2022年全國碩士研究生招生考試英語（一）試題

SectionIUseofEnglish

Directions:

Readthefollowingtext.Choosethebestword(s)foreachnumberedblankandmarkA,B,

CorDonANSWERSHEET1.(10points)

Theideathatplantshavesomedegreeofconsciousnessfirsttookrootintheearly

2000s;thetenn"plantneurobiology^^was1aroundthenotionthatsomeaspectsof

planbehaviorcouldbe2tointelligenceinanimals.3plantslackbrains,thefiring

ofelectricalsignalsintheirstemsandleavesnonethelesstriggeredresponsesthat4

consciousness,researcherspreviouslyreported.

Butsuchanideaisuntrue,accordingtoanewopinionarticle.Plantbiologyis

complexandfascinating,butit5sogreatlyfromthatofanimalsthatso-called_6

ofplants1intelligenceisinconclusive,theauthorswrote.

Beginningin2006,somescientistshave7thatplantspossessneuron-likecells

thatinteractwithhormonesandneurotransmitters,8"aplantnervoussystem.9to

thatinanimals/9saidleadstudyauthorLincolnTaiz,ccThey10claimedthatplants

have'brain-likecommandcenters9attheirroottips.”

This11makessenseifyonsimplifytheworkingsofacomplexbrain,12itto

anarrayofelectricalpulses;cellsinplantsalsocommunicatethroughelectricalsignals.

13,thesignalinginaplantisonly14similartothefiringinacomplexanimal

brain,whichismorethan“amassofcellsthatcommunicatebyelectricity.^^Taizsaid.

“Forconsciousnesstoevolve,abrainwithathreshold15ofcomplexityand

capacityisrequired,"he16."Sinceplantsdon'thavenervoussystems,the17

thattheyhaveconsciousnessareeffectivelyzero.^^

Andwhat'ssogreataboutconsciousness,anyway?Plantscan'trunawayfrom

18,soinvestingenergyinabodysystemwhich19athreatandcanfeelpainwould

beavery20evolutionarystrategy,accordingtothearticle.

1.[A]coined[B]discovered[C]collectedfD]issued

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

3.[A]Unless[BlWhen[C]Once[D]Though

4.[A]copedwith[B]consistedof[C]hintedat[D]extendedto

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

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

7.[A]doubtedfB]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

2

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

15.[A]list[Bllevel[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]representsfB]includes[C]reveals[D]recognizes

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

SectionIIReadingComprehension

PartA

Directions:

Readthefollowingfourtexts.AnswerthequestionsbeloweachtextbychoosingA,B,C

orD.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.(40points)

TextX

Peopleoftencomplainthatplasticsaretoodurable.Waterbottles,shoppingbags,

andothertrashlittertheplanet,fromMountEveresttotheMarianaTrench,because

plasticsareeverywhereanddon'tbreakdowneasily.Butsomeplasticmaterialschange

overtime.Theycrackandfizzle.They"weep"outadditives.Theymeltintosludge.All

ofwhichcreateshugeheadachesforinstitutions,suchasmuseums,tryingtopreserve

culturallyimportantobjects.Thevarietyofplasticobjectsatriskisdizzying:earlyradios,

avant-gardesculptures,celluloidanimationsillsfromDisneyfilms,thefirstartificial

heart.

Certainartifactsareespeciallyvulnerablebecausesomepioneersinplasticartdidn't

alwaysknowhowtomixingredientsproperly,saysTheavanOosten,apolymerchemist

who,untilretiringafewyearsago,workedfordecadesattheCulturalHeritageAgency

oftheNetherlands."It'slikebakingacake:Ifyoudon'thaveexactamounts,itgoes

wrong."shesays.uTheobjectyoumakeisalreadyatimebomb.^^

Andsometimes,it'snottheartist'sfault.Inthe1960s,theItalianartistPieroGilardi

begantocreatehundredsofbright,colorfulfoampieces.Thosepiecesincludedsmall

bedsofrosesandotheritemsaswellasafewdozen"naturecarpets^-largerectangles

decoratedwithfoampumpkins,cabbages,andwatermelons.Hewantedviewerstowalk

aroundonthecarpets-whichmeanttheyhadtobedurable.

