考研英語閱讀理解精讀100篇【經(jīng)濟(jì)類】

07年考研英語閱讀理解精讀100篇unit14

Unit 14
 

The train was running late, but the 35 aboriginal children who had travelled for two hours

through the South Australian desert to meet it did not seem to mind. It was, after all,

Australia’s and one of the world’s most unusual train journeys. When the Indian Pacific

passenger train finally ground to a halt at Watson, a siding on Australia’s transcontinental

line, the children burst into a rendition of a Spanish Christmas song, "Feliz Navidad", as

Father Christmas disembarked to distribute gifts.

Watson is a red desert moonscape on the Nullarbor Plain at the eastern end of the world’s

longest stretch of straight rail track, 478km (297 miles). This is a mere one-tenth of the

4,352km, three-day journey the train was making between Sydney on Australia’s east coast and

Perth on the west coast. The Indian Pacific and its predecessors, such as the Tea and Sugar

Train that took provisions to isolated outback communities, were once symbols of Australia’s

conquest of its vast distances. But by the 1990s, air travel and the neglect of Australia’s

railways by their federal and state-government owners almost killed the last east-west

passenger train.

After threatening to close the loss-making Indian Pacific, the federal government in Canberra

sold it and the Ghan, another outback passenger train, to Great Southern Railway (GSR), a

British-owned private consortium, in 1997. GSR has now turned a first-year loss of A$20m

($15m) into a small operating profit by restoring rolling stock, hiring young, multi-skilled,

non-unionised crews and re-marketing the trains to locals and tourists alike. One innovation

was to send the Indian Pacific on a whistle-stop Christmas run taking gifts and music to the

outback. This year’s journey, the fifth, with impromptu concerts at remote sidings by Jimmy

Barnes, an Australian rock star, drew the biggest crowds so far. Broken Hill, a town in

western New South Wales struggling since its big silver, lead and zinc mine started winding

down, now relies on the Indian Pacific’s tourist passengers for economic lifeblood.

The Ghan’s revival on the north-south transcontinental line has been even more remarkable.

The 65,000-plus passengers it carried through the Northern Territory in 2004 were 60% more

than in the previous year. Public interest grew after the opening of a new line between Alice

Springs and Darwin, allowing people to make the two-day journey from Adelaide by rail for the

first time. GSR plans to double the Ghan’s frequency in 2005.

The railway revival still has inefficiencies to overcome. The Indian Pacific competes for

space on the single track with trains that carry 80% of the freight between Australia’s east

and west coasts. Though most of the line is straight and flat, speed limitations mean this is

not a journey for anyone in a hurry.

注（1）：本文選自Economist; 12/18/2004, p54-54, 2/5p；

注（2）：本文習(xí)題命題模仿對(duì)象2004年真題Text 1；

1.       What was the Indian Pacific like before its selling to GSR?

[A]It always posed a threat to the federal government.

[B]It was mainly used for carrying cargos.

[C]It almost broke down and collapsed.

[D]It helped Australia conquer its vast land.

2.       Which of the following is not true about “the Indian Pacific”?

[A]It was not popular with passengers with its low speed.

[B]It used to be a symbol of Australia’s conquest of its vast distance.

[C]It almost disappeared because of the air travel and the neglect of Australia’s railway.

[D]Many ways have been adopted to revive it.

3.       The main idea of paragraph 3 and paragraph 4 is that __________.

[A]what is the use of reviving the railway

[B]what effect the revival of the railway has brought about

[C]how to deal with the difficulties in the development of railway

[D]how the measures are adopted to revive the collapsing railways

4.       What benefit can the revival of the railway bring to some remote and rural area?

[A]It can bring happiness to the children there.

[B]It can help develop the economy.

[C]It can lessen the burden of the government.

[D]It can bring a lot of job opportunities.

5.       What difficulty is the Indian Pacific facing today?

[A]The train goes so slowly that many people will not take it.

[B] The frequency of using the single track line is low.

[C] The space for developing the Indian Pacific is not large enough.

[D]Carrying passengers is less profitable than carrying the freight.

答案：CADBC

篇章剖析

本文介紹了澳大利亞一些通往內(nèi)地的乘客列車由于某些原因幾乎陷入關(guān)閉的境地，現(xiàn)在澳大利亞正在掀起復(fù)

興鐵路的熱潮。第一段介紹了世界上最不尋常的一次火車旅行；第二段指出曾一度是澳大利亞征服這片遼闊

疆域的標(biāo)志的列車它們現(xiàn)在的境遇；第三段和第四段指出復(fù)興這些鐵路所采取的措施；第五段指出這些列車

所面臨的一些問題。

詞匯注釋

clatter vi, vt. 發(fā)出得得、卡嗒、丁當(dāng)、嘩啦啦、格格等響聲；嘁嘁喳喳講話；(車輪轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)時(shí))發(fā)出急促的

