2005 考研英语 Text 4｜正式英语的衰落：可惜，但大概不可避免
主旨
美国人不再期望公众人物娴熟驾驭英语，自己也不再追求；语言学家麦克沃特在新书中认为，20 世纪 60 年代反主流文化的胜利导致了正式英语的衰落 → 他不是在批评教育衰退：作为语言史专家，他认为 whom 逐渐消失很自然，就像古英语格尾消失一样不值得惋惜 → 但对真实与个性的崇拜（“做自己的事”）宣告了正式演讲、写作、诗歌和音乐的消亡：60 年代前人们提笔追求高雅，此后写作力求再现口语，“聊天”压倒”演讲”，随性压倒技艺 → 这一趋势毋庸置疑，但我们为何要在乎并不清楚：他承认所有语言变体都能表达复杂思想，也不认为说话不规范就不能清晰思考 → 他并不主张激进改革，只是在哀悼一种美而非实用的东西：我们如今用”纸盘而非瓷器”享用英语，可惜，但大概无法避免。
原文：2005 Text 4 · 话题：语言 / 文化 · 答案：36 B｜37 D｜38 A｜39 B｜40 C
一、核心词
| 词 | 本文义 | 原文搭配 | 拆解 / 记忆 |
|---|---|---|---|
| command v. | 驾驭，掌握 | to command the English language with skill and gift | 熟词僻义：≠命令 |
| aspire v. | 渴望 | Nor do they aspire to such command themselves. | a- + spire 呼吸 |
| degradation n. | 退化，堕落 | The Degradation of Language and Music | de- + grade 等级 |
| linguist n. | 语言学家 | a linguist and controversialist of mixed liberal and conservative views | lingu 语言 |
| controversialist n. | 争议人物，论战者 | a linguist and controversialist of mixed liberal and conservative views | controversy |
| triumph n. / v. | 胜利；战胜 | the triumph of 1960s counter-culture | |
| counter-culture n. | 反主流文化 | the triumph of 1960s counter-culture | counter 反 + culture |
| permissive adj. | 放任的 | Blaming the permissive 1960s is nothing new | permit 允许 |
| speciality n. | 专长 | academic speciality is language history and change | special |
| regrettable adj. | 令人遗憾的 | no more regrettable than the loss of the case-endings of Old English | regret + -able |
| cult n. | 崇拜 | the cult of the authentic and the personal | |
| authentic adj. | 真实的 | the cult of the authentic and the personal | |
| elevated adj. | 高雅的 | even the modestly educated sought an elevated tone | elevate 提升 |
| performative adj. | 表演性的 | the highly personal, performative genre | perform |
| genre n. | 体裁 | the highly personal, performative genre | 同根 gender, generation |
| liveliness n. | 活力 | could claim real liveliness | lively |
| oral adj. | 口头的 | In both oral and written English | or 嘴 |
| spontaneity n. | 自发，随性 | talking is triumphing over speaking, spontaneity over craft | spontaneous |
| array n. | 一系列 | an entertaining array of examples from both high and low culture | |
| unmistakable adj. | 明白无误的 | the trend that Mr. McWhorter documents is unmistakable | un- + mistake + -able |
| expressive adj. | 富有表现力的 | can be powerfully expressive | express |
| dialect n. | 方言 | no language or dialect in the world that cannot convey complex ideas | dia 穿过 + lect 说 |
| convey v. | 传达 | no language or dialect in the world that cannot convey complex ideas | con- + vey 路 → 运送 |
| chunk n. | 大块 | carry large chunks of memorized poetry in their heads | |
| old-fashioned adj. | 老派的 | tend to elaborate speech that would seem old-fashioned | |
| radical adj. | 激进的 | proposes no radical education reforms | radic 根 |
| grieve v. | 悲伤，哀悼 | he is really grieving over the loss of something beautiful more than useful | 名词 grief |
| inevitable adj. | 不可避免的 | A shame, perhaps, but probably an inevitable one. | in- 不 + evit 避开 |
二、搭配与写作迁移
| 原文表达 | 含义 | 写作迁移 |
|---|---|---|
| command a language with skill | 娴熟驾驭一门语言 | |
| aspire to | 渴望达到 | aspire to a better life |
| see A as responsible for B | 认为 A 导致了 B | Many see social media as responsible for shorter attention spans. |
| Blaming A is nothing new. | 指责 A 并不新鲜 | |
| yet another | 又一个 | |
| no more regrettable than | 和……一样不值得惋惜 | |
| spell the death of | 意味着……的消亡 | spell the end of traditional shops |
| put pen to paper | 提笔写作 | |
| seek an elevated tone | 追求高雅的格调 | |
| capture A on the page | 在纸上呈现 A | |
| triumph over | 战胜 | Courage triumphs over fear. |
| be illustrated with | 以……为例说明 | |
| an entertaining array of | 一系列有趣的 | |
| think straight | 清晰地思考 | |
| have a deep love for | 深爱 | have a deep love for one’s hometown |
| grieve over | 为……而悲伤 | |
| A shame, perhaps, but probably an inevitable one. | 也许可惜，但大概不可避免 |
三、熟词僻义
- command v. 驾驭，掌握（≠命令）：to command the English language with skill and gift
- gift n. 天赋（≠礼物）：to command the English language with skill and gift
- case n. （语法）格（≠情况）：the loss of the case-endings of Old English
- spell v. 意味着，招致（≠拼写）：has spelt the death of formal speech
- document v. 记录，记述（≠文件 n.）：the trend that Mr. McWhorter documents is unmistakable
- like 口语填充词”那个”（≠喜欢）：why we should, like, care
- proper adv. 规范地（talk proper，口语用法，≠恰当的）：we can no longer think straight because we do not talk proper
- china n. 瓷器（≠中国）：on paper plates instead of china
四、题目与选项词
| 词 / 搭配 | 义 | 出处 | 拆解 / 记忆 |
|---|---|---|---|
