專家解析大學英語四級考試歷年閱讀真題
Passage Two
I dont ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again. There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what its like to work in a field dominated by men. I was never very good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting. What I do find interesting is the origin of the universe, the shape of space-time and the nature of black holes.
At 19, when I began studying astrophysics, it did not bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom. But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me. My every achievement―jobs, research papers, awards―was viewed through the lens of gender politics. So were my failures. Sometimes, when I was pushed into an argument on left brain versus right brain, or nature versus nurture , I would instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind.
Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would eventually become my reply to any and all provocations: I dont talk about that anymore. It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 and to realize that I didnt want to deal with gender issues. Why should curing sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I dont study sociology or political theory.
Today I research and teach at Barnard, a womens college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how may of the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45. I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children. And I dont dismiss those concerns. Still, I dont tell them war stories. Instead, I have given them this: the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments. And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science. And thats a sight worth talking about.
62. Why doesnt the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?
A) She feels unhappy working in male-dominated fields.
B) She is fed up with the issue of gender discrimination.
C) She is not good at telling stories of the kind.
D) She finds space research more important
63. From Paragraph 2, we can infer that people would attribute the authors failures to ________.
A) the very fact that she is a woman
B) her involvement in gender politics
C) her over-confidence as a female astrophysicist
D) the burden she bears in a male-dominated society
64. What did the author constantly fight against while doing her Ph.D. and post-doctoral research?
A) Lack of confidence in succeeding in space science.
B) Unfair accusations from both inside and outside her circle.
C) Peoples stereotyped attitude toward female scientists.
D) Widespread misconceptions about nature and nurtured.
65. Why does the author feel great satisfaction when talking about her class?
A) Female students no longer have to bother about gender issues.
B) Her students performance has brought back her confidence.
C) Her female students can do just as well as male students.
D) More female students are pursuing science than before.
66. What does the image the author presents to her students suggest?
A) Women students neednt have the concerns of her generation.
B) Women have more barriers on their way to academic success.
C) Women can balance a career in science and having a family.
D) Women now have fewer problems pursuing a science career.
這是一篇與性別歧視有關的文章，講的是女性應該如何面對性別歧視的問題。作者以第一人稱的形式，以親身的經歷來說明女性在面對性別歧視時應該采取不屑一顧的態度。
全文一共四個大段，開篇為I dont ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again，以again一詞造成懸疑，引起讀者對原因的探究，而后整個第一段敘述了相對于這一again的上一次作者面對性別問題時的態度;并解釋了原因是興趣不在于此。
第二段開始初步為again釋疑，敘述了作者從最初對性別問題的超然態度轉變為積極捍衛女性利益態度的過程。
第三段進一步為again釋疑，敘述作者重又悟出應回歸超然態度的心理經歷。從Why should curing sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I dont study sociology or political theory這一問一答可以看出，雖然多年過去，但作者用以對付性別問題這一心理重擔的利器依然是興趣。
最后一段敘述了作者重歸超然態度后如何教導學生正確地面對性別問題。在有些學生因性別問題而憂慮時，作者以身言教，告訴學生們應該忘記性別問題。作者的表率起了作用，像她們的老師一樣，學生們把精力完全放在了興趣上面。
文章的內容雖然涉及了社會問題，但切入角度是主觀第一人稱，語言修辭上更為接近散文的風格，所以相對于議論文、說明文較容易理解。
62. Why doesnt the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?
A) She feels unhappy working in male-dominated fields.
B) She is fed up with the issue of gender discrimination.
C) She is not good at telling stories of the kind.
D) She finds space research more important.
這道題某權威機構給的答案是B，She is fed up with the issue of gender discrimination，我認為這個結論有待商榷。
題目問作者為什么不想再一次談論作為一個女科學家的感受。四個選項的意思是：
A，工作在一個男性主導的領域里讓她感到不快樂。
B，她對性別歧視問題感到厭倦了。
C，她不善于講述此類故事。
D，她發現太空研究更為重要。
文章第一段就講述了作者不愿再評論自己作為女科學家的事實。這一段的意思是這樣的：
我不想再一次談論我作為女性科學家的事情。在我的人生中，有那么一段時間，人們總是問我，在一個被男性主導的領域中工作都會發生什么故事。我從來都不善于給他們講述那些故事，因為，說真的，我覺得那些故事一點意思也沒有。讓我覺得有意思的是宇宙的起源，時空的形狀，和黑洞的本質。
結合全文來看，第二段敘述作者曾經陷入女性主義的熾熱情緒當中，而后作者用了10年時間回歸了對性別問題的超然態度，這也是題目中使用again的原因。第二段最后一句：I dont study sociology or political theory，我不是研究社會學或者政治理論的，體現出作者把性別問題歸于學術或政治問題，而女性作為當事人不應參與其中的態度。
顯然，文中沒有提到她在男性主導的領域中工作高興與否，對于性別歧視問題，作者只是因對問題本身興趣不大，而不善于講述。作者的態度顯而易見，她對性別問題表示了不屑一顧，也就不存在B所說的厭煩了的問題。這樣ABC都可以排除，D說她發現太空研究更為重要，與第一段最后一句話意思相符。
