Text 4

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) continues to bleed red ink. It reported a net loss of $5.6 billion for fiscal 2016, the 10th straight year its expenses have exceeded revenue. Meanwhile, it has more than $120 billion in unfunded liabilities, mostly for employee health and retirement costs. There are many bankruptcies. Fundamentally, the USPS is in a historic squeeze between technological change that has permanently decreased demand for its bread-and-butter product, first-class mail, and a regulatory structure that denies management the flexibility to adjust its operations to the new reality

And interest groups ranging from postal unions to greeting-card makers exert self-interested pressure on the USPS’s ultimate overseer-Congress-insisting that whatever else happens to the Postal Service, aspects of the status quo they depend on get protected. This is why repeated attempts at reform legislation have failed in recent years, leaving the Postal Service unable to pay its bills except by deferring vital modernization.

Now comes word that everyone involved---Democrats, Republicans, the Postal Service, the unions and the system's heaviest users—has finally agreed on a plan to fix the system. Legislation is moving through the House that would save USPS an estimated $28.6 billion over five years, which could help pay for new vehicles, among other survival measures. Most of the money would come from a penny-per-letter permanent rate increase and from shifting postal retirees into Medicare. The latter step would largely offset the financial burden of annually pre-funding retiree health care, thus addressing a long-standing complaint by the USPS and its union.

If it clears the House, this measure would still have to get through the Senate – where someone is bound to point out that it amounts to the bare, bare minimum necessary to keep the Postal Service afloat, not comprehensive reform. There’s no change to collective bargaining at the USPS, a major omission considering that personnel accounts for 80 percent of the agency’s costs. Also missing is any discussion of eliminating Saturday letter delivery. That common-sense change enjoys wide public support and would save the USPS $2 billion per year. But postal special-interest groups seem to have killed it, at least in the House. The emerging consensus around the bill is a sign that legislators are getting frightened about a politically embarrassing short-term collapse at the USPS. It is not, however, a sign that they’re getting serious about transforming the postal system for the 21st century.

36. 【题干】The financial problem with the USPS is caused partly by_____.

【选项】

A．its unbalanced budget.

B．its rigid management.

C．the cost for technical upgrading.

D．the withdrawal of bank support.

36. 答案 [B] its rigid management
解析：细节题。根据题干信息定位到文章第一段，注意问的是主要原因(partly)。第一段第四句提到“破产原因有很多”。接着第五句以一个长难句指出“从根本上来讲，the USPS 处于历史性的压榨期，这里面就包括对于实用产品以及一类邮件需求量无限期减少而面临的技术改革，管理结构方面没能够灵活地将自己的生产模式适用到现实生活中”。由此可见，主要原因在于管理方面。因此B项为正确答案。句中的Fundamentally与题干中的partly属于同义替换。

37. 【题干】According to Paragraph 2, the USPS fails to modernize itself due to_____.

【选项】

A．the interference from interest groups.

B．the inadequate funding from Congress.

C．the shrinking demand for postal service.

D．the incompetence of postal unions.

37. 答案 [A] the interference from interest groups
解析：细节题。根据题干信息fail以及modernize定位到第二段最后一句。该句提到“这就是近些年来立法改革屡次失败的原因”，正是题干问的问题。上文提到利益集团，从邮政联盟，到贺卡制作公司，都对USPS施加压力，强调无论发生什么，他们所依赖的现状都要得到保护。因此，利益集团的干预是改革失败的主要原因。故选A项。

38. 【题干】The long-standing complaint by the USPS and its unions can be addressed by_____.

【选项】

A．removing its burden of retiree health care.

B．making more investment in new vehicles.

C．adopting a new rate-increase mechanism.

D．attracting more first-class mail users.

38.答案[A] removing its burden of retiree health care.
解析：题目中出现了大写USPS以及具体信息the long-standing complaint等具体内容，可知本题目为具体细节题。我们需要根据题目中出现的关键词complaint，USPS，union等定位，可以发现本题目是对本篇文章第三段最后的一部分，最后一句话提到了thus addressing a long-standing complaints by the USPS and its union，这是题目的原词。所以，答案就是前面的the latter step would ...offset the financial burden of annually pre-funding retiree health care。另外，the latter step也指上一句中的shifting postal retiree into Medicare。再对应选项，得出A项removing its burden of retiree health care。

39. 【题干】In the last paragraph, the author seems to view legislators with_____.

