考研英语模拟试卷37

考研英语模拟试卷37

一、完型填空（本题共20题，每题7.0分，共20分。）

Analystshavetheirgoathumor,andIhavereadsomeofthisinterpretativeliterature,

(1)withoutbeinggreatlyinstructed.Humorcanbe(2),(3)afrogcan,

butthethingdiesintheprocessandtheinnardsare(4)toanybutthepure

scientificmind.Oneofthethings(5)saidabouthumoristsisthattheyarereally

verysadpeopleclownswithabreakingheart.Thereissometruthinit,butitisbadly

(6).Itwouldbemore(7),Ithink,tosaythatthereisadeepveinof

melancholyrunningthrougheveryone'slifeandthatthehumorist,perhapsmore

(8)ofitthansomeothers,compensatesforitactivelyand(9)Humorists

fattenontroubles.Theyhavealwaysmadetrouble(10)Theystrugglealongwitha

goodwillandendurepain(11),knowinghowwellitwill(12)theminthe

sweetbyandby.Youfindthemwrestlingwithforeignlanguages,fightingfolding

ironinghoardsandswollendrainpipes,sufferingtheterrible(13)oftightboots.

Theypourouttheirsorrowsprofitably,ina(14)ofwhatisnotquitefictionnor

quitefacteither.Beneaththesparkingsurfaceofthesedilemmasflowsthestrong

(15)ofhumanwoe.Practicallyeveryoneisamanicdepressiveofsorts,withhisup

momentsandhisdownmoments,andyoucertainlydon'thavetobeahumoristto

(16)thesadnessofsituationandmood.Butthereisoftenaratherfinelinebetween

laughingandcrying,andifahumorouspieceofwritingbringsapersontothepoint

(17)hisemotionalresponsesareuntrustworthyandseemlikelytobreakoverinto

(heoppositerealm,itis(18)humor,likepoetry,hasanextracontent,itplays

(19)tothebighotfirewhichisTruth,andsometimesthereaderfeelsthe

(20).

1、Analystshavetheirgoathumor,andIhavereadsomeofthisinterpretative

literature,(1)withoutbeinggreatlyinstructed.Humorcanbe(2),(3)a

frogcan,butthethingdiesintheprocessandtheinnardsare(4)toanybutthepure

scientificmind.Oneofthethings(5)saidabouthumoristsisthattheyarereally

verysadpeopleclownswithabreakingheart.Thereissometruthinit,butitisbadly

(6).Itwouldbemore(7),Ithink,tosaythatthereisadeepveinof

melancholyrunningthrougheveryone'sliftandthatthehumorist,perhapsmore

(8)ofitthansomeothers,compensatesforitactivelyand(9)Humorists

fattenontroubles.Theyhavealwaysmadetrouble(10)Theystrugglealongwitha

goodwillandendurepain(II),knowinghowwellitwill(12)theminthe

sweetbyandby.Youfindthemwrestlingwitliforeignlanguages,fightingfolding

ironinghoardsandswollendrainpipes,sufferingtheterrible(13)oftightboots.

Theypourouttheirsorrowsprofitably,ina(14)ofwhatisnotquitefictionnor

quitefacteither.Beneaththesparkingsurfaceofthesedilemmasflowsthestrong

(15)ofhumanwoe.Practicallyeveryoneisamanicdepressiveofsorts,withhisup

momentsandhisdownmoments,andyoucertainlydon'thavetobeahumoristto

(16)thesadnessofsituationandmood.Butthereisoftenaratherfinelinebetween

laughingandcrying,andifahumorouspieceofwritingbringsapersontothepoint

(17)hisemotionalresponsesareuntrustworthyandseemlikelytobreakoverinto

theoppositerealm,itis(18)humor,likepoetry,hasanextracontent,itplays

(19)tothebighotfirewhichisTruth,andsometimesthereaderfeelsthe

(20).

