2019公共英语PETS五级考试阅读模拟题4

>>全国英语等级考试：2019公共英语PETS五级考试阅读模拟题4

>>公共英语等级考试辅导课程

On the 36th day after they had voted, Americans finally learned Wednesday who would be their next president: Governor George W. Bush of Texas.

Vice President Al Gore, his last realistic avenue for legal challenge closed by a U. S. Supreme Court decision late Tuesday, planned to end the contest formally in a televised evening speech of perhaps 10 minutes, advisers said.

They said that Senator Joseph Lieberman, his vice presidential running mate, would first make brief comments. The men would speak from a ceremonial chamber of the Old Executive office Building, to the west of the White House.

The dozens of political workers and lawyers who had helped lead Mr. Gore’s unprecedented fight to claw a come-from-behind electoral victory in the pivotal state of Florida were thanked Wednesday and asked to stand down.

“The vice president has directed the recount committee to suspend activities,” William Daley, the Gore campaign chairman, said in a written statement.

Mr. Gore authorized that statement after meeting with his wife, Tipper, and with top advisers including Mr. Daley.

He was expected to telephone Mr. Bush during the day. The Bush campaign kept a low profile and moved gingerly, as if to leave space for Mr. Gore to contemplate his next steps.

Yet, at the end of a trying and tumultuous process that had focused world attention on sleepless vote counters across Florida, and on courtrooms form Miami to Tallahassee to Atlanta to Washington the Texas governor was set to become the 43d U. S. president.

The news of Mr. Gore’s plans followed the longest and most rancorous dispute over a U. S. presidential election in more than a century, one certain to leave scars in a badly divided country.

It was a bitter ending for Mr. Gore, who had outpolled Mr. Bush nationwide by some 300000 votes, but, without Florida, fell short in the Electoral College by 271votes to 267-the narrowest Electoral College victory since the turbulent election of 1876.

Mr. Gore was said to be distressed by what he and many Democratic activists felt was a partisan decision from the nation’s highest court.

But at the end of five seemingly endless weeks, during which the physical, legal and constitutional machines of the U. S. election were pressed and sorely tested in ways unseen in more than a century, the system finally produced a result, and one most Americans appeared to be willing at lease provisionally to support.

The Bush team welcomed the news with an outward show of restraint and aplomb. The governor’s hopes had risen and fallen so many times since Election night, and the legal warriors of each side suffered through so many dramatic reversals, that there was little energy left for celebration.

1. The main idea of this passage is

[A]. Bush’s victory in presidential election bore a political taint.

[B]. The process of the American presidential election.

[C]. The Supreme Court plays a very important part in the presidential election.

[D]. Gore is distressed.

2. What does the sentence “as if to leave space for Mr. Gore to contemplate his next step” mean

[A]. Bush hopes Gore to join his administration.

[B]. Bush hopes Gore to concede defeat and to support him.

[C]. Bush hopes Gore to congraduate him.

[D]. Bush hopes Gore go on fighting with him.

3. Why couldn’t Mr. Gore win the presidential election after he outpolled Mr. Bush in the popular vote? Because

[A]. the American president is decided by the supreme court’s decision.

[B]. people can’t directly elect their president.

[C]. the American president is elected by a slate of presidential electors.

[D]. the people of each state support Mr. Bush.

4. What was the result of the 5-4 decision of the supreme court?

[A]. It was in fact for the vote recount.

[B]. It had nothing to do with the presidential election.

[C]. It decided the fate of the winner.

[D]. It was in essence against the vote recount.

5. What did the “turbulent election of 1876” imply?

[A]. The process of presidential election of 2000 was the same as that.

[B]. There were great similarities between the two presidential elections (2000 and 1876).

[C]. It was compared to presidential election of 2000.

[D]. It was given an example.

Vocabulary

1. avenue 通向成功/获取成功的途径/手段

2. running mate 竞选伙伴，3. 如作为总统的竞选伙伴，4. 获胜后为副总统

5. pivotal 重要的，6. 枢纽的

7. gingerly=carefully 小心翼翼地

8. tumultuous 吵闹的，9. 骚动的，10. 激动的

11. rancorous 充满仇恨的

12. elector 总统选举团成员

13. elector college 美国选举总统的选举团

14. leeway 风压差，15. 余地

16. for all practical purpose 事实上，17. 实际

18. fracture 断裂，19. 折断

20. taint 污点，21. 败坏，22. 感染

23. dissent 不同24. 意，25. 异议

26. provisionally 暂时的，27. 临时的

28. aplomb 镇静，29. 沉着

30. restraint 抑制，31. 克制，32. 谨慎

难句译注

1. stand down 退出竞争/竞选，辞职，推出法庭。这里指戈尔感谢这些竞争支持者后，就退出竞选。此短语的对立面是stand for 竞选。 Ex: to stand for parliament 竞选国会议员。

2. The Bush campaign kept a low profile and moved gingerly, as if to leave space for Mr. Gore to contemplate his next steps.