【选项】

A．respect.

B．tolerance.

C．discontent.

D．gratitude.

39.答案[C] discontent.
解析：题目中指出了the author对legislator的观点和看法是什么，与态度题相关，态度题一定要通过文中的相关词找到相应的倾向，判断好或者坏，向上或者向下。根据题目中的关键信息legislator定位到最后一段倒数第二句话，该句在陈述完legislators的内容后，下一句紧跟着一个词however，明确指出了作者的倾向，并且写到it is not a sign...，结合前后句的内容，可以得出作者的倾向是明确的负向色彩。选项中表示负面色彩的只有C项discontent。

40. 【题干】Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

【选项】

A．The USPS Starts to Miss Its Good Old Days

B．The Postal Service: Keep Away from My Cheese

C．The USPS: Chronic Illness Requires a Quick Cure

D．The Postal Service Needs More than a Band-Aid

40.答案[D] The Postal Service Needs More than a Band-Aid.
解析：该题目中的best title为典型的文章主旨题。首先，我们可以通过题目中反复出现的内容来确定文章与什么样的主题相关，可以看出反复出现了USPS，也就是U.S. Postal Service，并且反复出现了problem，fail to do，address等内容，是有关问题以及解决办法之类的话题。再来看文章的首段和第二段内容，第一段就指出了U.S. Postal Service在财务上的各种问题，并分析了三方面的原因，第二段就涉及到了很多的解决办法，并分析这些attempt的影响等具体内容。所以可以得出，正确答案为[D] The Postal Service Needs More than a Band-Aid。

Part B

Directions:

The following paragraphs are given in a wrong order. For Questions 41-45, you are required to reorganize these paragraphs into a coherent article by choosing from the list A-G and filling them into the numbered boxes. Paragraphs C and F have been correctly placed. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)

[A]. In December of 1869, Congress appointed a commission to select a site and prepare plans and cost estimates for a new State Department Building. The commission was also to consider possible arrangements for the War and Navy Departments. To the horror of some who expected a Greek Revival twin of the Treasury Building to be erected on the other side of the White House, the elaborate French Second Empire style design by Alfred Mullett was selected, and construction of a building to house all three departments began in June of 1871.

[B]. Completed in 1875, the State Department's south wing was the first to be occupied, with its elegant four-story library (completed in 1876), Diplomatic Reception Room, and Secretary's office decorated with carved wood, Oriental rugs, and stenciled wall patterns. The Navy Department moved into the east wing in 1879, where elaborate wall and ceiling stenciling and marquetry floors decorated the office of the Secretary.

[C]. The State, War, and Navy Building, as it was originally known, housed the three Executive Branch Departments most intimately associated with formulating and conducting the nation's foreign policy in the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the first quarter of the twentieth century-the period when the United States emerged as an international power. The building has housed some of the nation's most significant diplomats and politicians and has been the scene of many historic events.

[D]. Many of the most celebrated national figures have participated in historical events that have taken place within the EEOB's granite walls. Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush all had offices in this building before becoming president. It has housed 16 Secretaries of the Navy, 21 Secretaries of War, and 24 Secretaries of State. Winston Churchill once walked its corridors and Japanese emissaries met here with Secretary of State Cordell Hull after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

[E]. The Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) commands a unique position in both the national history and the architectural heritage of the United States. Designed by Supervising Architect of the Treasury, Alfred B. Mullett, it was built from 1871 to 1888 to house the growing staffs of the State, War, and Navy Departments, and is considered one of the best examples of French Second Empire architecture in the country.

[F]. Construction took 17 years as the building slowly rose wing by wing. When the EEOB was finished, it was the largest office building in Washington, with nearly 2 miles of black and white tiled corridors. Almost all of the interior detail is of cast iron or plaster; the use of wood was minimized to insure fire safety. Eight monumental curving staircases of granite with over 4,000 individually cast bronze balusters are capped by four skylight domes and two stained glass rotundas.

[G]. The history of the EEOB began long before its foundations were laid. The first executive offices were constructed between 1799 and 1820. A series of fires (including those set by the British in 1814) and overcrowded conditions led to the construction of the existing Treasury Building. In 1866, the construction of the North Wing of the Treasury Building necessitated the demolition of the State Department building.

