翻譯二級筆譯綜合能力閱讀分類模擬題138

翻譯二級筆譯綜合能力閱讀分類模擬題138ReadingComprehension

Thisleavesuswiththechallengeoffindingsomepoliticall（江南博哥）ypracticablewaytoreducegreenhousegasemissions.ButitisanawkwardtruththatwhenmostU.S.senatorswereaskedinformallyin2000iftheywouldsupporttheKyotoProtocolshouldPresidentGeorgeW.BushsendittotheSenateforratification,theoverwhelmingmajority,DemocratsaswellasRepublicans,saidtheycouldnot.Thereasonfortheliberals'surprisingreplyisclear.Manystudies,notallbyconservatives,suggestthatfullcompliancewiththetermsoftheKyotoProtocolwouldlikelyleadtoadeepAmericanrecession.ForthosewillingtoFunthisrisk,soberreflectionontheconsequencesoftheeconomiccollapseof1929andthesubsequentworldwidedepressionwithallitspoliticalandultimatelymilitaryconsequencesiscertainlyinorder.

Thatsaid,whatcanbedone,inparticularbyourowncountry?IndependentoftheissuesraisedbytheKyotoProtocol,andgiventheweightofevidencethattheproblemofglobalwarmingisseriousandfraughtwithdireconsequences,failuretodoanythingatallandinsteadtopromote"businessasusual"isdownrightcriminal.

YettheBushadministrationhasgivennomorethanlipservicetotheproblem,thoughthatcouldbechanging.Itisonethingtoweighalternativesandimplementcompromisesthatreflectthecomplexityoftheproblem;itisquiteanotherthingtodonothing,especiallyifdoingnothingisjustawayofsecuringsupportfromcertainindustriesthatworsentheproblem.

Thereare,afterall,thingsthatcanbedone.Reopeningaseriousinternationaldialogue,andnotjustsayingafewgoodwords,wouldbeausefulifinadequatestart.Noteveryproblemmustbesolvedbeforetheweightofevidencebecomessocompellingthatcertaininitialstepsbecomealmostmandatory.Wealreadyknowhowtomakemorefuel-efficientautomobiles,yetnonationalpolicyhassurfacedtoaccomplishthis.Thescientificandengineeringcommunitiesaretheonesbestsuitedtoidentifythescientificresearchthatisstillneededandthetechnicalprojectsthatshowthegreatestpromise.Theseissuesshouldbedecidedbythemandnotthepoliticians.Oncesolutionslookpromising,asafewalreadydo,industrywillbealltooreadytojumpin,foratthatstagethereismoneytobemade.Andonlyafoolwouldunderestimatehumaningenuitywhengivenaproperincentive,orthestrengthofAmericanindustryoncetheboilerislitunderit.1.

Theword"ratification"underlinedinParagraph1isclosestinmeaningto______.A.approvalB.agreementC.authorizationD.confirmation正確答案：A[解析]根據(jù)文中第一段的內(nèi)容“iftheywouldsupporttheKyotoProtocolshouldPresidentGeorgeW.BushsendittotheSenateforratification”可知，專如果他們支持《京都議定書》，布什總統(tǒng)就會(huì)把它提交參議院批準(zhǔn)。選項(xiàng)中的A項(xiàng)為“批準(zhǔn)，同意”符合文意。B項(xiàng)“同意，協(xié)議”，C項(xiàng)“授權(quán)”，D項(xiàng)“確認(rèn)，確定”，這三項(xiàng)均不符合題意。

2.

WhatcanbeinferredabouttheKyotoProtocolfromParagraph1?A.Itwasaboutenvironmentprotection.B.ItwassupportedbymostDemocrats.C.Itwasconsideredawkwardbyconservatives.D.ItwasofficiallyrejectedbymostUSsenators.正確答案：A[解析]文中第一段的“Thisleavesuswiththechallengeoffindingsomepoliticallypracticablewaytoreducegreenhousegasemissions.”中出現(xiàn)了溫室氣體排放，緊接第二句話用轉(zhuǎn)折的語氣出現(xiàn)了《京都議定書》，由此可知，《京都議定書》肯定和環(huán)境有關(guān)系，所以A項(xiàng)“它是關(guān)于環(huán)境保護(hù)的”符合題意。B項(xiàng)“它被大多數(shù)的議員支持”，這和文中內(nèi)容相反；C項(xiàng)“大多數(shù)議員認(rèn)為它是棘手的”，文中說“一切正?！?，所以棘手不符合文意；D項(xiàng)“它被大部分的美國參議員正式地拒絕了”，文中說的是如果提交到參議院，會(huì)被大部分的參議員拒絕，這是一種假設(shè)，不是事實(shí)，所以這三項(xiàng)都不正確。

3.

