翻译题
In the whole history of western thought, there is only one man of whom it can be said that all philosophy after him was different because of him. That man is Rene Descartes (1596-1650), the great French mathematician, physicist, physiologist, and philosopher who flourished during the first part of the seventeenth century. 【F1】The most influential of his many writings were Meditations, in which he posed the fundamental question that was to haunt all subsequent thinkers to this very day. Like all profound questions, it is deceptively simple in appearance: Is there anything of which I can be certain? To be sure, philosophers had before Descartes asked, What can we know? They had even asked, What can we know with certainty? But Descartes asked, What can I know with certainty? And therein lies a revolution in thought. All of us proceed from day to day accepting all manner of propositions which we could not prove if challenged. I believe that the earth is a sphere, that matter is composed of atoms, etc. 【F2】I don't imagine I could do a very good job of proving all these beliefs to someone who really doubted them, but I take it for granted that someone could—a physicist or biologist or geographer. 【F3】Suppose now, just as an exercise, that I put a little "doubtful" tag on every one of my beliefs which I can't absolutely prove with perfect certainty. Suppose, in other words, that I clear away the superstructure of my everyday beliefs and get down to real base. What do I find? What do all these beliefs rest on? This is what Descartes sets out to do in the First Meditation. It doesn't seem a terribly risky or exciting task, but as we follow Descartes, we begin to get more and more nervous. 【F4】Slowly at first and then faster and faster, he shows us that every one of our comfortable, familiar beliefs has to be put in the "doubtful" pile. As we dig for base, we find only shifting sand. Our whole world of beliefs seems to rest on nothing at all. In the Second Meditation, Descartes discovers his solid base, his immovable point:"I think." Doubt what you will, you cannot doubt that. And so long as I think, I who think must exist. Here at last we have found our certainty. 【F5】The absolute ground of all knowledge has been located, not in God, not in Nature, not in the wisdom of the ancients, but in the sheer existence of myself.
【答案解析】①本句是复合句，包含两个定语从句。主干是主系表结构，说明他最具影响力的作品是什么。②in which引导的定语从句1修饰前面的Meditations，说明他是在这本书中提出了基本问题。③定语从句1中还包含另一个定语从句，由that引导，修饰先行词the fundamental question，先行词在从句中作主语，说明这个基本问题引起后来众多思想家思考。
【答案解析】①本句是并列复合句，由but连接两个分句。②分句1中包括一个宾语从句和一个定语从句，imagine后接宾语从句，省略了引导词that。宾语从句中还包含了who引导的定语从句，修饰someone，指质疑这些信念的人。③分句2中包含另一个宾语从句，take it for granted that…中的it作形式宾语，真正的宾语是that从句的内容。
问答题8.【F3】
【正确答案】现在不妨演示一下，假设我给自己没有十足把握去证明的信条贴上“怀疑”的小标签。
【答案解析】①本句是复合句。主句是祈使句，主干是suppose+that从句，that引导从句作suppose的宾语，说明假设的内容。just as an exercise作为插入语说明假定做一个试验。②句末which引导的定语从句修饰先行词beliefs，说明“我”对证明这一想法没有十足的把握。
【答案解析】①本句是主从复合句，包含一个宾语从句。②主句的结构为show sb．sth．。当中us为间接宾语，that引导宾语从句作shows的直接宾语，说明为我们展示的内容。③句首的副词短语Slowly at first and then faster and faster作状语，修饰的是动作put而不是主句中的shows，按照正常语序应置于句末，但为了强调put的变化状态，故前置。