Directions:
Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Your translation should be written clearly on ANSWER SHEET 2. (10 points)
The relation of language and mind has interested philosophers for many centuries. (61) The Greeks assumed that the structure of language had some connection with the process of thought, which took root in Europe long before people realized how diverse languages could be.
Only recently did linguists begin the serious study of languages that were very different from their own. Two anthropologist linguists, Franz Boas and Edward Sapir, were pioneers in describing many native languages of North and South America during the first half of the twentieth century. (62) We are obliged to them because some of these languages have since vanished, as the peoples who spoke them died out or became assimilated and lost their native languages. Other linguists in the earlier part of this century, however, who were less eager to deal with bizarre data from “exotic” language, were not always so grateful. (63) The newly described languages were often so strikingly different from the well studied languages of Europe and Southeast Asia that some scholars even accused Boas and Sapir of fabricating their data. Native American languages are indeed different, so much so in fact that Navajo could be used by the US military as a code during World War II to send secret messages.
Sapir’s pupil, Benjamin Lee Whorf, continued the study of American Indian languages. (64) Being interested in the relationship of language and thought, Whorf developed the idea that the structure of language determines the structure of habitual thought in a society. He reasoned that because it is easier to formulate certain concepts and not others in a given language, the speakers of that language think along one track and not along another. (65) Whorf came to believe in a sort of linguistic determinism which, in its strongest form, states that language imprisons the mind, and that the grammatical patterns in a language can produce far-reaching consequences for the culture of a society. Later, this idea became to be known as the Sapir Whorf hypothesis, but this term is somewhat inappropriate. Although both Sapir and Whorf emphasized the diversity of languages, Sapir himself never explicitly supported the notion of linguistic determinism. （2004年）
【试题解析】
61. The Greeks assumed that the structure of language had some connection with the process of thought, which took root in Europe long before people realized how diverse languages could be.
【讲练结合】
。
【试题解析】本题多数考生能译对前半句，得到1分；而后半句丢分较多，问题出在三个方面：
(1) took root in“在……扎下了根”。很多人不能正确理解这个动词词组的意思，有的译成了“起源于……”，“在……出现了”，有的译成了“在……占统治地位”，都是不可接受的翻译。
(2) long before“尚未……之前早就……”。考生的错误在于不能辨别long before所限定的时间顺序，有译成“在扎根欧洲很长时间之前”，“不久的将来人们就意识到……”，也有译成“很久以前人们就意识到……”。
(3) diverse“丰富的”。多数人犯错是因为不知道该词的意思，凭印象根据拼写类似词而译成“相反；倒转；转换”。
62. We are obliged to them because some of these languages have since vanished, as the peoples who spoke them died out or became assimilated and lost their native languages.
【讲练结合】_____________________________________________________________
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【试题解析】本句能译全对的人也不多，难点有两处：
(1) be obliged to感激，感谢：很少有人能译对这个词组，多数人根据oblige的常用意思译为“被迫有义务”，都不符原文。考生必须注意一词多义是词汇学习的重点。只背词汇表的人以为达到5千或6千词汇就没问题了。其实，词汇的搭配、用法、多重含义等等才是词汇学习的功力所在。在我所开设的“词汇超级记忆班”上，记忆多释义的问题将会迎刃而解。
(2) since在此之后：since在这句中是副词，一般人只掌握了其作为连词和介词的用法，而本句since后面只有单词vanished，是谓语的一部分，这难倒了许多人，有的译为“自从消失以后”，有的则译为“自从他们绝种后”，都不正确。可见，词汇的学习除了注意词义，还要留心词性。
63. The newly described languages were often so strikingly different from the well studied languages of Europe and Southeast Asia that some scholars even accused Boas and Sapir of fabricating their data.
【讲练结合】——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————。
【试题解析】此句难点有三处：
(1) strikingly different差别显著；许多人不理解strikingly，要么不译，要么错译为“严格不同”、“完全差别”。
(2) so...that (如此……)以至于：由于so...that间隔长，有的考生看不清这一句法结构，错把that后的从句当作South Asia的定语，译文语义混乱；
(3) fabricating编造：许多人不认识这个词，错译为“构造”、“修饰”、“弄错”或“修改”。
64. Being interested in the relationship of language and thought, Whorf developed the idea that the structure of language determines the structure of habitual thought in a society.
【讲练结合】———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————。
【试题解析】本句在五题中相对较容易，“developed the idea”出错稍多，有译成“发明了一种认识”，也有译成“发展了一个主意”，都不恰当。
65.Whorf came to believe in a sort of linguistic determinism which, in its strongest form, states that language imprisons the mind, and that the grammatical patterns in a language can produce far-reaching consequences for the culture of a society.
【讲练结合】——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————。
【试题解析】本句难点较多：
(1) a sort of某种：典型的错译是“一系列”。某些类似汉语量词的表达需要考生给予足够重视。
(2) linguistic determinism语言决定论：linguistic意思是“语言的，语言学的”，determinism的后缀表示“……论，……主义”，但许多人没能掌握这一构词知识。
(3) in its strongest form其极端说法是：很多人没能根据本句的语境理解，而是照字面意思译为“它的最强烈的形式；它的最有力的形式”，这都不符合要求。
(4) imprison the mind禁锢思维：考生出错是由于没找到表达imprison的恰当汉语，译为“关闭思维；囚禁头脑”。
(5) far-reaching深远的：这是个合成词。
