(2014-10-27)

一、将下列短文译成汉语（50分）:

Truth, Strength, Service—Together

F. Gregory Campbell

This convocation is an exercise in community building—a community that now includes you. Today, we celebrate your arrival at Carthage. We welcome you into your lifelong identity with this college.

You have chosen a college that expresses its mission briefly and directly: “Seeking truth, building strength, inspiring service—together.” Seeking, building, inspiring—those are words of aspiration; they embrace growth and change.

In the 2009-2010 Carthage calendar, the photograph for this month shows two Carthage students using a scanning electron microscope. Alongside their work is a statement by Galileo: “All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.”

Seeking truth can require courage and strength..Galileo would know. Exactly 400 years ago this year, Galileo became the first person to use a telescope to study the skies. A mathematician and physicist, as well as an astronomer, Galileo is respected as the founder of modern mechanics and experimental physics. Breaking with Aristotle’s logical-verbal approach, Galileo declared that the “Book of Nature is …written in mathematical characters.”

Galileo’s observations convinced him that Copernicus was right: the earth revolves around the sun. That was a revolutionary challenge to the generally accepted view of many centuries. Galileo quickly found himself in trouble with the authorities of his time, particularly the church. Nevertheless, although under house arrest for the last eight years of his life, he continued his discoveries and his writings until his death.

注：该短文是迦泰基大学校长的开学典礼讲话节选

二、将下列短文译成英语（50分）:

两棵树的约定

每当春夏之季，普通的树叶子变绿，枝子泛青，但这里有两棵树却一枯一荣，并交替着枯荣。假如左边一颗树的叶子变绿，欣欣然，勃勃然，那么右边那棵树的叶子便开始发黄，甚至会像休眠一样，显出蔫状，瘦状，槁状，入秋便为冬了。但是，右边的树并未老朽以灭，它依然活着，等到来年的春天与夏天，就会枝繁叶茂，生机盎然。这时候，左边那棵树的叶子开始发黄，仿佛进入休眠一样。总之，两棵树之间似乎有这样一个约定：今年枯者，来年再荣；今年荣者，来年再枯。

曾经听当地人说，这两棵树是一对恩爱夫妻的化身，他们为了躲避恶霸之害，投河而殁，转世为树，我想这只是杜撰的爱情故事吧。不过我更倾向于一位智者的解释，他认为这两棵树长在金水河岸，根扎于岩缝之中，土薄而石坚，养分少，若同时为两棵树所用，那么难于存活。于是这树就轮换着，一年之中，其中一颗只盼保命，不求茁壮，而另一颗则奋发向上，由此以避免恶性竞争，导致一亡具亡。智者说，应当称其为共生树，真是恰如其分！

生活中，常常见到平日里碌碌无为之人为了功名利禄你争我夺，谁都不甘示弱，到头来还不是弄个扫兴而归，朋友变成陌生人？而那些以大局为重，互帮互助之人最终还是得到重用。因此，生活中何不学一下这两棵树？互帮互助，懂得谦让，学会共生，才能够共同走出困境。