2014年翻译考试高级笔译综合能力试题（4）

　　Reading Comprehension (55 points)

　　In this section you will find after each of the passages a number of questions or unfinished statements about the passage, each with 4 (A, B, C and D) choices to complete the statement. You must choose the one which you think fits best. Then blacken the corresponding letter as required on your Machine-scoring ANSWER SHEET. The time for this section is 75 minutes.

　　Phyllis Wheatley is regarded as America's first black poet. She was born in Senegal, Africa, about 1753 and brought to America aboard a slave ship at about the age of seven. John and Susannah Wheatley bought her for three pounds at a slave auction in Boston in 1761 to be a personal servant of Mrs. Wheatley. The family had three other slaves, and all were treated with respect. Phyllis was soon accepted as one of the family, which included being raised and educated with the Wheatley's twin 15-year-old children, Mary and Nathaniel. At that time, most females, even from better families, could not read and write, but Mary was probably one of the best educated young women in Boston. Mary wanted to become a teacher, and in fact, it was Mary who decided to take charge of Phyllis's education. Phyllis soon displayed her remarkable talents. At the age of twelve she was reading the Greek and Latin classics and passages from the Bible. And eventually. Mrs. Wheatley decided Phyllis should become a Christian.

　　At the age of thirteen Phyllis wrote her first poem. She became a Boston sensation after she wrote a poem on the death of the evangelical preacher George Whitfield in 1770. It became common practice in Boston to have "Mrs. Wheatley's Phyllis" read poetry in polite society. Mary married in 1771, and Phyllis later moved to the country because of poor health, as a teacher and caretaker to a farmer's three children. Mary had tried to interest publishers in Phyllis's poems but once they heard she was a Negro they weren't interested.

　　Then in 1773 Phyllis went with Nathaniel, who was now a businessman, to London. It was thought that a sea voyage might improve her health. Thirty-nine of her poems were published in London as Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. It was the first book published by a black American. In 1775 Phyllis wrote a poem extolling the accomplishments of George Washington and sent it to him. He responded by praising her talents and inviting her to visit his headquarters. After both of her benefactors died in 1777, and Mary died in 1778, Phyllis was freed as a slave. She married in 1778, moved away from Boston, and had three children. But after the unhappy marriage, she moved back to Boston, and died in poverty at the age of thirty.

　　51. What does the passage mainly discuss?

　　A. Slavery and the treatment of the black people in America.

　　B. The Wheatley family, including their slaves.

　　C. The life of America's first black poet.

　　D. The achievements of Phyllis Wheatley.

　　52. The underlined word "respect" in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.

　　A. consideration B. disregard

　　C. punishment D. behavior

　　53. According to the passage, how many slaves did the Wheatley's have?

　　A. One. B. Two.

　　C. Three. D. Four.

　　54. According to the passage, an unusual feature of Mary was that she ______.

　　A. was not much older than Phyllis

　　B. wanted to become a teacher

　　C. was comparatively well educated

　　D. decided to take charge of Phyllis's education

　　55. The underlined word "eventually" in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.

　　A. ultimately B. slowly

　　C. reluctantly D. gradually

　　56. Which of the following is NOT true about Phyllis in the early 1770s?

　　A. She wrote her first poem when in her teens.

　　B. She married in 1771.

　　C. She became a teacher.

　　D. She was able to get her poems published.

　　57. The underlined word "they" in Paragraph 2 refers to ______

　　A. publishers B. poems

　　C. children D. black people

　　58. It can be inferred that Phyllis's trip to England with Nathaniel in 1773 ______

　　A. did not improve her health

　　B. was for business reasons

　　C. led to books of her poems being available in America

　　D. led to the publication of her poems because the English were more interested in religious and moral subjects

　　59. The word "extolling" is closest in meaning to ______

　　A. welcoming B. stating

　　C. bemoaning D. praising

　　60. Which of the following conclusions about Phyllis is supported by the passage?

　　A. She would have been more recognized as a poet if she had not been black.

　　B. She would have written poetry if she had stayed in Africa.

　　C. She went unrecognized as a poet during her lifetime.

　　D. She only wrote religious poetry.

　　51.C[分析] 丰旨题型。

　　本文首先谈及她是美国第一个黑人诗人，后描写了她出生在非洲，被贩卖黑奴的船只带到美国，被John and Susannah Wheatley买去，与其他黑奴一样在这家受到尊重，跟从John and Susannah Wheatley的女儿Mary受教育……：十三岁写出她的第一首诗……;后结婚生子，最终三十岁时穷困而死：因此选项C是答案。

　　52.A[分析] 词义题型。

　　从第一段可以看出她虽被卖为奴隶，却受到良好的对待，甚至不久就被当作是家庭的一员(Phyllis was soon accepted as one of the family)，因此respect在此应为consideration体贴，照顾;选项A正确。其余几个选项全是反义。

　　53.D[分析] 细节题型。

　　见第一段第四句：The family had three other slaves…她也是被头为奴隶的，……因此这家有4个奴隶;选项D为答案。

　　54.C[分析] 细节题型。

　　尽管选项B、C、D都与文章内容相符，但本题问的是Mary本身拥有的与众不同的特点，所以选项C为答案。

　　55.A[分析] 词义题型。

　　eventually最后，终于，文章提到Mrs.Wheatley一家将她买为奴隶，却抚养教育她，最终Mrs.Wheatley决定让她成为一个基督徒。选项B.缓慢地; C.不情愿地：D.逐渐地，均不符合题意;因此只有选项A是答案。

　　56.B[分析] 细节题型。

　　选项A在第二段第一句中提及;选项C在第二段倒数第二句中提及，选项 D在第三段第三句中提及：只有选项B是错误的：因此B为答案。

　　57.A[分析] 细节题型。

　　此句意为：Mary试图使出版商对Phyllis的诗感兴趣，但一旦他们听说Phyllis是个黑人时，就兴趣索然。因此此处的they指的应是选项A。

　　58.A[分析] 推断题型。

　　由第三段第二句(It was thought that a sea voyage might improve her health.)可知这只是人们的希望，并不见得能实现;因此选项A为答案。

　　59.D[分析] 词义题型。

　　根据上下文，她写诗“extolling”华盛顿的成就并将诗送给他。因此，extolling应为“赞美”之意，选项D正确。

　　60.A[分析] 主旨题型。

　　根据全文得知：她才华横溢，十二岁时即能看希腊、罗马名著和圣经，十三岁时写出第一首诗……;但当出版商们得知她是黑人就对她不感兴趣了……。因此我们可总结出：如果她不是黑人，她会得到更多的认可。选项A正确。