Aimlessness has hardly been typical of the postwar Japan whose productivity and social harmony are the envy of the United States and Europe. But increasingly the Japanese are seeing a decline of the traditional work-moral values. Ten years ago young people were hard-working and saw their jobs as their primary reason for being, but now Japan has largely fulfilled its economic needs, and young people don't know where they should go next。
　　 The coming of age of the postwar baby boom and an entry of women into the male-dominated job market have limited the opportunities of teen-agers who are already questioning the heavy personal sacrifices involved in climbing Japan's rigid social ladder to good schools and jobs. In a recent survey, it was found that only 24.5 percent of Japanese students were fully satisfied with school life, compared with 67.2 percent of students in the United States. In addition, far more Japanese workers expressed dissatisfaction with their jobs than did their counterparts in the 10 other countries surveyed。
　　 While often praised by foreigners for its emphasis on the basics, Japanese education tends to stress test taking and mechanical learning over creativity and self-expression�！癟hose things that do not show up in the test scores—personality, ability, courage or humanity―are completely ignored,” says Toshiki Kaifu, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's education committee�！癋rustration against this kind of thing leads kids to drop out and run wild�！� Last year Japan experienced 2,125 incidents of school violence, including 929 assaults on teachers. Amid the outcry, many conservative leaders are seeking a return to the prewar emphasis on moral education. Last year Mitsuo Setoyama, who was then education minister, raised eyebrows when he argued that liberal reforms introduced by the American occupation authorities after World WarⅡ had weakened the “Japanese morality of respect for parents�！�
　　 But that may have more to do with Japanese life-styles. “ In Japan,” says educator Yoko Muro, “it's never a question of whether you enjoy your job and your life, but only how much you can endure�！� With economic growth has come centralization; fully 76 percent of Japan's 119 million citizens live in cities where community and the extended family have been abandoned in favor of isolated, two generation households. Urban Japanese have long endured lengthy commutes (travels to and from work) and crowded living conditions, but as the old group and family values weaken, the discomfort is beginning to tell. In the past decade, the Japanese divorce rate, while still well below that of the United States, has increased by more than 50 percent, and suicides have increased by nearly one-quarter。
　　 23. In the Westerners’ eyes, the postwar Japan was_____。
　　 [A]under aimless development
　　 [B]a positive example
　　 [C]a rival to the West
　　 [D]on the decline
　　 24. According to the author, what may chiefly be responsible for the moral decline of Japanese society?
　　 [A]Women's participation in social activities is limited。
　　 [B]More workers are dissatisfied with their jobs。
　　 [C]Excessive emphasis has been placed on the basics。
　　 [D]The life-style has been influenced by Western values。
　　 25. Which of the following is true according to the author?
　　 [A]Japanese education is praised for helping the young climb the social ladder
　　 [B]Japanese education is characterized by mechanical learning as well as creativity。
　　 [C]More stress should be placed on the cultivation of creativity。
　　 [D]Dropping out leads to frustration against test taking。
　　 26. The change in Japanese life-style is revealed in the fact that____。
　　 [A]the young are less tolerant of discomforts in life。
　　 [B]the divorce rate in Japan exceeds that in the U.S。
　　 [C]the Japanese endure more than ever before
　　 [D]the Japanese appreciate their present life

　　名師解析
　　23. In the Westerners’eyes, the postwar Japan was_____.
　　在西方人看來，戰(zhàn)后的日本是_____。
　　[A]under aimless development 盲目發(fā)展
　　[B]a positive example 一個積極的例子
　　[C]a rival to the West 西方的競爭對手
　　[D]on the decline 在衰退中
　　【答案】 B
　　【考點】 事實細節(jié)題。
　　【分析】 文章第一段第一句就指出，“盲目性不是戰(zhàn)后日本的特色，它的生產(chǎn)率和社會的和諧為美國和歐洲所羨慕�！币簿褪钦f是一個積極的正面的例子。[A]違反了第一句。[C]選項和[D]選項不是本文談?wù)摰脑掝}。
　　24. According to the author, what may chiefly be responsible for the moral decline of Japanese society?
　　根據(jù)本文作者的觀點，日本社會道德滑坡的主要原因是什么?
　　[A] Women's participation in social activities is limited.
