2011年考研英語備考：英語閱讀專項特訓(2)

　Text 2

　　Seventeenth-century houses in colonial North America were simple structures that were primarily functional, carrying over traditional designs that went back to the Middle Ages. During the first half of the eighteenth century, however, houses began to show a new elegance. As wealth increased, more and more colonists built fine houses.

　　Since architecture was not yet a specialized profession in the colonies, the design of buildings was life either to amateur designers or to carpenters who undertook to interpret architectural manuals imported from England. Inventories of colonial libraries show an astonishing number of these handbooks for builders, and the houses erected during the eighteenth century show their influence. Nevertheless, most domestic architecture of the first three�瞦uarters of the eighteenth century displays a wide divergence of taste and freedom of application of the rules laid down in these books.

　　Increasing wealth and growing sophistication throughout the colonies resulted in houses of improved design, whether the material was wood, stone, or brick. New England still favored wood, though brick houses became common in Boston and towns, where the danger of fire gave an impetus to the use of more durable material. A few houses in New England were built of store, but only in Pennsylvania and adjacent area was stone widely used in dwellings. An increased use of brick in houses and outbuildings is noticeable in Virginia and Maryland, but wood remained the most popular material even in houses built by wealthy landowners. In the Carolinas, even in closely packed Charleston, wooden houses were much more common than brick.

　　Eighteenth-century houses showed great interior improvement over their predecessors. Windows were made larger and shutters removed. Large, clear panes replaced the small leaded glass of the seventeenth century. Doorways were larger and more decorative. Fireplaces became decorative features of rooms. Walls were made of plaster of wood, sometimes elaborately paneled. White paint began to take the place of blues, yellows, greens, and lead colors, which had been popular for walls in the earlier years. After about 1730, advertisements for wallpaper styles in scenic patterns began to appear in colonial newspapers. (346 words)

　　6. What does the passage mainly discuss?

　　[A] The improved design of eighteenth-century colonial houses.

　　[B] A comparison of eighteenth-century houses and modern houses.

　　[C] The decorations used in eighteenth-century houses.

　　[D] The role of carpenters in building eighteenth-century houses.

　　7. According to the passage, who was responsible for designing in eighteenth-century North America?

　　[A] Professional architects.

　　[B] Customers.

　　[C] Interior decorators.

　　[D] Carpenters.

　　8. Where were wood houses less common?

　　[A] Virginia.

　　[B] Pennsylvania.

　　[C] Boston.

　　[D] Charleston.

　　9. The word “predecessors” (Line 1, Para. 4) refer to .

　　[A] colonists who arrived in North America in the seventeenth century.

　　[B] houses constructed before the eighteenth�瞔entury.

　　[C] interior improvements.

　　[D] wooden houses in Charleston.

　　10. What does the author imply about the use of wallpaper before 1730?

　　[A] Wallpaper samples appeared in the architectural manuals.

　　[B] Wallpaper was the same color as the paints used.

　　[C] Patterned wallpaper was not widely used.

　　[D] Wallpaper was not in stone houses.

　　核心詞匯

　　architecture n. 建筑學，建筑術;建筑風格，建筑式樣

　　amateur a. 業余的, 非職業的;外行的n. 業余愛好者;外行, 生手

　　impetus n. 推動, 促進, 刺激;推動力

　　elaborate vi. 詳盡說明vt. 詳細制定a. 復雜的;精心制作的

　　難句剖析

　　1. Since architecture was not yet a specialized profession in the colonies, the design of buildings was life either to amateur designers or to carpenters who undertook to interpret architectural manuals imported from England.

　　【解析】 句子主干是the design of buildings was life either to amateur designers or to carpenters。since引導的是原因狀語從句。who undertook to interpret architectural manuals imported from England作amateur designers or carpenters的定語。

　　【譯文】 由于建筑在殖民地還不是一項專門的職業，房屋設計或者由業余設計者來做，或者由那些承擔對從英國進口的建筑手冊的翻譯任務的木匠來做。

　　2. Increasing wealth and growing sophistication throughout the colonies resulted in houses of improved design, whether the material was wood, stone, or brick.

　　【解析】 句子主干是wealth and sophistication resulted in houses。whether…or brick作補語修飾houses。

　　【譯文】 整個殖民地日漸增長的財富和精密性導致了設計的改進，不管其材料是木料、石料、還是磚料。

　　文章類型：人文類——18世紀殖民地房屋的設計改進

　　本文按照時間順序，分別從建造者、圖書、建造材料等方面介紹了18世紀殖民地房屋的設計改進。

　　試題解析

　　6. 本文主要討論什么?

　　[A] 18世紀殖民地房屋的設計改進。

　　[B] 比較18世紀房屋和現代房屋。

　　[C] 18世紀房屋的裝潢。

　　[D] 木匠在建筑18實際房屋中的作用。

　　中心主旨題【正確答案】[A]

　　根據文章第一段中第二句During the first half of the eighteenth century, however, houses began to show a new elegance.(在18世紀前半葉，房屋開始顯示出新的優雅風格)，由此可知本文要討論的是18世紀殖民地房屋的設計改進。故A為正確答案。

　　7. 根據本文，在18世紀的北美，什么人負責設計房屋?

