2010 Postgraduate English Examination ​

🔷 Text 1 新闻评论 ⭐ ​

🔹 Text 1 翻译 ​

🚩 Of all the changes that have taken place in English-language newspapers during the past quarter-century, perhaps the most far-reaching has been the inexorable decline in the scope and seriousness of their arts coverage.

在过去的四分之一世纪里，英语报纸发生的所有变化中，影响最深远的也许是其艺术报道的范围和严肃性的不可阻挡的下降。

🚩 It is difficult to the point of impossibility for the average reader under the age of forty to imagine a time when high-quality arts criticism could be found in most big-city newspapers. Yet a considerable number of the most significant collections of criticism published in the 20th century consisted in large part of newspaper reviews. To read such books today is to marvel at the fact that their learned contents were once deemed suitable for publication in general-circulation dailies.

对于40岁以下的普通读者来说，很难想象在大多数大城市的报纸上都能找到高质量的艺术评论，这是不可能的。然而，在20世纪出版的最重要的批评文集中，有相当一部分是报纸评论。今天读到这样的书，你会惊讶于这样一个事实：它们的学术内容曾经被认为适合在大众日报上发表。

🚩 We are even farther removed from the unfocused newspaper reviews published in England between the turn of the 20th century and the eve of World War II, at a time when newsprint was dirt-cheap and stylish arts criticism was considered an ornament to the publications in which it appeared. In those far-off days, it was taken for granted that the critics of major papers would write in detail and at length about the events they covered. Theirs was a serious business, and even those reviewers who wore their learning lightly, like George Bernard Shaw and Ernest Newman , could be trusted to know what they were about . These men believed in journalism as a calling , and were proud to be published in the daily press . "So few authors have brains enough or literary gift enough to keep their own end up in journalism " Newman wrote , " that I am tempted to define " journalism' as ' a term of contempt applied by writers who are not read to writers who are'."

从20世纪初到第二次世界大战前夕，英国报纸上发表的那些没有重点的评论甚至离我们更远了，当时新闻纸非常便宜，时尚的艺术评论被认为是出版物的点缀。在那些遥远的日子里，人们理所当然地认为，主要报纸的评论家会详细而详尽地报道他们所报道的事件。他们的作品是严肃的，即使是那些不把自己的学识当回事的评论家，比如萧伯纳(George Bernard Shaw)和纽曼(Ernest Newman)，也可以相信他们知道自己写的是什么。这些人相信新闻业是一种天职，并为自己在日报上发表文章而感到自豪。纽曼写道:“很少有作家有足够的头脑或足够的文学天赋，能让自己在新闻事业中坚持下去。因此，我想把‘新闻’定义为‘一个蔑视的术语，它被那些不被人阅读的作家用来形容那些被人阅读的作家’。”

🚩 Unfortunately, these critics are virtually forgotten. Neville Cardus, who wrote for the Manchester Guardian from 1917 until shortly before his death in 1975, is now known solely as a writer of essays on the game of cricket. During his lifetime, though, he was also one of England's foremost classical-music critics, and a stylist so widely admired that his Autobiography (1947) became a best-seller. He was knighted in 1967, the first music critic to be so honored . Yet only one of his books is now in print , and his vast body of writings on music is unknown save to specialists.

不幸的是，这些批评几乎被遗忘了。内维尔·卡德斯(Neville Cardus)从1917年开始为《曼彻斯特卫报》(Manchester Guardian)撰稿，直到1975年去世前不久，他现在只以写板球文章而为人所知。然而，在他的一生中，他也是英国最重要的古典音乐评论家之一，也是一位广受钦佩的造型师，他的自传(1947)成为畅销书。1967年，他被封为爵士，成为首位获此殊荣的音乐评论家。然而，他的书中只有一本现在还在印刷，除了专家之外，他关于音乐的大量著作并不为人所知。

🚩 Is there any chance that Cardus's criticism will enjoy a revival? The prospect seems remote . Journalistic tastes had changed long before his death , and postmodem readers have little use for the richly upholstered Vicwardian prose in which he specialized. Moreover, the amateur tradition in music criticism has been in headlong retreat.