Unfortunately,thepolyurethanefbamheusedisinherentlyunstable.It'sespecially

vulnerabletolightdamage,andbythemid-1990s,Gilardi'spumpkins,roses,andother

figuresweresiltingandcrumbling.Museumslockedsomeofthemawayinthedark.

SovanOostenandhercolleaguesworkedtopreserveGilardi'ssculptures.They

infusedsomewithstabilizingandconsolidatingchemicals.VanOostencallsthose

chemicals"sunscreens“becausetheirgoalwastopreventfurtherlightdamageand

rebuildwornpolymerfibers.Sheisproudthatseveralsculptureshaveevengoneon

displayagain,albeitsometimesbeneathprotectivecases.

3

DespitesuccessstorieslikevanOosten9s,preservationofplasticswilllikelyget

harder.Oldobjectscontinuetodeteriorate.Worse,biodegradableplasticsdesignedto

disintegrate,areincreasinglycommon.

Andmoreisatstakeherethanindividualobjects.JoanaLiaFerreira,anassistant

professorofconservationandrestorationattheNOVASchoolofScienceand

Technology,notesthatarchaeologistsfirstdefinedthegreatmaterialagesofhuman

history-StoneAge,IronAge,andsoon-afterexaminingartifactsinmuseums.Wenow

liveinanageofplastic,shesays,“andwhatwedecidetocollecttoday,whatwedecide

topreserve...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

fB]duplicatethemforfuturedisplay

[C]havetheiringredientsanalyzed

fD]preventthemfromfurtherdamage

24.Theauthorthinksthatpreservationofplasticsis.

[A]costly[B]unworthy[C]unpopular[D]challenging

25.InFrreira'sopinion,preservationofplasticartifacts.

[A]willinspirefuturescientificresearch

[B]hasprofoundhistoricalsignificance

[C]willhelpusseparatethematerialages

[D]hasanimpactontoday'sculturallife

Text2

Asthelatestcropofstudentspentheirundergraduateapplicationformandweighup

theiroptions,itmaybeworthconsideringjusthowthepoint,purposeandvalueofa

degreehaschangedandwhatGenerationZneedtoconsiderastheystartthethirdstage

oftheireducationaljourney.

Millennialsweretoldthatifyoudidwellinschool,gotadecentdegree,youwould

besetupfbrlife.Butthatpromisehasbeenfoundwanting.Asdegreesbecameuniversal,

theybecamedevalued.Educationwasnolongerasecurerouteofsocialmobility.Today,

28percentofgraduatesintheUKareinnon-graduateroles,apercentagewhichis

doubletheaverageamongOECDcountries.

Thisisnottosaythatthereisnopointingettingadegree,butratherstressthata

degreeisnotforeveryone,thattheswitchfromclassroomtolecturehallisnotan

inevitableoneandthatotheroptionsareavailable.

Thankfully,therearesignsthatthisisalreadyhappening,withGenerationZseeking

tolearnfromtheirmillennialpredecessors,evenifparentsandteacherstendtobestillset

inthedegreemindset.Employershavelongseentheadvantagesofhiringschoolleavers

4

whooftenprovethemselvestobemorecommittedandloyalemployeesthangraduates.

Manytooareseeingtheadvantagesofscrappingadegreerequirementfbrcertainroles.

Forthoseforwhomadegreeisthedesiredroute,considerthatthismaywellbethe

firstofmany.Inthisageofgeneralists,itpaystohavespecificknowledgeorskills.

Postgraduatesnowearn40percentmorethangraduates.Whenmoreandmoreofus

haveadegree,itmakessensetohavetwo.

ItisunlikelythatGenerationZwillbedonewitheducationat18or21;theywill

needtobeconstantlyup-skillingthroughouttheircareertostayemployable.Ithasbeen

estimatedthatthisgeneration,duetothepressuresoftechnology,thewishforpersonal

fulfillmentanddesirefordiversity,willworkfor17differentemployersoverthecourse

oftheirworkinglifeandhavefivedifferentcareers.Education,andnotjustknowledge

gainedoncampus,willbeacorepartofGenerationZ'scareertrajectory.

