难句突破


Almost all of its borrowers are women，and the micro-lender tries to ensure that its loans raise the economic status of women within their families by ensuring，for example，that ownership of houses built with Grameen loans staying with the women.

主体句式：Almost all of its borrowers are women，and the micro-lender tries to ensure that...

结构分析：这个句子由两个并列结构构成，以第一个逗号后面的and连接。第一部分是一个简单句，而第二部分则较为复杂。首先，第一个that后面引导的是一个宾语从句，其次by后面跟了一个名词性动词短语，而在插入语for example后又由that引导了一个宾语从句。

句子译文：该银行的贷款人大部分是女性，小额贷款通过诸如担保贷款建房的房屋所有权归妇女等措施，试图确保其贷款能提高女性在家庭中的经济地位。





题目分析


1．C 细节题。从文章第一段中可以推断，所谓的“贫穷总带着女性的面具”意指女性的贫困率要高于男性。A和B选项的表述不符合文章原意，而D选项与题目的问题无关。

2．A 细节题。B、C和D选项的内容分别可以在文章第二、三、四段中找到。同时，文章第二段第一句话就指出，世界银行要努力改变女性高贫困率这一状况。A选项的错误原因在于文章并没有谈到世界银行对于美国贫富状况的看法。

3．D 语义题。从文章第五段最后一句中可以看出，translates into的上下文分别为lower economic value 和social and political status，可以看出二者存在因果关系，因此答案为D。

4．B 情感态度题。文章第五段称世界银行将妇女解放和经济发展两者之间的因果关系本末倒置了，这说明作者对世界银行就妇女贫困问题做出的解释持反对态度，认为世界银行没有抓住问题的重点和关键。

5．C 细节题。文章第五、六段涉及了相关论述，如“妇女解放运动…应该归功于减轻家务负担的洗碗机和洗衣机”等，答案显然为C。A和B选项的表述都与原文意思相反，而D选项错误在于小额贷款只是该银行业务的一部分，并不是全部。





参考译文



不论在发达国家还是贫穷国家，贫穷总带着女性的面具。这个问题在美国已经够严重的了：根据人口调查局统计，14.1%的妇女生活在贫困中，相比却只有11.1%的男人生活贫困。但在发展中国家，这一情况就更糟糕了。据估计，世界70%的穷人是女性，她们通常依靠每日不足2美元的费用生活，相比之下，美国国内所谓的贫困就显得没那么严重了。

世界银行希望改变这一现状，并于二月底与经济合作与发展组织及欧洲部分国家的政府携手，在柏林召开了一次关于加强妇女的经济实力的会议。世界银行认为限制妇女参与经济不仅对妇女不公平，在经济学上看来也非常不利。为扭转这一现象，会议发表了一项“性别行为草案”，呼吁搜集更好的资料，并更加积极地推动世界银行争取使妇女踏入经济主流地位的方案。

目前，世界银行称，妇女平均比男人少赚22%，且贷款能力也更加有限；比如在非洲，妇女仅获取了农用贷款的1%。改变这一现状将对世界范围内的妇女受剥夺状况产生巨大的影响。因此孟加拉的格莱明银行同其他努力减少贫困的组织一道，决定集中力量关注妇女。该银行的贷款人大部分是女性，小额贷款通过诸如担保贷款建房的房屋所有权归妇女等措施，试图确保其贷款能提高女性在家庭中的经济地位。

有证据表明，赋予女性财政权力能够促进经济发展。当男人掌控大部分财政时，家庭支出更有可能在男孩和女孩间分配不均，导致家庭女性成员得不到维持基本生活需要的资源。这会阻碍女性成员们的身心发展。赋予女性经济权力能够改变家庭中的决策机制，从而改进公众福利。女性掌管财政支出时，家庭会在食品和育儿方面花费更多，而不是在烟酒上。

但是世界银行似乎将事情本末倒置了。是解放妇女促进经济增长还是经济增长刺激妇女解放？在那种体力创造经济价值的经济体中，即使考虑了生儿育女等因素，妇女仍然注定比男人得到更少的回报，体现更小的价值。在多数社会中，经济价值低意味着社会和政治地位也很低。

发达国家的经验看起来意味着经济增长引发了根本性的妇女解放。随着蛮力价值的下降，劳动力市场为女性提供了更多的机会。现代避孕用品、省力的工具使得女性更容易得到带薪工作，于是随之而来的就是她们的经济和政治实力。有一种观点认为，妇女解放运动的成功并不是由于所谓的“女性的神秘性”，而应该归功于减轻家务负担的洗碗机和洗衣机。倘若如此，世界银行更应该注重促进经济增长而不是操心性别问题。