63. From Paragraph 2, we can infer that people would attribute the authors failures to ________.
A) the very fact that she is a woman
B) her involvement in gender politics
C) her over-confidence as a female astrophysicist
D) the burden she bears in a male-dominated society
題目問從第二段可以推斷出人們把作者的失敗歸于什么。
A， 她是一個女人的事實。
B， 她參與了性別政治。
C， 她作為女天體物理學家的過于自信。
D， 在男性主導的社會中她身負重擔。
第二段講的是作者對性別問題的態度由不在乎轉變為熱情關注的過程。19歲時完全超脫，麻省理工求學及之后研究時開始受到干擾，這種干擾就是作者所有的成就：工作、研究論文、獲獎，都受到性別偏見這副有色眼鏡的過濾，而后作者寫了一句So were my failures，so在這里是代指，指代viewed through the lens of gender politics，即my failures were also viewed through the lens of gender politics，意思就是人們是從性別政治的角度看待她的失敗，也就是認為她的失敗是由性別偏見引起的。這樣的話，符合這個意思的只有A。
B所說的她參與了性別政治是個迷惑選項。參與性別政治是指為女性利益奔走呼號，第二段末尾也確實提到了作者的女性主義熱情，但這是性別歧視發生之后才可以進行的，否則，如果沒有發生歧視，奮力捍衛女性的利益的緣由就不存在了。而作者的失敗，如果是因性別問題而起的話，則是早于失敗之前就已經發生作用了。因此從邏輯上講，作者自己的失敗應該是先于參與捍衛女性利益發生的，后者不可能成為前者發生的原因。
64. What did the author constantly fight against while doing her Ph.D. and post-doctoral research?
A) Lack of confidence in succeeding in space science.
B) Unfair accusations from both inside and outside her circle.
C) Peoples stereotyped attitude toward female scientists.
D) Widespread misconceptions about nature and nurtured.
題目問作者在攻讀哲學博士和進行博士后研究時要同什么進行不斷地斗爭。
四個選項中，A說是缺少在太空科學領域成功的信心。文章提到了作者失去信心的問題，It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 ，但這個信心是作者在面對世人對女性偏見時有信心不予理睬，而不是科研領域的信心。
B說是來自她的圈內圈外的不公平指責。世人戴著性別的有色眼鏡看她，但這也僅僅是一種態度罷了，還沒到指責、責難的地步。所以B的說法不能算對。
C說是人們對女性科學家的固有態度。文中第二段從But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me這句開始，講述了作者面對世人成見時如何挺身而出、為女性仗義執言。這也就是C 所表達的意思。
D說是對自然與培育的廣泛誤解。根據第二段，nature versus nurture的問題是作者與人爭論的話題之一，是諸多對女性的成見之一，文中具體舉出的例子就另有left brain versus right brain。而作者要斗爭的是所有遭受的成見，D所說的這其中一種成見不可能是題目所說的整個時期內一直都要斗爭的對象。
65. Why does the author feel great satisfaction when talking about her class?
A) Female students no longer have to bother about gender issues.
B) Her students performance has brought back her confidence.
C) Her female students can do just as well as male students.
D) More female students are pursuing science than before.
題干問作者談到她的班級時為何流露出滿意之情。
與題目相關的原文是這樣的：Today I research and teach at Barnard, a womens college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how many of the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45，漢譯為：我現在在紐約一所女子大學Barnard做研究和教書，最近有人問我，我的班級里45名學生中有多少個女生。你想象不到我能夠回答45個時的滿意之情。
從前文的敘述可以知道，作者一直需要面對的問題是在男性主導的領域女性太少的問題。19歲時，她是班里唯一的女生，做研究后，人們總是問她在一個男性主導的領域里工作的情形。可見，在作者研究的領域里，女生是很少的，而現在班里45人全部是女生，作者很有可能是為在自己研究的領域里出現了這么多的女性而感到滿意。在這里作者使用了Be able to answer而不直接用answer，暗含以前是不可能說出這樣的數字的。這個詞組的選用也暗示了作者是在為數字的由少到多而滿意。
A， 女生不再為性別問題而煩惱。最后一段有一句話：I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children，意思是作者知道有些學生還是為科研與家庭之間如何平衡而憂慮。這一敘述與A不符。