A、while

B>although

C^but

D、if

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

2、

A、explained

B、integrated

C、detected

D、dissected

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

3、

A、as

B、for

C、which

D、though

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

4、

A、disgusting

B、discouraging

C、discounting

D、dismissing

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

5、

A^regularly

B、commonly

C、roughly

D、uniquely

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

6、

A、consulted

B、commented

C、remarked

D、stated

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

7、

A、accurate

B、normal

C、immediate

D、exclusive

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

8、

A、consciously

B、credulous

C^sensible

D、absurd

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

9、

A、adequately

confusedly

C^reluctantly

D、positively

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

10、

A、comeacross

B、payoff

C、holdup

D、breakdown

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

11、

A、annoyingly

B、cheerfully

C、worriedly

D、hopefully

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

12、

A^interest

B>threaten

C^benefit

D^deprive

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

13、

A^pleasure

B、exhibition

C、prejudice

D、discomfort

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

14、

A、style

B、pattern

C、form

D、mold

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

15、

A、tide

B、drift

C>float

D、flare

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

16、

A、taste

BNsteer

C、tackle

D^stir

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

17、

A^how

B、where

C、how

D、unless

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

18、

A、when

that

C、whatever

D、because

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

19、

A、open

B、related

C、close

D、devoted

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

20、

A、warmth

B、severity

C^tension

D、fever

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

二、阅读（常规阅读理解）（本题共20题，每题1.0

分，共20分。）

ThediscoveryoflifebeyondEarthwouldtransformnotonlyoursciencebutalsoour

religions,ourbeliefsystemsandourentireworld-view.Forinasense,thesearchfor

extraterrestriallifeisreallyasearchforourselves—whoweareandwhatourplaceisin

thegrandsweepofthecosmos.Contrarytopopularbelief,speculationthatwearenot

aloneintheuniverseisasoldasphilosophyitself.Theessentialstepsinthereasoning

werebasedontheatomictheoryoftheancientGreekphilosopherDemocritus.Yet

philosophyisonething,fillinginthephysicaldetailsisanother.Althoughastronomers

increasinglysuspectthatbiofriendlyplanetsmaybeabundantintheuniverse,the

chemicalstepsleadingtoliferemainlargelymysterious.Traditionally,biologists

believedthatlifeisafreak—theresultofazillion-to-oneaccidentalconcatenationof

molecules.Itfollowsthatthelikelihoodofitshappeningagainelsewhereinthecosmosis

infinitesimal.Thisviewpointderivesfromthesecondlawofthermodynamics,which

predictsthattheuniverseisdying—slowlyandinexorablydegeneratingtowardastateof

totalchaos.Andsimilarreasoningappliestoevolution.Accordingtotheorthodoxview,

Darwinianselectionisutterlyblind.Anyimpressionthatthetransitionfrommicrobesto

manrepresentsprogressispurechauvinismofourpart.Thepathofevolutionismerelya

randomwalkthroughtherealmofpossibilities.Ifthisisright,therecanbeno

directionality,noinnatedriveforward;inparticular,nopushtowardconsciousnessand

intelligence.ShouldEarthbestruckbyanasteroid,destroyingallhigherlife-forms,

intelligentbeingswouldalmostcertainlynotarisenexttimearound.Thereis,however,a

contraryview-onethatisgainingstrengthanddirectlychallengesorthodoxbiology.It

isthatcomplexitycanemergespontaneouslythroughaprocessofself-organization.If

matterandenergyhaveaninbuilttendencytoamplifyandchannelorganizedcomplexity,

theoddsagainsttheformationoflifeandthesubsequentevolutionofintelligencecould

bedrasticallyshortened.Historically,BertrandRussellarguedthatauniverseundera

deathsentencefromthesecondlawofthermodynamicsrenderedhumanlifeultimately

futile.Allourachievements,allourstruggles,"allthenoondaybrightnessofhuman

genius'1,asheputit,would,inthefinalanalysis,countfornothingiftheverycosmos

itselfisdoomed.Butwhatif,inspiteofthesecondlawofthermodynamics,therecanbe

systematicprogressalongsidedecay?Forthosewhohopeforadeepermeaningor

purposebeneathphysicalexistence,thepresenceofextraterrestriallife-formswould

provideaspectacularboosl,implyingthatweliveinauniversethatisinsomesense

gettingbetterandbetterratherthanworseandworse.

