考研英语核心词汇速成胜经Unit 57
一、 真题文章（2000年Text 2）
Being a man has always been dangerous. There are about 105 males born for every 100 females, but this ratio drops to near balance at the age of maturity, and among 70-year-olds there are twice as many women as men. But the great universal of male mortality is being changed. Now, by babies survive almost as well as girls do. This means that, for the first time, there will be an excess of boys in those crucial years when they are searching for a mate. More important, another chance for natural selection has been removed. Fifty years ago, the chance of a baby (particularly a boy baby) surviving depended on its weight. A kilogram too light or too heavy meant almost certain death. Today it makes almost no difference. Since much of the variation is due to genes one more agent of evolution has gone.
There is another way to commit evolutionary suicide: stay alive, but have fewer children. Few people are as fertile as in the past. Except in some religious communities, very few women has 15 children. Nowadays the number of births, like the age of death, has become average. Most of us have roughly the same number of offspring. Again, differences between people and the opportunity for natural selection to take advantage of it have diminished. India shows what is happening. The country offers wealth for a few in the great cities and poverty for the remaining tribal peoples. The grand mediocrity of today everyone being the same in survival and number of offspring means that natural selection has lost 80% of its power in upper-middle-class India compared to the tribes.
For us, this means that evolution is over; the biological Utopia has arrived. Strangely, it has involved little physical change No other species fills so many places in nature. But in the pass 100,000 years even the pass 100year our lives have been transformed but our bodies have not. We did not evolve, because machines and society did it for us. Darwin had a phrase to describe those ignorant of evolution: they "look at an organic being as savage looks at a ship, as at something wholly beyond his comprehension." No doubt we will remember a 20th century way of life beyond comprehension for its ugliness. But however amazed our descendants may be at how far from Utopia we were, they will look just like us.
二、 译文
身为男人一直是件危险的事情。出生时，男女婴儿的比例是105 ：100，但到了成年，这一比例几乎持平，而在70岁的老人中女性是男性的两倍。但是男性死亡率偏高这种情况正在改变，现在男婴存活率几乎同女婴一样高。这就意味着到了谈婚论嫁的关键年龄时，首次会出现男孩过剩的现象。更重要的是，又一次自然选择的机会被消除了。五十年前，婴儿（特别是男婴）存活的关键取决于体重，轻一公斤或重一公斤都意味着必死无疑。今天，这已经几乎没有差别了。因为大部分差异是由基因引起的，所以又一个影响进化的因素消失了。
人们生存下去，但养育的子女减少了，这也是停止进化的一个表现。现在人们的生育欲望不如以前的人。除非是在一些宗教团体里，很少有女人会生15个孩子。如今新生儿的数目就像死亡年龄一样，已经趋向平均了，我们大多数人的子女都差不多。因此，人与人之间的不同，以及因此而导致的自然选择的机会也缩小了。印度发生的事情就是很好的例子。在印度的大城市里，有很少的富裕阶层，但其他的部落人群内还处于贫困之中。可是在今天，一切都是平均的——每个人存活的机会相同，生育子女的数目也相同——这意味着，相对于部落人群来说，在印度的中上阶层自然选择已经丧失了80%的力量。
对我们来说，这意味着进化已终结；已经达到了生物的理想境界。奇怪的是，这一过程几乎未涉及身体上的变化。没有其他物种占据着自然界中如此多的空间。在过去的10万年，甚至过去的100年中，我们的生活发生了变化，但我们的身体却没变。我们没有进化，这是因为机器和社会替我们办了这一切。达尔文有一句话描述那些对进化一无所知的人，他们“看机体生命如同野人看船，好象看某种完全不能理解的东西”。毫无疑问，尽管二十世纪生活方式的丑态难以让人理解，我们还是会记住它。但是不管我们的子孙后代对我们离乌托邦的理想境界还差多远感到有多麽惊讶，他们的长相会同我们差不了多少。
三、 考研核心词汇
ratio / 5reiFiEu / n. 比, 比率, [财政]复本位制中金银的法定比价
[例] in the ratio of four to six 四与六之比(4:6)
[同义] comparison, percentage, proportion
maturity / mE5tjuEriti / n. 1成热2完备3(票据)到期
[例] This job calls for a man with a great deal of maturity.