B， 她的學生的表現使她重拾信心。文中沒有提到她的學生表現如何。
C， 她的女學生能與男學生做得一樣好。文中沒有類似的敘述。
D， 追求科學研究的女生比以前多了。這一描述符合上文的分析。
66. What does the image the author presents to her students suggest?
A) Women students neednt have the concerns of her generation.
B) Women have more barriers on their way to academic success.
C) Women can balance a career in science and having a family.
D) Women now have fewer problems pursuing a science career.
題目問作者展示給學生們的圖景意味著什么。
文章的最后一段講到了作者曾給學生展示過一個懷孕教師堅持做物理試驗的圖景。相關原文是：I have given them this: the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments，身懷六甲的物理教授依然在做物理實驗。而這一行為的前因后果在第四段中也描述得很清楚。在這句話之前，作者給出了原因： I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children，一些學生擔心不能很好地處理科研與生育孩子之間的平衡。作者為了消除學生們的擔憂，便展示了這個圖景。而在這句話之后，作者給出了結果：in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science，45個學生完全投入到科學之愛中。從這些前因后果可以看出，作者之所以展示這一圖景，就是為了打消學生對于生育孩子會否影響科學研究的憂慮。
A，女生們無須為教授的懷孕擔憂。這一圖景的直接信號是要告訴女生們無須為教授擔心，而傳達的意義則是無須為她們自己生育孩子擔心，而題目問的是意味著什么，因此A的說法不對。
B，女性在通往學術成功的道路上會遇到更多的障礙。教授展示此圖景的目的就是為了告訴學生們懷孕并不會對科研造成什么障礙，所以B不對。
C，女性可以在科研和擁有家庭之間很好地平衡。符合前面的分析。
D，現在的女性在追求科研生涯時遇到的問題較以前少。應該說懷孕問題確實是一個問題，只是作者的觀點在于不把這一問題看做是障礙而已。D的說法不對。
Passage Two
I dont ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again. There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what its like to work in a field dominated by men. I was never very good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting. What I do find interesting is the origin of the universe, the shape of space-time and the nature of black holes.
At 19, when I began studying astrophysics, it did not bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom. But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me. My every achievement―jobs, research papers, awards―was viewed through the lens of gender politics. So were my failures. Sometimes, when I was pushed into an argument on left brain versus right brain, or nature versus nurture , I would instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind.
Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would eventually become my reply to any and all provocations: I dont talk about that anymore. It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 and to realize that I didnt want to deal with gender issues. Why should curing sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I dont study sociology or political theory.
Today I research and teach at Barnard, a womens college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how may of the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45. I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children. And I dont dismiss those concerns. Still, I dont tell them war stories. Instead, I have given them this: the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments. And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science. And thats a sight worth talking about.
62. Why doesnt the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?
A) She feels unhappy working in male-dominated fields.
B) She is fed up with the issue of gender discrimination.
C) She is not good at telling stories of the kind.
D) She finds space research more important
63. From Paragraph 2, we can infer that people would attribute the authors failures to ________.
A) the very fact that she is a woman
B) her involvement in gender politics
C) her over-confidence as a female astrophysicist
D) the burden she bears in a male-dominated society
64. What did the author constantly fight against while doing her Ph.D. and post-doctoral research?
A) Lack of confidence in succeeding in space science.
B) Unfair accusations from both inside and outside her circle.
C) Peoples stereotyped attitude toward female scientists.
D) Widespread misconceptions about nature and nurtured.
65. Why does the author feel great satisfaction when talking about her class?
A) Female students no longer have to bother about gender issues.
B) Her students performance has brought back her confidence.
C) Her female students can do just as well as male students.
D) More female students are pursuing science than before.
66. What does the image the author presents to her students suggest?
A) Women students neednt have the concerns of her generation.
B) Women have more barriers on their way to academic success.
C) Women can balance a career in science and having a family.
D) Women now have fewer problems pursuing a science career.
