问答题
Children in any society are expected to learn to conform to a number of social rules and expectations if they are to become participants in the culture. (46)Among the rules that children in our society are expected to learn are that certain classes of adults (such as teachers and doctors) are addressed by titles, that males and females use separate restroom facilities, and that women but not men wear dresses. These are examples of social conventions. In the absence of such a shared norm, the acts are neither right nor wrong. For this reason, conventions may be said to be arbitrary. For example, (47)we could just as easily have students address teachers by first names as have them call teachers by their last names and formal titles of Mr. or Ms. Conventions, however, serve an important function by providing predictability and order to social life. (48)Without social conventions it would be impossible to organize social institutions such as schools, and societies as organized systems could not exist. The arbitrariness of conventions makes their importance difficult for children to figure out. (49) It is not until some time in adolescence that children come to fully understand the function that these arbitrary conventions serve to provide predictability and order to our social interactions. In contrast with issues of convention are matters of morality. Morality refers to issues of human welfare, justice, and rights that are a function of the inherent features of interpersonal relations. Because of this, the right and wrong of moral actions are not simply determined by social consensus or the views of authority. For example, it is not possible to hit another person with force and not hurt the other person. Similarly, it is not possible to steal something valuable from someone else and not cause the person to experience the sense of loss. A moral judgment about unprovoked harm ( "It is wrong to hit") would not be dependent on the existence of a socially agreed upon rule or standard but could be generated solely from the intrinsic effects of the act (i.e., hitting hurts). (50)Similar analyses could be done regarding a broader range of issues that would extend beyond direct harm to concerns for what it means to be just, compassionate, and considerate of the rights of others.
【答案解析】[原文再现] Among the rules that children in our society are expected to learn are that certain classes of adults (such as teachers and doctors) are addressed by titles, that males and females use separate restroom facilities, and that women but not men wear dresses． [结构分析] 本句为介词短语Among the rules位于句首时的完全倒装句，正常语序为that certain classes...dresses are among the rules that children...to learn，其中that certain classes...dresses为主语从句，表语部分包含了一个以rules为先行词的定语从句that children in our society are expected to learn。 [译点分析] (1)be expected to: 直译为“有望……；被期待……”，可意译为“应当……”。 (2)Among...learn: 为句子的表语部分，由于倒装而前置，直译为“在我们社会的孩子应当学习的规则中……”，翻译时可根据中文习惯，灵活地变换句子结构。 (3)in our society: 该词组可转译为独立的动宾结构“身处我们这个社会”。 (4)are addressed by titles: address一词多义，这里是“称呼”的意思，be addressed这个被动语态在翻译时应按照中文习惯处理为主动语态，即“称呼某人”而不是“某人被称呼”。
【答案解析】[原文再现] We could just as easily have students address teachers by first names as have them call teachers by their last names and formal titles of Mr. or Ms. [结构分析] 本句是由as...as...结构连接的两个分句，第一个分句的主干是...We could have students address teachers...。第二个人分句主干是...(we) have them call teachers...。由于两个分句的主语相同，因此第二个分句的主语we省略了。 [译点分析] (1)...as easily have students address teachers by first names as...: ...as...as...意为“……与……(在某个方面)相同”，在翻译时既可以合并为一个句子说明其共同点，也可以拆分成两个句子并总结其相同点。 (2)have them call teachers by their last names: have sb do sth意为“让某人做某事”；call sb by sth“以……称呼某人”。
【正确答案】没有社会习俗，诸如学校之类的社会机构不会出现，各种体系有序的社会团体也不复存在。
【答案解析】[原文再现] Without social conventions it would be impossible to organize social institutions such as schools, and societies as organized systems could not exist. [结构分析] 该句是由and连接的两个并列句。第一个并列句的主干部分是...it would be impossible to organize social institutions...，it为形式主语，真正的主语是后面的不定式to organize social institutions, such as schools对social institutions做解释说明，without social conventions为条件状语。第二个并列句的主干部分为societies could not exist，而as organized systems为后置定语。 [译点分析] (1)Without social conventions it would be...：此句为虚拟语气，表示与现在事实相反的一种假设。without在这里带有假设意味，意为"if not"。
【答案解析】[原文再现] It is not until some time in adolescence that children come to fully understand the function that these arbitrary conventions serve to provide predictability and order to our social interactions. [结构分析] it is not until...that...为强调句，it为形式主语，真正的主语是that引导的主语从句children come...social interactions；该主语从句包含了以function为先行词的定语从句 that these arbitrary...social interactions。 [译点分析] (1)serve to...: serve to意为“有作用；会；可以”。 (2)provide predictability and order：如果直译为“提供预测性与规则”，不符合中文的表达习惯。由于英文中多用名词少用动词，而汉语则是以动词为主，故在翻译过程中可以将英语中的名词转译为动词，故provide predictability and order to our social interactions 可译为“预测与规范我们的社交”。
【答案解析】[原文再现] Similar analyses could be done regarding a broader range of issues that would extend beyond direct harm to concerns for what it means to be just, compassionate, and considerate of the rights of others. [结构分析] 本句很长，但主干简单，即similar analyses could be done...。regarding a broader range of issues为现在分词结构作状语，issues之后是that引导的定语从句。 [译点分析] (1)regarding：意为“关于”。 (2)a broader range of issues: 直译为“更大范围的问题”。 (3)Similar analyses could be done regarding a broader range of issues: 该句若直译，则是“类似的分析可以用于更广泛的问题”，这里可以把“更广泛”这个意思提前修饰谓语，更加符合中文习惯。 (4)extend beyond...to...: extend beyond直译是“超越；延伸到以外”，不过这里明显不是字面意义上的“超越到直接伤害之外”，而应意译为“不仅限于……；而沿用到……”。 (5)concern：意为“关注；关心”。