全部题型 2. Reading Comprehension
Section II Reading Comprehension
Part CDirections: Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese. (10 points)
1. Some years ago I was offered a writing assignment that would require months of travel through Europe. How would I, unable to speak the language, totally unfamiliar with local geography, set up interviews and do research? So I sat down to write a letter begging off. Halfway through, a thought ran through my mind: you can’t learn if you don’t try. So I accepted the assignment. By the time I had finished the trip I was an experienced traveler. The point is that the new is almost by definition scary. But each time you try something, you learn, and as the learning piles up, the world opens to you. I’ve learned to ski at 40, and flown up the Rhine River in a balloon. And I’ll go on doing such things. It is not because I am braver than others, but because I will accept anxiety as another name for challenge and I believe I can accomplish wonders.
正确答案: 几年前,我被分配了一项写作任务,为此要在欧洲旅游几个月。我既不会讲当地的语言,又完全不熟悉当地的地理环境,如何安排采访和做研究?于是我坐下来开始写信,准备打退堂鼓。信写到一半的时候,我脑子里冒出了一个想法:如果你不去尝试,你就什么也学不到。因此我接受了这项任务。在这次行程结束之时,我已经是一个老练的旅行者了。 值得一提的是,新的事物显然都很吓人。但是每当你尝试新事物的时候,你就是在学习,而随着学识的累积,世界将会向你敞开一片新天地。 我在40岁的时候学会了滑雪,并且乘热气球飞越了莱茵河的上空。我还会继续尝试这样的新鲜事物。这并不是因为我比别人勇敢,而是因为我会把焦虑看做是挑战的代名词,而且我相信自己能够创造奇迹。
解析: 1.第一段第二句含有unable to speak the language和totally unfamiliar with local geography两个较长的伴随状语,它们位于主语(I)和谓语部分(set up interviews and do research)之间,翻译时不宜机械地按照英文语序组织句子。在很多情况下,汉语习惯按照“原因在前,结果在后”、“前提在前,结论在后”、“确定信息在前,不定信息在后”的顺序来陈述逻辑关系,因此建议将“既不会讲当地的语言,又完全不熟悉当地的地理环境”放在前面。 2.第二段首句的The point is…不宜直译为“这个点是……”,可以理解为“关键是……”或者“问题在于……”;that引导的表语从句(the new is almost by definition scary)正好说明了point的具体内容,故The point is也可处理为“值得一提的是”。从句中的the new属于“the+a.”结构,充当从句的主语,结合上下文,可译为“新的事物,新鲜事物”。by definition为状语,意为“从定义上,根据定义”,通过引申可理解为“显然地,顾名思义地,从本质上”。 知识模块:翻译
2. The average person sends and receives more than 100 texts per day. Part of what’s driving the texting surge is the popularity of social media. Sites like Twitter, with postings of no more than 140 characters, are creating and reinforcing the habit of communicating in micro-bursts. Economics has much to do with texting’s popularity. Text messages cost carriers less than traditional mobile voice transmissions, and so they cost users less. Texting’s rise over conversation is changing the way we interact. We are now inclined to text to relay difficult information. We avoid eye contact by staring at our phone. Texting saves us time, but it steals from quiet reflection. When people with a mobile device have even a little extra time, they’ll communicate with someone in their life. But the phone conversation will never be completely out It comes into play when there are multiple options to consider or important decisions to be made.
