2018年考研英语一阅读第四篇真题及答案解析汇总
2018年考研英语一阅读第四篇，怕是不少经历过那场考试的考生都记得。考场上翻到这页时，不少人心里咯噔一下，题材是美国邮政系统的改革，满篇的行业术语，读起来比平时练的科技文还绕。今天就把这篇的真题原文、题目和解析全整理好，帮还在刷真题的学弟学妹们把这篇啃透。
先上真题原文。
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) continues to bleed red ink. It reported a net loss of $5.6 billion for fiscal 2016, the 10th straight year its expenses have exceeded revenue. Meanwhile, it has more than $120 billion in unfunded liabilities, mostly for employee health and retirement costs. There are many reasons this old institution is in such trouble. Fundamentally, the USPS is in a historic squeeze between technological change that has permanently decreased demand for its bread-and-butter product, first-class mail, and a regulatory structure that denies management the flexibility to adjust its operations to the new reality.
And interest groups ranging from postal unions to greeting-card makers exert self-interested pressure on the USPS’s ultimate overseer—Congress—insisting that whatever else happens to the Postal Service, aspects of the status quo they depend on get protected. This is why repeated attempts at reform legislation have failed in recent years, leaving the Postal Service unable to pay its bills except by deferring vital modernization.
Now comes word that everyone involved—Democrats, Republicans, the Postal Service, the unions and the system’s heaviest users—has finally agreed on a plan to fix the system. Legislation is moving through the House that would save USPS an estimated $28.6 billion over five years, which could help pay for new vehicles, among other survival measures. Most of the money would come from a penny-per-letter permanent rate increase and from shifting postal retirees into Medicare. The latter step would largely offset the financial burden of annually pre-funding retiree health care, thus addressing a long-standing complaint by the USPS and its union.
If it clears the House, this measure would still have to get through the Senate—where someone is bound to point out that it amounts to the bare, bare minimum necessary to keep the Postal Service afloat, not comprehensive reform. There’s no change to collective bargaining at the USPS, a major omission considering that personnel accounts for 80 percent of the agency’s costs. Also missing is any discussion of eliminating Saturday letter delivery. That common-sense change enjoys wide public support and would save the USPS $2 billion per year. But postal special-interest groups seem to have killed it, at least in the House. The emerging consensus around the bill is a sign that legislators are getting frightened about a politically embarrassing short-term collapse at the USPS. It is not, however, a sign that they’re getting serious about transforming the postal system for the 21st century.
