1000字范文 > 年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语（一）试题

年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语（一）试题

时间：2019-01-09 09:04:02

全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语（一）试题

SectionⅠUseofEnglish

Directions:

Readthefollowingtext.Choosethebestword(s)foreachnumberedblankandmarkA,B,CorDontheANSWERSHEET.(10points)

Theideathatplantshavesomedegreeofconsciousnessfirsttookrootintheearly2000s;theterm“plantneurobiology”was1aroundthenotionthatsomeaspectsofplantbehaviorcouldbe2tointelligenceinanimals.3plantslackbrains,thefiringofelectricalsignalsintheirstemsandleavesnonethelesstriggeredresponsesthat4consciousness,researcherspreviouslyreported.

Butsuchanideaisuntrue,accordingtoanewopinionarticle.Plantbiologyiscomplexandfascinating,butit5sogreatlyfromthatofanimalsthatso-called6ofplants’intelligenceisinconclusive,theauthorswrote.

Beginningin,somescientistshave7thatplantspossessneuron-likecellsthatinteractwithhormonesandneurotransmitters,8“aplantnervoussystem,9tothatinanimals,”saidleadstudyauthorLincolnTaiz,“They10claimedthatplantshave‘brain-likecommandcenters’attheirroottips.”

This11makessenseifyousimplifytheworkingsofacomplexbrain,12ittoanarrayofelectricalpulses;cellsinplantsalsocommunicatethroughelectricalsignals.13,thesignalinginaplantisonly14similartothefiringinacomplexanimalbrain,whichismorethan“amassofcellsthatcommunicatebyelectricity,”Taizsaid.

“Forconsciousnesstoevolve,abrainwithathreshold15ofcomplexityandcapacityisrequired,”he16.“Sinceplantsdon’thavenervoussystems,the17thattheyhaveconsciousnessareeffectivelyzero.”

Andwhat’ssogreataboutconsciousness,anyway?Plantscan’trunawayfrom18,soinvestingenergyinabodysystemwhich19athreatandcanfeelpainwouldbeavery20evolutionarystrategy,accordingtothearticle.

1.[A]coined [B]discovered [C]collected [D]issued

2.[A]attributed [B]directed [C]compared [D]confined

3.[A]Unless [B]When [C]Once [D]Though

4.[A]copewith [B]consistedof [C]hintedat [D]extendedin

5.[A]suffers [B]benefits [C]develops [D]differs

6.[A]acceptance [B]evidence [C]cultivation [D]creation

7.[A]doubted [B]denied [C]argued [D]requested

8.[A]adapting [B]forming [C]repairing [D]testing

9.[A]analogous[B]essential[C]suitable[D]sensitive

10.[A]just[B]ever[C]still[D]even

11.[A]restriction[B]experiment[C]perspective[D]demand

12.[A]attaching[B]reducing[C]returning[D]exposing

13.[A]However[B]Moreover[C]Therefore[D]Otherwise

14.[A]temporarily[B]literally[C]superficially[D]imaginarily

15.[A]list[B]level[C]label[D]local

16.[A]recalled[B]agreed[C]questioned[D]added

17.[A]chances[B]risks[C]excuses[D]assumptions

18.[A]danger[B]failure[C]warning[D]control

19.[A]represents[B]includes[C]reveals[D]recognizes

20.[A]humble[B]poor[C]practical[D]easy

SectionⅡReadingComprehension

PartA

Directions:

Readthefollowingfourtexts.AnswerthequestionsbeloweachtextbychoosingA,B,CorD.MarkyouranswersontheANSWERSHEET.(40points)

Text1

Peopleoftencomplainthatplasticsaretoodurable.Waterbottles,shoppingbags,andothertrashlittertheplanet,fromMountEveresttotheMarianaTrench,becauseplasticsareeverywhereanddon'tbreakdowneasily.Butsomeplasticmaterialschangeovertime.Theycrackandfrizzle.They“weep”outadditives.Theymeltintosludge.Allofwhichcreateshugeheadachesforinstitutions,suchasmuseums,tryingtopreserveculturallyimportantobjects.Thevarietyofplasticobjectsatriskisdizzying:earlyradios,avant-gardesculptures,celluloidanimationstillsfromDisneyfilms,thefirstartificialheart.