卡杜斯的批评有可能重新流行起来吗?前景似乎很渺茫。早在他去世之前，新闻业的品味就已经改变了，后现代读者对他擅长的华丽的维多利亚时代散文没什么用。此外，音乐评论的业余传统也在迅速退步。

🔹 Text 1 题目 ​

【正确选项解析】

• 【B】由第一段的① decline in scope 和第二段的② a considerable number 都在强调以前的报纸关于艺术评论数量很多，所以选择【B】

【干扰选项分析】

• 【A】比较容易排除。与第一段①矛盾，原文只是说decline，即下降，没有说消失（disappear）
• 【C】比较容易排除。“高质量的报纸未丧失大量的读者”。无中生有。
• 【D】强干扰项。“年轻的读者怀疑报纸上的评论不合适”。原文③：《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》marvel v be very surprised ( and often admiring ) 大为惊讶（常含赞叹之意），表明其实读者是赞同：这些评论可以再报纸上刊登的。这里的 doubt 表示怀疑，所以与 marvel 意思相反。

【正确选项解析】

• 【A】unfocused 的英文解释：not concentrated at one point or upon one objective, free 的英文解释是 unrestricted，所以 unfocused = free，属于同义替换。

【干扰选项分析】

• 【B】请看《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》字典对 casual 的解释：
  • (a) made or done without much care or thought；offhand 不经意的；随便的；马虎的；临时的
  • (b) (derog 贬）showing little concern; nonchalant; irresponsible 漠不关心的；无动於衷的；不负责任的
  • (c) not methodical or thorough; not serious 无条理的；不彻底的；不认真的。
• 这几个意思都是和 ② in detail and at length“详细的” ③ serious “严肃的” ④ calling “对做某项工作的强烈欲望或责任感” proud “骄傲” 相矛盾的。所以不选。
• 【C】强干扰项。elaborate 可以替换原文中的 in detail，但是layout（布局）无中生有，所以本题与原文不相符合。
• 【D】radical 激进的无中生有。

【正确选项解析】

• 【D】对⑤同义替换。Few=not all,have brains enough or literary gift enough=capable of

注意：D选项中 not all 属于部分否定，语气委婉，在选项中出现往往正确。

【干扰选项分析】

• 【A】journalistic goals(新闻业的目标）,无中生有。
• 【B】“作家成为记者是值得鄙视的。”与④的 proud（自豪的）相反。
• 【C】“作者容易被新闻业吸引”。对⑤偷梁换柱。原文说的是被 define "journalism" as ··· 所吸引，而不是被 journalism 所吸引。

【正确选项解析】

• 【A】③ 说新闻业的品味已经改变，读者不需要（have little use for）他所擅长的风格，所以 Cardus's criticism 不可能复苏。而【A】Cardus's criticism 也许不能吸引当今的读者注意 have little use for = not appeal to。同时本选项还有 may，这个语气委婉的词，符合“正确答案语气委婉”。

【干扰选项分析】

• 【B】原文没有提到他的名声有争议，所以无中生有。
• 【C】“他的风格符合现在的专家”与本段最后一句相矛盾。
• 【D】移花接木，是利用最后一句话编造的选项。

【正确选项解析】

• 第一段开宗明义：过去这些年英语报纸上所发生的最有影响力的变化的可能是艺术评论的在报道范围和严肃性的堕落（decline。
• 第二段承接第一段的意思。
• 第三段首句：“不幸的是，这些批评家几乎被忘记了。”言语之间是作者对报纸评论堕落的惋惜之情。
• 第四段：“Cardus'那样的评论会重现吗？不太可能！”再一次点明了作者所讨论的中心：报纸行业的堕落（decline)，

所以【C】令人惋惜的新闻业的堕落。mournful 是大纲词汇。

【干扰选项分析】

• 【A】“报纸行业过去的黄金岁月”。没有点出作者对现在的报纸的惋惜之情
• 【B】“报纸行业的消失的视野”本选项的错误类型和【A】一样。
• 【D】“记忆中的杰出的评论家”本文的中心不是怀恋过去，而是批判现在的堕落。

