3. 他的旧法兰绒外套经过浸湿烤干这两重水深火热的痛苦，疲软肥肿，又添上风瘫病；下身的裤管，肥粗圆满，毫无折痕，可以无需人腿而卓立地上，像一对空心的国家柱石；那根充羊毛的“不皱领带”，给水洗得缩了，瘦小蜷曲，像前清老人的辫子。毕业论文http://www.751com.cn/
Li’s old flannel overcoat, which had undergone a soaking and baking dry, the two disasters of water and fire, was limp, puffed, and in addition “paralyzed.” His trouser legs were thick and perfectly rounded without a single crease, and they could have stood up by themselves like the two hollow pillars of a nation. The imitation wool “wrinkle resistant tie,” shrunk by the water, was thin and twisted like an old man’s pigtail in Manchu times.
In the above example, ‘an old man’s pigtail in Manchu times’ recalls our memory to a very specific period in China’s history --- Qing dynasty, when Qing’s army marched across Shan Hai Guan and began to grab control over China, the governor gave orders to their subjects (Han people) to conform to Manchu’s customs: men were required to wear a long pigtail behind their backs. And also, there was a well-spread ridiculous slogan on the tips of everybody’s tongue at that time, that is, ‘if you wanted to keep your head on your shoulder, you must wear a pigtail on your head’. But all of these are totally unfamiliar to the western readers: you can’t expect them to understand the source text as we Chinese do. Thereby, a further explanation is absolutely necessary.
4. 夜黑得太周密了，真是伸手不见五指！在这种夜里，鬼都得要碰鼻子拐弯，猫会自恨它的一嘴好胡子当不了昆虫的触须。…此时此刻的荒野宛如燧人氏未生以前的世界。
The night had turned such a dense black that a person literally could not see the fingers on his out-stretched hand! On such a night even a ghost would stub its nose turning a corner. Cats would wish all their whiskers were like the antennae of insects. … By then the barren plain resembled the world before the birth of Sui-jen Shih..
The phrase ‘before the birth of Sui-jen Shih’ is based on Chinese mythological legend. It is said that before the birth of Sui-jen Shih, the cosmos was in great chaos, cold and complete darkness, which may confuse the western readers who know nothing about Chinese mythology and arose the readers’ curiosity: who is Sui-jen Shih? What did he do? In order to facilitate the readers’ reading, background knowledge is welcomed.
5. 这一张文凭，仿佛有亚当，夏娃下身那片树叶的功用，可以遮羞包丑；小小一方纸能把一个人的空疏，寡陋，愚笨都掩盖起来。
This diploma, it seemed, would function the same as Adam and Eve’s figleaf. It could hide a person’s shame and wrap up his disgrace. This tiny square of paper could cover his shallowness, ignorance, and stupidity.
The phrase ‘function as Adam and Eve’s figleaf’ is originated from Biblical story, which is on the tip of everybody’s tongue in the western society. So the understanding of it is obviously no problem.