這是一篇與性別歧視有關的文章，講的是女性應該如何面對性別歧視的問題。作者以第一人稱的形式，以親身的經歷來說明女性在面對性別歧視時應該采取不屑一顧的態度。
全文一共四個大段，開篇為I dont ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again，以again一詞造成懸疑，引起讀者對原因的探究，而后整個第一段敘述了相對于這一again的上一次作者面對性別問題時的態度;并解釋了原因是興趣不在于此。
第二段開始初步為again釋疑，敘述了作者從最初對性別問題的超然態度轉變為積極捍衛女性利益態度的過程。
第三段進一步為again釋疑，敘述作者重又悟出應回歸超然態度的心理經歷。從Why should curing sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I dont study sociology or political theory這一問一答可以看出，雖然多年過去，但作者用以對付性別問題這一心理重擔的利器依然是興趣。
最后一段敘述了作者重歸超然態度后如何教導學生正確地面對性別問題。在有些學生因性別問題而憂慮時，作者以身言教，告訴學生們應該忘記性別問題。作者的表率起了作用，像她們的老師一樣，學生們把精力完全放在了興趣上面。
文章的內容雖然涉及了社會問題，但切入角度是主觀第一人稱，語言修辭上更為接近散文的風格，所以相對于議論文、說明文較容易理解。
62. Why doesnt the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?
A) She feels unhappy working in male-dominated fields.
B) She is fed up with the issue of gender discrimination.
C) She is not good at telling stories of the kind.
D) She finds space research more important.
這道題某權威機構給的答案是B，She is fed up with the issue of gender discrimination，我認為這個結論有待商榷。
題目問作者為什么不想再一次談論作為一個女科學家的感受。四個選項的意思是：
A，工作在一個男性主導的領域里讓她感到不快樂。
B，她對性別歧視問題感到厭倦了。
C，她不善于講述此類故事。
D，她發現太空研究更為重要。
文章第一段就講述了作者不愿再評論自己作為女科學家的事實。這一段的意思是這樣的：
我不想再一次談論我作為女性科學家的事情。在我的人生中，有那么一段時間，人們總是問我，在一個被男性主導的領域中工作都會發生什么故事。我從來都不善于給他們講述那些故事，因為，說真的，我覺得那些故事一點意思也沒有。讓我覺得有意思的是宇宙的起源，時空的形狀，和黑洞的本質。
結合全文來看，第二段敘述作者曾經陷入女性主義的熾熱情緒當中，而后作者用了10年時間回歸了對性別問題的超然態度，這也是題目中使用again的原因。第二段最后一句：I dont study sociology or political theory，我不是研究社會學或者政治理論的，體現出作者把性別問題歸于學術或政治問題，而女性作為當事人不應參與其中的態度。
顯然，文中沒有提到她在男性主導的領域中工作高興與否，對于性別歧視問題，作者只是因對問題本身興趣不大，而不善于講述。作者的態度顯而易見，她對性別問題表示了不屑一顧，也就不存在B所說的厭煩了的問題。這樣ABC都可以排除，D說她發現太空研究更為重要，與第一段最后一句話意思相符。
63. From Paragraph 2, we can infer that people would attribute the authors failures to ________.
A) the very fact that she is a woman
B) her involvement in gender politics
C) her over-confidence as a female astrophysicist
D) the burden she bears in a male-dominated society
題目問從第二段可以推斷出人們把作者的失敗歸于什么。
A， 她是一個女人的事實。
B， 她參與了性別政治。
C， 她作為女天體物理學家的過于自信。
D， 在男性主導的社會中她身負重擔。
第二段講的是作者對性別問題的態度由不在乎轉變為熱情關注的過程。19歲時完全超脫，麻省理工求學及之后研究時開始受到干擾，這種干擾就是作者所有的成就：工作、研究論文、獲獎，都受到性別偏見這副有色眼鏡的過濾，而后作者寫了一句So were my failures，so在這里是代指，指代viewed through the lens of gender politics，即my failures were also viewed through the lens of gender politics，意思就是人們是從性別政治的角度看待她的失敗，也就是認為她的失敗是由性別偏見引起的。這樣的話，符合這個意思的只有A。
B所說的她參與了性別政治是個迷惑選項。參與性別政治是指為女性利益奔走呼號，第二段末尾也確實提到了作者的女性主義熱情，但這是性別歧視發生之后才可以進行的，否則，如果沒有發生歧視，奮力捍衛女性的利益的緣由就不存在了。而作者的失敗，如果是因性別問題而起的話，則是早于失敗之前就已經發生作用了。因此從邏輯上講，作者自己的失敗應該是先于參與捍衛女性利益發生的，后者不可能成為前者發生的原因。
64. What did the author constantly fight against while doing her Ph.D. and post-doctoral research?
A) Lack of confidence in succeeding in space science.
