Section II Reading Comprehension

Part A
Directions:
Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing [A], [B], [C] or [D]. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)

Text 1

       The decision of the New York Philharmonic to hire Alan Gilbert as its next music director has been the talk of the classical-music world ever since the sudden announcement of his appointment in 2009. For the most part, the response has been favorable, to say the least. “Hooray! At last!” wrote Anthony Tommasini, a sober-sided classical-music critic.
       紐約愛樂樂團決定聘請Alan Gilbert作為下一任的音樂總監，這從2009年任命被宣布之日起就在古典音樂界引起了熱議。別的不說，大部分人的反應是積極的。“好啊，終于好了！” Anthony Tommasini寫道，他可是一個以嚴肅著稱的古典音樂評論家。

       One of the reasons why the appointment came as such a surprise, however, is that Gilbert is comparatively little known. Even Tommasini, who had advocated Gilbert’s appointment in the Times, calls him “an unpretentious musician with no air of the formidable conductor about him.” As a description of the next music director of an orchestra that has hitherto been led by musicians like Gustav Mahler and Pierre Boulez, that seems likely to have struck at least some Times readers as faint praise.
       但是，這個任命之所以一起人們驚訝的原因卻是Gilbert相對而言并不是很有名。甚至在時代雜志上發文支持Gilbert任命的Tommasini都稱其為：低調的音樂家，在他身上找不到那種飛揚跋扈的指揮家的氣質。紐約愛樂樂團迄今為止都是由像Gustav Mahler（古斯塔夫•馬勒）和Pierre Boulez布列茲那樣的音樂家領導的。這樣去描述這個樂團的下一位指揮，至少對于時代的讀者而言，這是一種蒼白的表揚。
       For my part, I have no idea whether Gilbert is a great conductor or even a good one. To be sure, he performs an impressive variety of interesting compositions, but it is not necessary for me to visit Avery Fisher Hall, or anywhere else, to hear interesting orchestral music. All I have to do is to go to my CD shelf, or boot up my computer and download still more recorded music from iTunes.
       就我看來，我不知道Gilbert是否是一個偉大的指揮家或者是一個好的指揮。但是我能確定的是，他能表現出很多有趣的樂章，但是我卻應該不會去Avery Fisher Hall或者其他地方去聽一場有趣的交響樂演出。我要做的事情就是去我的CD架上，或者打開的我的電腦從ITUNES上下載更多的唱片。
       Devoted concertgoers who reply that recordings are no substitute for live performance are missing the point. For the time, attention, and money of the art-loving public, classical instrumentalists must compete not only with opera houses, dance troupes, theater companies, and museums, but also with the recorded performances of the great classical musicians of the 20th century. There recordings are cheap, available everywhere, and very often much higher in artistic quality than today’s live performances; moreover, they can be “consumed” at a time and place of the listener’s choosing. The widespread availability of such recordings has thus brought about a crisis in the institution of the traditional classical concert.
       那些忠實的音樂會觀眾會講唱片并不能代替現場的演出，但是他們忽略了一些事情。當下為了獲得藝術愛好者的錢，時間，關注度，古典音樂的演奏家們（其實就是指交響樂團，同意復述）不僅要和劇院，舞蹈隊，演出公司和博物館競爭，而且還需要和那些記錄了20世紀的偉大的古典音樂演奏者表演的唱片競爭。唱片很便宜，那里都能買到，并且比現在很多現場音樂會的藝術質量要高。進一步的講，聽眾能選擇聽唱片的時間和地點。這些到處可以獲得的唱片給傳統的演出機構帶來了危機。
       One possible response is for classical performers to program attractive new music that is not yet available on record. Gilbert’s own interest in new music has been widely noted: Alex Ross, a classical-music critic, has described him as a man who is capable of turning the Philharmonic into “a markedly different, more vibrant organization.” But what will be the nature of that difference? Merely expanding the orchestra’s repertoire will not be enough. If Gilbert and the Philharmonic are to succeed, they must first change the relationship between America’s oldest orchestra and the new audience it hops to attract.
       對于古典音樂演奏者而言，他們可能的一個回應就是排練出唱片上沒有的曲目。Gilbert對新音樂興趣已經被廣泛的關注了：Alex Ross，一名古典音樂的批評家，就這樣描述道：他能夠把愛樂樂團變成一個完全不同，更加有活力的組織。但是那種不同的性質也是什么呢？可能僅僅增加樂團演出的曲目是不夠的，如果Gilbert和他的樂團要進步的話，他們就必須首先改變美國最古老的樂團（就是紐約愛樂樂團）同他們想吸引的新觀眾間的關系。
