that specialises in buying mines that bigger companies see as marginal. Its trick is to extract better returns by rationalising production and processing, and keeping operating costs and overheads down. Petra has already bought two of De Beers's loss-making South African mines—both of which are now profitable—and is finalising the 78.5m rand acquisition of the group's underground operation in Kimberley, which stopped working in 2005.

It already operates four mines in South Africa and has promising exploration in Angola (a joint-venture with BHP Billiton), Sierra Leone and Botswana. Petra expects to produce over 1m carats by 2010—quite a jump from 180,474 carats in the year to June. The company has yet to make a profit, but expects to be making money by the middle of next year.

In the 1990s De Beers decided that it was no longer a good idea to try to monopolise the diamond market. It started focusing on higher returns rather than market share, and has been revamping its mine portfolio, selling off mines that are no longer profitable and investing in more enticing operations, such as its mine off the west coast of South Africa, its Voorspoed operation in the Free State province, and two new mines in Canada.

This has opened the way for a new class of diamond firm that operates in the vast middle ground between the world's handful of large producers and a multitude of much smaller exploration firms. The Cullinan deal should entrench Petra in this middle tier, alongside firms such as Kimberley Diamond and Trans Hex. But even if it does reach its target of 1m carats a year, Petra will still not be able to match the sparkle of the giants. Last year De Beers produced 51m carats from its mines in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Tanzania, which amounted to 40% of the world's diamonds by value. 

1. The Cullinan mine was named after_____.

[A] the original name of the town

[B] the name of its first owner

[C] the name of its discoverer

[D] the name of the town’s first colonist

2. Which one of the following statements is TRUE of the Cullinan mine?

[A] The mine is the only business of the town which employs most of the local residents

[B] It can be mined for another 20 years given Petra’s advanced technology

[C] It is the world’s second largest diamond mine with a yearly capacity of 1m carats

[D] Whether the mine will maintain its profitability is yet to know.

3. Petra’s opearting philosophy can be said as _____.

[A] to make profits by reducing the costs

[B] to exploit the surrounding areas of an existing mine

[C] to integrate the resources of all the money-losing small mines

[D] to restructure the mine portfolio and to optimize the process management

4. De Beers has made changes on its development stratege because_____.

[A] it plans to shrink its market share and ends its long-term monopoly

[B] it wants to open the way for the middle tier of diamond market

[C] it switches its attention to making larger profits

[D] it wants to turn around the loss-making mines by cooperating with companies of smaller size.

5. The future of the new class of diamond firm is _____.

[A] promising

[B] dim

[C] unknown

[D] frustrating 

文章剖析：

文章从Petra公司收购矿产为契因，介绍了钻石矿业新兴的一个中间阶层。第一段讲述了Cullinan矿将要转手的消息；第二段介绍了De Beers公司之所以将矿转手的原因；第三段、第四段介绍Petra公司的一些经营方式和情况；第五段讲述De Beers公司的运营调整；第六段介绍了钻石矿业的新阶层。

词汇注释：

chunky adj. 含小而厚的块：                                   consortium n. 财团

kimberlite n. 金伯利岩                                              entrench v. 确立，使处于牢固地位

portfolio n. 组合                                                       enticing adj. 引诱的, 迷人的, 动人心目的

难句突破：

(1)   This is good news for the mine's 1,000 or so employees and for the town, which has depended on the diamond business since Sir Thomas Cullinan discovered a prospect there in 1898 that contained kimberlite, a rock that can be rich in diamonds.

[主体句式] This is good news for …

[结构分析] 这是一个简单句，for后面的宾语比较复杂，which 引导的非限定性定语从句修饰the town，在该从句中有一个since引导的状语从句；在该状语从句中，that 引导的定语从句修饰prospect, a rock…是kimberlite的同位语。

[句子译文] 这对于这个矿的1000名左右的雇工以及这个小镇来说是个好消息，这个小镇从1898年Thomas Cullinan爵士发现该矿含有金伯利岩（可能富含钻石的一种岩石）后，就一直依赖钻石生意存活。

(2) It started focusing on higher returns rather than market share, and has been revamping its mine portfolio, selling off mines that are no longer profitable and investing in more enticing operations, such as its mine off the west coast of South Africa, its Voorspoed operation in the Free State province, and two new mines in Canada.

