问答题 (46) Surprisingly enough, modern historians have rarely interested themselves in the history of the American South in the period before the South began to become self-consciously and distinctively "Southern"—the decades after 1815. Consequently, the cultural history of Britain' s North American empire in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries has been written almost as if the Southern colonies had never existed. The American culture that emerged during the Colonial and Revolutionary eras has been depicted as having been simply an extension of New England Puritan culture. However, Professor Davis has recently argued that the South stood apart from the rest of American society during this early period, following its own unique pattern of cultural development. (47) The case for Southern distinctiveness rests upon two related premises: first, that the cultural similarities among the five Southern colonies were far more impressive than the differences, and second, that what made those colonies alike also made them different from the other colonies. The first, for which Davis offers an enormous amount of evidence, can be accepted without major reservations; the second is far more problematic.
What makes the second premise problematic is the use of the Puritan colonies as a basis for comparison. Quite properly, Davis decries the excessive influence ascribed by historians to the Puritans in the formation of American culture. Yet Davis inadvertently adds weight to such ascriptions by using the Puritans as the standard against which to assess the achievements and contributions of Southern colonials. (48) Throughout, Davis focuses on the important, and undeniable, differences between the Southern and Northern colonies in motives for and patterns of early settlement, in attitudes toward nature and Native Americans, and in the degree of receptivity to metropolitan cultural influences.
(49) However, recent scholarship has strongly suggested that those aspects of early New England culture that seem to have been most distinctly Puritan, such as the strong religious orientation and the communal impulse, were not even typical of New England as a whole, but were largely confined to the two colonies of America. Thus, what in contrast to the Puritan (Northern) colonies appears to Davis to be peculiarly Southern—acquisitiveness, a strong interest in politics and the law, and a tendency to cultivate metropolitan cultural models—was not only more typically English than the cultural patterns exhibited by Puritan Massachusetts and Connecticut, but also almost certainly characteristic of most other early modern British colonies from Barbados north to Rhode Island and New Hampshire. (50) Within the larger framework of American colonial life, then, not the Southern but the Northern colonies appear to have been distinctive, and even they seem to have been rapidly assimilating to the dominant cultural patterns by the last Colonial period.

【正确答案】[参考译文]足以令人吃惊的是,当代史学家们对美国南方某一段时期的历史一直兴趣索然——这就是在1815年之后的几十年中,在南方开始变得“南方化”之前的那段时期,这种“南方化”与众不同而且令南方人感觉强烈。
【答案解析】[考点解析]
句   段
译   文
Surprisingly enough, modern historians have rarely interested themselves 足以令人吃惊的是,当代史学家们一直不感兴趣
in the history of the American South in the period 对于美国南方在那一段时期的历史
before the South began to become self-consciously and distinctively "Southern" 在南方开始变得“南方化”之前这种“南方化”与众不同而且令南方人感觉强烈
the decades after 1815 在1815之后的几十年中
·rarely为否定副词,因而可译为“不感兴趣”或“兴趣索然”。
·before所在从句修饰period,因而可译为“在……之前的那段时期”。
·the decades after 1815为the period的同位语,因而可直接翻译。
[词汇释义]
·distinctly特别地,有特色地
【正确答案】[参考译文] 有关南方独特性的事实取决于以下两个相关前提:第一,五个南方殖民地之间的文化共同点要远比差异之处更为令人印象深刻;第二,使得这些殖民地相似之处亦使得它们有别于其他殖民地。
【答案解析】[考点解析]
句   段
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The case for Southern distinctiveness rests upon 有关南方独特性的事实取决于以下两个相关前提:
first, that the cultural similarities among the five Southern colonies were far more impressive than the djfferences 第一,五个南方殖民地之间的文化相似性要远比差异之处更为令人印象深刻
and second, that what masd those colonies alike 第二,这些殖民地的相似之处
also made them different from the other colonies 亦使得它们有别于其他殖民地
·冒号后面内容是对其前的two related premises的解释说明,因而之前的可译为“以下两个相关前提”。
·far more impressive than可译作“远比……更为令人印象深刻”。
·what所在从句为句子的主语,其谓语动词为made,因而可译为“使得……之处亦使得……”。
[词汇释义]
·case 论断,案例,原因 ·rest upon 取决于
·premise 前提
【正确答案】[参考译文] 自始至终,戴维斯将焦点集中在南方和北方殖民地在以下方面重要且不可否认的差异上:早期殖民的动机和模式,对自然界与美洲土著人的态度,以及对大都市文化影响的接受程度。
【答案解析】[考点解析]
句   段
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Throughout, Davis focuses on the important,and undeniable,differences between the Southern and Northern colonies 自始至终,戴维斯将焦点集中在南方和北方殖民地在重要且不可否认的差异上
in motives for and patterns of early settlement 早期殖民的动机与模式
in attitudes toward nature and Native Americans 对自然界与美洲土著人的态度
and in the degree of receptivity to metropolitan cultural influences 以及对大都市文化影响的接受程度
·句中的in…,in…,and in…为并列结构,且与difference搭配,因而应按此翻译:“……在以下方面上的……的差异”。
·motives for与patterns of为并列结构,应译为“……的动机与模式”。
[词汇释义]
·undeniable 不可否认的 ·receptivity 接受
·metropolitan 大都市的
【正确答案】[参考译文]但是,近期的研究所得强烈表明,那些早期新英格兰文化中似乎最具独特的清教徒色彩的方面,诸如强烈的宗教倾向以及公有意识,甚至还不能典型地代表新英格兰的全部,而是在很大程度上仅限于美国的两个殖民地。
【答案解析】[考点解析]
句   段
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However, recent scholarship has strongly suggested 然而,近期的研究所得强烈表明
that those aspects of early New England culture that seem to are been most distinctly Puritan,such as the strong religious orientation and the 那些早期新英格兰文化中似乎最具独特的清教徒色彩的方面,诸如强烈的宗教倾向以及公有意识
were not even typical of New England as a whole 甚至还不能典型地代表新英格兰的全部
but were largely confined to the two colonies of America 而是在很大程度上仅限于美国的两个殖民地
·suggest之后的that所在从句为其宾语从句,直接译为“表明……”即可。
·culture之后的that所在从句为修饰aspects的定语从句,可译为“似乎……的方面”。
·从句中主干为"those aspects…,were not…,but were…”。
[词汇释义]
·scholarship 学术成就,研究所得 ·religious orientation 宗教倾向
·communal 集体的,公共的
【正确答案】[参考译文]如果从更为广泛的意义上看美国的殖民生活,那么,并非南方殖民地,而是北方殖民地,才显得与众不同,而即使是它们也似乎在殖民地后期迅速趋同于主流文化模式。
【答案解析】[考点解析]
句   段
译   文
Within the larger framework of American colonial life 从更为广泛的意义上看美国的殖民生活
then, not the Southern but the Northern colonies appear to have been distinctive 那么,并非南方殖民地,而是北方殖民地,才显得与众不同
and even they seem to have been rapidly assimilating 而即使是它们也似乎在迅速趋同于
to the dominant cultural patterns by the last Colonial period 在殖民地后期(趋同于)主流文化模式
·not…but…可译作“不是……而是……”。
[词汇释义]
·framework 社会制度,框架,结构 ·assimilating 趋同于,趋近于