接下来是对应的题目：
36. The USPS is facing so much trouble because ______.
[A] its management is rigid
[B] it has gone bankrupt
[C] its revenues are reduced by its unions
[D] it is in a competitive market
37. According to Paragraph 2, the USPS fails to modernize itself due to ______.
[A] the interference from interest groups
[B] the inadequate funding from Congress
[C] the shrinking demand for postal service
[D] the incompetence of postal unions
38. The long-standing complaint by the USPS and its unions can be addressed by ______.
[A] removing its burden of retiree health care
[B] making more investment in new vehicles
[C] adopting a new rate-increase mechanism
[D] attracting more first-class mail users
39. In the last paragraph, the author seems to view legislators with ______.
[A] respect
[B] tolerance
[C] discontent
[D] gratitude
40. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
[A] The USPS Starts to Miss Its Good Old Days
[B] The Postal Service: Keep Away from My Cheese
[C] The USPS: Chronic Illness Requires a Quick Cure
[D] The Postal Service Needs More than a Band-Aid
现在逐题拆解，帮你理清楚每个选项的对错逻辑。
先看第36题，问USPS陷入困境的原因。回到原文第一段最后一句，这里提到它正处在一个历史性的夹缝里。一边是技术变革，彻底降低了它核心产品平邮的需求；另一边是监管结构，不让管理层灵活调整运营来适应新环境。再看选项，A选项说管理僵化，刚好对应监管限制下的管理缺乏灵活性，是对的。B选项说破产，原文只说连续10年亏损，根本没提破产这回事，直接排除。C选项说工会减少收入，原文里完全没提到相关内容，错得离谱。D选项说处在竞争市场，原文没提竞争，是需求本身减少了，所以也不对。这题选A。
第37题，问USPS没法推进现代化的原因。看第二段，开头就说各种利益集团，从邮政工会到贺卡制造商，都在给国会施压。他们要求不管邮政服务怎么变，自己依赖的现状必须得到保护。后面又说改革法案屡次失败，导致USPS只能靠推迟必要的现代化来应付账单。所以核心原因就是利益集团的干涉，对应A选项。B选项说国会资金不足，原文没提资金问题，是改革的路被堵死了；C选项的需求减少，是USPS陷入困境的根源，不是没法现代化的直接原因；D选项说工会无能，原文根本没这个表述，所以这题选A。
第38题，问USPS和工会的长期抱怨怎么解决。看第三段最后一句，明确提到把邮政退休人员转入医保体系，这会大幅抵消每年预拨退休人员医保的财务负担，刚好解决他们的长期抱怨。A选项说移除退休人员医保负担，和原文表述一致，是对的。B选项说投资买新车，是用省下来的钱要做的事，不是解决抱怨的核心措施；C选项新的涨价机制，只是凑钱的一种方式，不是解决抱怨的关键；D选项吸引更多平邮用户，原文从头到尾没提这个思路，所以排除，选A。
第39题，问作者对立法者的态度。看最后一段，开头就说就算这个法案能通过参议院，也只是维持邮政运营的最低要求，根本算不上全面改革。后面又点出两个关键遗漏：没涉及集体谈判问题，没讨论取消周六投递。最后一句直接点明，这不是立法者认真改革邮政系统的信号。从这些表述能看出来，作者对立法者的做法是不满的，对应C选项discontent。其他三个选项，尊重、容忍、感激，都和原文语气完全不符，所以选C。
第40题，主旨题。整篇文章先讲USPS的深层困境，再提到新出台的法案只是最低程度的救急，完全没触及核心问题。看选项，D选项说邮政服务需要的不只是创可贴，意思是不能只做表面修复，要彻底改革，刚好贴合文章主旨。A选项说怀念过去的好时光，原文根本没提相关内容；B选项“别碰我的奶酪”，是利益集团的立场，不是文章的核心主旨；C选项说慢性病要快治，原文里的法案只是临时续命，不是快速治疗，所以也不对，这题选D。
刷这篇真题的时候，还有几个小细节要注意。比如原文里的“red ink”是俚语，指亏损，这种日常化的表达经常出现在考研阅读里，要多积累。还有第一段最后那句长难句，别硬读，拆成两个短句理解就轻松多了。另外做主旨题的时候，别只盯着某一段的内容，要串起全文的态度，作者反复强调法案的局限性，主旨肯定是要指向深层改革的。
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[Q]：2018年考研英语一阅读第四篇的题材是什么？
[A]：这篇阅读的题材是美国邮政系统的改革困境，围绕邮政持续亏损、改革受阻及相关争议展开。
[Q]：2018英一阅读第四篇的整体难度如何？
[A]：属于中等偏上难度，题材偏社会政策类，包含部分行业术语，部分题目需结合全文逻辑推理，对考生的细节定位和主旨理解能力要求较高。
[Q]：做2018英一阅读第四篇时容易踩哪些坑？
[A]：容易在细节题上混淆邮政亏损的核心原因，部分选项会偷换原文概念，比如把“暂停周六投递”和“取消投递服务”混为一谈，需要仔细比对原文内容。
[Q]：2018英一阅读第四篇的主旨题该怎么定位？
[A]：要串联全文内容，重点关注文章前两段提出的邮政核心困境，以及最后一段对新改革法案局限性的表述，不要仅依据某一段内容判断主旨。
[Q]：2018英一阅读第四篇的答案是哪些？
[A]：36题选A，37题选A，38题选A，39题选C，40题选D。
[Q]：刷这篇真题对后续考研英语备考有什么帮助？
[A]：可以锻炼考生对社会政策类题材的阅读能力，熟悉“问题-对策-争议”类文章的逻辑结构，还能积累俚语表达和长难句拆解技巧。
[Q]：这篇阅读里的“red ink”是什么意思？
[A]：这是英语俚语，在文中指“亏损”，对应的是美国邮政系统持续的财务赤字状态。
[Q]：怎么利用这篇真题提升阅读得分率？
[A]：先限时独立完成题目，再对照解析逐题分析错误原因，整理原文中的高频词汇和长难句背诵，最后再重新做一遍，检验自己的掌握情况。
先上真题原文。
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) continues to bleed red ink. It reported a net loss of $5.6 billion for fiscal 2016, the 10th straight year its expenses have exceeded revenue. Meanwhile, it has more than $120 billion in unfunded liabilities, mostly for employee health and retirement costs. There are many reasons this old institution is in such trouble. Fundamentally, the USPS is in a historic squeeze between technological change that has permanently decreased demand for its bread-and-butter product, first-class mail, and a regulatory structure that denies management the flexibility to adjust its operations to the new reality.
