1. 没有上下文,所以第一句里面的the one item不好翻译。我猜测这篇全文是讲地标建筑、军备系统及其他事物的象征性名称的,所以the one item有可能是某种特殊命名方式,至于最终翻译成什么要你自己根据上文的内容来决定了。其实第一句应该属于上一段描写当中的内容啦~2. 第二句当中与当代欧洲的情况做了比较,后文提到美国人,所以猜测这里是以美国和别的地方作比较。还是一句一句翻译了,方便你对照着自己修改下:This is most obviously the case with the one item that has been accorded appreciable attention, the architecture of homes, churches, colleges, cemeteries, commercial structures, and public buildings.不论是家用住房、教堂、学校、墓地、商业设施,还是公共设施,很明显,用这种特殊命名方式的建筑一直以来都是备受关注。Then there is the profusion of classical fore-names for both males and females that, at least in the masculine department, far exceeds anything found in contemporary Europe or elsewhere.当然还有大量的使用古典男女姓名命名的方式,至少在工作内容充满男性意味的部门当中,我们国家使用这种命名方式的频率远超现代欧洲及其他地方。Thus we have had the widespread use of Homer, Claud(ius), Virgil, Lucius, Marcus, Julius, Augustus, Horace, Ulysses, Cassius, Alexander, and Hector, among many others.于是,在本国家广泛存在着以下名称的使用:荷马、克劳德(克劳迪厄斯,Claudius是Claud的一种变体)、维吉尔、卢修斯、马库斯、朱利叶斯、奥古斯都、贺拉斯、尤利西斯、卡西斯、亚历山大和赫克托,等等。I also suspect that something deep-seated in the American character comes to the surface in our insistence on the use of classical terms for many naval vessels and for the majority of our rocket missile systems and spacecraft, which, besides whatever military, economic, scientific, or entertainment value they may have, are quite blatantly proclaimed to be national status symbols. 我猜想,这样执着地使用经典名称为海军船只、大部分的火箭导弹系统以及航空飞机等命名,使得美国人性格当中深层次的某些东西显现了出来,这样的命名除了有着某种军事、经济、科学或者娱乐的价值之外,还可以看作是对国家地位的相当直白的象征。很好奇为撒只翻译这一段,呵呵,有趣的文章~
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