问答题 A major source of anxiety about the future of the family is rooted not so much in reality as in the tension between the idealized expectation in the culture and the reality itself. Nostalgia for a lost family tradition, which, in fact, never existed, has prejudiced our understanding of the conditions of families in contemporary society. Thus, the current anxiety over the fate of the family reflects not only problems in the family but also a variety of fears about other social problems that are eventually projected onto the family.
The real problems facing American families today are not symptoms of breakdown as is often suggested; rather, they reflect the difficulties of adaptation to recent social changes, particularly to the loss of diversity in household membership, to the reduction of the variety of family functions and, to some extent, to the weakening of the family adaptability. The idealization of the family as a refuge from the world and the myth that the work of mothers is harmful has added considerable strain. The continuous emphasis on the family as a universal private retreat and as an emotional haven is misguided in light of historical experience.

问答题 A major source of anxiety about the future of the family is rooted not so much in reality as in the tension between the idealized expectation in the culture and the reality itself.

【正确答案】人们对家庭的未来感到忧心忡忡，其根本原因与其说是根植于现实，不如说是对文化的理想化期望与现实本身的冲突。

【答案解析】[解析] not so much... as意为“与其……不如”，其语义功能与less... than，more... than等结构相同。如：
The oceans do not so much divide the world as unite it. 与其说海洋分隔了世界，不如说海洋连接了世界。
词类转性在现代英语中是构成新词的重要方法之一。植物名词活用作动词，很容易使人联想到其外部特征、颜色、性能或其相应的寓意、背景，产生惟妙惟肖的效果，汉译时则大多采取意译或转译等。
Bill Gates dropped school to branch out on his own. 比尔·盖茨为了独立发展，从学校退了学。(branch out长出枝条→扩大活动范围)
His talk branched off from the topic. 他的谈话跑题了。(branch off，分叉→岔开)
I leafed through the catalog and found nothing interesting. 我翻了翻目录，没看到什么有趣的东西。(leaf叶片→翻书页)
Correct decisions stem from correct judgments. 正确的决策来自正确的判断。(stem干，梗，茎→源于，起因于)
Fear rooted him to the ground. 他吓得呆若木鸡。(root生根→扎根，固定)
His talent flowered in his twenties. 他在20来岁就显露出才华。(flower开花→发展，兴旺)
The Internet has mushroomed throughout these years. 近年来，因特网如雨后春笋般发展起来。(mushroom蘑菇→发展)
The dog treed the cat. 狗把猫撵上了树。(tree树木→驱使上树)
The country was wooded everywhere except at the bottom of the valley to the northward. 除了通向北部的山谷外，整个地区都被森林覆盖着。(wood森林→覆盖，植林)
Jane is blossoming out into a beautiful girl. 简正在成长为一个漂亮的女孩。(blossom开花→发展，成长)

问答题 Nostalgia for a lost family tradition, which, in fact, never existed, has prejudiced our understanding of the conditions of families in contemporary society.

【正确答案】由于对已经失落的家庭传统(实际上从未存在过)无法忘怀，我们在理解现代家庭状况时常存在着偏见。

【答案解析】[解析] 英语和汉语最大的差别之一在于英语重限定结构(修饰结构)，汉语重并列结构。因此，英译汉时可根据汉语句法特点将英语的定语从句译成并列分句。如：
The Government of Singapore has hitched to the global economy through multinational corporations which supply needed capital expertise and export markets. 新加坡政府通过多国公司把这岛国同世界经济挂上了钩，这些公司提供了资本、专门技术和出口贸易市场。
The Greeks assumed that the structure of language had some connection with the process of thought which took root in Europe long before people realized how diverse languages could be. 希腊人认为语言结构与思维过程有着某种关系，这种观点在人们认识到语言的千差万别之前就在欧洲扎了根。
原句在句式特点上属“无灵主语”句，翻译采用了“由于……(因此……)”，“因为……(所以)……”句式。再如：
The emphasis on efficiency leads to the large, complex operations which are characteristic of engineering. 由于强调效率，引起工程特有的工序繁多复杂的情况。
The Curies' discovery brought about a revolution in the understanding of the structure of matter. 由于居里夫妇的发现，人类对物质结构的认识发生了一次革命。
Children lose something of great value if mother's employment prevents her from being home to greet them when they return from school. 如果母亲因外出工作，无法照料放学回家的孩子，孩子就会失去某些极宝贵的东西。

问答题 Thus, the current anxiety over the fate of the family reflects not only problems in the family but also a variety of fears about other social problems that are eventually projected onto the family.

【正确答案】因此，时下对家庭命运的担忧，不仅反映出家庭中的问题，而且也反映了对其他社会问题各种各样的忧虑，而这些社会问题最终都投射到家庭上。

【答案解析】[解析] 在social problems和that引导的定语从句处断开，把定语从句译成独立短句，后增译 “这些社会问题”。

问答题 The real problems facing American families today are not symptoms of breakdown as is often suggested; rather, they reflect the difficulties of adaptation to recent social changes, particularly to the loss of diversity in household membership, to the reduction of the variety of family functions and, to some extent, to the weakening of the family adaptability.

【正确答案】当今美国家庭面临的真正问题不是人们常说的家庭解体的症状，而是反映出美国家庭难以适应最近的社会变化，尤其是难以适应家庭成员多样性在消失，难以适应家庭功能多样化在衰退，以及在某种程度上难以适应家庭适应能力越来越弱的现实。

【答案解析】[解析] 英语中省略句出现频率很高，翻译时不仅要辨认出原文哪些部分被省略了，必要时还需把省略部分译出。原句省略了名词短语the difficulties of adaptation，汉译时通过增补，把部分词语重复。

问答题 The idealization of the family as a refuge from the world and the myth that the work of mothers is harmful has added considerable strain.

【正确答案】把家庭理想化为远离世界的庇护所，以及把母亲参加工作说成是有害的神话，更平添了相当大的压力。

【答案解析】[解析] 主语直译“家庭的理想化”显然难以把原来的意思表达清楚，这里转译成汉语动词短语“把……理想化”符合汉语的表达方式，清楚明白。

问答题 The continuous emphasis on the family as a universal private retreat and as an emotional haven is misguided in light of historical experience.

【正确答案】从历史经验来看，不断强调家庭是万能的私人庇护所和感情的避难地是一种误导。

【答案解析】[解析] 名词emphasis也转译成动词“强调”，从而引起句式结构上的调整。如直译则为“对……的不断强调受到了误导”，显然带有一种翻译腔。