Theword"compliance"underlinedinParagraph1isclosestinmeaningto______.A.obedienceB.submissionC.subjectionD.procrastination正確答案：A[解析]根據(jù)文中第一段的內(nèi)容“suggestthatfullcompliancewiththetermsoftheKyotoProto-colwouldlikelyleadtoadeepAmericanrecession”可知，建議完全遵循《京都東議定書》可能會(huì)導(dǎo)致美國經(jīng)濟(jì)的進(jìn)一步衰退。選項(xiàng)中的A項(xiàng)為“遵守，遵照”符合文意。B項(xiàng)“提交，呈遞”，C項(xiàng)“征服，臣服”，D項(xiàng)“拖延，耽擱”，這三項(xiàng)均不符合題意。

4.

ManystudiessuggestthatfullagreementwiththeKyotoProtocolwouldruntheriskof______.A.fallingvictimtomilitarywarfareB.offendingothercountriesC.re-experiencingthepastmiseriesD.provokingnationwideanger正確答案：C[解析]根據(jù)文中第一段的內(nèi)容“Manystudies,notallbyconservatives,suggestthatfullconpliancewiththetermsoftheKyotoProtocolwouldlikelyleadtoadeepAmericanrecession.”可知，一些研究顯示，完全同意《京都議定書》的條款，很可能會(huì)導(dǎo)致美國經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退，后面提到1929年美國經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)，所以C項(xiàng)“將重新經(jīng)歷美國過去的苦難”符合題意。A項(xiàng)“成為戰(zhàn)爭惡夢的犧牲品”，B項(xiàng)“激怒其他國家”，D項(xiàng)“激發(fā)全國的憤怒”，文中主要強(qiáng)調(diào)對美國經(jīng)濟(jì)的影響，所以這三項(xiàng)都不符合題意。

5.

WecanlearnfromParagraph2that______.A.measuresshouldbetakentodealwithglobalwarming.B.thebestwaytodealwithglobalwarmingis'letitbe'.C.theseriousnessofglobalwarminghasbeenexaggerated.D.promoting"businessasusual"mustbefurtherstressed.正確答案：A[解析]根據(jù)文中第二段的內(nèi)容“andgiventheweightofevidencethattheproblemofglobalwarmingisseriousandfraughtwithdireconsequences,failuretodoanythingatallandinsteadtopromote'businessasusual'isdownrightcriminal.”可知，全球變暖已經(jīng)是一個(gè)很嚴(yán)重的問題，如果我們對此不做任何事，那就是犯罪，不采取任何措施來解決這個(gè)問題是不正確的。所以A項(xiàng)“必須采取措施去處理全球變暖問題”符合題意。B項(xiàng)“處理全球變暖最好的辦法就是讓它順其自然”，順其自然是一些人的觀點(diǎn)，但不是解決全球變暖問題的方法；C項(xiàng)“全球變暖的嚴(yán)重性已經(jīng)被夸大了”，全球變暖問題是個(gè)很嚴(yán)重的問題，這是事實(shí)，并沒有夸大；D項(xiàng)“一切正常的倡議必須被進(jìn)一步強(qiáng)調(diào)”，這不應(yīng)該被強(qiáng)調(diào)，這個(gè)觀點(diǎn)應(yīng)該被推翻，所以這三項(xiàng)都不符合題意。

6.

Theword"dire"underlinedinParagraph2isclosestinmeaningto______.A.horribleB.immeasurableC.incalculableD.inhuman正確答案：A[解析]根據(jù)文中第二段的內(nèi)容“andgiventheweightofevidencethattheproblemofglobalwarmingisseriousandfraughtwithdireconsequences”可知，全球變暖問題非常嚴(yán)重，伴隨著可怕的后果。選項(xiàng)中的A項(xiàng)為“可怕的，嚇人的”符合文意。B項(xiàng)“不可估量的”，C項(xiàng)“無法計(jì)算的”，D項(xiàng)“沒有人性的”，這三項(xiàng)均不符合題意。

7.

