An urban myth is a story you hear by word of mouth. It usually describes something which might have happened, a legendary, second-hand story told as if it were true, just about plausible enough to be credible, about some event which has supposedly happened to a real person. However, some academics claim that urban myths are not really myths. According to them, a myth is a story which held some religious or spiritual significance for those who told it or listened in the past to it, and which contributed to the expression of shared beliefs and values. However improbable a myth might be, it's always true for those who belong to that culture from which the myth comes.
都市神话是你通过口口相传听来的故事，讲述的是一些可能发生过的事情，一个杜撰的，从别处听来的故事，却被当作真事来讲，听起来像真的似的。但是，有一些学者认为都市神话并非真正的神话。在他们看来，神话故事对于讲故事和过去听故事的人来说都有某种宗教或者精神层面的意义，而且神话帮助人们表达共同的信仰和价值观。不管一个神话看上去是多么匪夷所思，对于那些从属于这些文化的人来说，它们永远是真实可信的。
本题考查的翻译要点有：① urban myth意为“都市神话”，是本段的中心。② word of mouth即对应中文中的“口口相传”。③ legendary属于形容词，表示“传奇的；传说的”，这 里根据上下文翻译为“杜撰的”更符合汉语表达。④ second-hand story不能译为“二手故 事”，应当是别人讲述的，所以译作“从别处听来的故事”。⑤ plausible enough to be credible即“好像是真的，足够可信”，结合上文，就是把都市神话“当作真事来讲”。