2018考研英语二阅读理解text1

2018考研英语二阅读理解text1全文来自《2015年6月英语六级阅读理解真题》。

阅读理解：

文本1

To many, the word "Latin" is the exciting sound of a pulsating

fiesta; but to some, those two syllables (音节) are far tamer,

calling to mind a long-dead language spoken by toga-clad (穿长袍的) scholars. Latin is enjoying a resurgence (再度流行) of sorts,

and not only in the words and phrases found in law, medicine,

and the other disciplines that have over the centuries borrowed

from the language of ancient Rome. "We are experiencing a real

explosion of interest in Latin," says Richard A. LaFleur, classicist

and author of Latin textbooks. "If you look at the number of

students taking Latin, the number of teachers teaching it, or the

amount of Latin materials on the market, it is simply amazing."

There are more than two thousand high schools in the United

States that offer courses in Latin, according to Wilton Barnhardt,

who teaches Latin at the university of North Carolina at Chapel

Hill. The demand is so great that he has had job offers from Ivy

League universities.

Latin was originally spoken in the region around Rome, known

as Latium, and its alphabet co mes from the Etruscan alphabet.

When the Roman Empire was at its peak, the language was

spoken throughout the Mediterranean, including in North Africa,

all of Europe north of the Alps (阿尔卑斯山) and in parts of Asia.

And today, according to the "Ethnologue: Languages of the

World," Latin is the official language of Vatican City, but it is a

dead language.

This resurgence, say Latin’s many new friends, is an indication

that even today, when technology changes, molds, and remolds

the world at light speed, people rem本人n strongly interested

in discovering the roots of this ancient language so that Latin

can be used as an avenue to study the culture and politics of

the time. Others believe that the language can expand English

proficiency skills, given that many English wordse from Latin.

Without knowledge and understanding of Latin, some former

supporters of the language argue, students may have a difficult

time understanding English literature or writing clear, elegant,

and to-the-point prose. They say that learning Latin requires

discipline, which can be transferred to other subjects. It is

evident, given the growing interest in Latin, that despite the talk

of technology’s "glory days," the ancient language’s popularity is not just a current fad. For LaFleur, part of the

language’s charm lies in the fact that it is finite — there are a

finite number of words to learn, for one thing—and that it is

difficult and requires from its students self-discipline,

persistence and critical thinking. "Latin is not for wimps (胆小鬼)," he says. "It is really for bright, ambitious, self-motivated

students, who are spurred on by its challenge."

1. 文章主题总述：

本文主要介绍了拉丁语复兴的现象，并分析了拉丁语恢复流行的原因和意义。作者认为，拉丁语不仅被广泛应用于法律、医学等学科领域，而且可以帮助人们了解古代文化和政治，提高英语水平，培养学生的自律和批判性思维。拉丁语的流行并非一时的时尚，而是受到了人们的长期关注。

2. 段落分析：

第一段：介绍拉丁语的复兴现象，指出拉丁语在法律、医学等领域的应用，并在美国的学校中受到热烈追捧。

第二段：介绍拉丁语的历史渊源和地域分布，并指出拉丁语已经成为一种死语言。

第三段：分析拉丁语复兴的原因，包括学习古代文化和政治、提高英语水平等，认为这种流行并非一时的时尚。

3. 主要观点 拉丁语的流行原因：可在法律、医学等领域应用，并有助于了解古代文化、提高英语水平和培养自律和批判性思维等。

拉丁语的优势：可以帮助学生培养自律、批判性思维和语言能力，有助于学习英语和理解英语文学。

拉丁语的特点：是一门有限的语言，难度较大，需要学生有毅力和自律精神。

4. 结论总结

拉丁语的复兴现象是不容忽视的，它不仅是一种流行趋势，更是一种对古代文化和人文精神的探索，对提升语言水平和学习能力也具有积极的意义。

通过对文章内容的分析和总结，我们可以看出，本文层次清晰，观点明确，语言简洁，并使用大量的事实和数据来支撑观点，展现了拉丁语复兴的现象和意义。整体结构合理，论据充分，是一篇信息量丰富、观点鲜明的英语阅读材料。