難句解析：
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.
▲此句包含一個if引導的條件狀語從句If ambition is to be well regarded，主句的主語是the rewards of ambition，謂語是must be deemed，而wealth, distinction, control over one's destiny既是插入語，又是the rewards的同位語。made on ambition's behalf是the sacrifices的補語。
△本句中需弄清一些詞匯的含義，如：distinction聲望顯赫或出人頭地；worthy of對得起或不辜負；on behalf of為了。
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.
▲這是一個并列關系的并列句。前一個分句又包含由if引導的條件狀語，主句中的主語it指代the tradition of ambition。后一分句中who are themselves admired修飾people，the educated not least among them是people的補語。
△注意people who are themselves admired指“自己也受人仰慕的人士”；not least意為“相當重要”。
③There 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.
▲a case of closing the barn door after the horses have escaped是前面主句的補語，with the educated themselves riding on them是補語中的伴隨狀語。
△hypocrisy虛偽或偽善，理解了這個詞，后面的比喻就簡單了。要理解這個比喻，最好把句中的馬理解為ambition的象征。注意這個比喻和“亡羊補牢”沒有任何關系，它的意思更接近于“掩耳盜鈴”；在這里是指受過良好教育的人在自己的野心實現以后，從追求野心的過程中受了益，但他們得了便宜還賣乖，反過來譴責野心，并說自己并沒有追求野心。
④Certainly people do not seem less interested in success and its signs now than formerly. Summer 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.
▲此處出現了兩個比較級，less interested in success and its signs now than formerly和less in demand today than a decade or two years ago。
△千萬注意兩句中的雙重否定：“do not seem less interested in success and its signs now than formerly”means“seem at least as interested in success and its signs now as formerly, if not more”，后面的do not seem less in demand today than a decade or two years ago也是如此。
⑤What 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.
▲what一詞指代的是that引導的從句，從句中as easily and openly as once they could又是下一層的狀語，此外lest引導帶虛擬語氣的假設狀語從句。
△注意lest一詞的含義（“唯恐”）和用法（引導虛擬語氣）。而且在閱讀過程中應該能夠推測出pushing，acquisitive，vulgar三詞都是貶義。
⑥Instead, 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.
▲本句的主句是we are treated to fine hypocritical spectacles。后面有一個非限定性的定語從句修飾spectacles。在冒號的后面是三個并列的名詞性短語，其核心詞分別是critic，publisher和journalist。
△要理解本句，首先要正確理解be treated to的意思是“被款待，被招待”；因此后面的spectacles就不是“眼鏡”，而是“壯觀景象”，此處有一定的反諷意味。后面即使不理解其具體含義，大致也應該抓住的是虛偽，說一套做一套的具體事例，從這個角度理解就比較清楚了。
⑦The attacks on ambition are many and come from various angles; its public defenders are few and unimpressive, where they are not extremely unattractive.
▲此句是用分號隔開的兩個并列句，后面的一個分句中有一個where引導的定語從句，從整體上來修飾its public defenders，只不過先行詞用了where。
△要理解分號前后是從正反兩個方面來說明人們對于ambition的態度，同時注意最后的定語從句中的那個雙重否定，表達了作者的一種態度，說明作者對于野心的維護者是抱肯定的態度的，從而也能推出作者對于野心也是持積極態度的，而作者所不齒的是對于野心問題虛偽的、說一套做一套的做法。
來源:可可英語 http://www.ccdyzl.cn/kaoyan/201406/305305.shtml