2024年3月10日发(作者：)

2008年考研翻译解析

In his autobiography, Darwin himself speaks of his intellectual powers with extraordinary modesty. He points

out that he always experienced much difficulty in expressing himself clearly and concisely, but (l)he believes that

this very difficulty may have had the compensating advantage of forcing him to think long and intently about

every sentence, and thus enabling him to detect errors m reasoning and in his own observations. He disclaimed the

possession of any great quickness of apprehension or wit, such as distinguished Huxley. (2) He asserted, also, that

his power to follow a long and purely abstract train of thought was very limited, for which reason he felt certain

that he never could have succeeded with mathematics. His memory,too, he described as extensive, but hazy. So

poor in one sense was it that he never could remember for more than a few days a single date or a line of poetry.

(3)On the other hand, he did not accept as well founded the charge made by some of his critics that, while he was

a good observer, he had no power of reasoning. This, he thought, could not be true, because the "Origin of

Species" is one long argument from the beginning to the end, and has convinced many able men. No one, he

submits, could have written it without possessing some power of reasoning. He was willing to assert that "I have a

fair share of invention, and of common sense or judgment, such as every fairly successful lawyer or doctor must

have, but not, I believe, in any higher degree " (4)He adds humbly that perhaps he was "superior to the common

run of men in noticing things which easily escape attention, and in observing them carefully. "

Writing in the last year of his life, he expressed the opinion that in two or three respects his mind had

changed during the preceding twenty or thirty years. Up to the age of thirty or beyond it poetry of many kinds

gave him great pleasure. Formerly, too, pictures had given him considerable, and music very great, delight. In

1881, however, he said: "Now for many years I cannot endure to read a line of poetry. I have also almost lost my

taste for pictures or music. " (5) Darwin was convinced that the loss of these tastes was not only a loss of

happiness, but might possibly be injurious to the intellect, and more probably to the moral character. [406

words]

文章分析

本文节选自一篇关于达尔文的学术评论Charles Darwin：His Place in Modern Science《<查理斯·达尔文

在现代科学中的地位》)。本文介绍了达尔文对自己智力水平的谦虚评价以及他认为培养兴趣爱好有益于智

力发展的观点。

本文考查的知识点：一，各类从句，包括定语从句，宾语从句，同位语从句，从句嵌套；倒装句式中

的宾语后置；三，较长的后置定语，翻译方法包括前置法和后置法；四，上下文中的词义确定；五，短语

译成句子；六，顺译法。

第一段：

①In his autobiography, Darwin himself speaks of his intellectual powers with extraordinary modesty.

【译文】达尔文在自传中谈到自己的智力时显得出人意料般的谦虚。

autobiography

biography

intellectual

extraordinary

ordinary

modesty

moderate

n.自传

n.传记；传记文学

a.n.知识分子 a.智力的，理智的，有理解力的

a.非常的;格外的;意外的;离奇的;临时的

a.普通的,平凡的,平常的;平庸的

n.谦虚的,有节制的

adj.有节制的；稳健的，温和的；适度的；vt.使和缓；主持；节制vi.变缓和

【句式结构】, Darwin himself speaks of his intellectual powers

modesty.>

【固定搭配】speak of 谈及 with extraordinary modesty 极其谦虚

②He points out that he always experienced much difficulty in expressing himself clearly and concisely, but (l)he

believes that this very difficulty may have had the compensating advantage of forcing him to think long and

intently about every sentence, and thus enabling him to detect errors m reasoning and in his own observations.

【译文】他指出自己总是不能够简洁清晰地表达自己的思想。但是他认为或许正因为（语言表达上的）这

种困难，他不得不对自己要说的每句话都经过长时间的认真思考，从而能发现自己在推理和观察中的错误，

结果这反而成为他的优点。

concisely

compensate

compensation

advantage

intent

detect

detective

observation

observe

adv.简明地

v.(for)补偿,赔偿

n.补偿(或赔偿)的款物；补偿，赔偿

n.优点，长处，有利条件；利益，好处

v.意图,意向,目的

v.察觉,发觉,侦察,探测

n.侦探

n.观察,观测,监视;(pl.)观察资料;观察力

v.观察,观测,注意到,监视,遵守,评述,说

【句式结构】He points out that ①he always experienced much difficulty in expressing himself