历年考研英语真题佳句
佳句赏析
1.Now the tide appears to be turning.
“现在这种潮流（形势）似乎在逆转”，相当于汉语中的“三十年河东，三十年河西”。“tide... turn”这样的搭配经常用于描述潮流或形势的变化，比较贴切、形象。如：The tide of the battle turned against us.（战斗的形势开始变得不利于我们）。
2.Important information can get buried in a sea of trivialities.
“重要的信息可能被埋没在浩如烟海的细枝末节里”。句中的“a sea of”是一个比喻，形容“一大片，大量的”。如：The immense square was a sea of flowers and happy faces.（这个大广场上到处是鲜花和笑脸）
3.People looking back 5 or 10 years from now may well wonder why so few companies took the online plunge.
该句中的... looking back... years from now may well wonder...结构可以表达人们隔一段时间后看过去的事情发出的感叹。如：When you look back ten years from now, you may well wonder how stupid you are.
4.omputer education advocates forsake this optimistic notion for a pessimism that betrays their otherwise cheery outlook.
句子主要是forsake sth for sth，forsake后的optimistic和for后面的a pessimism意思正好相反，形式上形成对仗。
5.It should be observed, of course, that no school, vocational or not, is helped by a confusion over its purpose.
该句主干是It should be observed that...，真正的主语是that引导的一个主语从句，vocational or not是插入语，修饰从句主语school。这句话主要的特点是插入语使用比较灵活，of course 和vocational or not都是状语作插入语。
6.Likewise, if you want to find a job, take a sheet of paper, and write a brief account of yourself.
用likewise连接的这两个句子中，分别含有if引导的条件从句，并且都运用了动词短语连用的形式，前后结构对称，具有美感。
7.Keep your eyes and ears open, and use your own judgement.
此句采用并列祈使句的形式，使整个句子精炼。
例句补充：Keep your eyes and ears open, and use your own judgement. Then you can find something of real value.（保持耳目灵敏,并且运用自己的判断。这样你就会发现真正有价值的东西。）
8.The cruel discipline of the strike and lockout taught the two parties to respect each other’s strength and understand the value of fair negotiation.
仿照这句话的表达方式可以表达“某些客观因素促使有分歧的两派人物坐下来协商和解”，如：The common enemy brought the two used to be rival countries to respect each other’s strength and understand the value of fair negotiation.
9.Among..., I would single out...; a labor force that...; the practice of...; and above all the American genius for...
当要从众多的原因中罗列几个，并且着重点出一个时，可以仿照该句用分号表示并列，用短语突出其中之一。
10.Robert Fulton once wrote, “The mechanic should sit down among levers, screws, wedges, wheels, etc, like a poet among the letters of the alphabet, considering them as an exhibition of his thoughts, in which a new arrangement transmits a new idea.”
该句在描述技术专家和艺术家时，运用了形象的暗喻和类比手法，使抽象的概念变得生动形象。
11.Few creations of big technology capture the imagination like giant dams.
表达人们对宏伟、美好事物的欣赏和赞叹。如：Few paintings can capture such rich imagination like Mona Lisa s smiling.
12.But to be fascinated is also, sometimes, to be blind.
这里暗含的意思是告诫人们不要被表面的美好景象迷惑，要理性地看到潜在的危害。如：Big cities fast development has really provided us fascinating conveniences and pleasure. However, to be fascinated is also, sometimes, to be blind.
13.Several giant dam projects threaten to do more harm than good.
这种表达也用来暗示某种事物是一把双刃剑，不能只看到好的一面，而忽略了潜在的危险。
14.The lesson from dams is that big is not always beautiful.
这种表语从句结构可以用来总结经验教训。如：The lesson from this bad exam is that no pains, no gains.
15.But big dams tend not to work as intended.
表达一种事与愿违的遗憾。如：His parents put too much hope on the child, but his performance tended not to work as intended.
16. Well, no gain without pain, they say. But what about pain without gain?
英语中有一句谚语No pains, no gains不劳则无获。作者在这里改变了它的形式，赋予了新的含义，即pain without gain劳而不获，在文中它用来表达美国当今一种吃力不讨好的情形。用法诙谐幽默，且其含义深刻。
17. He dismisses a lot of the work of reengineering consultants as mere rubbish-"the worst sort of ambulance chasing".
句中短语dismisses sb./sth. (as sth.)相当于consider sb./sth. not worth talking about（对某人某事物不予理睬或不屑一提）。这里，罗森席恩认为顾问们所做的工作不屑一提，还打了一个比方去形容其工作的无效性，称之为the worst sort of ambulance chasing，ambulance chasing意思是"怂恿事故受伤者起诉"，这里指于事无补，即本来是想帮忙，然而可能什么也帮不了。
例句补充：She was dismissed as a dreamer.（大家认为她喜欢作白日梦，对她不屑一顾。）
18.Anti science clearly means different things to different people.