Certainartifactsareespeciallyvulnerablebecausesomepioneersinplasticartdidn'talwaysknowhowtomixingredientsproperly,saysTheavanOosten,apolymerchemistwho,untilretiringafewyearsago,workedfordecadesattheCulturalHeritageAgencyoftheNetherlands.“It’slikebakingacake:Ifyoudon’thaveexactamounts,itgoeswrong.”shesays.“Theobjectyoumakeisalreadyatimebomb.”

Andsometimes,it'snottheartist'sfault.Inthe1960s,theItalianartistPicroGilardibegantocreatehundredsofbright,colorfulfoampieces.Thosepiecesincludedsmallbedsofrosesandotheritemsaswellasafewdozen“naturecarpets”—largerectanglesdecoratedwithfoampumpkins,cabbages,andwatermelons.Hewantedviewerstowalkaroundonthecarpets—whichmeanttheyhadtobedurable.

Unfortunately,thepolyurethanefoamheusedisinherentlyunstable.It'sespeciallyvulnerabletolightdamage,andbythemid-1990s,Gilardi’spumpkins,roses,andotherfiguresweresplittingandcrumbling.Museumslockedsomeofthemawayinthedark.

SovanOostenandhercolleaguesworkedtopreserveGilardi’ssculptures.Theyinfusedsomewithstabilizingandconsolidatingchemicals.VanOostencallsthosechemicals“sunscreens”becausetheirgoalwastopreventfurtherlightdamageandrebuildwornpolymerfibers.Sheisproudthatseveralsculptureshaveevengoneondisplayagain,albeitsometimesbeneathprotectivecases.

DespitesuccessstorieslikevanOosten’s,preservationofplasticswilllikelygetharder.Oldobjectscontinuetodeteriorate.Worse,biodegradableplasticsdesignedtodisintegrate,areincreasinglycommon.

Andmoreisatstakeherethanindividualobjects.JoanaLiaFerreira,anassistantprofessorofconservationandrestorationatthenovaSchoolofScienceandTechnology,notesthatarchaeologistsfirstdefinedthegreatmaterialagesofhumanhistoryStoneAge,IronAge,andsoonafterexaminingartifactsinmuseums.Wenowliveinanageofplastic,shesays,“andwhatwedecidetocollecttoday,whatwedecidetopreserve.…willhaveastrongimpactonhowinthefuturewe'llbeseen.”

21.AccordingtoParagraph1,museumsarefacedwithdifficultiesin（）.

[A]maintainingtheirplasticitems

[B]obtainingdurableplasticartifacts

[C]handlingoutdatedplasticexhibits

[D]classifyingtheirplasticcollections

22.VanOostenbelievesthatcertainplasticobjectsare（）.

[A]immunetodecay

[B]improperlyshaped

[C]inherentlyflawed

[D]complexinstructure

23.MuseumsstoppedexhibitingsomeofGilardi'sartworksto（）.

[A]keepthemfromhurtingvisitors

[B]duplicatethemforfuturedisplay

[C]havetheiringredientsanalyzed

[D]preventthemfromfurtherdamage

24.Theauthorthinksthatpreservationofplasticsis（）.

[A]costly

[B]unworthy

[C]unpopular

[D]challenging

25.InFerreira’sopinion,preservationofplasticartifacts（）.

[A]willinspirefuturescientificresearch

[B]hasprofoundhistoricalsignificance

[C]willhelpusseparatethematerialages

[D]hasanimpactontoday’sculturallife

Text2

Asthelatestcropofstudentspentheirundergraduateapplicationformandweighuptheiroptions,itmaybeworthconsideringjusthowthepoint,purposeandvalueofadegreehaschangedandwhatGenerationZneedtoconsiderastheystartthethirdstageoftheireducationaljourney.