正确答案: 普通人每天收发超过100条短信。促使短信激增的部分原因是社交媒体的流行。规定每次发帖字符数不超过140的网站,如,正在培养并强化人们通过简短文字进行交流的习惯。经济因素和短信的流行大有关系。对运营商而言,短信比传统的移动通话传输费用要低,因此用户花费也更少。 短信应用超过对话这一事实正改变着我们的交际方式。我们现在倾向于通过短信传递难以表达的信息。我们通过盯着手机来避免眼神接触。短信可以为我们节省时间,却会偷走我们安静思考的时间。有移动设备的人,哪怕只有一点空闲时间,他们都会把时间用于与别人联系。 但是,打电话是永远不会被完全淘汰的。当人们要考虑多种选择或者做出重大决定的时候,就要打电话了。
解析: 1.首段第二句结构相对比较简单,难点在于对关键词义的把握。主语中包含一个what引导的名词性从句what’s driving the texting surge。此处的the texting surge为近处指代,即指代前句所述情况“普通人每天收发短信很多”,因此可译为“短信激增”。drive在这里如译成“驾驶”,明显不符合语义逻辑;社交媒体的流行(the popularity of social media)应该是短信激增(the texting surge)的原因,故drive应取“推动,促使”之意。“什么在促使短信激增”即“促使短信激增的原因”,再加上前面用了数量词Part of,所以该句的主语部分可译成“促使短信激增的部分原因”。 2.第二段最后一句如采取直译,处理成“当持有移动设备的人即使有一点空闲时间,也会联系别人”,也能说得过去。但在语义顺畅性上会有所欠缺。上文讲到,短信的高频率使用在改变着我们的交际方式,使我们丧失了安静思考的时间。为了更好表达此句所传达的意思,可强调时间“even a little extra time”,其中even译作“哪怕”而不简单译作“即使,甚至”。此外,为了使译文衔接更顺畅,可增译“他们都会(把时间用于)……”,以凸显人们交际方式的极大改变。 知识模块:翻译
3. If you’re like most people, you may think you can keep away from advertising. You skip newspaper ads, never click on ads on the Internet and leave the room during TV commercials. But that is not necessarily true. Advertising works, which is why, even in hard economic times, Madison Avenue is a $34 billion-a-year business. And trying to tune this stuff out is about to get a whole lot harder. According to current studies, 83% of all forms of advertising principally engage only one of our senses: sight. Hearing, however, can be just as powerful, though advertisers have taken only limited advantage of it. Historically, ads have relied on short tunes and slogans to catch our ear, largely ignoring everyday sounds—a soda being popped, a baby laughing and other noises our bodies can’t help paying attention to. Weave this stuff into an ad campaign, and we may be powerless to resist it.
正确答案: 如果你和大多数人一样,你或许会以为自己能避开广告。你会跳过报纸上的广告,从不点击网页上的广告,并在电视插播广告时离开房间。 但这并不表示我们真的避得开。即使在经济低迷时期,麦迪逊大街一年也有340亿美元的生意,原因就是广告确实是有用的。想要忽略这些广告恐怕比登天还难。 根据目前的研究,在所有形式的广告中,83%的广告大都只吸引我们的一种感觉器官——视觉。但听觉的效果其实同样强大,不过广告商对听觉的利用还十分有限。一直以来,广告只借助短歌和广告词来吸引我们的耳朵,而在很大程度上忽略了日常生活中的声音——如开汽水的砰的声音、婴儿的笑声和其他一些我们的身体会不由自主地被吸引的响声。若是把这类东西融入到广告中,或许我们就真的无力抗拒了。
解析: 1.第二段第二句是一个带有非性定语从句的复合句。此处的which is why...意为“这就是……的原因”,翻译时注意理清因果关系,“广告有用”才是麦迪逊大街生意量大的原因。为了凸显广告的作用,翻译时可将插入语even in hard economic times移至句首,强调就算经济困难时期,广告还是作用很大。Madison Avenue is a $34 billion-a-year business直译成“麦迪逊大街是340亿美元一年的生意”不符合语义逻辑,此处的意思应该是一年有340亿美元的生意在麦迪逊大街上做成,所以此处可意译成“麦迪逊大街一年也有340亿美元的生意”。 2.第三段倒数第二句中,广告利用短歌和广告词明显不是想“抓住”我们的耳朵,而是要“吸引”我们的耳朵,因此catch这个熟词应取其“吸引(某人的兴趣)”之意。破折号后的内容是对前面everyday sounds的举例说明,翻译时若将a soda being popped和a baby laughing直译成“正在开启的发出砰的一声的汽水”和“正在笑的婴儿”,显得生硬不地道,也不能照应前面的everyday sounds起到举例说明这一作用,此处应从sounds“声响”这一角度进行处理,转译作“开汽水的砰的声音”和“婴儿的笑声”更合适。 知识模块:翻译
4. Over the years, I’ve studied working and stay-at-home moms. Fve met dozens of successful former lawyers and businesswomen in a range of profitable fields who lose their confidence after staying at home for a few years. They assume they can’t return to their original fields, despite their successful track records. They erroneously think going into teaching, social work or nonprofit foundations will be easier. The reality is they’d be better off staying in their original field. Teaching and social work require years of education and certification. Due to naivety or arrogance, some former businesspeople don’t realize high-level nonprofit posts are just as competitive and sought after as top business jobs. “The biggest issue facing many stay-at-homes was not whether their skills were rusty; rather, it was the confidence that they had lost while not working,” explained a recent New York Times article. “You should never apologize for being out of the market.”
