Nouabalé-Ndoki national park, in the Republic of Congo, is 4,200 square kilometres of virgin tropical forest that is as densely populated with elephants and great apes as it is sparsely populated with rangers. There are 14 of them, and they have failed to catch a single poacher for more than a year. That is not for lack of illegal hunting in the park. Demand for ivory is up, driven largely by consumers in Japan and an increasingly wealthy China. The value of meat from elephants, apes and other animals has also risen as loggers and miners move deeper into the country's forests. Nor is this a problem confined to Congo. Last year poachers are estimated to have killed more than 23,000 African elephants. According to a study by the University of Washington, that is about one in 17 of the continent's total.

   Nouabalé-Ndoki's rangers are, however, about to get some high-tech help in the form of TrailGuard, a system of small and easily hidden electronic detection and communication devices. They will soon begin burying radio-transmitting metal detectors alongside elephant trails leading into the park. Authorised travelers through the park will be given transponders that tell the detectors who they are, as with the “identification friend-or-foe” systems on military aircraft. But when poachers carrying rifles walk by a detector, it will send a radio signal to a treetop antenna. Seconds later the rangers will receive the intruder's co-ordinates on their satellite phones. They will then be able to respond precisely, rather than running around on fruitless and demoralising patrols on the small chance of catching a poacher up to no good.

   TrailGuard is the brainchild of Steve Gulick, an electrical engineer turned biologist who recently left the State University of New York (SUNY) to set up a not-for-profit organisation called Wildland Security, to promote his idea. Besides catching more (or, indeed, any) poachers, he hopes his invention will also prove to be an example of an idea from another one-time electrical engineer, Arthur C. Clarke. Clarke's Third Law, as it is known to fans of his science-fiction writing, is that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”. Many people in Congo do believe in magic and Mr Gulick does not propose to disabuse them of the notion. Local people will receive no explanation for the rangers' new powers. That, Mr Gulick hopes, will discourage potential poachers from turning thought into deed.

   Nor are metal detectors the only magic to be deployed. Small fire detectors hidden in trees should add to the anti-poaching unit's reputation for detection. Poachers frequently smoke meat from their kills to preserve it during transport to market. Like the metal detectors, the fire detectors will alert the rangers by satellite phone, allowing them to swoop as from nowhere.

   注（1）：本文選自Economist, 06/07/2007

   注（2）：本文習(xí)題命題模仿對(duì)象為1998年真題Text 2和1997年真題Text 3第4題。

   1． According to the author, illegal hunting is _______.

    [A] a shared problem in many countries

    [B] not as serious as it seems

    [C] becoming less and less

    [D] effectively controlled.

   2． What is the author’s attitude towards the technology of TrailGuard?

    [A] supportive

    [B] objective

    [C] indifferent

    [D] worried

   3． Local people’s reaction to ranger’s new power is probably _______.

    [A] that they become keen of advanced technologies

    [B] that they fear it is some kind of magical power

    [C] that they tend to challenge the new technological equipment

    [D] that they are not concered about the issue at all

   4． Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

    [A] Steve Gulick’s invention is from Arthur C. Clarke’s idea.

    [B] The radio-transmitting metal detectors can distinguishi between tralvers and proachers.

    [C] Arthur C. Clarke is known as a writer of science fictions.

    [D] There are various kinds of detectors buried across the national park.

   5． It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

    [A] Before adopting the new technology, rangers could not catch any proacher.

    [B] TrailGuard is successful in fighting again illegal hunting.

    [C] Proachers use fire to make food from their preys.

    [D] Illegal hunting is mainly driven by huge demand of animal meat.

   篇章剖析

   本文是一篇說明文，介紹諾娃貝爾多基國家公園如何通過采用高科技手段來提高與偷獵者作斗爭的效率。第一段先說明了國家公園里存在著嚴(yán)重偷獵問題，而傳統(tǒng)的守林方式已經(jīng)無法繼續(xù)對(duì)公園里的生物進(jìn)行有效的保護(hù)。第二段介紹了這種電子探測交流工具的特點(diǎn)和功能；第三段介紹了這種工具的發(fā)明人；比較后一段則簡要介紹了另一種高科技工具。

   詞匯注釋

   ranger [`reindVE] n. 巡邏騎兵, 護(hù)林員            rifle [`raifl] n. 來復(fù)槍, 步槍

   poacher [`pEutFE] n. 偷獵者                     antenna [An`tenE] n. 天線

   detention [di`tenFEn] n. 拘留, 禁閉               intruder [in`tru:dE] n. 入侵者

   trail [treil] n. 蹤跡, 痕跡, 形跡                  demoralise [di`mCrElaiz] v. 士氣受挫

   transponder [trAn`spCndE] n. [無]異頻雷達(dá)收發(fā)機(jī)   patrol [pE`trEul] n. 巡邏

   foe [fEu] n. 反對(duì)者, 敵人

   難句突破

   TrailGuard is the brainchild of Steve Gulick, an electrical engineer turned biologist who recently left the State University of New York (SUNY) to set up a not-for-profit organisation called Wildland Security, to promote his idea.

   主體句式  TrailGuard is the brainchild of Steve Gulick.

