考研英語:抓住重點 閱讀為先詞匯篇

　　抓住重點 閱讀為先---詞匯篇

    一、閱讀詞匯分類

    詞匯是考研閱讀的基礎，主要難點在于一詞多義與詞義的精確把握。一詞多義指一個常見詞有多個意義，但考試時考的是該詞不太常見的意義。例如，check的常見意思是“檢查”，而考研閱讀中?？肌跋拗啤边@一意思。對于詞義的精確把握也影響答案的選擇，尤其是對一個詞匯意義的褒貶進行判斷時。例如，anecdote（奇聞軼事）用于描述一件事情的真實性時，表示負評價，即該事情并不存在：the mass of business anecdote that points to a leap in productivity（1998年考研閱讀第二篇第二段末句）。所以，復習閱讀詞匯時要分類進行：核心詞匯、一詞多義的詞匯與表示態(tài)度傾向的詞匯。下面以2003年考研閱讀第三篇文章為例說明如何區(qū)分和記憶上述幾類詞匯。

    二、2003年考研閱讀第三篇詞匯分析

    In recent years, railroads have been combining with each other, merging into super systems, causing heightened concerns about monopoly. As recently as 1995, the top four railroads accounted for under 70 percent of the total ton-miles moved by rails. Next year, after a series of mergers is completed, just four railroads will control well over 90 percent of all the freight moved by major rail carriers.

    Supporters of the new supersystems argue that these mergers will allow for substantial cost reductions and better coordinated service. Any threat of monopoly, they argue, is removed by fierce competition from trucks. But many shippers complain that for heavy bulk commodities traveling long distances, such as coal, chemicals, and grain, trucking is too costly and the railroads therefore have them by the throat.

    The vast consolidation within the rail industry means that most shippers are served by only one rail company. Railroads typically charge such “captive” shippers 20 to 30 percent more than they do when another railroad is competing for the business. Shippers who feel they are being overcharged have the right to appeal to the federal government’s Surface Transportation Board for rate relief, but the process is expensive, time consuming, and will work only in truly extreme cases.

    Railroads justify rate discrimination against captive shippers on the grounds that in the long run it reduces everyone’s cost. If railroads charged all customers the same average rate, they argue, shippers who have the option of switching to trucks or other forms of transportation would do so, leaving remaining customers to shoulder the cost of keeping up the line. It’s a theory to which many economists subscribe, but in practice it often leaves railroads in the position of determining which companies will flourish and which will fail. “Do we really want railroads to be the arbiters of who wins and who loses in the marketplace? ” asks Martin Bercovici, a Washington lawyer who frequently represents shippers.

    Many captive shippers also worry they will soon be hit with a round of huge rate increases. The railroad industry as a whole, despite its brightening fortunes. still does not earn enough to cover the cost of the capital it must invest to keep up with its surging traffic. Yet railroads continue to borrow billions to acquire one another, with Wall Street cheering them on. Consider the $10.2 billion bid by Norfolk Southern and CSX to acquire Conrail this year. Conrail’s net railway operating income in 1996 was just $427 million, less than half of the carrying costs of the transaction. Who’s going to pay for the rest of the bill? Many captive shippers fear that they will, as Norfolk Southern and CSX increase their grip on the market..

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    11. According to those who support mergers railway monopoly is unlikely because.

    [A] cost reduction is based on competition

    [B] services call for cross-trade coordination

    [C] outside competitors will continue to exist

    [D] shippers will have the railway by the throat

    12. What is many captive shippers attitude towards the consolidation in the rail industry?

    [A] Indifferent. [B] Supportive.

    [C] Indignant. [D] Apprehensive.

    13. It can be inferred from Paragraph 3 that.

    [A] shippers will be charged less without a rival railroad

    [B] there will soon be only one railroad company nationwide

    [C] overcharged shippers are unlikely to appeal for rate relief

    [D] a government board ensures fair play in railway business

    14. The word “arbiters” (Line 7, Paragraph 4)most probably refers to those.

    [A] who work as coordinators [B] who function as judges

    [C] who supervise transactions [D] who determine the price

    15. According to the text, the cost increase in the rail industry is mainly caused by.

    [A] the continuing acquisition [B] the growing traffic

    [C] the cheering Wall Street [D] the shrinking market

    核心詞匯：

    merge 合并

    heighten 使提高，加強

    monopoly 壟斷

    freight貨物，運費

    substantial可觀的，大量的；實質的，真實的

    coordinated協調的

    bulk （巨大的）體積，大量；（大）塊

    consolidation鞏固，加強

    appeal （to）申訴，上訴；吸引

    captive被俘虜的（文中指shippers—托運商受制于鐵路公司）

    discrimination歧視；區(qū)別

    flourish繁榮

    一詞多義的詞匯（本文的意思，就是第一個意思非該詞的最常見意義）：

    ground理由，根據；地面

    subscribe同意，贊成；訂購，訂閱

    表示態(tài)度傾向的詞匯：

    indignant憤慨的

    apprehensive 憂慮的，擔心的

    上述的詞匯對理解全文與選擇答案影響很大，特別是表示態(tài)度傾向的詞匯indignant和apprehensive，直接關系到12題的答案選擇。復習時應將各課的詞匯（包含問題與選項中的詞匯）按照上述分類整理記憶，以提高答題的正確率。