2018年翻譯資格考試初級筆譯模擬題：人類的進(jìn)程

　　英譯漢

　　Until recently, scientists knew little about life in the deep sea, nor had they reason to believe that it was being threatened. Now, with the benefit of technology that allows for deeper exploration, researchers have uncovered a remarkable array of species inhabiting the ocean floor at depths of more than 660 feet, or about 200 meters. At the same time, however, technology has also enabled fishermen to reach far deeper than ever before, into areas where bottom trawls can destroy in minutes what has taken nature hundreds and in some cases thousands of years to build.

　　Many of the world's coral species, for example, are found at depths of more than 200 meters. It is also estimated that roughly half of the world's highest seamounts - areas that rise from the ocean floor and are particularly rich in marine life - are also found in the deep ocean.

　　These deep sea ecosystems provide shelter, spawning and breeding areas for fish and other creatures, as well as protection from strong currents and predators. Moreover, they are believed to harbor some of the most extensive reservoirs of life on earth, with estimates ranging from 500,000 to 100 million species inhabiting these largely unexplored and highly fragile ecosystems.

　　Yet just as we are beginning to recognize the tremendous diversity of life in these areas, along with the potential benefits newly found species may hold for human society in the form of potential food products and new medicines, they are at risk of being lost forever. With enhanced ability both to identify where these species-rich areas are located and to trawl in deeper water than before, commercial fishing vessels are now beginning to reach down with nets the size of football fields, catching everything in their path while simultaneously crushing fragile corals and breaking up the delicate structure of reefs and seamounts that provide critical habitat to the countless species of fish and other marine life that inhabit the deep ocean floor.

　　Because deep sea bottom trawling is a recent phenomenon, the damage that has been done is still limited. If steps are taken quickly to prevent this kind of destructive activity from occurring on the high seas, the benefits both to the marine environment and to future generations are incalculable. And they far outweigh the short-term costs to the fishing industry.

　　參考譯文

　　《人類的進(jìn)程》一書的提綱初稿是1969年7月完成的，影片的最后一部分是在1972年12月拍攝的。像這樣大的一個(gè)項(xiàng)目，雖然異常精彩，令人激動(dòng)，卻并不是輕易上馬的。它要求我保持旺盛的腦力和體力，專心致志地投入工作。我必須確保持之以恒，并從中得到樂趣;比方說，我不得不停下已經(jīng)開始的研究工作;我還應(yīng)當(dāng)說明一下，究竟是什么促使我承擔(dān)這項(xiàng)工作的。

　　二十年來，科學(xué)的發(fā)展趨勢發(fā)生了深刻的變化：關(guān)注的焦點(diǎn)已經(jīng)從自然科轉(zhuǎn)移到生命科學(xué)。結(jié)果，便把科學(xué)越來越吸引到個(gè)體特征的研究上來。然而感興趣的旁觀者幾乎沒有意識(shí)到此事對于改變科學(xué)塑造的人的形象產(chǎn)生了多么深遠(yuǎn)的影響。我是一個(gè)研究數(shù)學(xué)的人，以前學(xué)過物理學(xué)，若不是中年有幸有幾次機(jī)會(huì)涉足生命科學(xué)，我也不會(huì)有所認(rèn)識(shí)。我應(yīng)當(dāng)感謝我交的好運(yùn)，是它使我在一生中參與了兩個(gè)啟發(fā)性的科學(xué)領(lǐng)域。盡管我并不知道應(yīng)該向誰表示感謝，我編寫了《人類的進(jìn)程》一書，以表示我的感激之情。

　　英國廣播公司邀請我做的是通過一套電視節(jié)目來表現(xiàn)科學(xué)的發(fā)展過程，以與克拉克勛爵制作的關(guān)于文明的電視節(jié)目相匹配。通過電視來進(jìn)行解說有幾大好處：它有力、直觀，能使觀眾身臨其境或親身參與所描述的過程，它的語言親切，能使觀眾覺得他所看到的是人們的行動(dòng)而不是事件。這些優(yōu)點(diǎn)之中，我認(rèn)為最后一點(diǎn)最為突出，它是一股最大的動(dòng)力促使我同意以電視散文的方式從個(gè)人的角度來講述各種思想的發(fā)展史。重要的是知識(shí)總體，尤其是科學(xué)知識(shí)不是由抽象的思想構(gòu)成的，而是由人的思想構(gòu)成的，自有知識(shí)開始直到現(xiàn)代千奇百怪的模式莫不是如此。所以介紹打開自然界之門的基本思想，必須表現(xiàn)出它們很早就已產(chǎn)生，而且是產(chǎn)生在人類最淳樸的文化之中，產(chǎn)生于人類基本的、具體的感官之中。同時(shí)還必須表現(xiàn)出使種種思想形成越來越復(fù)雜的結(jié)合體的科學(xué)的發(fā)展也同樣是人類的貢獻(xiàn)：種種發(fā)現(xiàn)都是人的產(chǎn)物，而不僅僅是頭腦的產(chǎn)物，因此它們都是有生氣的，而且具有個(gè)人的特色。如果電視未能把這些思想表現(xiàn)得很具體，那豈不是浪費(fèi)!

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