Oldergenerationsoftentalkabouttheirdegreeinthepresentandpersonaltense:'I

amageographer9or4amaciassist.9Theirsonsordaughterswouldneversaysucha

thing;it9sasiftheyalreadyknowthattheirdegreewon'tdefinetheminthesameway.

26.TheauthorsuggeststhatGenerationZshould.

[A]becarefulinchoosingacollege

fB]bediligentateacheducationalstage

[C]reassessthenecessityofcollegeeducation

fD]postponetheirundergraduateapplication

27.ThepercentageofUKgraduatesinnon-graduaterolesreflect.

fA]MillenniaFsopinionsaboutwork[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.

fB]Theywillmakequalifiededucators.

[C]Depresswillnolongerappealthem.

[D]Theywillhavealimitedchoiceofjobs.

Text3

Enlightening,challenging,stimulating,fun.Theseweresomeofthewordsthat

Naturereadersusedtodescribetheirexperienceofart-sciencecollaborationsinaseries

ofarticlesonpartnershipsbetweenartistsandresearchers.Nearly40%oftheroughly350

5

peoplewhorespondedtoanaccompanyingpollsaid,theyhadcollaboratedwithartists;

andalmostallsaidtheywouldconsiderdoingsoinfuture.

Suchanencouragingresultisnotsurprising.Scientistsareincreasinglyseekingout

visualartiststohelpthemcommunicatetheirworktonewaudiences."Artistshelp

scientistsreachabroaderaudienceandmakeemotionalconnectionsthatenhance

learning.^^Onerespondentsaid.

Oneexampleofhowartistsandscientistshavetogetherrockedthescenescamelast

monthwhentheSydneySymphonyOrchestraperformedareworkedversionofAntonio

Vivaldi'sTheFourSeas。幾s.Theyreimaginedthe300-year-oldscorebyinjectingthe

latestclimatepredictiondataforeachseason-providedbyMonashUniversity'sClimate

ChangeCommunicationResearchHub.Theperformancewasacreativecalltoaction

aheadofNovember'sUnitedNationsClimateChangeConferenceinGlasgow,UK.

Butagenuinepartnershipmustbeatwo-waystreet.Fewerartiststhanscientists

respondedtotheNaturepoll,however,severalrespondentsnotedthatartistsdonot

simplyassistscientistswiththeircommunicationrequirements.Norshouldtheirworkbe

consideredonlyasanobjectofstudy.Thealliancesaremostvaluablewhenscientistsand

artistshaveasharedstakeinaproject,areabletojointlydesignitandcancritiqueeach

other'swork.Suchanapproachcanbothpromptnewresearchaswellasresultin

powerfulart.

Morethanhalfacenturyago,theMassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyopenedits

CenterforAdvancedVisualStudies(CAVS)toexploretheroleoftechnologyinculture.

Thefoundersdeliberatelyfocusedtheirprojectsaroundlight-hencethenvisualstudies"in

thename.Lightwasasomethingthatbothartistsandscientistshadaninterestin,and

thereforecouldformthebasisofcollaboration.Asscienceandtechnologyprogressed,

anddividedintomoresub-disciplines,thecentrewassimultaneouslylookingtoatime

whenleadingresearcherscouldalsobeartists,writersandpoets,andviceversa.

Nature'spollfindingssuggestthatthistrendisasstrongasever,buttomakea

collaborationwork,bothsidesneedtoinvesttime,andembracesurpriseandchallenge.

Thereachofart-sciencetie-upsneedstogobeyondthenecessarypurposeofresearch

communication,andparticipants.Artistsandscientistsalikeareimmersedindiscovery

andinvention,andchallengeandcritiquearecoretoboth,too.

31.Accordingtoparagraph1,art-sciencecollaborationshave.

