passage3注解：标题为红色，翻译为蓝色，分析为绿色。?????????in recent years, railroads铁路 have been combining with each other, merging into supersystems, causing heightened concerns about monopoly垄断. as recently as 1995, the top four railroads accounted for under 70 percent of the total ton-miles吨英里（货运单位）?moved by rails. next year, after a series of mergers合并 is completed, just four railroads will control well over 90 percent of all the freight货运 moved by major rail carriers.
????????supporters of the new supersystems argue that these mergers will allow for substantial大量的 cost reductions and better coordinated协调的 service. any threat of monopoly, they argue, is removed by fierce猛烈的 competition from trucks卡车运输. but many shippers托运商 complain that for heavy bulk commodities traveling long distances, such as coal, chemicals, and grain粮食, trucking is too costly and the railroads therefore have them by the throat【have them by the throat卡脖子，掐住咽喉】.
????????the vast consolidation合并，联合 within the rail industry means that most shippers are served by only one rail company. railroads typically charge收费 such captive受控制的，受限制的s surface transportation board for rate relief减轻, but the process is expensive, time consuming, and will work起作用?only in truly extreme cases【extreme cases极端情况】.
????????railroads justify证明..有理，认为..正确?rate discrimination against captive shippers on the grounds that【on the grounds?that由于】 in the long run【in the long run在长远利益】 it reduces everyones cost. if railroads charged all customers the same average rate, they argue, shippers who have the option of switching to trucksor other forms of transportation would do so, leaving remaining customers to shoulder肩膀，承担（本文意思） the cost of keeping up the line【keeping up the line保持在一水平线上】. its theory to which many economists subscribe订阅，认同（本文意思）, but in practice it often leaves railroads in the position of determining which companies will?flourish繁荣 and which will fail.do we really want railroads to be the arbiters判决者 of who wins and who loses in the marketplace?asks martin bercovici,a washington lawyer who frequently represents shipper.
????????many captive shippers also worry they will soon be hit with a round of【?a round of一轮】 huge rate increases. the railroad industry as a whole【?as a whole总体来说】, despite its brightening fortuning fortunes, still does not earn enough to cover the cost【cover the cost承担费用】 of the capital资金 it must invest to keep up with【keep up with跟上，满足】 its surging激增的 traffic. yet然而 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. conrails going to pay for the rest of the bill? many captive shippers fear that they will, as norfolk southern and csx increase their grip控制力，影响力?on the market.
一、文章结构分析
这是一篇关于铁路公司合并可能引起垄断的文章。
第一段：铁路公司合并引起人们对垄断的关注。接着使用具体数据说明该合并趋势。
第二段：是一个典型表示对比的段落。前半段提出合并支持者的观点，中间用“but”转折之后，开始论述托运商（即，合并反对者）截然不同的态度。
第三段：详细论述托运商的担心，主要使用说理论证。
第四段：详细论述铁路公司的理由，除说理之外，还使用了引证法。
第五段：对文章进行总结，重申了两方的对立，使用了说理和例证法。
31. according to those who support mergers, railway monopoly is unlikely because
[a] cost reduction is based on competition.
[b] services call for cross-trade coordination.
[c] outside competitors will continue to exist.
[d] shippers will have the railway by the throat.
31.支持兼并的人认为不可能形成铁路行业的垄断，原因是。
【a】以竞争为基础的成本的降低
【b】服务项目需要跨行业的合作
【c】外部竞争者将继续存在
【d】客户将掐铁路公司的脖子
32. what is many captive shippers attitude towards the consolidation in the rail industry?
[a] indifferent.
[b] supportive.
[c] indignant.
[d] apprehensive.
32.很多“被控制的”客户对铁路行业的合并持什么样的态度？
【a】漠不关心
【b】支持的
【c】愤怒的
【d】忧虑的
33. it can be inferred from paragraph 3 that.
[a] shippers will be charged less without a rival railroad.
[b] there will soon be only one railroad company nationwide.
[c] overcharged shippers are unlikely to appeal for rate relief.
[d]a government board ensures fair play in railway business.
