北外翻译真题.docx

北外翻译真题.docx

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北外翻译真题

北外基础英语，同声传译试卷

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1998年基础英语试卷Readthefollowingpassage:

ARCHIBALDMACLEISH:

BicentennialofWhat?

AnaddressattheBicentennialcommemorationoftheAmericanPhilosophicalSocietyinPhiladelphia

ItisacommonhumanpracticetoanswerquestionswithouttrulyaskingthemandtheAmericanbicentennialismerelythelatestinstance.EveryoneknowswhattheBicentennialcelebrates:

the200thanniversaryoftheadoption,bytheContinentalCongress,oftheDeclarationofIndependence.ButnooneaskswhattheBicentennialisbecausenooneaskswhattheDeclarationwas.TheinstrumentofannouncingAmericanindependencefromGreatBritain?

Clearlythat:

butisthatallitwas?

IsitonlyAmericanindependencefromGreatBritainwearecelebratingonJuly4,1976——onlytheinstrumentwhichdeclaredourindependence?

TherehavebeenotherdeclarationsofunilateralindependencefromGreatBritainwhichnooneislikelytorememberfor200years,muchlesstocelebrate.

“Allmen”aresaidinthatdocumenttobecreatedequalandtohavebeenendowedwithcertainunalienablerights.Allgovernmentsareallegedtohavebeeninstitutedamongmentosecurethoserights——toprotectthem.Arethese,then,Americanrights?

Doubtless——butonlyAmerican?

IsittheBritishGovernmentwhichisdeclaredtohaveviolatedthem?

Unquestionably——buttheBritishGovernmentalone?

Andtherevolutionagainsttyrannyandarrogancewhichishereimplied——isitarevolutionwhichAmericanindependencefromthemediocremajestyofGeorgeIIIwillwinoristheresomethingmoreintended?

——somethingforallmankind?

——foralltheworld?

Intheolddayswhencollegeundergraduatesstillreadhistory,anyundergraduatecouldhavetoldyouthatthesearenotrhetoricalquestions:

thattheywere,fromthebeginning,twoopinionsabouttheDeclarationandthattheywereheldby（amongothers）thetwogreatmenwhohadmosttodowithitscompositionanditsadoptionbytheCongress.

JohnAdams,whosupportedtheDeclarationwithallhisformidablepowers,inclinedtotheviewthatitwasjustwhatiscalleditself:

adeclarationofAmericanindependence.ThomasJefferson,whowroteit,heldtheoppositeopinion:

itwasarevolutionaryproclamationapplicabletoallmankind.

“Mayitbetheworld”,hewrotetothecitizensofWashingtonafewdaysbeforehedied,“whatIbelieveitwillbe:

tosomepartssooner,tootherslater,butfinallytoall,thesignalofarousingmentoburstthechains…”

Andhewentoninreverberatingwords:

“Themassofmankindhasnotbeenbornwithsaddlesontheirbacksforafavoredfew,bootedandspurred,readytoridethembythegraceofGod.”

Moreover,thesetwogreatandfamousmenwerenottheonlyPresidentsoftheRepublictochoosebetweenthealternatives:

Athird,asgreataseither,speakinginPhiladelphiaatthedarkestmomentinourhistory——bearingindeedthewholeweightofthathistoryonhisshouldersashespoke——turnedtotheDeclarationforguidanceforhimselfandforhiscountryandmadehischoicebetweenthemeanings.

Mr.LincolnhadbeenmakinghiswayslowlyeastwardinFebruary1861fromSpringfieldtoWashingtontotaketheoathofofficeasPresidentofadividedpeopleonthevergeofCivilWar.HehadreachedPhiladelphiaonthe21stofFebruarywherehehadbeentoldoftheconspiracytomurderhiminBaltimoreashepassedthroughthatcity.HehadgonetoIndependenceHallbeforedaylightonthe22nd.Hehadfoundacrowdwaiting.Hehadspokentothem.

Hehadoftenaskedhimself.Mr.Lincolnsaid,whatgreatprincipleorideaitwaswhichhadheldtheUnionsolongtogether.“Itwasnot,”hesaid,asthoughreplyingdirectlytoJohnAdams,“themerematteroftheseparationfromthemothercountry.”

Itwassomethingmore.“SomethingintheDeclaration,”theyheardhimsay.“Somethinggivinglibertynotalonetothepeopleofthiscountrybuthopetotheworld.”“Itwasthatwhichgavepromisethatinduetimetheweightsshouldbeliftedfromtheshouldersofallmen.”

Anyoneelse,anymodernPresidentcertainly,wouldhavesaid,asmostofthemregularlydo,thathishopeforthecountrywasfixedinhugeexpendituresforarms,inthepossessionofoverwhelmingpower.NotMr.Lincoln.NotMr.Lincolnevenatthatdesperatemoment.Hishopewasfixedinagreataffirmationofbeliefmadealmostacenturybefore.ItwasfixedinthecommitmentoftheAmericanpeople,atthebeginningoftheirhistoryasapeople,to“agreatprincipleoridea”:

theprincipleorideaofhumanliberty——ofhumanlibertynotforthemselvesalonebutformankind.

ItwasadaringgambleofMr.Lincoln’s——butsotoowasMr.Jefferson’sDeclaration——sowasthecausewhichMr.Jefferson’sDeclarationhaddefined.Couldanationbefoundedonthebeliefinliberty?