[A]caughttheattentionofcritics[B]receivedfavorableresponses

[C]promotedacademicpublishing[D]sparkedheatedpublicdisputes

32.ThereworkedversionofTheFourSeasonsismentionedtoshowthat.

fA]artcanofferaudienceseasyaccesstoscience

[B]sciencecanhelpwiththeexpressionofemotions

[C]publicparticipationinsciencehasapromisingfuture.

[D]artiseffectiveinfacilitatingscientificinnovations

33.Someartistsseemtoworryaboutintheart-sciencepartnership.

[A]theirrolemaybeunderestimated[B]theirreputationmaybeimpaired

[C]theircreativitymaybeinhibited[D]theirworkmaybemisguided

34.WhatdoestheauthorsayaboutCAVS?

[A]Itwasheadedalternatelybyartistsandscientists

6

[B]Itexemplifiedvaluableart-sciencealliances

[C]Itsprojectsaimedatadvancingvisualstudies

[D]Itsfounderssoughttoraisethestatusofartists

35.Inthelastparagraph,theauthorholdsthatart-sciencecollaborations.

[A]arelikelytogobeyondpublicexpectations

[B]willintensifyinterdisciplinarycompetition

[C]shoulddomorethancommunicatingscience

fD]arebecomingmorepopularthanbefore

Text4

ThepersonalgrievanceprovisionsofNewZealand9sEmploymentRelationsAct

2000(ERA)preventanemployerfromfiringanemployeewithoutgoodcause.Instead,

dismissalsmustbejustified.Employersmustbothshowcauseandactinaprocedurally

fairway.

Personalgrievanceproceduresweredesignedtoguardthejobsofordinaryworkers

from"unjustifieddismissals”.Thepremisewasthatthecommonlawofcontractlacked

sufficientsafeguardsforworkersagainstarbitraryconductbymanagement.Longgone

arethedayswhenabosscouldsimplygiveanemployeecontractualnotice.

Buttheseprovisionscreatedifficultiesfbrbusinesseswhenappliedtohighlypaid

managersandexecutives.Ascountlessboardsandbusinessownerswillattest,

constrainingfirmsfromfiringpoorlyperforming,high-earningmanagersisahandbrake

onboostingproductivityandoverallperformance.ThedifferencebetweenC-gradeand

A-grademanagersmayverywellbethedifferencebetweenbusinesssuccessorfailure.

Betweenpreservingthejobsofordinaryworkersorlosingthem.Yetmediocrityisno

longerenoughtojustifyadismissal.

Consequently-andparadoxically-lawsintroducedtoprotectthejobsofordinary

workersmaybeplacingthosejobsatrisk.

Ifnotplacingjobsatrisk,totheextentemploymentprotectionlawsconstrain

businessownersfromdismissingunder-performingmanagers,thoselawsactasa

constraintonfirmproductivityandthereforeonworkers*wages.Indeed,in“An

InternationalPerspectiveonNewZealand'sProductivityParadox((2014),the

ProductivityCommissionsingledoutthelowqualityofmanagerialcapabilitiesasacause

ofthecountry'spoorproductivitygrowthrecord.

Norarehighlypaidmanagersthemselvesimmunefromtheharmcausedbythe

ERA'Sunjustifieddismissalprocedures.Becauseemploymentprotectionlawsmakeit

costliertofireanemployee,employersaremorecautiousabouthiringnewstaff.This

makesitharderforthemarginalmanagertogainemployment.Andfirmspaystaffless

becausefirmscarrytheburdenoftheemploymentaiTangementgoingwrong.

Societyalsosuffersfromexcessiveemploymentprotections.Stringentjobdismissal

regulationsadverselyaffectproductivitygrowthandhamperbothprosperityandoverall

well-being.

AcrosstheTasmanSea,Australiadealswiththeunjustifieddismissalparadoxby

excludingemployeesearningaboveaspecified"high-incomethreshold^^fromthe

protectionofitsunfairdismissallaws.InNewZealand,a2016privatemembers1Bill

7

triedtopermitfirmsandhigh-incomeemployeestocontractoutoftheunjustified

dismissalregime.However,themechanismsproposedwereunwieldyandtheBillwas

voteddownfollowingthechangeingovernmentlaterthatyear.

