2020考研英語閱讀理解精讀100篇：Unit 44

Unit 44

Just over 20 years ago, IBM introduced the PC jr. Derided as awkward and underpowered, the PC jr. never caught on with kids or parents. But then again, IBM didn’t have the Mouse behind it.

Backed by a posse of Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto, the Walt Disney Co. is looking to do what IBM never could: successfully market a computer system designed specifically for kids. The Disney Dream Desk PC（$600）and its complementary big-eared, 14.1-inch monitor（$300）are aimed at kids ranging from 6 to 12 years old. But even though the system is embellished with images of Mickey and software featuring Donald Duck and Goofy, the Dream Desk is more than a toy.

Using Microsoft Windows XP, the Disney system is based on an Intel Celeron D processor and comes with a 40-gigabyte hard drive plus a combination CD burner and DVD player—serious enough hardware to manage games or homework. As an added feature, there’s a stylus that sits in a cradle built into the keyboard. The stylus is a more comfortable pointing device than a mouse for little hands, and it also lets children create their own digital sketches.

Teaching tool. On the software side, Disney has included a trio of creativity programs called Disney Flix, Pix, and Mix that lets kids create their own movies, add Disney characters to digital pictures, and compose music. For parents worried about the World Wild Web, Disney has included a Content Protect program that prevents curious tykes from visiting sites you’d rather they not view. And if you suspect they are using the Net more for games than research, the program will even track your children’s surfing and report back to you.

By and large, the Disney system succeeds with the Dream Desk. Design elements like the monitor’s mouseketeer ears, which conceal speakers, certainly grabbed my 22-month-old daughter’s attention. But while she may have enjoyed “playing with Mickey,” parents may wonder if computers for kids are a help or hindrance when it comes to learning. “The danger is that people tend to replace actual human instruction with these computers,” says Reid Lyon, chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health. According to Lyon, computers are a fine tool to help kids learn—as long as there’s parental participation.

Parents looking for educational titles on the Dream Desk will have to shop elsewhere. Furthermore, the total system price is about $150 more than comparably equipped plain-Jane PCs, and some elements of the Disney PC could be improved. ① Making the LCD monitor touch sensitive would be a nice addition for kids, as would a clear cover to protect the screen from sticky little fingers. In addition, some parents may bridle at the brazen commercialism of having a large orange button on the system’s keyboard that takes kids directly to Disney’s $9.95-a-month Toontown online game.

② On the other hand, what parent hasn’t succumbed to a son or daughter’s desire for a SpongeBob toy, Spiderman lunchbox, or Dora backpack? And while this PC may have big ears, it’s not just some Mickey Mouse computer.

注（1）：本文選自U.S. News & World Report；

注（2）：本文習(xí)題命題模仿對象為2004年真題Text 1（個別題目稍做調(diào)整）。

1. How can the Walt Disney Co. make a computer system popular with the kids?

A) The images of the Walt Disney Co. are deeply rooted in kids’ heart.

B) The Dream Desk is just like a super toy.

C) The computer system is designed specifically for kids.

D) Kids can use the computer system for games and doing homework.

2. Which of the following is NOT the description of the Dream Desk?

A) Learning and playing are perfectly combined in this computer system.

B) The hardware is enough for the use of a kid.

C) The software takes the kids’ needs and parents’ worry into consideration.

D) The Dream Desk decorated with the image of Mickey catches the kids’ eyes.

3. How can the parents take full advantage of the computer in the learning of their kids?

A) Not allowing the kids to visit the inappropriate websites.

B) Using the computer to arouse kids’ interest in learning.

C) Fully exploring the potential function of the computer.

D) Working together with their kids.

4. Which of the following is NOT true according to Paragraph 6?

A) The Dream Desk does not have price advantage.

B) The Dream Desk has been equipped with sensitive LCD monitor and a clear cover.

C) Some parents have offensive feelings toward the orange button indicating commercialism.

D) The computer system fails to cater for all the parents.

5. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A) The big ears make this PC look like a big toy that many kids long for.

B) Parents always try their best to satisfy their kids’ needs.

C) Parents find it difficult to refuse to buy their kids such toys as Mickey Mouse computer.

D) Mickey Mouse computer is a computer, rather than a toy.

