2018年翻譯資格考試三級筆譯模擬題：鈾元素
漢譯英
坐著飛機(jī)飛過一片沙漠之地，兩位科學(xué)家用訓(xùn)練有素的眼睛察看下面的樹木和灌木叢。經(jīng)過大致一小時的飛行觀察后，其中一位科學(xué)家在他的本子上寫下這樣一句話“看這里可能有金屬礦藏�！绷硪患茱w機(jī)上的科學(xué)家們正飛過一座山區(qū)。他們給地面觀察站的科學(xué)家們發(fā)了“可能有金礦”的信息。步行越過山地，四名科學(xué)家得出報(bào)告：“應(yīng)該在此地尋找金屬礦藏”。從飛過多山丘的荒原的飛機(jī)上，一位科學(xué)家用無線電發(fā)回一個字：“鈾”。
沒有一個科學(xué)家具有x射線那樣的眼睛：他們并沒有看透地球表面的魔力。他們僅僅使用了一個最新的技術(shù)來定位地下的礦藏…樹木和植被長在地上，通過他們能顯示出某種埋藏在地下的礦物。
這項(xiàng)最新的尋找礦藏的技術(shù)是依據(jù)這樣一個事實(shí)，即處在地下的礦物會影響到地面上灌木和樹木的生長。
沃森巴溪是加拿大英屬哥倫比亞一座6，000英尺的山上的一條小溪。一隊(duì)礦藏搜索小組收集了許多包樹木的種子;盒子里盛滿了小樹枝。樹根也被挖掉放進(jìn)盒子里。每個包和盒子都被仔細(xì)標(biāo)記了。在科學(xué)實(shí)驗(yàn)室內(nèi)，樹枝被燒成灰然后做檢測。檢查每個細(xì)小的部分是否含有礦藏。
對樹根、樹枝和種子的檢測并沒發(fā)現(xiàn)銀元素，但卻在樹根部發(fā)現(xiàn)了部分金元素，同時在樹枝和種子中也發(fā)現(xiàn)了較少的金元素。長在最接近樹干上的種子要比長在樹枝根部的種子含金元素多一些。
參考譯文
Flying over a desert area in an airplane, two scientists looked down with trained eyes at treesand bushes. After an hour's flight, one of the scientists wrote in his book, "Look here for probable metal. " Scientists in another airplane, flying over a mountain area, sent a message to other scientists on the ground, "Gold possible. " Walking across hilly ground, four scientists reported,"This ground should be searched for metal. " From an airplane over a hilly wasteland a scientistsent back by radio one word: "Uranium. "
None of the scientists had X-ray eyes: they had no magic power of looking down below theearth' s surface. They were merely putting to use one of the newest methods of locating minerals inthe ground...trees and plants as signs that certain minerals may lie beneath the ground on whichthe trees and plants are growing.
This newest method of searching for minerals is based on the fact that minerals deep in theearth may affect the kind of bushes and trees that grow in the surface.
At Watson Bar Greek, a brook six thousand feet high in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada, a mineral search group gathered bags of tree seeds. Boxes were filled with smallbranches from the trees. Roots were dug and put into boxes. Each bag and box was carefullymarked. In a scientific laboratory, the parts of the forest trees were burned to ashes and tested.Each small part was examined to learn whether there were minerals in it.
Study of the roots, branches, and seeds showed no silver. But there were small amounts ofgold in the roots and a little less gold in the branches and seeds. The seeds growing nearest to thetree trunks had more gold than those growing on the ends of the branches.
