第一段
①If ambition is to be well regarded, the rewards of ambition—wealth, distinction, control over one’s destiny—must be deemed worthy of the sacrifices made on ambition’s behalf.②If the tradition of ambition is to have vitality, it must be widely shared; and it especially must be highly regarded by people who are themselves admired, the educated not least among them.③In an odd way, however, it is the educated who have claimed to have given up on ambition as an ideal. ④What is odd is that they have perhaps most benefited from ambition—if not always their own then that of their parents and grandparents.⑤There is a heavy note of hypocrisy in this, a case of closing the barn door after the horses have escaped—with the educated themselves riding on them.
单词&词组
regard v. 看待
reward n. 回报
ambition n. 雄心
distinction n. 荣誉；卓越
control over 控制
destiny n. 命运
deem v. 认为
worthy of 值得……
sacrifice n. 牺牲
on one's behalf 为了……
vitality n. 活力
admire v. 钦佩，赞赏，羡慕
not least 尤其是，特别是
odd a. 奇特的，异常的，古怪的
in an odd way 以一种奇怪的方式
give up on 对……不再抱有希望
ideal n. 理想
benefit from 从……中获益
note n. （言语或行为中所含的）感情色彩、特征
hypocrisy n. 伪善；虚伪
barn n. 畜棚
本段翻译
如果雄心想要得到人们的重视，则它带来的回报——财富、荣誉、对自身命运的掌控就必须被认定能抵得上为(实现)雄心壮志所做出的牺牲。如果雄心的传统想要焕发活力，那么它必须得到广泛认同，尤其应该得到那些自身受到他人仰慕的人们的高度重视，那些受过教育的人最应该包含在内。然而奇怪的是，恰恰是那些受过教育的人声称他们已经放弃雄心壮志这一理想。奇怪之处在于他们或许是雄心的最大获益者即便这些雄心不是来自他们自己，也是来自他们父辈或祖父辈。这其中有着浓厚的虚伪色彩，是一种“马逃跑后再关上马厩门”的做法受过教育的人自己正骑在马背上。
第二段
①Certainly people do not seem less interested in success and its signs now than formerly.②Summer homes, European travel, BMWs—the locations, place names and name brands may change, but such items do not seem less in demand today than a decade or two years ago.③What has happened is that people cannot confess fully to their dreams, as easily and openly as once they could, lest they be thought pushing, acquisitive and vulgar.④Instead, we are treated to fine hypocritical spectacles, which now more than ever seem in ample supply: the critic of American materialism with a Southampton summer home; the publisher of radical books who takes his meals in three-star restaurants; the journalist advocating participatory democracy in all phases of life, whose own children are enrolled in private schools. ⑤For such people and many more perhaps not so exceptional, the proper formulation is, “Succeed at all costs but avoid appearing ambitious.”
单词&词组
name brand 著名的品牌
item n. （一些物品中的）一项
in demand 非常需要的，受欢迎的
decade n. 十年
confess v. 坦白，承认
lest conj. 唯恐，以免
pushing a. 有进取心的，有事业心的
acquisitive a. 渴求获取财物的，贪婪的
be treated to sth. 享受……，以……款待
vulgar a. 庸俗的
fine ad. 很
hypocritical a. 虚伪的
spectacle n. 景象
in ample supply 供应充足
critic n. 批评家
materialism n. 物质主义
publisher n. 出版商
radical a. 激进的
three-star a. 三星级的
journalist n. 新闻记者
advocate v. 鼓吹
participatory democracy 参与式民主制（整个团体的人参与事情的决定）
all phases of life 生活的各个阶段
be enrolled in... 被招收
enroll v. 招收，使入（学）
exceptional a. 独特的
formulation n. 明确的表达，确切的阐述
at all cost 不惜任何代价
本段翻译
当然，人们现在对成功及其标志的兴趣似乎丝毫不逊于从前。避暑别墅，欧洲旅行、宝马轿车位置、地名和名牌可能会改变，但人们现在对这些东西的需求似乎并未比一二十年前有所减少。实际发生的情况是人们不能像以前那样轻易地、公开地坦承自己的梦想，惟恐别人认为自己急功近利、贪得无厌、庸俗不堪。与之相对照的是，我们正目睹似乎比以往任何时候都多的很虚伪的景象：美国物质主义的批评家在南安普顿拥有避暑别墅；激进书籍的出版商在三星级宾馆就餐；鼓吹在人生各个阶段施行参与式民主制的新闻记者却把自己的子女送进私立学校。对于这些人以及更多也许没这么特别的人而言，最合适的诠释是“不惜一切代价获得成功，但避免表现出雄心勃勃”
第三段
①The attacks on ambition are many and come from various angles; its public defenders are few and unimpressive, where they are not extremely unattractive.②As a result, the support for ambition as a healthy impulse, a quality to be admired and fixed in the mind of the young, is probably lower than it has ever been in the United States.③This does not mean that ambition is at an end, that people no longer feel its stirrings and promptings, but only that, no longer openly honored, it is less openly professed.④Consequences follow from this, of course, some of which are that ambition is driven underground, or made sly.⑤Such, then, is the way things stand: on the left angry critics, on the right stupid supporters, and in the middle, as usual, the majority of earnest people trying to get on in life.
