问答题 For years I have been mercilessly lampooned by friends and acquaintances alike for my unorthodox lifestyle choice of having no TV. In an age of increasingly large flat-screens and surround sound which accost you the minute you walk into someone's house, people regularly look at me like I'm either severely handicapped or chronically hard done by when I mention that I have no television. I can see the mixture of genuine pity, raw pathos and sheer disbelief in their faces as they stare at me open-mouthed. And no, contrary to the jokes and insinuations from the equally incredulous young people I mentor, it's not because I can't afford to pay the TV license.
To be sure, television is a great invention, if handled in moderation. The composite etymological derivation (from the Greek and the Latin words—literally meaning "to see from afar") tells of a tremendous technological feat which certainly deserves to be applauded. What's more, if one is discerning, it can be the source of some quality entertainment, instruction and enjoyment. Some of the nature documentaries and arts programmers on BBC 2 are truly fantastic. But the sad reality is that young people are rarely discerning and, by dint of poor time management skills, often end up wasting an inordinate amount of precious, never-returning time watching trash, their brains wallowing in a trough of mental lethargy.

【正确答案】多年来，因为我选择家无电视这种与众不同的生活方式，我一直受到朋友和熟人的无情奚落。在这样一个你一进别人家门就会看到越来越大的平板电视和环绕立体声音响的时代，当我提及我家没有电视时，人家往往以异样的眼神看着我，好像是我脑子出了大问题/要么是我身残，要么就是生活长期亏待了我。

【答案解析】[解析] 本例两句为一简单句一复合长句，且复合句层次多，含定语从句、状语从句、宾语从句(2句)。lampoon和accost二词可从上下文推测其意义，另须注意the minute that(=as soon as，一……就……)，be done by(对待，待)的解释和意义。

问答题 I can see the mixture of genuine pity, raw pathos and sheer disbelief in their faces as they stare at me open-mouthed. And no, contrary to the jokes and insinuations from the equally incredulous young people I mentor, it's not because I can't afford to pay the TV license.

【正确答案】他们目瞪口呆地盯着我，我能从他们脸上看出其复杂的表情：有发自内心的同情，有毫不掩饰的怜悯，或者根本不予置信。我所指导的年轻学子同样也不相信我的话，与他们编的关于我的笑话和对我的含沙射影恰恰相反，我没有电视机并不是因为我付不起电视收视费。

【答案解析】[解析] 本例两句均为复合句。前句带一状语从句，后句带一定语从句，主句为强调句结构(it's not because…)。汉语译文采用“目瞪口呆”和“含沙射影”的四字成语与原文语义对应，又具有“形式美”，简洁明了。

问答题 To be sure, television is a great invention, if handled in moderation. The composite etymological derivation (from the Greek and the Latin words—literally meaning "to see from afar") tells of a tremendous technological feat which certainly deserves to be applauded.

【正确答案】当然，电视是一项伟大发明，如果使用适度的话。“电视”这个复合派生词(来源于希腊词和拉丁词一其字面意思是“从远处看见”)显示的是一个巨大的技术成就，它当然值得赞扬。

【答案解析】[解析] 本例两句为复合句，前句带if条件句，后句带which引导的定语从句。短语To be sure(=it must be accepted that，admittedly)和in moderation(=within sensible limits)分别译成”当然、固然”和“适度地、适宜地”。

问答题 What's more, if one is discerning, it can be the source of some quality entertainment, instruction and enjoyment, Some of the nature documentaries and arts programmers on BBC 2 are truly fantastic.

【正确答案】而且，如果我们有辨识力，电视可以成为一些高质量娱乐、教育和享受的来源。英国广播公司第二频道播出的一些大自然纪录片和艺术节目真的很棒。

【答案解析】[解析] 本例两句为复合句和简单句。复合句含一条件句if one is discerning，此句不宜理解为现在进行时，这里的discerning可视为具形容词功能，意为“眼力好的、目光敏锐的”。句中的quality一词同样具形容词功能，相当于“优质的、高级的”，如：quality paper(优质纸)， quality writer(优秀作家)等。

问答题 But the sad reality is that young people are rarely discerning and, by dint of poor time management skills, often end up wasting an inordinate amount of precious, never-returning time watching trash, their brains wallowing in a trough of mental lethargy.

【正确答案】但令人悲哀的现实是，年轻人大多缺乏辨识力，由于不善于管理自己的时间，他们常常浪费过多宝贵的、一去不复返的时间收看垃圾节目，让自己的大脑沉溺于精神倦怠的深渊。

【答案解析】[解析] 本例为一复合长句，含表语从句，这一表语由and连接的两个并列句(共享主语young people)组成，其中的trash，wallow，trough等词都取用其比喻义，翻译时是否保留其比喻形象须根据上下文和汉语的搭配习惯而定。