[结构简析] profile 外形，轮廓，外观。Low profile 低姿态，不出头露面，不惹人注意。High profile 鲜明的姿态。

3. recount committee 重新计算选票委员会。

4. …one certain to leave scars is a badly divided country.

[结构简析] election 的同位语one (election) which was certain。 Leave scar 留下伤疤。

[参考译文] 人们可以肯定计算问题在这两派分裂的国家上留下伤疤。

5. It was a bitter ending for Mr. Gore, who had outpolled Mr. Bush nationwide by some 300000 votes, but, without Florida, fell short in the Electoral College by 271votes to 267-the narrowest Electoral College victory since the turbulent election of 1876.

[结构简析] outpoll 得到的选票超过某人。Fall short (of) 缺少，不足，达不到。Electoral college 选举团票，指每一个州人民选出一群人组成选举团，由它们直接选举总统。

6. The election of 1876

这是指1876年11月7日美国内战时少将，共和党人，俄亥俄州州长卢瑟福·海因斯，在总统选举结束后，认为自己输给民主党人，纽约州长萨缪尔·莱尔登而安息。可在第二天，因为涉嫌欺骗行为，有争议之州，如佛罗里达，路易斯安娜，南卡罗莱纳重新计票及诉讼。那一年选举结果争议持续了四个月的时间。国会因争议，不得不推迟总统就职时间。到第二年，1877年3月4日，总统就职最后期限的前两天，国会建立了一个两党联合选举委员会：包括八名共和党人和七名民主党人。最后该会把所有争议的选举人票都给了海因斯。结果以185票对莱尔登184张选举团票。海因斯多一票当选为美国第19任总统。2000年的美国总统选举与1876年的很相似。所以句内提及。

7. James Baker 3rd 贝克曾任前共和党总统里根(Ronald Reagen)政府的内阁成员和白宫办公所主任。在小布什父亲的父亲George Bush任总统时又担任过国务卿(1989--1993)。这次他是小布什为重新计票问题在法庭展开斗争的律师代表，而民主党的律师代表似乎克林顿政府中担任过国务卿的克里斯托弗Warren Christopher (1993--1997)。

8. Dick Cheney 切尼是小布什父亲执政时的老臣。他这次出山要以辅弼大臣的资格和经验辅佐朝政。所以报道中提到he will act in the Bush administration as a president in a corporation while George W. Bush as the Chairman of the board of directors.

9. John Adams (1735-1848), 约翰·亚当斯，10. 美国第二任总统(1979--1801)，11. 联邦党人，12. Federalist, 是起草独立宣言的关键人物。

13. John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) 美国第六任总统，14. 是上述亚当斯大儿子。

15. resolved and resigned 这里指16. 他的追随者认为戈尔坚定而17. 又顺从(天命)，18. 因为戈尔的演说，19. 一方面感谢他们的支持， 20. 五星期来保证每张票都应计算的努力是捍卫了原则问题，21. 另一方面也是号召全国支持新总统。

5. It was a bitter ending for Mr. Gore, who had outpolled Mr. Bush nationwide by some 300000 votes, but, without Florida, fell short in the Electoral College by 271votes to 267-the narrowest Electoral College victory since the turbulent election of 1876.

[结构简析] outpoll 得到的选票超过某人。Fall short (of) 缺少，不足，达不到。Electoral college 选举团票，指每一个州人民选出一群人组成选举团，由它们直接选举总统。

6. The election of 1876

这是指1876年11月7日美国内战时少将，共和党人，俄亥俄州州长卢瑟福·海因斯，在总统选举结束后，认为自己输给民主党人，纽约州长萨缪尔·莱尔登而安息。可在第二天，因为涉嫌欺骗行为，有争议之州，如佛罗里达，路易斯安娜，南卡罗莱纳重新计票及诉讼。那一年选举结果争议持续了四个月的时间。国会因争议，不得不推迟总统就职时间。到第二年，1877年3月4日，总统就职最后期限的前两天，国会建立了一个两党联合选举委员会：包括八名共和党人和七名民主党人。最后该会把所有争议的选举人票都给了海因斯。结果以185票对莱尔登184张选举团票。海因斯多一票当选为美国第19任总统。2000年的美国总统选举与1876年的很相似。所以句内提及。