🔹 Text 1 词汇 ​

1. coverage n. 覆盖范围；新闻报道；保险范围；课程内容；防守，盯守
2. inexorable decline 无法阻挡的衰退
3. arts coverage 艺术报道
4. marvel v. 感到惊奇，大为赞赏
5. learned adj. 博学的；学术性的，学者的；后天的，习得的
6. deem v. （尤用于被动语态）认为，相信
7. circulation n. （报刊等的）发行量，销售量
8. to the point of 到了 ··· 的程度
9. in large part 在很大程度上
10. ornament n. 装饰品，点缀品
11. be taken for granted 被认为是理所应当地
12. calling n. 强烈愿望，使命感；行业，职业；（动物或人的）喊叫
13. in detail and at length 详尽地
14. casual adj. 马虎的，疏忽的，随便的
15. keep / hold one's end up 坚持到底
16. layout n. 布局，设计
17. be tempted to 受诱惑做某事
18. elaborate adj. 复杂的，详尽的；精心制作的
19. a term of contempt 蔑视的词语
20. virtually adv. 事实上，几乎；虚拟地，模拟地
21. Knight v.封（某人）为爵士
22. cricket n. 蟋蟀；板球（运动）
23. save prep. / conj. 除了
24. foremost adj. 最前的，最重要的
25. in print 仍在印刷、可买到
26. a vast body of 大量的
27. upholster vt. 装饰
28. prominent adj. 重要的，著名的；显眼的，突出的；突起的，高耸的
29. retreat v.（军队）撤退；后退，离开
30. have little / no use for sth. 对某事没什么 / 没有用处
31. specialize in 专攻，专门研究
32. mournful adj. 悲哀的；令人惋惜的
33. in headlong retreat 仓皇撤退；急速衰落

🔹 Text 1 长难句 ​

P2S1 - It is difficult to the point of impossibility for the average reader under the age of forty to imagine a time when high-quality arts criticism could be found in most big-city newspapers.

对于40岁以下的普通读者而言，他们难以，甚至根本无法想象一个能在大多数大都市报纸上读到高质量艺术评论的时代。

P3S1 - We are even farther removed from the unfocused newspaper reviews published in England between the turn of the 20th century and the eve of World War II, at a time when newsprint was dirt-cheap and stylish arts criticism was considered an ornament to the publications in which it appeared.

我们与20世纪初至二战前夕英国的杂感式报纸评论就更是无缘了，当时新闻用纸价廉如土，风格独特的艺术评论被看作是对刊登它的出版物的一种装饰。

P3S3 - Theirs was a serious business, and even those reviewers who wore their learning lightly, like George Bernard Shaw and Ernest Newman, could be trusted to know what they were about.

他们从事的是严肃的工作，人们信任即便是那些以轻松活泼的方式展现自己学问的评论家，如萧伯纳和欧内斯特纽曼，也都清楚自己在做什么。

🔷 Text 2 联邦巡讲对商业专利立场变化 ⭐ ​

🔹 Text 2 翻译 ​

🚩 Over the past decade, thousands of patents have been granted for what are called business methods. Amazon com received one for its "one-click" online payment system. Merrill Lynch got legal protection for an asset allocation strategy. One inventor patented a technique for lifting a box.

在过去的十年里，成千上万的专利被授予了所谓的商业方法。亚马逊网站因其“一键式”在线支付系统获得了一个奖项。美林的资产配置策略得到了法律保护。一位发明家为提起箱子的技术申请了专利。

🚩 Now the nation's top patent court appears completely ready to scale back on business method patents, which have been controversial ever since they were first authorized 10 years ago. In a move that has intellectual-propers abuzz , the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said it would use a particular case to conduct a broad review of business-method patents . In re Bilski , as the case is known , is " a very big deal," says Dennis D. Crouch of the University of Missouri School of Law. It "has the potential to eliminate an entire class of patents."

现在，美国最高专利法院似乎完全准备好缩减商业方法专利的规模，这些专利自10年前首次获得授权以来一直存在争议。美国联邦巡回上诉法院(US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit)表示，它将利用一个特殊案例对商业方法专利进行广泛审查，此举引起了知识产权方面的热议。密苏里大学法学院的丹尼斯·d·克劳奇(Dennis D. Crouch)说，众所周知，re Bilski案是“一件大事”。它“有可能消除一整类专利”。

🚩 Curbs on business-method claims would be a dramatic about-face, because it was the Federal Circuit itself that introduced such patents with its 1998 decision in the state Street Bank case , approving a patent on a way of pooling mutual-fund assets. That ruling produced an explosion in business method patent filings, initially by emerging Internet companies trying to stake out exclusive rights to specific types of online transactions. Later more established companies raced to add such patents to their files, if only as a defensive move against rivals that might beat them to the punch. In 2005 , IBM noted in a court filing that it had been issued more than 300 business-method patents, despite the fact that it questioned the legal basis for granting them. Similarly, some Wall Street investment firms armed themselves with patents for financial products, even as they took positions in court cases opposing the practice.