正确答案: 多年来,我一直在研究职场妈妈和全职妈妈。我遇到过很多曾经在各个利润丰厚的行业中干得非常成功的女性律师和商人。她们在家待了几年后都失去了信心。她们认为自己不能再回到原来的领域.尽管在那些行业她们曾经成功过。她们误以为当老师、做社会工作或到非营利的基金会工作会更容易一些。 但现实情况是她们最好还是从事原来的行业。当教师与从事社会工作都需要多年的教育和认证。由于天真或傲慢,一些前商人并没有意识到,与商业中的高级职位一样,高层次的非盈利性职位同样竞争激烈和备受追捧。 “许多全职妈妈所面临的最大问题不在于她们的技能是否生疏荒废了,相反,问题在于她们在没有工作期间失去了信心。”《纽约时报》最近的一篇文章解释说,“你不应该因为离开过市场而感到抱歉。”
解析: 1.第一段第二句的难点在于主句宾语lawyers and businesswomen的修饰成分太多。我们可化繁为简,先处理主干。I’ve met dozens of lawyers and businesswomen为“我遇到过很多律师和商业女性”,由于文段所讲的主角都是女性,这里的lawyers也是指女性律师,故可译为“我遇到过很多女性律师和商人”。接下来,有两种处理方法:一、在翻译了主干(我遇到过很多这样的女性)之后,接着讲述这些“女性”的情况,即处理lawyers and businesswomen的其他修饰成分:她们曾经是(former)各个利润丰厚的行业中(in a range of profitable fields)干得非常成功的(successful)律师和商人,可在家待了几年之后都失去了信心(who lose…years)。二、译出主干后,将successful,former和in a range of profitalble fields插入到主干中,然后再另起一句来处理who引导的定语从句,如参考译文处的表述。 2.第二段最后一句结构较复杂,翻译有一定难度,尤其是宾语从句的翻译。翻译时,句首的原因状语Due to...可同样置于句首,译作“由于……”。原级比较结构as...as...中,(are)as competitive and sought after不宜简单译成两个并列形容词,将其转译成动词“竞争激烈”和“备受追捧”会更生动到位。句末的as top business jobs为比较对象,译成中文时,需提前,以符合汉语的表达习惯。全句译文可处理为:由于天真或傲慢,一些前商人并没有意识到,与商业中的高级职位一样,高层次的非盈利性职位同样竞争激烈和备受追捧。 知识模块:翻译
5. How long you live has much to do with your environment and lifestyle such as not smoking, eating a healthy diet and remaining socially engaged etc. But living an exceptionally long life may have even more to do with your genes.. For the first time, researchers have identified a genetic recipe that accurately predicts who may live to 100 and beyond. It seems clear that those who live to an exceptionally ripe old age are benefiting from a special DNA boost Researchers believe that the older a person gets, the more likely it is that his or her genes are contributing to those extended years. They have found that the 19 most common genetic profiles that distinguished the exceptionally long-lived appear to be correlated with lower incidence of certain diseases including high blood pressure, diabetes and brain disorder. Researchers hope their work will lead to better ways to help more people live a longer life.
正确答案: 你的寿命与所处的环境和所保持的生活方式(如不抽烟、健康饮食、保持社交等)有着莫大的关系。不过,要想特别长寿,更大程度上还是基因说了算。研究人员首次识别出能准确预测某人是否能活到100岁及以上的基因图谱。 超乎常人的长寿者似乎显然得益于特殊的DNA的帮助。研究人员相信,一个人的寿命越长,其基因对长寿所起的作用很可能就越大。他们发现,区分特别长寿者的19个最常见的基因档案似乎与特定疾病(包括高血压、糖尿病和大脑功能紊乱)的低发病率相关。 研究人员希望他们的研究能为人们指明更好的方向——帮助更多的人更长寿。
解析: 1.文章首句看似不长,但要译好也有一定难度。该句由How long引导的名词性从句How long you live作主语,不可望文生义理解为“住多长时间”或“生活多长时间”,联系上下文,即可知文章与长寿有关,显然live是“活”的意思,可直译为“你能活多久”,但译作“你的寿命”则更简洁明快。谓语has much to do with是固定搭配,意为“与……有很大关系”。宾语your environment直译成“你的环境”则不太通顺,可增泽为“你所处的环境”。最后such as...是对lifestyle的举例,如果将其处理成lifestyle的定语前置,则会显得很拖沓,可像译文一样放在lifestyle之后,用括号括起来,起到对lifestyle解释说明的作用。 2.第二段第二句为一个复合句,主句Researchers believe可直译为“研究人员相信”。从句为该句翻译的难点,包含the more…,the more…的结构。the older a person gets不能简单翻译成“一个人变得越老”,联系上句的“长寿者显然得益于DNA的帮助”可知,变得越老即寿命越长,所以翻译成“一个人的寿命越长”更恰当些。those extended years也不能简单直译为“延长的年数”,简化为“长寿”更准确明了。 知识模块:翻译