[主体句式]It started focusing on…, and has been…

[结构分析] 这是一个并列句，由连词and 连接，后半分句结构比较复杂；has been 后面带有三个并列的成分，第二个成分selling off mines后面有that 引导的定语从句，第三个成分中such as 后面都是用来修饰operations的。

[句子译文] 它开始修关心更高的回报率而不是市场份额了，也一直在修改它的矿产组合，卖掉不再盈利的矿产，投资更让人动心的项目，如南非西海岸的矿产、自由州省的Voorspoed项目、加拿大的两处新矿。

题目分析：

1. The Culliman mine in deal was named after_____.	1. 正在交易的矿是以_____命名的。
[A] the original name of the town	[A]小镇原来的名字
[B] the name of its first owner	[B] 第一个矿主的名字
[C] the name of its discoverer	[C] 矿场发现者的名字
[D] the name of the town’s first colonist	[D] 小镇第一个殖民者的名字

[答案] C

[难度系数] ☆☆

[分析] 细节题。该矿的名字为Culliman, 从第一段可以看到它所在的小镇的名字也是这个，但是第二段提到1898年Thomas Cullinan爵士发现了这个矿含有金伯利岩，1903年该矿成立。那么可以推断，这个镇和矿的名字都是以Cullinan爵士、即其第一个发现者的名字命名的。因此，正确答案为C。

2. Which one of the following statements is TRUE of the Cullinan mine?	2.关于Cullinan矿，以下的陈述哪个是正确的？
[A] The mine is the only business of the town which employs most of the local residents	[A] 该矿山是小镇大多数人工作的地方。
[B] It can be mined for another 20 years given Petra’s advanced technology	[B] 有了Petra的先进技术，该矿山还可以被挖掘20年。
[C] It is the world’s second largest diamond mine with a yearly capacity of 1m carats	[C] 它是世界上第二大钻石矿山，年产钻石100万克拉。
[D] Whether the mine will maintain its profitability is yet to know.	[D] 该矿山是否还会保持盈利还是一个未知数。

[答案]D

[难度系数] ☆☆☆☆

[分析] 细节题。文章第二段之处小镇上的大部分人都依赖于钻石产业，但这并不意味着他们都在矿山工作，因此A选项错误。文章第三段谈到Petra的盈利策略主要是改进流程、降低成本，并没有强调使用先进的技术。选项C，在第二段提到Cullinan目前仍被认为是世界第二大最有价值的钻石矿，但并不一定在规模上也是第二大的，而且年产量1百万克拉指的不是该矿山的年产量，而是Petra公司的计划年产量。选项D，文章没有明确指出该矿山将来究竟是否会赢利，因为不得而知，答案D为正确的陈述。

3. Petra’s opearting philosophy can be said as _____.	3. Petra 的运营理念可以说是_____。
[A] to make better profits by reducing the costs	[A] 通过削减成本来取得更好的收益
[B] to exploit the surrounding areas of an existing mine	[B] 从已经存在的矿山周围寻找资源
[C] to integrate the resources of all the money-losing small mines	[C] 整合那些亏损的小矿山的资源
[D] to restructure the mine portfolio and to optimize the process management	[D] 调整矿产组合并且优化流程管理

[答案]A

[难度系数] ☆☆☆☆

[分析]推理题。文章第三段提到Petra专门收购大公司边缘化的矿产，其秘诀就在于通过合理化生产和加工，降低运作和管理费用来获得更好的收益。可以看出，公司运营理念就是通过自己的努力，比如合理化生产、加工，降低费用来盈利，因此，选项A最为符合这一点。

