2017中級翻譯資格考試筆譯複習題及答案

　　【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。從善意的角度説，我們想讓邁克知道，我們仍然欣賞他，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。我們覺得這是個貿然之舉，我們不想看到自信的商標蜕變成一種自負的象徵。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。

但是我們是有着225年樂觀歷史的美國人，我們都是好心人。當喬丹幾天前宣佈他將在九月重返NBA時，我們曾為之一振。宣佈的前一天，他説過：“我盼望能打球，並希望事情能如願以償。有些人懷疑，有些人緊張，都屬正常。”《時代》週刊和美國有線新聞網上週做的一項民意調查表明，每兩個美國人當中就有一個人希望喬丹儘快重返賽場。只有21%的人們認為，如果他的重返導致一場徹底失敗，將會損害他的傳奇。事實上只有28%的人認為運動員應該在他的運動巔峯時期引退。

與喬丹關係密切的人告訴《時代》週刊，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併為之效力時，一些他最信任的顧問試圖私下打消他的願望。“但他們説，如果試圖阻止他，只能鑑定他的決心，”一位NBA人士如是説。

喬丹復出所產生的問題不僅僅在於他不可能重現1998年的神話，那一年，他以一個精彩的最後一秒投籃，使球隊贏得了冠軍，也為自己贏得了第六隻金指環。問題是他重返的動機——他需要人們的關注，需要在38歲體力不支時，仍然打球。這一切都有悖於他所創造的神話——一個展示絕對控制力的`神話。如果説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雅風度，並以此結束了二十世紀。巴比對觀眾的頤指氣使被喬丹無奈聳肩的魅力所取代。喬丹代表着成功，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。