Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
Think about driving a route that’s very familiar. It could be your commute to work, a trip into town or the way home. Whichever it is, you know every twist and turn like the back of your hand. On these sorts of trips it’s easy to lose concentration on the driving and pay little attention to the passing scenery. The consequence is that you perceive that the trip has taken less time than it actually has.
This is the well-travelled road effect: People tend to underestimate the time it takes to travel a familiar route.
The effect is caused by the way we allocate our attention. When we travel down a well-known route, because we don’t have to concentrate much, time seems to flow more quickly. And afterwards, when we come to think back on it, we can’t remember the journey well because we didn’t pay much attention to it. So we assume it was shorter.
1、 Think about driving a route that’s very familiar. It could be your commute to work, a trip into town or the way home. Whichever it is, you know every twist and turn like the back of your hand. On these sorts of trips it’s easy to lose concentration on the driving and pay little attention to the passing scenery. The consequence is that you perceive that the trip has taken less time than it actually has. This is the well-travelled road effect: People tend to underestimate the time it takes to travel a familiar route. The effect is caused by the way we allocate our attention. When we travel down a well-known route, because we don’t have to concentrate much, time seems to flow more quickly. And afterwards, when we come to think back on it, we can’t remember the journey well because we didn’t pay much attention to it. So we assume it was shorter.
正确答案:
参考译文
想象一下驾驶在一条非常熟悉的路上。它可能是你上班、进城或回家的路。不管哪一条路,你对路上的每一处转弯都了如指掌。在这样的路途中,很容易在驾驶时分散注意力,很少关注路边的风景。这样做的结果是,你觉得这次旅途花的时间比实际时间要少。
这就是熟路效应:人们往往会低估走熟悉路线时所需要的时间。
这种效应是由我们分配注意力的方式造成的。当我们走在一条非常熟悉的路上时,因为我们不需要集中太多精力,时间似乎就过得更快。之后,当我们回想起这段旅途时,由于我们没有太注意它,所以我们对这段旅途记得不是很清楚。因此,我们就会觉得这段路途更短了。
答案解析:
生词本
route n. 路线
consequence n. 结果
commute n. 通勤
perceive v. 感觉
twist n. 转弯处
well-travelled adj. 行走次数多的
sort n. 类别
underestimate v. 低估
concentration n. 专注
allocate v. 分配
scenery n. 风景
assume v. 认为
know someplace like the back of one’s hand 对某地了如指掌
名师解析
第一句:Think about driving a route that’s very familiar.
表达难点:首句为祈使句,用于表达希望别人做某事。that引导了一个定语从句,修饰前面的route,用于解释是一条什么样的路。Think about可译为“设想,想象”。句子较简单,直译即可。本句话可译为:想象一下驾驶在一条非常熟悉的路上。
第二句:It could be your commute to work, a trip into town or the way home.
表达难点:第二句为主系表结构,其中表语包含了用or连接的三个并列的名词短语,三个短语都和第一句的route有关,在翻译时要注意体现出道路这一点。句子较简单,按照语序直译即可。本句话可译为:它可能是你上班、进城或回家的路。
第三句:Whichever it is, you know every twist and turn like the back of your hand.
表达难点:句子主干为…you know every twist and turn…,主谓宾结构,可译为“你了解每一处转弯”。句首的Whichever引导让步状语从句,其中it代指前文说的route。句子后半部分的like the back of your hand为介词短语作状语,意为“对……了如指掌”。本句话可译为:不管哪一条路,你对路上的每一处转弯都了如指掌。
第四句:On these sorts of trips it’s easy to lose concentration on the driving and pay little attention to the passing scenery.
表达难点:本句较为复杂。句子主干是…it’s easy to…,主系表结构,it为形式主语,不用翻译。真正的主语是由and连接的两个动词不定式结构to loss…and (to) pay…。句首的On these sorts of trips作地点状语,用于解释主句发生的地点背景,可译为“在这样的路途中”。loss concentration on表示“分散对……的注意力”,passing scenery可译为“沿路风景”。本句话可译为:在这样的路途中,很容易在驾驶时分散注意力,很少关注路边的风景。
第五句:The consequence is that you perceive that the trip has taken less time than it actually has.
表达难点:句子主干为The consequence is…,主系表结构。第一个that引导表语从句,用于解释是一个什么样的结果。第二个that引导宾语从句,是perceive的宾语,表明看法。than引导比较状语从句,其中it指代前面提到的trip,此处将“旅途花的时间”和“实际时间”进行比较。本句话可译为:这样做的结果是,你觉得这次旅途花的时间比实际时间要少。
第六句:This is the well-travelled road effect: People tend to underestimate the time it takes to travel a familiar route.
表达难点:本句是由冒号分隔的两个分句,冒号后的句子是well-travelled road effect的同位语,对其进行补充解释。前半句为主系表结构,较为简单,直译即可。well-travelled对应前文的familiar,可译为“熟悉的”,整个the well-traveled road effect可译为“熟路效应”。冒号后面的句子包含一个省略了that/which的定语从句it takes to travel a familiar route,用于修饰time,表示“走熟悉路线时所需要的时间”。本句话可译为:这就是熟路效应:人们往往会低估走熟悉路线时所需要的时间。
第七句:The effect is caused by the way we allocate our attention.
表达难点:本句是被动语态,其中包含一个省略了that/which的定语从句we allocate our attention,用于修饰the way,表示“我们分配注意力的方式”。本句话可译为:这种效应是由我们分配注意力的方式造成的。
第八句:When we travel down a well-known route, because we don’t have to concentrate much, time seems to flow more quickly.
表达难点:本句主干为…time seems to flow more quickly,主系表结构,可译为“时间似乎过得更快”。句首的When引导时间状语从句,用于表明事情发生的时间背景,travel down可译为“走在……的路上”或“沿着……走”。后面的because引导原因状语从句,对主句情况的发生进行解释,concentrate much表示“太过集中注意力”。本句话可译为:当我们走在一条非常熟悉的路上时,因为我们不需要集中太多精力,时间似乎就过得更快。
第九句:And afterwards, when we come to think back on it, we can’t remember the journey well because we didn’t pay much attention to it.
表达难点:本句主干为…we can’t remember the journey well…,主谓宾结构,可译为“我们对这段旅途记得不是很清楚”。主句前面的when引导时间状语从句,用于解释主句发生的背景,it代指主句的journey,可译为“当我们回想起这段旅途时”。主句后面的because引导原因状语从句,用于对主句进行解释说明,表示是因为我们没有集中太多的注意力在这段旅程上。注意在翻译时按照中文“先原因,后结果”的表达习惯进行翻译,可把because引导的原因状语从句放在主句之前翻译。本句话可译为:之后,当我们回想起这段旅途时,由于我们没有太注意它,所以我们对这段旅途记得不是很清楚。
第十句:So we assume it was shorter.
表达难点:简单句,按照顺序直译即可,但要注意assume应译为“觉得,认为”。本句话可译为:因此,我们就会觉得这段路途更短了。
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