Demographic indicators show that Americans in the post war period were more# m& x q- @% I6 Y- q( w
eager than ever to establish families. They quickly brought down the age at marriage/ K0 `' E) }+ u6 }! v- O
for both men and women and brought the birth rate to a twentieth century height __1__
1 C5 i, D" u( u8 g: T9 C" |* d after more than a hundred years of a steady decline, producing the “baby boom.” __2__
6 a8 T5 `! X+ s These young adults established a trend of early marriage and relatively large, D) R* Y* J& n6 w2 M
families that went for more than two decades and caused a major but temporary __3__2 Y9 T3 y; F7 x
reversal of long-term demographic patterns. From the 1940s through the early" G/ [! R; t [2 Q
1960s, Americans married at a high rate and at a younger age than their __4__
3 c! \4 M9 X* j+ d9 U) n' j4 j Europe counterparts. __5__
5 J0 E( b: |* C, L Less noted but equally more significant, the men and women who formed __6__" @) B9 S: ]/ A' ]: }! t. W
families between 1940 and 1960 nevertheless reduced the divorce rate after a __7__
, b0 [- v! ?' }7 g1 R5 q postwar peak; their marriages remained intact to a greater extent than did that of __8__
* e \% d5 s4 P8 t- Z3 ? couples who married in earlier as well as later decades. Since the United States __9__
+ y( V2 Z; p3 [3 w maintained its dubious distinction of having the highest divorce rate in the world,
( {5 T( |- j# A5 w5 A( e' q. |# x. h2 P the temporary decline in divorce did not occur in the same extent in Europe. __10__& C; Z- h1 k- x A1 c( p# B! F. h+ c
Contrary to fears of the experts, the role of breadwinner and homemaker was not9 t9 B# [ c( c q0 b/ F
abandoned.
% Z) R6 y6 E; H! ^5 o 参考答案及解析:
! y/ t1 [, c8 j5 r: N6 X: ~ 1. 将height改为high/peak。0 V6 ]5 t1 `- J E7 \# d* W
整句话的大意为他们把男女的婚龄降了下来,使出生率达到了20世纪的高峰。
* }+ {4 P+ p3 U3 v% n high可以用作名词,意为“高峰”,“高水准”,“最高纪录”。* F5 N7 v0 u8 R3 K6 k1 A. B3 n- `
height可以作“极点,顶点”解释。例如:The height of cleverness is to conceal one’s cleverness。3 n1 G0 l' X$ \9 D+ S; ]
2. 将第二个不定冠词a 去掉。. X, q' `6 U) e" F2 i
steady decline 意为持续的下降,前面不用加冠词。又如:years of hard work。根据语感可以判断出来。' D4 Q; }+ Q8 `
3. 在went后加on,或将went改为lasted。
+ [! C, M \7 |8 ^2 \! s 此处是“持续”的意思,所以可以用went on 或者last来表达。
$ L0 o" c8 s" ]; ]( ^* J 4. 将high改为higher。
; m- K' ?' F V( T- m 此处意为美国人结婚率比以前提高了,有与战前相比的意思,因此应用比较级。! x& F7 P2 s% k" N* {, ~
5. 将Europe改为European。
, @6 [7 [0 r/ ^9 ?6 F2 I) |: W$ I 6. 删掉more。此处的大意为战后离婚率也下降了,这个现象不大有人注意,但同样也很重要。另外,more与equally相矛盾。3 M4 B; B) s+ Y: f X# |
7. 将nevertheless改为also或者删掉nevertheless。
; o- V% w1 P2 a% j$ H 此处上下文之间不是转折关系,而是递进关系。
- I$ M! |: m+ I' D+ Q7 g 8. 将that 改为those。
+ {3 A; ]0 c) @6 U ] 此处的代词应指marriages这个复数名词,因此应用those。此处考察代词与先行词一致的问题。( T4 Y8 b5 r7 t
9. 将Since改为Although/Though/While。此处是转折关系,不是因果关系。* p$ B1 H1 |- f$ }. [1 X' h' j
10. 将in改为to。短语to the extent是固定搭配。 |