翻译题
People are not made to survive at the top of Mount Everest. At 29,000 feet (8,840 metres) above sea level—just below a commercial jet's cruising altitude—exposure to the elements can cause death. Lucky climbers miss snowstorms, avalanches and crevasses. But one killer is inescapable: lack of oxygen. Atmospheric pressure at the summit is two-thirds less than at sea level. Breathing, sleeping and eating become nearly impossible; the body pumps more blood to the brain, often causing fatal swelling. Climbers call anything above 8,000 metres the "death zone". 【F1】For every 100 people who conquer Everest four never return to base camp; more than 200 bodies lie amid the ice and rock. 【F2】Those who survive owe much to Finch, an Australian chemist who used portable oxygen tanks on the second of three British expeditions to Everest in the 1920s. It was a time when climbers dined poorly, and wore pyjamas under tweed. Finch was different. He wore innovative, custom-made, windproof gear produced from very thin light materials. The oxygen cylinders he designed, although they weighed 16kg for eight hours' supply, made the death zone a little less deadly. 【F3】Finch was the best technical climber of his time, and he reached farther up Everest than anyone had done before—stopping only to carry a novice companion to safety. Few Western climbers have contributed as much. But as Robert Wainwright shows in "The Maverick Mountaineer", Finch's achievements have been overshadowed. Mountaineering in the early 20th century was dominated by gentlemen who had been to Oxford or Cambridge and had a large supply of family money. 【F4】Finch, a colonial farm boy who trained in the Alps while studying in Zurich (苏黎世) before taking up a teaching post at Imperial College, London, was an outsider. His willingness to challenge received wisdom annoyed members of the Alpine Club in Mayfair, who barred him from two expeditions to Nepal. They believed that using artificial oxygen supplies was cheating, and their comments reveal their prejudice against Finch. "I always knew the fellow was a bad guy," said one. Mr Wainwright's biography is detailed, at times too much so. Several chapters are devoted to Finch's unhappy early years. 【F5】The best passages, though, are those that describe the battle of scientific progress against rooted snobbery—a fight that may have cost Finch the chance to stand on top of the world, but ought to be remembered.
【答案解析】①此句为并列复合句，由两个分句构成，以分号隔开，其中分句1包含一个定语从句。②分句1中who引导的定语从句修饰先行词people，说明这是一百位要征服珠穆朗玛峰的登山者。③冒号后的分句2为简单的主谓宾结构，主语bodies意为“尸体；遗体”。句末的介词amid意为“在其中，在其间”，介宾短语amid the ice and rock表方位，意为“在冰雪和岩石之间”。
【答案解析】①本句为主从复合句。逗号前是句子主干部分，逗号之后为宾语Finch的同位语an Australian chemist，以及修饰该同位语的定语从句。②第一个who引导的定语从句修饰先行词Those，说明这一类人是幸存者。③逗号后的同位语an Australian chemist修饰的是Finch，说明Finch是一名澳大利亚化学家。在此之后还有一个who引导的定语从句，修饰先行词an Australian chemist，意在进一步说明这位叫芬奇的澳大利亚化学家关于使用便携式氧气罐的事情。介词短语on the second of．．．to Everest为此定语从句的地点状语，in the 1920s则为时间状语。
【答案解析】①此句是一个由and连接的并列复合句，分句2包含了一个比较状语从句。破折号后的分词短语可视作插入语。②分句2比较级farther up作副词修饰谓语动词reached，意为“到达得更远”。比较状语从句的结构与前面的结构平衡，had done所指动作是前面的reached Everest，说明芬奇比以往所有登峰者都能到达更高的地方。③破折号后的动词短语stop to do sth．，意为“停下来去做另一件事”，这里指的是“停下来为同行的登山新手提供安全保障”。novice指“新手，初学者”。
【答案解析】①此句为主从复合句。主句的主语和系表结构距离较远，中间间隔了一个篇幅较长、结构复杂的同位语，该同位语又包括一个定语从句和两个时间状语从句。②a colonial farm boy是主语Finch的同位语，其后who引导的定语从句修饰此同位语，说明这个来自殖民农场的普通男孩芬奇的履历。③此定语从句中又包含了两个省略了主语和部分谓语的时间状语从句，还原成完整句子分别是while he was studying．．．和before he took up…。
【答案解析】①本句为主从复合句，共包含三个定语从句。主句为主系表结构，当中包含一个定语从句。破折号后又有一个定语从句修饰先行词a fight。句末的but连接另一并列的定语从句，表转折，省略了主语。②定语从句1修饰先行词those，说明最精彩的部分所讲述的内容。rooted snobbery意为“根深蒂固的势利”。③破折号后面的内容则对前句起补充说明的作用。所引出的a fight相当于是the battle的同位语，其后修饰a fight的定语从句说明这场抗争的特点。不定式to stand on top of the world为后置定语修饰中心词the chance。