25. In the west, before mass communication and literacy, the most powerful mass medium was the church, which reminded worshippers that their souls were in danger and that they would someday be meat for worms.
【分析】多重复合句。句子主干为 the most powerful mass medium was the church。In the west 为地点状语；before mass communication 为时间状语；which 引导非限定性定语从句，修饰先行词 church, 其中又包含两个由 that 引导的并列宾语从句，作 reminded 的宾语。
【译文】在西方，在大众传媒和教育普及之前，最强大的大众媒体是教堂，它提醒信徒们，他们的灵魂处于危险之中，他们总有一天会成为蠕虫的食物。

26. And since these messages have an agenda—to lure us to open our wallets— they make the very idea of happiness seem unreliable.
【分析】复合句。破折号之前是 since 引导的原因状语从句；破折号中间是不定式短语作 agenda 的同位语；破折号之后是主句。
【译文】由于这样的信息都有一个目的：诱惑我们打开钱包，所以它们使“幸福”的概念本身显得虚假。
【点拨】本句中 agenda 不是 “议程”的意思，而是“目的，动机”的意思。此外，agenda 还可用作动词“把...列入工作议程”。