2008 考研英语 Text 4｜国父们的矛盾：明知奴隶制不对，却离不开它
主旨
1784 年，几乎掉光牙的华盛顿请牙医把从奴隶口中拔下的 9 颗牙移植到自己嘴里，这与历史书上”砍樱桃树”的形象截然不同 → 近来许多史学家开始关注奴隶制在建国一代生活中的作用，DNA 证据几乎证实杰斐逊与奴隶生过孩子；研究揭示了早期领导人的道德妥协和建国初期的脆弱 → 国父们大多知道奴隶制是错的，却几乎没采取行动，因为受时代文化束缚：奴隶制是国家政治经济的基石 → 南方离不开奴隶，没有对奴隶制的保护就不会签署宪法；政客的政治生涯也依赖奴隶制（“五分之三条款”帮杰斐逊险胜）→ 但杰斐逊解放了海明斯的孩子，华盛顿在独立战争中目睹黑人士兵的英勇后，不顾亲属反对在遗嘱中给了奴隶自由。
原文：2008 Text 4 · 话题：历史 / 政治 · 答案：36 D｜37 B｜38 C｜39 A｜40 B
一、核心词
| 词 | 本文义 | 原文搭配 | 拆解 / 记忆 |
|---|---|---|---|
| toothless adj. | 没有牙的 | George Washington, 52, was nearly toothless | tooth + -less |
| dentist n. | 牙医 | he hired a dentist to transplant nine teeth into his jaw | dent 牙 |
| transplant v. | 移植 | he hired a dentist to transplant nine teeth into his jaw | trans- + plant 种植 |
| jaw n. | 颌 | he hired a dentist to transplant nine teeth into his jaw | |
| extract v. | 拔出，提取 | having extracted them from the mouths of his slaves | ex- 出 + tract 拉 |
| slavery n. | 奴隶制 | the role slavery played in the lives of the founding generation | slave |
| spur v. | 促使 | They have been spurred in part by DNA evidence | 原义”马刺” |
| scholar n. | 学者 | have scholars examined history from the bottom up | |
| compromise n. | 妥协 | the moral compromises made by the nation’s early leaders | com- + promise |
| fragile adj. | 脆弱的 | the fragile nature of the country’s infancy | frag 碎 |
| significantly adv. | 重要的是 | More significantly | significant |
| hamper v. | 阻碍 | the founders were hampered by the culture of their time | |
| distaste n. | 厌恶 | privately expressed distaste for slavery | dis- + taste |
| bedrock n. | 基石 | the political and economic bedrock of the country | bed + rock |
| peculiar adj. | 特殊的 | protections for the “peculiar institution,“ | |
| clause n. | 条款 | a clause that counted a slave as three fifths of a man | |
| congressional adj. | 国会的 | for purposes of congressional representation | Congress |
| representation n. | 代表（权） | for purposes of congressional representation | represent |
| statesman n. | 政治家 | the statesmen’s political lives depended on slavery | state + man |
| formula n. | 方案，准则 | The three-fifths formula | |
| narrow adj. | 勉强的，险胜的 | his narrow victory in the presidential election of 1800 | |
| inflate v. | 使膨胀 | by inflating the votes of the southern states | in- + flat 吹 |
| electoral adj. | 选举的 | the Electoral College | elect |
| approximately adv. | 大约 | his approximately 150 other slaves | approximate |
| bravery n. | 勇敢 | after observing the bravery of the black soldiers | brave |
| overcome v. | 克服 | overcame the strong opposition of his relatives | over + come |
| opposition n. | 反对 | overcame the strong opposition of his relatives | oppose |
| legislative adj. | 立法的 | would have required legislative approval in Virginia | legis 法 |
二、搭配与写作迁移
| 原文表达 | 含义 | 写作迁移 |
|---|---|---|
| a far different image from | 与……截然不同的形象 | |
| focus on the role A played in B | 关注 A 在 B 中的作用 | focus on the role technology plays in education |
| be spurred by | 受……推动 | |
| make available | 使可获得 | |
| from the bottom up | 自下而上 | Change must come from the bottom up. |
| reveal the moral compromises | 揭示道德妥协 | |
| more significantly | 更重要的是 | |
| do little to | 几乎没做什么去…… | do little to solve the problem |
| more than anything | 最主要的是 | |
| be hampered by | 受……阻碍 | be hampered by a lack of funds |
| express distaste for | 表示厌恶 | |
| part of the bedrock of | ……基石的一部分 | Honesty is part of the bedrock of trust. |
| for one thing | 一方面 | |
| can’t afford to part with | 舍不得放弃 | |
| count A as B | 把 A 算作 B | |
| for purposes of | 为了……的目的 | |
| depend on | 依赖 | |
| once in office | 一上任 | |
| carve A into B | 把 A 划分成 B | |
| overcome strong opposition | 克服强烈反对 | |
| grant sb freedom | 给予某人自由 | |
| require legislative approval | 需要立法批准 |
三、熟词僻义
- father v. 成为……的父亲（≠父亲 n.）：had fathered at least one child with his slave Sally Hemings
- bottom n. 底层（from the bottom up，≠底部）：examined history from the bottom up
- infancy n. 初创期（≠婴儿期）：the fragile nature of the country’s infancy
- institution n. 制度（≠机构）：protections for the “peculiar institution,”
- hand v. 给予（≠手 n.）：The three-fifths formula handed Jefferson his narrow victory
- college n. 选举团（Electoral College，≠学院）：the Electoral College
- carve v. 划分（≠雕刻）：the new land was carved into 13 states
- will n. 遗嘱（≠意愿）：to grant his slaves their freedom in his will
四、题目与选项词
| 词 / 搭配 | 义 | 出处 | 拆解 / 记忆 |
|---|---|---|---|
| surgery n. | 手术 | Q36 题干 | |
