2013 英语一 Text 3｜人类的远景：悲观只是一时风潮
主旨
几十年前，人们对未来普遍乐观，相信科技能治愈人类一切病痛 → 如今乌托邦不再流行，面对小行星、流感、气候变化等威胁，人们甚至以为人类没什么未来 → 但这种悲观是错的：化石记录显示许多物种能存续数百万年，人类很可能再延续数万甚至数十万年，红色名录将人类列为”无危”物种 → 近期未来的技术演变复杂到难以预料，但放眼长远反而能说出不少有把握的事：过去是通往未来的钥匙 → 悲观论调更像一时风潮；未来并非一片光明，但我们已有足够知识降低风险、改善后代的命运。
原文：2013 Text 3 · 话题：科学 / 人类未来 · 答案：31 B｜32 A｜33 D｜34 B｜35 A
一、核心词
| 词 | 本文义 | 原文搭配 | 拆解 / 记忆 |
|---|---|---|---|
| vision n. | 设想，憧憬 | our visions of the future were largely | vis 看 |
| uniformly adv. | 一致地 | though by no means uniformly | uni 一 + form 形式 |
| glowingly adv. | 热情洋溢地 | glowingly positive | glow 发光 |
| fulfilment n. | 充实，满足 | leading to lives of fulfilment and opportunity for all | fulfil 实现 |
| utopia n. | 乌托邦 | Now utopia has grown unfashionable | u 没有 + topia 地方 → 不存在的地方 |
| unfashionable adj. | 不时兴的 | Now utopia has grown unfashionable | un- + fashionable |
| asteroid n. | 小行星 | from asteroid strike to epidemic flu | aster 星；同根 astronomy |
| epidemic adj. | 流行性的 | from asteroid strike to epidemic flu | epi 在……中 + dem 人民 → 在人群中传播 |
| gloominess n. | 悲观，阴郁 | such gloominess is misplaced | gloom 阴暗 |
| misplaced adj. | 不恰当的 | such gloominess is misplaced | mis- 错 + place 放 |
| fossil n. | 化石 | The fossil record shows that many species have endured for millions of years | |
| endure v. | 存续 | The fossil record shows that many species have endured for millions of years | en- + dur 持久 |
| threatened adj. | 濒危的 | the “Red List” of threatened species | threaten 威胁 |
| distributed adj. | 分布的 | very widely distributed, adaptable, currently increasing | distribute 分布 |
| adaptable adj. | 适应力强的 | very widely distributed, adaptable, currently increasing | adapt + -able |
| flagship adj. | 旗舰的，最重要的 | has as its flagship project a mechanical clock | flag 旗 + ship 船 |
| mechanical adj. | 机械的 | has as its flagship project a mechanical clock | |
| hence adv. | 从此以后 | still be marking time thousands of years hence | |
| timescale n. | 时间尺度 | lengthy timescales | time + scale 尺度 |
| immediate adj. | 近期的 | the more immediate future | im- 无 + medi 中间 → 没有间隔 |
| dazzlingly adv. | 令人眼花缭乱地 | is dazzlingly complicated | dazzle 使眼花 |
| futurologist n. | 未来学家 | science fiction writers and futurologists | future + -ologist |
| envisage v. | 设想 | the many possibilities we can envisage | en- + vis 看 → 在心中看见 |
| dedicated adj. | 专门的 | a new publication dedicated to the near future | dedicate 奉献 |
| assurance n. | 把握，确信 | with considerable assurance | assure 确保 |
| descendant n. | 后代 | the situations in which our descendants will find themselves | descend 传下 |
| pessimistic adj. | 悲观的 | the pessimistic view of our prospects | 反义 optimistic |
| fad n. | 一时的风尚 | a passing fad | |
| knowledgeable adj. | 知识渊博的 | now knowledgeable enough to reduce many of the risks | knowledge + -able |
二、搭配与写作迁移
| 原文表达 | 含义 | 写作迁移 |
|---|---|---|
| by no means | 绝不 | This is by no means an easy task. |
| cure all the ills of | 治愈……的一切弊病 | Technology cannot cure all the ills of society. |
| lead to lives of fulfilment | 带来充实的生活 | |
| grow unfashionable | 变得不时兴 | |
| gain a deeper appreciation of | 对……有更深的认识 | gain a deeper understanding of other cultures |
| the range of threats facing us | 我们面临的种种威胁 | |
| be tempted to assume | 容易以为 | |
| look forward to | 期待 | |
| take a broader look at | 更宽泛地看待 | |
| tens, if not hundreds, of | 几十，甚至几百 | if not 表”甚至” |
| think seriously about | 认真思考 | |
| be best left to | 最好留给……去做 | Such decisions are best left to experts. |
| be dedicated to | 致力于 | |
| take a longer view | 从长远看 | Take a longer view and … |
| with considerable assurance | 相当有把握地 | |
| hold the key to | 是……的关键 | Education holds the key to a better future. |
| make evidence-based forecasts | 做基于证据的预测 | |
| find oneself in | 发现自己处于 | |
| a passing fad | 一时的风尚 | Is online learning just a passing fad? |
| To be sure, | 诚然 | To be sure, the plan has flaws. |
| improve the lot of | 改善……的命运 | improve the lot of the poor |
三、熟词僻义
- ill n. 弊病，灾祸（≠生病的 adj.）：cure all the ills of humanity
- grow v. 变得（≠生长）：Now utopia has grown unfashionable
- misplaced adj. 不恰当的（≠放错地方的）：such gloominess is misplaced
- hold v. 预示（≠握着）：So what does our deep future hold?
