2008 考研英语 Text 3｜美国人不再长高：已达遗传极限
主旨
20 世纪 60 年代初，NBA 身高超过 7 英尺的球员只有 3 人，上赛季则有 42 人，职业运动员的体型变化巨大 → 但这一趋势可能掩盖了一个现实：美国人整体已不再长高，60 年代初就达到了极限；NBA 球员变高只是因为全球招募 → 生长需要热量和营养，20 世纪初营养不良和儿童感染阻碍了生长，此后饮食健康改善，每 20 年平均增高约 1.5 英寸，但 1960 年以来平均身高基本没变 → 从遗传角度看，太高并无好处：大婴儿分娩更难，双足直立的脚和背也难以承受超大肢体的反复压力 → 遗传极限会变，但不会很快；军服尺寸多年未变，预测近期人类身高，用今天的数据就够了。
原文：2008 Text 3 · 话题：人类学 / 健康 · 答案：31 A｜32 C｜33 B｜34 D｜35 C
一、核心词
| 词 | 本文义 | 原文搭配 | 拆解 / 记忆 |
|---|---|---|---|
| dramatically adv. | 显著地 | have changed dramatically over the years | dramatic |
| uniform n. | 制服 | managers have been more than willing to adjust team uniforms | uni 一 + form 形式 |
| obscure v. | 掩盖 | may be obscuring an unrecognized reality | |
| unrecognized adj. | 未被认识到的 | may be obscuring an unrecognized reality | un- + recognized |
| apparently adv. | 显然 | apparently reached their limit in the early 1960s | apparent |
| genetic adj. | 遗传的 | at this genetic, environmental level | gene |
| anthropologist n. | 人类学家 | anthropologist William Cameron Chumlea | anthrop 人 + -ologist |
| recruit v. / n. | 招募；新兵 | the increasingly common practice of recruiting players from all over the world | re- + cruit 生长 |
| nutrient n. | 营养物 | demands calories and nutrients | nutri 营养 |
| notably adv. | 尤其 | notably, protein | notable |
| tissue n. | （生物）组织 | to feed expanding tissues | |
| under-nutrition n. | 营养不良 | under-nutrition and childhood infections got in the way | under 不足 + nutrition |
| infection n. | 感染 | under-nutrition and childhood infections got in the way | infect |
| adolescent n. | 青少年 | children and adolescents have, on average, increased in height | |
| substantial adj. | 大的，可观的 | there are advantages to avoiding substantial height | substance |
| upright adj. | 直立的 | humans have been upright for millions of years | up + right 直 |
| bipedal adj. | 双足的 | struggle with bipedal posture | bi 二 + ped 脚 |
| posture n. | 姿势 | struggle with bipedal posture | pos 放 → 身体摆放方式 |
| withstand v. | 承受 | cannot easily withstand repeated strain imposed by oversize limbs | with 对抗 + stand |
| impose v. | 施加 | cannot easily withstand repeated strain imposed by oversize limbs | im- + pos 放 |
| oversize adj. | 过大的 | cannot easily withstand repeated strain imposed by oversize limbs | over + size |
| limb n. | 肢体 | cannot easily withstand repeated strain imposed by oversize limbs | |
| constraint n. | 限制 | some real constraints | |
| organism n. | 生物体 | the genetic architecture of the individual organism | organ 器官 |
| maximum n. | 最大值，极限 | Genetic maximums can change | max 最大 |
| alteration n. | 修改 | fit recruits without alteration | alter 改变 |
二、搭配与写作迁移
| 原文表达 | 含义 | 写作迁移 |
|---|---|---|
| change dramatically over the years | 多年来发生巨大变化 | Our way of life has changed dramatically over the years. |
| be more than willing to do | 非常乐意做 | |
| adjust A to fit B | 调整 A 以适应 B | adjust teaching methods to fit students’ needs |
| obscure a reality | 掩盖现实 | |
| reach one’s limit | 达到极限 | |
| go as far as we can go | 已经到头 | |
| in the case of | 就……而言 | |
| result from | 由……导致 | |
| demand calories and nutrients | 需要热量和营养 | |
| get in the way | 妨碍 | Don’t let fear get in the way of your dreams. |
| on average | 平均 | |
| a pattern known as | 被称为……的模式 | |
| genetically speaking | 从遗传学角度讲 | |
| there are advantages to doing | 做……有好处 | There are advantages to living in a small town. |
| have difficulty doing | 做……有困难 | |
| struggle with | 艰难应对 | |
| withstand repeated strain | 承受反复的压力 | |
| don’t expect this to happen soon | 别指望很快发生 | |
| without alteration | 无需修改 | |
| by and large | 总体上 | By and large, the plan works well. |
三、熟词僻义
- list v. 登记为（listed at，≠列举）：listed at over seven feet
- frame n. 体格，骨架（≠框架）：the growing numbers of bigger, longer frames
- feed v. 为……提供养料（≠喂）：to feed expanding tissues
- secular adj. 长期的（≠世俗的）：the secular trend in height
- canal n. 产道（≠运河）：have more difficulty passing through the birth canal
- architecture n. 结构（≠建筑）：the genetic architecture of the individual organism
- recruit n. 新兵（≠招募 v.）：fit recruits without alteration
四、题目与选项词
| 词 / 搭配 | 义 | 出处 | 拆解 / 记忆 |
|---|---|---|---|