And interest groups ranging from postal unions to greeting-card makers exert self-interested pressure on the USPS’s ultimate overseer—Congress—insisting that whatever else happens to the Postal Service, aspects of the status quo they depend on get protected. This is why repeated attempts at reform legislation have failed in recent years, leaving the Postal Service unable to pay its bills except by deferring vital modernization.
Now comes word that everyone involved—Democrats, Republicans, the Postal Service, the unions and the system’s heaviest users—has finally agreed on a plan to fix the system. Legislation is moving through the House that would save USPS an estimated $28.6 billion over five years, which could help pay for new vehicles, among other survival measures. Most of the money would come from a penny-per-letter permanent rate increase and from shifting postal retirees into Medicare. The latter step would largely offset the financial burden of annually pre-funding retiree health care, thus addressing a long-standing complaint by the USPS and its union.
If it clears the House, this measure would still have to get through the Senate—where someone is bound to point out that it amounts to the bare, bare minimum necessary to keep the Postal Service afloat, not comprehensive reform. There’s no change to collective bargaining at the USPS, a major omission considering that personnel accounts for 80 percent of the agency’s costs. Also missing is any discussion of eliminating Saturday letter delivery. That common-sense change enjoys wide public support and would save the USPS $2 billion per year. But postal special-interest groups seem to have killed it, at least in the House. The emerging consensus around the bill is a sign that legislators are getting frightened about a politically embarrassing short-term collapse at the USPS. It is not, however, a sign that they’re getting serious about transforming the postal system for the 21st century.