4. De Beers has made changes on its development stratege because_____.	4. De Beers 改变了自己的发展战略因为_____。
[A] it plans to shrink its market share and ends its long-term monopoly	[A] 它计划缩小其市场份额并中止长期的垄断
[B] it wants to open the way for the middle tier of diamond market	[B] 它希望可以为钻石市场的中间阶层开辟道路
[C] it switches its attention to making larger profits	[C] 它的注意力转移到如何谋取更大的利润
[D] it wants to turn around the loss-making mines by cooperating with companies of smaller size	[D] 它想要通过与小规模公司的合作来扭转那些亏损的矿产

[答案]C

[难度系数] ☆☆☆

[分析] 推理题。文章第五段提到De Beers 认为试图垄断市场已经不是什么很好的策略了，它开始关心更高的利润而不是市场份额了，还采取了一系列的措施来实现这个策略。因此，它改变了自己的发展策略，主要是想要谋取更大的利润，B为正确答案。A是公司改变策略的方式，B不符合原文内容。D选项具有一定的迷惑性，但要注意De Beers知识将一些矿山卖给小公司，这并不意味着它与小公司合作，因此该选项错误。

5. The future of the new class of diamond firm is _____.	5. 钻石业新阶层的未来会是_____。
[A] promising	[A] 有前景的
[B] dim	[B] 暗淡
[C] unknown	[C] 未知的
[D] frustrating	[D] 困难重重的

[答案]C

[难度系数] ☆

[分析]推理题。关于钻石业新出现的中间阶层，文章只是介绍了其刚刚开始发展的情况，但是未来怎么样文章并没有给出明确的看法，因此，答案为C，其余三个选项的态度显然不符合题意。

参考译文：

理查德·伯顿在1969年为伊丽莎白·泰勒又买了一块小而厚的钻石时，他可能对南非小镇Cullinan一无所知。现在Cullinan连同埋在地下的钻石一起都将易主了。11月22日， De Beers，这个从1930年就一直是这个矿的主人的钻石巨头说要以10亿兰特现金的价格卖给Petra Diamonds为首的财团，Petra Diamonds是南非新兴的钻石制造商。现在管理者已经同意了这笔交易，该矿将于明年年中易手。

De Beers要做这笔买卖是因为尽管他采取了好多措施，这个矿不再是那么利润丰厚了。但是Petra 估计该矿还可以生产20年，计划每年最少挖掘100万克拉。而位于该矿下方的未被开采的“百年切割”层，生产力更高。这对于这个矿的1000名左右的雇工以及这个小镇来说是个好消息，这个小镇从1898年Thomas Cullinan爵士发现该矿含有金伯利岩（可能富含钻石的一种岩石）后，就一直依赖钻石生意存活。该矿建立于1903年，是世界上30个左右金伯利岩钻石矿之一，现在仍被认为是世界上最有价值的第二大钻石储藏矿。

Petra是比较小的一个商业组织，现在列于伦敦选择性的投资市场中London's Alternative Investment Market。该组织专门收购大公司认为是不重要的那么矿产，其秘诀在于通过合理化生产和加工、以及降低运作和管理费用来获得更好的收益。Petra已经收购了De Beers两家南非亏损的矿（这两个矿目前都在盈利），目前也即将完成以7850万兰特收购该组织在金伯利地下矿的项目，该矿于2005年停产。

目前它在南非运作有四家矿，在安哥拉、塞拉利昂和博茨瓦纳也有非常好的勘探项目（和BHP Billiton的合资公司）。Petra希望到2010年产量可以超过100万克拉，相比截至六月的这一年产量180，474克拉来说是一个飞跃。公司现在还未赢利，但可望明年年中就可以赚钱了。

20世纪90年代，De Beers认为垄断钻石市场其实不再是个好主意了。它开始关心更高的回报率而不是市场份额了，也一直在修改它的矿产组合，卖掉不再盈利的矿产，投资更让人动心的项目，如南非西海岸的矿产、自由州省的Voorspoed项目、加拿大的两处新矿。