...means different things to different people这个结构相当于中文的"仁者见仁、智者见智"。此句简单易懂而意义深刻
19.This development-and its strong implication for US politics and economy in years ahead has enthroned the South as America s most densely populated region for the first time in the history of the nation s head counting.
句子主干是This development... has enthroned the South as... region...。enthrone本义是"（国王、女王或主教）登基、就任"。该句里作者采用enthrone的这个含义，诙谐地暗示这种情况的出现很不容易，难得一见。head counting和census一样都指"人口普查"，但是比census 更加形象化。
20.Often they chose-and still are choosing-somewhat colder climates such as Oregon, Idaho and Alaska in order to escape smog, crime and other plagues of urbanization in the Golden State.
smog, crime, plagues of urbanization形象贴切地说明了城市的弊端。plagues本指"瘟疫"，这里指的是都市固有的弊病。
21.That the plates are moving is now beyond dispute.
sth. is beyond dispute的结构用起来很地道，意思是"无可置疑，不容争辩"。
22.Thus just as earlier theories have explained the mobility of the continents, so hot spots may explain their mutability (inconstancy).
短语just as... so... 表示"就像…一样也…"，它可表达一种对比，如：Just as they must put aside their prejudices, so we must be prepared to accept their good faith
23. Nothing could be further from the truth.
英语中比较级的否定可以表示最高级，该句字面意思是“没有什么比这离真实情况更远的了”，即“这是最荒谬的，事实远非如此”。
例句补充：Nothing is more beautiful than a child’s smiling in the world.（这个世界上，最美的莫过于孩子的笑脸）。
24.This is no flash in the pan; over the past couple of years, inflation has been consistently lower than expected in Britain and America.
句中的This is no flash in the pan是对a f1ash in the pan的改写，既有创意，又很地道。
25.Levin would not comment on the debate last week, but there were signs that the chairman was backing off his hard-line stand, at least to some extent.
was backing off his hard-line stand描写形象入微、生动、地道。hard-line stand意思是“强硬立场”；back off 意为“后退，撤回”，要比retreat更加生动形象。
26.Stimulants initially speed up or activate the central nervous system, whereas depressants slow it down.
句中whereas一词表明前后对照的关系，且speed up （加速）与slow down（降低速度）意思相反，彼此对应，很有韵味。
27.It was not a matter of choice for the traveler or merely a charitable impulse on the part of the settlers.
句子使用了not ... or ...结构，简单却有力地表现出作者态度。
知识点补充：on the part of sb.或on sb.’s part表示“由某人做出的”。如：It was an error on my part。（这是我的错）
28.The casual friendliness of many Americans should be interpreted neither as superficial nor as artificial, but as the result of a historically developed cultural tradition.
该句用了neither as...nor as..., but as...结构，严谨流畅，作者观点一览无疑。
29.The full import may take a while to sink in.
此句短小、精练，清楚生动地概括出当时的情况。
知识点补充：import意为“意义，重要性”，相当于“importance”或“meaning”；a while 相当于“some time”；sink in意为“被完全理解，深深印在脑中”，如：The teacher explained it to me twice, but I’m afraid it still hasn’t sunk in. 老师给我解释了两遍，我恐怕仍然不明白。
30.But the tide is unlikely to turn back.
句子虽短，却很有力度，准确表达出作者的观点和态度。
知识点补充：tide本意是“潮水，潮汐”，这里的引申意义是“趋势，倾向”；turn the tide
意思是“使形式转变，改变局面”。
31.In the US and Canada, where the right-to-die movement is gathering strength, observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling.
句中的gathering strength和waiting for the dominoes to start falling都很形象生动，尤其是后者准确地描述了以后的发展趋势
32.They live and die without ever having confronted the fundamental realities of human existence as emotionally and intellectually independent and productive human beings.
注意They live and die without doing…(他们平淡得活着、死去，没有做……)的运用。如：They live and die without knowing what is important to them (他们平淡地活着、死去，不知道什么对自己最重要)。as emotionally and intellectually independent and productive human beings 中as是介词，该部分做状语修饰confronted，意思是“作为情感和智力上很独立并富有成果的人”。
译文：他们平淡的活着、死去，没能像情感和智力上很独立并富有成果的人们那样体验到人类存在的基本现实。
33.To the promoted or to fall behind is not a matter of salary but even more a matter of self-respect.
该句子是不定式作主语，句子结构是…is not… but…(……不是……而是……)。如：To be a teacher is not a matte of being respected, but even more a matter of responsibilities(老师不仅仅意味着受人尊敬，更意味着责任)。
译文：升职或落后不单单事关工资，更事关个人尊严。
34.Production and consumption should serve only as means to this end, and should be prevented from ruling man.