对商业方法专利申请的限制将是一个戏剧性的大转变，因为正是联邦巡回法院自己在1998年对道富银行案的裁决中引入了这类专利，批准了一项关于汇集共同基金资产的方法的专利。这一裁决导致商业方法专利申请激增，最初是新兴互联网公司试图对特定类型的在线交易获得专有权。后来，更多的老牌公司竞相将这类专利添加到自己的文件中，哪怕只是作为一种防御措施，以对抗可能抢先一步的竞争对手。2005年，IBM在一份法庭文件中指出，尽管它质疑授予这些专利的法律依据，但它已经获得了300多项商业方法专利。类似地，一些华尔街投资公司用金融产品专利武装自己，尽管它们在反对这种做法的法庭案件中采取了立场。

🚩 The Bilski case involves a claimed patent on a method for hedging risk in the energy market. The Federal Circuit issued an unusual order stating that the case would be heard by all 12 of the court's judges, rather than a typical panel of three, and that one issue it wants to evaluate is whether it should" reconsider" its State Street Bank ruling.

Bilski 案涉及一项关于能源市场对冲风险方法的专利要求。联邦巡回法院发布了一项不同寻常的命令，声明该案件将由法院的所有12名法官审理，而不是典型的三人小组，并表示法院想要评估的一个问题是是否应该“重新考虑”对道富银行的裁决。

🚩 The Federal Circuit's action comes in the wake of a series of recent decisions by the Supreme Court that has narrowed the scope of protections for patent holders. Last April, for example, the justices signaled that too many patents were being upheld for "inventions" that are obvious. The judges on the Federal Circuit are "reacting to the anti-patent trend at the Supreme Court," says Harold C. Wegner, a patent attorney and professor at George Washington University, Law School.

联邦巡回法院的行动是在最高法院最近的一系列决定之后，这些决定缩小了专利持有人的保护范围。例如，去年4月，大法官们表示，太多显而易见的“发明”专利得到了维护。乔治·华盛顿大学法学院的专利律师哈罗德·C·韦格纳教授说，联邦巡回法院的法官们正在“对最高法院的反专利趋势做出反应”。

🔹 Text 2 题目 ​

题干问及商业专利方法在最近引起关注的原因是是什么，解答本题应定位二段首句并结合一段的主旨要义。二段首句指出“国家最高专利法庭准备对商业方法专利 进行缩减，这引起了了争议。”一段主要提及在过去10年商业方法授予了成千上万的专利。由此可见，选项【C】是对原文的同义置换故为正确答案。

文章在二段提及 Bilski case，在四段提及对 Bilski case 的结论性说明，在四段中针对 Bilski case，联邦机构发表了不同寻常的法令，而四段末句提到该法令引 起对“state street Bank ruling”的是否重新考虑，由此可知【D】为正确答案。

含有该词的句子起到承前启后作用，解答本题应结合二段主旨及三段 because 后的句意来解题，二段提及“国家最高专利法庭准备对商业方法专利进行缩减”， 而三段提及 introduced such patents ··· approving a patent ··· 由此可知，宣称对商业方法的控制将会有巨大的态度转变，故【C】正确。

结合倒数二段二句及末段首句可知【B】符合文意。此题用排除法最为便利。文章的最后两段未提到【A】【C】【D】的内容。而【B】项的内容符合“that too many patents were being upheld”，同时【B】选项的内容符合文章的中心。

文章首段提到“过去10年”，而二段首句转到“Now”，文章的此脉络结构可知“A looming threat”可统领文意，此外文章二至四段，主要谈及联邦巡讲对"business-method patents"的立场变化，故【A】为正确答案。

