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1、1998 Passage 1 Few creations of big technology capture the imagination like giant dams. Perhaps it is humankinds long suffering at the mercy of flood and drought that makes the ideal of forcing the waters to do our bidding so fascinating. But to be fascinated is also, sometimes, to be blind. Several
2、 giant dam projects threaten to do more harm than good.The lesson from dams is that big is not always beautiful. It doesnt help that building a big, powerful dam has become a symbol of achievement for nations and people striving to assert themselves. Egypts leadership in the Arab world was cemented
3、by the Aswan High Dam. Turkeys bid for First World status includes the giant Ataturk Dam.But big dams tend not to work as intended. The Aswan Dam, for example, stopped the Nile flooding but deprived Egypt of the fertile silt that floods left all in return for a giant reservoir of disease which is no
4、w so full of silt that it barely generates electricity.And yet, the myth of controlling the waters persists. This week, in the heart of civilized Europe, Slovaks and Hungarians stopped just short of sending in the troops in their contention over a dam on the Danube. The huge complex will probably ha
5、ve all the usual problems of big dams. But Slovakia is bidding for independence from the Czechs, and now needs a dam to prove itself.Meanwhile, in India, the World Bank has given the go-ahead to the even more wrong-headed Narmada Dam. And the bank has done this even though its advisors say the dam w
6、ill cause hardship for the powerless and environmental destruction. The benefits are for the powerful, but they are far from guaranteed.Proper, scientific study of the impacts of dams and of the cost and benefits of controlling water can help to resolve these conflicts. Hydroelectric power and flood
7、 control and irrigation are possible without building monster dams. But when you are dealing with myths, it is hard to be either proper, or scientific. It is time that the world learned the lessons of Aswan. You dont need a dam to be saved.51. The third sentence of paragraph 1 implies that _.A peopl
8、e would be happy if they shut their eyes to realityB the blind could be happier than the sightedC over-excited people tend to neglect vital thingsD fascination makes people lose their eyesight52. In paragraph 5, “the powerless“ probably refers to _.A areas short of electricityB dams without power st