Millennialsweretoldthatifyoudidwellinschool,gotadecentdegree,youwouldbesetupforlife.Butthatpromisehasbeenfoundwanting.Asdegreesbecameuniversal,theybecamedevalued.Educationwasnolongerasecurerouteofsocialmobility.Today,28percentofgraduatesintheUKareinnon-graduateroles,apercentagewhichisdoubletheaverageamongOECDcountries.

Thisisnottosaythatthereisnopointingettingadegree,butratherstressthatadegreeisnotforeveryone,thattheswitchfromclassroomtolecturehallisnotaninevitableoneandthatotheroptionsareavailable.

Thankfully,therearesignsthatthisisalreadyhappening,withGenerationZseekingtolearnfromtheirmillennialpredecessors,evenifparentsandteacherstendtobestillsetinthedegreemindset.Employershavelongseentheadvantagesofhiringschoolleaverswhooftenprovethemselvestobemorecommittedandloyalemployeesthangraduates.Manytooareseeingtheadvantagesofscrappingadegreerequirementforcertainroles.

Forthoseforwhomadegreeisthedesiredroute,considerthatthismaywellbethefirstofmany.Inthisageofgeneralists,itpaystohavespecificknowledgeorskills.Postgraduatesnowearn40percentmorethangraduates.Whenmoreandmoreofushaveadegree,itmakessensetohavetwo.

ItisunlikelythatGenerationZwillbedonewitheducationat18or21;theywillneedtobeconstantlyupskillingthroughouttheircareertostayemployable.Ithasbeenestimatedthatthisgeneration,duetothepressuresoftechnology,thewishforpersonalfulfillmentanddesirefordiversity,willworkfor17differentemployersoverthecourseoftheirworkinglifeandhavefivedifferentcareers.Education,andnotjustknowledgegainedoncampus,willbeacorepartofGenerationZ’scareertrajectory.

Oldergenerationsoftentalkabouttheirdegreeinthepresentandpersonaltense:I’amageographer.’orI’amaclassist.’Theirsonsordaughterswouldneversaysuchathing;it’sasiftheyalreadyknowthattheirdegreewon’tdefinetheminthesameway.

26.theauthorsuggeststhatGenerationZshould（）.

[A]becarefulinchoosingacollege

[B]bediligentateacheducationalstage

[C]reassessthenecessityofcollegeeducation

[D]postponetheirundergraduateapplication

27.ThepercentageofUKgraduatesinnon-graduaterolesreflect（）.

[A]Millennial'sopinionsaboutwork

[B]theshrinkingvalueofadegree

[C]publicdiscontentwitheducation

[D]thedesiredrouteofsocialmobility

28.Theauthorconsidersitagoodsignthat（）.

[A]GenerationZareseekingtoearnadecentdegree.

[B]Schoolleaversarewillingtobeskilledworkers.

[C]Employersaretakingarealisticattitudetodegrees.

[D]Parentsarechangingtheirmindsabouteducation.

29.ItisadvisedinParagraph5thatthosewithonedegreeshould（）.

[A]makeanearlydecisionontheircareer

[B]attendonthejobtrainingprograms

[C]teamupwithhigh-paidpostgraduates

[D]furthertheirstudiesinaspecificfield

30.WhatcanbeconcludedaboutGenerationZfromthelasttwoparagraphs?

[A]Lifelonglearningwilldefinethem.

[B]Theywillmakequalifiededucators.

[C]Degreeswillnolongerappealthem.

[D]Theywillhavealimitedchoiceofjobs.

Text3

Enlightening,challenging,stimulating,fun.TheseweresomeofthewordsthatNaturereadersusedtodescribetheirexperienceofart-sciencecollaborationsinaseriesofarticlesonpartnershipsbetweenartistsandresearchers.Nearly40%oftheroughly350peoplewhorespondedtoanaccompanyingpollsaid,theyhadcollaboratedwithartists,andalmostallsaidtheywouldconsiderdoingsoinfuture.