Unit 28


Leandre Nsabi，a senior at Rainier Beach High School here，received some bluntly practical advice from an instructor recently．“My teacher said there's a lot of money to be made in computer science,” Leandre said．“It could be really helpful in the future.” That teacher，Steven Edouard，knows a few things about the subject．When he is not volunteering as a computer science instructor four days a week，Mr．Edouard works at Microsoft．He is one of 110 engineers from high-tech companies who are part of a Microsoft program aimed at getting high school students hooked on computer science，so they go on to pursue careers in the field. In doing so，Microsoft is taking an unusual approach to tackling a shortage of computer science graduates—one of the most serious issues facing the technology industry，and a broader challenge for the nation's economy.

There are likely to be 150,000 computing jobs opening up each year through 2020，according to an analysis of federal forecasts by the Association for Computing Machinery，a professional society for computing researchers．But despite the hoopla around start-up celebrities like Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook，fewer than 40,000 American students received bachelor's degrees in computer science during 2010，the National Center for Education Statistics estimates．And the wider job market remains weak．“People can’t get jobs，and we have jobs that can’t be filled,” Brad Smith，Microsoft's general counsel who oversees its philanthropic efforts，said in a recent interview.

Big technology companies have complained for years about a dearth of technical talent，a problem they have tried to solve by lobbying for looser immigration rules to accommodate more foreign engineers and sponsoring tech competitions to encourage student interest in the industry．Google，for one，holds a programming summer camp for incoming ninth graders and underwrites an effort called CS4HS，in which high school teachers sharpen their computer science skills in workshops at local universities.

But Microsoft is sending its employees to the front lines，encouraging them to commit to teaching a high school computer science class for a full school year．Its engineers，who earn a small stipend for their classroom time，are in at least two hourlong classes a week and sometimes as many as five．Schools arrange the classes for first thing in the day to avoid interfering with the schedules of the engineers，who often do not arrive at Microsoft until the late morning.

The program started as a grass-roots effort by Kevin Wang，a Microsoft engineer with a master's degree in education from Harvard．In 2009，he began volunteering as a computer science teacher at a Seattle public high school on his way to work．After executives at Microsoft caught wind of what he was doing，they put financial support behind the effort—which is known as Technology Education and Literacy in Schools，or Teals—and let Mr．Wang run it full time．The program is now in 22 schools in the Seattle area and has expanded to more than a dozen other schools in Washington，Utah，North Dakota，California and other states this academic year．Microsoft wants other big technology companies to back the effort so it can broaden the number of outside engineers involved.


注（1）：本文选自The New York Times;

注（2）：本文习题模仿对象：第1、5题模仿2011年真题Text 1的第1、5题；第2题模仿2010年真题Text 2的第2题；第3、4题模仿2011年真题Text 2的第3、4题。



1．We can learn from the first two paragraphs that ______.

A) America faces a serious issue—lack of computer science graduates

B) computer science is promising

C) Microsoft sends its employees to high schools to be the computer science instructors

D) there are not enough people hunting for jobs in the computer field

2．All the below are the solutions to the lack of qualified technical talents，except ______.

A) persuading the government to make looser immigration rules to introduce more foreign talents

B) funding the technology competitions to inspire more students on tech

C) holding a programming summer camp for incoming ninth graders

D) making students improve their science skills in CS4HS

3．The word“stipend” （Line 2，Paragraph 4）most probably means ______.

A) salary

B) reputation

C) prize

D) respect

4．It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.

A) the program is a grass-roots effort originally

B) Kevin Wang was praised by the executives at Microsoft

C) 22 schools in the Seattle area have involved in the program

D) Microsoft's plan has already caused attention of other schools and Microsoft hopes for more companies to participate

5．From the text we can see that the writer seems ______.

A) positive

B) negative

C) uncertain

D) neutral





篇章剖析


本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍了美国当前面临着科技人员短缺的问题。面对这一问题，微软做出新的举措试图挽救这一局面。前两段首先指出，美国出现的科技人才短缺危机已影响到国民经济，微软采取一些计划试图改变这一现状；紧接着第三段讲述了美国其他大型科技公司采取的各种挽救措施；第四段介绍了微软把自己的员工派驻到学校进行科技课程的指导，也就是所谓的“校园科技教育与扫盲”活动；最后一段讲述了这一草根行动受到许多学校的大力支持，微软鼓励其他公司也参与进来，以吸引更多外部工程师的参与。





词汇注释


bluntly /ˈblʌntli/ adv. 坦率地；迟钝地

hoopla /ˈhuːplɑː/ n. 大吹大擂，喧闹；投环套物游戏

philanthropic /ˌfɪlənˈθrɔpɪk/ adj. 慈善的；博爱的

underwrite /ˌʌndəˈraɪt/ v. 同意资助；签署（保险单）；认购

stipend /ˈstaɪpend/ n. 薪水，薪金





难句突破


He is one of 110 engineers from high-tech companies who are part of a Microsoft program aimed at getting high school students hooked on computer science，so they go on to pursue careers in the field.