TheBushadministration______.A.hasassistedinaggravatingglobalwarmingB.hastakennomeasuresagainstglobalwarmingC.hasexecutedcompromisesaboutglobalwarmingD.hasgotbigindustries'supporttostopglobalwarming正確答案：B[解析]根據(jù)文中第三段的內(nèi)容“YettheBushadministrationhasgivennomorethanlipservicetotheproblem.”可知，布什政府對《京都議定書》倡導(dǎo)的保護(hù)環(huán)境問題沒有采取任何實(shí)際行動(dòng)，所以B項(xiàng)“布什政府應(yīng)對全球變暖沒有采取任何措施”符合題意。A項(xiàng)“在日益惡化的全球變暖中給予了幫助”，和文中內(nèi)容相反；C項(xiàng)“已經(jīng)向全球變暖妥協(xié)”，D項(xiàng)“已經(jīng)得到很多工業(yè)的支持去阻止全球變暖”，C、D兩項(xiàng)在文中沒有提到。

8.

TheauthorsuggestsallofthefollowingmeasuresEXCEPT______.A.reopeningaseriousinternationaldialogueB.overcomingalldifficultiesbeforestartingC.conductingscientificresearchesconcernedD.doingthemostpromisingtechnicalprojects正確答案：B[解析]根據(jù)文中第三段的內(nèi)容“Noteveryproblemmustbesolvedbeforetheweightofevidencebecomessocompellingthatcertaininitialstepsbecomealmostmandatory.”可知，B項(xiàng)“在采取措施之前，并不需要解決好所有的問題”符合題意。A項(xiàng)“重新開展嚴(yán)肅的國際對話”，C項(xiàng)“開展相關(guān)的科學(xué)研究”，D項(xiàng)“做最有前途的技術(shù)項(xiàng)目”，這三個(gè)措施在最后一段中都有相互對應(yīng)的內(nèi)容，所以本題只能選B。

9.

Theword"downright"underlinedinParagraph2refersto______.A.completeB.realC.meaningfulD.especial正確答案：A[解析]根據(jù)文中第二段的內(nèi)容“failuretodoanythingatallandinsteadtopromote'businessasusual'isdownrightcriminal”可知，不做任何事情，但繼續(xù)像往常一樣促進(jìn)貿(mào)易也是完全的犯罪。選項(xiàng)中的A項(xiàng)為“完全的”符合文意。B項(xiàng)“真正的”，C項(xiàng)“有意義的”，D項(xiàng)“特殊的”，這三項(xiàng)均不符合題意。

10.

Inthelastparagraph,theexpression"oncetheboilerislitunderit"mostprobablymeans"whenAmericanindustryis______."A.underminedB.upgradedC.incensedD.stimulated正確答案：D[解析]根據(jù)文中第三段的內(nèi)容“Andonlyafoolwouldunderestimatehumaningenuitywhengivenaproperincentive,orthestrengthofAmericanindustryoncetheboilerislitunderit.”可知，當(dāng)給與適當(dāng)刺激，只有傻瓜才會(huì)低估人類的心靈手巧，一旦獲得動(dòng)力，美國企業(yè)的力量不容低估。所以D項(xiàng)“刺激，激勵(lì)”符合題意。A項(xiàng)“暗中破壞，逐漸削弱；侵蝕……的基礎(chǔ)”，B項(xiàng)“提升，使升級”，C項(xiàng)“激怒”，這三項(xiàng)和文中oncetheboilerislitunderit要表達(dá)的意思不符合。

Ifiguredthatwhen2010finallyarrived,I'dbehereinLosAngelesonmyvideophonelookingatmyneweditorinherformfittingsilverbodysuitassheyelledatmefromNewYorkforsexuallyharassingherinthefirstsentenceofthefirstcolumnweworkedontogether.ButeventhoughwebothhaveSkype,wehaven'tuseditonce.Infact,eventhoughSkypeistheonlyoneofallthecoolgadgetsthatcartoonspromisedmewouldexistby2010,peopledon'tseemnearlyasexcitedastheyshouldbe.Only34%ofSkypecallsevenusevideo.AndwhenSkypeannouncedonJan.5attheConsumerElectronicsShowthatwe'llsoonhavevideophonesonourtelevisions,everyonewentrightbacktotalkingaboutwhichboothsgaveoutthebestkey-chainlights.

I'veusedSkypetwice:tobeaguestexpertonWhoWantstoBeaMillionaire?andtoletmymotherseehergrandson.Bothinvolvedalotofhelpfromtechpeopleanddrool.Yes,IfindMeredithVieirathatattractive.ButIhaven'tuseditsince.That'sbecauseSkypebreaksthecentury-oldsocialcontractofthephone:wepaycloseattentionwhilewe'retalkingandzoneoutwhileyouare.