🔹 Text 2 词汇 ​

1. allocation n. 配给量，划拨款，份额；分配，分派
2. abuzz adj. 嗡嗡的；嘁嘁喳喳的；呈现忙碌状况(的)；议论纷纷(的)
3. dismiss v. 驳回，停止受理
4. scale sth. back 缩减规模
5. ever since 自从
6. intellectual property 知识产权
7. a big deal 重要人物；非常重要或严重的事
8. comply with 遵守
9. curb n. 起约束或控制作用的事物
10. claim n. 专利申请
11. dramatic adj. 急剧的
12. about-face n.（思想、态度、行为等）彻底改变；向后转
13. pool v. 集中（资源、钱财等）以备共用
14. ruling n.（尤指法庭的）裁决，裁定；统治，支配
15. Filing n. 卷宗
16. stake out exclusive rights to sth 授予某物的专有权
17. established companies 老牌公司
18. race to do sth 竞相做某事
19. defensive move against 针对 ··· 的防御措施
20. beat sb to the punch 抢先一步
21. hedge v.（商业）以套期保值避免或减轻损失
22. energy market 能源市场
23. hear a case 审理案件
24. prevailing adj. 现存的，存在的； 风靡的，盛行的
25. uphold v. 支持，维护（法规、制度或原则）；认可，维持（法院原判）；鼓励；举起
26. attorney n. 律师；代理人
27. in the wake of 在 ··· 之后
28. looming adj.（不希望或不愉快的事情）迫近的，逼近的
29. the Supreme Court 美国联邦最高法院

🔹 Text 2 长难句 ​

P2S1 - Now the nation's top patent court appears completely ready to scale back on business-method patents, which have been controversial ever since they were first authorized 10 years ago.

现在国家最高专利法庭似乎完全准备好缩减商业方法专利的数量，这类专利自十年前首次获批以来就一直备受争议。

P3S1 - Curbs on business-method claims would be a dramatic about-face, because it was the Federal Circuit itself that introduced such patents with its 1998 decision in the so-called State Street Bank case, approving a patent on a way of pooling mutual-fund assets.

对商业方法专利申请的限制也许是一次戏剧性的180度逆转，因为正是联邦巡回法院自己在1998年被称为“道富银行案”的裁决中引入了此类专利，批准了一项共同基金资产筹集方法的专利。

P4S2 - The Federal Circuit issued an unusual order stating that the case would be heard by all 12 of the court's judges, rather than a typical panel of three, and that one issue it wants to evaluate is whether it should “reconsider” its State Street Bank ruling.

联邦巡回法院发布了一项不同寻常的指令，宣称此案将由该法院全体12老法官听审，而不是典型的三人组听审，并且宣称法院想要评估一个问题，即，是否需要“重新审议”对道富银行案的裁决。

🔷 Text 3 ⭐ ​

🔹 Text 3 翻译 ​

🚩 In his book The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell argues that "social epidemics" are driven in large part by the actions of a tiny minority of special individuals, often called influentials, who are unusually informed, persuasive, or well connected. The idea is intuitively compelling, but it doesn't explain how ideas actually spread.

🚩 The supposed importance of influentials derives from a plausible-sounding but largely untested theory called the "two-step flow of communication": Information flows from the media to the influentials and from them to everyone else . Marketers have embraced the two step flow because it suggests that if they can just find and influence the influentials, those select people will do most of the work for them. The theory also seems to explain the sudden and unexpected popularity of certain looks, brands, or neighborhoods. In many such cases, a cursory search for causes finds that some small group of people was wearing, promoting, or developing whatever it is before anyone else paid attention. Anecdotal evidence of this kind fits nicely with the idea that only certain special people can drive trends.

🚩 In their recent work, however, some researchers have come the finding that influentials have far less impact on social epidemics than is generally supposed. In fact, they don't seem to be required at all.

🚩 The researchers' argument stems from a simple observation about social influence: With the exception of a few celebrities like Oprah Winfrey — whose outsize presence is primanly a function of media, not interpersonal influence — even the most influential members of a population simply don't interact with that many others. Yet it is precisely these non-celebrity influentials who, according to the two-step-flow theory, are supposed to drive social epidemics, by influencing their friends and colleagues directly. For a social epidemic to occur, however, each person so affected must then influence his or her own acquaintances, who must in turn influence theirs, and so on, and just how many others pay attention to each of these people has little to do with the initial influential. If people in the network just two degrees removed from the initial influential prove resistant, for example, the cascade of change won't propagate very far or affect many people.