单词&词组
angle n. （看问题或情况的）角度，立场
defender n. 捍卫者；辩护者
unimpressive a. 普通的；毫无特色的
as a result 因此
extremely ad. 极其
unattractive a. 没有吸引力的
impulse n. 动力
be fixed in the mind of 牢记于……心中
be at an end 结束
no longer 不再
stirring n. 萌动
prompting n. 驱使
profess v. 宣称，公开表明
drive v. 迫使，使不得不
sly a. 秘密的
stand v. 处于（某种状态或情形）
as usual 和往常一样
majority n. 多数
earnest a. 认真的；坚决的
get on 获得成功
本段翻译
对雄心的攻击非常之多，且出自各种不同的角度；公开为之辩解的人虽不是毫无吸引力可言，但他们确实少之又少且很不起眼。因此，在美国，雄心作为一种健康的动力，一种应该令人称羡并扎根于青年人心灵的品质，它所得到的支持也许比以往任何时期都低。但这并不意味着雄心已和激励了，只是人们不再公开地以它为荣，经穷途末路，人们再也感觉不到它的萌动更不愿公开地坦承它了。当然由此产生的后果中，有一些就是雄心被迫转入地下，或暗藏于胸。于是，情况就成了这样：左边是愤怒的批评家，右边是愚蠢的支持者，而居中的，如往常一样，是大多数一生都在认真而努力追求成功的人。
五道题
27. It is generally believed that ambition may be well regarded if .
A：its returns well compensate for the sacrifices
B：it is rewarded with money, fame and power
C：its goals are spiritual rather than material
D：it is shared by the rich and the famous
28. The last sentence of the first paragraph most probably implies that it is .
A：customary of the educated to discard ambition in words
B：too late to check ambition once it has been let out
C：dishonest to deny ambition after the fulfillment of the goal
D：impractical for the educated to enjoy benefits from ambition
29. Some people do not openly admit they have ambition because .
A：they think of it as immoral
B：their pursuits are not fame or wealth
C：ambition is not closely related to material benefits
D：they do not want to appear greedy and contemptible
30. From the last paragraph the conclusion can be drawn that ambition should be maintained .
A：secretly and vigorously
B：openly and enthusiastically
C：easily and momentarily
D：verbally and spiritually
参考答案
ACDB
答案解析
27、根据题干关键词be well regarded定位至第一段首句。该句指出， 雄心若被正确看待，那么它带来的回报应值得为其所做的牺牲，即雄心的收益补偿了为其所做的牺牲。[A]正确。
28、首段③④句指出受教育者从雄心获益，但却宣称放弃雄心；随后末句明确指出受教育者的这种行为很虚伪，并以“马逃跑了才关上马厩的门，而受教育者还在马上”这一生动比喻来揭露其虚伪本质。综合三句，可知末句意在讽刺受教育者利用雄心达到目标后却否认雄心的这种“过河拆桥”的虚伪行径。[C]符合文意。
29、根据题干关键词do not openly admit定位至第二段③句people can not confess fully to their dreams。该句指出， 人们不能像以前那样坦承自己的梦想(即承认自己的雄心) ， 惟恐别人认为自己急功近利、贪得无厌、庸俗不堪。[D]符合文意。
30、综合末段，首句指出“人们对雄心的攻击远多于对它的维护”，之后说明后果“雄心本应是一种健康的动力，一种应该令人称羡并扎根于青年人心灵的品质，但大众认可度却降为史上最低，现在人们仍能感觉到雄心的萌动和激励，只是被人们藏匿于胸”，由此不难看出，作者认为雄心是一种健康的品质，能带给人激励，人们不应该隐瞒自己的雄心。[B]符合文义。