21、Thewriterorganizeshisideasinthetextmainlyby.

A、justifyingpopularbeliefs.

B、makingcomparisons.

C^lookingbackonhistory.

D、posingsharpcontrasts.

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

22、OnthepossibilitiesoflifebeyondEarthastronomers'andancientphilosophers'

viewsare.

A、opposite.

B、similar.

C、divergent.

D、contrary.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

23ItisthebeliefoforthodoxbiologythatDarwinianevolutionism.

A、isfullybasedonillusions.

B、focusespurelyonreasoning.

C^isutterlyentitledtoworship.

D、comestoaccountfornothing.

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

24、Underthelawofthermodynamics,theuniverseissupposed.

A^topushforwardprogress.

B、togiverisetootherlife-forms.

C、tomakeforatotalchaos.

D、toimprovebywidemargins.

标准答案：C-

知识点解析：暂无解析

25、Iftherewerepushtodirectorganizedcomplexity,chancesofintelligenceevolution

would.

A、bewrecked.

B、leveloff.

C、beshortened.

D、cropup.

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

"Myownfeelingswentfromdisbelieftoexcitementtodownrightfear”,saysCarl

Hergenrother,23,anArizonaundergraduatewhoverifiedalargeasteroidbarreling

towardEarthwitha230cmtelescopeatopnearbyKittPeak."Itwasscary,becausethere

wasthepossibilitythatwewereconfirmingthedemiseofsomecitysomewhere,orsome

stateorsmallcountry”.Well,notquite.Earlylastweek,hiscelestialinterloperwhizzed

byEarth,missingtheplanetby450620km-ahairbreadthinastronomicalterms.

Perhapshalfakilometeracross,itwasthelargestobjecteverobservedtopassthatclose

toEarth.DuncanSteel,anAustralianastronomer,hascalculatedthatiftheasteroidhad

struckEarth,itwouldhavehilalsome93450kni/h.Theresultingexplosion,suienlisls

estimate,wouldhavebeeninthe3000-to-12000-megatonrange.That,saysastronomer

EugeneShoemaker,apioneerasteroidandcomethunter,"isliketakingalloftheU.S.

andSovietnuclearweapons,puttingtheminonepileandblowingthemallup".And

whatifonethemisfoundtobeonacollisioncoursewithEarth?Scientistsatthenational

laboratoriesatLivermore,California,andLosAlamos,NewMexico,havedeviseda

numberofingeniousplansthat,givenenoughwarningtime,couldprotectEarthfroma

threateningNEO.Theirdefensiveweaponsofchoiceincludelong-distancemissileswith

conventionalor,morelikely,nuclearwarheadsthatcouldbeusedeithertonudgean

asteroidintoasafeorbitorblastittosmithereens.Manypeople-includingsome

astronomers—areunderstandablynervousaboutputtingastandbysquadronofnuclear

tippedmissilesinplace.Hencethelateststrategy,whichinsomecaseswouldobviatethe

needfbranucleardefense:propellingafusilladeofcannonball-sizesteelspheresatan

approachingasteroid.Inahigh-velocityencounterwithaspeedingNEO,explains

GregoryCanavan,aseniorscientistatLosAlamos,"thekineticenergyoftheballswould

changeintoheatenergyandblowthethingapart".Someastronomersopposeany

immediatedefensivepreparations,citingthehighcostsandlowoddsotalargeobject's

strikingEarthinthecomingdecades.Butattheveryleast,Shoemakercontends,NEO

detectionshouldbeaccelerated."There'sthisthingcalledthe'gigglefactor*inCongress',,

hesays,"peopleinCongressandalsoatthetoplevelinNASAstilldon'ttakeitseriously.

Butweshouldmoveahead.It'samatterofprudence".Theworld,however,stillseems

largelyunconcernedwiththedangerposedbylargebodieshurtlinginfromspace,despite

thespectacletwoyearsagoofCometShoemaker-Levy9riddlingtheplanetJupiterwith

mammothexplosions.Itremainstobeseenwhetherlastweek'srecordnear-misshas

changedanyminds.

26、Fromthefirstthreeparagraphs,welearnthat.