主体句式：He is one of 110 engineers.

结构分析：这个长句看上去结构复杂，其实主句很短。主句后面的介宾结构作engineers 的后置定语，这里面包含一个由who引导的限制性定语从句，先行词是engineers，用来补充说明这110名工程师的情况，aimed at后面的动名词短语是目的状语，so引导一个结果状语从句。

句子译文：他是高科技公司派驻到中学里的110名工程师之一，是微软发起的一个项目的成员，这个项目旨在让高中学生迷上计算机科学，进而在这一领域谋求职业发展。





题目分析


1．A 推断题。B、C和D都只是现象，是文中提到的事实，而A则是在这些事实基础之上推断出来的结果。

2．D 细节题。A、B和C在文中皆有对应的信息。虽文中也提到了CS4HS项目，但该项目的参与者是high school teachers，而非学生。

3．A 语义题。由前后文语义可知，进驻学校的微软工程师们课时至少每周两小时，有的多达五小时，讲课只能获得small stipend，根据常识可推断stipend为在学校earn的是薪金。

4．D 推断题。最后一段中提出，微软推出的这一项目在西雅图地区有22所学校参与了并已经拓展到华盛顿地区和其他一些州，由此可以推出，微软这一计划已经引起了关注，但仅靠微软远远不够，它希望有更多的公司参与进来。A、C选项皆是文中表述的事实，B在文中作者并未直接表明，而D则是基于这些事实得出的结论，体现了段落主旨，故为答案。

5．D 情感态度题。本文是一篇说明文，旨在陈述客观事实，因此作者持中立态度。





参考译文



莱安德雷·恩萨比是雷尼尔海滩高中的一名高年级学生，最近他得到了一位老师极为直率而又实用的建议。他说：“我的老师告诉我，计算机科学行业能赚大钱，这门学问在将来真的能派上用场。”这位老师名叫史蒂文·爱德华。对计算机这门学科，他的确有些了解。除了自愿来这里每周花四天时间担任计算机教师之外，爱德华还在微软工作。他是高科技公司派驻到中学里的110名工程师之一，是微软发起的一个项目的成员，这个项目旨在让高中学生迷上计算机科学，进而在这一领域谋求职业发展。微软正在通过这种不寻常的方法来解决计算机专业本科毕业生不足的问题，这是美国科技行业目前面临的最严重的问题之一，也给整个美国经济带来了更大的挑战。

美国一个专业计算机研究者协会——计算机协会对联邦政府预测数据的分析表明，到2020年美国计算机行业每年可能将有15万个计算机岗位空缺。尽管Facebook首席执行官马克·扎克伯格等创业名人十分风光，但美国国家教育数据统计中心估算，2010年美国的计算机本科毕业生还不到四万人。此外，整个就业市场依然低迷。微软总法律顾问布拉德·史密斯负责监督这个无偿教育项目。他在最近的受访中表示：“有些人找不到工作，而我们有些职位却招不到人。”

多年来，美国大型科技公司一直对科技人才匮乏的局面怨声载道。他们也一直在设法解决这个问题，比如游说政府放宽移民政策以便引进更多的国外工程师，以及出资举办科技竞赛来提高学生们对这个行业的兴趣。在这些公司中，谷歌为即将上九年级的学生举办了编程夏令营活动，并同意资助一项名为CS4HS的计划。在该计划中高中教师可以通过参加当地大学主办的研习班来提升计算机技能。

然而，微软则把自己的员工派到最前线，鼓励他们到高中去，教授整整一学年的计算机课。进驻中学的微软工程师们授课只能获得很少的报酬，他们的课时至少为每周两小时，有些人的课时则多达五小时。学校会将他们的课程排在一天中的最前面，以免影响工程师们的日程安排，而他们通常也要到上午比较晚的时候才能到微软工作。

