在考研英语中，阅读分数可谓是占到了总分的半壁江山，正所谓“得阅读者得考研”。对于备考2016考研的同学们，在平时的复习中一定要拓展阅读思路，各类话题都要关注，这样才能在整体上提升考研英语阅读水平!新东方网考研频道分享《2016考研英语阅读精选》，一起来学习吧!

　　A second life

　　第二人生

　　导读：当电视剧中充斥着各种傻白甜的玛丽苏女主时，一个历尽邪教折磨还依旧对人生充满希望的吉米•施密特出现了，她坚强、乐观还有些小毛病，但这丝毫不阻碍观众对她的喜爱。

　　There have been lots of resilient and optimistic female characters in TV series, but Kimmy Schmidt is a little different.

　　电视剧里从来不缺少活泼开朗又乐观向上的女性角色，不过吉米•施密特(Kimmy Schmidt)有点不一样。

　　Kimmy (Ellie Kemper), the plucky go-getter in seven-times Emmy-nominated US comedy Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, was once locked away in a bunker along with three other women in a strange cult trying to survive a nuclear holocaust. Fifteen years later, the quartet emerge to find a world not turned to ashes, but into something they never imagined.

　　吉米(艾丽•坎伯尔Ellie Kemper饰)是刚刚获得“艾美奖”七项提名的美国喜剧《我本坚强》中的女主角。剧中，她是一个勇敢又能干人。因为听信邪教躲避核灾难的谎言，她和其他三名女性一起被困地下。十五年后，这四个人终于重见天日，却发现世界并没有化为灰烬，反而发生了翻天覆地的变化。

　　The first few episodes cover all the easy jokes that come with any time travel series. Kimmy doesn’t know what a selfie is. She is clueless about social networking. She cannot even tell the difference between cameras and phones. And, naturally, her acting like a 1990s-generation middle schooler in this new world is a constant source of comic relief.

　　和其他设计时空穿越的剧一样，《我本坚强》的前几集充满了轻松的笑点。吉米不知道自拍为何物，对社交网络也一窍不通，她甚至搞不懂相机和手机有什么不同。她的行为举止活脱一个生活在现代的90年代中学生，当然这也正为该剧提供了层出不穷的笑点。

　　But this affecting sitcom doesn’t simply intend to make you laugh.

　　如果你以为这部感人的情景喜剧仅仅是为了搞笑，你就错了。

　　After their rescue, Kimmy and the other three women become famous overnight, winning the hearts (and financial backing) of sympathizers nationwide.

　　成功获救后，吉米和其他三个女人几乎一夜成名，她们博得了全美国人民的同情(还有物质上的支援)。

　　Not content to simply take advantage of being one of the so-called “Indiana Mole Women” like her fellow victims, Kimmy decides to hide her real identity and make a fresh start in Manhattan, where no one sees her as damaged goods.

　　不过吉米不愿意像其他被称为“印第安纳鼹鼠女”的受害女性一样利用人们的善心和施舍，她决定隐姓埋名，在曼哈顿开始新生活，因为在曼哈顿没有人用看受害者的眼光看她。

　　You can imagine Kimmy endured unnerving hardships underground, and the show slowly confirms this through her recollections and conversations with others. But she never looks wrecked. Quite the opposite: She’s chipper and possesses an indomitable sunniness.

　　剧集通过吉米的回忆和对话慢慢向观众展示了她被困地下时的无助和困苦。但是她看起来一点都不像经历过劫难的人，相反她开朗阳光，充满了正能量。

　　The unstoppable young woman not only helps herself, but also pushes those around her to be the best they can be.

　　这个无人能挡的女人不仅自强自立还竭尽全力地帮助别人。

　　She encourages her broke roommate, a new spin on the gay-best-friend stock character, to pursue his lost dream. Disheartened by the women in a cosmetic surgery clinic waiting room, she tells them: “Changing your outside isn’t going to fix what’s wrong inside. We’re just covering up our problems in order to fix ourselves. You have to start right here to find that small unbreakable you inside yourself.”

　　剧中设立了一个典型gay蜜角色，吉米鼓励这个破产的好友追寻自己遗失的梦想。在整容医院候诊室里，她为那些来整容的女人痛心不已，并告诉她们：“改变外貌并不能拯救内心的虚弱。我们只是误把粉饰问题当成了解决问题。你们必须立即行动，寻找自己内心那个无坚不摧的自我。

　　We all know the seemingly perfect heroine is kind of out of date, and the scriptwriter is well aware of this, too.

　　显然那种看似完美无缺的女主角已经过时了，还好编剧也意识到了这个问题。

　　She isn’t some idealized Mary Sue getting everything she wants simply for having an upbeat outlook. Her fairytale-like romance with a young man she doesn’t realize his wealthy ends unhappily, showing Kimmy is still at risk of falling prey to failure.

　　她绝不是仅凭积极乐观就能得到一切的完美“玛丽苏”。剧中吉米因为不识一位富家子弟的真实身份而阴差阳错地和他开始了一段恋情，不过这看似童话般开始的爱情却并没有走到完美的结局。所以(身为非典型性玛丽苏的女主角)，吉米也要随时面临各种失败。

　　At her core, Kimmy is a bright and buoyant woman, but not so much that she can’t be down-to-earth. This makes her an underdog worth paying attention to.

　　总体上，吉米是一个快乐活泼，同时也脚踏实地的女主角。 这些特质造就了一个值得观众关注的小人物银幕形象。

(责任编辑：张婵)