这项工作要求一个富有经验的人来干。
[反义] immaturity / 7imE5tjuEriti / n. 未成熟, 粗糙,未臻完美
[派生] maturate / 5mAtjureit / v. 成熟
mature / mE5tjuE / adj. 1成熟的2充分考虑的3(票据等)到期的 vt . 使成熟 vi. 成熟, 到期
mortality / mC:5tAliti / n. 死亡率
[例] great reduce the mortality from tuberculosis
使结核病的死亡率大大降低
[派生] mortally / 5mC:t(E)lI / adv. 1致命地2凡人般地
mortal / 5mC:tl / n. 凡人, 人类 adj. 1必死的, 致命的2人类的, 临终的 adj. <口>极端的, 非常大(长)的
mate / meit / n. 1配偶2对手3助手 vt. 使配对, 使一致, 结伴
vi. 1成配偶2紧密配合
[例] The people we work with are called workmates and our friends at school are called classmates. 和我们一起工作的人叫同事；在学校里的朋友叫同学.
[同义] couple, pair, team
remove / ri5mu:v / vt. 1移动2开除3移交 vi. 迁移, 搬家 n. 1移动2距离3升级
[例] Yesterday my husband removed the gate and Rex got so annoyed we have not seen him since.
"昨天,我丈夫把大门拆掉了,雷克斯很生气,以致此后我们再也见不到他了。"
[同义] deduct, discard, dispose of, eliminate , expel
[反义] replace / ri(:)5pleis / vt. 1取代, 替换, 代替2把...放回原处
[派生] removing / ri5mu:viN / 消除, 排除, 除去
variation / 7vZEri5eiFEn / n. 变更, 变化, 变异, 变种, [音]变奏, 变调
[例] The prices for food are subject to variation.
食品的价格可能变更。
[同义] change, difference, alteration
[派生] various / 5vZEriEs / adj. 不同的, 各种各样的, 多方面的
variety / vE5raiEti / n. 变化, 多样性, 种种, 品种, 种类
gene / dVi:n / n. [遗传]因子, [遗传]基因
[例] gene type 基因型, 遗传型
[派生] genetic / dVi5netik / adj. 遗传的, 起源的
agent / 5eidVEnt / n. 代理(商)
[例] My agent has power to sign my name. 我的代理人有权代我签字。
[同义] actor, doer, operator, performer , worker
[派生] agency / 5eidVEnsi / n. 代理处, 行销处, 代理, 中介
suicide / 5sjuisaid / n. 自杀, 自毁, 给自己带来伤害或损失的行为
[例] It is professional suicide to involve oneself in illegal practices.
从事非法活动即是专门的自毁行为
[派生] suicidal / sjui5saidl / adj. 自杀的, 自毁的, 自取灭亡的
[固定搭配] commit suicide 自杀[尽]；drive sb. to suicide 使某人自杀
roughly / 5rQflI / adv. 概略地, 粗糙地
[例] I had roughly four kilometers to go. 我还要走大约4公里。
[同义] harshly, coarsely
[反义] smoothly / 5smu:TlI / adv. 平稳地
[派生] rough / rQf / adj. 粗糙的, 粗略的, 大致的, 粗暴的 v. 大体描述 adv. 粗糙地
diminish / di5miniF / v. (使)减少, (使)变小
[例] The dimensions of the difficulty for the hydraulic project have only recently been recognized. 这一项水利工程困难的程度只是到最近才被人们所认识。
[同义] curtail, cut , decrease, lessen , reduce
[反义] increase / in5kri:s / n. 增加, 增大, 增长 vt. 增加, 加大 vi. 增加, 繁殖
[派生] diminution / 7dimi5nju:FEn / n. 减少, 减低, 缩小
poverty / 5pCvEti / n. 1贫穷, 贫困 2缺少
[例] She has lived in poverty all her life. 她一生都过着贫困的生活。
[反义] richness / ritFnis / n. 丰富, 浓烈, 富裕, 富饶, 华美
[派生] poor / puE / adj. 1贫穷的, 可怜的, 乏味的2卑鄙的
tribal / 5traibEl / adj. 部落的, 种族的
[例] tribal costumes 部族的独特装束
[派生] tribe / traib / n. 部落, 部族
grand / ^rAnd / adj. 1盛大的, 豪华的2重大的, 主要的, 极重要的
[例] A grand meal was laid before them. 一道奢华的菜肴摆在他们面前
[同义] considerable ，dignified ，distinguished ， impressive ，magnificent
[反义] petty / 5peti / adj. 小的, 不重要的, 小规模的, 小型的, 细微的, 小器的, 卑鄙的
mediocrity / 7mi:di5Ckriti / n. 平常；平庸之才
[例] The old poet decried the mediocrity of today's writing.