🚩 Building on the basic truth about interpersonal influence, the researchers studied the dynamics of social influence by conducting thousands of computer simulations of populations, manipulating a number of variables relating to people's ability to influence others and their tendency to be influenced. They found that the principal requirement for what is called "global cascades" — the widespread propagation of influence through networks — is the presence not of a few influentials but, rather, of a critical mass of easily influenced people.

🔹 Text 3 题目 ​

文章提到Tipping Point真本书描述社会流行风潮是由一小部分名人引起的，然而，笔锋一转在首段末又说“it doesn't explain how ideas actually spread"。进而引出作者对名人传播想法功能的讨论。由此B选项正确。而A、C、D均不是作者要讨论的问题。

文章第二段首句“the supposed...plausible sounding but largely untested theory。"以及末句“...only certain special people can drive trends"充分说明这种理论证据不够充足。而【D】选项正确的反应了文中的内容。

根据题干，线索大致定位到第三段，但是第三段并没有清晰的找到题解，而接下来的第四段清晰的反应出了社会互动所产生的巨大影响这一内容。【A】选项充分的表明了这一点。

解析：根据题干，线索定位到第四段。同过分析这个短语所在的句子，“For a social epidemic...just how many others pay attention to each of these people has little to do with...."此句主要表明人们是如何被别人影响进而又去影响别人的。而【C】选项恰是对这一点的正确表述。

根据题干，线索定位到最后一段，从“..relating of populations,manipulating a number of variables relating to people's ability to influence others and their tendency to be..."这句话中能够得知社会影响动力因素包括人们影响别人的能力包括被别人影响的倾向性。而【C】选项充分的体现了这一点。

🔹 Text 3 词汇 ​

1. social epidemics 社会流行
2. influential adj. 有影响力的
3. in large part 很大程度上
4. a tiny minority 极少数人
5. intuitively compelling 直觉上令人信服
6. derive from 来自
7. plausible adj.（借口或解释）有道理的
8. flow from ··· to ··· 从 ··· 流到 ···
9. embrace v. 乐意采纳（建议等）
10. in many such cases 在很多情况下
11. select adj. 精选的；优等的
12. a cursory search 粗略的搜索
13. anecdotal evidence 坊间证据
14. fit nicely with 很适合
15. come up with 想出办法
16. not ··· at all 不是 ··· 在所有
17. celebrity n. 名人
18. outsize adj. 巨大的
19. stem from 源于
20. presence n. 存在感；影响力
21. acquaintance 熟人
22. interact with 相互作用
23. cascade n. 瀑布；大量倾泻的东西
24. be supposed to do / be sth 应该做某事
25. in turn 反过来
26. simulation 模拟
27. build on 建立在
28. manipulate 操作
29. interpersonal influence 人际关系的影响
30. the dynamics of social influence 社交影响的动态变化
31. impulse 冲动；一时的念头
32. the widespread propagation 广泛传播

🔹 Text 3 长难句 ​

P4S3 - For a social epidemic to occur, however, each person so affected must then influence his or her own acquaintances9 who must in turn influence theirs, and so on； and just how many others pay attention to each of these people has little to do with the initial influential.

但是，一种社会流行潮要形成，每个这样受到有影响力人士影响的人都必须接着影响自己的熟人，这些熟人又必须同样地影响他们的熟人，并依次影响下去；这些人中的每个人能得到多少人关注与最初的有影响力人士并无多大关系。

P5S2 - They found that the principal requirement for what is called 44 global cascades”_the widespread propagation of influence through networks—is the presence not of a few influentials but, rather, of a critical mass of easily influenced people.

他们发现，所谓的“全球瀑布流"——某种影响经由“社交网络”的广泛传播 形成的首要条件并不是少数几个有影响力人士的存在，而是大量必不可少的易受影响人士的参与。

🔷 Text 4 ⭐ ​

🔹 Text 4 翻译 ​

🚩 Bankers have been blaming themselves for their troubles in public. Behind the scenes, they have been taking aim at someone else the accounting standard-setters. Their rules, moan the banks, have forced them to report enormous losses, and it's just not fair. These rules say they must value some assets at the price a third party would pay, not the price managers and regulators would like them to fetch.