A、theearthnarrowlyescapedacatastrophe.

oneasteroidalmostdestroyedanentirecity.

C、asteroidsarecomparabletonuclearweapons.

D、theplanetearthisvulnerabletodangers.

标准答案：A'

知识点解析：暂无解析

27、Whenmentioningthe"the3000-to-12000-megatonrange1'(Para.3),thewriteris

talkingabout.

strikingspectacles.

B、conventionalweapons.

C、explosiveimpact.

D、defensivestrategies.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

28、ThedescriptionofCongress's"gigglefactor"(Para.6)showsthewriter's.

A、appreciation.

B、disbelief.

C^excitement.

D、ridicule.

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

29、Accordingtothetext,"nucleartippedmissiles"and"cannonball-sizesteelspheres"

(Para.5).

A^aredifferentinnature.

B、servesimilarfunctions.

C、areidenticaltoeachother.

D、poserealchallenges.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

30、Itseemsthatthewriteris.

A、activetofendoffinvadingasteroids,

largelyunconcernedwiththedanger.

C、interestedinmilitaryinitiatives.

D、enthusiasticaboutspottingasteroids.

标准答案：A'

知识点解析：暂无解析

AMERICA'Scentralbanksentaclearmessagethisweek.Forthesecondconsecutive

meeting,theFederalOpenMarketCommittee,thecentralbank'spolicy-making

committee,leftshort-terminterestratesunchangedat1.75%.Butitsaidthattherisks

facingtheeconomyhadshiftedfromeconomicweaknesstoabalancebetweenweakness

andexcessivegrowth.Thisshiftsurprisednoone.Butithasconvincedmanypeoplethat

interestratesaresettoriseagain—andsoon.Judgingbypricesinfuturesmarkets,

investorsarebettingthatshort-terminterestratescouldstartrisingasearlyasMay,and

willbe1.25percentagepointshigherbytheendoftheyear.Thatmaybeexcessive.

EconomistsatGoldmanSachs,wholongarguedthatthecentralbankwoulddonothing

thisyear,nowexpectshort-termratestogouponly0.75%thisyear,startinginJune.But

virtuallyeveryonereckonssomeFedtighteningisintheoffing.Thereason?Afteran

unprecedented11rate-cutsin2001,short-terminterestratesareabnormallylow.Asthe

signsofrobustrecoverymultiply,analystsexpecttheFedtotakebacksomeoftherate­

cutsitusedasan"insurancepolicy"aftertheSeptember11thterroristattack.Theythink

therewillbeagradualmovefromtheFed'scurrent"accommodative"monetarystanceto

amoreneutralpolicy.Andaneutralpolicy,manyargue,ultimatelyimpliesshort-term

interestratesofaround4%.Logicalenough.Buthigherratescouldstillbefurtheroff,

particularlyiftherecoveryproveslessrobustthanmanyhope.Certainly,recent

economicindicatorshavebeenextraordinarilystrong,unemploymentfellforthesecond

consecutivemonthinFebruaryandindustrialproductionroseinbothJanuaryand

February.Themanufacturingsectorisgrowingafter18monthsofdecline.Themost

optimisticWallStreetersnowexpectGDPtohaveexpandedbybetween5%and6%on

anannualbasisinthefirstquarter.Butonestrongquancrdocsnotimplyasustainable

recovery.Intheshortterm,thebounce-backisbeingdrivenbyadramaticrestockingof

inventories.Butitcanbesustainedonlyifcorporateinvestmentrecoversandconsumer

spendingstaysbuoyant.Withplentyofslackcapacityaroundandmanyfirmsstuckwith

hugedebtsandlousyprofits,itishardtoseewheresurginginvestmentwillcomefrom.

And,despitefallingunemployment,America'sconsumerscoulddisappointthebulls.

Theseuncertaintiesalonesuggestthecentralbankwillbecautiousaboutraisinginterest

rates.Indeed,giventhehugepressureoncorporateprofits,theFederalReservemightbe

happytoseeconsumerpricesriseslightly.Inshort,whileWallStreetfretsaboutwhen

andhowmuchinterestrateswillgoup.Theanswermaywellbenotsoonandnotmuch.

