雅思阅读真题（Part 2）
Part 2 · 考频：中频 · 最近考试：2023.11.16华南理工大学
A
Violins made by long-dead Italian craftsmen from the Cremona region are beautiful works of art, coveted by collectors as well as players. Particularly outstanding violins have reputedly changed hands for over a million pounds. In contrast, fine modern instruments can be bought for under £100. Do such figures really reflect such large differences in quality? After more than a hundred years of vigorous debate, this question remains highly contentious, provoking strongly held but divergent views among musicians, violin makers and scientists alike.
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答案：a controversial range of prices
原文定位：Particularly outstanding violins have reputedly changed hands for over a million pounds. In contrast, fine modern instruments can be bought for under £100. Do such figures really reflect such large differences in quality? After more than a hundred years of vigorous debate, this question remains highly contentious
同义替换：「controversial」↔「vigorous debate」
答案：manual woodworking techniques
原文定位：They begin by selecting a wood of the highest possible quality for the front and back plates... The next important step is to skillfully carve the plates out of the solid wood;Traditional makers optimise the thickness by testing the ‘feel’ of the plates when they are flexed, and by the sounds produced when they are tapped at different positions with the knuckles
答案：applying technology to violin production
原文定位：However, in the last 50 years or so a group of violin makers has emerged who have tried to take a more overtly scientific approach to violin making
同义替换：「technology」↔「approach」，「production」↔「making」
答案：the mathematical basis of earlier design
原文定位：The few tests that have been performed suggest that the first Italian makers may have tuned the resonant modes of the individual plates – which they could identify as they tapped them – to exact musical intervals. This would be consistent with the prevailing Renaissance view of 'perfection', which was measured in terms of numbers and exact ratios
同义替换：「mathematical」↔「numbers and exact ratios」，「earlier design」↔「first Italian makers」
答案：the advantages of older wood
原文定位：However, such wood is now 300 years old, and the intrinsic internal damping will almost certainly have decreased with time. The age of the wood may therefore automatically contribute to the improved quality of older instruments
同义替换：「wood」↔「instruments」，「advantages」↔「improved quality」
答案：an analysis of protective coatings
原文定位：Another factor thought to account for sound quality is the nature of the varnish used to protect the instrument
同义替换：「protective coatings」↔「varnish」
答案：the use of saturated wood
原文定位：Other researchers, meanwhile, have claimed that Stradivarius's secret was to soak the timber in water, to leach out supposedly harmful chemicals, before it was seasoned
同义替换：「saturated wood」↔「soak the timber in water」
答案：preferences of top musicians
原文定位：However, the foremost soloists – and, not surprisingly, violin dealers, who have a vested interest in maintaining the Cremonese legend of intrinsic superiority – remain utterly unconvinced
同义替换：「top musicians」↔「foremost soloists」
答案：TRUE
原文定位：Individual notes on a single instrument sound different each time they are played
同义替换：「same」↔「single」，「varies」↔「different」，「particular」↔「Individual」
答案：FALSE
原文定位：The ear is a supreme detection device, and a system has yet to be developed which can match the brain's sophisticated ability to assess complex sounds
同义替换：「analyse complex sound more accurately than humans」↔「match the brain's sophisticated ability」
答案：NOT GIVEN
答案：TRUE
原文定位：This may also explain why the quality of a modern instrument appears to improve in its first few years
同义替换：「seem」↔「appears」，「in their early years」↔「in its first few years」
答案：FALSE
原文定位：Indeed, some leading soloists do occasionally play on modern instruments. However, the foremost soloists;remain utterly unconvinced
同义替换：「top violinists」↔「foremost soloists」