Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
1、 With its theme that “Mind is the master weaver,” creating our inner character and outer circumstances, the book As a Man Thinketh by James Allen is an in-depth exploration of the central idea of self-help writing. (46) 【Allen’s contribution was to take an assumption we all share—that because we are not robots we therefore control our thoughts—and reveal its erroneous nature.】 Because most of us believe that mind is separate from matter, we think that thoughts can be hidden and made powerless; this allows us to think one way and act another. However, Allen believed that the unconscious mind generates as much action as the conscious mind, and (47)【 while we may be able to sustain the illusion of control through the conscious mind alone, in reality we are continually faced with a question: “Why cannot I make myself do this or achieve that?”】 Since desire and will are damaged by the presence of thoughts that do not accord with desire, Allen concluded: “We do not attract what we want, but what we are.” Achievement happens because you as a person embody the external achievement; you don’t “get” success but become it. There is no gap between mind and matter. Part of the fame of Allen’s book is its contention that “Circumstances do not make a person, they reveal him.” (48) 【This seems a justification for neglect of those in need, and a rationalization of exploitation, of the superiority of those at the top and the inferiority of those at the bottom.】 This, however, would be a knee-jerk reaction to a subtle argument. Each set of circumstances, however bad, offers a unique opportunity for growth. If circumstances always determined the life and prospects of people, then humanity would never have progressed. In fact, (49)【 circumstances seem to be designed to bring out the best in us, and if we feel that we have been “wronged” then we are unlikely to begin a conscious effort to escape from our situation.】 Nevertheless, as any biographer knows, a person’s early life and its conditions are often the greatest gift to an individual. The sobering aspect of Allen’s book is that we have no one else to blame for our present condition except ourselves. (50)【 The upside is the possibilities contained in knowing that everything is up to us; where before we were experts in the array of limitations, now we become authorities of what is possible.】
正确答案：
参考译文
46. 艾伦的贡献在于他抓住我们都认同的假说——因为我们不是机器人，所以我们能控制自己的思想——并揭示了其错误本质。
47. 尽管仅凭显意识我们或许就可以维持“控制”这种错觉，但现实中，我们总是面临这样的问题：为什么我不能让自己做好这件事或实现那个目标呢？
48. 这种说法似乎为忽视需要帮助的人的行为找到借口，使剥削的存在、上层人士的优越性和底层人群的卑微变得合理。
49. 环境似乎是为了激发我们的最大潜能而设，如果我们自己遭受“不公对待”，就不大可能有意识地努力摆脱自己的境遇。
50. 积极的一面在于，了解一切都取决于我们自己之后，就有了各种可能性；以前我们是擅长处理各种局限的专家，而现在我们能真正驾驭各种可能性。
答案解析：
生词本
assumption n. 假设；猜想
reveal vt. 揭示；揭露
erroneous adj. 错误的
sustain vt. 维持；保持
illusion n. 幻想；假象
conscious adj. 有意识的
achieve vt. 完成
justification n. 正当的理由
rationalization n. 合理化
exploitation n. 开发；利用
superiority n. 优越性
inferiority n. 自卑；卑微
contain vt. 包含
array n. 大量
limitation n. 限制；局限
authority n. 权威
表达难点
46. ①本句中句子主干是Allen’s contribution was to take an assumption… and reveal its erroneous nature.需要注意的是take在这里不是常见的“提出，接受”的含义，而是“拿出，抓住”的含义。②we all share是assumption的定语从句，可按照中文习惯前提到assumption前翻译；两个破折号之间的that引导的句子是assumption的同位语从句，其中又嵌套了because引导的原因状语从句，翻译时可以保留破折号，依然作为插入成分处理。
47. ①while引导让步状语从句，翻译为“尽管”。②the illusion of control中control指上文中的we therefore control our thoughts（我们可以控制自己的思想），因而the illusion of control指的是“我们可以控制思想这一错觉”。③conscious mind是与上文中unconscious mind对应的概念，因而此处需要翻译为“显意识”。④through the conscious mind alone是sustain the illusion of control的方式状语，可以翻译到前面，即“仅凭显意识来维持控制的错觉”。⑤this和that可以根据其前面的动词do和achieve增译为“这件事情”和“那个目标”。
48. ①本句中介词结构较多，需要弄清楚修饰关系。句首的This指代上一句中的引语，因此翻译为“这种说法”。②for neglect of those in need是后置定语修饰justification，翻译时需要前提为：为忽视那些需要帮助的人找到借口。③rationalization的后置定语中有很多of构成的短语，其后置定语是of exploitation, of the superiority and the inferiority，其中of those at the top修饰superiority，of those at the bottom修饰inferiority。
49. ①be designed to是被动，翻译时应翻译为主动“旨在……；为了……而设计”。②the best in us是指“我们的最大潜能”。③wrong在本句中使用了动词词性，意为“不公正地对待”。④begin a conscious effort表示“开始做出有意识的努力”，由于后面还有不定式作目的状语，此处转译为“有意识地努力”更合适。
50. ①contained in knowing… to us是后置定语修饰possibilities，翻译时需要前置，即“包含在了解一切都取决于我们自己之中的可能性”，这句话显然按汉语词序可以转译为“了解一切都取决于我们自己后，就有了各种可能性”。②be experts in表示“……的专家”，此处与limitations搭配，显然不能翻译为“局限性的专家”，应该翻译为“擅长处理各种局限性的专家”，同理，后面的be authorities of也翻译为“真正驾驭……”。③what is possible与前面的possibilities呼应，翻译为“各种可能性”。
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