41.【答案】E

【解析】很多选项中都出现了EEOB这个简称，那么就意味着这个专有名词一定会先有交代它的全称，再出现简称，这里只有D选项符合。

42. 【答案】G

【解析】 选项中有很多时间，所以这篇文章很可能有明显的时间线，而G出现了关键词The history of the EEOB

43. 【答案】A

【解析】In December of 1869，出现了早的时间，并且文章内容说国会选址开始建，符合逻辑

44【答案】B

【解析】F段中说到了建了17年，一边接一边修建，B中出现完成Completed in 1875，符合逻辑

45. 【答案】D

【解析】讲完了建筑特色，再说很多名人在其中发生的历史事件，符合逻辑

Part C Translation

Directions:

Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Your translation should be written neatly on the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)

46) By the date of his birth Europe was witnessing the passing of the religious drama, and the creation of new forms under the incentive of classical tragedy and comedy.

【解析】本句主干为Europe was witnessing the passing and the creation。句首by the date of his birth，考查代词指代，回上文可知为：莎士比亚。under the incentive of classical tragedy and comedy为定语，修饰the creation。

【参考译文】莎士比亚出生之时，宗教戏剧在欧洲正逐渐消亡，而在经典悲剧和戏剧的激发下，这里正在形成各种新的戏剧形式。

47) no boy who went to a grammar school could be ignorant that the drama was a form of literature which gave glory to Greece and Rome and might yet bring honor to England.

【解析】本句的主干为：no boy could be ignorant that...，意思为：没有人会不了解...，可以翻译成：人都了解...。who went to a grammar school为定语从句，修饰no boy，可以前置翻译为：去文法学校的人都了解....。之后为that引导的宾语从句，宾语从句的主干为the drama was a form of literature，之后为which引导的定语从句，修饰a form of literature，定语从句中might yet do意思为：迟早会...，定语从句可采用后置的翻译方法：它已经给希腊和罗马带来了荣耀，也可能会给英国带来荣耀。

【参考译文】那些去文法学校的人都知道，戏剧是文学的一种形式，它已经给希腊和罗马带来了荣耀，也迟早会给英国带来荣耀。

48) But the professional companies prospered in their permanent theaters, and university men with literary ambitions were quick to turn to these theaters as offering a means of livelihood.

【解析】本句为并列句。前半句the professional companies专业公司，在本文中指的是专业戏剧公司。permanent意为：永久的，固定的，their permanent theaters可翻译为：固定的剧院。前半句可翻译为：但是，专业戏剧公司有了固定的剧院而繁荣发展起来。后半句with literary ambitions修饰university men，可断句翻译为：有文学抱负的大学生迅速投身这些剧院，将其视为谋生的手段。

【参考译文】但是，专业戏剧公司在固定的剧院中繁荣发展起来，有文学抱负的大学生迅速投身这些剧院，并将其视为谋生的手段。

49) A native literary drama had been created, its alliance with the public playhouses established, and at least some of its great traditions had been begun.

【解析】本句为并列句，前半句主干为a native literary drama had been created，可翻译为：一种当地的文学戏剧形式已经被创立，其中被动语态可以直接翻译为：产生出来。its alliance with the public playhouses established为独立主格结构，意思为：它和公共剧院的联盟关系被确立，可翻译为：它与公共剧院建立了联盟关系。后半句主干为：traditions had been begun，可翻译为：最终这种戏剧的一些伟大传统也开始出现。

【参考译文】一种当地的文学戏剧艺术已经产生了，它与公众剧院也建立了联盟关系，而最终这种戏剧的一些伟大传统也开始出现。

50) To realize how great was the dramatic activity, we must remember further that hosts of plays have been lost, and that probably there is no author of note whose entire work has survived.

【解析】本句主干为 we must remember that... and that...。句首不定式短语中to realize后为how引导的宾语从句，可以翻译为：要想知道戏剧艺术的伟大之处。further为状语，修饰remember，可翻译为：还必须记住。hosts of plays翻译为：大量的戏剧作品，其种plays应翻译为“戏剧作品”。第二个that引导的宾语从句的主干为there is no author，之后of note意思为：重要的、引人注目的、著名的。之后为whose引导的定语从句，修饰author of note，定语从句可用融合法，翻译为：没有著名戏剧作者的完整作品保存下来。

【参考译文】要想知道戏剧艺术的伟大之处，我们还必须记住大量的戏剧作品已经丢失，而且或许我们也不会知道那些没有完整作品保存下来的剧作家