2005 考研英语阅读真题Text 4(英语二) .pdfVIP

2005 Text 4 （英语⼆）英语的演变 Text 4 ⽂本 4 Americans no longer expect public figures, whether in speech or in writing, to command the English language with skill and gift. 美国⼈不再指望公众⼈物，⽆论是演讲还是写作，都能熟练⽽有天赋地掌握英语。 Nor do they aspire to such command themselves. 他们⾃⼰也不渴望这样的命令。 In his latest book, Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should, Like, Care, John McWhorter, a linguist and controversialist of mixed liberal and conservative views, sees the triumph of 1960s counter-culture as responsible for the decline of formal English. 在他的新书《做我们⾃⼰的事：语⾔和⾳乐的退化以及为什么我们应该，喜欢，关⼼》中，语⾔学家和 争论家约翰·⻨克沃特认为 20 世纪 60 年代反⽂化的胜利是正式英语衰落的原因。 Blaming the permissive 1960s is nothing new, but this is not yet another criticism against the decline in education. 指责 20 世纪 60 年代的放纵并不新鲜，但这并不是对教育衰退的⼜⼀次批评。 Mr. McWhorters academic speciality is language history and change. ⻨克沃特先⽣的学术专⻓是语⾔历史和变化。 And he sees the gradual disappearance of whom, for example, to be natural and no more regrettable than the loss of the case-endings of Old English . 例如，他认为 “谁” 的逐渐消失是⾃然的，并不⽐古英语中案例结尾的消失更令⼈遗憾 。 But the cult of the authentic and the personal, doing our own thing, has spelt the death of formal speech, writing, poetry and music. 但是对真实和个⼈的崇拜，“做我们⾃⼰的事” ，已经意味着正式演讲、写作、诗歌和⾳乐的死亡 。 While even the modestly educated sought an elevated tone when they put pen to paper before the 1960s, even the most well-regarded writing since then has sought to capture spoken English on the page. 虽然在 20 世纪 60 年代之前，即使是受过中等教育的⼈在落笔时也寻求更⾼的语⽓，但即使是⾃那以 后最受尊敬的写作也试图在⻚⾯上捕捉英语⼝语。 Equally, in poetry, the highest personal, performative genre is the only form that could claim real liveliness. 同样，在诗歌中，最⾼的个⼈表演⻛格是唯⼀可以声称真正活泼的形式。 In both oral and written English, talking is triumphing over speaking, spontaneity over craft. 在⼝语和书⾯英语中，说话战胜了说话，⾃发性战胜了⼿艺。 Illustrated with an entertaining array of examples from both high and low culture, the trend that Mr. McWhorter documents is unmistakable. ⻨克沃特先⽣⽤⼀系列来