【答案解析】Many people forsake their friends in favour of their own families, or at least draw a line of demarcation between families and friends, considering the former to be many times more important than the latter. That seems to be a matter of course. I have also seen with my own eyes how some people abandon their friends as well as their own careers soon after they get married...
Friends are transient whereas families are lasting—that is the tenet, as I know, guiding the behaviour of many people. To me, that is utterly inconceivable. Without friends, I would have been reduced to I don"t know what a miserable creature.
Friends are my saviours. They give me things which is beyond my family to give me. Thanks to their fraternal love, assistance and encouragement, I have time and again been saved from falling into an abyss while on its verge. They have been enormously generous towards me. [难点注释]
1．世间有不少的人为了家庭抛弃朋友，至少也会在家庭和朋友之间划一个界限，把家庭看得比朋友重过若干倍：此句可采用顺译法处理，“为了”在此译为in favour of更好。“划一个界限”则可译为draw a line of demarcation。前面已经提到家庭和朋友，所以在翻译“把家庭看得比朋友重过若干倍”时这两者可分别采用the former和the latter来代替，以免复赘。
2．很自然的事情：指理所当然的事，可对应译为a matter of course。
3．我也曾亲眼看见一些人结婚以后就离开朋友，离开事业：此句中“离开朋友”和“离开事业”这两个并列的表达在翻译时可用as well as连接，即abandon their friends as well as their own careers。
4．朋友是暂时的，家庭是永久的：此句中“朋友是暂时的”和“家庭是永久的”暗含对比关系，因此可用whereas来连接，该句可译为Friends are transient whereas families are lasting。“暂时的”还可译为temporary或transitory；“永久的”也可译为permanent。
5．在好些人的行为里我发见了这个信条：指的是我知道很多人都将这个信条作为行为的向导，可灵活译为that is the tenet, as I know, guiding the behaviour of many people。
6．变成：在此含有“沦落”之意，可译为be reduced to。
7．可怜的东西：不宜逐字译为poor things，此处指“人的悲惨境遇”因此译为miserable creature更贴切。
8．我家庭所不能给的东西：可译为things which it is beyond my family to give me。
9．他们的友爱，他们的帮助，他们的鼓励：本句含有因果关系，因此可在此句对应的译文前增译出thinks to或because of。“几次”可直接译为several times，但译为time and again则更佳。