翻译题 46.Studies show that social engagement is one of the best predictors of happiness. Yet we associate with each other less than ever. Robert Putnam of Harvard University called this phenomenon "bowling alone"; he said that the decline of private associations, particularly churches, had led to an isolation that was making people poorer emotionally. That pattern has accelerated as we swivel toward a more digital society.
We live in the richest, most prosperous, freest time in human history. That's a wonderful gift we've all been given. But we've also shed gifts that are ancient and vital: the gift of solid family structure; the gift of common religious commitment; the gift of a culture and heritage of meritocracy (精英教育). No government program can fill those gaps—and every effort to do so ends with the exacerbation of precisely the failures government programs are designed to alleviate.

【正确答案】 研究表明，社会参与度是幸福的最佳指标之一。但人们之间的交往却比以往任何时候都要少。哈佛大学的Robert Putnam称这种现象为“独自打保龄球”。他称，私人团体，尤其是教会的衰落造成了孤立，使得人们在情感上变得更为贫瘠。随着我们的社会变得更加数字化，这种模式已经加剧。
我们生活在人类历史上最富裕、最繁荣、最自由的时代。这是给予我们所有人的一份美好的“礼物”。但是。我们也丢失了一些古老而重要的“礼物”：稳固的家庭结构；共同的宗教信仰；精英教育的文化和传统。没有任何政府项目可以填补这些空白——而且政府计划为减轻这些问题所做的所有努力，恰恰都以失败的不断加剧而告终。

【答案解析】 本文主要论述了随着社会变得越来越数字化，人们丢失的东西越来越多。第一段中“bowling alone”指美国社会学家Robert Putnam的成名之作《独自打保龄球》。书中通过讲述一个美国人孤独地打保龄球的现象，揭示了美国社会人与人互动逐渐减少，社会资本因此下降的问题。第二段最后一句较长。句子的主干结构为No government program can fill those gaps—and every effort ends with the exacerbation．该句后部分是省略了that的修饰failures的定语从句。