基础提升考研真题阅读每日一篇(48)(2013.4.22)

1、2008 Text 4In 1784, five years before he became president of the United States, George Washington, 52, was nearly toothless. So he hired a dentist to transplant nine teeth into his jaw having extracted them from the mouths of his slaves.Thats a far di fferent image from the cherry-tree-chopping Geor

2、ge most people remember from their history books. But recently, many historians have begun to focus on the roles slavery played in the lives of the founding generation.They have been spurred in part by DNA evidence made available in 1998, which almost certainly proved Thomas Jefferson had fathered a

3、t least one child with his slave Sally Hemings. And only over the past 30 years have scholars examined history from the bottom up. Works of several historians rev eal the moral compromises made by the nations early leaders and the fragile nature of the countrys infancy. More significantly, they argu

4、e that many of the Founding Fathers knew slavery was wrong and yet most did little to fight it.More than anything, the historians say, the founders were hampered by the culture of their time. While Washington and Jefferson privately expressed distaste for slavery, they also understood that it was pa

5、rt of the political and economic bedrock of the country they helped to create.For one thing, the South could not afford to part with its slaves. Owning slaves was “like having a large bank account,” says Wiencek, author of An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America.

6、 The southern states would not have signed the Constitution without protections for the “peculiar institution,” including a clause that counted a slave as three fifths of a man for purposes of congressional representation.And the statesmens political lives depended on slavery. The three-fifths formu

7、la handed Jefferson his narrow victory in the presidential election of 1800 by inflating the votes of the southern states in the Electoral College. Once in office, Jefferson extended slavery with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803; the new land was carved into 13 states, including three slave states.Sti

8、ll, Jefferson freed Hemingss children though not Hemings herself or his approximately 150 other slaves. Washington, who had begun to believe that all men were created equal after observing the bravery of the black soldiers during the Revolutionary War, overcame the strong opposition of his relatives

9、 to grant his slaves their freedom in his will. Only a decade earlier, such an act would have required legislative approval in Virginia.36. George Washingtons dental surgery is mentioned toA show the primitive medical practice in the past.B demonstrate the cruelty of slavery in his days.C stress the

10、 role of slaves in the U.S. history.D reveal some unknown aspect of his life.37. We may infer from the second paragraph thatA DNA technology has been widely applied to history research.B in its early days the U.S. was confronted with delicate situations.C historians deliberately made up some stories

11、 of Jeffersons life.D political compromises are easily found throughout the U.S. history.38. What do we learn about Thomas Jefferson?A His political view changed his attitude towards slavery.B His status as a father made him free the child slaves.C His attitude towards slavery was complex.D His affa

12、ir with a slave stained his prestige.39. Which of the following is true according to the text?A Some Founding Fathers benefit politically from slavery.B Slaves in the old days did not have the right to vote.C Slave owners usually had large savings accounts.D Slavery was regarded as a peculiar instit

13、ution.40. Washingtons decision to free slaves originated from hisA moral considerations.B military experience.C financial conditions.D political stand.【参考答案解析】36. 参考答案【D】【解析】弄清楚作者开始讲述故事的目的,关键要知道他是如何从一则轶事过渡到下文主题的。从篇章分析看,由“华盛顿利用奴隶的轶事”到“华盛顿砍倒樱桃树的典型形象”再到“奴隶制在开国元勋生活中扮演的角色”,华盛顿这个人物才是行文的线索,作者从讲述他不为人们熟悉的故事入

14、手,引出话题,因此D正确。37. 参考答案【B】【解析】第二段倒数第二句提到,历史学家的著作揭示了新生国家的脆弱性,B就是文中the fragile nature of the countrys infancy的改写。Fraglie这里取比喻意,即,week and uncertain,and likely to become worse under pressure“脆弱的,不稳定的”;infancy意为the time when something is just starting to be developed“初期,早期”。B中delicate意为needing to be dealt

15、 with carefully or sensitively in order to avoid problems or failure“微妙的,需要谨慎处理的”。38. 参考答案【C】【解析】本题考查的知识点是:综合文中有关某一人物的细节。杰弗逊认识到奴隶制不该存在,但是政治生涯又得益于奴隶制度,因此,他对奴隶制的态度一定是复杂的。39. 参考答案【A】【解析】文中多处强调开国元勋们对奴隶制的妥协态度,这与他们从政治上获益是分不开的。考生不能孤立的理解第五段的内容,以为只有杰弗逊一人在政治上收益,其实杰弗逊是开国元勋这个群体的代表,因此A正确,它就是第五段首句的改写。40. 参考答案【B】【

16、解析】根据题干关键词Washingtons decision to free slaves 定位到第六段第二句,该句是个长句,主句部分Washington overcamein his will 介绍在了“华盛顿释放奴隶的决定”,从句部分who hadWar解释了原因。B是after observing the bravery of the black soldiers during the Revolutionary War的概括,因此是正确项。1784,52岁的乔治华盛顿在成为美国总统5年前,牙齿就几乎已经掉光了。他专门请牙医从他的奴隶口中拔出九颗牙齿种在自己的身上。这跟很多人在历史书上读

17、到过的那个砍樱桃树的华盛顿有点大相径庭。但是最近开始,历史学家开始越来越关注奴隶制在美国开国一代人的生活中所扮演的角色。他们多半是受了1998年DNA事件的影响。那个事件证明托马斯杰弗逊至少和他的奴隶萨利赫明思生过一个孩子。学者们从头至尾地研究历史还是近三十年的事情。一些历史学家揭示了早期开国者们的道德妥协和早期国家的不稳定性。更重要的是,他们认为很多开国元勋知道奴隶制是错误的,但是大多数并没有去反抗。最主要的原因,就是建国者们受到了当时文化的束缚。当华盛顿和杰弗逊私底下表示对奴隶制的不满时,他们也明白奴隶制同时也是他们努力建造的这个国家的政治经济基础的一部分。一方面,南方各州无法认同废除奴隶

18、制度。如不完美的上帝:乔治华盛顿、他的奴隶和美国的建立一书作者Wiencek所描述,拥有努力“就像拥有一笔巨额存款”。如果没有对于这种“特殊制度”的保护,南方各州不会同意签署宪法。这种特殊的制度保护包括:在国会代表人数中一个奴隶可以算作五分之三个公民。政治家的政治生命也取决于奴隶制度。正由于这个五分之三公式,南方选举团的选票扩大了,杰弗逊才在1800大选中险胜。入主白宫之后的1803年,杰弗逊通过购买路易斯安那州扩大了奴隶制度,这片土地后来被划分为了13个州,其中包括3个蓄奴州。然而,杰弗逊还是解放了赫明思的孩子们,虽然没有同样解放赫明思和其他150名奴隶。华盛顿在目睹了美国独立战争中黑人士兵

19、的英勇之后开始相信人人生就平等。于是,不顾亲属的反对,他解放了自己所有的努力。而仅仅在十年前,解放奴隶的1、They have been spurred in part by DNA evidence made available in 1998, which almost certainly proved Thomas Jefferson had fathered at least one child with his slave Sally Hemings.【译文】他们多半是受了1998年DNA事件的影响。那个事件证明托马斯杰弗逊至少和他的奴隶萨利赫明思生过一个孩子。【解析】该句的主干是They have been spurred in part by DNA evidence,过去分词短语made available i