2021年全国卷高中英语《经济学人》外刊新高考培优讲义[06-05]
作文素材阅读理解语法词汇拓展积累
（含词汇讲解、长难句解析、翻译技巧、背景知识、写作积累：均由阿满编写）
原文[续06-04]
The market worked to ease the transition. As demand for traditional horse-work fell, so did horse prices, by about 80?tween 1910 and 1950. This drop slowed the pace of mechanisation in agriculture, but only by a little. Even at lower costs, too few new niches appeared to absorb the workless ungulates. Lower prices eventually made it uneconomical for many owners to keep them. Horses, so to speak, left the labour force, in some cases through sale to meat or glue factories. As the numbers of working horses and mules in America fell from about 21m in 1918 to only 3m or so in1960, the decline was mirrored in the overall horse population.
市场发挥作用，缓和了这一转变。随着对传统的马匹劳作的需求下降，马的价格也在1910年到1950年间下跌了约80%。这减缓了农业机械化的步伐，不过作用很小。即便成本降低了，适合用马的新工作机会仍然太少，无法消化失业的马。价格下跌最终让很多马主觉得养马很不划算。就这样，马可以说是离开了劳动力大军，有些还被卖给肉品厂或制胶工厂。美国役用马和骡的数量从1918年的约2100万减少到1960年的仅300万上下，而马的总数也有类似的下降。
词汇讲解
? to ease the transition
文中释义：缓和这一转变
ease作动词表示improve 即“减轻”或者“缓和”的时候，常见搭配有ease the pain/stress/tension和ease the pressure/burden
transition表示“过渡”、“转变”或者“变迁”这类含义，常见搭配transition from sth to sth
o the smooth transition from full-time work to full retirement o Making the transition from youth to adulthood can be very painful. o a society that is in transition (=changing) o the period of transition to full democracy
“平稳过度”可以表述为smooth transition；使转变发生可以表述为make the transition from sth to sth；“在过度期”可以表述为in transition；“过度时期”可以表述为period of transition
? niche
niche本指“壁龛”，即墙壁上凹进去的空间、用来悬挂雕像或装饰品。可以作比喻引申指“适合的或舒适的位置﹑地方﹑职业等” (suitable or comfortable position, place, job, etc)。文中这里即指适合用马的新工作机会。
o I don't think he's yet found his niche in life, ie the occupation that gives
him most satisfaction and happiness. 我认为他还没找到生活的归宿。
我在 第三篇讲解（十八）中有提到niche product和niche market，点进蓝字即可复习。
? ungulate
文中这里表示“有蹄类动物”（分成奇蹄目和偶蹄目，例如马、牛、鹿、猪和象）。英文写作不喜重复用词，本文在涉及到“马”的时候换了很多花样：
o remember the mane o the fate of the horse o equine livelihoods o beasts of burden
? mirror
mirror本义可以作名词表示“镜子”，也可以作动词表示“反射”或者“映照”，二者都有比喻引申的用法，前者可以引申为“反映某事物的东西”，后者可以引申为抽象上的“反映”。文中这里即是动词用法的比喻引申，可以直接理解为resemble “类似”。
o Pepys's `Diary' is a mirror of/holds up a mirror to the times he lived in.
佩皮斯的《日记》是他生活的那个时代的真实反映.
o a novel that mirrors modern society 反映现代社会的小说.
写作积累
全国卷高中英语经济学人外刊新高考培优讲义[06-05]作文素材阅读理解语法词汇拓展积累
