If ambition is to be well regarded, the rewards of ambition-wealth, distinction, control over one's destiny-must be deemed worthy of the sacrifices made on ambition's behalf. If the tradition of ambition is to have vitality, it must be widely shared; and it especially must be highly

regarded by people who are themselves admired, the educated not least among them. In an odd way ,however ,it is the educated who have claimed to have given up on ambition as an ideal. What is odd is that they have perhaps most benefited from ambition-if not always their own then that of their parents and grandparents. There is a heavy note of hypocrisy in this, a case of closing the barn door after the horses have escaped-with the educated themselves riding on them.

　　Certainly people do not seem less interested in success and its signs now than formerly. Summer homes, European travel ,BMWs-the locations, place names and name brands may change, but such items do not seem less in demand today than a decade or two years ago. What has happened is that people cannot confess fully to their dreams ,as easily and openly as once they could ,lest they be thought pushing ,acquisitive and vulgar .Instead ,we are treated to fine hypocritical spectacles ,which now more than ever seem in ample supply the critic of American materialism with a Southampton summer home ;the publisher of radical books who takes his meals in three star restaurants; the journalist advocating participatory democracy in all phases of life, whose own children are enrolled in private schools. For such people and many more perhaps not so exceptional, the proper formulation is,"Succeed at all costs but avoid appearing ambitious."

　　The attacks on ambition are many and come from various angles; its public defenders are few and unimpressive,swheresthey are not extremely unattractive. As a result, the support for ambition as a healthy impulse, a quality to be admired and fixed in the mind of the young, is probably lower than it has ever been in the United States. This does not mean that ambition is at an end, that people no longer feel its stirrings and promptings, but only that, no longer openly honored, it is less openly professed. Consequences follow from this, of course, some of which are that ambition is driven underground, or made sly .Such ,then, is the way things stand: on the left angry critics, on the right stupid supporters, and in the middle, as usual, the majority of earnest people trying to get on in life.

　　17.It is generally believed that ambition may be well regarded if .

　　［A］its returns well compensate for the sacrifices

　　［B］it is rewarded with money, fame and power

　　［C］its goals are spiritual rather than material

　　［D］it is shared by the rich and the famous

　　18.The last sentence of the first paragraph most probably implies that it is .

　　［A］customary of the educated to discard ambition in words

　　［B］too late to check ambition once it has been let out

　　［C］dishonest to deny ambition after the fulfillment of the goal

　　［D］impractical for the educated to enjoy benefits from ambition

　　19.Some people do not openly admit they have ambition because .

　　［A］they think of it as immoral

　　［B］their pursuits are not fame or wealth

　　［C］ambition is not closely related to material benefits

　　［D］they do not want to appear greedy and contemptible

　　20.From the last paragraph the conclusion can be drawn that ambition should be maintained .

　　［A］secretly and vigorously

　　［B］openly and enthusiastically

　　［C］easily and momentarily

　　［D］verbally and spiritually

　　[内容分类]人文--道德伦理

　　本文是历年考研题目中较难的一篇，全篇围绕ambition展开，批判了一些受过良好教育者对ambition所抱的虚伪态度，同时也暗示了对ambition的追求是一种健康的行为。

　　1. well regarded十分看重

　　[大纲词汇] regard v.(as)把···看作为，把···认为；考虑，注视

　　[扩充含义] regard v.敬爱，尊敬，看重

　　[经典例句] She is highly regarded in her profession.

　　2. reward回报

　　[大纲词汇] reward n.(for)报酬，赏金，奖赏v.(for)酬劳，奖赏；酬谢，报答，奖酬

　　[经典例句] The rewards of art are not to be measured in money.

　　3. destiny命运

　　[大纲词汇] destiny n.命运；天数，天命

　　[经典例句] We must put our destiny in our own hands.

　　4. deem认为

　　[大纲词汇] deem v.认为，深信

　　[经典例句] He deemed it his duty to take care of the children of his dead brother.

　　5. on sb's behalf为了··· [大纲词汇] on sb's behalf ( = on behalf of sb. )代表，为了

　　[经典例句] His wife attended the meeting on his behalf.