31、Thepurposeoftheauthorinwritingthistextisto.

A、interpretthemessagefromthecentralbank.

justifytheriseofshort-terminterestrates.

C、illustratewhatisweaknessandunduegrowth.

D、contrastdifferentviewsoneconomicindices.

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

32、HowdoeseveryonefeelaboutthemessagegivenbyAmerica'scentralbank?

A^Encouraged.

BNPanicked.

C、Confused.

D、Misguided.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

33、Thephrase"current'accommodative'monetarystance'*(Para.3)denotes.

A^optimal.

B、excessive.

CNlogical.

D^prudent.

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

34、Despitesignsofstrungvcoiiomiurecovery,Amuiiuaiiconipauiesarestillpressedfur

A、tremendousdebts.

B、considerableprofits.

C、soaringinvestment.

D、excessivegrowth.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

35、Whichofthefollowingistrueaccordingtothistext?

A、Short-terminterestratesshouldbeguardedwisely.

B、Unemploymentnolongerconstitutesaproblem.

C、Asustainablerecoverydependsoncorporateprofits.

D、Toomuchcautionmightsuspendeconomicgrowth.

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

Comeon,myfellowwhitefolks,wehavesomethingtoconfess.Outwithit,friends,the

biggestsecretknowntowhitessincetheinventionofpowderedrouge:welfareisawhite

program.Thenumbersgolikethis:61%ofthepopulationreceivingwelfare,listedas

"means-testedcashassistance"bytheCensusBureau,isidentifiedaswhite,whileonly

33%isidentifiedasblack.Thesenumbersnotwithstanding,theRepublicanversionof

"politicalcorrectness"hasgivenus"welfarecheat"asanewtermforAfricanAmerican

sincetheearlydaysofRonaldReagan.Ourconfessionsurelystands:whitefolkshave

beengobblingupthewelfarebudgetwhileblamingsomeoneelse.Butit'sworsethan

that.HwelookatSocialSecurity,whichisanotherformofwelfare,althoughitisoften

mistakenforanindividualinsuranceprogram,thenwhitesaretheoneswhoarecrowding

thetrough.Wereceivealmosttwiceasmuchpercapita,foranaggregateadvantageto

ourraceof$10billionayear-muchmorethanthe$3.9billionadvantageAfrican

Americangainfromtheirdisproportionateshareofwelfare.Onesadreason:whiteslive

anaverageofsixyearslongerthanAfricanAmericans,meaningthatyoungblack

workershelpsubsidizeahugeandgrowing"over-class"ofwhiteretirees.Idonotseeour

confessionbringingmuchrelief.There'sareasonforresentment,thoughithasmoreto

dowithclassthanwithrace.Whitepeoplearepoortoo,andinnumbersfarexceeding

anyofourmoregenerouslypigmentedsocialgroups.Andpovertyasdefinedbythe

governmentisavastunderestimationoftheeconomicterrorthatpersistsatincomes一

suchas$20,000oreven$40,000andabove—thatweliketothinkofasmiddleclass.The

problemisnotthatwelfareistoogeneroustoblacksbutthatsocialwelfareingeneralis

toostingytoallconcerned.Naturally,whitesintheswelling"nearpoor"categoryresent

thenotionofwholeracessupposedlyfrolickingattheirexpense.Whites,nearpoorand

middleclass,needhelptoo-asdothemanyAfricanAmericans.Sowewhitefolkshave

achoice.Wecankeeppretendingthatwelfareisblackprogramandaschemefor

transferringourearningsiothepocketsofshiftless,dark-skinnedpeople.Orwecanclear

ourthroats,blushprettilyandadmitthatwearehurtingtoo-forcashassistancewhen

we'redownandout,forhealthinsurance,forcollegeaidandalltherest.Racial

scapegoatinghasitscharms,Twilladmit:thesurgeofrighteousanger,eventhefun——for

thoseinclined-ofwearingsheetsandburningcrosses.Buttherearebetter,nobler

sourcesofwhitepride,itseemstome.Rememberthis:onlywecantruly,deeplyblush.