这就为钻石行业的一个新阶层开辟了道路，这个阶层处于世界上少数的大生产商和众多小勘探公司之间那片广阔的区域。Cullinan这笔交易确立了Petra的这个中间阶层的地位，类似的公司还有金伯利钻石和Trans Hex。不过即使达到年产量100万克拉，Petra还是不及那些钻石巨头一毛。去年，De Beers在其博茨瓦纳、纳米比亚、南非和坦桑尼亚矿的产量为5100万克拉，从价值估算占到世界钻石的40% 。

 

 

 

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TEXT NINETEEN

When there is blood in the water, it is only natural that dorsal fins swirl around excitedly. Now that America's housing market is ailing, predators have their sights on the country's credit-card market. Analysts at Goldman Sachs reckon that credit-card losses could reach $99 billion if contagion spreads from subprime mortgages to other forms of consumer credit. Signs of strain are clearly visible. There are rises in both the charge-off and delinquency rates, which measure the share of balances that are uncollectable or more than 30 days late respectively. HSBC announced last month that it had taken a $1.4 billion charge in its American consumer-finance business, partly because of weakness among card borrowers.

It is too early to panic, though. Charge-offs and delinquencies are still low. According to Moody's, a rating agency, the third-quarter delinquency rate of 3.89% was almost a full percentage point below the historical average. The deterioration in rates can be partly explained by technical factors. A change in America's personal-bankruptcy laws in 2005 led to an abrupt fall in bankruptcy filings, which in turn account for a big chunk of credit-card losses; the number of filings (and thus charge-off rates) would be rising again, whether or not overall conditions for borrowers were getting worse.

The industry also reports solid payment rates, which show how much of their debt consumers pay off each month. And confidence in credit-card asset-backed securities is pretty firm despite paralysis in other corners of structured finance. Dennis Moroney of TowerGroup, a research firm, predicts that issuance volumes for 2007 will end up being 25% higher than last year.

Direct channels of infection between the subprime-mortgage crisis and the credit-card market certainly exist: consumers are likelier to load up on credit-card debt now that home-equity loans are drying up. But card issuers look at cash flow rather than asset values, so falling house prices do not necessarily trigger a change in borrowers' creditworthiness. They may even work to issuers' advantage. The incentives for consumers to keep paying the mortgage decrease if properties are worth less than the value of the loan; card debt rises higher up the list of repayment priorities as a result.     

Card issuers are also able to respond much more swiftly and flexibly to stormier conditions than mortgage lenders are, by changing interest rates or altering credit limits. That should in theory reduce the risk of a rapid repricing of assets. “We are not going to wake up one day and totally revalue the loans,” says Gary Perlin, Capital One's chief financial officer.

If a sudden subprime-style meltdown in the credit-card market is improbable, the risks of a sustained downturn are much more real. If lower house prices and a contraction in credit push America into recession, the industry will undoubtedly face a grimmer future. Keep watching for those dorsal fins.

1. The author makes mention of dorsal fins which are irrelevant to the topic in order to _____.

[A] make people alert to the potential danger

[B] attract the readers’ attention by presenting an interesting phenomenon

[C] make people realize the graveness of the issue by showing a similar case

[D] make the passage more vivid by imparting new knowledge to readers

2. Rises in the charge-off and delinquency rate indicate _____.

[A] the deterioration of the subprime mortgage

[B] the inadequate ability of card borrowers

[C] the influence of the technical factors

[D] the change in relevant laws

3. According to the third paragraph, the number of bankruptcy fillings would be rising again because_____.

[A] there is a change in America’s personal-bankruptcy laws

[B] the charge-offs and delinquencies are still low

[C] the influence of the personal-bankruptcy laws has been digested

[D] the overall conditions for borrowers are getting worse

4. The subprime-mortgage crisis influnces the credit-card market in that_____.

[A] the fall of asset values affects the card borrowers’ creditworthiness

[B] the decrease in the mortgage payment leads to the rises of the card debt

[C] the drying up of the home-equity loans spur consumers’ incectives to repay the card debt

