2. 外语
  3. Did these prejudices prevail only among the meanest and lowest of the people, perhaps they might be excused, as they have few, i

Did these prejudices prevail only among the meanest and lowest of the people, perhaps they might be excused, as they have few, i

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问题 Did these prejudices prevail only among the meanest and lowest of the people, perhaps they might be excused, as they have few, if any, opportunities of correcting them by reading, traveling, or conversing with foreigners; but the misfortune is, that they infect the minds, and influence the conduct even of our gentlemen; of those, I mean, who have every title to this appellation but an exemption from prejudice, which, however, in my opinion, ought to be regarded as the characteristic mark of a gentleman; for let a man’s birth be ever so high, his station ever so exalted, or his fortune ever so large, yet if he is not free from national and other prejudices, I should make bold to tell him, that he had a low and vulgar mind, and had no just claim to the character of a gentleman. And in fact, you will always find that those are most apt to boast of national merit, who have little or no merit of their own to depend on, than which, to be sure, nothing is more natural: the slender vine twists around the sturdy oak for no other reason in the world but because it has not strength sufficient to support itself.
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答案 这些偏见是否仅仅在社会地位低、没什么文化见识的人中盛行呢?或许这是情有可原的，因为他们很少有机会去阅读书籍、旅行或与外国人交谈，从而校正自己的观点。然而不幸的是，这些偏见竟然也浸染了智者们的头脑，影响了他们的绅士行为，而我认为那些在方方面面都满足绅士这一头衔，但能免俗于国家偏见的人，恰恰是绅士的典型代表。即使一个人的出身再高贵，地位再尊崇，财产再殷实，如果他无法摆脱国家偏见或对其他事物的偏见，我就斗胆告诉他：他只是一个头脑简单的俗物，称不上是一位绅士。事实上，你会经常发现那些自己鲜有甚至是没有功绩的人，最善于吹嘘国家功绩，这是最自然不过的事情。正如那盘旋于坚实橡树上的纤弱葡萄藤，它们不为别的，只因自己的力量脆弱到无法支撑自己。
解析 1．第一句第一个分句中的the meanest and lowest of the people，根据下文可知，这里指那些由于客观条件限制，没有机会或很少有机会读书、旅行或与外国人交谈的人，故译为“社会地位低、没什么文化见识的人”。
2．第一句第二个分句中that they infect the minds，and influence the conduct even of our gentlemen的infect本义是“传染，感染”，在此处译作“浸染”即可；minds和conduct对应的人都是gentlemen，本句翻译时需整合，译作“浸染了智者们的头脑，影响了他们绅士的行为”。注意，为了与第一句中“没什么文化见识的人”遥相呼应，这里的gentlemen译作“智者”较妥。
3．第一句第四个分句中for let a man’s birth be ever so high，his station ever so exalted，or his fortuneever so large是排比句，应注意译出排比：效果，故译作“一个人的出身再高贵，地位再尊崇，财产再殷实”。
4．第二句句子较长，成分较复杂，其中主干为you will find that…，后面包含两个定语从句；冒号后面的内容起解释说明的作用。其中have little or no merit of their own to depend on译作“鲜有甚至是没有功绩的人”，for no other reason可译作“不为别的”。
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