33.从第三段可以推出
【a】没有其他铁路公司竞争，客户将被少收费
【b】很快全国将只有一家铁路公司
【c】被多收费的客户不大可能为减价而
【d】有一个政府部门可以保证铁路行业公平竞争
34. the word (line 7, paragraph 4) most probably refers to those
[a] who work as coordinators.
[b] who function as judges.
[c] who supervise transactions.
[d] who determine the price.
34.“arbiters”（第4段第7行）一词最可能是
【a】协调者
【b】裁决人
【c】交易监督者
【d】价格制定
35. according to the text, the cost increase in the rail industry is mainly caused by
[a] the continuing acquisition.
[b] the growing traffic.
[c] the cheering wall street.
[d] the shrinking mar

ket.
35.铁路行业成本增加的主要原因是
【a】持续不断的收购
【b】不断增长的运输量
【c】欢呼的华尔街
【d】收缩的市场
二、核心词汇与超纲词汇
（1）arbiter（n.）仲裁人；裁决人；权威人士
（2）consolidation（n.）巩固，合并；consolidate（v.）巩固，加强
（3）coordinate（v.）使（各部分）协调，协同动作；（a.）同等的，并列的；坐标的（n.）坐标
（4）discrimination（n.）辨别，鉴别，辨别力，眼力；歧视，区别对待；
discriminate（v.）区别，辨别；~against有差别地对待，歧视
（5）freight（n.）货物，客货，运费（v.）装货，使充满，运送
（6）merger（n.）合并，归并
（7）monopoly（n.）垄断，垄断者，专利权，专利事业；
mono前缀表“单一的”，如：monotone单调的
（8）subscribe（v.）订购，订阅，赞成
三、阅读答案：c d c b a
四、全文翻译：?
????????近年来，铁路公司相互联合，组成了超大型集团，引起人们对垄断行为的极大关注。就在1995年，四家大型铁路公司占有70%的铁路运输业务。到明年，一系列合并活动完成之后，四家铁路公司将控制90%以上的铁路运输市场。
????????支持组建超大型铁路集团的人士认为，合并将导致运输成本的大幅降低，铁路公司更协调地提供服务。他们认为，在公路运输的激烈竞争面前，垄断的威胁已经不复存在。但许多客户却抱怨说，对于长途运输的大宗货物来说，如煤炭，化学制品和粮食，公路运输成本太高，因此铁路公司就会掐他们的脖子。
????????铁路运输业的大规模联合意味着多数客户将会依赖一家公司的服务。通常，铁路公司对这些“被控制”客户的收费要比存在其它铁路公司的竞争时高出20%-30%。如果客户感到他们被多收费，他们有权上诉到联邦政府的“陆路运输局”以争取价格下调，但这个过程既耗财又耗时，并且只有在真正极端特殊的情况下才有作用。
????????对“被控制”客户进行的价格歧视，铁路公司提出的理由是，从长远来看，这样做会降低所有人的成本。他们争论说，如果铁路公司向所有客户收取同样的平均价格的话，那么，可以使用公路运输或其它交通工具的客户将会转移，使剩下的客户来承担铁路正常运作的开销。这种理论得到了多数经济学家的认同，但在实际操作中，它使铁路公司获处于决定谁败谁衰的位置。“我们是否真的想让铁路公司成为在市场上决定谁败谁荣的裁决者？”马丁·贝科维奇问道。他是一位常常代表铁路客户的华盛顿律师。
????????许多“被控制”客户还担心他们很快将遭受一轮新的大幅涨价。从整体来说，虽然铁路工业有耀眼的资产，但它的收入仍然不足以支付为满足不断增长的运输需要而进行的固定资产投资。然而铁路公司仍然继续贷款数十亿美元来进行相互合并，而华尔街也鼓励它们这样做。请想一想今年南诺弗克公司和csx公司兼并康雷尔公司所花的102亿美元吧。康雷尔公司1996年铁路运营纯收入为4.27亿美元，这还不足这宗交易运作成本的一半。谁来支付其余的费用呢？许多“被控制”客户担心，随着南诺弗克和csx公司增加对市场的控制，他们得负担这部分费用。