考研真题

☆真题原文☆
In spite of "endless talk of difference," American society is an amazing machine for homogenizing people. There is "the democratizing uniformity of dress and discourse, and the casualness and absence of deference" characteristic of popular culture. People are absorbed into "a culture of consumption"launched by the 19th-century department stores that offered "vast arrays of goods in an elegant atmosphere. Instead of intimate shops catering to a knowledgeable elite"these were stores "anyone could enter, regardless of class or background. This turned shopping into a public and democratic act." The mass media, advertising and sports are other forces for homogenization.
Immigrants are quickly fitting into this common culture, which may not be altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous. Writing for the National Immigration Forum, Gregory Rodriguez reports that today's immigration is neither at unprecedented levels nor resistant to assimilation. In 1998 immigrants were 9.8 percent of the population; in 1900, 13.6 percent. In the 10 years prior to 1990, 3.1 immigrants arrived for every 1,000 residents; in the 10 years prior to 1890, 9.2 for every 1,000. Now, consider three indices of assimilation -language, home ownership and intermarriage.
The 1990 Census revealed that "a majority of immigrants from each of the fifteen most common countries of origin spoke English 'well' or 'very well' after ten years of residence." The children of immigrants tend to be bilingual and proficient in English." By the third generation, the original language is lost in the majority of immigrant families." Hence the description of America as a "graveyard" for languages. By 1996 foreign-born immigrants who had arrived before 1970 had a home ownership rate of 75.6 percent, higher than the 69.8 percent rate among native-born Americans.
Foreign-born Asians and Hispanics "have higher rates of intermarriage than do U.S.-born whites and blacks." By the third generation, one third of Hispanic women are married to non-Hispanics, and 41 percent of Asian-American women are married to non-Asians. Rodriguez notes that children in remote villages around the world are fans of superstars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks, yet "some Americans fear that immigrants living within the United States remain somehow immune to the nation's assimilative power."
Are there divisive issues and pockets of seething anger in America? Indeed. It is big enough to have a bit of everything. But particularly when viewed against America's turbulent past, today's social indices hardly suggest a dark and deteriorating social environment.
☆单词讲解☆
homogenize [həˈmɔdʒənaiz] vi.均质化vt.使均匀
[例] homogenized milk 均质牛奶
democratize [diˈmɔkrətaiz] v.(使)民主化
[例] to democratize the feudal society 使封建社会民主化
uniformity [ˈju:niˈfɔ:miti] n. 同样, 一式, 一致, 均匀
[例] uniformity of product 产品的统一性; 品质一律不变
论文 ,论述 ;讲稿.说教２ ,【宗】讲道;演说 ,讲话.１ discourse [ˈdiskɔ:s] 推理能力 ;会谈 ,3.会话
vi.讲演, 论述(on, upon, of)
[例] hold discourse with sb. 与某人谈话
deference [ˈdefərəns] /n 尊重；顺从
[例] He shows great deference to his senior. 他对自己的长辈非常尊敬。

[固定搭配] in deference to 遵从, 听从; 考虑到, 鉴于；out of deference to 遵从, 听从; 考虑到, 鉴于；
pay deference to 对...表示敬意；show deference to 对...表示敬意
launch n.下水, 汽艇, 发射, 发行, 投放市场vt.使(船)下水, 掷(标枪等), 发射(导弹、火箭等), 开办, 发动, 发起vi.起飞, 下水, 投入, 开始
[例] launch a mass production movement 开展群众性生产运动
array [əˈrei] n.排列, 编队, 军队, 衣服, 大批vt.部署, 穿着, 排列
[例] an array of heavily armed troops 大批全副武装的部队
[固定搭配] an array of 一排; 一群; 一批; be in fine array 盛装; in full battle array 严阵以待; in holiday array 穿着节日盛装的;in proud array 堂堂正正
intimate adj.亲密的, 隐私的vt.宣布, 明白表示n.熟友
[例] an intimate diary 私人日记
cater [ˈkeitə] vi. （与for 连用）替（某人）办酒席;为（宴会）提供酒菜;（与to 连用）迎合；投合
[例]a restaurant catering only to the Muslims 专供穆斯林就餐的饭店, 清真馆子
[同义] provide, serve
elite /n.<法>[集合名词]精华, 精锐, 中坚分子
[例] In addition to notions of social equality there was much emphasis on the role of elites and of heroes within them.
除了社会平等概念之外还强调其中精英们和英雄们所起的作用。