[D] the falling house prices makes the card debt rising higher

5. According to the author, the credit-card market will more likely be threatened by_____.

[A] a gradual downward tendency

[B] a rapid collapse

[C] a sustained trend of lowering price

[D] the accumulation of economic recession

文章剖析：

这篇文章分析了美国次级抵押贷款危机可能影响到的信用卡市场。第一段指出信用卡市场已经出现疲软迹象；第二段、第三段通过分析表示信用卡市场危机并未确定，不需要过于恐慌；第四段指出次级抵押危机与信用卡市场之间的传染渠道；第五段指出信用卡规避风险的优势；第六段指出信用卡市场更趋于经历持续低迷的情况。

词汇注释：

dorsal fin n.[动物]背鳍                                       ailing adj. 景况不佳的，生病的

contagion n.传染, 传染病, 蔓延                         charge-off n. 损耗 

delinquency n. 逾期债款

难句突破：

(1)   There are rises in both the charge-off and delinquency rates, which measure the share of balances that are uncollectable or more than 30 days late respectively.

[主体句式] There are rises in…

[结构分析] 这是一个简单句，which 引导的非限定性定语从句是修饰前面的the charge-off and delinquency rates；在该定语从句中还有定语从句修饰the share of balances，在该定语从句中，前半个句子对应修饰the charge-off rates，后半个句子是个省略句，对应修饰the delinquency rates.

[句子译文] 损耗率和逾期债款率都上升了，这两个数据分别代表收不回来的收支差额的份额和晚了30天的份额。

(2) A change in America's personal-bankruptcy laws in 2005 led to an abrupt fall in bankruptcy filings, which in turn account for a big chunk of credit-card losses; the number of filings (and thus charge-off rates) would be rising again, whether or not overall conditions for borrowers were getting worse.

[主体句式] A change led to an abrupt fall; the number would be rising.

[结构分析]这是一个复杂句，分号将前后两个句子隔开。前面句子中，宾语带有which引导的非限定性定语从句；后面句子是带有方式状语从句的复杂句。

[句子译文]2005年美国个人破产法的一个改动使得破产登记急速下降，而后引起了信用卡大规模的亏损。破产登记数量（随之的charge-off率）可以重新上升，不管贷款人的整体状况是否变得更糟糕了。

题目分析：

1. The author makes mention of dorsal fins which are irrelevant to the topic in order to _____.	1.      背鳍与本文主题无关，作者提到背鳍是为了_____。
[A] make people alert to the potential danger	[A] 提醒人们注意潜在的危险
[B] attract the readers’ attention by presenting an interesting phenomenon	[B] 通过描述一个有趣的现象来吸引读者的眼球
[C] make people realize the graveness of the issue by showing a similar case	[C] 通过一个类似的案例让人们意识到事情的严重性
[D] make the passage more vivid by imparting new knowledge to readers	[D] 通过向读者传授新的知识来使得文章更生动

[答案]A

[难度系数] ☆☆☆

[分析]推理题。文章在首尾都提到了背鳍。开头提到一旦水中有血，背鳍就会变得兴奋起来，接着就提到美国房地产衰退后，捕食者将目光转移到信用卡市场。末尾提到要留心背鳍。可以看出，作者提到背鳍是一种隐喻，意味着危险，因此选项A 比较符合题意。

2. Rises in the charge-off and delinquency rate indicate _____.	2.损耗率和逾期债款率的升高意味着_____。
[A]  the deterioration of the subprime mortgage	[A] 次级抵押贷款恶化
[B]  the inadequate ability of card borrowers	[B] 信用卡借贷人还贷能力较弱
[C]  the influence of the technical factors	[C] 技术因素的影响
[D] the change in relevant laws	[D] 相关法律的变化

[答案]B

[难度系数] ☆☆

[分析] 推理题。文章在第一段提到，信用卡市场的疲软迹象已经出现，接着就提到这两个数字，损耗率和逾期债款率分别代表无法收回来的收支差额的份额和晚付了30天的份额，接着还举例说香港汇丰银行的14亿美元费用就是部分因为信用卡借款人偿还能力较弱。因此，这两项升高表明信用卡市场出现问题。A不符合；B，是信用卡市场问题；CD在第二段提到，是引起这两项升高的部分原因所在。因此，答案为B。

