2010年研究生考試公共英語試題（英譯漢）

One basic weakness in a conservation system based wholly on economic motives is that most members of the land community have no economic value. Yet these creatures are members of the biotic community and, if its stability depends on its integrity, they are entitled to continuance.

When one of these noneconomic categories is threatened and, if we happen to love it, we invent excuses to give it economic importance. At the beginning of the century songbirds were supposed to be disappearing. Scientists jumped to the rescue with some distinctly shaky evidence to the effect that insects would eat us up if birds failed to control them. The evidence had to be economic in order to be valid.

It is painful to read these roundabout accounts today. We have no land ethic yet. But we have at least drawn near the point of admitting that birds should continue as a matter of intrinsic right, regardless of the presence or absence of economic advantages to us.

A parallel situation exists in respect of predatory mammals and fish-eating birds. Time was when biologists somewhat overworded the evidence that these creatures preserve the health of game by killing the physically weak, or that they prey only on "worthless species".

Some species of tree have been rid out of the party by economics-minded foresters because they grow too slowly or have too low a sale value to pay as timber crops. In Europe, where forestry is ecologically more advanced, the noncommercial tree species are recognized as members of the native forest community, to be preserved as such, within reason.

To sum up, a system of conservation based solely on economic self-interest is hopelessly lopsided. It tends to ignore, and thus eventually to eliminate, many elements in the land community that lack commercial value but that are essential to its healthy functioning. Without the uneconomic pats.

參考答案及點評：

1. Scientists jumped to the rescue with some distinctly shaky evidence to the effect that insects would eat us up if birds failed to control them.

參考譯文：科學家們緊急行動起來以拯救這些鳥類。他們提出的理由大意是說，如果鳥兒不能控制昆蟲，昆蟲就會把我們吃掉。然而，這種理由顯然站不住腳。

分析：英語句子的特點是句子結構復雜。然而，萬變不離其宗，只要找出句子的主干，整個句子的意思就會一目了然。本句的主句是scientists jumped to the rescue，其后帶有一個由with引導介詞短語，作方式狀語，其中又套有一個 that 引導的同位語從句。根據漢語句子結構短小的特點，在翻譯技巧上，可以采取分句處理，即把原文的一個句子拆譯為若干小句。另外，distinctly shaky 是作者的評述，根據漢語習慣，一般放在所評述的對象后面，因此在翻譯時建議改變原文順序。在語言點上，jump在這里的意思是“匆忙”；shaky的意思是“靠不住的”；to the effect是個成語，意思 是“大意”，常用于間接引用時。

2. But we have at least drawn near the point of admitting that birds should continue as a matter of intrinsic right, regardless of the presence or absence of economic advantages to us.

參考譯文：但我們至少開始承認，繁衍生息是鳥兒天生的權利，與其是否對我們人類有經濟上的好處沒有關系。

分析：句子的主干結構是we have drawn near the point。draw是一個多義詞，在這里的意思是“移動”，“行進”，draw near的意思是“接近”；point也是一個多義詞，根據上下文，這里應該理解為“程度”；a matter of意思是“事情；問題”，a matter of intrinsic right可直譯為“天生的權利問題”；整個that從句是admit的賓語。與前句一樣，在翻譯技巧上，可以采用拆譯。

3. Time was when biologists somewhat overworded the evidence that these creatures preserve the health of game by killing the physically weak,or that they prey only on "worthless species".

參考譯文：曾幾何時，生物學家們反復強調，這些生物是為了維持食物鏈的正常運行而捕食弱小生物的，它們捕食的只不過是“毫無價值的物種”。

分析：Time was，是一個固定搭配，可以翻譯成“曾幾何時”； somewhat“有點”，表示程度；that these creatures preserve the health of game by killing the physically weak和that they prey only on "worthless species"這兩個從句都是the evidence的同位語，起說明解釋作用。

4. In Europe, where forestry is ecologically more advanced, the noncommercial tree species are recognized as members of the native forest community, to be preserved as such, within reason.

參考譯文：在生態林業較為先進的歐洲，不具有商業價值的樹種被視為原始森林群落的成員，因此而受到適當保護。

分析：句子的主干是the noncommercial tree species are recognized as members of the native forest community；where forestry is ecologically more advanced是定語從句，對Europe起修飾作用，to be preserved是不定式短語，對主句起補充說明作用，隱含一種因果關系；such指前面的members of the native forest community。 在語言點上，within reason是一個固定搭配，意思上“在合理范圍內”；native forest community是一個專業術語，意思是“原始森林群落”。

5. It tends to ignore and thus eventually to eliminate many elements in the land community that lack commercial value but that are essential to its healthy functioning.

參考譯文：這種環保制度往往忽視并進而最終消滅大自然群落中許多不具商業價值但對于維持生物群落健康運行至關重要的成分。

分析：句子的主干為it tends to ignore and eliminate many elements；兩個that定語從句的先行詞都是elements，由于關系密切，可以譯為定語短語；it指前面提到的“完全基于經濟上的私利的環保制度”，可簡譯為“這種環保制度”。