| controversy n. | 争议 | Q36 [C] | |
| denote v. | 表示 | Q37 题干 | de- + note 标记 |
| modesty n. | 谦虚 | Q37 [A] | modest |
| informality n. | 非正式 | Q37 [D] | in- + formal |
| appreciation n. | 欣赏，赞赏 | Q39 [B] | |
| admiration n. | 钦佩 | Q39 [C] | admire |
| contempt n. | 蔑视 | Q39 [D] | |
| permanent adj. | 永久的 | Q40 [A] | |
| functional adj. | 实用的 | Q40 [C] | function |
| humble adj. | 卑微的 | Q40 [D] | hum 地 → 低 |
| noble adj. | 高贵的 | Q40 [D] |
五、同义替换：原文 → 正确项
| 题 | 原文 | 正确项 |
|---|---|---|
| 36 B | he sees the gradual disappearance of “whom”, for example, to be natural and no more regrettable than the loss of the case-endings of Old English | is but all too natural in language development |
| 37 D | talking is triumphing over speaking, spontaneity over craft | informality |
| 38 A | we can no longer think straight because we do not talk proper | Logical thinking is not necessarily related to the way we talk |
| 39 B | Russians have a deep love for their own language / carry large chunks of memorized poetry in their heads | appreciation of their efforts |
| 40 C | he is really grieving over the loss of something beautiful more than useful | ”functional” is to “artistic” |
六、长难句
① 状语 + 长同位语 + see A as B（Q36 背景）
In his latest book, Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should Like, Care, John McWhorter, a linguist and controversialist of mixed liberal and conservative views, sees the triumph of 1960s counter-culture as responsible for the decline of formal English.
- 主干：John McWhorter sees the triumph of 1960s counter-culture as responsible for the decline of formal English
- In his latest book, …：地点状语，书名很长
- a linguist and controversialist …：同位语，介绍作者
- see A as responsible for B：认为 A 应对 B 负责
- 译：约翰·麦克沃特是一位持自由派与保守派混合观点的语言学家和论战者。他在新书《做我们自己的事：语言和音乐的退化，以及我们为何应该在乎》中，把正式英语的衰落归咎于 20 世纪 60 年代反主流文化的胜利。
② while 对比 + when 时间从句（Q37 背景）
While even the modestly educated sought an elevated tone when they put pen to paper before the 1960s, even the most well regarded writing since then has sought to capture spoken English on the page.
- 主干：even the most well regarded writing since then has sought to capture spoken English on the page
- While …：对比状语从句，内含 when 时间从句
- the modestly educated：the + 形容词，表一类人
- 译：20 世纪 60 年代以前，即使受教育不多的人一提笔也会追求高雅的格调；而此后，即便是最受推崇的文字也力求在纸面上呈现口语。
③ 宾语从句 + 破折号 + there exists 句型 + 定语从句（Q38 背景）
As a linguist, he acknowledges that all varieties of human language, including non-standard ones like Black English, can be powerfully expressive – there exists no language or dialect in the world that cannot convey complex ideas.
- 主干：he acknowledges that all varieties of human language can be powerfully expressive
- including non-standard ones like Black English：插入，补充说明
- 破折号后：there exists no … that cannot …，双重否定，强调所有语言都能表达复杂思想
- 译：作为语言学家，他承认人类语言的所有变体，包括黑人英语这类非标准变体，都可以极富表现力：世界上没有哪种语言或方言无法表达复杂的思想。
七、句型
- Americans no longer expect … Nor do they aspire to …（nor 倒装递进） 原句：Nor do they aspire to such command themselves. 套用：Young people no longer read long novels. Nor do they aspire to write them.
- Blaming A is nothing new, but this is not yet another criticism against …（区别于老生常谈） 原句：Blaming the permissive 1960s is nothing new, but this is not yet another criticism against the decline in education. 套用：Blaming the Internet is nothing new, but this is not yet another complaint about technology.
- But the cult of A has spelt the death of B.（指出深层原因） 原句：But the cult of the authentic and the personal, “doing our own thing”, has spelt the death of formal speech, writing, poetry and music. 套用：The cult of speed has spelt the death of slow reading.
- In both A and B, X is triumphing over Y.（概括趋势） 原句：In both oral and written English, talking is triumphing over speaking, spontaneity over craft. 套用：In both work and study, speed is triumphing over quality.
- The trend that A documents is unmistakable. But it is less clear why …（肯定 + 质疑） 原句：the trend that Mr. McWhorter documents is unmistakable. But it is less clear 套用：The trend is unmistakable. But it is less clear why we should worry.
- He is not arguing, as many do, that …（与流行观点划清界限） 原句：He is not arguing, as many do, that we can no longer think straight because we do not talk proper. 套用：I am not arguing, as many do, that technology makes us stupid.
- A shame, perhaps, but probably an inevitable one.（无奈收尾） 原句：A shame, perhaps, but probably an inevitable one. 套用：The disappearance of handwritten letters is a shame, perhaps, but probably an inevitable one.