7. James Baker 3rd 贝克曾任前共和党总统里根(Ronald Reagen)政府的内阁成员和白宫办公所主任。在小布什父亲的父亲George Bush任总统时又担任过国务卿(1989--1993)。这次他是小布什为重新计票问题在法庭展开斗争的律师代表，而民主党的律师代表似乎克林顿政府中担任过国务卿的克里斯托弗Warren Christopher (1993--1997)。

8. Dick Cheney 切尼是小布什父亲执政时的老臣。他这次出山要以辅弼大臣的资格和经验辅佐朝政。所以报道中提到he will act in the Bush administration as a president in a corporation while George W. Bush as the Chairman of the board of directors.

9. John Adams (1735-1848), 约翰·亚当斯，10. 美国第二任总统(1979--1801)，11. 联邦党人，12. Federalist, 是起草独立宣言的关键人物。

13. John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) 美国第六任总统，14. 是上述亚当斯大儿子。

15. resolved and resigned 这里指16. 他的追随者认为戈尔坚定而17. 又顺从(天命)，18. 因为戈尔的演说，19. 一方面感谢他们的支持， 20. 五星期来保证每张票都应计算的努力是捍卫了原则问题，21. 另一方面也是号召全国支持新总统。

22. It saw no such leeway. 美国高等法院认为这是没有成功的多花时间，23. 金钱的事。和后面句内for all practical purpose the election was over 事实上选举已结束(已成定居)，24. 传达了高等法院认为重新计票毫无作用之义。

25. That decision, by a court fractured along philosophical lines, left one liberal justice charging that the high court’s proceedings bore a political taint.

[参考译文] 法院这一裁决割裂了哲学思想，使一位自由派法官(司法官)指高等法院程序沾上了政治污点。

26. But at the end of five seemingly endless weeks, during which the physical, legal and constitutional machines of the U. S. election were pressed and sorely tested in ways unseen in more than a century, the system finally produced a result, and one most Americans appeared to be willing at lease provisionally to support.

[参考译文] 经过5个似乎无休止的星期之后，这个制度总算产生了一个结果，一个大多数美国人，至少目前能暂时支持的总统。在这五星期内，有形的，法律的，政体的机器都经受了压力(都很紧张)，也经受了一百多年来没有见过的这方面的沉重考验。

写作方法和文章大意

这是一篇报导，其特点先画龙点睛指出中心事实，Bush当选，戈尔退出，然后以对比手法写出胜者和败方的处理方法，前者低调，谨慎，似乎宽容，后者似乎退让，认命，再次选举的经过，特别是最高法院的裁决，决定选举的命运点出胜败之因(因果写法)。小布什的险胜有点类似1876的选举(实例佐证)。

答案祥解

1. A. 布什在总统选举中获胜沾上了政治污点。整篇文章环绕这一点而2. 写。文章一开始就写戈尔在高等法院裁决下退出竞选，3. 再写布什得胜后的低调行动表示对戈尔的期望。仁厚点出271--276选举团票布什的险胜是和全国最高法院的欺诈性裁决有关，4. 这令戈尔痛心疾首，5. 令布什等感恩戴德。最后集中写了高等法院司法程序沾上了政治污点，6. 以及当选之布什的后果--大多数美国人似乎暂时会支持。这一切7. 说明布什胜胜不8. 武，而9. 戈尔却是虽败尤胜。

B. 美国总统选举过程，文章过程的焦点在布什获胜之因，不单单是过程，故B. 项不对。

C. 高等法院在总统选举中起着重要的作用。其作用是欺诈性裁决，偏袒布什获胜，是政治污点，反映了布什的手段。 D. 戈尔很难受，这是事实，但不是中心思想。

10. B. 布什希11. 望戈尔(能退一步)承认失败，12. 并支持他，而13. 戈尔确实是也这样做了。所以他的助手称戈尔为 “resolved and resigned.” 坚决而14. 又顺从天命的人。至少在他的演讲中号召人们追随新总统。

A. 布什希望戈尔参与他的政府。 C. 布什希望戈尔祝贺他。 D. 布什希望戈尔继续和他斗下去。

15. C. 美国的总统由选举团提名16. 选举产生。见难句译注5和6。

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