众所周知，在考研英语试题中，文章多来源于The Economist(经济学人)、Times (时代周刊)、Scientific American (科学美国人)等国外著名杂志、报刊。这些杂志、报刊被称为同源外刊。The Economist中的一篇名为《滋长的无信仰论》的文章从成为结构、表达方式都与试题相近，吸引了的眼球，下面就带各位2016考研学子来学习一下。

Growing disbelief

AMERICA is not an easy place for atheists. Religion pervades the public sphere, and studies show that non-believers are more distrusted than other minorities.

Several states still ban atheists from holding public office. These rules, which are unconstitutional, are never enforced, but that hardly matters. Over 40% of Americans say they would never vote for an atheist presidential candidate.

Yet the past seven years have seen a fivefold increase in people who call themselves atheists, to 5% of the population, according to WIN-Gallup International, a network of pollsters. Meanwhile, the proportion of Americans who say they are religious has fallen from 73% in 2005 to 60% in 2011.

Such a large drop in religiosity is startling, but the data on atheists are in line with other polling. A Pew survey in 2009 also found that 5% of Americans did not believe in God. But only a quarter of those called themselves atheists. The newest polling, therefore, may simply show an increase in those willing to say the word.

This change may have come about because of an informal movement of non-believers known as “New Atheism”. Over the past eight years, authors such as Richard Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens have attacked religion in bestselling books, appealing persuasively to logic and science. Mr Dawkins, a British biologist, has especially encouraged people to declare their disbelief.

Earlier this year he spoke at the “Reason Rally”， a gathering of thousands of secularists on the Mall in Washington, DC. “We are approaching a tipping point”， he predicted, “where the number of people who have come out becomes so great that suddenly everyone will realise, I can come out too。”

Some are doing so loudly. When Democratic convention-goers arrive in Charlotte, North Carolina, they will be greeted by a billboard sponsored by a group called American Atheists that claims Christianity “promotes hate” and exalts a “useless saviour”. A similar billboard mocking Mormonism was planned for the Republican convention, but no one would sell the group space.

American Atheists is also trying to block the display of a cross-shaped steel beam at the September 11th museum in New York. The beam, found in the wreckage of the World Trade Centre, was a totem for rescuers. The atheists see its inclusion as an unconstitutional mingling of church and state. The museum says the cross is an historical artefact, and that anyway it is not a government agency. Fights like this are unlikely to enhance atheism’s growing appeal in America.

●文章结构分析

第一层为文章的1、2段，开篇表明美国的无神论者日子并不好过，第二层为3、4段，经过调查表明，近年来美国无神论者的人数有巨大的增长，不过这种增长可能仅仅是因为宣城自己是无神论者的人多了。第三层为5、6段，无神论的壮大可能跟一些作家抨击宗教，鼓励人们成为无神论者有关。第四层为7、8段，一些无神论者在宣传无神论时，非常高调，而他们的一些举动却可能招来非议。

●重点词汇

atheist 无神论者

pollster 民意调查人

religiosity 对宗教的虔诚，狂热

secularist 世俗论者，宗教与教育分离者

exalt 赞扬，提拔苏州大学考研分数线

Mormonism 摩门教，后期圣徒教会

●长难句解析

We are approaching a tipping point”， he predicted, “where the number of people who have come out becomes so great that suddenly everyone will realise, I can come out too.

翻译：他做出预测，“我们正在向一个转折点进发，那里宣称自己是无神论的人时如此之多以至于每个人都会意识到我也能对外宣布我是无神论者了。”

解析：句子的主语是he，谓语是predicted,宾语是一个直接引语。宾语是一个直接引语。宾语从句的主干是we are approaching a tipping point。被由where引导的宾语从句修饰。在这个定语从句中，where作状语，句子主语是the number of people ，谓语是becomes, so great是表语。So...that是一个固定搭配，表示程度，意思是“如此……以至于……”。这也就是说，人数如此之多以至于每个人都会意识到“我也能对外宣布我是无神论者了”。

通过的讲解，各位考生是不是也觉得这篇文章值得一学了呢，那就快快将文章精髓掌握起来吧。预祝各位考生备考顺利，取得理想佳绩！