2017中級翻譯資格考試筆譯復(fù)習題及答案
【原文】
It’s not that we are afraid of seeing him stumble, of scribbling a mustache over his career. Sure, the nice part of us wants Mike to know we appreciate him, that he still reigns, at least in our memory. The truth, though, is that we don’t want him to come back because even for Michael Jordan, this would be an act of hubris so monumental as to make his trademark confidence twist into conceit. We don’t want him back on the court because no one likes a show-off. The stumbling? That will be fun.
But we are nice people, we Americans, with 225 years of optimism at our backs. Days ago when M.J. said he had made a decision about returning to the NBA in September, we got excited. He had said the day before, “I look forward to playing, and hopefully I can get to that point where I can make that decision. It’s O.K., to have some doubt, and it’s O.K. to have some nervousness.” A Time/CNN poll last week has Americans, 2 to 1, saying they would like him on the court ASAP. And only 21 percent thought that if he came back and just completely bombed, it would damage his legend. In fact only 28 percent think athletes should retire at their peak.
Sources close to him tell Time that when Jordan first talked about a comeback with the Washington Wizards, the team Jordan co-owns and would play for, some of his trusted advisers privately tried to discourage him. “But they say if they try to stop him, it will onlyfirm up his resolve,” says an NBA source.
The problem with Jordan’s return is not only that he can’t possibly live up to the storybook ending he gave up in 1998 — earning his sixth ring with a last-second championship-winning shot. The problem is that the motives for coming back — needing the attention, needing to play even when his 38-year-old body does not — violate the verymyth of Jordan, the myth of absolute control. Babe Ruth, the 20th century’s first star, was a gust of fat bravado and drunken talent, while Jordan ended the century by proving the elegance of resolve; Babe’s pointing to the bleachers replaced by the charm of a backpedaling shoulder shrug. Jordan symbolized success by not sullying his brand with his politics, his opinion or superstar personality. To be a Jordan fan was to be a fan of classiness and confidence.
To come back when he knows that playing for Wizards won’t get him anywhere near the second round of the play-offs, when he knows that he won’t be the league scoring leader, that’s a loss of control.
Jordan does not care what we think. Friends say that he takes articles that tell him not to come back and tacks them all on his refrigerator as inspiration. So why bother writing something telling him not to come back? He is still Michael Jordan.
參考答案：
不是因為我們害怕看到他會因失誤而給他輝煌的生涯畫上遺憾的一筆。從善意的角度說，我們想讓邁克知道，我們?nèi)匀恍蕾p他，至少在我們的記憶中，他仍然是英雄。事實上，我們不想讓他重返球場，即使他是邁克爾·喬丹。我們覺得這是個貿(mào)然之舉，我們不想看到自信的商標蛻變成一種自負的象征。我們不想讓他重返球場，因為沒有人喜歡賣弄。失誤呢?那將會很有趣。
但是我們是有著225年樂觀歷史的美國人，我們都是好心人。當喬丹幾天前宣布他將在九月重返NBA時，我們曾為之一振。宣布的前一天，他說過：“我盼望能打球，并希望事情能如愿以償。有些人懷疑，有些人緊張，都屬正常。”《時代》周刊和美國有線新聞網(wǎng)上周做的一項民意調(diào)查表明，每兩個美國人當中就有一個人希望喬丹盡快重返賽場。只有21%的人們認為，如果他的重返導(dǎo)致一場徹底失敗，將會損害他的傳奇。事實上只有28%的人認為運動員應(yīng)該在他的運動巔峰時期引退。
與喬丹關(guān)系密切的人告訴《時代》周刊，當喬丹第一次談到重返它與其他人共同擁有的華盛頓奇才隊并為之效力時，一些他最信任的顧問試圖私下打消他的愿望。“但他們說，如果試圖阻止他，只能鑒定他的決心，”一位NBA人士如是說。
喬丹復(fù)出所產(chǎn)生的問題不僅僅在于他不可能重現(xiàn)1998年的神話，那一年，他以一個精彩的最后一秒投籃，使球隊贏得了冠軍，也為自己贏得了第六只金指環(huán)。問題是他重返的'動機——他需要人們的關(guān)注，需要在38歲體力不支時，仍然打球。這一切都有悖于他所創(chuàng)造的神話——一個展示絕對控制力的神話。如果說二十世紀的第一個球星巴比·魯斯是一個身材魁梧肥胖的魯莽之夫和酒鬼天才，喬丹則證明了剛毅所能帶來的優(yōu)雅風度，并以此結(jié)束了二十世紀。巴比對觀眾的頤指氣使被喬丹無奈聳肩的魅力所取代。喬丹代表著成功，因為他的名字沒有被他的政治傾向、他的觀點或是他的超級明星個性所玷污。喬丹迷就是典雅和自信迷。
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