第五天：抓住重點 閱讀為先---結構篇

一、宏觀結構

本文討論的結構是全文的宏觀結構，與前一天所說的段落結構不同。宏觀結構一般與文章的主題以及文章展開方式有關。考研閱讀文章主要有五種宏觀結構：一枝獨秀型、花開兩朵型、層層遞進型、問題---答案型、問題---解決方案型等，其中花開兩朵型與問題---答案型較常見。以花開兩朵型為例，文章開始提出兩個核心概念或兩個方面，隨后分段論述。把握這種文章的關鍵是注意這兩個核心概念的定義，以及它們的區別和聯系。這種結構分為兩類，一種是兩個概念是并列的，另一種是兩個概念形成對比，對于后一種文章要注意兩個概念之間的區別，以及作者對各自的態度。下面是2003年考研閱讀第三篇文章的宏觀結構分析。

二、宏觀結構分析

In recent years, railroads have been combining with each other, merging into super systems, causing heightened concerns about monopoly. As recently as 1995, the top four railroads accounted for under 70 percent of the total ton-miles moved by rails. Next year, after a series of mergers is completed, just four railroads will control well over 90 percent of all the freight moved by major rail carriers.

Supporters of the new supersystems argue that these mergers will allow for substantial cost reductions and better coordinated service. Any threat of monopoly, they argue, is removed by fierce competition from trucks. But many shippers complain that for heavy bulk commodities traveling long distances, such as coal, chemicals, and grain, trucking is too costly and the railroads therefore have them by the throat.

The vast consolidation within the rail industry means that most shippers are served by only one rail company. Railroads typically charge such “captive” shippers 20 to 30 percent more than they do when another railroad is competing for the business. Shippers who feel they are being overcharged have the right to appeal to the federal government’s Surface Transportation Board for rate relief, but the process is expensive, time consuming, and will work only in truly extreme cases.

Railroads justify rate discrimination against captive shippers on the grounds that in the long run it reduces everyone’s cost. If railroads charged all customers the same average rate, they argue, shippers who have the option of switching to trucks or other forms of transportation would do so, leaving remaining customers to shoulder the cost of keeping up the line. It’s a theory to which many economists subscribe, but in practice it often leaves railroads in the position of determining which companies will flourish and which will fail. “Do we really want railroads to be the arbiters of who wins and who loses in the marketplace? ” asks Martin Bercovici, a Washington lawyer who frequently represents shippers.

Many captive shippers also worry they will soon be hit with a round of huge rate increases. The railroad industry as a whole, despite its brightening fortunes. still does not earn enough to cover the cost of the capital it must invest to keep up with its surging traffic. Yet railroads continue to borrow billions to acquire one another, with Wall Street cheering them on. Consider the $10.2 billion bid by Norfolk Southern and CSX to acquire Conrail this year. Conrail’s net railway operating income in 1996 was just $427 million, less than half of the carrying costs of the transaction. Who’s going to pay for the rest of the bill? Many captive shippers fear that they will, as Norfolk Southern and CSX increase their grip on the market.

本文的宏觀結構是花開兩朵型。作者介紹了近幾年鐵路行業中并購的情況和趨勢，闡述了兩派—并購支持者（railroads）和鐵路托運商（shippers）對并購的不同態度。并購支持者認為這樣可以降低成本，提供更好的服務；但是許多鐵路托運商都抱怨說并購容易導致壟斷，使運輸費率大幅上漲。閱讀時注意轉折詞but和表示態度的詞匯。