这个项目本是一项草根行动，由微软工程师凯文·王首创。他曾在哈佛大学取得教育学硕士学位。2009年，凯文·王志愿在他上班途中的一家西雅图公立高中担任计算机科学老师。微软高管得知他的做法后，为凯文·王提供了财务支持，也就是“校园科技教育与扫盲”活动，并允许他把全部时间投入到这项工作中。目前，这个项目已经在西雅图地区的22所学校展开，并且已在这个学年拓展到华盛顿、犹他州、北达科他州、加利福尼亚州和其他州的十多所学校。微软希望其他大型科技公司也能支持这项活动，这样可以扩大外部工程师的参与范围。





Unit 29


Tanna Oldfield's software company needed to establish rapport between some new hires and the firm's old guard．She says the company，which is based in Austin，Texas，wanted to do something different—to“step out of the box”．So she asked her employees to step out of a plane．At 14,000 feet．Oldfield says the sky-high bonding exercise left the workers“exhilarated” and“more confident” in just one day．“If they could conquer fears about sky diving,” she says，“they could overcome work issues.”

Even in a climate of corporate cost-cutting，Oldfield's company（she prefers that it remain unidentified）and many other New Economy survivors continue to invest money in training sessions that do not involve blackboards，computers or conference rooms．Instead，they send their employees on increasingly elaborate，and even risky，“team-building” trips．From white-water rafting to caving and rock climbing，corporate trainers are raising the difficulty level on challenges for the cubicle set.

Hard times may even persuade some companies to loosen their purse strings．Diane Katz，who has a doctoral degree in conflict resolution，says half the clients who go on her year-old Working Circle team-building exercises in Arizona are there because bosses want to reward them for good work．“People need to let off steam in harder times,” says Katz，who uses horse whisperers—who claim to speak to the animals，a practice popularized by Robert Redford's movie“The Horse Whisperer”—as facilitators on singing trail rides in the Sonoran desert （the people sing，not the horses）.

After an office shake-up，Elizabeth Burg，a project coordinator for Visa U.S.A．in Foster City.，Calif.，staged a regatta to help employees learn how to work together in a new environment．A corporate training firm，Adventure Associates of El Cerrito，Calif.，taught boating basics to Burg and 20 landlubber co-workers and then set them loose on 34-foot sailboats for a race on San Francisco Bay （with a professional skipper aboard each yacht，just in case）．“As adults，we don’t usually get to play in areas where we’re not experts,” Burg says．“People cooperated and interacted differently.”

After a reorganization last fall，DMR，a New Jersey-based telecommunications consulting firm，flew more than 100 employees of various ages to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia for a four-and-a-half-day program run by the Outdoor Wilderness Leadership School.“I expected a total disaster,” recalls John Tedesco，a fifty-something sales executive．But after dangling 90 feet above the ground in a rope harness on a granite rock face，Tedesco learned to rely on much younger colleagues．“You’re taking risks you usually don’t deal with，and suddenly your co-workers are helping you,” he recalls．“Nothing has been the same since.” That's because rugged outdoor challenges can topple rigid office hierarchies and encourage the sort of camaraderie often missing from traditional off-site work events．“You see people in a different light,” says Tedesco．And when the most junior employee turns out to be more wilderness-savvy than the CEO，everyone relaxes—except possibly the CEO.


注（1）：本文选自Newsweek；

注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象为2004年真题Text 1。



1．What does Oldfield expect her software company to be rewarded by the trip?

A) A good spirit of confidence．

B) The ability to overcome difficulties.

C) A good relationship among the employees．

D) The courage to jump at a high height.

2．Which of the following is NOT the advantage of team-building excursions?

A) A good place to know your strong points compared with the CEO.

B) A good place to vent one's feelings.

C) A good place to learn how to work together.

D) A good place to improve your exchange with colleagues.

3．The expression“let off steam”（Line 4，Paragraph 3）most probably means ______.

A) solving the problems

B) saving themselves

C) getting out of the difficulty

D) releasing one's offensive feelings

4．What effect does a four-and-a-half-day program bring to John Tedesco?

A) A total disaster fell on him．

B) His ideas have been totally changed.

C) He cares about his colleagues．

D) He is dependant on his colleagues.

5．What can we infer from the text?

A) Team-building trips can solve employees’ problems.

B) Team-building trips are popular with many companies.

C) There are risks，as well as rewards in team-building trips.

D) Employees are able to overcome difficulties after the trips.





篇章剖析


本文采用提出问题——分析问题的模式，指出“团队建设”的旅行项目尽管有一定的危险，但是带给旅行者的收益却很大。第一段和第二段指出奥德菲尔德软件公司和其他新经济的幸存者进行的形式多样的旅行项目；第三段至第五段分别指出旅行者在不同形式的旅行中的收获和启示。