| illustrate v. | 说明 | Q31 [A] | |
| assess v. | 评估 | Q31 [D] | |
| modification n. | 改变 | Q32 [A] | modify |
| living standards | 生活水平 | Q32 [C] | |
| condition v. | 决定，制约 | Q33 [B] | 熟词僻义：≠条件 n. |
| employ v. | 使用 | Q34 [C] | |
| applicable adj. | 适用的 | Q34 [D] | apply + -able |
| cyclic adj. | 循环的 | Q35 [A] | cycle |
| predictable adj. | 可预测的 | Q35 [B] | |
| alter v. | 改变 | Q35 [D] |
五、同义替换：原文 → 正确项
| 题 | 原文 | 正确项 |
|---|---|---|
| 31 A | If he had played last season, however, he would have been one of 42. | illustrate the change of height of NBA players |
| 32 C | under-nutrition and childhood infections got in the way / But as diet and health improved | Living standards |
| 33 B | struggle with bipedal posture / cannot easily withstand repeated strain imposed by oversize limbs | Human height is conditioned by the upright posture |
| 34 D | you could use today’s data and feel fairly confident | the existing data of human height will still be applicable |
| 35 C | Americans have generally stopped growing / we’ve pretty much gone as far as we can go | Americans have reached their genetic growth limit |
六、长难句
① 省略式让步 + 破折号插入 + 定语从句（Q35 背景）
Though typically about two inches taller now than 140 years ago, today’s people – especially those born to families who have lived in the U.S. for many generations – apparently reached their limit in the early 1960s.
- 主干：today’s people apparently reached their limit in the early 1960s
- Though (they are) typically about two inches taller …：省略主语和 be 的让步状语
- 破折号中间：especially those born to families …，补充说明；who have lived … 修饰 families
- 译：尽管现在的人一般比 140 年前高约两英寸，但他们，尤其是那些出生在已在美国生活了好几代的家庭的人，显然在 20 世纪 60 年代初就已达到身高极限。
② as 从句 + 插入 + 同位语（Q32 出处）
But as diet and health improved, children and adolescents have, on average, increased in height by about an inch and a half every 20 years, a pattern known as the secular trend in height.
- 主干：children and adolescents have increased in height by about an inch and a half every 20 years
- as diet and health improved：时间 / 原因状语
- on average：插入
- a pattern known as …：同位语，概括前面整句
- 译：但随着饮食和健康状况的改善，儿童和青少年的身高平均每 20 年增加约一英寸半，这被称为身高的长期增长趋势。
③ even though 让步 + 并列谓语 + 分词后置定语（Q33 出处）
Moreover, even though humans have been upright for millions of years, our feet and back continue to struggle with bipedal posture and cannot easily withstand repeated strain imposed by oversize limbs.
- 主干：our feet and back continue to struggle with … and cannot easily withstand …
- even though …：让步状语从句
- imposed by oversize limbs：过去分词短语修饰 strain
- 译：此外，尽管人类直立行走已有数百万年，我们的脚和背部仍难以适应双足直立的姿势，也不容易承受过大的四肢反复施加的压力。
七、句型
- If he had played last season, however, he would have been one of 42.（虚拟对比） 原句：If he had played last season, however, he would have been one of 42. 套用：If he had lived today, he would have been just one of millions of online writers.
- The trend in A, though, may be obscuring an unrecognized reality: …（揭示被掩盖的真相） 原句：The trend in sports, though, may be obscuring an unrecognized reality: Americans have generally stopped growing. 套用：The trend of online shopping, though, may be obscuring an unrecognized reality: many small shops are closing.
- In the case of A, their increase in B appears to result from …（具体分析原因） 原句：In the case of NBA players, their increase in height appears to result from the increasingly common practice of recruiting players from all over the world. 套用：In the case of big cities, the rise in housing prices appears to result from population growth.
- Genetically speaking, there are advantages to avoiding …（从某角度论证） 原句：Genetically speaking, there are advantages to avoiding substantial height. 套用：Economically speaking, there are advantages to living near your workplace.
- A can change, but don’t expect this to happen soon.（泼冷水） 原句：Genetic maximums can change, but don’t expect this to happen soon. 套用：Habits can change, but don’t expect this to happen overnight.
- By and large, you could use A and feel fairly confident.（总结判断） 原句：Gordon says that by and large, “you could use today’s data and feel fairly confident.” 套用：By and large, you could trust the report and feel fairly confident.