敲擊聲

moonscape  n. 月的表面(景色)；月面似的荒涼景色

grind vi. 磨, 碾, 研; 磨碎[光、快]；磨擦得嘎嘎響；刻苦用功

siding [5saidiN] n. (=sidetrack)(鐵路)旁軌, 岔道, 側(cè)線

transcontinental adj. 橫貫大陸的, 大陸那邊的, <主加拿大>橫穿大路的列車(或鐵路)

rendition [ren5dIF(E)n] n.表演, 演唱, 翻譯

Nullarbor [`nQlEbR:(r)] Plain 納勒博平原[澳大利亞西南部](火箭制造基地和試驗(yàn)場)

Perth 珀斯(也譯佩思)(澳大利亞西南一城市)

predecessor [5pri:dIsesE(r); (?@) 5predEsesEr] n.前輩, 前任, (被取代的)原有事物

provision [prE5vIV(E)n] n.供應(yīng), (一批)供應(yīng)品，補(bǔ)給物；預(yù)備, 防備, 規(guī)定

outback [5aJtbAk] n.內(nèi)地, (指澳大利亞等偏僻而人口稀少的地方)

neglect n. (常與of連用)疏忽；忽略；被忽略的狀況；被忽略的事實(shí)

the Indian Pacific, the Ghan and the Overlander, The Great Southern Railway均為澳大利亞鐵路線

的名稱，分別是“印度太平洋”、“甘”、“陸地旅行” 和“大南方鐵路” 等線路。

distance n. 寬闊的區(qū)域，一片沒有指定界限的空間

rolling stock n. 機(jī)車車輛(鐵路或汽車運(yùn)輸公司的)車輛(總稱)，全部車輛

whistle-stop n. (AmE.) (鐵路沿線的)小鎮(zhèn)；(競選演說旅途中的)游說；短暫停留(露面或發(fā)表簡短演說)

run  n. 短期旅行或訪問；為公共職位而進(jìn)行的競選

wind [waInd] down 松開(發(fā)條) 使放松下來；把(汽車玻璃)搖下；失去勢(shì)頭; 減速; 松勁，漸減能量、強(qiáng)

度或范圍上漸漸減少

lifeblood  n.生命必須的血液, 活力的源泉，命脈，生命線

難句突破

1．When the Indian Pacific passenger train finally ground to a halt at Watson, a siding on

Australia’s transcontinental line, the children burst into a rendition of a Spanish Christmas

song, "Feliz Navidad", as Father Christmas disembarked to distribute gifts.

主體句式：the children burst into a rendition of a Spanish Christmas song …

結(jié)構(gòu)分析：“when”引導(dǎo)時(shí)間狀語從句，其中“grind to a halt”的意思是“慢慢停 了下來”，“a

siding on Australia’s transcontinental line”是“Watson”的同位語；主句中詞組“burst into”的

意思是“ 突然出現(xiàn)”，“Feliz Navidad”是“a Spanish Christmas song”的同位語，“as”引導(dǎo)時(shí)間狀

語從句。

句子譯文：當(dāng)這列印第安大西洋旅客列車終于在沃森車站——澳大利亞橫穿大路鐵路的側(cè)線——嘎的一聲停

下來時(shí)，圣誕老人下車開始分發(fā)禮物，此時(shí)，這些孩子開始?xì)g快地唱起了一首西班牙圣誕節(jié)歌曲——《白色

圣誕節(jié)》。

2．GSR has now turned a first-year loss of A$20m ($15m) into a small operating profit by

restoring rolling stock, hiring young, multi-skilled, non-unionised crews and re-marketing the

trains to locals and tourists alike.

主體句式：GSR has now turned a first-year loss of A$20m ($15m) into a small operating profit…

結(jié)構(gòu)分析：本句是一個(gè)簡單句，關(guān)鍵是理解介詞“by”之后所跟單詞的含義。

句子譯文：“大南方鐵路”采取了一系列整頓措施，包括修復(fù)機(jī)車車輛、雇傭年輕、具備多種技能、未參加

工會(huì)的乘務(wù)人員、向當(dāng)?shù)鼐用窈吐糜握咧匦逻M(jìn)行市場宣傳等。通過這些措施，它不僅初步扭轉(zhuǎn)了虧損局面，

填補(bǔ)了高達(dá)2千萬澳元(1.5千萬美元)的第一年虧損額，還獲得少量營業(yè)利潤。

題目分析

1.答案為C，屬事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。原文對(duì)應(yīng)信息是“But by the 1990s, air travel and the neglect of

Australia’s railways by their federal and state-government owners almost killed the last

east-west passenger train.”

2.答案為A，屬事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。原文對(duì)應(yīng)信息是“speed limitations mean this is not a journey for

anyone in a hurry.”。列車實(shí)行的限速意味著這條線路對(duì)于有緊急公務(wù)在身的乘客并不適合，并不是針對(duì)

所有乘客。

3.答案為D ，屬主旨大意題。第三段和第四段主要指出為復(fù)興這些鐵路所做出的努力和嘗試。

4.答案為B，屬事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。從句子“The Indian Pacific and its predecessors, such as the Tea and

Sugar Train that took provisions to isolated outback communities, were once symbols of

Australia’s conquest of its vast distances.”我們可看出這些火車都是開往偏遠(yuǎn)的內(nèi)地社區(qū)的。句子