       語篇分析：
       這篇文章來自Commentary 2007年9月刊的一篇文章Selling Classical Music by TERRY TEACHOUT.這個雜志可以說知名度并不高，這可以看出命題人的出題指向性，反反命題的傾向很嚴重。以前的經濟學人，今年只有在B節入選。
       如何凱文老師一直強調的這篇文章的體裁就是議論文。第一二段都是一個引入。3段提出了作者的觀點。4段和5段是對于3段觀點進一步的遞進和展開。而在第一個第二段中是不同的人對于新任指揮的看法。所以閱讀考研文章沒有什么復雜的就是關注觀點！分清論點和論據！
21. We learn from Para.1 that Gilbert’s appointment has      .
    [A]incurred criticism.        [B]raised suspicion.
       [C]received acclaim.          [D]aroused curiosity.
       解析：這個題目相對簡單，各家也沒有什么爭議，只需要讀懂:For the most part, the response has been favorable, to say the least.就可以了，其實考生只需要讀懂：For the most part, the response has been favorable.這就是核心。acclaim.就是表示 favorable。當然，后面那個人說的話一定是為了說明這個結論的讀不讀都無妨了。
22. Tommasini regards Gilbert as an artist who is 
       [A]influential.       [B]modest.
       [C]respectable.       [D]talented.
       解析：這個題目關鍵就是要學會對論點和論據的敏感：Tommasini是個具體的人提他是有目的的。問他的看法，你可以直接看這樣一句：“an unpretentious musician with no air of the formidable conductor about him.”但是這樣的句子中的：unpretentious和formidable能有幾個同學認識？ 那么就看看這個句子在段落中的地位吧：論據，且和第一句是一個遞進的關系，他是進一步說明第一句的：One of the reasons why the appointment came as such a surprise, however, is that Gilbert is comparatively little known.這個句子該懂了吧。這個人相對來講名氣不大。A,C,D 都無從談起了。只有modest和這個名氣大不大能相關。這樣的論據和論點的分析以及段落的語篇分析方法就是凱文老師的學生能獨步于考研界的最大法寶。
23. The author believes that the devoted concertgoers
       [A]ignore the expenses of live performances.
       [B]reject most kinds of recorded performances.
       [C]exaggerate the variety of live performances.
       [D]overestimate the value of live performances.
       解析：作者的觀點：The author believes，這個是在關注定位詞devoted concertgoers后的另外一個關鍵點；作者認為concertgoers miss the point;但具體是什么，需要看選項了。A ,忽略了現場演奏的費用，B,拒絕大多數的唱片演奏。這兩個是沒有根據的屬于未提及選項。C有一定的干擾性：the variety of live performances，二段中是有variety 這個單詞的，并且在段落中出現了好多并列的成分，這樣對于很多沒有讀懂原文的同學其實是會產生視覺干擾的。但是聽kevin老師的話的同學，會做一個主干的分析發現the value of live performances這個賓語和動詞是沒有原文依據的。最后一個選項之所以正確是由于：作者在一直說唱片的好，而前面又說concertgoers認為現場演奏不會被唱片代替。這樣就是論點上的正話反說了。答案就應該是最后一個了。高估了現場表演的價值。這就是對于觀點的把握，多么重要啊！！！
24. According to the text, which of the following is true of recordings?
       [A]They are often inferior to live concerts in quality.
       [B]They are easily accessible to the general public.
       [C]They help improve the quality of music.
       [D]They have only covered masterpieces.
       解析：抓住關鍵詞：recordings根據行文順序與題目基本一致的原則，停在倒數第二段：There recordings are cheap, available everywhere, and very often much higher in artistic quality than today’s live performances; moreover, they can be “consumed” at a time and place of the listener’s choosing. The widespread availability of such recordings has thus brought about a crisis in the institution of the traditional classical concert.一連串的描述就是B.干擾項是C : They help improve the quality of music.聽Kevin的分析主謂賓，回文章中定位你會發現，文章中說的是唱片中的表演的質量要比現在的好，但是并沒有說：help improve the quality of music.分析選項主謂賓，和原文一一對應就一定能消除這樣的視覺干擾。[A]They are often inferior to live concerts in quality.和原文表訴相反。[D]They have only covered masterpieces.原文沒有提及。讀者不要自作聰明的覺得，嗯，老師講過的出現過often 和only的選項太絕對了，不能選。這樣的排除是有風險的也是，Kevin老師一直都不會這樣講的。教育部命題中心可不可以那天就用一個only 做正確選項。當然可以了!所以從小啊打好基礎！
25. Regarding Gilbert’s role in revitalizing the Philharmonic, the author feels
       [A]doubtful.       [B]enthusiastic.
       [C]confident.      [D]puzzled.
       解析：問作者的態度，主體是作者，對象是Gilbert’s role in revitalizing the Philharmonic從具體表述出發尋找相應的態度表達詞：But what will be the nature of that difference? Merely expanding the orchestra’s repertoire will not be enough.一個but ,一個？，一個not就把這種不確定性給出來了。于是這就是選A doubtful.記得技巧派曾經有這樣的總結：puzzled 和doubtful 都是所謂的永陪詞匯，這樣的技巧還是不要的好啊。