| primitive adj. | 原始的 | Q36 [A] | prim 第一 |
| cruelty n. | 残忍 | Q36 [B] | cruel |
| infer v. | 推断 | Q37 题干 | |
| be confronted with | 面临 | Q37 [B] | |
| delicate adj. | 棘手的，微妙的 | Q37 [B] | |
| make up | 编造 | Q37 [C] | |
| affair n. | 私情 | Q38 [D] | 熟词僻义：≠事务 |
| stain v. | 玷污 | Q38 [D] | |
| prestige n. | 声望 | Q38 [D] | |
| originate from | 源于 | Q40 题干 | origin |
五、同义替换：原文 → 正确项
| 题 | 原文 | 正确项 |
|---|---|---|
| 36 D | That’s a far different image from the cherry-tree-chopping George most people remember from their history books | reveal some unknown aspect of his life |
| 37 B | the moral compromises made by the nation’s early leaders and the fragile nature of the country’s infancy | in its early days the U.S. was confronted with delicate situations |
| 38 C | Once in office, Jefferson extended slavery with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 / Still, Jefferson freed Hemings’s children | His attitude towards slavery was complex |
| 39 A | And the statesmen’s political lives depended on slavery. / The three-fifths formula handed Jefferson his narrow victory in the presidential election of 1800 | Some Founding Fathers benefit politically from slavery |
| 40 B | after observing the bravery of the black soldiers during the Revolutionary War | military experience |
六、长难句
① while 让步 + 宾语从句 + 省略关系词的定语从句（Q38 背景）
While Washington and Jefferson privately expressed distaste for slavery, they also understood that it was part of the political and economic bedrock of the country they helped to create.
- 主干：they also understood that it was part of the … bedrock of the country
- While …：让步状语从句
- (that) they helped to create：省略关系词的定语从句，修饰 country
- 译：尽管华盛顿和杰斐逊私下表达过对奴隶制的厌恶，但他们也明白，奴隶制是他们参与缔造的这个国家政治和经济基础的一部分。
② 虚拟语气 + including 补充 + that 定语从句（Q39 背景）
The southern states would not have signed the Constitution without protections for the “peculiar institution,” including a clause that counted a slave as three fifths of a man for purposes of congressional representation.
- 主干：The southern states would not have signed the Constitution without protections …（without 表含蓄条件，对过去的虚拟）
- including a clause …：补充说明 protections
- that counted a slave as three fifths of a man：定语从句修饰 clause；count A as B
- 译：如果没有对这一”特殊制度”的保护，南方各州是不会签署宪法的。这些保护中包括一项条款：在分配国会代表名额时，一个奴隶按五分之三个人计算。
③ 非限制性定语从句插入主谓之间 + 不定式表目的（Q40 出处）
Washington, who had begun to believe that all men were created equal after observing the bravery of the black soldiers during the Revolutionary War, overcame the strong opposition of his relatives to grant his slaves their freedom in his will.
- 主干：Washington overcame the strong opposition of his relatives
- who had begun to believe …：非限制性定语从句，插在主谓之间，内含 that 宾语从句和 after doing 时间状语
- to grant his slaves their freedom：不定式表目的；grant sb sth 双宾语
- 译：华盛顿在独立战争中目睹黑人士兵的英勇后，开始相信人人生而平等；他不顾亲属的强烈反对，在遗嘱中给予了他的奴隶自由。
七、句型
- That’s a far different image from the A most people remember from B.（颠覆刻板印象） 原句：That’s a far different image from the cherry-tree-chopping George most people remember from their history books. 套用：That’s a far different image from the quiet scholar most people remember from textbooks.
- And only over the past 30 years have scholars examined A from the bottom up.（only 置首倒装） 原句：And only over the past 30 years have scholars examined history from the bottom up. 套用：Only in recent years have people realized the value of mental health.
- More significantly, they argue that many of A knew B was wrong – and yet most did little to fight it.（揭示矛盾） 原句：More significantly, they argue that many of the Founding Fathers knew slavery was wrong – and yet most did little to fight it. 套用：Many people know plastic is harmful – and yet most do little to reduce its use.
- More than anything, A were hampered by the culture of their time.（归因于时代） 原句：More than anything, the historians say, the founders were hampered by the culture of their time. 套用：More than anything, women in the past were hampered by the culture of their time.
- For one thing, A could not afford to part with B.（分点说明原因） 原句：For one thing, the South could not afford to part with its slaves. 套用：For one thing, many families cannot afford to part with the extra income.
- Only a decade earlier, such an act would have required …（虚拟对比今昔） 原句：Only a decade earlier, such an act would have required legislative approval in Virginia. 套用：Only a decade earlier, such a trip would have taken weeks.