Paris is like pornography. You respond even if you don’t want to. You turn a corner and see a vista, and your imagination bolts away. Suddenly you are thinking about what it would be like to live in Paris, and then you think about all the lives you have not lived. Sometimes, though, when you are lucky, you only think about how many pleasures the day ahead holds. Then, you feel privileged.
The lobby of the hotel is decorated in red and gold. It gives off a whiff of 19th-century decadence. Probably as much as any hotel in Paris, this hotel is sexy. I was standing facing the revolving doors and the driveway beyond. A car with a woman in the back seat—a woman in a short skirt and black-leather jacket—pulled up before the hotel door. She swung off and she was wearing high heels. Normally, my mind would have leaped and imagined a story for this woman. Now it didn’t. I stood there and told myself. Cheer up. You’re in Paris.
In many ways, Paris is best visited in winter. The tourist crowds are at a minimum, and one is not being jammed off the narrow sidewalks along the Rue Dauphine. More than this, Paris is like many other European cities in that the season of blockbuster cultural events tends to begin in mid-to late fall and so, by the time of winter, most of the cultural treasures of the city are laid out to be admired.
The other great reason why Paris in winter is so much better than Paris in spring and fall is that after the end of the August holidays and the return of chic Parisian women to their city, the restaurant-opening season truly begins hopping. By winter, many of the new restaurants have worked out their kinks (不足;困难) and, once the hype has died down, it is possible to see which restaurants are actually good and which are merely noisy and crowded.
Most people are about as happy as they set their mind to being, Lincoln said. In Paris it doesn’t take much to be happy. Outside the hotel, the sky was pale and felt very high up. I walked the few blocks to the Seine and began running along the blue-green river toward the Eiffel Tower. The tower in the distance was black, and felt strange and beautiful the way that many things built for the joy of building do. As I ran toward it, because of its lattice structure, the tower seemed obviously delicate. Seeing it, I felt a sense of protectiveness.
I think it was this moment of protectiveness that marked the change in my mood and my slowly becoming thrilled with being in Paris.
During winter evenings, Paris’s streetlamps have a halo and resemble dandelions. In winter, when one leaves the Paris street and enters a cafe or restaurant, the light and temperature change suddenly and dramatically, there is the sense of having discovered something secret. In winter, because the days are short, there is an urgency to the choices one makes. There is the sense that life is short and so let us decide on what matters.
1. According to the passage, once in Paris one might experience all the following feelings EXCEPT ________.
2. Winter is the best season to visit Paris. Which of the following does NOT support this statement?
3. In the eyes of the author, winter in Paris is significant because of ________.
4. At the end of the passage, the author found himself in a mood of ________.
问题1选项
A.regret
B.condescension
C.expectation
D.impulse
问题2选项
A.Fashionable Parisian women return to Paris.
B.More entertainment activities are staged.
C.There are more good restaurants to choose from.
D.There are fewer tourists in Paris.
问题3选项
A.the atmosphere of its evenings
B.its implications for life
C.the contrast it brings
D.the discovery one makes
问题4选项
A.excitement
B.thoughtfulness
C.loneliness
D.joyfulness
第1题:
【选项释义】
According to the passage, once in Paris one might experience all the following feelings EXCEPT ________. 根据这篇文章,一旦到了巴黎,人们可能会经历以下所有的感受,除了________。
A. regret A. 遗憾
B. condescension B. 屈尊
C. expectation C. 期待
D. impulse D. 冲动
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据关键词可以定位到文章第一段,本段说到“即使你不想做出反应,你也会有所反应(respond even if you don’t want to)。你转过一个拐角,看到一个景象,你的想象力迸发出来(your imagination bolts away)。突然间,你想到了生活在巴黎会是什么样子(thinking about what it would be like to live in Paris),然后你想到了所有你没有经历过的生活(think about all the lives you have not lived)”,说明在巴黎人们会感到冲动、期待,其中“你想到了所有你没有经历过的生活(think about all the lives you have not lived)”用的是虚拟语气,表示与现实相反的事情,体现了对于不能生活在巴黎而产生的遗憾,其中没有提到屈尊这一点。因此B选项“屈尊”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“遗憾”,C选项“期待”和D选项“冲动”在文中均有提及,属于反向干扰。
第2题:
【选项释义】
Winter is the best season to visit Paris. Which of the following does NOT support this statement? 冬天是访问巴黎的最佳季节。以下哪项不支持这一说法?
