1991年考研翻譯題及參考答案

Part B

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and then translate the underlined sentences into Chinese. (15 points)

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. (31) 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.

(32) 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 birth-rate 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 twenty-first century opens.

(33) 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 year 2001?

To begin with, the world food supply is going to become steadily tighter over the next thirty years—even here in the United States. By 2001, 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. (34) This will be particularly true since energy pinch will make it difficult to continue agriculture in the high-energy American fashion that makes it possible to combine few farmers with high yields.

It seems almost certain that by 200l the United States will no longer be a great food exporting nation and that, if necessity forces exports, it will be at the price of belt-tightening at home.(www.yywords.com)

In fact, as food items will tend to decline in quality and decrease in variety, there is very likely to be increasing use of flavouring additives. (35) 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 more “unnatural food”.

31. 石油供應可能隨時會被切斷；不管怎樣，以目前這種消費速度，只需30年左右，所有的油井都會枯竭。

32. 必須找到新的能源，這需要時間；而過去我們感覺到的那種能源價廉而充足的情況將不可能再出現了。

33. 食品供應的增加將趕不上人口的增長，這就意味著我們在糧食的生產和購銷方面正陷入危機。

34. 這種困境將是確定無疑的，因為能源的匱乏使農業無法以高能量消耗這種美國耕種方式繼續下去了，而這種耕種方式使投入少數農民就可獲得高產成為可能。

35. 除非人類終于意識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”。

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