　　6. vitality生命力

　　[大纲词汇] vital a.生死攸关的，重大的；生命的，生机的

　　[衍生词汇] vitality n.生命力；生机；活力；生存力，持久力

　　[经典例句] He is a young man of great vitality.

　　7. in an odd way以一种奇怪的方式

　　[大纲词汇] odd a.奇数，单的；奇怪的，古怪的；单只的，不成对的；临时的，不固定的；带零头的，余的

　　[经典例句] He handle the situation in an odd way.

　　8. hypocrisy虚伪

　　[扩充词汇] hypocrisy n.伪善，虚伪

　　hypocrite n.伪君子

　　hypocritical a.虚伪的

　　[经典例句] His hypocrisy angered all the people present.

　　9. formerly以前地

　　[大纲词汇] former a.以前的，在前的

　　[经典例句] He was formerly a elementary school teacher.

　　10. in demand所需要的

　　[扩充词组] in demand所需要的

　　[经典例句] Oil is in great demand these days.

　　11. confess to承认

　　[大纲词汇] confess v.供认，承认，坦白，忏悔

　　[经典例句] He confessed to the crime he had committed.

　　12. lest免得

　　[大纲词汇] lest conj.惟恐，免得

　　[经典例句] She didn't tell them the truth, lest they would get involve.

　　13. pushing急功近利的

　　[大纲词汇] push v.推；催逼，逼迫n.推，推力；促进，推进

　　[衍生词汇] pushing a.推的；有进取心的；一意孤行的

　　[经典例句] She is a very nice person except that she is a bit pushing.

　　14. acquisitive贪婪的

　　[大纲词汇] acquire v.取得，获得；学到

　　[衍生词汇] acquisitive a.渴望获得的，迫切求取的，贪婪的

　　[经典例句] Finally his acquisitive instinct got the upper hand.

　　15. vulgar粗俗的

　　[扩充词汇] vulgar a.庸俗的，粗俗的；粗鲁的，粗野的

　　[经典例句] He is a person of vulgar taste.

　　16. treat to款待

　　[大纲词汇] treat v.对待；处理；治疗；论述，探讨；款待，请客n.款待，请客

　　[经典例句] I will treat you all to a little piano specialty of my own.

　　17. spectacle景象

　　[大纲词汇] spectacle n.[pl.]眼镜；场面，景象；奇观，壮观

　　spectacular a.壮观的，引人注目的

　　[经典例句] The burning house is a terrible spectacle.

　　18. ample充分的

　　[大纲词汇] ample a.充分的，富裕的；宽敞的，宽大的

　　[经典例句] The city's many cultural and sports facilities offer ample recreation.

　　19. materialism唯物主义

　　[大纲词汇] materialism n.唯物主义

　　material a.材料，原料，资料a.物质的，实体的

　　20. participatory参与的

　　[大纲词汇] participate v.(in)参与，参加；分享，分担

　　participant n.参加者，参与者

　　[衍生词汇] participatory a.参与的，参加的，积极参与的

　　[经典例句] Participatory art is quite popular with some artists nowadays.

　　21. phase阶段

　　[大纲词汇] phase n.阶段，状态，时期；相，相位

　　[经典例句] The book covers all phases of Picasso's work.

　　22. enroll入学

　　[大纲词汇] enroll/enrol v.招收；登记；入学

　　[经典例句] The union enrolls over 100 000 worker in New York.

　　23. exceptional例外的

　　[大纲词汇] exceptional a.例外的，异常的

　　[经典例句] He treated his employees with exceptional cruelty.

　　24. formulation构想

　　[大纲词汇] formulate v.构想，规划；系统得阐述

　　[衍生词汇] formulation n.系统的阐述；规划，构想

　　[经典例句] He stated his opinion on the formulation of policies.

　　25. at all costs不惜任何代价

　　[大纲词汇] at all costs不惜任何代价，无论如何

　　[经典例句] He vowed to succeed at all costs.

