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Directions:

Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Your translation should be written carefully on ANSWER SHEET 2.(10 points)

Since the days of Aristotle, a search for universal principles has characterized the scientific enterprise. In some ways, this quest for commonalities defines science. Newton’s laws of motion and Darwinian evolution each bind a host of different phenomena into a single explicatory frame work.

(46) In physics, one approach takes this impulse for unification to its extreme, and seeks a theory of everything—a single generative equation for all we see. It is becoming less clear, however,that such a theory would be a simplification, given the dimensions and universes that it might entail.Nonetheless, unification of sorts remains a major goal.

(46) In physics, one approach takes this impulse for unification to its extreme, and seeks a theory of everything—a single generative equation for all we see.

解析本句是一个简单句。破折号后面的内容解释说明 a theory of everything,we see 为省略引导词that的定语从句,修饰先行词all. a theory of everything 表示“万有理论”或者“一种包含一切的理论”。

破折号表示解释说明,在翻译时亦可使用;a single generative equation 可译为“一个生成公式”,for all 作后置定语,翻译时可将其置于被修饰词之前;定语从句we see 比较简单,可将其置于被修饰词 all之前翻译。

【译文】在物理学领域,有一种方法将这种探求一致的冲动发挥到了极致,它试图寻找一种万有理论—一个概括我们所看到的一切的生成公式。

This tendency in the natural sciences has long been evident in the social sciences too. (47) Here,Darwinism seems to offer justification, for if all humans share common origins, it seems reasonable to suppose that cultural diversity could also be traced to more constrained beginnings.

(47) Here,Darwinism seems to offer justification, for if all humans share common origins, it seems reasonable to suppose that cultural diversity could also be traced to more constrained beginnings.

解析本句是一个主从复合句。for 引导的原因状语从句中包含一个if引导的条件状语从句;该原因状语从句中的it为形式主语,动词不定式短语to suppose作真正的主语,

that引导的宾语从句作suppose的宾语。

Here 指代上文中的 in the socialsciences, 即“在社会科学界”,这里可简单译作“在此”或“对此”。

对于for引导的原因状语从句而言,可按照顺序先翻译if 引导的条件状语从句,再翻译主句。

common origins 可译为“共同的起源”,cultural diversity 可译为“文化多样性”,constrained beginnings 译为“有限的开端/起源”。

(47) Here,Darwinism seems to offer justification, for if all humans share common origins, it seems reasonable to suppose that cultural diversity could also be traced to more constrained beginnings.

【译文】对此,达尔文学说似乎给出了合理的解释,因为如果人类有共同的起源,那么似乎有理由认为文化多样性也可以追溯到更有限的起源。

Just as the bewildering variety of human courtship rituals might all be considered forms of sexual selection,perhaps the world’s languages, music, social and religious customs and even history are governed by universal features. (48) To filter out what is unique from what is shared might enable us to understand how complex cultural behavior arose and what guides it in evolutionary or cognitive terms.

 (48) To filter out what is unique from what is shared might enable us to understand how complex cultural behavior arose and what guides it in evolutionary or cognitive terms.

解析本句是一个主从复合句。what 引导的宾语从句“what is unique”作 filter out 的宾语;

what 引导的宾语从句“what is shared”作介词 from的宾语。

and 连接的分别由how和what 引导的宾语从句“how complex cultural behavior arose”和“what guides it in evolutionary or cognitive terms”,共同作 understand 的宾语。 本句主语较长,由动词不定式短语充当,其中还包含两个宾语从句,在翻译时尽量简单化,可将第一个宾语从句 what is unique 译为“独特性”,将第二个宾语从句 what is shared 译为“普遍性”,filter out…from…可译为“将······从·····中过滤掉”。

该句中的it 指代 complex cultural behavior,翻译时既可译作“它”,也可将其还原为“复杂的文化行为”;in…terms 表示“在······方面”。

 (48) To filter out what is unique from what is shared might enable us to understand how complex cultural behavior arose and what guides it in evolutionary or cognitive terms.

【译文】将特性从共性中去除掉也许能让我们理解复杂的文化行为是如何产生的,以及是何种因素在进化或认知方面引导了这种行为。

That, at least, is the hope. But a comparative study of linguistic traits published online today supplies a reality check. Russell Gray at the University of Auckland and his colleagues consider the evolution of grammars in the light of two previous attempts to find universality in language.

The most famous of these efforts was initiated by Noam Chomsky, who suggested that humans are born with an innate language-acquisition capacity that dictates a universal grammar. A few generative rules are then sufficient to unfold the entire fundamental structure of a language, which is why children can learn it so quickly.

(49) The second, by Joshua Greenberg, takes a more empirical approach to universality, identifying traits (particularly in word-order) shared by many languages, which are considered to represent biases that result from cognitive constraints.

(49) The second, by Joshua Greenberg, takes a more empirical approach to universality, identifying traits (particularly in word-order) shared by many languages, which are considered to represent biases that result from cognitive constraints.

解析本句是一个主从复合句。by Joshua Greenberg 为插入语;现在分词短语 identifying traits…   作结果状语。which 引导的非限定性定语从句,修饰 traits;that 引导的定语从句,修饰 biases.

The second 为本句的主语,翻译为“第二个”则表意不完整,上一段“The most famous of these efforts was initiated by Noam Chomsky”说明诺姆·乔姆斯基首先发起了这些尝试,由此可知,The second 指代的是上文中的 these efforts,

从而可将其翻译为“第二次尝试”。shared by many languages 为后置定语,可将其置于被修饰词之前译出,即“识别出了许多语言所共有的特征”。

(49) The second, by Joshua Greenberg, takes a more empirical approach to universality, identifying traits (particularly in word-order) shared by many languages, which are considered to represent biases that result from cognitive constraints.

【译文】第二次尝试-由乔舒亚·格林伯格发起-采取更具经验主义的方法来研究语言的普遍性,确定了许多语言的共同特征(特别是在词序方面的特征),人们认为这些特征代表了由认知局限所产生的偏见。

Gray and his colleagues have put them to the test by examining four family trees that between them represent more than 2,000 languages. (50) Chomsky’s grammar should show patterns of language change that are independent of the family tree or the pathway tracked through it, whereas Greenber-gian universality predicts strong co-dependencies between particular types of word order relations. Neither of these patterns is borne out by the analysis, suggesting that the structures of the languages are lineage-specific and not governed by universals.

(50) Chomsky’s grammar should show patterns of language change that are independent of the family tree or the pathway tracked through it, whereas Greenber-gian universality predicts strong co-dependencies between particular types of word order relations.

解析本句是一个由 whereas连接的并列句。

分句一中,that引导的定语从句,修饰patterns.

分句二中,介词短语 between particular types of word-order relations 作后置定语,修饰 co-dependencies.

介词短语 of language change 作后置定语,翻译时可置于被修饰词patterns之前,因此可译为“语言变化的模式”。

由于本句谈论的是语言变化的模式,因此the family tree 指的是“语言谱系”;“the pathway trackedthrough it”中,it 指代 the family tree,过去分词短语tracked through it 作后置定语,翻译时将其置于被修饰词 the pathway 之前,可译为“依赖谱系所生成的路径”。

(50) Chomsky’s grammar should show patterns of language change that are independent of the family tree or the pathway tracked through it, whereas Greenber-gian universality predicts strong co-dependencies between particular types of word order relations.

【译文】乔姆斯基的语法应该显示出语言变化的模式,这些模式不受语言谱系或依赖该谱系所生成的路径的影响,然而格林伯格的普遍性理论则认为,一些特定词序关系之间具有很强的依附性。

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