研究生英译汉课后练习16段.doc

研究生英译汉练习1. The most common characteristic of outstanding success is “an extensive knowledge of the exact meaning of English words.” The extent of your vocabulary indicates the degree of your intelligence. Your brain power will increase as you learn to know more words. The study of words is not merely something that has to do with literature. Words are your tools of thought. You cant even think at all without words. Without words you could make no decisions and form no judgments whatsoever. And the more words you have at your command the deeper, clearer and more accurate will be your thinking. A command of vocabulary will give you assurance; build your self-confidence; lend color to your personality; increase your popularity. Your words are your personality. Your vocabulary is you. (Wilfred Funk)2. Words are explosive. Phrases are packed with TNT. A simple word can destroy a friendship, land a large order. The proper phrases in the mouths of clerks have quadrupled the sales of a department store. The wrong words used by a campaign orator have lost an election. Words have changed the direction of history. Words can also change the direction of your life. They have often raised a man from mediocrity to success. If you consciously increase your vocabulary you will unconsciously raise yourself to a more important station in life, and the new and higher position you have won will, in turn, give you a better opportunity for further enriching your vocabulary. It is a beautiful and successful cycle. (Wilfred Funk)3. Mastering a large number of words is essential to achieving fluency in a foreign language. There are no short-cuts to a large vocabulary in English: you just have to rely on diligence and dedication. Of course you can figure out from the context the meanings of some new words you come across in your reading, but more often than not you have to look them up in a dictionary in order to be clear about their accurate meanings. A practicable way to pick up new words is, perhaps, to read a lot, preferably stories that you find interesting or exciting. It often pays to read the same book over and over again: each time you read it you will learn different new words, and the familiar context helps to fix them in your mind. 4. A successful argument gives evidence of some sort for every important point. Evidence may include statistics, observations or testimony of experts, personal narratives, or other supporting proof. A writer needs to convince readers by taking them from some initial position on an issue to the writers position, which readers will share if the argument succeeds. The only way to do this is to provide evidence that convinces readers that the position is a right or true one. (from Perspectives on Contemporary Issues, 2003)5. Examples and illustrations are crucial to writing, no matter what the primary purpose. Without examples, writing stays at the general or abstract level and leaves readers only vaguely understanding what a writer means. Examples make meaning clear and help make writing more interesting, livelier, and more engaging than in an essay without details. Examples may be brief and numerous or extended and limited in number, and they may take the form of narratives. It would be difficult to find an effective piece of writing that does not use examples of some sort. (Ibid.)6. English is generally acknowledged to be the worlds most important language. First, the number of native speaker of English is more than 300 million. Second, the spread of English over most of the world as an international language is a unique phenomenon in the worlds history: about 1500 million peopleover a third of the worlds populationlive in countries where English has some official status. Third, English leads as the primary medium for 20th century science and technology. Finally, English is the language of the United States, whose gross domestic product in 1980 was more than double that of its nearest competitor, Japan. 7. The statistics of English are astonishing. Of all the worlds languages (which now number some 2700), it is arguably the richest in vocabulary. The Oxford English Dictionary lists about 500,000 words; and a further half million technical and scientific terms remain uncatalogued.Three-quarters of the worlds mail, and its telexes and cables, are in English. So are more than half the worlds technical and scientific periodicals. English is the medium for 80 percent of the information stored in the worlds computers. Nearly half of all business deals in Europe are conducted in English. It is the language of sport and glamour: the official language of the Olympics and the Miss Universe competition. English is the official voice of the air, of the sea, and of Christianity. (from The Story of English by Robert McCrum et al, 1986)8. For the post-intermediate and advanced English learners, it is advisable to use more of a monolingual dictionary. There are a number of advantages. Apart from the increase of exposure of English and avoidance of misunderstanding by translation, users have to think in English, understand meanings in terms of other English words, thus enlarging vocabulary and learn the precise meanings of words and usages through definitions and examples. Moreover, the effective use of a monolingual dictionary will give learners a sense of satisfaction and self-sufficiency and greater confidence in their ability to solve language problems. 9. The human being may be called the animal with language. Upon a little reflection, we can see that only by means of language can mankind create and transmit the body of concepts, attitudes, values, and skills that constitute civilization. Only by language can we carry the past with us, understand the present, and project the future. Only by language can we have a clear notion of ourselves as individuals. “I think, therefore I am,” as the philosopher Descartes put it. And only by language can we forge the bonds of a societya society as distinguished from some sort of instinctual hero or swarm.10. All the wisdom of the ages, all the stories that have delighted mankind for centuries, are easily and cheaply available to all of us within the covers of booksbut we must know how to avail ourselves of this treasure and how to get the most from it. The most unfortunate people in the world are those who have never discovered how satisfying it is to read good booksReading is a pleasure of the mind, which means that it is a little like a sport: your eagerness and knowledge and quickness make you a good reader. Reading is fun, not because the writer is telling you something, but because it makes your mind work. (Bennett Cerf)11. Most wedding customs are very old and come from many different lands. Throwing old shoes or tying them to the bridal car goes back to ancient Egypt. There the father handed the brides sandal to the groom, symbolizing a transfer of authority. Throwing rice carries the wish that the couple will be blessed with children. Another widespread custom is for the bride to wear “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.” In ancient Israel the brides robe had a blue border signifying purity, fidelity, and love. Centuries ago in France the bride threw her garter, and the girl who caught it was believed to be the next bride. Today the bride throws her bouquet.12. Coffee is a universal beverage that is served in different ways around the world. In London, for example, some Englishmen dip mustard into their coffee, while in Denver, a person might add a dash of ketchup. Strips of orange and lemon peel, cloves and cinnamon sticks are not unusual additions to the brew in Europe. An Asian delight consists of coffee brewed in boiling sugar. Perhaps the richest cup of coffee can be enjoyed in Ireland where whiskey and whipped cream are important ingredients. In Australia a waitress will ask, “Do you want black or white?” Black is plain black coffee, but white is half coffee and half warm milk. If an Australian orders iced coffee, he will be served a cup of steaming coffee with a scoop of ice cream. It sounds like the Australian version of “a snowball in hell”. 13. Although Einstein (1879-1955) felt no need for religious ritual and belonged to no formal religious group, he was the most religious man I have known. He once said to me, “Ideas come from God,” and one could hear the reverence with which he pronounced the word. On the marble fireplace in the mathematics building at Princeton University is carved, in the original German, what one might call his scientific credo: “God is subtle, but he is not malicious.” By this Einstein meant that scientists could expect to find their task difficult, but not hopeless.14. We often hear that computers are cold and inhuman, but in fact many people are more comfortable with a computer than with another person. Computers are patient and do not judge the people who use them. Many students who would be embarrassed to show a teacher that they do not understand something are happy to ask a computer questions. Some patients would rather explain their health problems to a computer than to a doctor. There is even a computer program which deals with psychological problems. The program has become popular because many people feel uncomfortable discussing such problems with another person.15. Today it can be said that wheels run America. The four rubber tires of the automobile move America through work and play. Wheels spin, and people drive off to their jobs. Tires turn, and people shop for the weeks food at the big supermarket down the highway. Hubcaps whirl, and the wh