翻译题
Our universe is dotted with over 100 billion galaxies, and each one contains roughly 100 billion stars. It is unclear how many planets are orbiting these stars, but it is certain that at least one of them has evolved life. In particular, there is a life form that has had the capacity and courage to speculate about the origin of this vast universe. Humans have been staring up into space for thousands of generations, but we are privileged to be part of the first generation who can claim to have a respectable, rational and coherent description for the creation and evolution of the universe. 【F1】The Big Bang model offers an elegant explanation of the origin of everything we see in the night sky, making it one of the greatest achievements of the human intellect and spirit. It is the consequence of an endless curiosity, a fabulous imagination, acute observation and ruthless logic. Even more wonderful is that the Big Bang model can be understood by everyone. When I first learned about the Big Bang as a teenager, 【F2】I was astonished by its simplicity and beauty, and by the fact that it was built on principles which, to a very large extent, did not go beyond the physics I was already learning at school. 【F3】Just as Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection is both fundamental and comprehensible to most intelligent people, the Big Bang model can be explained in terms that will make sense to non-specialists, without having to water down the key concepts within the theory. But before encountering the earliest stirrings of the Big Bang model, it is necessary to lay some groundwork. 【F4】The Big Bang model of the universe was developed over the last hundred years, and this was only possible because twentieth-century breakthroughs were built upon a foundation of astronomy constructed in previous centuries. In turn, these theories and observations of the sky were set within a scientific framework that had been diligently crafted over two thousand years. Going back even further, the scientific method as a path to objective truth about the material world could start to blossom only when the role of myths and legends had begun to decline. 【F5】All in all, the roots of the Big Bang model and the desire for a scientific theory of the universe can be traced right back to the decline of the ancient mythological view of the world.
【答案解析】①本句为主从复合句，包含一个定语从句。②句子主句为简单的主谓宾结构，其后有一个省略了引导词that的定语从句，修饰先行词everything。主句谓宾结构offers an explanation表示“给……提供了解释”，即某物能帮助解释某事；explanation后面的定语成分of the origin of everything…为要解释的对象，即夜空中一切可见事物的起源。定语从句we see in the night sky修饰限定everything，表示在夜空中可见到的所有事物。③逗号后的现在分词短语making it．．．作结果状语，其中it指代the Big Bang model，该分词短语补充说明了宇宙大爆炸模型的贡献。
【答案解析】①本句为较复杂的复合句，句子带有一个同位语从句和两个定语从句。②句子主干为被动结构。I was astonished后面接了三个并列状语，分别是by its simplicity、beauty和by the fact，说明“我”感到惊讶的对象是其简单性、漂亮和(当中包含的)事实。其中的its指代上文提及的大爆炸宇宙模型。③by the fact后面有that引导同位语从句，修饰the fact，解释这个事实的具体内容。④which引导的定语从句修饰principles，指出这些原理没有超出作者在学校里学过的物理知识范畴。句尾还带有一个省略了引导词that的定语从句，修饰先行词the physics。
【答案解析】①本句为主从复合句，带有一个方式状语从句。主句中包含一个由that引导的定语从句。②Just as意思是“正如……”，引导方式状语从句，把达尔文的自然选择论跟宇宙大爆炸模型作比较。从句句末的to most intelligent people作状语，表示从句限定的对象是什么，此处intelligent表示“有智慧的；聪明的”。③主句部分在后面，can be explained in terms意思是“能以……术语解释”，后面的定语从句修饰terms，指出这些术语的特点是：能被非专业人士理解。④介词短语without having…作状语，表示“伴随”。
【答案解析】①本句为并列句，由两个并列的分句构成，分句2带有一个because引导的原因状语从句。②over the last hundred years充当分句1的时间状语，表示宇宙大爆炸模型发展形成所历经的时间段。③分句2的be only possible because…意思是“只有……才可能”；twentieth-century breakthroughs指包括“大爆炸宇宙模型”在内的20世纪的突破性成就；constructed in previous centuries为过去分词短语，修饰astronomy，说明这些天文学理论经过几个世纪才得以成形。
【答案解析】①本句为简单句，主语为and连接的两个并列名词短语the roots of．．．和the desire for…。②本句有多个较长的of介词短语作后置定语：of the Big Bang model修饰the roots，表示这是大爆炸宇宙模型的根源；for a scientific theory of the universe修饰the desire，表示对宇宙科学理论的渴求；of the ancient mythological view of the world则修饰the decline，表示这是古代世界神话观的衰退没落。