“Broken Hill, a town in western New South Wales struggling since its big silver, lead and

zinc mine started winding down, now relies on the Indian Pacific’s tourist passengers for

economic lifeblood.”告訴我們布羅肯希爾這個(gè)偏遠(yuǎn)地區(qū)的小鎮(zhèn)現(xiàn)在正借“印第安號(hào)”旅行乘客的東風(fēng)大

力發(fā)展經(jīng)濟(jì)命脈。

5.答案為C，屬事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。原文對(duì)應(yīng)信息是：“The Indian Pacific competes for space on the single

track with trains that carry 80% of the freight between Australia’s east and west coasts.”。

參考譯文

火車在晚點(diǎn)運(yùn)行, 但坐了二個(gè)小時(shí)火車穿越南澳大利亞沙漠的35個(gè)土著居民的孩子似乎對(duì)此毫不介意。這畢

竟是澳大利亞也是世界上最不尋常的一次火車旅行。當(dāng)這列印第安大西洋旅客列車終于在沃森車站——澳大

利亞橫穿大路鐵路的側(cè)線——嘎的一聲停下來時(shí)，圣誕老人下車開始分發(fā)禮物，此時(shí)，這些孩子開始?xì)g快地

唱起了一首西班牙圣誕節(jié)歌曲——《白色圣誕節(jié)》。

沃森火車站是納勒博平原上一個(gè)荒涼的紅色沙漠景點(diǎn)，位于世界上最長的直線鐵路(478km 或297英里)東線

的末端。這僅僅是從澳大利亞東部海岸的悉尼到西部海岸珀斯長達(dá)4,352公里的三天旅程的十分之一。“印

第安大西洋”和它以前的列車，如曾經(jīng)向與世隔絕的內(nèi)地社區(qū)運(yùn)送供應(yīng)物資的“茶糖列車”, 曾一度是澳大

利亞征服這片遼闊疆域的標(biāo)志，但在上個(gè)世紀(jì)90年代以前, 航空旅行以及包括聯(lián)邦政府和州政府在內(nèi)的鐵路

所有者對(duì)澳大利亞鐵路的忽視幾乎扼殺了這條最后的橫貫東西的旅客列車線路。

在堪培拉聯(lián)邦政府揚(yáng)言要關(guān)閉長期虧損的印第安大西洋鐵路線之后，它于1997 年把印第安大西洋線路和另

一條澳洲內(nèi)地旅客列車線路——甘鐵路——賣給了一家英國人擁有的私有財(cái)團(tuán)——“大南方鐵路(GSR)”。

“大南方鐵路”采取了一系列整頓措施，包括修復(fù)機(jī)車車輛、雇傭年輕、具備多種技能、未參加工會(huì)的乘務(wù)

人員、向當(dāng)?shù)鼐用窈吐糜握咧匦逻M(jìn)行市場宣傳等。通過這些措施，它不僅初步扭轉(zhuǎn)了虧損局面，填補(bǔ)了高達(dá)

2千萬澳元(1.5千萬美元)的第一年虧損額，還獲得少量營業(yè)利潤。其中一項(xiàng)創(chuàng)舉是安排“印第安大西洋號(hào)”

列車沿著鐵路線做圣誕節(jié)短期宣傳訪問，把圣誕禮物和音樂帶給澳大利亞偏僻的內(nèi)地。今年的圣誕之行是這

一創(chuàng)舉的第五次出行，它帶給遙遠(yuǎn)鐵路側(cè)線各地居民的是澳大利亞搖滾明星吉米•巴尼斯出演的即興音樂會(huì)

。這次宣傳訪問吸引了成千上萬的觀眾，觀眾人數(shù)是迄今為止最多的。布羅肯希爾是新南威爾士西部的一個(gè)

小鎮(zhèn)。自從當(dāng)?shù)氐拇笮豌y礦、鉛礦和鋅礦開采的勢(shì)頭開始下降以來，這個(gè)小鎮(zhèn)一直在苦苦掙扎尋找發(fā)展出路

�，F(xiàn)在，它正借“印第安號(hào)”旅行乘客的東風(fēng)大力發(fā)展經(jīng)濟(jì)命脈。

甘線鐵路是南北橫貫大陸鐵路線上的一條側(cè)線，它的復(fù)興更顯得非同尋常，引人矚目。2004年，它在北領(lǐng)地

承載的旅客量達(dá)到65,000多人，比上一年增加60%。自從在麗斯斯普林斯和達(dá)爾文之間新建了一條鐵路線后

，人們第一次可以從阿德萊德坐火車進(jìn)行兩日游，這使公眾出游的興趣大增。2005年，“大南方鐵路”計(jì)劃

將乘坐甘線列車的乘客人次增加一倍。

復(fù)興鐵路仍有許多效率低下的情況需要克服。印第安大西洋鐵路為唯一一條鐵路線上的空間進(jìn)行競爭。這條

線路上的列車運(yùn)載澳大利亞東部和西部沿海之間地區(qū)的80%貨物。盡管這條線路的大部分路段筆直平坦, 但

這條線路上對(duì)列車實(shí)行的限速則意味著這條線路并不適合于緊急公務(wù)在身的乘客。

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