高智威阅读机经26+1分析

psyche89

不知道我这种一句一句分析文章的方式看起来是不是清楚，有没有解释不清的地方？请大家多多提意见。

地雷猫

第二句开始讲遇到的阻挠了，说的是起草者的愿景的灰常美好的，但是在这个修正案实行之初的头80年里，这么美好的愿景却没有被最高法院落实。7.3题考这里，问哪个选项成真的话，起草者的美好愿景就被破坏了，这题我错选成E了，而且至今不知为啥，求解。

-- by 会员 psyche89 (2013/1/12 10:30:42)

7.3我选的A，求解。。。但是我觉得E肯定不对，文章说的是大家认为起草者是为了给反对种族歧视提供一个宪法保障吧，E说的是给反对各种歧视提供保障，种族歧视也包括在里面了，所以没undermine。

psyche89

你这么一说我也觉得A好像也没什么错。。。求解答啊。。。

psyche89

第八篇讲的是玛雅文明，只有文章没有题，且我一看见这篇文章就记起了一篇托福文章，阅读越觉得好像，所以这篇文章就不贴了，大家如果看文章时哪里不明白，欢迎贴出来大家讨论。今天贴的是和这篇文章相对应的一篇LSAT文章，就是标注在第八篇题目后面的那一篇。来自LSAT的第24个section中的第四篇。

In The Dynamics of Apocalypse, John Lowe attempts to solve the mystery of the collapse of the Classic Mayan civilization. Lowe bases his study on a detailed examination of the known archaeological record. Like previous investigators, Lowe relies on dated monuments to construct a step-by-step account of the actual collapse. Using the erection of new monuments as a means to determine a site’s occupation span, Lowe assumes that once new monuments ceased to be built, a site had been abandoned. Lowe’s analysis of the evidence suggests that construction of new monuments continued to increase between A. D. 672 and 751, but that the civilization stopped expanding geographically; new construction took place almost exclusively in established settlements. The first signs of trouble followed. Monument inscriptions indicate that between 751 and 790, long-standing alliances started to break down. Evidence also indicates that between 790 and 830, the death rate in Classic Mayan cities outstripped the birthrate. After approximately 830, construction stopped throughout the area, and within a hundred years, the Classic Mayan civilization all but vanished.

Having established this chronology, Lowe sets forth a plausible explanation of the collapse that accommodates the available archaeological evidence. He theorizes that Classic Mayan civilization was brought down by the interaction of several factors, set in motion by population growth. An increase in population, particularly within the elite segment of society, necessitated ever more intense farming. Agricultural intensification exerted stress on the soil and led to a decline in productivity (the amount of food produced through each unit of labor invested). At the same time, the growth of the elite class created increasing demands for ceremonial monuments and luxuries, diverting needed labor from the fields. The theory holds that these stresses were communicated—and amplified—throughout the area as Mayan states engaged in warfare to acquire laborers and food, and refugees fled impoverished areas. The most vulnerable states thus began to break down, and each downfall triggered others, until the entire civilization collapsed.

If there is a central flaw in Lowe’s explanation, it is that the entire edifice rests on the assumption that the available evidence paints a true picture of how the collapse proceeded. However, it is difficult to know how accurately the archaeological record reflects historic activity, especially of a complex civilization such as the Mayans’, and a hypothesis can be tested only against the best available data. It is quite possible that our understanding of the collapse might be radically altered by better data. For example, Lowe’s assumption about monument construction and the occupation span of a site might well be disproved if further investigations of Classic Mayan sites established that some remained heavily settled long after the custom of carving dynastic monuments had ceased.

22.Which one of the following best describes the organization of the passage?
(A) A method used to analyze evidence is described, an explanation of the evidence is suggested, and then a conclusion is drawn from the evidence.
(B) A hypothesis is presented, evidence supporting the hypothesis is provided, and then the hypothesis is affirmed.
(C) An analysis of a study is presented, contradictory evidence is examined, and then a direction for future studies is suggested.
(D) The basis of a study is described, a theory that explains the available evidence is presented, and a possible flaw in the study is pointed out.
(E) An observation is made, evidence supporting the observation is presented, and then contradictions in the evidence are discussed.