- launch v. 创办（≠发射）：we have launched Arc
- rosy adj. 乐观的，美好的（≠玫瑰色的）：the future is not all rosy
- lot n. 命运，境况（≠许多）：improve the lot of those to come
四、题目与选项词
| 词 / 搭配 | 义 | 出处 | 拆解 / 记忆 |
|---|---|---|---|
| inspire v. | 激发 | Q31 题干 | |
| faith n. | 信念 | Q31 [B] | |
| awareness n. | 意识 | Q31 [C] | |
| sustained adj. | 持续存在的 | Q32 [A] | sustain 维持 |
| dominant adj. | 占支配地位的 | Q32 [B] | domin 统治 |
| on the rise | 在上升 | Q33 [A] | |
| scope n. | 范围 | Q33 [B] | |
| conceive v. | 设想，想象 | Q33 [D] | con- + ceive 拿 → 在脑中形成 |
| draw on | 借鉴，利用 | Q34 [B] | |
| abundant adj. | 丰富的 | Q34 [C] | |
| reshape v. | 重塑 | Q34 [D] | re- + shape |
| prospect n. | 前景 | Q35 [A] | pro- + spect 看 |
五、同义替换：原文 → 正确项
| 题 | 原文 | 正确项 |
|---|---|---|
| 31 B | Science and technology would cure all the ills of humanity | our faith in science and technology |
| 32 A | Listed as Least Concern as the species is very widely distributed, adaptable, currently increasing | a sustained species |
| 33 D | is dazzlingly complicated | Our immediate future is hard to conceive |
| 34 B | the past holds the key to the future | draw on our experience from the past |
| 35 A | we have an excellent chance of surviving for tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of years / a passing fad | The Ever-bright Prospects of Mankind |
六、长难句
① 祈使句 + and 表结果 + if not 插入（Q35 出处）
Take a broader look at our species’ place in the universe, and it becomes clear that we have an excellent chance of surviving for tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of years.
- 结构：祈使句 + and + 结果句，= If you take a broader look …, it becomes clear that …
- it becomes clear that …：it 是形式主语
- tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of years：数万年，甚至数十万年
- 译：从更宏观的角度看看人类在宇宙中的位置，就会清楚：我们极有可能再延续数万年，甚至数十万年。
② 主语 + 插入 + 表语 + it’s best left to sb to do（Q33 出处）
The potential evolution of today’s technology, and its social consequences, is dazzlingly complicated, and it’s perhaps best left to science fiction writers and futurologists to explore the many possibilities we can envisage.
- 前半句主干：The potential evolution … is dazzlingly complicated（and its social consequences 为插入）
- 后半句：it’s best left to sb to do，it 是形式主语，真正主语是 to explore …
- we can envisage：省略关系词的定语从句修饰 possibilities
- 译：当今技术的潜在演变及其社会影响复杂得令人眼花缭乱，也许最好留给科幻作家和未来学家去探索我们能想象到的种种可能。
③ 冒号解释 + 分词后置定语 + in which 定语从句（Q34 出处）
As so often, the past holds the key to the future: we have now identified enough of the long-term patterns shaping the history of the planet, and our species, to make evidence-based forecasts about the situations in which our descendants will find themselves.
- 主干：the past holds the key to the future
- 冒号后：we have identified enough of the patterns … to make forecasts（enough … to do 足以……）
- shaping the history of …：现在分词作后置定语修饰 patterns
- in which our descendants will find themselves：定语从句修饰 situations
- 译：和往常一样，过去是打开未来的钥匙：我们已经找到了足够多塑造地球和人类历史的长期规律，足以对后代将要面临的处境作出有据可依的预测。
七、句型
- Now A has grown unfashionable, as we have gained a deeper appreciation of …（今昔转变） 原句：Now utopia has grown unfashionable, as we have gained a deeper appreciation of the range of threats facing us 套用：Now blind consumption has grown unfashionable, as we have gained a deeper appreciation of environmental costs.
- But such gloominess is misplaced.（直接反驳） 原句：But such gloominess is misplaced. 套用：But such worry is misplaced.
- … – so why shouldn’t we?（反问推论） 原句：The fossil record shows that many species have endured for millions of years – so why shouldn’t we? 套用：Many small towns have revived their local culture – so why shouldn’t ours?
- So what does A hold?（设问引出下文） 原句：So what does our deep future hold? 套用：So what does the future of education hold?
- But take a longer view and there is a surprising amount that we can say with considerable assurance.（祈使句 + and） 原句：But take a longer view and there is a surprising amount that we can say with considerable assurance. 套用：But take a longer view and the benefits become clear.
- To be sure, A is not all rosy. But we are now knowledgeable enough to …（让步 + 乐观收尾） 原句：To be sure, the future is not all rosy. But we are now knowledgeable enough to reduce many of the risks that threatened the existence of earlier humans 套用：To be sure, the road ahead is not all rosy. But we are now well prepared enough to face the challenges.