elevate vt.举起, 提拔, 振奋, 提升...的职位
[例] an elevating book 能激励人心的书
unprecedented adj.空前的
[例] an unprecedented success 空前的成功
assimilation [ə'simi'leiʃən] n.同化, 同化作用, 消化
[例] assimilation of different nations 不同民族的同化
index pl. indexes; or indices. n.索引, [数学]指数, 指标, (刻度盘上)指针
intermarriage n.联姻, 异族结婚, 近亲结婚
[例] The intermarriage becomes a common phenomenon in America today.
在美国的今天异族通婚是很普遍的现象。

proficient adj.熟练的, 精通的(at, in)
[例] A proficient surgeon is the product of lengthy training and experience.
技术纯熟的外科医生是长期训练和实践经验的产物。

ownership n.所有权, 物主身份
[例] equity ownership 业主权益[产权]
Hispanics /adj.西班牙的n.讲西班牙语的人
immune / [iˈmju:n] adj. 1.（常against, from, to 与连用）免疫的；免受（伤害）的2.（常与from,to 连用）被豁免的
[例] immune from taxation; immune from criminal prosecution.免于纳税；免于刑事诉讼
[同义] clear exempt free resistant
divisive adj.区分的, 不和的, 分裂的
[例] That politician is a divisive influence at meetings. 那位政客在会议上总是起着分裂的作用。

seething [si:ð] adj. 1.火热的, 沸腾的2.川流不息的, 激昂的
[例] a seething revolutionary struggle 火热的革命斗争
turbulent [ˈtə:bjulənt] adj.汹涌的; 狂暴的; [骚]乱的; 强横的;好骚动的
[例] a turbulent period in history. 历史上的动荡时期
deteriorate [diˈtvt., vi.1.使恶化, 弄坏2.败坏(风俗); 使变坏(品质等)3.退化; iəriəreit] 堕落[例]The nation's highways are deteriorating at a rapid pace.这个国家的高速公路正在迅速衰退n.变坏, 退化,/ νEΦιερ5EιρEιτ7ιδ[派生] deterioration / 堕落
☆参考译文☆(仅供参考，不一定完全准确)
尽管人们不停地在谈论差异，美国社会却是融合人们的机器。

这里有一样的衣着谈吐、轻松和缺少尊重，都带有大众文化的烙印。

人们陷入了“消费文化”，这是由于19 世纪商场在雅致的环境中供应大量商品才形成的一种文化。

不像专为博识的精英服务的私人店，这些商店任何人都可以进出，不论他是什么阶级，有怎样的背景。

因而，购物成为公开、民主的活动。

大众媒体、广告和体育是促成融合的其他力量。

移民迅速融入大众文化，这种文化虽然不上档次，但也不能说有害。

格雷戈里•罗得里格斯是“国家移民论坛”的纂稿人，他报道称现在移民速度算不上史无前例，移民也没有抵制同化。

1998 年，移民占全体人口的9.8%，1990 年为13.6%。

1990 年的前10 年，每1000个居民中就有3.1 个移民进入，而1890 年的前10 年，每1000 个居民中有9.2 个移民。

现在，参考三个同化参数：语言、住宅拥有和互相通婚。

1990 年人口普查发现，“15 个最普遍国家中任一国家移民中的大部分人在居住10 年之后说英语…很好‟或…非常好‟。

”移民的孩子倾向于讲双语，而且精通英语。

“到第三代，大部分移民家庭都不说原语了。

”因此，美国被喻为语言“坟墓”。

到1996 年，1970 年前在外国出生的移民拥有住宅的占到75.6%，高于当地出生美国人的69.8%。

生于外国的亚洲人和西班牙人的异族通婚率要比美国出生的白人和黑人的异族通婚率高。

到第三代，三分之一的西班牙妇女嫁给了非西班牙人，41%的亚裔美国嫁给了非亚洲人。

罗得里格斯注意到全世界偏远的农村里，孩子们是巨星阿诺德•施瓦兹耐格和加思•布鲁克斯的崇拜者，但是“一些美国人担心在美国居住的移民不会受到这个国家同化力量的影响。

”
那在美国有不同愤怒的事件和解决办法吗？那当然。

它太大了，什么都有一些。

但是回顾美国动荡的过去，现在的社会指标决不能说是暗示了社会环境是黑暗、恶化的。