36、WhitefolksinU.S.areatagreateradvantageinthat.

A、theyobtainmorebenefitsfromwelfare.

B、theyshowcontemptforAfricanAmericans.

C^theyblametheblacksforwelfaretheft.

D、theyhaveachoicetotheirbestinterests.

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

37、Itcaninferredfromthe2ndparagraphthat.

A、blackworkersaregenerousunlesswronglyaccused.

B、whiteshavealongerlifeexpectancythanblacks.

C、blackpeoplemaycontributemuchtowelfarebudgets.

D、whitesreceivelessfinancialaidthanblacks.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

38^Theexpression"racialscapegoating"(Para.4)bestdenotes.

angeratthemercyoflaws.

B、anaidintermsofprejudice.

C、reliefforthesakeofclasses.

D^avictiminthenameofraces.

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

39、TheauthorismostcriticaloftheWhites,.

A、confession.

B、hypocrisy.

C>arrogance.

D、hysteria.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

40、Thefunctionofthelastparagraphis.

A、toreversethepreviouslyexpressedthoughts.

B、toadvancethefinalargument.

CNtoheappraisesupon(heprideofthewhites.

D、toechothethesisstatement.

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

三、阅读(补全短文)(本题共5题，每题7.0分，共

5分。)

YouaregoingtoreadatextaboutGold-MedalWorkouts,followedbyalistofexamples.

ChoosethebestexamplefromthelistA—Fforeachnumberedsubheading(41-45).

Thereisoneextraexamplewhichyoudonotneedtouse.Drawingonbiomechanicsand

othersportsscience,Olympichopefulstargetjusttherightmusclesandmoves.

Olympiansofyesteryearsharedthesamegoal,buttheywouldhardlyrecognizetoday's

trainingtechniques.ToachievetoOlympianidealof"faster,higher,stronger,'*coaches

nowrealize,athletesdon'thavetotrainmorebuttheydohavetotrainsmarter.That's

why,thesedays,cross-country(Nordic)skierskneelonskateboardsandtugonpulleysto

haulthemselvesuparamp.Byanalyzingeverymotionthatgoesintoaskijumporaluge

run,thescienceofbiomechanicsbreaksdowneventsintotheircomponentpartsand

determineswhichmovementsofwhichmusclesarcthekeytoasuperlativeperformance.

Knowingthatiscrucialfbrasimplehut,tomanycoachesandtrainers,unexpected

reason:itturnsoutthatalthoughtrainingforgeneralconditioningimprovesfitness,the

bestwaytoboostperformanceisbyworkingthemusclesandpracticingthemovesthat

willbeusedincompetition.It'scalledsport-specifictraining.(41)Waystoworktheright

musclesandtraintherightpatternsofmovement.Spon-specifictrainingdoesn'thaveto

meanrunningtheactualcourseorperformingtheexactevent.Thereareotherwaysto

worktherightmusclesandtraintherightpatternofmovement.DoingsitupsonaSwiss

ball,forinstance,developstorsocontrolaswellasstrength.TheFinnishice-hockeyteam

recentlyaddedacrobaticstoitstrainingregimebecauseithelpsplayerstobalanceonthe

icc,saysheadcoachRaimoSummanen.Performance-enhancingstrategics.Theadvances

inphysiologythathaverevolutionizedtrainingaregivingsportsscientistsabetterunder­

standingofhowtoimprovestrength,power,speedandbothaerobicandanaerobic

fitness:(42)Trainingthestart-up.Speedispartlygenetic.Astarsprinterisprobablyborn

withapreponderanceoffasttwitchmusclefibers,whichfirerepeatedlywithonly

microsecondrestsinbetween.Speedtrainingthereforeaimstorecruitmorefast-twitch

fibersandincreasethespeedofnervesignalsthatcommandmusclestomove.(43)

Strengthreflectsthepercentageofmusclefibersthebodycanrecruitforagiven

movement."Someonewithpurestrengthcanrecruit90percentofthesefibers,while

someoneelserecruitsonly50percent",saystheUSOCsDavis.(44)Developing

anaerobicfitness.Anaerobicfitnesskeepsthemusclesmovingevenwhentheheartcan't

provideenoughoxygen.Topostponethepointwhenacidbeginstoaccumulate,orat

leasttrainthebodytotolerateit,JimWalkerhasthespeedskatersheworkswithpush

themselvesbeyondwhattheyneedtodoincompetition.Powerisstrengthwithspeed.