   結(jié)構(gòu)分析  這個(gè)長句看上去結(jié)構(gòu)復(fù)雜，其實(shí)其主句非常短，而后面部分都是Steve Gulick的同位語，用來補(bǔ)充說明Steve Gulick這個(gè)人物。同位語中包括了一個(gè)定語從句，而比較后的不定式結(jié)構(gòu)是對(duì)前面建立非營利組織的補(bǔ)充。

   句子譯文  “行蹤警衛(wèi)”由史蒂夫"固利克發(fā)明。固利克先生從電子工程師轉(zhuǎn)行成為生物學(xué)家，他比較近離開了美國紐約州立大學(xué)并創(chuàng)建了一個(gè)名為“野外安全”的非盈利組織，以推廣他的構(gòu)想。

   題目分析

   1．A. 細(xì)節(jié)題。文章第一段提到偷獵并不是剛果一個(gè)國家的問題，可見這一問題存在于一些國家中。

   2．B. 態(tài)度題。本文作者自始自終都以非�？陀^的角度介紹“行蹤警衛(wèi)”技術(shù)，沒有加入個(gè)人的觀點(diǎn)。

   3．B. 推理題。文章第三段指出固利克先生不會(huì)向本地人解釋這種科技產(chǎn)品的原理和能力，從而利用當(dāng)?shù)厝诵欧钅Хǖ男睦韥頊p少偷獵行為，由此可以推出當(dāng)?shù)厝藢?duì)這種未知的“魔力”會(huì)產(chǎn)生恐懼感。

   4．A. 細(xì)節(jié)題。文章第三段中指出固利克從亞瑟"克拉克那里學(xué)到的是讓人們以為科技是魔力的想法，而不是他的發(fā)明靈感，因此A選項(xiàng)的意思不正確。

   5．B. 推理題。文章第三段提到這項(xiàng)技術(shù)成功地抓獲了幾乎每一個(gè)偷獵者。

   參考譯文

    位于剛果共和國的諾娃貝爾多基國家公園是一片面積達(dá)4200平方公里的熱帶雨林處女地，林中居住著數(shù)量巨大的大象和大猩猩，而護(hù)林員的數(shù)目卻相對(duì)非常少。僅有的14名護(hù)林員在過去的一年多時(shí)間內(nèi)沒有抓到一個(gè)偷獵者。這不是因?yàn)樯�林中偷獵的人很少。相反，在日本和中國，那些越來越富有的消費(fèi)者們對(duì)于象牙的需求不斷上升。此外，隨著伐木工和礦工們不斷深入這個(gè)國家的森林，大象、猩猩和其他一些動(dòng)物的食用價(jià)值也變得越來越高。這個(gè)問題并不僅限于剛果。有數(shù)據(jù)顯示去年偷獵者們殺戮了23000多只非洲大象。華盛頓大學(xué)的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查表明，這個(gè)數(shù)字相當(dāng)于非洲大陸大象總數(shù)的17分之一。

    但是現(xiàn)在諾娃貝爾多基公園的護(hù)林員們將要開始使用一項(xiàng)名為“行蹤警衛(wèi)”的高科技手段，該系統(tǒng)是一個(gè)微型隱蔽的電子探測交流工具。護(hù)林員們很快就會(huì)沿著通向國家公園的大象軌跡上埋下以無線電傳播的金屬探測器。經(jīng)過批準(zhǔn)的森林旅游者們可以領(lǐng)到一個(gè)異頻雷達(dá)收發(fā)機(jī)，這個(gè)收發(fā)機(jī)可以使探測器確認(rèn)旅游者的身份，就像戰(zhàn)機(jī)上經(jīng)常有配備的“敵友認(rèn)證”系統(tǒng)一樣。但是當(dāng)偷獵者們舉著步槍經(jīng)過探測器的時(shí)候，探測器就會(huì)向樹頂上的天線發(fā)出無線電信號(hào)。幾秒鐘之后護(hù)林員們就可以通過衛(wèi)星電話收到入侵者們的計(jì)劃。因此他們就可以準(zhǔn)確地做出反應(yīng)，而不是盲目地在森林中進(jìn)行沒有成效且降低士氣的巡邏，因?yàn)橛眠@種方式抓到偷獵者的幾率非常小。

   “行蹤警衛(wèi)”由史蒂夫"固利克發(fā)明。固利克先生從電子工程師轉(zhuǎn)行成為生物學(xué)家，他比較近離開了美國紐約州立大學(xué)并創(chuàng)建了一個(gè)名為“野外安全”的非盈利組織，以推廣他的構(gòu)想。固利克先生除了通過該系統(tǒng)抓獲更多的（或?qū)嶋H上是每一個(gè)）非法偷獵者，他還希望他的發(fā)明能證明為一位曾經(jīng)擔(dān)任過電子工程師的名叫亞瑟"克拉克的人的想法�？死�克的“第三法則”是其科幻小說讀者都非常熟悉的，該法則指出任何一種高科技無法與魔法相區(qū)別。許多剛果人都迷信魔法，而固利克先生并不打算讓他們明白這個(gè)概念。對(duì)于護(hù)林軍的新能力，本地人不會(huì)得到任何解釋。固利克先生希望這樣能打擊潛在的偷獵者，使他們（在魔力的震懾下）不會(huì)把想法變?yōu)樾袆?dòng)。

   金屬探測器并不是在林區(qū)使用的唯一魔法。隱藏在樹木中的小型火事探測器也增強(qiáng)了護(hù)林軍的偵查能力。非法偷獵者經(jīng)常會(huì)在林區(qū)煙熏獵物，從而保證獵物在被運(yùn)送到市場的過程中不會(huì)變質(zhì)。火事探測器與金屬探測器一樣，通過發(fā)送信號(hào)到護(hù)林軍的衛(wèi)星電話上，使得護(hù)林軍能夠?qū)ν但C者們進(jìn)行突襲。