　　[A] 職業建筑師。

　　[B] 顧客。

　　[C] 內部裝修者。

　　[D] 木匠。

　　細節事實題【正確答案】[D]

　　根據第二段首句Since architecture was not yet a specialized profession in the colonies, the design of buildings was life either to amateur designers or to carpenters who undertook to interpret architectural manuals imported from England.(由于建筑在殖民地還不是一項專門的職業，房屋設計或者由業余設計者來做，或者由那些承擔對從英國進口的建筑手冊的翻譯任務的木匠來做)，可知在18世紀的北美，木匠來負責設計房屋。故正確答案為D。

　　8. 什么地方木頭建的房屋比較少?

　　[A] 弗吉尼亞。

　　[B] 賓夕法尼亞。

　　[C] 波士頓。

　　[D] 查爾斯頓。

　　細節事實題【正確答案】[B]

　　根據文中第三段第五行An increased use of brick in houses and outbuildings is noticeable in Virginia and Maryland, but wood remained the most popular material even in houses built by wealthy landowners. In the Carolinas, even in closely packed Charleston, wooden houses were much more common than brick.(在弗吉尼亞和馬里蘭房屋和外屋的建造上使用磚料的增長是顯而易見的，但甚至在富有的土地主建造的房屋里面，木料仍然是比較流行的材料。在南北卡羅納州，甚至在擁擠的查理斯頓，木制房屋也比磚房要普遍)，可知，正確答案為B賓夕法尼亞。

　　9. 第四段第一行的“predecessors”指代什么?

　　[A] 17世紀到達北美的殖民者。

　　[B] 18世紀前建造的房屋。

　　[C] 內部的改進。

　　[D] 查爾斯頓的木制房屋。

　　詞匯題【正確答案】[B]

　　根據第四段第一句Eighteenth�瞔entury houses showed great interior improvement over their predecessors，可以看出文章是拿18世紀的房屋和“their predecessors”相比較，但從句子意思上看，肯定是與18世紀以前建造的房屋相比較。故正確答案為B。

　　10. 關于1730年前墻紙的使用，作者暗示了什么?

　　[A] 墻紙樣本出現在建筑手冊上。

　　[B] 墻紙和使用的墻壁涂料顏色一樣。

　　[C] 用圖案裝飾的墻紙未被廣泛使用。

　　[D] 石制房屋中未使用墻紙。

　　細節事實題【正確答案】[C]

　　文中比較后一句話After about 1730, advertisements for wallpaper styles in scenic patterns began to appear in colonial newspapers.(大概1730年后，殖民地報紙上開始出現了風景畫形式的壁紙風格廣告)，言外之意就是，在此之前這種風景畫式的壁紙還沒有廣泛使用。故正確答案為C。

　　全文精譯

　　17世紀北美殖民時期的房屋結構簡單，基本上是為使用而設計的，繼續著能夠追溯到中世紀的傳統設計。然而在18世紀前半葉，房屋開始顯示出新的優雅風格。隨著財富的增加，越來越多的殖民者建造起比較精美的房屋。

　　由于建筑在殖民地還不是一項專門的職業，房屋設計或者由業余設計者來做，或者由那些承擔對從英國進口的建筑手冊的翻譯任務的木匠來做。殖民時期圖書館中的詳細目錄顯示了這種為建造者所編的手冊有驚人的數目，而18世紀建造起來的房屋也體現出它們的影響。然而18世紀的70年代前大多數家庭建筑都展現了品味上的廣泛不同和這些書中的規則在運用上的自由。

　　整個殖民地日漸增長的財富和精密性導致了設計的改進，不管其材料是木料、石料，還是磚料。盡管磚房在波士頓和其他由于火災的危險促進了耐用材料的使用的城鎮已經變得很普通，但新英格蘭仍然偏愛木料。在新英格蘭有一些房屋是用石料造的，但只有在賓夕法尼亞及其鄰近地區石料才被廣泛應用到房屋的建造上。在弗吉尼亞和馬里蘭房屋和外屋的建造上使用磚料的增長是顯而易見的，但甚至在富有的土地主建造的房屋里面，木料仍然是比較流行的材料。在南北卡羅納州，甚至在擁擠的查理斯頓，木制房屋也比磚房要普遍。

　　18世紀的房屋與它們的前身相比顯示出巨大的內部改善。窗子做得更大，拆除了活動遮板。大而透明的窗玻璃代替了17世紀小小的鉛制玻璃。門廊更大更有裝飾性。爐壁成為房間的裝飾特征。墻壁用灰泥或木料制作有時還精心鑲嵌而成。白色涂料開始替代早些年墻上曾很普遍的藍色、黃色、綠色和鉛色。大概1730年后，殖民地報紙上開始出現了風景畫形式的壁紙風格廣告。

　　第一段：指出隨著時代的變遷，財富的增加引起殖民地房屋建造風格的改變。

　　第二段：指出殖民地時期房屋建造者和圖書等對房屋設計的影響。

　　第三段：指出整個殖民地日漸增長的財富和精密性導致了設計的改進。

　　第四段：18世紀的房屋與它們的前身相比顯示出巨大的內部改善。