Assoonasyoubegintotalk,IfeeltrappedanddesperatelyscantheroomfortasksIcandotojustifytheenormouswasteoftimethatisyourtalking.Iwashdishes,Ifilereceipts,Ireadnewssites,ImakelittlefakesuicidefacestomywifeCassandraabouthowmuchIwanttohangupthatcausehertoyell"Joel,Ineedyounow"inareallyunconvincingwaythatI'veaskedhernottodo,butIstillcan'tstopmakingthesuicidefaces.Indesperatetimes,whenIamonmycellphoneinthemiddleofnowhere,Iwillpace.TheonlyothertimeIpaceiswhenIstubatoeorbummyself.ButwhenIstarttalking,Iassumethatyouaresittingperfectlystill,rapt.AndwhilethatisactuallytruewhenI'mtalking,peoplearen'tlisteningtothoseofyouwhohaven'tbeenonE!

ButSkyperequiresmetolookatyouwhileyou'retalking,whichistotallyridiculous.Theonlysci-fishowthatunderstoodthiswasStarTrek.BonesandJimwouldusetheirflipphonestotalkquicklyaboutbeamingorhealthissues.Theonlytimethey'dfireupthevideophonewaswhenaKlingonwassittinginaspaceship20yardsawaywithgunspointedatthem.EventhenIthinkSuluwascheckingoutGoFugYourself.

Interestedintalkingmoreaboutmytheory,IusedmylandlinetocallSherryTurkle,anMITprofessorofthesocialstudiesofscienceandtechnology.ShetoldmepeoplearenotonlyuninterestedinSkype,we'realsonotinterestedintalkingontheregularphone.WewanttoTiVoourlives,avoidingrealtimebytextingore-mailingpeoplewhenwefeellikeit."Skype,whichwasthefantasyofourchildhood,getsyoubacktosittingthereandbeingavailableinthatold-fashionedway.Ourmodelofwhatitwastobepresenttoeachother,wethoughtwelikedthat,"shesaid."Butitturnsoutthattimeshiftingisourmostvaluedproduct.Thisnewtechnologyisaboutcontrol.Emotionalcontrolandtimecontrol."You'dbeshockedbyhowmanytimestwopeopletalkingonthephoneaboutpeoplenotwantingtotalkonthephonehavetotelleachotherthey'reenjoyingtheirconversation.I'vehadphonesexwhereIexpressedlessappreciationofanotherperson.

Ifwemissanythingabouttheregularphone,Ithinkit'sthepsychoanalyst'strickitemployed:you'relyingonacouchfacingthewall,imaginingnonjudgmentalempathyfromsomeoneyoucan'tsee.InherbookAloneTogether,whichcomesoutnextyear,Turklewritesaboutastudyinwhichshefoundthatpeoplereallyliketotalktorobots.Assoonasyouaskpeopletointeractwithacomputerwithartificialintelligence,theystartunloadingsecrets.Robots,itseems,arelesslikelytotakeovertheearththantheyaredaytime-televisionhostingjobs.

Asfarasthefull-contactlisteningthatSkyperequires,Idon'tthinkwewantthatallthatoftenfrompeoplewhoaren'talreadyinourhouse.Thefactis,wedon'treallywanttoseeotherpeoplethatbadly.That'swhyit'ssodifficulttomakeplanswiththem.That,plustextingtimesandplacesbackandforthtakesforever.

Maybeallthestuffwethoughtwewantedinthefuturesucks.Flyingcarswouldblockourlight,foodpillswouldmakeGordonRamsey'sscreamingevenmorepreposterous,andthosemovingsidewalksjustgivemeanotherreasontohatefatpeopleatairports.Farbetteristohavecontroloverourmostvaluablecommodity:time.Sure,wecomplainaboutbeingbusy,butthat'sprettygreataslongaswegettochoosewhenwedothings.Thetruthis,myeditorwillneverevencallme.She'lljuste-mail.Whichisactuallyfinewithme.There'splentyofvideoonlineofwomeninsilverbodysuits.(fromTime,Jan.18,2010.)11.

Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingstatementsistrue?A.ThoughtheauthorandhiseditorbothhaveSkype,theyhavenevertalkedthroughit.B.Theeditoryelledattheauthorbecauseofhissexuallyharassingherintheirjointcolumn.C.Itisjustanimaginationincartoonsforpeopletohavevideophonesontheirtelevisions.D.PeoplearenotinterestedinusingSkypevideoatall.正確答案：A

12.

Intheauthor'spointofview,thetraditionalsocialcontactofthephonehasthefollowingadvantagesEXCEPTthat______.A.youcantalktopeopleoverthephoneanddohouseworkatthesametimeB.youcanmakefacestothosewhoarearoundyouwhenyouareansweringphone.C.youcanconcentrateonyourconversationratherthanonthecaller'sappearanceD.peoplecannottellwhatyouareactuallydoingorthinkingoverthephone正確答案：C

13.

ItcanbesafelyinferredfromthepassagethatTiVohasthefunctionof______.A.controllingliveTVwithpause,fast-forward,instantreplayandslowmotionB.schedulingrecordingsfromyourcomputerorphoneviathewebC.takingallyourfavoriteshowswithyouonyourphoneorportabledeviceD.lettingyoudowhatyouwanttodoorberequiredtodoattherighttimeforyou正確答案：D

14.

AllofthefollowingareSherryTurkle'sideasonSkypeandphoneEXCEPT______A.Skypeisnotsopopularbecausepeopledon'tliketobeavailableatanytime.B.textingore-mailingisbynomeansbetterthanphoneincommunication.C.thoughtheyaredailyhappening,peopleareinterestedinneitherSkypenorphone.D.ithasbeensupposedthatpeopleliketobepresenttoeachother,butitisnotthecase.正確答案：B

15.

WhatistheROOTreasonforthecoldshoulderSkypehasreceived?A.Skypecannotrealizethefunctionoftimeshiftinguptillnow.B.Skypeisonlytheproductofourancestor'simaginationandisold-fashioned.C.Skypeinvolvesemotionandtimecontrol,whichpeopletrytoavoid.D.Skypeisnotasadvancedastextande-mailare.正確答案：C

16.

Fromthepassage,wecaninferthat______.A.peopleliketotalktorobotsbecausetheyarenotlikelytojudgeyounortoleakyoursecretstoothersB.asforthosewhoarenotphysicallywithus,wedon'tneedtheirfull-contactlisteningbecauseitisdifficulttomakeplanwiththemC.flyingcars,foodpillsandmovingsidewalkswillleadustonowherebutmakeourlivesworsethaneverD.timeisthemostdesirablethingforpeopleandtheywilltryeveryefforttogetridofthecontrolfromothers正確答案：A

17.

Thestyleofthepassagecanbebestdescribedas______.A.ironicB.humorousC.seriousD.indifferent正確答案：B

18.

Whichofthefollowingtitlessuitsthepassagebest?A.TheWeaknessofVideophoneB.TheImportanceofTimeControlC.WhyILikeTextingandE-mailingBetterD.CallMe!ButNotonSkypeorAnyOtherVideophone正確答案：D

Music

ProponentsofdifferentJazzstyleshavealwaysarguedthattheirpredecessors'musicalstyledidnotincludeessentialcharacteristicsthatdefinejazzasjazz.Thus,1940'sswingwasbelittledbybeboppersofthe1950's,whowerethemselvesattackedbyfreejazzersofthe1960's,theneoboppersofthe1980'sand1990'sattackedalmosteverybodyelse.ThetitanicfigureofblacksaxophonistJohnColtranehascomplicatedtheargumentsmadebyproponentsofstylefrombebopthroughneobopbecauseinthisownmusicaljourneyhedrewfromallthosestyles.Hisinfluenceonalltypesofjazzwasimmeasurable.Attheheightofhispopularity,Coltranelargelyabandonedplayingbebop,thestylethathadbroughthimfame,toexploretheouterreachesofjazz—theoneconstantinhisjourneyfrombeboptopracticingscalesfromtheorybooks—wasneverabletojettisoncompletelytheinfluenceofbebop,withitsfastandelaboratechainsofnotesandornamentsonmelody.

TwostylisticcharacteristicsshapedthewayColtraneplayedthetenorsaxophone:hefavoredplayingfastrunsofnotesbuiltonamelodyanddependedonheavy,regularlyaccentedbeats.ThefirstledColtraneto"sheetsofsound",whereheracedfasterandfaster,pile-derivingnotesintoeachothertosuggeststackedharmonies.Thesecondmeantthatthissenseofrhythmwasalmostasclosetorockastobebop.

