考研阅读精讲（五）（下）
2
1 When prehistoric man arrived in new parts of the world, something strange happened to the large animals. They suddenly became extinct. Smaller species survived. The large, slow-growing animals were easy game, and were quickly hunted to extinction. Now something similar could be happening in the oceans.
2 That the seas are being overfished has been known for years. What researchers such as Ransom Myers and Boris Worm have shown is just how fast things are changing. They have looked at half a century of data from fisheries around the world.
Their methods do not attempt to estimate the actual biomass (the amount of living biological matter) of fish species in particular parts of the ocean, but rather changes in that biomass over time. According to their latest paper published in Nature, the biomass of large predators (animals that kill and eat other animals) in a new fishery is reduced on average by 80% within 15 years of the start of exploitation. In some long-fished areas, it has halved again since then.
exploitation [ˌeksplɔɪˈteɪʃn]
n.剥削；榨取；利用；开发；开采；（出于私利的）利用
I have a vision of a society that is free of exploitation and injustice
我希望建立一个没有剥削和不公的社会。
Their methods do not attempt to estimate the actual biomass (the amount of living biological matter) of fish species in particular parts of the ocean, but rather changes in that biomass over time.
not but 不是…而是
biomass n.生物量（以生境面积或容积表示）
括号中的内容对biomass进行解释和说明；
of species和in particular parts of the ocean做后置定语修饰biomass
in that biomass over time后置定语修饰changes
他们的研究方法并不是想估计出某些特定地区鱼类的实际生物量（活的生物总量），而是估计出这些生物量随着时间发生的变化。
3 Dr. Worm acknowledges that these figures are conservative. One reason for this is that fishing technology has improved. Today’s vessels can find their prey using satellites and sonar, which were not available 50 years ago. That means a higher proportion of what is in the sea is being caught, so the real difference between present and past is likely to be worse than the one recorded by changes in catch sizes.
That means a higher proportion of what is in the sea is being caught, so the real difference between present and past is likely to be worse than the one recorded by changes in catch size.
并列多重复合句
由 so 连接的两个并列分句
第一个分句中 a higher proportion of what is in the sea is being caught 是省略 that 的宾语从句，
of what is in the sea 作 proportion 的后置定语
第二个分句的主干为 the real difference…is likely to be worse than…，其中含有比较结构 worse than；
between present and past 和过去分词结构 recorded by…分别作 difference 和 the one 的后置定语。
这意味着海洋中还有更大比例的鱼类正在被捕杀，因此现在和以前的数据真正的差别有可能比所记录的捕获量的变化更糟。
In the early days, too, longlines would have been more saturated with fish. Some individuals would therefore not have been caught, since no baited hooks would have been available to trap them, leading to an underestimate of fish stocks in the past. Furthermore, in the early days of longline fishing, a lot of fish were lost to sharks after they had been hooked. That is no longer a problem, because there are fewer sharks around now.
saturate[ˈsætʃəreɪt]
satur 足够，饱足 + ate 使… → 使足够 → 使饱和
v.使湿透；浸透；使充满；使饱和
As the domestic market becomes saturated, firms begin to export the product.
由于国内市场饱和，各公司开始外销。
4 Dr. Myers and Dr. Worm argue that their work gives a correct baseline, which future management efforts must take into account. They believe the data support an idea current among marine biologists, that of the “shifting baseline.” The notion is that people have failed to detect the massive changes which have happened in the ocean because they have been looking back only a relatively short time into the past.
The notion is that people have failed to detect the massive changes which have happened in the ocean because they have been looking back only a relatively short time into the past.
detect 检测，侦查
massive 巨大的，大规模的
主干为 The notion is that 加表语从句
people have failed to detect the massive changes 表语从句which have happened in the ocean 定语从句
because they have been looking back only a relatively short time into the past 原因状语从句
意思就是说人们没有发现海里发生的巨大变化，因为他们只看了过去相对较短的一段时间。
That matters because theory suggests that the maximum sustainable yield that can be cropped from a fishery comes when the biomass of a target species is about 50% of its original levels. Most fisheries are well below that, which is a bad way to do business.
That matters because theory suggests that the maximum sustainable yield that can be cropped from a fishery comes when the biomass of a target species is about 50% of its original levels.
maximum n. 最大限度；最大量
adj. 最高的；最多的；最大极限的
yield [jiːld] v. 屈服；出产，产生；放弃 n. 产量；收益
crop [krɒp] n. 产量；农作物；庄稼
v. 种植；收割；收获
That matters because theory suggests that the maximum sustainable yield that can be cropped from a fishery comes when the biomass of a target species is about 50% of its original levels.
句子主干：That matters
because引导原因状语从句
that引导宾语从句，做suggest的宾语
that引导定语从句，修饰yield
when the biomass of a target species is about 50% of itsoriginal levels，时间状语从句
这一点很重要，因为理论认为，当目标物种的生物量大约为其原始水平的50%时，从渔场中能够获得最大持续获鱼量。
31、The extinction of large prehistoric animals is noted to suggest that ________.
A. large animal were vulnerable to the changing environment
B. small species survived as large animals disappeared
C. large sea animals may face the same threat today
D. slow-growing fish outlive fast-growing ones
参考答案：C
32、We can infer from Dr. Myers and Dr. Worm’s paper that ________.
A. the stock of large predators in some old fisheries has reduced by 90%
B. there are only half as many fisheries as there were 15 years ago
C. the catch sizes in new fisheries are only 20% of the original amount
D. the number of larger predators dropped faster in new fisheries than in the old
参考答案：A
33、By saying “these figures are conservative” (Line 1, paragraph 3), Dr. Worm means that ________.
A. fishing technology has improved rapidly
B. the catch-sizes are actually smaller than recorded
C. the marine biomass has suffered a greater loss
D. the data collected so far are out of date
参考答案：C
34、Dr. Myers and other researchers hold that ________.
A. people should look for a baseline that can work for a longer time
B. fisheries should keep their yields below 50% of the biomass
C. the ocean biomass should be restored to its original level
D. people should adjust the fishing baseline to the changing situation
参考答案：D
35、The author seems to be mainly concerned with most fisheries’ ________.
A. management efficiency
B. biomass level
C. catch-size limits
D. technological application
参考答案：B
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