3. According to the third paragraph, the number of bankruptcy fillings would be rising again because_____.	2.      根据第三段，破产申请数量会再次增多是因为 _____。
[A] there is a change in America’s personal-bankruptcy laws	[A] 美国个人破产法发生了变化
[B] the charge-offs and delinquencies are still low	[B] 损耗率和逾期债款率还很低
[C] the influence of the change in the personal-bankruptcy laws has been digested	[C] 个人贷款法律变化的影响已经被消化了
[D] the overall conditions for borrowers are getting worse	[D] 贷款人整体的情形趋于糟糕

[答案]C

[难度系数] ☆☆☆

[分析] 推理题。文章第三段最后提到不管贷款人整体的情况是否变坏，破产申请数量都会再次增多。前面又提到是因为2005年美国个人破产法有一定变化，破产申请才急剧降低，而后引发了信用卡市场的一些问题。因此，这项法律实行一段时间后，大家已经消化了这个变化，趋势又会恢复正常。答案C最为贴切。

4. The subprime-mortgage crisis influnces the credit-card market in that_____.	3.      次级抵押贷款危机影响信用卡市场 在于_____。
[A] the fall of asset values affects the card borrowers’ creditworthiness	[A]资产价值的降低影响了信用卡借款人 的信用度
[B] the decrease in the mortgage payment leads to the rises of the card debt	[B]抵押支付的减少导致了信用卡贷款的增加。
[C] the drying up of the home-equity loans spur consumers’ incectives to repay the card debt	[C]家庭资产贷款的衰竭激发消费者偿还信用卡贷款的积极性。
[D] the falling house prices makes the card debt rising higher	[D]房屋价格的下降使得信用卡贷款增加了更多。

[答案]C

[难度系数] ☆☆☆

[分析] 细节题。文章第四段提到次级抵押贷款危机和信用卡市场之间有直接感染的通道，因为家庭资产贷款衰竭，借款人就更愿意把信用卡的贷款偿还清；而且因为房屋的价格比贷款还低，大家就不愿意还房屋抵押贷款，因此信用卡贷款偿还在偿还方面位居前列。选项中C符合这种推理，为正确答案。

5. According to the author, the credit-card market will more likely be threatened by_____.	5. 依作者来看，信用卡市场更可能受到_____的威胁。
[A] a gradual downward tendency	[A] 缓慢的衰退趋势
[B] a rapid collapse	[B] 快速的崩溃
[C] a sustained trend of lowering prices	[C] 价格持续走低
[D] the accumulation of economic recession	[D] 经济衰退日趋严重

[答案]A

[难度系数] ☆☆☆

[分析] 细节题。文章最后一段指出，次级抵押贷款式的突然垮台可能不会出现在信用卡市场，更容易出现的是一种持续不断的低迷。因此，信用卡市场更可能受到这种缓慢的低迷趋势的影响。答案A最为符合题意。

参考译文：

如果水中有血的话，那么自然地背鳍就会兴奋地游来游去。现在美国的房产市场景况不佳，掠夺者就把目光转向了这个国家的信用卡体系。GoldmanSachs的分析师们认为如果这种趋势从次级抵押扩散到消费者信用的其他形式的话，那么信用卡损失可能要达到990亿美元。目前这种趋紧的迹象已经显现。损耗率和逾期债款率都上升了，这两个数据分别代表收不回来的收支差额的份额和晚了30天的份额。汇丰银行上个月宣布在美国消费者金融行业的抵押款为14亿美元，部分原因就在于信用卡贷款人的弱势。

但现在恐慌还为时尚早。Chargeoffs和逾期债款率还不是很高。据一家评估机构Moody's估算，第三季度3.89%的逾期债款率比历史平均值还低整整一个百分点。比率变差部分是由于技术原因。2005年美国个人破产法的一个改动使得破产登记急速下降，而后引起了信用卡大规模的亏损。破产登记数量（随之的chargeoff率）可以重新上升，不管贷款人的整体状况是否变得更糟糕了。

