Book 6 Unit 5
译文: 这种状况侵害了最聪明的头脑,而且渐渐损伤了批判性思维的能力,令受害者无从发现自己文章或他人文章中的胡言乱语。
讲解: 正确的理解是翻译的前提。在上下文中,句首的it指的是Bright's disease,而making it impossible ...中的it指代to detect gibberish in his own writing or in that of others。
3. For writing such gibberish he is awarded straight As on his papers (both samples quoted
above were taken from papers that received As), and the opportunity to move, inexorably, toward his fellowship and eventual Ph.D.
译文: 因为这些一窍不通的文字,他的论文都得了A(上面引用的两个例子都来自得A的论文),而且他能势如破竹地获得奖学金、最终被授予博士学位。
讲解: 在原文中,he is awarded的宾语包括straight As on his paper和the opportunity ...。翻译时由于一处转换了主语(“他”转为“他的论文”),要注意在另一处做相应的调整。成语“势如破竹”也较好地传达了move, inexorably, toward ...的意思。
4. As I have suggested, the major cause of such illiteracy is the stuff — the textbooks and
professional journals — the straight-A illiterate is forced to read during his years of higher education. He learns to write gibberish by reading it, and by being taught to admire it as profundity.
译文: 就如我曾提到的,造成这种文盲的主要原因是全A文盲在接受多年高等教育期间被迫读的那些东西——教科书和专业期刊。他先是读这些东西,又被教导要对这些东西敬若深义,然后自己也学会了写这些文理不通的东西。
讲解: 在这段话的第一句中,the straight-A illiterate is forced ...是修饰the stuff的定语,鉴于前面还有一个破折号隔开的补充说明部分,建议先译后面的定语从句,而把破折号部分后置。第二句中有两个by引导的动名词短语,在翻译时要处理好这里的逻辑关系。
Chinese-English Translation
1. 尽管他曾经有过光辉的过去,但到了晚年他又穷又病,境况可怜。(plight) Translation:
Despite the fact that he had had a glorious past, in old age he was in a piteous plight, poor and ill.
2. 为了找到解决这个问题的方法,已经做了很多的实验。(in an attempt to) Translation:
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Book 6 Unit 5
Many experiments have been made in an attempt to find a solution to the problem.
3. 女孩一般比男孩发音清晰。(articulate) Translation:
A girl tends to be more articulate than a boy.
4. 这本手册旨在解读肢体语言。(decode) Translation:
This handbook is intended to decode body language.
5. 我发觉她对这件事的看法有了变化,虽然十分微妙。(detect) Translation:
I detected a change in her opinion on this matter, subtle as it was.
6. 垂危病人的病房在一号楼。(terminal) Translation:
The wards for terminal cases are in Building One.
7. 我们必须设法解决那个难题。(grapple with) Translation:
We must grapple with that knotty problem.
8. 不管到那里,他总是拿着一只塞满文件的手提包。(bulge with) Translation:
No matter where he goes, he always carries a briefcase bulging with documents.
Error-correction Exercise
The passage contains TEN errors. Each indicated line contains a maximum of ONE error. In each case, only ONE word is involved. You should proofread the passage and correct it in the following way:
For a wrong word, underline the wrong word and write the correct one in the blank provided at the end of the line.
For a missing word, mark the position of the missing word with a \∧\you believe to be missing in the blank provided at the end of the line.
For an unnecessary word, cross the unnecessary word with a dash \—\blank provided at the end of the line.
EXAMPLE:
When ∧ art museum wants a new exhibit, it never buys things in finished form and hangs them on the wall. When a natural history museum wants an exhibition, it must often build it.
1. an 2. never 3. exhibit
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Book 6 Unit 5
The British love to think of themselves as polite, and everyone knows how fond they are of their \yous\requires at least seven and eight of these. Another sign of our good manners is the queue. New-comers to British could be forgiven for thinking that queuing rather than football is the most superior national sport. Finally, of course, motorists generally stop at crossings. But does all these mean that the British should consider themselves more polite than their European neighborhood? I think not. Take forms of address for example. The average English person — when he happens to work in a hotel or department store — had rather die than call a stranger \some European countries this is the most basic of common address. Our universal \democratic, but it means that we are forced to seek out complicating ways to express politeness. Actually, I am all for return to the use of \thee\thou\Thee and thou are old-fashioned poetic words for \for strangers and professional relationships. And of course, the English find touching and other show of friendship truly terrifying. Have you noticed how the British hardly ever touch? Personally, I find the Latin habit of shaking hands or a friendly kissing quite charming. Try kiss the average English person, and they will take two steps backwards in horror, or, if their escape is assured, you will find your lips touching the back of their heads. Now what could be more frightening than that? 1. ___________ 2. ___________ 3. ___________ 4. ___________ 5. ___________ 6. ___________ 7. ___________ 8. ___________ 9. ___________ 10. ___________ Key:
1. and: or (seven和eight是选择而不是并列的关系) 2. British: Britain (Britain表示“英国”) 3. most: most (superior不能用最高级修饰) 4. these: this (用单数this统称上述这些情况)
5. neighborhood: neighbors (neighbors是“邻居”的意思)
6. had: would (would rather ... than ...表示“宁可……也不……”)
7. complicating: complicated (形容词complicated是“复杂的”的意思) 8. return: returning (需要动名词短语)
9. show: shows (show是可数名词,前面有other)
10. kiss: kissing (try doing something表示“尝试做某事”)
Skill Development
动名词短语的用法
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Book 6 Unit 5
英语的动名词形式上由动词加ing构成,兼具动词(后面可以接宾语)和名词(本身可作主语或宾语)的特点。改错题对动名词短语的考查往往体现在,是否在需要用动名词短语的地方用了恰当的动名词短语。 要判断一个动词是否该用它的动名词形式,需要结合语法、词汇知识考虑是否其所在的动名词短语在句中充当名词短语的角色(作主语、宾语,等等)。例如练习的第8项,return to ...应该是I am all for(我完全赞同)的对象,即充当介词宾语。那么,return应当为returning。在一般情况下,两个行为动词不会连用,因此第10项的Try kiss是有问题的,应该把后面的kiss改为kissing。动词结构try doing something表示“尝试做某事”。
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