歷年翻譯真題原文及參考譯文(1)

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1.1990年英譯漢試題及參考譯文
    People have wondered for a long time how their personalities,and behaviors are formed.It is not easy to explain why oneperson is intelligent and another is not,or why one is cooperative and another is competitive.
    Social scientists are,of course,extremely interested in these types of questions.(61)They want to explain why we possess certain characteristics and exhibit certain behaviors.There are no clear answers yet,but two distinct schools of thought on the matter have developed.As one might expect,the two approaches are very different from each other.The controversy is often conveniently referred to asnature vs.nurture.
    (62)Those who support thenatureside of the conflict believe that our personalities and behavior patterns are largely determined by biological factors.(63)That our environment has little,if anything,to do with our abilities,characteristics and behavior is central to this theory.Taken to an extreme,this theory maintains that our behavior is predetermined to such a great degree that we are almost completely governed by our instincts.
    Those who support thenurturetheory,that is,they advocate education,are often called behaviorists.They claim that our environment is more important than our biologically based instincts in determining how we will act.A behaviorist,B.F.Skinner,sees humans as beings whose behavior is almost completely shaped by their surroundings.(64)The behaviorists maintain that,like machines,humans respond to environmental stimuli as the basis of their behavior.
    Let us examine the different explanations about one human characteristic,intelligence,offered by the two theories.(65)Supporters of thenaturetheory insist that we are born with a certain capacity for learning that is biologically determined.Needless to say,they don’t believe that factors in the environment have much influence on what is basically a predetermined characteristic.On the other hand,behaviorists argue that our intelligence levels are the product of our experiences.(66)Behaviorists suggest that the child who is raised in an environment where there are many stimuli whichdevelop his or her capacity for appropriate responses will experience greater intellectual development.
    The social and political implications of these two theories are profound.(67)In the United States,blacks often score below whites on standardized intelligence tests.This leads somenatureproponents to conclude that blacks are biologically inferior to whites.(68)Behaviorists,in contrast,say that differences in scores are due to the fact that blacks are often deprived of many of the educational and other environmental advantages that whites enjoy.
    Most people think neither of these theories can yet fully explain human behavior.
    1990年英譯漢試題參考譯文
    長(zhǎng)期以來(lái)人們完全不知道他們的性格特征和行為模式是怎樣形成的。人們很難解釋一個(gè)聰明而另一個(gè)人愚蠢的原因,或者也很難解釋一個(gè)人有協(xié)作精神,而另一個(gè)人有競(jìng)爭(zhēng)意識(shí)的原因。
    當(dāng)然,社會(huì)科學(xué)家對(duì)這類(lèi)問(wèn)題極為關(guān)注。(61)他們想要說(shuō)明,為什么我們具有某些性格特征并表現(xiàn)出某些行為。然而,這些問(wèn)題尚無(wú)明確的答案。但是在這方面已經(jīng)形成了兩個(gè)截然不相同的學(xué)派。人們可以預(yù)料,這兩家的看法大不相同。為方便起見(jiàn),這種爭(zhēng)論通常被稱為天性論與環(huán)境因素論之爭(zhēng)。
    (62)在這場(chǎng)爭(zhēng)論中,贊成天性一方的那些人認(rèn)為,我們的性格特征和行為模式大多是由生物因素所決定的。(63)這種理論的核心是,我們的環(huán)境同我們的才能、性格特征和行為即使有什么關(guān)系的話,也是微不足道的。這種理論甚至極端地堅(jiān)持認(rèn)為,我們的行為模式在很大程度上是先天決定的;因此,我們幾乎完全受我們的本能所支配。
    贊成環(huán)境因素論的那些人,即提倡培養(yǎng)教育的人,通常被稱為行為主義者。他們聲稱,在決定我們的行為方式時(shí),環(huán)境比以生理為基礎(chǔ)的本能更為重要。一位名叫B.F.史基納的行為主義者認(rèn)為,人的行為模式完全是由周?chē)h(huán)境塑造的。(64)行為主義者堅(jiān)信,人像機(jī)器一樣,對(duì)環(huán)境的刺激作出反應(yīng),這是他們行為的基礎(chǔ)。
    咱們來(lái)考察一下這兩種理論對(duì)人的一種性格特征———智力———的不同解釋。(65)支持天性論的人堅(jiān)持說(shuō),我們生來(lái)就具有一定的學(xué)習(xí)才能,這是由生物因素決定的。勿庸說(shuō),他們認(rèn)為,周?chē)h(huán)境的各種因素并不嚴(yán)重影響基本上是先天的性格特征。而行為主義者卻爭(zhēng)辯說(shuō),我們的智力水平是我們各種經(jīng)歷相結(jié)合的產(chǎn)物。(66)行為主義者的看法是,如果一個(gè)兒童在有許多刺激物的環(huán)境里成長(zhǎng),而這些刺激物能夠發(fā)展其作出適當(dāng)反應(yīng)的能力,那么,這個(gè)兒童將會(huì)有更高的智力發(fā)展。
    這兩種理論所包含的社會(huì)和政治內(nèi)涵是意味深長(zhǎng)的。(67)在美國(guó),黑人在標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化智力測(cè)試中的成績(jī)常常低于白人。這就使一些天性論的擁護(hù)者得出結(jié)論,黑人在生理上比白人略低一籌。(68)相反,行為主義者認(rèn)為,成績(jī)的差異是由于黑人往往被剝奪了白人在教育及其它環(huán)境方面所享有的許多有利條件。
    2.1991年英譯漢試題及參考譯文
    The fact is that the energy crisis,which has suddenly been officially announced,has been with us for a long time now,and will be with us for an even longer time.Whether Arab oil flows freely or not,it is clear to everyone that world industry cannot be allowed to depend on so fragile a base.(71)The supply of oil can be shut off unexpectedly at any time,and in any case,the oil wells will all run dry in thirty years or so at the present rate of use.