Suchanencouragingresultsisnotsurprising.Scientistsareincreasinglyseekingoutvisualartiststohelpthemcommunicatetheirworktonewaudiences.“Artistshelpscientistsreachabroaderaudienceandmakeemotionalconnectionsthatenhancelearning.”Onerespondentsaid.

OneexampleofhowartistsandscientistshavetogetherrockedthescenescamelastmonthwhentheSydneySymphonyOrchestraperformedareworkedversionofAntonioVivaldi’sTheFourSeasons.Theyreimaginedthe300-year-oldscorebyinjectingthelatestclimatepredictiondataforeachseasonprovidedbyMonashUniversity'sClimateChangeCommunicationResearchHub.TheperformancewasacreativecalltoactionaheadofNovember'sUnitedNationsClimateChangeConferenceinGlasgow,UK.

Butagenuinepartnershipmustbeatwo-waystreet.FewerartistthanscientistsrespondedtotheNaturepoll,however,severalrespondentsnotedthatartistsdonotsimplyassistscientistswiththeircommunicationrequirements.Norshouldtheirworkbeconsideredonlyasanobjectofstudy.Thealliancesaremostvaluablewhenscientistsandartistshaveasharedstakeinaproject,areabletojointlydesignitandcancritiqueeachother’swork.Suchanapproachcanbothpromptnewresearchaswellasresultinpowerfulart.

Morethanhalfacenturyago,theMassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyopeneditsCenterforAdvancedVisualStudies(CAVS)toexploretheroleoftechnologyinculture.Thefoundersdeliberatelyfocusedtheirprojectsaroundlight-hancethe“visualstudies”inthename.Lightwasasomethingthatbothartistsandscientistshadaninterestinandthereforecouldformthebasisofcollaboration.Asscienceandtechnologyprogressed,anddividedintomoresub-disciplines,thecentrewassimultaneouslylookingtoatimewhenleadingresearcherscouldalsobeartists,writersandpoets,andviceversa.

Nature’spollfindingssuggestthatthistrendisasstrongasever,but,tomakeacollaborationworkbothsidesneedtoinvesttimeandembracesurpriseandchallenge.Thereachofart-sciencetie-upsneedstogobeyondthenecessarypurposeofresearchcommunication,andparticipants.Artistsandscientistsalikeareimmersedindiscoveryandinvention,andchallengeandcritiquearecoretoboth,too.

31.Accordingtoparagraph1,art-sciencecollaborationshave（）

[A]caughttheattentionofcritics

[B]receivedfavorableresponses

[C]promotedacademicpublishing

[D]sparkedheatedpublicdisputes

32.ThereworkedversionofTheFourSeasonsismentionedtoshowthat（）

[A]artcanofferaudienceseasyaccesstoscience

[B]sciencecanhelpwiththeexpressionofemotions

[C]publicparticipationinsciencehasapromisingfuture

[D]artiseffectiveinfacilitatingscientificinnovations

33.Someartistsseemtoworryaboutintheart-sciencepartnership（）.

[A]theirrolemaybeunderestimated

[B]theirreputationmaybeimpaired

[C]theircreativitymaybeinhibited

[D]theirworkmaybemisguided

34.WhatdoestheauthorsayaboutCAVS?（）

[A]Itwasheadedalternatelybyartistsandscientists

[B]Itexemplifiedvaluableart-sciencealliances

[C]Itsprojectsaimedatadvancingvisualstudies

[D1Itsfounderssoughttoraisethestatusofartists

35.Inthelastparagraph,theauthorholdsthatart-sciencecollaborations（）

[Alarelikelytogobeyondpublicexpectations

[B]willintensifyinterdisciplinarycompetition

[C]shoulddomorethancommunicatingscience

[D]arebecomingmorepopularthanbefore

Text4

ThepersonalgrievanceprovisionsofNewZealand’sEmploymentRelationsAct2000(ERA)preventanemployerfromfiringanemployeewithoutgoodcause.Instead,dismissalsmustbejustified.Employersmustbothshowcauseandactinaprocedurallyfairway.

