1. "The test of any democratic society," he wrote in a Wall Street Journal column, "lies not in how well it can control expression but in whether it gives freedom of thought and expression the widest possible latitude, however disputable or irritating the results may sometimes be. We won't retreat in the face of any threats."
【译文】他在《华尔街日报》一篇专栏文章中写道：“任何一个民主社会的考验不在于它能多有效地控制各种情感的表达，而在于是否给予了人们最广泛的思考和表达的自由，无论有时这种结果会引起多大的争论和愤怒。我们不会在任何威胁面前退却。”
【析句】引号里实际上包括两句话。第一句较难，其主干是The test… lies not in… but in，两个宾语，分别是how well it can control expression和whether it gives… latitude。however disputable… sometimes be作句子的状语。
【讲词】freedom of thought意为“思想的自由”，freedom of expression意为“表达的自由”或“自由表达”。in the face of意为“面对”。In the face of mounting opposition, the government withdrew its support for the plan.（面临越来越大的阻力，政府撤消了对这一计划的支持。）This flexibility is an essential advantage in the face of changing business requirements.（在商业要求发生变化之时，这种灵活的方式是一个必要的优势。）
2. Levin would not comment on the debate last week, but there were signs that the chairman was backing off his hard line stand, at least to some extent.
【译文】莱文不愿对上周的辩论做出评论，但有迹象表明，这位董事长的强硬立场起码在一定程度上有所缓和。
【析句】句子本身并不难，但是要正确理解某些词和词组。
【讲词】back off意为“后退”。Why Democrats backed off education budget?（为什么民主党在教育预算这个问题作出让步？）stand意为“立场”。She defended her stand on the issue.（她为自己在这一问题上的立场进行了辩解。）extent意为“广度；宽度；长度；范围；程度”。to a certain extent（在一定程度上），to a great extent（在很大程度上），to some extent（在某种程度上），to such an extent that（到这样的程度竟然），to that extent（达到那样的程度），to the extent of（到……的程度），to the extent that（达到……程度）。