2014考研英語：閱讀理解實例解析（十）_跨考網

　　面對一篇閱讀理解，我們究竟應該如何下手?下面，我們通過具體的實例，來和小編分享一下考研英語閱讀理解的剖析方法以及答題技巧。>>>考研英語復習備考手冊

　　As Americasdigest the news of another gun atrocity, a mall shooting in Nebraska onDecember 5th, they cannot be blamed for thinking that guns are in too readysupply. But an article in the latest Economic Journal* suggests that the demandfor illegal guns, at least, is not met as easily as people might fear. SudhirVenkatesh, now of Columbia University, has talked to 132 gang-members, 77prostitutes, 116 gun-owning youths, 23 gun-dealers and numerous other denizensof Chicago’s Grand Boulevard and Washington Park neighbourhoods. He did not findmany satisfied customers.

　　Chicago hasunusually tough restrictions on legal handguns. Even so the black market issurprisingly "thin", attracting relatively few buyers and sellers.The authors reckon that the 48,000 residents of the two neighbourhoods buyperhaps 1,400 guns a year, compared with at least 200,000 cocaine purchases.Underground brokers sell guns for $150-350, a mark-up of perhaps 200% over thelegal price. They also demand a fee of $30-50 for orchestrating the deal. Eventhen, 30-40% of the transactions fall through because the seller cannot securea gun, gets cold feet or cannot agree on a location for the deal.

　　Buyers alsofind it hard to verify the quality of the merchandise. They often know littleabout the weapons they covet. "Tony", who owns a .38 calibre handgun,learnt how to use his weapon by fiddling with it. He even put a stone in it."Did it fire?" Mr Venkatesh asked. "I’m not sure. I think it did,"Tony said.

　　Fortunatelyfor Tony and his peers, their rivals and the victims of crime cannot tell iftheir guns work any better than they can. Often, showing the "bulge"is enough to gain the respect of rival gangs. In robberies brandishing theweapon will usually do. Storekeepers do not wait for proof that it works.

　　Markets canovercome thinness, the paper says; they can also overcome illegality. But theycannot overcome both. A thin market must rely on advertising or a centralisedexchange: eBay, for example, has dedicated pages matching sellers of imitationpearl pins or Annette Funicello bears to the few, scattered buyers that can befound. But such solutions are too cumbersome and conspicuous for an undergroundmarket. The drugs market, by contrast, slips through the law’s fingers because of the naturaldensity of drug transactions. Dealers can always find customers on theirdoorstep, and buyers can reassure themselves about suppliers through repeatedcustom. There are no fixed and formal institutions that the police could easilythrottle.

　　Indeed, theauthors argue that the gun market may be threadbare partly because the drugmarket is so plump. Gang-leaders are wary of gun-dealing because the extrapolice scrutiny that guns attract would jeopardise their earnings from coke anddope. Even Chicago’s gang-leaders have to worry about the effect of crime on commerce.

　　1. Some of the gun transactins are unsuccessful mainly because_____.

　　[A] it is notprofitable as the underground price of gun far exceeds legal price

　　[B] Chicagohas surprisingly tough restrictions on the ownership and business of guns

　　[C] thedealers are unable to guarntee whether the deal is really going to happen or not

　　[D] it ishard to testify the quality of the guns in actual situations

　　2.Comparedwith the gun market, the drug market can be "fat" mainlybecause_____.

　　[A] it hardlyattracts the police’s attention due to the flexibility of the business

　　[B] the drugdealings are taking place in higher frequency

　　[C] there areno fixed and formal spots for drug dealing

　　[D] drug isaffordable to a larger number of people

　　3. The word"cumbersome" (Line 4, Pargraph 5) most probably means_____.

　　[A]transparent

　　[B] troubling

　　[C] horrible

　　[D] sutpid

　　4. The reasonwhy the authors argue that the gun market may be threadbare partly because thedrug market is so plump is _____.

　　[A] that thedrug transaction is more prefitable thatn gun-dealing.

　　[B] that thepolice are more dedicated to the gun-dealing than to the drug-dealing.

　　[C] that thegang-leaders are suppressing the gun-dealing in order to maintain their profitfrom drug

　　[D] that thegang-leaders are worried about the effect of crime on commerce.

　　5. Towardsthe future of gun-dealing, the author’s attitude is _____.

　　[A]pessimistic

　　[B]optimistic

　　[C] desperate

　　[D] sorrowful

　　文章剖析：

　　這篇文章主要介紹了目前美國槍支黑市的情況。第一段由美國人將槍殺案多的原因歸罪于槍支比較容易獲得這個觀點引出一個Sudhir經調查后的駁論;第二段講述強制黑市交易量情況;第三段、第四段講述買槍支的人的情況;第五段、第六段和毒品交易比較，得出目前槍支交易慘淡的另一方面原因。

　　詞匯注釋：

　　mark-up n. (價格中)標高的金額; 漲價幅度

　　orchestrate v. 使...協調地結合在一起

　　fall throught v. 失敗

　　cold feet v. 臨陣畏縮

　　covet v. 覬覦，垂涎

　　calibre n. 口徑

　　bulge n. 突起

　　brandish v. 揮舞

　　cubersome adj. 討厭的, 麻煩的, 笨重的

　　throttle v. 壓制，扼殺來源：考試大

　　threadbare adj. 破舊的，磨薄的

　　denizen n. 居民

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