A. Fashionable Parisian women return to Paris. A. 时尚的巴黎女人回到巴黎。
B. More entertainment activities are staged. B. 有更多的娱乐活动上演。
C There are more good restaurants to choose from. C 有更多的好餐馆可供选择。
D. There are fewer tourists in Paris. D. 巴黎的游客少了。
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据关键词可以定位到文章第四段第一句“冬天的巴黎比春天和秋天的巴黎好得多的另一个重要原因是,8月假期结束,时髦的巴黎女性回到了她们的城市后(after the end of the August holidays and the return of chic Parisian women to their city),餐馆的开业季节真正开始了”,说明时髦的巴黎女性回到了她们的城市是餐馆开业的原因,而不是冬天是访问巴黎的最佳季节的原因。因此A选项“时尚的巴黎女人回到巴黎。”表述错误。符合题意。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“有更多的娱乐活动上演。”,由第三段最后一句“重磅文化活动的季节往往在秋季中下旬开始,因此,到冬天的时候,这座城市的大部分文化瑰宝都被布置好供人欣赏”可知,冬天的巴黎由很多娱乐活动,属于反向干扰;
C选项“有更多的好餐馆可供选择。”,由第四段最后一句“一旦没了大肆的宣传,就有可能看到哪些餐厅是真正的好餐厅,哪些只是吵闹和拥挤”可知,冬天的巴黎能让人们选到更好的餐厅,属于反向干扰;
D选项“巴黎的游客少了。”,由第三段第二句“游客人数最少,而且没有人挤在鲁多菲内狭窄的人行道上”可知,游客人数少是冬天的巴黎更好的理由,属于反向干扰。
第3题:
【选项释义】
In the eyes of the author, winter in Paris is significant because of ________. 在作者眼里,巴黎的冬天是有意义的,因为________。
A. the atmosphere of its evenings A. 其晚间的气氛
B. its implications for life B. 它对生活的影响
C. the contrast it brings C. 它带来的对比
D. the discovery one makes D. 人们的发现
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据关键词可以定位文章最后一段倒数第一、二句“在冬天,因为白天短,人们在做选择时会有种紧迫感(there is an urgency to the choices one makes)。给人的感觉是,生命是短暂的,所以我们要在重要的事情上当机立断(decide on what matters)”,说明巴黎的冬天会让人在做决定时有种紧迫感,我们要在重要的事情上当机立断,这是它对于人们生活的影响。因此B选项“它对生活的影响”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“其晚间的气氛”,文章虽然描写了巴黎冬天晚间的景象,但并不能体现巴黎冬天的意义,属于曲解原文;
C选项“它带来的对比”和D选项“人们的发现”不能体现巴黎冬天的意义,属于曲解原文。
第4题:
【选项释义】
At the end of the passage, the author found himself in a mood of ________. 在这段话的最后,作者发现自己的心情是________。
A. excitement A. 兴奋的
B. thoughtfulness B. 深思熟虑的
C. loneliness C. 孤独的
D. joyfulness D. 喜悦的
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据关键词可以定位到文章第六段“正是这一刻的保护欲标志着我情绪的变化,也标志着我在巴黎慢慢变得兴奋起来(becoming thrilled)”,说明作者在巴黎变得兴奋起来,接着定位到文章最后一段倒数第一、二句“在冬天,因为白天短,人们在做选择时会有种紧迫感(there is an urgency to the choices one makes)。给人的感觉是,生命是短暂的,所以我们要在重要的事情上当机立断(decide on what matters)”,同样体现了作者迫切、兴奋的心情。因此A选项“兴奋的”正确。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“深思熟虑的”,C选项“孤独的”和D选项“喜悦的”在文中均无法体现,属于无中生有。
【文章来源】《新闻周刊》(Newsweek)2011
【参考译文】
巴黎就像色情片。即使你不想做出反应,你也会有所反应。你转过一个拐角,看到一个景象,你的想象力迸发出来。突然间,你想到了生活在巴黎会是什么样子,然后你想到了所有你没有经历过的生活。然而,有时候,当你幸运的时候,你只会想到明天会有多少快乐。然后,你会感到享有某种特权。
酒店的大厅是用红色和金色装饰的。它散发出19世纪的颓废气息。也许和巴黎的任何一家酒店一样,这家酒店很性感。我站在那里,面对着旋转门和远处的车道。一辆车停在酒店门口,后座上坐着一个女人——一个穿着短裙和黑色皮夹克的女人。她穿着高跟鞋离开了。正常情况下,我的头脑会活跃起来,为这个女人想象一个故事。但现在没有。我站在那里告诉自己。清醒点儿,你是在巴黎。
从很多方面来说,巴黎最适合在冬天游览。游客人数最少,而且没有人挤在鲁多菲内狭窄的人行道上。不仅如此,巴黎和许多其他欧洲城市一样,重磅文化活动的季节往往在秋季中下旬开始,因此,到冬天的时候,这座城市的大部分文化瑰宝都被布置好供人欣赏。
冬天的巴黎比春天和秋天的巴黎好得多的另一个重要原因是,8月假期结束后,时髦的巴黎女性回到了她们的城市,餐馆的开业季节真正开始了。到了冬天,许多新开的餐厅都已经克服了困难,一旦没了大肆的宣传,就有可能看到哪些餐厅是真正的好餐厅,哪些只是吵闹和拥挤。
林肯说,大多数人的幸福程度都与他们设定的目标差不多。在巴黎,不需要太多东西就能让人感到快乐。酒店外面,天空是苍白的,感觉很高。我走了几个街区来到塞纳河,开始沿着蓝绿色的河流跑向埃菲尔铁塔。远处的塔是黑色的,和许多为建筑的乐趣而建造的东西一样,给人一种奇特而美丽的感觉。当我跑向它的时候,因为它的格架式结构,这座塔看起来很脆弱。看到它,我产生了一种要去保护它的冲动。
我想,正是这一刻的保护欲标志着我情绪的变化,也标志着我在巴黎慢慢变得兴奋起来。
在冬天的夜晚,巴黎的街灯带着光圈,像蒲公英一样。在冬天,当人们离开巴黎的街道,走进咖啡馆或餐馆时,光线和温度会突然发生巨大的变化,有一种发现了秘密的感觉。在冬天,因为白天短,人们在做选择时会有种紧迫感。给人的感觉是,生命是短暂的,所以我们要在重要的事情上当机立断。