23.Which one of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
(A) In The Dynamics of Apocalypse, John Lowe successfully proves that the collapse of Classic Mayan civilization was set in motion by increasing population and decreasing productivity.
(B) In The Dynamics of Apocalypse, John Lowe breaks new ground in solving the mystery of the collapse of Classic Mayan civilization through his use of dated monuments to create a step-by-step account of the collapse.
(C) In The Dynamics of Apocalypse, John Lowe successfully uses existing data to document the reduction and then cessation of new construction throughout Classic Mayan civilization.
(D) Although John Lowe’s study is based on a careful examination of the historical record, it does not accurately reflect the circumstances surrounding the collapse of Classic Mayan civilization.
(E) While John Lowe’s theory about the collapse of Classic Mayan civilization appears credible, it is based on an assumption that cannot be verified using the archaeological record.

24.Which one of the following is most closely analogous to the assumption Lowe makes about the relationship between monument construction and Classic Mayan cities?
(A) A person assumes that the shortage of fresh produce on the shelves of a grocery store is due to the effects of poor weather conditions during the growing season.
(B) A person assumes that a movie theater only shows foreign films because the titles of the films shown there are not familiar to the person.
(C) A person assumes that a restaurant is under new ownership because the restaurant’s menu has changed drastically since the last time the person ate there.
(D) A person assumes that a corporation has been sold because there is a new name for the corporation on the sign outside the building where the company is located.
(E) A person assumes a friend has sold her stamp collection because the friend has stopped purchasing new stamps.

25.It can be inferred from the passage that the author would describe the method Lowe used to construct a step-by-step chronology of the actual collapse of Classic Mayan civilization as
(A) daringly innovative but flawed
(B) generally accepted but questionable
(C) very reliable but outdated
(D) unscientific but effective
(E) unconventional but brilliant

26.The author of the passage would most likely agree with which one of the following statements about the use of the archaeological record to reconstruct historic activity?
(A) With careful analysis, archaeological evidence can be used to reconstruct accurately the historic activity of a past civilization.
(B) Archaeological evidence is more useful for reconstructing the day-to-day activities of a culture than its long-term trends.
(C) The accuracy of the archaeological record for reconstructing historic activity is dependent on the duration of the particular civilization.
(D) The archaeological record is not an appropriate source of data for reconstructing historic activity.
(E) Historic activity can be reconstructed from archaeological evidence, but it is ultimately impossible to confirm the accuracy of the reconstruction.

psyche89

答案 DEEBE

全文讲的是一个叫Lowe的人对玛雅文明衰落的研究以及它的缺点。
第一段9句话可以分为两层，前三句是一层，讲lowe是怎么做的研究，后6句是一层，讲lowe研究出了什么东西。
第一层：lowe根据已知的记录和遗迹，想要解开玛雅文化衰败的原因。
第二层讲lowe的研究发现了啥。通过对遗迹的研究，lowe认为如果一个地方不在修建新的遗迹，这个地方就被抛弃了。24题考这里，问了一个类比。lowe的观点是抽象一点说就是，一个东西如果停止更新，那么它就如何如何了。因此也要在选项里找一个不在更新的东西，E选项就对了。我当初错选了D，因为不认识文章里cease这个词，所以把意思搞反了。他的研究表明，在AD.672-751年间新的遗迹还在不断增加，但是玛雅文明在这个时候已经不再扩张了。“new construction took place almost exclusively in established settlements.”这一分句是啥意思我木有搞懂。在AD.751-790年间，长期存在的联盟开始崩溃；在AD.790-830年间，玛雅人的死亡率超过了出生率；在AD.830以后，建筑已经不再散布在这个地区了（有点没懂这句话）；在100年间，玛雅文明就几乎要消失了。

第二段7句话，讲的是lowe对自己研究的解释。
第一句，lowe给出了一个看似合理（plausible）的解释来迎合在建筑方面现存的证据。注意plausible这个词，是用来表明作者态度的。这个态度在第三段里得到了进一步深化。
按照全文逻辑，第一句说lowe给了个解释，后面一定在说这个解释是啥，从第二句到第七句全都在说这个解释，而且句与句之间都是因果联系。lowe认为玛雅文明被许多因素之间的相互作用打击了，set in motion by population growth（这句没搞明白）。人口增加，尤其是上层人士的人口增加导致了农耕的紧张（第三句）；农耕紧张导致了人们对土地施加了过度的压力因此粮食减产（第四句）；与此同时上层人士又需要更多的仪式建筑和奢侈品，因此需要更多的劳动力（第五句）；这种劳动力短缺的压力导致了地区之间爆发战争，争夺劳动力、食物，因此难民增加（第六句）；因此大多数州开始崩溃，而且每一个的崩溃都导致另一个的崩溃，直至最后整个文明衰败。