Personalgrievanceproceduresweredesignedtoguardthejobsofordinaryworkersfrom“unjustifieddismissals”Thepremisewasthatthecommonlawofcontractlackedsufficientsafeguardsforworkersagainstarbitraryconductbymanagement.Longgonearethedayswhenabosscouldsimplygiveanemployeecontractualnotice.

Buttheseprovisionscreatedifficultiesforbusinesseswhenappliedtohighlypaidmanagersandexecutives.Ascountlessboardsandbusinessownerswillattest,constrainingfirmsfromfiringpoorlyperforming,highearningmanagersisahandbrakeonboostingproductivityandoverallperformance.ThedifferencebetweenC-gradeandA-grademanagersmayverywellbethedifferencebetweenbusinesssuccessorfailure.Betweenpreservingthejobsofordinaryworkersorlosingthem.Yetmediocrityisnolongerenoughtojustifyadismissal.Consequently-andparadoxically-lawsintroducedtoprotectthejobsofordinaryworkersmaybeplacingthosejobsatrisk.

Ifnotplacingjobsatrisk,totheextentemploymentprotectionlawsconstrainbusinessownersfromdismissingunder-performingmanagers,thoselawsactasaconstraintonfirmproductivityandthereforeonworkers’wages.Indeed,in“AnInternationalPerspectiveonNewZealand’sProductivityParadox”(),theProductivityCommissionsingledoutthelowqualityofmanagerialcapabilitiesasacauseofthecountry'spoorproductivitygrowthrecord.

NorarehighlypaidmanagersthemselvesimmunefromtheharmcausedbytheERA'sunjustifieddismissalprocedures.Becauseemploymentprotectionlawsmakeitcostliertofireanemployee,employersaremorecautiousabouthiringnewstaff.Thismakesitharderforthemarginalmanagertogainemployment.Andfirmspaystafflessbecausefirmscarrytheburdenoftheemploymentarrangementgoingwrong.

Societyalsosuffersfromexcessiveemploymentprotections.Stringentjobdismissalregulationsadverselyaffectproductivitygrowthandhamperbothprosperityandoverallwell-being.

AcrosstheTasmanSea,Australiadealswiththeunjustifieddismissalparadoxbyexcludingemployeesearningaboveaspecified“high-incomethreshold”fromtheprotectionofitsunfairdismissallaws.InNewZealand,a206privatemembers’Billtriedtopermitfirmsandhigh-incomeemployeestocontractoutoftheunjustifieddismissalregime.However,themechanismsproposedwereunwieldyandtheBillwasvoteddownfollowingthechangeingovernmentlaterthatyear.

36.ThepersonalgrievanceprovisionsoftheERAareintendedto（）.

[A]punishdubiouscorporatepractices

[B]improvetraditionalhiringprocedures

[C]exemptemployersfromcertainduties

[D]protecttherightsofordinaryworkers

37.Itcanbelearnedfromparagraph3thattheprovisionsmay（）.

[A]hinderbusinessdevelopment

[B]underminemanagersauthority

[C]affectthepublicimageofthefirms

[D]worsenlabor-managementrelations

38.WhichofthefollowingmeasureswouldtheProductivityCommissionsupport（）?

[A]Imposingreasonablewagerestraints.

[B]Enforcingemploymentprotectionlaws.

[C]Limitingthepowersofbusinessowners.

[D]Dismissingpoorlyperformingmanagers.

39.WhatmightbeaneffectofERA'sunjustifieddismissalprocedures（）?

[A]Highlypaidmanagerslosetheirjobs

[B]Employeessufferfromsalarycuts.

[C]Societyseesariseinoverallwell-being.

[D]Employersneedtohirenewstaff.

40.Itcanbeinferredthatthe“high-incomethreshold”inAustralia（）

[A]hassecuredmanagers’earnings

[B]hasproducedundesiredresults

[C]isbeneficialtobusinessowners

[D]isdifficulttoputintopractice

PartB

Directions:

ReadthefollowingtextandanswerthequestionsbychoosingthemostsuitablesubheadingfromthelistA-Gforeachnumberedparagraphs(41-45).Therearetwoextrasubheadingswhichyoudonotneedtouse.

MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET.(10points)

(41)TeriByrd

Iwasazooandwildlifeparkemployeeforyears.Boththewildlifeparkandzooclaimedtobeoperatingforthebenefitoftheanimalsandforconservationpurposes.Thisclaimwasfalse.Neitheroneofthemactuallyparticipatedinanycontributionswhosebottomlineismuchmoreimportantthantheconditionoftheanimals.

Animalsdespisebeingcaptivesinzoos.Nomatterhowyouenhanceenclosures,theydonotallowforfreedom,anaturaldietoradequatetimefortransparencywiththeseinstitutions,andit'spasttimetoeliminatezoosfromourculture.

(42)KarenR.Sime

Asazoologyprofessor,IagreewithEmmaMarristhatzoodisplayscanbesadandcruel.Butsheunderestimatestheeducationalvalueofzoos.Thezoologyprogramatmyuniversityattractsstudentsforwhomzoovisitswerethecrucialformativeexperiencethatledthemtomajorinbiologicalsciences.Thesearemostlystudentswhohadnoopportunityaschildrentotraveltowildernessareas,wildliferefugesornationalparks.AlthoughgoodTVshowscanhelpstirchildren'sinterestinconservation,theycannotreplacetheexcitementofazoovisitasanintense,immersiveandinteractiveexperience.Surelytheremustbesomemiddlegroundthatbalanceszoostreatmentofanimalswiththeireducationalpotential.

(43)RegNewberry

EmmaMarris'sarticleisaninsultandadisservicetothethousandsofpassionatewhoworktirelesslytoimprovethelivesofanimalsandprotectourplanet.Sheusesoutdatedresearchanddecades-oldexamplestounderminethenoblemissionoforganizationcommittedtoconnectingchildrentoaworldbeyondtheirown.Zoosareattheforefrontofconservationandconstantlyevolvingtoimprovehowthycareforanimalsandprotecteachspeciesinitsnaturalhabitat.Aretheretragedies?Ofcourse.ButtheyaretheexceptionnotthenormthatMsMarrisimpliesAdistressedanimalinazoowillgetasgoodorbettertreatmentthanmostofusatourlocalhospital.

(44)DeanGallea

Asafellowenvironmentalistanimal-protectionadvocateandlongtimevegetarian.IcouldproperlybeinthesamecampasEmmaMarrisontheissueofzoos.ButIbelievethatwell-runzoosandtheheroicanimalsthatsuffertheircaptivitysoserveahigherpurpose.Wereitnotforopportunitiestoobservethesebeautifulwildcreaturesclosetohomemanymorepeoplewouldbedrivenbytheirfascinationtotraveltowildareastoseekoutdisturbandevenhuntthemdown.

Zoosareinthatsensesimilartonaturalhistoryandarcheologymuseumsservingtosatisfyourneedforcontactwiththeselivingcreatureswhileleavingthevastmajorityundisturbedintheirnaturalenvironments

(45)JohnFraser

EmmaMarrisselectivelydescribesandmisrepresentsthefindingsofourresearch.Ourstudiesfocusedontheimpactofzooexperiencesonhowpeoplethinkaboutthemselvesandnatureandthedatapointsextractedfromourstudies.Zoosaretoolsforthinking.Ourresearchprovidesstrongsupportforthevalueofzoosinconnectingpeoplewithanimalsandwithnature.Zoosprovideacriticalvoiceforconservationandenvironmentalprotection.

Theyaffordanopportunityforpeoplefromallbackgroundstoencounterarangeofanimalsfromdronebeestospringbokorsalmontobetterunderstandthenaturalworldwelivein.

[A]Zoos,whichsparenoefforttotakeofanimals,shouldnotbesubjectedtounfaircriticism.

[B]Topressurezoostospendlessontheiranimalswouldleadtoinhumaneoutcomesforthepreciouscreaturesintheircare.