老诗人抨击了现代文体的平庸无奇。
[派生] mediocritize / 9mi: dI`CkrItaIz / vt. 使变得普通 , 使变得平庸
mediocre / 7mi:di5EukE; 5mi:diEukE / adj. 普普通通的
transform / trAns5fC:m / vt. 1转换, 改变, 改造2使...变形 vi. 改变, 转化, 变换 n. [数]变换(式), [语]转换
[例] She transformed the room by painting it. 她油漆了房间使它为之一新。
[同义] alter ，change ，convert
[派生] transformation / 7trAnsfE5meiFEn / n. 变化, 转化, 改适, 改革, 转换
ignorant / 5i^nErEnt / adj. 无知的
[例] She is very ignorant about her own country. 她对自己的国家很不了解。
[同义] foolish， unaware ，uneducated， uninformed ，unintelligent
[反义] informed / in5fC:md / adj. 见多识广的
aware / E5wZE / adj. 知道的, 明白的, 意识到的
[派生] ignorance / 5i^nErEns / n. 无知, 不知
organic / C:5^Anik / adj. 1器官的2有机的, 组织的3建制的
[例] organic unity 组织上的统一
[派生] organ / 5C:^En / n. [机]元件, 机构, 机关, 机关报 [乐]风琴, 管风琴, 嗓音 ，[生物]器官
organism / 5C:^EnizEm / n. 生物体, 有机体
savage / 5sAvidV / adj. 1野蛮的, 未开化的2凶猛的, 残忍的 vt. 用暴力对付 n. 原始的人, 粗鲁的人
[例] The critics savaged the new play. 评论家激烈抨击这部新戏
[同义] barbarous， cruel ，fierce， inhumane， ruthless， uncivilized
[反义] civilized / `sIvIlaIzd / adj. 文明的, 有礼的
[派生] savagery / 5sAvidVEri / n. 野性
comprehension / 7kCmpri5henFEn / n. 理解, 包含
[例] The problem is above [beyond] my comprehension.
这个问题超出我的理解力。
[同义] apprehension
[反义] incomprehension / in7kCmpri5henFEn / n. 不了解, 不领悟
[派生] comprehensive / 7kCmpri5hensiv / adj. 1全面的, 广泛的2能充分理解的, 包容的
descendant / dI5send(E)nt / n. 子孙, 后裔, 后代
[例] Today's bicycles are descendants of the earlier velocipede.
今天的自行车是从早期的脚踏车发展而来的
[同义] child , offspring
[反义] ancestor / 5AnsistE / n. 祖先, 祖宗
[派生] descendance / di5sendEns / 后裔
四、 强化练习
1. Just as the warm wind guides the wheat to__________, the same winds will carry my voice to those who will listen and my words will announce my goals.
A. maturity B. recollect C. recover D. maltreat
2. Its exports to the natural resource exporting economies (Africa, Middle East, Oceania and South America) have increased by 75.5% of the increase of China’s imports from them YTD. This _______ is much higher than the 20–30% range for other industrial economies.
A. ration B. range C. criterion D. ratio
3. A Roman Catholic high school has ordered its students to __________ their online diaries from the Internet.
A. manifest B. remove C. manipulate D. irritate
4. Human DNA consists of more than 3 billion building blocks whose sequences form genes, just like letters spell a word. For any two unrelated people, these letters are 99.9 percent the same. But that leaves millions of single-letter differences, called SNPs (pronounced "snips") that provide genetic _________ between people.
A. vary B. vicious C. variation D. vivid
5. According to the power the principal has delegated to a selling________, then it may just introduce the potential customer to the principal or actually negotiate and conclude the contract between the two parties.
A. agony B. arrogance C. instinct D. agent
6. A couple who saw no escape from their growing debt mountain plotted to poison their five children then commit _________ in the hope that the family would be reunited "in a better world".
A. succession B. suicide C. subsequence D. series
7. He said the North Koreans, who contend that they had a bumper farm crop this year, would allow as many as 60 of the_________100 foreign aid workers in North Korea to stay.
A. roughly B. smoothly C. flatly D. summary
8. A rich sense of nostalgia (思家病) pervades the area, giving it an appeal no measure of tourists or souvenir postcard stands can ___________.
A. create B. produce C. yield D. diminish
9. When I am strangled in ________I shall tell myself that this shall pass.
A. wealth B. poverty C. property D. prosperity
10. With this faith we will be able to __________ the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony(交响乐) of brotherhood.
A. communicate B. melt C. transform D. supervise
答案：ADBCD BADBC