B) Unfair accusations from both inside and outside her circle.
C) Peoples stereotyped attitude toward female scientists.
D) Widespread misconceptions about nature and nurtured.
題目問作者在攻讀哲學博士和進行博士后研究時要同什么進行不斷地斗爭。
四個選項中，A說是缺少在太空科學領域成功的信心。文章提到了作者失去信心的問題，It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 ，但這個信心是作者在面對世人對女性偏見時有信心不予理睬，而不是科研領域的信心。
B說是來自她的圈內圈外的不公平指責。世人戴著性別的有色眼鏡看她，但這也僅僅是一種態度罷了，還沒到指責、責難的地步。所以B的說法不能算對。
C說是人們對女性科學家的固有態度。文中第二段從But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me這句開始，講述了作者面對世人成見時如何挺身而出、為女性仗義執言。這也就是C 所表達的意思。
D說是對自然與培育的廣泛誤解。根據第二段，nature versus nurture的問題是作者與人爭論的話題之一，是諸多對女性的成見之一，文中具體舉出的例子就另有left brain versus right brain。而作者要斗爭的是所有遭受的成見，D所說的這其中一種成見不可能是題目所說的整個時期內一直都要斗爭的對象。
65. Why does the author feel great satisfaction when talking about her class?
A) Female students no longer have to bother about gender issues.
B) Her students performance has brought back her confidence.
C) Her female students can do just as well as male students.
D) More female students are pursuing science than before.
題干問作者談到她的班級時為何流露出滿意之情。
與題目相關的原文是這樣的：Today I research and teach at Barnard, a womens college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how many of the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45，漢譯為：我現在在紐約一所女子大學Barnard做研究和教書，最近有人問我，我的班級里45名學生中有多少個女生。你想象不到我能夠回答45個時的滿意之情。
從前文的敘述可以知道，作者一直需要面對的問題是在男性主導的領域女性太少的問題。19歲時，她是班里唯一的女生，做研究后，人們總是問她在一個男性主導的領域里工作的情形。可見，在作者研究的領域里，女生是很少的，而現在班里45人全部是女生，作者很有可能是為在自己研究的領域里出現了這么多的女性而感到滿意。在這里作者使用了Be able to answer而不直接用answer，暗含以前是不可能說出這樣的數字的。這個詞組的選用也暗示了作者是在為數字的由少到多而滿意。
A， 女生不再為性別問題而煩惱。最后一段有一句話：I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children，意思是作者知道有些學生還是為科研與家庭之間如何平衡而憂慮。這一敘述與A不符。
B， 她的學生的表現使她重拾信心。文中沒有提到她的學生表現如何。
C， 她的女學生能與男學生做得一樣好。文中沒有類似的敘述。
D， 追求科學研究的女生比以前多了。這一描述符合上文的分析。
66. What does the image the author presents to her students suggest?
A) Women students neednt have the concerns of her generation.
B) Women have more barriers on their way to academic success.
C) Women can balance a career in science and having a family.
D) Women now have fewer problems pursuing a science career.
題目問作者展示給學生們的圖景意味著什么。
文章的最后一段講到了作者曾給學生展示過一個懷孕教師堅持做物理試驗的圖景。相關原文是：I have given them this: the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments，身懷六甲的物理教授依然在做物理實驗。而這一行為的前因后果在第四段中也描述得很清楚。在這句話之前，作者給出了原因： I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children，一些學生擔心不能很好地處理科研與生育孩子之間的平衡。作者為了消除學生們的擔憂，便展示了這個圖景。而在這句話之后，作者給出了結果：in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science，45個學生完全投入到科學之愛中。從這些前因后果可以看出，作者之所以展示這一圖景，就是為了打消學生對于生育孩子會否影響科學研究的憂慮。
A，女生們無須為教授的懷孕擔憂。這一圖景的直接信號是要告訴女生們無須為教授擔心，而傳達的意義則是無須為她們自己生育孩子擔心，而題目問的是意味著什么，因此A的說法不對。
B，女性在通往學術成功的道路上會遇到更多的障礙。教授展示此圖景的目的就是為了告訴學生們懷孕并不會對科研造成什么障礙，所以B不對。
C，女性可以在科研和擁有家庭之間很好地平衡。符合前面的分析。
D，現在的女性在追求科研生涯時遇到的問題較以前少。應該說懷孕問題確實是一個問題，只是作者的觀點在于不把這一問題看做是障礙而已。D的說法不對。
