翻译题 Whether you're the owner of the Dallas Cowboys or captain of the playground dodge ball team, the goal in picking players is the same: Get the top talent. Hearts have been broken, allegiances tested, and budgets over spent as teams contend for the best athletes. 【F1】The motivation for recruiting peak performers is obvious—exceptional players are the key to team success—and this belief is shared not only by coaches and sports fans, but also by corporations, investors, and even whole industries. Everyone wants a team of stars.
While there is no denying that exceptional players can put points on the board and enhance team success, new research by Roderick Swaab and colleagues suggests there is a limit to the benefit top talents bring to a team. Swaab and colleagues compared the amount of individual talent on teams with the teams' success, and they find striking examples of more talent hurting the team.
For both basketball and soccer, they found that top talent did in fact predict team success, but only up to a point. 【F2】Furthermore, there was not simply a point of diminishing returns with respect to top talent; there was in fact a cost. Basketball and soccer teams with the greatest proportion of elite athletes performed worse than those with more moderate proportions of top level players.
Why is too much talent a bad thing? Think teamwork. 【F3】In many activities, success requires collaborative, cooperative work towards a goal that is beyond the capability of any one individual. Even Em-mitt Smith needed effective blocking from the Cowboy offensive line to gain yardage. When a team roster is flooded with individual talent, pursuit of personal star status may prevent the attainment of team goals. 【F4】The basketball player chasing a point record, for example, may cost the team by taking risky shots instead of passing to a teammate who is open and ready to score.
The lessons here extend beyond the ball field to any group or activity that must balance competitive and collaborative efforts, including corporate teams, financial research groups, and brainstorming exercises. 【F5】So before breaking the bank to recruit superstars, team owners and industry experts might want to consider whether the goal they are trying to achieve relies on individual talent alone, or concerted efforts from the team. If the latter, it would be wise to reign in the talent and focus on teamwork.
问答题 6.【F1】
【正确答案】雇佣顶尖队员的目的显而易见——杰出的运动员是球队获胜的关键——这种观念不仅是教练和球迷的共识，也是企业、投资者甚至整个体育行业所认同的。
【答案解析】①本句是由and连接的并列复合句。②分句1为主系表结构，两个破折号之间的句子是对前句作补充说明，可视为插入语，说明聘请优秀运动员的目的是因为其能成为获胜的关键。③第二个破折号后是and连接的分句2，谓语使用了被动语态(is shared by)，后面是由not only…but also…连接两个并列的介宾短语(by…fans和by．．．industries)，意为“不但……而且……”，说明有这种共同观点的对象。
问答题 7.【F2】
【正确答案】而且，对于顶尖队员来说，这不仅仅是收益减少，实际上还会对球队造成损失。
【答案解析】①本句有两个独立的分句，由分号隔开。两个分句都是使用there be句型结构。②句首Furthermore意为“而且，此外”，作句子的状语成分。分句1的主语为a point of diminishing returns，其后的with respect to top talent作状语，意为“对于顶尖队员来说”。③分句2同样也是there be句型，此句主语a cost意为“损失；代价”，in fact作句子状语，意为“实际上”。
问答题 8.【F3】
【正确答案】在很多活动中，想要取得成功需要朝着共同的目标，相互团结协作，这远比个人的能力要重要。
【答案解析】①本句为主从复合句，包含一个定语从句。②主句为简单的主谓宾结构，定语从句修饰先行词collaborative，cooperative work，说明团体合作比个人能力要重要。beyond作介词，意为“超过；越过”；句末的of any one individual作the capability的后置定语，意为“个人能力”。
问答题 9.【F4】
【正确答案】例如，当篮球运动员想要追求得分记录时，他可能不会将球传给做好得分准备的队友，而是冒险投球，给球队带来失分。
【答案解析】①本句为主从复合句，包含一个定语从句。②现在分词短语chasing a point record作后置定语修饰The basketball player，说明是追求得分记录的篮球运动员。其后的for example作插入语成分。主句中的谓语动词cost，意为“让……付出代价或损失”。其后的by taking risky…teammate，作谓语动词cost的方式状语，说明造成球队损失的行为是运动员冒险投球，而不是传球给自己队友。当中instead of作连词，连接两个并列短语taking risky shots和passing to a teammate。③who引导的定语从句修饰先行词teammate，表示做好得分准备的队友。
问答题 10.【F5】
【正确答案】因此，在倾家荡产雇佣超级体育明星之前，球队经营者和行业专家可能要考虑清楚，自己想要达到的目标是单纯依赖于杰出的个人，还是依靠整个团队的协作。
【答案解析】①本句为主从复合句。②句首的时间状语从句为避免重复，省略了主语team owners and industry experts。break the bank意为“倾家荡产”。③宾语从句使用了whether…or…结构。此从句当中又包含了一个定语从句the goal they are trying to achieve，当中省略引导词which，修饰先行词the goal，说明球队经营者和行业专家想要达到的目标。or连接两个并列宾语individual talent和concerted effort。