passage1

注解：标题为红色，翻译为蓝色，分析为绿色。

    In spite of “endless talk of difference,” American society is an amazing machine for homogenizing(使同样，使相似，同化 =下文的assimilate) people. There is “the democratizing uniformity of dress and discourse, and the casualness and absence of deference尊重，遵从” 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大气层，环境（这里取环境的意思=environment）. 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. 

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1.intimate亲密的，温馨的 imitate模仿。区别记忆：intimate里有mate，mate基友，配偶，所以会产生温馨和亲密。而imitate里面有tate，需要塔特这个人作为模仿对象，才能进行模仿。

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        Immigrants are quickly fitting into this common culture, which may not be altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous中毒的，有害的（这里取这个意思=harmful）. 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(indices指数，是index的复数形式) 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双语的 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.

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1.lingual语言的，linguistician语言学家，也就是说ling是词根，“语言”的意思，bi是前缀，表示双，故bilingual表示双语。也可以通过联想记忆：可以在bili上学双语。

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        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以某种方式 immune to the nation’s assimilative power.”

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1.somehow以某种方式，用某种方法，在某种程度上 somewhat稍微，有一点儿 somewhere在某个地方，在某处

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        Are there divisive issues and pockets of seething火热的 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.

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1.seethe沸腾；冒泡； seething火热的 记忆法：see看见了 the那个东西=看见了那个东西，热血沸腾=沸腾，冒泡；

2. rocket火箭，pocket口袋 区别记忆：火箭是架在石头rock上发射的，而pocket是口袋会po破的。

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一、文章结构分析

本文是一篇议论文。

文章中心讨论了美国的文化对移民的强大同化能力。

第一段介绍了美国大众文化的特点、起源和背后的推动力；

第二、三、四，五段采用事实论证了移民能快速融入美国社会，对大众文化构不成威胁；

第六段则说明融合会有些不快的过程，但这种不快无需民众担忧，美国社会的发展依然是光明的。

21. The word “homogenizing” (Line 2, Paragraph 1) most probably means ________.

[A] identifying

[B] associating

[C] assimilating

[D] monopolizing

21．第一段第二行的单词“homogenizing”最可能的含义是_____。

[A] 识别，确定

[B] 联系，联合

[C] 吸收，同化

[D] 独占，垄断

22. According to the author, the department stores of the 19th century ________.

[A] played a role in the spread of popular culture

[B] became intimate shops for common consumers

[C] satisfied the needs of a knowledgeable elite

[D] owed its emergence to the culture of consumption

22．根据作者的观点，19 世纪的百货商店___。

[A] 在传播大众文化方面发挥了作用

[B] 成为接待普通消费者的人情味十足的小商店

[C] 满足了知识精英阶层的需求

[D] 出现的原因是消费文化

23. The text suggests that immigrants now in the U.S. ________.

[A] are resistant to homogenization

[B] exert a great influence on American culture

[C] are hardly a threat to the common culture

[D] constitute the majority of the population

23．这篇文章暗示了现在美国的移民______。

[A] 排斥同化

[B] 对美国文化施加着很大的影响

[C] 对大众文化几乎不构成威胁

[D] 构成人口的大多数

24. Why are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks mentioned in Paragraph 5?

[A] To prove their popularity around the world.

[B] To reveal the public’s fear of immigrants.

[C] To give examples of successful immigrants.

[D] To show the powerful influence of American culture.

24．第五段为什么提到阿诺·施瓦辛格和葛斯·布鲁克斯?

[A] 为了证明他们在全世界很受欢迎。

[B] 为了表明公众对移民的恐惧。

[C] 为了举出成功移民的范例。

[D] 为了说明美国文化的强大影响力。

25. In the author’s opinion, the absorption of immigrants into American society is _______.

[A] rewarding

[B] successful

[C] fruitless

[D] harmful

25．按照作者的观点，美国社会对移民的吸收是______。

[A] 有价值的，有回报的

[B] 成功的

[C] 毫无成果的

[D] 有害的

二、核心词汇与超纲词汇

1. homogenize vt. 均质化，使均匀

2. assimilation n.同化，同化作用，消化

3. democratize vt. 使民主化

4. launch n. 发起；使运动

5. intimate a. 亲密的，私人的

6. cater v. 备办食物或服务；迎合

7. fit in/ into 可容纳，装进

8. indices n. index 的复数形式，标志，指标

9. census n. 人口调(普)查 v. 调查人口数字

10. bilingual adj.(能说)两种语言的

11. graveyard n. 墓地，坟场

12. divisive adj. 区分的，不和的

13. pocket n. 口袋；小组织

14. seethe v. 非常气愤、激动；充满

15. remote adj. 遥远的，偏僻的

16. immune adj. 免疫的

17. deteriorate v. (使)恶化

三、阅读答案：C A C D B

四、全文翻译： 

        尽管人们喋喋不休地谈论美国社会的差异，美国社会仍然是一部惊人的民族融合的机器。在美国，大众文化的特点就是“在服饰和谈吐方面大众化的一致性、漫不经心和不拘礼节”。人们沉迷于一种由19 世纪的百货商店掀起的“消费文化”中。这些商店“在幽雅的环境中供应琳琅满目的商品。与那些迎合知识精英人士的人情味十足的小商店不同”，这些商店是“任何阶段和背景的人都可以进入的”。这使得购物转变为一种公认和大众的行为。大众媒介、广告和体育赛事也促进了民族同化。

        移民正在快速成为大众文化的一部分，这种情况也许不能从总体上提升美国，但也几乎没有什么害处。在为“美国移民论坛”撰稿时，格瑞·罗德里格兹报道说，如今的移民既未达到历史最高峰但也不排斥同化。1998 年移民占人口总数的 9.8%， 1900 年占 13.6%。在 1990 年前的 10 年中，每 1000 个居民中就有 3.1 个移民；在 1890 年前的 10 年中，这一数字为 9.2。现在，考虑一下三个同化的标志——语言、房产所有权和异族通婚。

        1990 年的人口普查结果显示，“来自十五个最主要移民国的移民大多数在居住十年后英语讲得‘不错’或‘非常好’。”移民的孩子往往能说两种语言并精通英语。“到了第三代，原来的语言在大部分移民家庭中丧失”。因此美国也被描述为语言的“墓地”。到了 1996 年，1970 年之前到达的境外移民拥有房产的比例达到 75.6%，高于本土美国人 69.8%的比例。

        亚裔和西班牙裔居民的“异族通婚率比美国本土黑人和白人之间的比例要高”。到了第三代，三分之一的西班牙裔美国妇女嫁给了非西班牙裔美国人，41%的亚裔美国妇女嫁给了非亚裔美国人。

        罗德里格兹指出，全世界偏远乡村的儿童是阿若·施瓦辛格和葛司·布鲁克这样超级明星的影迷或歌迷，然而“一些美国人害怕，居住在美国境内的移民在某种程度上对这个国家的同化作用免疫”。

        在美国存在分歧的问题和小范围激荡的怒火吗？确实如此。因为美国大到可以和任何事情都沾点边。但是如今几乎没有出现社会环境黑暗和恶化的迹象，尤其当与美国动荡的过去相比时更是如此。