篇章剖析

本文詳細(xì)介紹了由華特迪斯尼公司推出的專為孩子設(shè)計的米老鼠電腦。第一段指出IBM電腦沒有在孩子和家長中流行起來；第二段指出華特迪斯尼公司正期望做IBM永遠(yuǎn)不可能做的事：成功地銷售專門為孩子設(shè)計的計算機(jī)系統(tǒng)“迪斯尼夢想臺式個人電腦”；第三段指出這款電腦的配置；第四段指出這款電腦的教學(xué)功能；第五段指出電腦如何較好地履行其學(xué)習(xí)工具功能；第六段指出“夢想電腦”的一些不足之處；最后一段指出父母很難拒絕為他們的孩子購買這一看似大玩具的電腦。

詞匯注釋

deride /d??ra?d/ vt. 嘲笑，愚弄，以輕蔑的態(tài)度說話或?qū)Υ?

awkward /???kw?d/ adj. （手腳）不靈巧的;不熟練的；（動作或表情）笨拙的

underpowered /??nd??pa??d/ adj. 動力不足的，由動力不足的發(fā)動機(jī)驅(qū)動的

catch on 抓牢；理解；〈口〉投合人心；流行

posse /?p?si/ n. 武裝隊；一隊（警察）；（臨時組織起來的）一群人

look to 期望；看似將要；許諾做

embellish /?m?bel??/ vt. 美化；裝飾；加細(xì)節(jié)；潤色

Goofy 高飛（迪斯尼卡通中既笨拙、多言、好奇又善良的角色，以宮廷騎士長官的身份出現(xiàn)在影片中）

trio /?tri???/ n. 三個（或人）一組，三件套

tyke（也作tike） /taik/ n. 小孩子，尤指小男孩

by and large大體上，基本上

succeed with 在…上獲得成功

hindrance /?h?ndr?ns/ n. 妨害，障礙，障礙物

comparably /?k?mp?r?bli/ adv. 可比較地，同等地

bridle /?bra?dl/ v. 輕視，瞧不起

brazen /?bre?z(?)n/ adj. 聲音響而刺耳的；厚顏無恥的

succumb /s??k?m/ vi. （常與to連用）（向強(qiáng)大力量或向強(qiáng)烈欲望）屈服，屈從

難句突破

① Making the LCD monitor touch sensitive would be a nice addition for kids, as would a clear cover to protect the screen from sticky little fingers.

主體句式：Making...would be a nice addition for kids.

結(jié)構(gòu)分析：現(xiàn)在分詞結(jié)構(gòu)“making the LCD monitor touch sensitive”作本句的主語；連詞“as”的意思是“如同，正如”；動詞短語“protect... from”的意思是“保護(hù)…，使不遭受”。本句使用的是虛擬語氣，“would be”暗示與現(xiàn)在事實相反。

句子譯文：對孩子而言，正如使用屏保可以保護(hù)屏幕不被小孩子黏糊糊的小手弄臟一樣，把液晶顯示器做成觸摸式或許是個很好的附加功能。

② On the other hand, what parent hasn’t succumbed to a son or daughter’s desire for a SpongeBob toy, Spiderman lunchbox, or Dora backpack?

主體句式：What parent hasn’t succumbed to... desire...?

結(jié)構(gòu)分析：“what”的意思是“what kind of ”，“succumb to”的意思是“（向強(qiáng)大力量或向強(qiáng)烈欲望）屈服，屈從”。本句的意思是“All parents succumb to a son or daughter’s desire for a SpongeBob toy, Spiderman lunchbox, or Dora backpack”。

句子譯文：什么樣的父母會不滿足子女想得到一件“海綿寶寶”玩具、一個蜘蛛俠餐盒或朵拉背包的愿望呢？

題目分析

1. C 細(xì)節(jié)題。從文章中我們知道這款電腦是專為孩子量身打造的，獨(dú)特的米老鼠外形、設(shè)置的功能等都是專為孩子考慮的，因此也深受孩子的喜愛。

2. A 細(xì)節(jié)題。句子“But while she may have enjoyed “playing with Mickey,” parents may wonder if computers for kids are a help or hindrance when it comes to learning.”表達(dá)了家長為孩子在使用電腦玩與學(xué)方面的擔(dān)憂，暗示了電腦在玩與學(xué)方面并不是一個完美的結(jié)合。

3. D 細(xì)節(jié)題。原文對應(yīng)信息在倒數(shù)第三段末“According to Lyon, computers are a fine tool to help kids learn—as long as there’s parental participation.”。

4. B 細(xì)節(jié)題。做對本題的關(guān)鍵是對句子“Making the LCD monitor touch sensitive would be a nice addition for kids, as would a clear cover to protect the screen from sticky little fingers.”的正確理解。這個句子使用的是虛擬語氣，表示的是與現(xiàn)在事實相反的狀況（參見“難句突破”①）。這個句子是對前一句“some elements of the Disney PC could be improved”的補(bǔ)充說明。選項A在文中對應(yīng)的信息是“the total system price is about $150 more than comparably equipped plain-Jane PCs”；選項C對應(yīng)的信息是“some parents may bridle at the brazen commercialism... online game”，“bridle at”的意思是“輕視，瞧不起”；正因為有的父母瞧不起這種厚顏無恥的重商主義，選項D也是正確的。