该行业还报告了真正的支付率，就是表示有多少贷款消费者每个月还清贷款了。尽管在其他结构性金融部分出现了瘫痪，但是对信用卡负债支持的有价证券信心还是坚定的。一家研究机构TowerGroup的工作人员Dennis Moroney 预计2007年发行数量最后将比去年高出25%。

次级抵押危机和信用卡市场之间存在直接的传染通道，既然家庭资产贷款就衰竭了，消费者更倾向于将信用卡的贷款贷满。但是信用卡发行人看到的是现金流动而不是资产价值，因此房产价格的下降并不一定会带来贷款人信用度的改变，甚至会有利于发行人。如果消费者的财产还没有贷款的金额高，那么消费者一直支付抵押贷款的动机就会削弱，最后信用卡贷款就会成为偿还款项的最首位。

信用卡发行人也可以在遇到更为严峻的情况时，通过改变利率或信用额度，比房屋抵押借款人作出反应更快、更灵活些。这在理论上可以降低资产快速重新定价的风险。“我们不希望有天一睁开眼就得全部重新估算贷款，”Capital One的首席金融官员Gary Perlin这样说。

如果在信用卡市场中那种次级抵押式的突如其来的彻底崩溃是不可能的话，那么持续低迷的风险是更为真实的。如果房产低价格和信贷紧缩将美国引致衰退，那么该行业将会面临更惨淡的未来。时刻留心那些背鳍吧。

 

 

 

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写一封邀请信，要求如下：

1.邀请你的一位外国朋友来中国，一起见证今年8月即将在北京举行的奥运会，感受中国人民对奥运会的热情；

2.向他介绍有关奥运会的相关知识；

3.北京有哪些著名景点可以游玩；

4.期待对方接受邀请。

Dear Jonathan:

I am more than delighted to invite you to join us to celebrate the Summer Gala——the Olympic Games in Beijing which is considered as the most important occasion for Chinese people. Because of its incomparable status, people carry out a variety of activities across the country to wait for the significant moment.

As we know, the Olympic Games are held every four years in a different city in the world. Athletes from different countries compete in a variety of sports which are composed of both winter and summer games. It was not until 1896 that the first Olympics of modern times were held in Athens. From then on the games are held every four years on a regular basis.  As is well known, the Olympics have become the world's most important athletic events and a symbol of friendship of all the people around the world.

At the same time, I do hope all of you will enjoy yourselves during this trip.  The first spot you can visit is the Great Wall in Beijing, the grandest fortification in ancient China. The next sight to look around is the Ming Tombs, which are the best-preserved tombs for 13 emperors in Ming Dynasty more than one thousand years ago. In the afternoon, we will go to the Summer Palace, the royal park for Chinese ancient emperors, and then you can go to the Great Wall, which was constructed by respective states for fortifying against invasion of neighboring states.  Owing to the long history and its length, it has become one of the eight wonders in the world and represents the highest wisdom and crafts. From the top of the Great Wall, we can enjoy a magnificent view of continuous mountains, green trees and blooming wild flowers.  It is no doubt that one says, “He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man”.

I am convinced that your trip to Beijing in the coming August will be to your heart’s content.  And I’m looking forward to seeing you in Beijing.

Sincerely yours,

Zhou Ming

 

 

1、奥运会的意义

2、奥运会带给北京和中国的机遇

What will the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Bring to Us?

The Olympics Games supplies a way to man to surpass himself, and the core of the Games lies in the spirit of competition and sense of honor. We create many slogans-the Green Olympics, the Humanist Olympics and the High-Technology Olympics, which conforms to the core values of mankind, and shows our Chinese determination to merge with the rest of the world.

The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing is a good opportunity for the Chinese to introduce food to the world. China is one of the countries famous for its culinary culture, but only foreign epicureans learn about a small part of it. Thus, we have the duty to introduce our delicious food to our foreign friends.

The Olympic Games will be a good chance to promote the development of tourism. In a sense, it is such an important event that almost everyone in the world has known Beijing. By then, many foreigners interested in the Games will come to our country and visit places of interest incidentally, which to some extent will boost the prosperity of tourism.