翻译二级笔译综合能力分类模拟题61

(总分：100.00，做题时间：90分钟)

一、Cloze Test (总题数：2，分数：100.00)

"History doesn"t repeat itself," argued Mark Twain, "but it does rhyme." In this instance, history"s echo could scarcely be more depressing. In 1993 Jamie Bulger, a two-year-old boy, was abducted, tortured and murdered by two ten-year-olds. The gruesome details of the Bulger case shocked the national psyche.

Yesterday two brothers were sentenced to an indefinite period of detention for torturing two boys in Edlington last April. Aged 10 and 12, they beat, strangled and sexually degraded their victims, before putting a plastic sheet over them and setting it on fire. It was only tiredness that caused them to abandon their victims, they presumed, to die. It was a chance blessing that a passing walker stumbled across one of the boys alive.

It is impossible to 1 shock and desperation. But there is nothing new about children committing 2 . In 1748 the ten-year-old William York killed the five-year-old girl who shared his 3 . There has always been a strand of evil that courses through humanity.

But in two respects the Edlington case may 4 a critical moment. First, is Britain prepared to accept that it does 5 have a violent underclass, a problem that successive governments have 6 to ameliorate? And will David Cameron succeed in his argument 7 the Edlington case confirms his claims about "broken Britain"?

The social context of the Edlington case is as 8 as the crime itself. The court heard that brothers had a "toxic 9 life" marked by "routine aggression, violence and chaos". One brother watched 10 violent movies. He also drank routinely and smoked cannabis grown 11 his father"s allotment. There was also a chronic failure by the social services. A leaked 12 by local care authorities—to which the judge was denied access—reveals 13 there were 31 occasions on which nine different agencies failed to take action 14 the brothers" behaviour.

Broken Britain? The phrase is an oversimplification. But 15 does have a depressingly static underclass. The most telling detail 16 the case was one torturer"s explanation of his actions. He was 17 . "There was not else to do."

The political consequences may also 18 parallels with the Bulger case. In 1993 a young, charismatic Shadow Home Secretary 19 the opportunity. Tony Blair"s catchphrase "Tough on crime, tough on the 20 of crime" allowed him to capture public sentiment. Mr. Blair argued 21 the Bulger case demonstrated that Britain had descended into "moral 22 " caused by the long-serving Conservative Government.

Today"s 23 Conservatives have long been fascinated by what they regard as that pivotal 24 in Tony Blair"s career—the first sign that he could catch the national mood. So it 25 unsurprising that David Cameron has immediately woven the Edlington case 26 his narrative of abject social breakdown. "Look at the wreckage of our 27 society. See Britain through the eyes of our children. Are we really proud of our 28 today?" Those were Mr. Blair"s words before being elected. We can 29 to hear many similar phrases from Mr. Cameron in the run-up to 30 election.

Yesterday he warned that Britain was 31 an "irresponsible society." He is right. Britain is not broken, 32 it will have failed in its most basic responsibilities if it looks the other way 33 Edlington. The violence and depravity of the torturers was exceptional. The 34 —by parents, by the community, by government—was all too 35 .

These are not easy issues. They will not be solved by a politician"s neat catchphrase. But nor will they be solved by looking the other way. (from The Times, January 23, 2010)（分数：70.00）解析：avoid

解析：murder

解析：bed

解析：prove

解析：indeed

解析：failed

解析：that

解析：depressing

解析：home

解析：gruesomely

解析：on

解析：report

解析：that

解析：about

解析：Britain

解析：about

解析：bored

解析：have

解析：seized

解析：causes

解析：that

解析：chaos

解析：senior

解析：moment

解析：was

解析：into

解析：broken

解析：society

解析：expect

解析：the

解析：becoming

解析：but

解析：from

解析：neglect

解析：familiar

Our Global Village

Science and technology has turned our world into a global village. The term—global village—was coined by Marshall Mcluhan. It is used to describe the shrinking of the world as a result of the mass media. Nowadays, the mass media is able to bright events from all corners of the globe into people"s homes. Communication technologies make it possible to connect with people in other countries on the telephone and Internet. Modern transportation systems also contribute to the creation of the global village. Now astronauts can circle around the globe in eighty minutes. The moon is already within our 36 of travel, and the addition of Mars is just a 37 of time. A visit to major cities such as New York, London and Tokyo 38 that movement of people from one country and 39 to another has become commonplace.

People everywhere are gaining 40 , and this is just the beginning. Out mobility places us in 41 with people from other cultures. And when we meet, we 42 to communicate. In fact, we must communicate. This communicative 43 is called intercultural communication. It occurs whenever a message 44 is a member of one culture and a message receiver is of 45 . We may find intercultural communication difficult. Even 46 we overcome the natural barriers of language differences, we

may 47 to understand and to be understood. Misunderstanding may even become the 48 rather than the exception.

In order to communicate effectively and 49 in English, we need, therefore, to become aware of the 50 between language and culture. Language is part of culture and plays an important role in it. Without language, culture would not be possible. One the other hand, language is influenced and shaped by culture; it reflects culture. In the broad sense, language is the symbolic representation of a people, and it comprises their historical backgrounds as well as their approach to life and their ways of living the thinking. It needs to be stressed here that language and culture interact, and that understanding of one requires understanding of the other.（分数：30.00）

解析：range

解析：matter

解析：shows

解析：culture

解析：mobility

解析：contact

解析：need

解析：behavior

解析：sender

解析：another

解析：if

解析：fail

解析：rule

解析：appropriately

解析：interrelationship