There is no question that science-fiction writers have become more ambitious, stylistically and thematically, in recent years. (1) (But this may have less to do with the luring call of academic surroundings than with changing market conditions—a factor that academic critics rarely take into account.) Robert Silverberg, a former president of The Science Fiction Writers of America, is one of the most prolific professionals in a field dominated by people who actually write for a living. (Unlike mystery or Western writers, most science-fiction writers cannot expect to cash in on fat movie sales or TV tie-ins.) (2) (Still in his late thirties, Silverberg has published more than a hundred books, and he is disarmingly frank about the relationship between the quality of genuine prose and the quality of available outlet. )By his own account, he was 「an annoyingly verbal young man」 from Brooklyn who picked up his first science-fiction book at the age of ten, started writing seriously at the age of thirteen, and at seventeen nearly gave up in despair over his inability to break into the pulp magazines. (3)( At his parents』 urging, he enrolled in Columbia University, so that, if worst came to worst, he could always go to the School of Journalism and 「get a nice steady job somewhere」.) During his sophomore year, he sold his first science-fiction story to a Scottish magazine named Nebula. By the end of his junior year, he had sold a novel and twenty more stories. (4) (By the end of his senior year, he was earning two hundred dollars a week writing science fiction, and his parents were reconciled to his pursuit of the literary life. )「I became very cynical very quickly,」 he says. First I couldn’t sell anything, then I could sell everything. The market played to my worst characteristics. An editor of a schlock magazine would call up to tell me he had a ten-thousand-word hole to fill in his next issue. I』d fill it overnight for a hundred and fifty dollars. I found that rewriting made no difference. (5)( I knew I could not possibly write the kinds of things I admired as a reader—Joyce, Kafka, Mann—so I detached myself from my work.) I was a phenomenon among my friends in college, a published, selling author. But they always asked, 「When are you going to do something serious?」 —meaning something that wasn’t science fiction—and I kept telling them, 「 When I’m financially secure.」
答案
1.但是這一點與其說是與學術環境具有誘惑力的召喚有關，還不如說是與變化的市場狀況有關——一這是一個學術評論家很少考慮的因素。
2.還不到四十歲，西爾弗伯格就已出版了一百多本書籍，而他對真正散文的質量與應時之作的質量之間的關係十分坦誠，毫無掩飾。
3.在他雙親的敦促下，他報考了哥倫比亞大學，所以即便最糟他也能進入新聞學校，「將來總可以有一份穩定的好工作。」
4.到大四結束的時候，他每星期寫科幻小說已經可以賺兩百美元了，而他的雙親也接受了他對於文學生涯的追求。
5.我知道我寫不出作為讀者的我所喜歡的東西，就像喬伊斯、卡夫卡、曼恩的作品，所以我不再那麼關注我所寫的東西。
總體分析
本文介紹了科幻小說家羅伯特·西爾弗伯格。文章先指出科幻小說的繁榮與市場需求關係緊密，接著通過介紹多產的科幻小說家西爾弗伯格的創作經歷予以說明。
本文考查的知識點：後置定語、插入語、比較結構、同位語、上下文中詞義的選擇，等。
試題精解
1.[精解] 本題考核知識點：比較結構、同位語的翻譯。
該句的主幹是this may have less to do with... than with...，其中含有一個比較結構less... than...，可譯為「與其說…不如說…」。破折號後是名詞短語a factor that... 做整個主句的同位語，其中that引導的定語從句做後置定語。由於是同位語，可單獨譯為一個句子，補譯「這」為它的主語。
詞彙：luring是lure的現在分詞形式，可譯為「具有誘惑力的」;factor意為「因素」;take into account意為「考慮」。
2.[精解] 本題考核知識點：詞義的選擇。
該句是and連接的兩個並列分句，其主幹是Silverberg has published... , and he is frank about...。
詞彙：in one’s thirties意為「在(某人)三十幾歲時」，由於本句中有late修飾，如果直譯為「三十幾歲晚期」不符合漢語表達習慣，應意譯為「不到四十歲」。disarmingly意為「使人消除敵意(或懷疑、怒氣等)的」，與frank一起應譯為「十分坦誠、直言不諱」。genuine意為「真正的;坦率的，真誠的」。available意為「可獲得的，可找到的」，outlet意為「(思想、感情、精力發洩的)出路，表現機會」，available outlet不能直譯，而應根據上文對應的genuine prose(真正的散文)意譯為「應時之作」。
3.[精解] 本題考核知識點：順譯法。
該句是主從複合句，其主幹是he enrolled... so that... he could go to...，翻譯時可採用順譯的方法，保持原來句子的順序。句首介詞短語At his parents』 urging作狀語。so that引導結果狀語從句，其中插入語if worst came to worst做條件狀語，應意譯為「在最糟糕的情況下」。
詞彙：urging為urge的動名詞形式，譯為「敦促」;
4.[精解] 本題考核知識點：順譯法和分詞的翻譯。
該句是and連接的並列句，其主幹是he was earning... and his parents were...，可採用順譯的方法翻譯。前一分句中，分詞結構writing science fiction作方式狀語，翻譯時應置於謂語前面，譯為「(通過)寫科幻小說」。
詞彙：be reconciled to意為「將就，妥協，接受」。
5.[精解] 本題考核知識點：插入語、後置定語的翻譯
該句是個主從複合句，其主幹是I knew... so I detached...。主從句之間是插入語，列舉了幾個作家的名字，根據上下文，這些名字實際上指代的是作家的作品，應補譯為「喬伊斯、卡夫卡、曼恩的作品」。I knew後是省略了關係代詞的賓語從句I could not write...，其中賓語the kind of things後又接有一個定語從句I admired as...，由於定語不長，可直接譯為漢語的前置定語。
詞彙：detach oneself from sth.意為「掙脫，擺脫，離開」，文中應意譯為「不關注我寫的東西」。
(責任編輯：張嬋)