第三段四句话，在说作者对lowe理论的评价。
第一句作者就指明了，如果说lowe的理论有一个主要的缺点的话，那就是他的整个理论都建立在认为他使用的证据都是真实的假设上。25题考了这里，问作者对这个理论的态度，当然是questionable。23题也考这里，问文章的主要内容，其实全篇文章就是介绍了lowe的理论和这个理论哪里有缺陷，因此答案就是最后一项。22题也考这里，只不过问的更抽象一点，答案就是给了一个理论，然后解释了一下，再然后说了一下它哪里不好。
第二句进一步说为什么这是一个缺陷，因为我们很难知道这些历史记录的真实性，可能一个有效的数据就能证明假设不成立。26题考这里，同样问作者态度，答案就是作者认为我们无法确定历史记录的准确性。
第三句进一步讲数据的事，说有的时候有效的数据可能会完全改变我们对玛雅文明衰落的理解。
最后一句举了个例子，说明上一句，但是我木有看懂。囧。

总体来说，这篇文章的结构是非常清楚的，尤其是前两段，读起来也比较好理解。

dbqinhust

那个乙醇汽油的我在考托福的时候碰到了，听力的一篇lecture，内容基本差不多

psyche89

唔 是吗

psyche89

第九篇讲的是鹿背上的hump，是一道逻辑题。

The last members of a now-extinct species of a European wild deer called the giant dear lived in
Ireland about 16,000 years ago. Prehistoric cave paintings in France depict this animal as having a
large hump on its back. Fossils of this animal, however, do not show any hump. Nevertheless, there is
no reason to conclude that the cave paintings are therefore inaccurate in this regard, since ______.

A some prehistoric cave paintings in France also depict other animals as having a hump
B fossils of the giant deer are much more common in Ireland than in France
C animal humps are composed of fatty tissue, which dose not fossilize
D the cave paintings of the giant deer were painted well before 16,000 years ago
E only one currently existing species of deer has any anatomical feature that even remotely resembles a
hump

文章只有三句话，基本都处于转折、再转折的逻辑关系中。
第一句讲最后一支现存的欧洲野生鹿种，叫giant deer，曾经生活在16000年以前的爱尔兰。
第二句，法国的史前洞穴壁画在画这种动物的时候都是有驼峰的。
第三句转折，但是，这些动物的化石都没有表明它们有驼峰。
第四句继续转折，但是，这也不能表明洞穴壁画就是错的，因为。。。。。

最要命在于这篇文章没有答案，我个人比较倾向于选D。因为我觉得这句话需要选的应该还是一句表述洞穴壁画如何如何的句子。A项没有啥说服力，其他动物画不画驼峰没有办法证明giant deer有驼峰是正确的。我觉得B项不对是因为，文章里并没有说没有驼峰的化石是哪里的。C项是纠结我的一个选项，我觉得这一项也挺好。E项读起来感觉像是在证明化石是正确的，壁画是错的。
对于逻辑题，没有什么做题思路，不知道从哪里看逻辑关系，请大家给建议啊！

manad

我这题一开始我也选错了，纠结了很久。。。。
现在想想B也有道理

因为第1段那里指出这个修正案最直接的目的是想把这个Civil Rights Act中的“平等”列入宪法中，有宪法的认证和保护。
然后第2段更深入得说，这个修正案并不只是列个LIST，而是一个principle，是整个society都应遵循的principle。
那么对应B选项只由federal offcials来保护，就明显违背修正案制定者的意图了。

至于A的话，制定者在制定修正案的时候，把这个state action limitation也预测到了，感觉根制定者的意图没有什么联系。
最多说明制定者考虑过这个修正案实施的时候可能会遇到的问题，也并没有违背制定者的意图。

同样E的话，制定者觉得种族和非种族歧视不会被采纳，感觉这也是制定者担心的问题，而不是他们提出这个修正案的主要意图。
因此也不会undermine。

不知道这样是不是make sense?

你这么一说我也觉得A好像也没什么错。。。求解答啊。。。

-- by 会员 psyche89 (2013/1/12 13:24:51)

psyche89

嗯，隔几天再回头看，感觉好像明白了。
我是这么想的，其实这道题可以翻译成，如果（正确选项的内容），那么制定者的意图就会被破坏。
我现在感觉B选项正确是因为，正如文章里所说，法院在实施十四修正案的过程中有各种各样做的不到位的地方，阻碍了修正案的实施。对应的原文就是“Yet for the first eight decades of the amendment’s existence, the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the amendment betrayed this ideal of equality.” betray一词应该就是选这道题答案的关键了。因此，如果制定者仅仅依靠他们来抵制歧视的话，那他们原本的初衷当然就被破坏了，就无法全部实现了。