注意… should serve only as means to this end, and should be prevented from…的用法。如：Technology should serve only as means to benefit human beings, and should be prevented from being a tool to destroy man(技术只是造福于人类的手段，不能成为奴役人类的工具)。句中means意思是“方法手段”（经常用做单数）；end意为“目的”。如：Does the end always justify the means (目的正当就可以不择手段吗)？
译文：生产和消费只是达到这个目的的手段，不能成为奴役人类的工具。
35.Anyone closely involved in patents and inventions soon learns that most “new” ideas are, in fact, as old as the hills.
句子中过去分词involved…置于主语anyone之后，作它的定语；句子的谓语是learn后面跟的是宾语从句。as old as the hills意思是“像山一样古老”。如：Mrs. Smith is very reserved, and many of her ways to deal with problems are as old as the hills.（史密斯太太非常保守，她的许多处理问题的方法都很陈旧）。
译文：任何密切参与专利和发明工作的人，都很快了解到大部分“新”思想实际上很陈旧
36.For many of us the“cashless”society is not on the horizon—it is already here.
从这个句子我们学会了描述那些已经亲临其境的事物，又如：After a long separation caused by war, the couple reunited. They hugged and kissed, and they know their happiness is not on the horizon, it’s already here.
37.While the leading actor on the stage captures our attention, we are aware of the importance of the supporting players and the scenery of the play itself.
这里作者用类比的手法支论证特殊儿童与他们成长的环境之间的关系，生动有趣。从另外一个角度想，主角需要配角和布景的衬托，而在人生舞台上何赏不也有很多“红花需要绿叶衬”的现象呢？
https://www.sodocs.net/doc/3f12205778.html,cation in any society is a mirror of that society. In that minor we can see the strengths, the weaknesses, the hopes, the prejudices, and the central values of the culture itself.
mirror:（喻）镜子，真实反映情况的东西。如：The press is a mirror of the public opinions.报刊是忠实反映舆论的镜子。教育是社会的镜子，意思就是从教育这个角度看一个社会的全貌。我们可以借用作者在这个句子中的思维，去仿造其他句子。又如：The taste of the clothing is a mirror of a person’s personality. In that mirror we can see…
39.All men are created equal.
引句短而有力，极有说服力。如：All men are created equal. So everybody has the right to receive education.
40.Environmental factors can never be totally eliminated; as Hayward points out , “We can’’ t prepare a medicine against cosmic rays.”
分号的作用一般是连接两个含义相仿或相对的句子。注意此句中分号是进一步说明前面的意思，cosmic rays是Environmental factors的一个例子。
41.The prospects for cure, though still distant, are brighter.
熟悉这种将转折语气放入插入语的结构。又如：The prospect for eliminating pollution, though still distant, is brighter. 消除污染的前景尽管遥远，但是已经更加明朗了。
42.Inventions and innovations almost always come out of laborious trial and error. Innovation is like soccer; even the best players miss the goal and have their shots blocked much more frequently than they score.
这两句都是对发明创造来源的描述。后句更是拿踢球做比较，说明发明创造绝非易事。
43.Highly creative individuals really do march to a different drummer.
从该句学会表达“独树一帜、标新立异”，如：He is full of imagination and always marches to a different drummer.
44.There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process.
句型结构“There are two…: one…, the other…”表达在某件事情上存在的两种方式或态度。考生可以在写作时对此种句式加以运用，如：There are two ways to see technology: one as
a benefit to human beings, the other as a harm to them.
45.In this process ,the journey never really ends; there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept .
通过该句作者将人的成长比为永无止境的旅途。不定式结构的排列new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept非常耐人寻味。
46.In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to confront the unknown, and to accept the possibility that the y may “fail” at first.
该句中多个不定式的叠用，加强了句子的气势。从这个句子和第三段中一问一答句的连续使用也可以看出作者的写作风格就是通过排比结构使论述更加有力。
47.We become trapped inside a shell of our own making .
在这里用shell (贝壳)比喻自我封闭。
又如：In order to grow up, we’d better go out of our house to confront new things, to experience the world, not just stay in a shell of our own making. 为了成长，我们最好走出家门，去面对新事物，去体验世界，而不是呆在自己营造的壳里面。
48.In this world of change and complexity, the need for information is of greatest importance.
注意句子中of短语的多次使用，of + n.构成了形容词短语。如：a man of ability=a capable man，也可以仿造句子，如：In this world of change and complexity, adaptiveness is of greatest importance.
49. “Knowledge is power” may well be the truest saying and access to information may be the most critical requirement of all people.
知识和信息在现在社会确实无比重要，多搜集这样的句子以备写作之用。
50.Too many schools adopt the “win at all costs” moral standard and measure their success by sporting achievements.
以成就去估量一个人是否成功（measure the success by sporting achievements）、以成败论英雄的社会必然造就很多“不惜一切代价获取成功”（win at all costs）的人。
51.Being too keen to win can have dangerous consequences.
其实过分热衷于任何事情都会带来危险的后果。可以仿照很多类似的句子，如：Being too keen to play computer games can lead to dangerous consequences.