接下来是对应的题目：
36. The USPS is facing so much trouble because ______.
[A] its management is rigid
[B] it has gone bankrupt
[C] its revenues are reduced by its unions
[D] it is in a competitive market
37. According to Paragraph 2, the USPS fails to modernize itself due to ______.
[A] the interference from interest groups
[B] the inadequate funding from Congress
[C] the shrinking demand for postal service
[D] the incompetence of postal unions
38. The long-standing complaint by the USPS and its unions can be addressed by ______.
[A] removing its burden of retiree health care
[B] making more investment in new vehicles
[C] adopting a new rate-increase mechanism
[D] attracting more first-class mail users
39. In the last paragraph, the author seems to view legislators with ______.
[A] respect
[B] tolerance
[C] discontent
[D] gratitude
40. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
[A] The USPS Starts to Miss Its Good Old Days
[B] The Postal Service: Keep Away from My Cheese
[C] The USPS: Chronic Illness Requires a Quick Cure
[D] The Postal Service Needs More than a Band-Aid
现在逐题拆解，帮你理清楚每个选项的对错逻辑。
先看第36题，问USPS陷入困境的原因。回到原文第一段最后一句，这里提到它正处在一个历史性的夹缝里。一边是技术变革，彻底降低了它核心产品平邮的需求；另一边是监管结构，不让管理层灵活调整运营来适应新环境。再看选项，A选项说管理僵化，刚好对应监管限制下的管理缺乏灵活性，是对的。B选项说破产，原文只说连续10年亏损，根本没提破产这回事，直接排除。C选项说工会减少收入，原文里完全没提到相关内容，错得离谱。D选项说处在竞争市场，原文没提竞争，是需求本身减少了，所以也不对。这题选A。
第37题，问USPS没法推进现代化的原因。看第二段，开头就说各种利益集团，从邮政工会到贺卡制造商，都在给国会施压。他们要求不管邮政服务怎么变，自己依赖的现状必须得到保护。后面又说改革法案屡次失败，导致USPS只能靠推迟必要的现代化来应付账单。所以核心原因就是利益集团的干涉，对应A选项。B选项说国会资金不足，原文没提资金问题，是改革的路被堵死了；C选项的需求减少，是USPS陷入困境的根源，不是没法现代化的直接原因；D选项说工会无能，原文根本没这个表述，所以这题选A。
第38题，问USPS和工会的长期抱怨怎么解决。看第三段最后一句，明确提到把邮政退休人员转入医保体系，这会大幅抵消每年预拨退休人员医保的财务负担，刚好解决他们的长期抱怨。A选项说移除退休人员医保负担，和原文表述一致，是对的。B选项说投资买新车，是用省下来的钱要做的事，不是解决抱怨的核心措施；C选项新的涨价机制，只是凑钱的一种方式，不是解决抱怨的关键；D选项吸引更多平邮用户，原文从头到尾没提这个思路，所以排除，选A。
第39题，问作者对立法者的态度。看最后一段，开头就说就算这个法案能通过参议院，也只是维持邮政运营的最低要求，根本算不上全面改革。后面又点出两个关键遗漏：没涉及集体谈判问题，没讨论取消周六投递。最后一句直接点明，这不是立法者认真改革邮政系统的信号。从这些表述能看出来，作者对立法者的做法是不满的，对应C选项discontent。其他三个选项，尊重、容忍、感激，都和原文语气完全不符，所以选C。
第40题，主旨题。整篇文章先讲USPS的深层困境，再提到新出台的法案只是最低程度的救急，完全没触及核心问题。看选项，D选项说邮政服务需要的不只是创可贴，意思是不能只做表面修复，要彻底改革，刚好贴合文章主旨。A选项说怀念过去的好时光，原文根本没提相关内容；B选项“别碰我的奶酪”，是利益集团的立场，不是文章的核心主旨；C选项说慢性病要快治，原文里的法案只是临时续命，不是快速治疗，所以也不对，这题选D。
刷这篇真题的时候，还有几个小细节要注意。比如原文里的“red ink”是俚语，指亏损，这种日常化的表达经常出现在考研阅读里，要多积累。还有第一段最后那句长难句，别硬读，拆成两个短句理解就轻松多了。另外做主旨题的时候，别只盯着某一段的内容，要串起全文的态度，作者反复强调法案的局限性，主旨肯定是要指向深层改革的。
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[Q]：2018年考研英语一阅读第四篇的题材是什么？
[A]：这篇阅读的题材是美国邮政系统的改革困境，围绕邮政持续亏损、改革受阻及相关争议展开。
[Q]：2018英一阅读第四篇的整体难度如何？
[A]：属于中等偏上难度，题材偏社会政策类，包含部分行业术语，部分题目需结合全文逻辑推理，对考生的细节定位和主旨理解能力要求较高。
[Q]：做2018英一阅读第四篇时容易踩哪些坑？
[A]：容易在细节题上混淆邮政亏损的核心原因，部分选项会偷换原文概念，比如把“暂停周六投递”和“取消投递服务”混为一谈，需要仔细比对原文内容。
[Q]：2018英一阅读第四篇的主旨题该怎么定位？
[A]：要串联全文内容，重点关注文章前两段提出的邮政核心困境，以及最后一段对新改革法案局限性的表述，不要仅依据某一段内容判断主旨。
[Q]：2018英一阅读第四篇的答案是哪些？
[A]：36题选A，37题选A，38题选A，39题选C，40题选D。
[Q]：刷这篇真题对后续考研英语备考有什么帮助？
[A]：可以锻炼考生对社会政策类题材的阅读能力，熟悉“问题-对策-争议”类文章的逻辑结构，还能积累俚语表达和长难句拆解技巧。
[Q]：这篇阅读里的“red ink”是什么意思？
[A]：这是英语俚语，在文中指“亏损”，对应的是美国邮政系统持续的财务赤字状态。
[Q]：怎么利用这篇真题提升阅读得分率？
[A]：先限时独立完成题目，再对照解析逐题分析错误原因，整理原文中的高频词汇和长难句背诵，最后再重新做一遍，检验自己的掌握情况。
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