　　26. angle角度

　　[大纲词汇] angle n.角；角度；方面，观点

　　[词汇比较] angel a.天使**两词拼写相近，易混淆，注意区分

　　[经典例句] It will give you a more objective picture if you consider the issue from various angles.

　　27. probably很可能地

　　[大纲词汇] probable a.很可能的，大概的；有希望的，可能的

　　[经典例句] She is probably the best singer in this country.

　　28. at an end完结

　　[扩充词组] at an end完结，耗尽

　　[经典例句] Everything between the lovers were at an end.

　　29. stirring冲动，激励

　　[大纲词汇] stir v.搅拌，搅动；动，摇动；激动；轰动；煽动，鼓动

　　[衍生词汇] stirring a.激动人心的；忙碌的，活跃的n.激励，鼓舞

　　[经典例句] He tried to suppress the stirrings of visiting her.

　　30. prompting鼓舞

　　[大纲词汇] prompt v.激起，促进，推动

　　[衍生词汇] prompting n.推动，促进，鼓舞，激励

　　[经典例句] The book would never have been written without the promptings of my wife.

　　31. profess承认

　　[扩充词汇] profess v.承认，表示；声称

　　professed a.公开表示的；公开声称的

　　[经典例句] He professed himself a lover of music.

　　32. earnest热切的

　　[大纲词汇] earnest a.热心的，诚挚的

　　[经典例句] He is an earnest student.

　　33. get on in life出人头地

　　[大纲词汇] get on发迹，出人头地

　　[经典例句] The young man is sure to get on in the world.

　　34. customary习惯的

　　[大纲词汇] customary a.习惯的，惯例的

　　[经典例句] He made his customary visit to his parents every week.

　　35. discard抛弃

　　[大纲词汇] discard v.抛弃，丢弃

　　[经典例句] His friends urge him to discard his bad habits.

　　36. check控制

　　[大纲词汇] check v.检查，核对；制止，控制；(凭票)托运或寄存

　　[经典例句] He tried his best to check his anger.

　　37. momentarily瞬间地

　　[大纲词汇] momentary a.瞬间的，片刻的

　　[经典例句] He paused momentarily to have some water and proceeded.

　　1. If ambition is to be well regarded, the rewards of ambition---wealth, distinction, control over one's destiny---must be deemed worthy of the sacrifices made on ambition's behalf.

　　[结构剖析]：此句包含一个if引导的条件状语从句If ambition is to be well regarded，主句的主语是the rewards of ambition，谓语是must be deemed，而wealth, distinction, control over one's destiny既是插入语，又是the rewards的同位语。made on ambition's behalf是the sacrifices的补语。

　　[阅读重点]：本句中须弄清一些词汇的含义，如distinction声望显赫或出人头地、worthy of对得起或不辜负、on behalf of为了，等等。

　　[参考译文]：如果个人的野心被人看得很重，那么野心带来的好处--荣华富贵、出人头地、命运自主--都应被认为是值得为了这雄心壮志而做出的各种牺牲。

　　2. If the tradition of ambition is to have vitality, it must be widely shared; and it especially must be highly regarded by people who are themselves admired, the educated not least among them.

　　[结构剖析]：这是一个并列关系的复句。前一个分句又包含由if引导的条件状语，主句中的主语it指代the tradition of ambition。后一分句中who are themselves admired修饰people，the educated not least among them是people的补语。

　　[阅读重点]：注意people who are themselves admired指自己也受人仰慕的人士，not least义为相当重要。

　　[参考译文]：如果野心的传统具有生命力，那么这传统必会为许多人分享；尤其会受到自己也受人仰慕的人士的青睐，在这些人中受过良好教育的可不占少数。

　　3. There is a heavy note of hypocrisy in this, a case of closing the barn door after the horses have escaped---with the educated themselves riding on them.