　　婦女參加社會活動受到限制。
　　[B] More workers are dissatisfied with their jobs。
　　越來越多的工人對自己的工作感到不滿。
　　[C] Excessive emphasis has been placed on the basics。
　　過多地注重基礎(chǔ)教育。
　　[D] The life-style has been influenced by Western values。
　　生活方式受西方價值觀的影響。
　　【答案】 D
　　【考點】 事實細節(jié)題。
　　【分析】 文中第一段指出日本人正在逐漸經(jīng)歷傳統(tǒng)工作道德價值觀的日益滑坡，說“十年前，年輕人工作努力，將工作看作是生存(being)的重要動力”，但是，日本目前在很大程度上滿足了其經(jīng)濟發(fā)展的需要，年輕人反而不知道下一步的發(fā)展目標了。具體提到道德滑坡是在第三段，文中提到校園暴力，提到“保守黨領(lǐng)導人正在力圖重新重視戰(zhàn)前那種道德教育”，“Mitsuo Setoyama”更是冒出“驚人之語”(raise the eyebrows)，他堅持認為二戰(zhàn)后美國占領(lǐng)當局引進的自由改革削弱了“日本人尊敬父母的道德觀”。而在下文，作者更是直接提出，“但是，這可能和日本人的生活方式關(guān)系更大。人們已經(jīng)拋棄了社區(qū)和大家庭，而更加喜歡單門獨戶的兩代人構(gòu)成的家庭，舊的集體和家庭價值觀被削弱”。由此可見，本題的答案就是[D]選項。
　　25. Which of the following is true according to the author?
　　在作者看來，以下哪一個是正確的?
　　[A] Japanese education is praised for helping the young climb the social ladder。
　　日本的教育受人稱道，因為它有助于年輕人攀登社會階梯。
　　[B] Japanese education is characterized by mechanical learning as well as creativity。
　　日本教育的特點就是既有機械性的學習又有創(chuàng)造力的培養(yǎng)。
　　[C] More stress should be placed on the cultivation of creativity。
　　應(yīng)該更加強調(diào)創(chuàng)造力的培養(yǎng)上。
　　[D] Dropping out leads to frustration against test taking。
　　輟學導致了對應(yīng)試的挫折感。
　　【答案】 C
　　【考點】 作者觀點題。
　　【分析】 [A]說法是錯誤的，因為日本的教育受到外國人贊賞的原因是“它強調(diào)整礎(chǔ)教育”。[B]說法是錯誤的，因為文中提到“它強調(diào)考試和機械學習而不是創(chuàng)造性和自我表現(xiàn)”。[C]是正確的，因為文中提到“它強調(diào)考試和機械學習超過創(chuàng)造性和自我表現(xiàn)”�！澳切┰诳挤种胁荒荏w現(xiàn)的東西——個性、能力、勇氣或人性——完全被忽視了，”執(zhí)政的自民黨教育委員會主席“Toshiki Kaifu”說，“這類事情造成的挫折致使孩子輟學以及變得狂野”，這說明日本應(yīng)該更加強調(diào)創(chuàng)造力的培養(yǎng)。[D]的說法是錯誤的，因為文中說“這類事情造成的挫折致使孩子輟學以及變得狂野”，該選項故意混淆了原因和結(jié)果。
　　26. The change in Japanese life-style is revealed in the fact that____.
　　日本人生活方式的變化體現(xiàn)在下面的 一個事實中。
　　[A] the young are less tolerant of discomforts in life
　　年輕人對現(xiàn)實生活中困苦的忍受力下降
　　[B] the divorce rate in Japan exceeds that in the U.S。
　　日本的離婚率超過美國的
　　[C] the Japanese endure more than ever before
　　日本人忍受的東西比以前更多了
　　[D] the Japanese appreciate their present life
　　日本人欣賞他們目前的生活
　　【答案】 A
　　【考點】 事實細節(jié)題。
　　【分析】 文中提到教育家“Yoko Muro”。他說“在日本，你喜歡不喜歡自己的工作和生活，這從來都不是問題，問題是你有多大的承受力”。然后在比較后一段里面提到“家庭結(jié)構(gòu)的改變，舊的集體和家庭價值觀的削弱，人們的不滿凸現(xiàn)”。也就是說“日本人以前默默地忍受生活的困苦，但是，現(xiàn)在年輕的日本人覺得這種犧牲太大，對此產(chǎn)生了逆反情緒”。因此可以判定“日本人的生活方式的變化體現(xiàn)年輕人對現(xiàn)實生活中的困苦忍受力下降”。[B]的說法是錯誤的，因為根據(jù)第四段比較后一句，“日本人的離婚率仍然低于美國人的”。[C]在文中找不到很據(jù)。[D]可以根據(jù)“比較近一次調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)只有24.5%的日本學生對學校生活完全滿意，相比之下，美國學生的比例是62.7%。此外，與被調(diào)查的其他10個國家的工人相比，對自身工作表示不滿的日本工人多得多”進行排除。

