看了原文后:
1 Other things we desire and hold to be valuable for themselves alone.对应 Some things we aim for and value,not for themselves but for what they bring about in addition to themselves.
个人认为应该在这里断:
Other things we desire and hold to/ be valuable for themselves alone.
和Some things we aim for and value一样,Other things we desire and hold to就是指“其他那些我们渴望并坚持的东西”
至于这里为什么用be,大概是虚拟的用法.(应为在抽象地讲概念)
2 不是的.看看这样理解是不是更好:
it
事实[情况]
It is a very long way from the West Coast to the East of America.
从美国的西岸到东岸的距离是很长的.
这只是对当前状况的总的指代.