ThreerecordingillustrateColtrane'senergizingexplorations.RecordingKindofBluewithMilesDavis,Coltranefoundhimselfoutsidebop,exploringmodalmelodies.Hereheplayedsurging,lengthysolosbuiltlargelyaroundrepeatedmotifs—anorganizingprincipleunlikethatoffreejazzsaxophoneplayerOrnetteColeman,whomodulatedoralteredmelodiesinhissolos.OnGiantSteps,Coltranedebutedasleader,introducinghisowncompositions.Herethesheetsofsound,downbeataccents,repetitions,andgreatspeedarepartofeachsolo,andthevarietyoftheshapesofhisphrasesisunique.Coltrane'ssearchingexplorationsproducedsolidachievement.MyFavoriteThingswasanotherkindofwatershed.HereColtraneplayedthesopranosaxophone,aninstrumentseldomusedbyjazzmusicians.Musically,theresultswereastounding.Withthesoprano'spipingsound,ideasthathadsoundeddarkandbroodingacquiredafeelingofgiddyfantasy.

WhenColtranebeganrecordingfortheimpulseLabelhewasstillsearching.Hismusicbecameraucous,physical.Hisinfluenceonrockerswasenormous,includingJimiHendrix,therockguitarist,who,followingColtrane,raisedtheextendedguitarsolousingrepeatedmotifstoakindofrockartform.19.

Theprimarypurposeofthispassageisto______.A.discusstheplaceofColtraneintheworldofjazzanddescribehismusicalexplorationsB.analyzethemusicalsourcesofColtrane'sstyleandtheirinfluenceonhisworkC.acknowledgetheinfluenceofColtrane'smusiconrockmusicandrockmusiciansD.discusstheargumentsthatdividetheproponentsofdifferentjazzstyles正確答案：A

20.

WhichofthefollowingwouldhavebeenaneffectofColtrane'shavingchosentoplaythetenorratherthanthesopranosaxophoneonMyfavoriteThings?A.Thetoneofrecordingwouldhavebeenmoresomber.B.Theinfluenceofbebopontherecordingwouldhavebeenmoreobvious.C.Themusicontherecordingwouldhavesoundedlessraucousandphysical.D.Hisinfluenceontherockmusicmighthavebeenlesspervasive.正確答案：C

21.

Accordingtothepassage,JohnColtranedidallofthefollowingduringhiscareerEXCEPT______.A.improviseonmelodiesfromanumberofdifferentculturesB.performasleaderaswellassoloistC.eliminatetheinfluenceofbeboponhisownmusicD.experimentwiththesoundsofvariousinstruments正確答案：C

22.

Inthethirdparagraph,theauthormentionstheworkofOmetteColemaninorderto______A.compareColtrane'ssoloswiththeworkofanotherjazzartistB.supporttheideathatrationalorganizingprinciplesneedtobeappliedtoartisticworkC.showtheincreasingintricacyofColtrane'sworkafterheabandonedbebopD.indicatedisagreementwiththewayColtranemodulatedthemotifsinhislengthysolos正確答案：C

23.

Accordingtothepassage,amajordifferencebetweenColtraneandotherjazzmusicianswasthe______.A.degreetowhichColtrane'smusicencompassedallofjazzB.repetitionofmotifsthatColtraneusedinhissolosC.indifferenceColtranemaintainedtomusicaltechniqueD.importanceColtraneplacedonrhythminjazz正確答案：A

TheBritish

Historynotonlygivescitiestheirshape;italsomoldstheirself-image.Since1941,whenLondonemergedfromeightmonthsofbombingwithmanyofitslandmarkspulverizedbutitsresilienceintact,theBritishcapitalhasregardeditselfasindomitable.Butat9a.m.onawintryMonday,ashockwavecrackedthatimage,muchasaV-2rockethittingahousewoulddamageneighboringproperties.Londonerslearnedthatthecity'sentirefleetofbuseshadbeenrecalledtoitsdepots,defeatednotbybombs—theservicehadrunquixoticallybutwithoutinterruptionthroughouttheBlitz—butbysnow.Ameresixinches(5cm)ofit.

TosayBritainisn'tgoodatcopingwithsnowingwouldbetoexerciseBritishunderstatement.Heavysnowistooraretowarrantseriousinvestmentinequipment,especiallyinLondonandthesoutheast,wherethiswas,asexcitableweatherforecastersdeclared,thebiggest"snowevent"in18years.Theheavyfallmayco