　　[结构剖析]：a case of closing the barn door after the horses have escaped是前面主句的补语，with the educated themselves riding on them是补语中的伴随状语。

　　[阅读重点]：hypocrisy虚伪或伪善，理解了这个词，后面的比喻就简单了。要理解这个比喻，最好把句中的马理解为ambition的象征。注意这个比喻和"亡羊补牢"没有任何关系，它的意思更接近于"掩耳盗铃"；在这里是指受过良好教育的人在自己的野心实现以后，从追求野心的过程中受了益，但他们得了便宜还卖乖，反过来谴责野心，并说自己并没有追求野心。

　　[参考译文]：这种事情带有很浓重的虚伪性，就好比等马儿全逃光了，才把马厩的门关死------而骑在那些马上的正是那群受过良好教育的人。

　　4. Certainly people do not seem less interested in success and its signs now than formerly. Summer homes, European travel, BMW---the locations, place names and name brands may change, but such items do not seem less in demand today than a decade or two years ago.

　　[结构剖析]：此处出现了两个比较级，less interested in success and its signs now than formerly和less in demand today than a decade or two years ago。

　　[阅读重点]：千万注意两句中的双重否定："do not seem less interested in success and its signs now than formerly"means"seem at least as interested in success and its signs now as formerly，if not more"，后面的do not seem less in demand today than a decade or two years ago也是如此。

　　[参考译文]：当然，人们现在对成功及其各种标志的兴趣似乎并不亚于先前。消夏别墅、欧陆旅行、宝马车--地点、地名以及品牌或许会有变化，但这类事物在今天被人渴求的程度也似乎不会亚于一二十年前。

　　5. What has happened is that people cannot confess fully to their dreams, as easily and openly as once they could, lest they be thought pushing, acquisitive and vulgar.

　　[结构剖析]：what一词指代的是that引导的从句，从句中as easily and openly as once they could又是下一层的状语，此外lest引导带虚拟语气的假设状语从句。

　　[阅读重点]：注意lest一词的含义(唯恐)和用法(引导虚拟语气)。而且在阅读过程中应该能够推测出pushing, acquisitive，vulgar三词都是贬义

　　[参考译文]：现在发生的事情是人们总不能象从前一样轻松坦白地承认他们有这样的梦想，唯恐自己被人理解为急功近利、贪婪或庸俗。

　　6. Instead, we are treated to fine hypocritical spectacles, which now more than ever seem in ample supply: the critic of American materialism with a Southampton summer home; the publisher of radical books who takes his meals in three-star restaurants; the journalist advocating participatory democracy in all phases of life, whose own children are enrolled in private schools.

　　[结构剖析]：本句的主句是we are treated to fine hypocritical spectacles。后面有一个非限定性的定语从句，修饰spectacles。在冒号的后面是三个并列的名词性短语，其核心词分别是critic, publisher,和journalist.

　　[阅读重点]：要理解本句，首先要正确理解be treated to的意思是"被款待，被招待"；因此后面的spectacles就不是"眼镜"，而是"壮观景象"，此处有一定的反讽意味。后面即使不理解其具体含义，大致也应该抓住的是虚伪，说一套做一套的具体事例，从这个角度理解就比较清楚了。

　　[参考译文]：相反，我们被款待看到这样一些虚伪的壮观景象，他们似乎比以前的任何时候都更供应充足：美国式物质主义的批判者却拥有位于南安普顿的避暑山庄；激进书籍的出版商却在三星级餐厅享用一日三餐；倡导在人生各个阶段的参与民主制的记者，他的子女却就读于私立学校。

　　7. The attacks on ambition are many and come from various angles; its public defenders are few and unimpressive,swheresthey are not extremely unattractive.

　　[结构剖析]：此句是用分号隔开的两个并列句，后面的一个分句中有一个where引导的定语从句，从整体上来修饰its public defenders,只不过先行词用了where。

　　[阅读重点]：要理解分号前后是从正反两个方面来说明人们对于ambition的态度，同时注意最后的定语从句中的那个双重否定，表达了作者的一种态度，说明作者对于野心的维护者是抱肯定的态度的，从而也能推出作者对于野心也是持积极态度的，而作者所不齿的是对于野心问题虚伪的、说一套做一套的做法。

　　[参考译文]：对野心的抨击层出不穷，且来自各个角度；公开为野心辩护者寥寥无几、毫无力度，但他们不能说是完全不吸引人的。

　　参考答案：17.A 18.C 19.D 20.B

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