Couldbeliefinlibertypreserveit?

TwoAmericangenerationsarguedthatissuebutnotours——notthegenerationofthecelebrantsofthe200thanniversaryofthatgreatevent.Weassume,Isuppose,thatMr.Jefferson’spolicywasrightforhimandrightforMr.Lincoln,becauseitwassuccessful.ButwhateverwethinkaboutMr.Lincoln’viewoftheDeclaration,whateverwebelieveabouttheDeclarationinthepast,inothermen’slives,inothermen’swars,wedonotaskourselves,aswecelebrateitsBicentennial,whatitistoday,whatitistous.

OurpresentPresidenthasneverintimatedbysomuchasawordthatsuchaquestionmightberelevant——thatitevenexists.TheCongresshasnotdebatedit.ThestateandFederalcommissionschargedwithBicentennialresponsibilityexpressnoopinions.Onlythegenerationoftheyoung,sofarasIaminformed,hasevenmentionedit,andthepresentgenerationoftheyounghascertainunderstanbleprejudices,inheritedfromthedisillusionmentsofrecentyears,whichcolortheircomments…

Expressyourviewthatthenationbroughtintobeingbyhatgreatdocumentwas,andhadnochoicebutbe,arevolutionarynation,andyouwillberemindedthat,butfortheaccidentaldiscoveryofapieceoftapeonadoorlatch,thePresidentoftheUnitedStatesintheBicentennialyearwouldhavebeenRichardNixon.AndsoitwillgountilyouaretoldatlastthattheAmericanRevolutionisafigureofobsolescentspeech;thattheDeclarationhasbecomeamuseumexhibitintheNationalArchives;andthat,asfortheBicentennial,itisayear-longcommercialwhichoughttobeturnedoff.

Well,theindignationoftheyoungisalwaysadmirableregardlessofitsverbalexcesses——farmoreadmirable,certainly,thantheindifferenceoftheelders.But,unfortunately,itistheindifferenceoftheelderswehavetoconsider.Andnotonlybecauseitisapuzzling,aparadoxical,indifferencebutbecauseitisasdisturbingasitisparadoxical.

DoesourindifferencetotheexplicitlyrevolutionarypurposeoftheDeclaration－oursilenceaboutMr.Jefferson’sinterpretationofthatpurpose——meanthatwenolongerbelieveinthatpurpose——nolongerbelieveinhumanliberty?

Hardly?

...

Butifthisisso,ifwestillbelieveinthecauseofhumanliberty,whydowecelebratetheanniversaryofthedocumentwhichdefineditforuswithoutathoughtforthemeaningofthedefinition,thenornow?

Whyhavewenotheardfromourrepresentativesandourofficialsonhisgreattheme?

Isitbecause,althoughtheRepubliccontinuestobelieveinhumanlibertyforitself,itnolongerhopesforitintheworld?

Becauseitnolongerthinkssuchahope“realistic”?

...

Sofar,indeed,isMr.Jefferson’srevolutionfrombeingobsoletethatitisnowtheonlytrulyrevolutionaryforceintheagewelivein.Andnotdespitethepolicestatesbutbecauseofthem.

In1945,whenehaddriventheNazisoutofEuropeandtheJapaneseoutofthePacificinthenameofhumanfreedomandhumandecency,westoodatthepeak,notonlyofourpowerasanationbutofourgreatnessasapeople.Weweremorenearlyourselves,ourtrueselvesastheinheritorsofThomasJeffersonandAbrahamLincoln,thanwehadeverbeenbefore.Andyetwithinafewyearsofthattremendoustriumph,oftheunexampledgenerosityofournuclearoffertotheworld,ofthemagnificenceofthemarshallPlan,wewerelostinthehystericalfearsandignobledeceitsofJoeMcCarthyandhisfollowersandhadadopted,asourforeignpolicy,thenotionthatifwe“contained”theRussianinitiative,wewouldsomehoworotherbebetteroffourselvesthanifwepursuedourhistoricpurposeasJeffersonconceivedit.

Theresult,aswenowknow,wasdisaster.AndnotonlyinSoutheastAsiaandPortugalandAfricabutthroughouttheworld,Containmentputusinbedwitheveryanti-Communistwecouldfindincludingsomeofthemostoffensivedespotstheninbusiness.ItproducedflagrantlysubversiveandshamefulplotsbyAmericanagenciesagainstthedulyelectedgovernmentsofothercountries.Anditendedbypersuadingthenewcountriesofthepostwarworld,theemergingnations,thatheUnitedStateswastothemandtotheirhopeswhattheHolyAlliancehadbeentousandours200yearsbefore.

I.Explainthefollowinginyourownwords:

1.Allgovernmentsareallegedtohavebeeninstitutedamongmentosecurethoserights－toprotectthem.2.Intheolddayswhencollegeundergraduatesstillreadhistory…

（1）Whatistheimplicationofthisstatement?

（2）Howdoyouknow?

3.…whohadmosttodowithitscompositionanditsadoptionbytheCongress.4.Mayitbetotheworld,whatIbelieveitwillbe:

tosomepartssooner,tootherslater,butfinallytoall,thesignalofarousingmentoburstthechains…5.Themassofmankindhasnotbeenbornwithsaddles…bythegraceofGod.6.Itwasthatwhichgavepromise…fromtheshouldersofallmen.7.Itwas