[C]Whileanimalsincaptivitydeservesympathy,zoosplayasignificantroleinstartingyoungpeopledownthepathofrelatedsciences.

[D]Zoossavepeopletripstowildernessareasandthuscontributetowildlifeconservation.

[E]Forwildanimalsthatcannotbereturnedtotheirnaturalhabitats,zoosofferthebestalternative.

[F]Zoosshouldhavebeencloseddownastheyprioritizemoneymakingoveranimals’wellbeing.

[G]Marrisdistortsourfindingswhichactuallyprovethatzoosserveasanindispensablelinkbetweenmanandnature.

PartC

Directions:ReadthefollowingtextcarefullyandthentranslatetheunderlinedsegmentsintoChinese.YourtranslationshouldbewrittenneatlyonANSWERSHEET.(10points)

TheManWhoBrokeNapoleon’sCodes-MarkUrban

Between1807and1814theIberianPeninsula(comprisingSpainandPortugal)wasthesceneofatitanicandmercilessstruggle.Ittookplaceonmanydifferentplanes:betweenNapoleon’sFrencharmyandtheangryinhabitants;betweentheBritish,everkeentoexacerbatetheemperor’sdifficulties,andthemarshalssentfromParistotrytokeepthemincheck;betweennewforcesofscienceandmeritocracyandoldonesofconservatismandbirth.(46)Itwasalso,andthisisunknowneventomanypeoplewellreadabouttheperiod,abattlebetweenthosewhomadecodesandthosewhobrokethem.

IfirstdiscoveredtheNapoleoniccryptographicbattleafewyearsagowhenIwasreadingSirCharlesOman’sepicHistoryofthePeninsularWar.InvolumeVhehadattachedanappendix,TheScovellCiphers.(47)ItlistedmanydocumentsincodethathadbeencapturedfromtheFrencharmyofSpain,andwhosesecretshadbeenrevealedbytheworkofoneGeorgeScovell,anofficerinBritishheadquarters.OmanratedScovell’ssignificancehighly,butatthesametime,thegeneralnatureofhisHistorymeantthat(48)hecouldnotanalyzecarefullywhatthisobscureofficermayormaynothavecontributedtothatgreatstrugglebetweennationsorindeedtellusanythingmuchaboutthemanhimself.Iwaskeentoreadmore,butwassurprisedtofindthatOman’sappendix,publishedin1914,wastheonlyconsideredthingthathadbeenwrittenaboutthissecretwar.

IbecameconvincedthatthisstorywaseverybitasexcitingandsignificantasthatofEnigmaandthebreakingofGermancodesintheSecondWorldWar.Thequestionwas,coulditbetold?

StudyingScovell’spapersatthePublicRecordOffice,London,IfoundthathehadleftanextensivejournalandcopiousnotesabouthisworkinthePeninsula.Whatwasmore,manyoriginalFrenchdispatcheshadbeenpreservedinthiscollection,whichIrealizedwaspriceless.(49)TheremayhavebeenmanyspiesandintelligenceofficersduringtheNapoleonicWars,butitisusuallyextremelydifficulttofindthematerialtheyactuallyprovidedorworkedon.

Furthermore,Scovell’sstoryinvolvedmuchmorethanjustintelligencework.HisstatusinLordWellington’sheadquartersandtherecognitiongiventohimforhisworkwereallboundupwiththeclasspoliticsofthearmyatthetime.Histaleofself-improvementandhardworkwouldmakeafascinatingbiographyinitsownright,butrepresentssomethingmorethanthat.(50)JustasthecodebreakinghasitswiderrelevanceinthestruggleforSpain,sohisattemptstomakehiswayupthepromotionladderspeakvolumesaboutBritishsociety.ThestoryofWellingtonhimselfalsogrippedme.HalfacenturyagohiscampaignswereconsideredacentralpartoftheBritishhistoricalmythologyandspoon-fedtoschoolboys.Morerecentlythishasnotbeenthecase,whichisagreatshame.Agenerationhasgrownup.