36.ThepersonalgrievanceprovisionsoftheERAareintendedto.

[A]punishdubiouscorporatepractices[B]improvetraditionalhiringprocedures

[C]exemptemployersfromcertainduties[D]protecttherightsofordinaryworkers

37.Itcanbelearnedfromparagraph3thattheprovisionsmay.

[A]hinderbusinessdevelopment[B]underminemanagers*authority

[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]hassecuredmanagers9earnings[B]hasproducedundesiredresults

fC]isbeneficialtobusinessowners[D]isdifficulttoputintopractice

PartB

Directions:

Readthefollowingtextandmatcheachofthenumbereditemsintheleftcolumntoits

correspondinginformationintherightcolumn.Therearetwoextrachoicesintheright

column.MarkyouranswersontheANSWERSHEET.(10points)

41.TeriByrd______________

Iwasazooandwildlifeparkemployeeforyears.Boththewildlifeparkandzoo

claimedtobeoperatingforthebenefitoftheanimalsandforconservationpurposes.This

claimwasfalse.Neitheroneofthemactuallyparticipatedinanycontributionswhose

bottomlineismuchmoreimportantthantheconditionoftheanimals.

Animalsdespisebeingcaptivesinzoos.Nomatterhowyou“enhance“enclosures,

theydonotallowforfreedom,anaturaldietoradequatetimefortransparencywiththese

institutions,andit'spasttimetoeliminatezoosfromourculture.

42.KarenR.Sime

Asazoologyprofessor,IagreewithEmmaMarristhatzoodisplayscanbesadand

cruel.Butsheunderestimatestheeducationalvalueofzoos.Thezoologyprogramatmy

universityattractsstudentsforwhomzoovisitswerethecrucialformativeexperiencethat

ledthemtomajorinbiologicalsciences.Thesearemostlystudentswhohadno

opportunityaschildrentotraveltowildernessareas,wildliferefugesornationalparks.

AlthoughgoodTVshowscanhelpstirchildren'sinterestinconservation,theycannot

replacetheexcitementofazoovisitasanintense,immersiveandinteractiveexperience.

8

Surelytheremustbesomemiddlegroundthatbalanceszoos9treatmentofanimalswith

theireducationalpotential.

43.GregNewberry

EmmaMarris9sarticleisaninsultandadisservicetothethousandsofpassionate

whoworktirelesslytoimprovethelivesofanimalsandprotectourplanet.Sheuses

outdatedresearchanddecades-oldexamplestounderminethenoblemissionof

organizationcommittedtoconnectingchildrentoaworldbeyondtheirown.

Zoosareattheforefrontofconservationandconstantlyevolvingtoimprovehow

theycareforanimalsandprotecteachspeciesinitsnaturalhabitat.Aretheretragedies?

Ofcourse.ButtheyaretheexceptionnotthenormthatMs.Marrisimplies.Adistressed

animalinazoowillgetasgoodorbettertreatmentthanmostofusatourlocalhospital.

44.DeanGallea________________

Asafellowenvironmentalistanimal-protectionadvocateandlongtimevegetarian.I

couldproperlybeinthesamecampasEmmaMarrisontheissueofzoos.ButIbelieve

thatwell-runzoosandtheheroicanimalsthatsuffertheircaptivitysoserveahigher

purpose.Wereitnotforopportunitiestoobservethesebeautifulwildcreaturescloseto

home,manymorepeoplewouldbedrivenbytheirfascinationtotraveltowildareasto

seekoutdisturbandevenhuntthemdown.

Zoosareinthatsensesimilartonaturalhistoryandarcheologymuseumsservingto

satisfyourneedforcontactwiththeselivingcreatureswhileleavingthevastmajority

undisturbedintheirnaturalenvironments.

45.JohnFraser________________

EmmaMarrisselectivelydescribesandmisrepresentsthefindingsofourresearch.

Ourstudiesfocusedontheimpactofzooexperiencesonhowpeoplethinkabout

themselves,andnatureandthedatapointsextractedfromourstudies.