5. C 推理題。本題的關(guān)鍵是要理解句子“what parent hasn’t succumbed to a son or daughter’s desire for a SpongeBob toy, Spiderman lunchbox, or Dora backpack?”的含義。這句話的意思是“什么樣的父母會不滿足子女想得到一件‘海綿寶寶’玩具、一個蜘蛛俠餐盒或朵拉背包的愿望呢？”，言外之意是父母都會滿足孩子想要玩具的心愿。因為這種電腦配有“大耳朵”，所以它也是一個大玩具，而不只是一臺米老鼠計算機(jī)。這樣，做父母的也就很難拒絕孩子想要一個大玩具計算機(jī)的愿望了。

參考譯文

20多年前，IBM公司推出了初級個人電腦。這種電腦被人們嘲諷為笨拙而且動力不足，從未在小孩或父母中間流行起來。但I(xiàn)BM當(dāng)時并沒有在機(jī)子上配上“米老鼠”。

在米老鼠、米妮和普路托等一批卡通形象的支持下，華特迪斯尼公司正期望完成IBM不可能完成的任務(wù)：成功地銷售專門為孩子設(shè)計的計算機(jī)系統(tǒng)。“迪斯尼夢想臺式個人電腦”（售價600美元），專門配備了長著大耳朵的14.1英寸顯示器（售價300美元），瞄準(zhǔn)的目標(biāo)是6到12歲的孩子。但是，即使該系統(tǒng)的外形用米老鼠形象加以裝飾，并配有唐老鴨和高飛的軟件，“夢想臺式電腦”也不可能只是一件純粹的玩具。

迪斯尼公司的這個系統(tǒng)是以英特爾賽揚(yáng)處理器為基礎(chǔ)的，使用的是微軟XP視窗，配有一個40GB硬盤驅(qū)動器、組合式CD刻錄機(jī)和DVD播放器——這種硬件配置足以用于玩游戲或做家庭作業(yè)。新增加的設(shè)備有：裝在鍵盤內(nèi)的內(nèi)置支架上的指示筆。對孩子的小手來說，指示筆是一個比鼠標(biāo)更舒適的指向設(shè)備，它還可以使孩子們創(chuàng)作出他們自己的數(shù)字素描畫。

教學(xué)工具：至于軟件部分，迪斯尼公司安裝了三合一創(chuàng)造性程序，稱為“迪斯尼Flix、Pix和Mix”。這個程序可讓小孩創(chuàng)作他們自己的電影、把迪斯尼人物添加到數(shù)字式圖片中以及作曲。由于父母對全球互聯(lián)網(wǎng)（也有人稱“萬維網(wǎng)”）表示擔(dān)憂，所以迪斯尼公司配置了“網(wǎng)絡(luò)內(nèi)容保護(hù)”程序。該程序可以防止好奇心強(qiáng)的孩子瀏覽你不想讓他們看的網(wǎng)站。而且如果你懷疑孩子上網(wǎng)是為了玩游戲而不是為了學(xué)習(xí)，該程序甚至可以跟蹤孩子的上網(wǎng)情況，并向你報告他們的上網(wǎng)記錄。

迪斯尼公司的“夢想電腦”總體上來說獲得了成功。顯示器上可以隱蔽揚(yáng)聲器的“滑鼠”（mouseketeer）耳朵，這樣的設(shè)計元件肯定會吸引我22個月大的女兒的注意力。但當(dāng)她沉迷于“玩米老鼠”時，做父母的也許會問：電腦對孩子的學(xué)習(xí)到底是一種幫助還是一種阻礙？設(shè)在全國健康研究院的兒童健康和人類發(fā)展研究所兒童發(fā)展和行為研究分所所長里德·利昂說：“存在的一個危險是人們傾向于用電腦代替真人指導(dǎo)?！睋?jù)利昂說，只要父母親自參與孩子的電腦活動，電腦就可以成為幫助孩子學(xué)習(xí)的一種絕好工具。

在“夢想電腦”上尋找教育項目的父母得另覓他處。再者，該系統(tǒng)的總價比有類似配置的普通Jane個人電腦大約貴150美元，而且迪斯尼個人電腦的有些元件還不完善。對孩子而言，正如使用屏?？梢员Ｗo(hù)屏幕不被小孩子黏糊糊的小手弄臟一樣，把液晶顯示器做成觸摸式或許是個很好的附加功能。還有，在系統(tǒng)鍵盤上裝一個橙色大按鈕的做法對有些父母來說感覺真是厚顏無恥的重商主義（這個按鈕可以使孩子們直接登錄到每月要花費(fèi)9.95美元的“Toontown”網(wǎng)絡(luò)游戲），這正是他們所瞧不起的。

另一方面，什么樣的父母會不滿足子女想得到一件“海綿寶寶”玩具、一個蜘蛛俠餐盒或朵拉背包的愿望呢？既然這種個人電腦可能配有“大耳朵”，那么它就不只是一臺米老鼠計算機(jī)了。