🚩 Unfortunately, banks' lobbying now seems to be working. The details may be unknowable, but the independence of standard-setters, essential to the proper functioning of capital markets, is being compromised. And, unless banks carry toxic assets at prices that attract buyers, reviving the banking system will be difficult.

🚩 After a bruising encounter with Congress, America's Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) rushed through rule changes. These gave banks more freedom to use models to value illiquid assets and more flexibility in recognizing losses on long-term assets in their income statements. Bob Herz, the FASB's chairman, cried out against those who "question our motives." Yet bank shares rose and the changes enhance what one lobbying group politely calls "the use of judgment by management."

🚩 European ministers instantly demanded that the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) do likewise. The IASB says it does not want to act without overall planning, but the pressure to fold when it completes its reconstruction of rules later this year is strong Charlie McCreevy, a European commissioner, warned the IASB that it did "not live in a political vacuum" but "in the real world" and that Europe could yet develop different rules.

🚩 It was banks that were on the wrong planet, with accounts that vastly overvalued assets. Today they argue that market prices overstate losses, because they largely reflect the temporary illiquidity of markets, not the likely extent of bad debts. The truth will not be known for years . But banks' shares trade below their book value, suggesting that investors are skeptical. And dead markets partly reflect the paralysis of banks which will not sell assets for fear of booking losses, yet are reluctant to buy all those supposed bargains.

🚩 To get the system working again, losses must be recognized and dealt with. America's new plan to buy up toxic assets will not work unless banks mark assets to levels which buyers find attractive. Successful markets require independent and even combative standard-setters. The FASB and IASB have been exactly that, cleaning up rules on stock options and pensions, for example, against hostility from special interests. But by giving in to critics now they are inviting pressure to make more concessions.

🔹 Text 4 题目 ​

由题干中的“Bankers complained”和“force”定位于第一段第三行“Their rules,moan the banks, have forced them to report enormous losses, and it's just not fair. These rules say they must value some assets at the price a third party would pay, not the price managers and regulators would like them to fetch。”该句核心词为rules，四个答案中只有【A】选项包含。

答案意为“管理的作用的逐渐消失”。根据题干中的专有名词FASB定位于第三段。第一句提到FASB经过努力使国会通过了一些变革，这些变革赋予了银行更多的权利，也就是说对银行的管理更为松散，所以答案为“管理的作用的逐渐消失”。

答案意为“独立自主的制定法规”。根据题干中的“McCreevy objects to"定位到第五段。第五段提到立即根据美国的变化做出一样的反应，欧洲的各界人士对此的反对十分强烈，引用McCreevy的话是为了说明这一点：欧洲要对这个问题有自己独立的法律法规。

答案意为“忽视了坏账存在的极大可能性”。根据题干的信息定位到第六段Today they argue that market prices overstate losses, because they largely reflect the temporary illiquidity of markets, not the likely extent of bad debts。批判银行一味的夸大“that market prices overstate losses",而忽视了"the likely extent of bad debts"。

文章讨论了银行针对“standard-setters”的敌意行为，特别是文章最后一段更是明确的表明了作者对“standard-setters”的同情。

🔹 Text 4 词汇 ​

1. moan 呻吟
2. regulator 监管机构
3. behind the scenes 幕后故事
4. fetch 获取
5. take aim at 抨击，将矛头对准
6. capital market 资本市场
7. compromise 使陷入危险
8. carry ··· at prices 以....价格出售
9. toxic assets 有毒资产
10. a bruising encounter with 与 ··· 的激烈交锋
11. rush through 匆匆忙忙的
12. illiquid assets 非流动性资产
13. income statements 收入报表
14. cry out against 强烈反对
15. lobbying group 游说团体
16. evade 逃避
17. do likewise 做同样的
18. overall planning 总体规划
19. act on one's own 自作主张，独自决定
20. paralysis 瘫痪（状态）
21. bad debts 坏账
22. book value 账面价值
23. for fear of 因为害怕
24. hostility （对思想、计划或情形的）愤怒反对，愤怒反抗
25. buy up 全部买进
26. give in to 屈服于
27. make concession 做出让步
28. invite 招致（尤指坏事）

🔹 Text 4 长难句 ​

无。