Zoosaretoolsfbrthinking.Ourresearchprovidesstrongsupportforthevalueof

zoosinconnectingpeoplewithanimalsandwithnature.Zoosprovideacriticalvoicefbr

conservationandenvironmentalprotection.Theyaffordanopportunityforpeoplefrom

allbackgroundstoencounterarangeofanimalsfromdronebeestospringbokorsalmon

tobetterunderstandthenaturalworldwelivein.

41._______

42.______

43._______

44.______

45.______

[A]Zoos,whichsparenoefforttotakecareofanimals,shouldnotbesubjectedtounfair

criticism.

[BlTopressurezoostospendlessontheiranimalswouldleadtoinhumaneoutcomes

forthepreciouscreaturesintheircare.

[C]Whileanimalsincaptivitydeservesympathy,zoosplaysignificantroleinstarting

youngpeopledownthepathofrelatedsciences.

[D]Zoossavepeopletripstowildernessareasandthuscontributetowildlife

conservation.

9

[E]Forwildanimalsthatcannotbereturnedtotheirnaturalhabitats,zoosofferthebest

alternative.

[F]Zoosshouldhavebeencloseddownastheyprioritizemoneymakingoveranimals9

well-being.

[G]Marrisdistortsourfindingswhichactuallyprovethatzoosserveasanindispensable

linkbetweenmanandnature.

PartC

Directions:

ReadthefollowingtextcarefullyandthentranslatetheunderlinedsegmentsintoChinese,

YourtranslationshouldbewrittenneatlyontheANSWERSHEETS10points)

TheManWhoBrokeNapoleon'sCodesbyMarkUrban

Between1807and1814theIberianPeninsula(comprisingSpainandPortugal)was

thesceneofatitanicandmercilessstruggle.lttookplaceonmanydifferent

planes:betweenNapoleon'sFrencharmyandtheangryinhabitants;betweentheBritish,

everkeentoexacerbatetheemperor'sdifficulties,andthemarshalssentfromParistotry

tokeepthemincheck;betweennewforcesofscienceandmeritocracyandoldonesof

conservatismandbirth.[46]Itwasalso,andthisisunknowneventomanypeoplewell

readabouttheperiod,abattlebetweenthosewhomadecodesandthosewhobrokethem.

IfirstdiscoveredtheNapoleoniccryptographicbattleafewyearsagowhenIwas

readingSirCharlesOman'sepicHistoryofthePeninsularWar.InvolumeVhehad

attachedanappendix,"TheScovellCiphers”.[47]Itlistedmanydocumentsincodethat

hadbeencapturedfromtheFrencharmyofSpain,andwhosesecretshadbeenrevealed

bytheworkofoneGeorgeScovell,anofficerinBritishheadquarters.Omanrated

Scoveirssignificancehighly,butatthesametime,thegeneralnatureofhisHistory

meantthat[48]hecouldnotanalyzecarefullywhatthisobscureofficermayormaynot

havecontributedtothatgreatstrugglebetweennationsorindeedtellusanythingmuch

aboutthemanhimself.Iwaskeentoreadmore,butwassurprisedtofindthatOman's

appendix,publishedin1914,wastheonlyconsideredthingthathadbeenwrittenabout

thissecretwar.

Ibecameconvincedthatthisstorywaseverybitasexcitingandsignificantasthatof

EnigmaandthebreakingofGermancodesintheSecondWorldWar.Thequestionwas,

coulditbetold?

StudyingScoveirspapersatthePublicRecordOffice(inKew,westLondon)I

foundthathehadleftanextensivejournalandcopiousnotesabouthisworkinthe

Peninsula.Whatwasmore,manyoriginalFrenchdispatcheshadbeenpreservedinthis

collection.Irealizedatoncethatthiswaspriceless.149]Theremayhavebeenmanyspies

andintelligenceofficersduringtheNapoleonicWars,butitisusuallyextremelydifficult

tofindthematerialtheyactuallyprovidedorworkedon.Furthermore,Scoveirsstory

involvedmuchmorethanjustintelligencework.HisstatusinLordWellington's

headquartersandtherecognitiongiventohimforhisworkwereallboundupwiththe