    (72)New sources of energy must be found,and this will take time,but it is not likely to result in any situation that will ever restore that sense of cheap and plentiful energy we have had in the times past.For an indefinite period from here on,mankind is going to advance cautiously,and consider itself lucky that it can advance at all.
    To make the situation worse,there is as yet no sign that any slowing of the world’s population is in sight.Although the birthrate has dropped in some nations,including the United States,the population of the world seems sure to pass six billion and perhaps even seven billion as the twentyfirst century opens.
    (73)The food supply will not increase nearly enough to match this,which means that we are heading into a crisis in the matter of producing and marketing food.
    Taking all this into account,what might we reasonably estimate supermarkets to be like in the year2001?
    To begin with,the world food supply is going to become steadily tighter over the next thirty years—even here in the United States.By2001,the population of the United States will be at least two hundred fifty million and possibly two hundred seventy million,and the nation will find it difficult to expand food production to fill the additional mouths.(74)This will be particularly true since energy pinch will make it difficult to continue agriculture in the highenergy American fashion that makes it possible to combine few farmers with high yields.
    It seems almost certain that by2001the United States will no longer be a great foodexporting nation and that,if necessity forces exports,it will be at the price of belttightening at home.
    In fact,as food items will end to decline in quality and decrease in variety,there is very likely to be incresing use of flavouring additives.(75)Until such time as mankind has the sense to lower its population to the point where the planet can provide a comfortable support for all,people will have to accept moreunnatural food.
    1991年英譯漢試題參考譯文
    事實(shí)是,雖然官方是突然宣布能源危機(jī)的存在,然而長(zhǎng)期以來(lái)我們一直面臨著能源危機(jī),而且這種情況今后將會(huì)持續(xù)更長(zhǎng)的時(shí)間。不管阿拉伯的石油能否源源不斷地外流,人人都清楚,再也不能讓世界工業(yè)依賴于如此脆弱的能源基礎(chǔ)。(71)石油供應(yīng)可能隨時(shí)會(huì)被切斷;不管怎樣,以目前這種消費(fèi)速度,只需30年左右,所有的油井都會(huì)枯竭。
    (72)必須找到新的能源,這需要時(shí)間;而過(guò)去我們感覺(jué)到的那種能源廉價(jià)而充足的情況將不大可能再出現(xiàn)了。在今后的漫長(zhǎng)的時(shí)間內(nèi),人類(lèi)將謹(jǐn)慎前進(jìn),而它感到幸運(yùn)的是它確實(shí)能夠前進(jìn)。
    使目前狀況糟糕的是,至今尚無(wú)跡象表明,世界人口的增長(zhǎng)在近期內(nèi)會(huì)減慢。雖然包括美國(guó)在內(nèi)的一些國(guó)家的出生率已經(jīng)下降,但是在21世紀(jì)初世界人口似乎肯定會(huì)超過(guò)60億,或許甚至超過(guò)70億。
    (73)食品供應(yīng)的增加將遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)趕不上人口的增長(zhǎng),這就意味著我們?cè)诩Z食的生產(chǎn)和購(gòu)銷(xiāo)方面已陷入危機(jī)。
    考慮到所有這些因素,我們可以適當(dāng)?shù)毓烙?jì)一下2001年的超級(jí)市場(chǎng)將會(huì)是什么樣子呢?首先,今后的30年內(nèi),世界的食品供應(yīng)日益緊張,甚至美國(guó)這里也不例外。到2001年美國(guó)人口將至少達(dá)到2億5千萬(wàn),也可能是2億7千萬(wàn)。那時(shí),美國(guó)將很難擴(kuò)大食品生產(chǎn)來(lái)滿足人口增長(zhǎng)的需要。(74)這種困境將是確定無(wú)疑的,因?yàn)槟茉吹膮T乏使農(nóng)業(yè)無(wú)法以高能消費(fèi)這種美國(guó)耕作方式繼續(xù)下去了,而這種耕作方式可以投入少數(shù)農(nóng)民就獲得高產(chǎn)。
    幾乎可以肯定,到2001年美國(guó)將再也不是一個(gè)食品輸出國(guó);如果必須出口的話,那么其代價(jià)就是美國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)人民將勒緊褲帶。
    實(shí)際上,由于各種食品往往會(huì)質(zhì)量下降、品種減少,這就有可能更多地使用調(diào)味添加物。(75)除非人類(lèi)終于意識(shí)到要把人口減少到這樣的程度,使地球能為所有人提供足夠的飲食,否則人們將不得不接受更多的人造食品。