9、ationsC poor countries around IndiaD common people in the Narmada Dam area53. What is the myth concerning giant dams?A They bring in more fertile soil.B They help defend the country.C They strengthen international ties.D They have universal control of the waters.54. What the author tries to suggest
10、may best be interpreted as _.A “Its no use crying over spilt milk“B “More haste, less speed“C “Look before you leap“D “He who laughs last laughs best“51. C 意为：过于兴奋的人容易忽视极为重要的事情。第一段指出，在重大技术所创造的东西中，很少有比大坝更能体现人的幻想的。也许是因为人类长期遭受洪涝和干旱的袭击，使人类（通过筑坝）制服洪水的愿望显得更加令人兴奋不已（该句是一个强调句，基本句型是：it is. that makes. so fasc
11、inating） 。这两句谈的是人们的愿望；本段第三、四句话锋一转，指出愿望与现实往往相反，所以，第三句应该在第一、二句意思的基础上理解。第三句可理解为：但是，兴奋有时候也表现为盲目。而第三句的意思又被第四句进一步阐释为：有些大坝工程为害多于为善(do more harm than good)。盲目建设大坝的危害在第三、五段都举了具体例子加以说明。A 意为：人们如果无视现实就会感到高兴。B 意为：盲人比有眼睛的人更幸福。D 怠为：兴奋使人双目失明。52. D 意为：讷尔默达河大坝周围的平民百姓。讷尔默达河位于印度。根据第五段，建设讷尔默达河大坝(Narmada Dam)本来就是一个错误(wro
12、ng-headed)，但是，世界银行还是向印度贷款，支持大坝建设。银行的顾问指出，大坝将给平民百姓带来苦难，给环境带来破坏，但是，银行方面却一意孤行。大坝的建设也许会给掌权有势的人带来益处。但是，即使这一点也根本没有保障（即：很难保障大坝会给有权势者带来利益） 。该句中的 the powerless（平民百姓）在意思上应该对应于上一句的 the powerful（有权势者） 。A 意为：缺电力的地区。B 意为：没建电站的大坝。C 意为：印度周边的穷国。定冠词 the 置于形容词之前经常指一类人，如：the poor 穷人，the rich 富人，the miserable受苦难的人，the y
13、oung 年轻人，等等。53. D 意为：它们普遍能控制住洪水。第一段第一、二句指出，人们幻想大坝来达到控制洪水的目的，但有时意识不到大坝会带来意想不到的后果。第三段也指出，大坝有时有违其建设目的，埃及的阿斯旺高坝(Aswan High Dam)就是一个例子。大坝起到了制服尼罗河洪水泛滥的作用，但也不再有洪水过后留下的肥沃的冲积土壤；换来的只是(all in return for)一个硕大的病态水库，水库被淤泥填满，几乎无法发电。第四段指出，尽管如此，制服洪水的神话还在继续传送。这句话的意思是：人们仍然一味地幻想着通过建坝来控制水：其含义是，尽管大坝的建设有时弊多于利，会给人类带来意想不到的后
14、果，但是，人们建坝的热情还是很高，本段下文提到了斯洛伐克和匈牙利拟在多瑙河上建坝的事。最后一段第二句指出，其实，水力发电也好，治水也好，灌溉也好，未必都只有通过建坝进行。A 意为：它们带来更肥沃的土地。B 意为：它们有助于国防。第二段第二句指出，有些人把建设硕大的大坝看作是国家成就的象征，是一个民族独立(assert themselves)的体现，这其实是一种幻想(It doesnt help that.)；第四段第二、三、四句指出，本周，在文明的欧洲中心，为了多瑙河上的建坝事宜，斯洛伐克人和匈牙利人几乎就要派驻军队了，该大坝也可能产生其他大坝存在的所有问题，但是，斯洛伐克正在闹独立(is b
15、idding for independence)，想脱离捷克，它想通过大坝来证明自己的能力和独立性(prove itself)。可见，人们想通过大坝证明自己的国力和独立性，并非将大坝用于国防。C 意为；它们增强国际联系。54. C 意为：“三思而后行。 ”该题实际上提问的是作者的观点：作者想通过本文说明什么道理。文章指出，人们对大坝的建设存在很多幻想，所以经常事与愿违。在最后一段最后两句，作者指出，该是我们认真吸取阿斯旺大坝的教训的时候了。言外之意，不要再存在理想化心理，我们应该变得更加理智一点，因为，我们未必非要通过大坝来拯救自己(You dont need a dam to be save
16、d.)，这一句回溯该段第二句：其实，水力发电也好，治水也好，灌溉也好，未必都只有通过建坝实现。言外之意，应该消除对大坝的迷恋，多动脑筋，积极寻求更好的措施解决我们的问题。A 意为：“覆水难收。 ”比喻后悔是没有用的。B 意为：“欲速则不达。 ”D 意为：“笑到最后才算笑得最好。 ”比喻受到挫折时不要轻易放弃，应该坚持。全文全文翻翻译译：在重大技术所创造的东西中很少能像大型水坝这样让人痴迷的。可能正是因为人类长期遭受旱涝灾害的摆布才使得人们治理江河、供我驱策的理想如此令人痴迷。但让人着迷有时也就使人盲目。有几个巨型大坝项目就有弊大于利的危险。建造大坝的教训是：大的未必总是美的。但这个教训也无法阻止修建高大雄伟的大坝已成为那些力争得到自我肯定的国家和人民的伟大成就的象征。埃及由于建造了阿斯旺大坝而巩固了在阿拉伯世界的领导地位。土耳其在力图跻身第一世界的努力中也包括修建阿塔特克大坝。但大坝不会像预期的那样产生效果。以阿斯旺大坝为例，它阻止