"Oneofthebiggestchangesinstrengthtrainingisthatwe'regettingawayfrompure

strengthandemphasizingpower,orexplosivestrength,"saysUSOCstrength-and-

conditioningcoordinatorKevinEbel.(45)Difficultiesunderway.Itsstilldifficultto

persuadecoachestoletsportsscientistsmesswiththeirathletes.Toovercomesuch

resistance,theUSOCsPeterDavishassetup"performance-enhancingteams"where

coachesandscientistsputtheirheadstogetherandapplythebestsciencetotraining.

ComeFebruary,theworldwillseehowsciencefaredinitsattempttomoldathletic

excellence.A.ZachLundracesskeleton(ahead-first,belly-downsledrace),inwhichthe

startiscrucial.Hehastosprintinabent-overposition(pushinghissledalongthetrack),

thenhopinwithoutslowingthesled."Youhavetogofromahardsprinttobeingreally

calminordertogodownthetrackwell/'saysLund.Toimprovehisspeedhedoesleg

presseswhilelyingonhisback,orlegcurlsonhisstomach(bringinghisfoottohis

backside).B.Despitethefindingthatdraftingreducesthedemandontheheartofaspeed

skaterandgenerallyimprovesperformance,forinstance,mostskatersstillprefertogo

outfastandfirst.C.Sprinterswhoskate500metersintheOlympics,forinstance,power

throughmultiple300meters,anddoitfasterthantheyskatethe500.Byraisingthe

anaerobicthreshold,thetraininggivesskatersabettershotatexplodingwithasprintat

thefinish.D.Luge,fbrinstance,requiresprecisecontrolofinfinitesimalmuscle

movements:"Overcorrectonaturn,"saysdriverMarkGrimmette,*'andyou'redead".To

achievethatprecisecontrol,heandhisdoublespartner,BrianMartin,devoteagood

chunkoftheirtrainingtimetoexercisesonthosesquishyrubberspherescalledSwiss

balls.E.AerobicfitnessishockeystarCammiGranatosgoaloneautumnmorningasshe

pedalsastationarybikewithsweatyfuryattheUSOCtrainingcenterinLakePlacid,

NewYork.WhenGranatofinallystaggersoffthebikeandcrumplesontothepadded

platform,shc*shadatougherworkoutthaninanyhockeyperiod-whichisexactlythe

point.F.Thethigh'squadiiceps,forinstance,consistofmillionsoffibersorganizedinto

whatarecalledmotorunits.Whenaspeedskaterpushesofftheice,herecruitsacertain

percentageofthemtofire;theothersarerelaxingandsodonotcontributetothe

movement.

41YouarcgoingtoreadatextaboutGold-MedalWorkouts,followedbyalistof

examples.ChoosethebestexamplefromthelistA-Fforeachnumberedsubheading

(41—45).Thereisoneextraexamplewhichyoudonotneedtouse.Drawingon

biomechanicsandothersportsscience,Olympichopefulstargetjusttherightmuscles

andmoves.Olympiansofyesteryearsharedthesamegoal,buttheywouldhardly

recognizetoday'strainingtechniques.ToachievetoOlympianidealof"faster,higher,

stronger,"coachesnowrealize,athletesdon'thavetotrainmorebuttheydohavetotrain

smarter.That'swhy,thesedays,cross-country(Nordic)skierskneelonskateboardsand

tugonpulleystohaulthemselvesuparamp.Byanalyzingeverymotionthatgoesintoa

skijumporalugerun,thescienceofbiomechanicsbreaksdowneventsintotheir

componentpartsanddetermineswhichmovementsofwhichmusclesarethekeytoa

superlativeperformance.Knowingthatiscrucialforasimplehut,tomanycoachesand

trainers,unexpectedreason:itturnsoutthatalthoughtrainingforgeneralconditioning

improvesfitness,the