　　難句解析：
　　1. The coming of age of the postwar baby boom and an entry of women into the male-dominated job market have limited the opportunities of teenagers who are already questioning the heavy personal sacrifices involved in climbing Japan’s rigid social ladder to good schools and jobs。
　　【結(jié)構(gòu)分析】 本句的主語有兩個。一個是“The coming of age of the postwar baby boom”;另外一個是“an entry of women into the male-dominated job market”。謂語是“have limited”。賓語是“the opportunities of teen-agers”�！皐ho” 引導一個定語從句修飾賓語�！癷nvolved in climbing Japan’s rigid social ladder to good schools and jobs”是“personal sacrifices”的后置定語。
　　2. Last year Mitsuo Setoyama, who was then education minister, raised eyebrows when he argued that liberal reforms introduced by the American occupation authorities after World War II had weakened the “Japanese morality of respect for parents�！�
　　【結(jié)構(gòu)分析】 本句主句結(jié)構(gòu)是“Mitsuo Setoyama raised eyebrows”。插入語“who was then education minister”是主語的定語，“when” 引導一個時間狀語從句，“that”引導的從句做“argued”的賓語，該賓語從句中主語是“l(fā)iberal reforms”，謂語是“had weakened”，賓語是“the‘Japanese morality of respect for parents’”，“introduced by the American occupation authorities after World War II”是“l(fā)iberal reforms”的定語。
　　全文翻譯：
　　盲目性不是戰(zhàn)后日本的特色，它的生產(chǎn)率和社會的和諧為美國和歐洲所羨慕。但是，日本人正在逐漸經(jīng)歷傳統(tǒng)工作道德價值觀的日益滑坡。10年前，日本年輕人工作勤奮，將工作視為他們存在的主要理由，但如今日本基本上已經(jīng)滿足了其經(jīng)濟需求，年輕人卻不知道他們隨后該去何方。
　　戰(zhàn)后嬰兒出生高峰期出生的人已到成年，以及婦女進入男性主宰的就業(yè)市場，限制了青少年的發(fā)展機遇，這些青少年已經(jīng)開始質(zhì)疑攀登日本等級森嚴的社會階梯以求進好學校，找好工作中付出的沉重的個人犧牲是否值得。比較近一次調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)只有24.5%的日本學生對學校生活完全滿意，相比之下，美國學生的比例是62.7%。此外，與被調(diào)查的其他10個國家的工人相比，對自身工作表示不滿的日本工人多得多。
　　雖然日本的教育因強調(diào)基礎(chǔ)知識而經(jīng)常受到外國人的贊揚，但是它強調(diào)考試和機械學習而不是創(chuàng)造性和自我表現(xiàn)�！澳切┰诳挤种胁荒荏w現(xiàn)的東西——個性、能力、勇氣或人性——完全被忽視了，”執(zhí)政的自民黨教育委員會主席Toshiki Kaifu說，“這類事情造成的挫折致使孩子輟學以及變得狂野。”去年日本發(fā)生了2,125起校園暴力事件，其中包括929起襲擊老師事件。在抗議聲中，許多保守黨領(lǐng)導人正在力圖重新重視戰(zhàn)前那種道德教育;去年，時任教育大臣的Mitsuo Setoyama就冒出驚人之語，他堅持認為二戰(zhàn)后美國占領(lǐng)當局引進的自由改革削弱了“日本人尊敬父母的道德觀”。
　　但是，這可能和日本人的生活方式關(guān)系更大。教育家 Yoko Muro說“在日本，你喜歡不喜歡自己的工作和生活，這從來都不是問題，問題是你有多大的承受力�！苯�(jīng)濟的增長伴隨著人口的集中，在日本1.19億人當中，76%的人住在城市，在那里，人們已經(jīng)拋棄了社區(qū)和大家庭，而更加喜歡單門獨戶的兩代人構(gòu)成的家庭。日本的城里人長期忍受著漫長的上下班來回路程和擁擠的居住條件，但是隨著舊的集體和家庭價值觀的削弱，人們的不滿開始顯現(xiàn)。在過去10年中，日本的離婚率雖然仍遠在美國之下，但是也已經(jīng)上升了50%，而自殺則上升了近1/4。