小標題選擇

Directions:

　　You are going to read a list of headings. Choose the most suitable heading from the list A~F for each numbered paragraph (1~5). The first and last paragraphs of the text are not numbered. There is none extra heading which you do not need to use.

　　Now let's look at some global aspects of our population problem.

　　(1)__________ There is a growing scientific concensus that the early phases of global warming may be upon us now. With each passing year, our knowledge of the situation will increase so that we will know better if the earth is warming, and if so, how rapidly change may occur. Whether or not the earth is warming, it is clear that by pouring increasing quantities of greenhouse gases into the earth's atmosphere each year, we are embarked on a global experiment whose outcome we don't know. We don't know if the effects of increasing the greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere are reversible. We don't know if the atmosphere go back to its pre-industrial condition if we stopped all emissions of greenhouse gases, and if it would go back, we don't know how long it would take.

　　On the scale of a human lifetime, these changes happen very slowly. So the burden of dealing with the unknown outcome of the present global experiment, will not fall on today's political decision makers: it will fall on our children and grandchildren. Present population growth, so ardently advocated by the many in the older generations, is putting our children and grandchildren at risk. For centuries, parents have worked so their children could have better lives and opportunities than they had. We may now be doing just the reverse. We may be guaranteeing that our children will not have the resources, opportunities and environment that we have enjoyed.

　　(2)____________ The destruction of ozone in the high atmosphere allows more ultra-violet light to reach the surface of the earth where it can have serious biological effects on plants and animals, including humans.

　　(3)____________ The Worldwatch Institute reports that global annual per capita production of grain dropped from 346 kilograms per person in 1984 to 313 kilograms per person in 1996. This is a drop of 9.5 % in just 8 years.

　　We've all heard it said that per capita food production has been growing ever since the time of Thomas Malthus, and that this growth has proven him wrong. Since the late 1980s grain production has leveled off, so the continuing growth of populations means that the per capita production of food is declining. Perhaps Malthus was right after all.

　　(4)_____________ Growth in the annual oceanic fish catch stopped in 1989, and since then the available fish per capita has been declining. For many of the world's people, fish is a major source of protein. Most of the world's major fishing areas are seriously depleted. The Grand Banks off of Newfoundland was one of the world's major fisheries, with stocks of fish once thought to be unlimited. Now, these fish stocks are apparently almost gone.

　　(5) _____________A report in January of 1997 from Stockholm indicated that by the year 2025, two-thirds of the world's people will suffer from water shortages, and the report noted that the rate of use of fresh water was growing at twice the rate of world population. All of these problems are caused by population growth, and none of these problems can be "solved" if population growth continues.

　　Today we hear many people talking about "Sustainability," as though we can accomodate continued population growth with something vague and ill-defined that is called "sustainable development." The thought seems to be that there is no need to worry about population: all we need to do is to make minor modifications of our way of life, (conserve, recycle, etc.) and this will suffice to make our society "sustainable." Please remember the First Law of Sustainability:

　　It is not possible to sustain population growth or growth in the rates of consumption of resources.

　　[A]　Food Grain.

　　[B]　Global Warming.

　　[C]　World Oceanic Fisheries.

　　[D]　The Ozone Hole.

　　[E]　Fresh Water.Ⅲ Translation

Please translate the underlined sentences in the following passage.

A Commentary on population problems

　　Many predict a slowing of growth in the future, even near future. Certainly that is so. (1)Either societies will, using one method or several methods, decrease the worldwide birth rate, or nature will eventually increase the death rate (using nature's own draconian methods). Environmental problems, starvation and new and treatment-resistant diseases rank high among nature's methods for dealing with human population problems. Many claim that Earth can support many more people. But one must ask "How many more?" At what cost in human lifestyles and aggravated environmental problems?

　　（2）Many claim population growth problems and environmental problems are regional， but modern society is increasingly "global" and roblems in particular region(s) must affect all others.

　　Are human population problems serious today? One might look at various "symptoms." Just a few examples: Thousands, mostly children, starve to death every day indifferent places around the world. Illegal immigration is a big problem for the United States. And just a few of the consequent environmental problems: Forests everywhere are "disappearing." The global unpolluted fresh water supply is in danger. Air in most big cities is becoming increasingly unhealthy.

　　（3）Science and technology, and, yes, politics, may "handle" human population problems and environmental problems in the short term even if human population continues to grow. But what kind of world will our great-great-grandchildren inherit? （4）Eventually global population must be controlled, but the longer society waits the more draconian must be the method and the greater must be the price paid in terms of environmental problems and human lifestyles.

　　Is space colonization an alternative? If so, where does one go? （5）Can Earth "export" the numbers, the many millions per year, necessary to ease human population problems and environmental problems?

練習答案與題解：

Part B

小標題選擇

1.[B]

文中有一處可以作為信息點，幫助我們找到正確答案。在段中有這樣一句 "the early phases of global warming may be upon us now".由此推知，該段主要講全球變暖的。

2.[D]

在該段段首有這樣一句可以給我們啟示："The destruction of ozone in the high atmosphere"幫助我們了解了該段將主要談論關于臭氧層的問題。D項意思是臭氧層空洞，正好合適，所以選D。

3.[A]

從橫線后的段落中，我們能看到關于谷物產量的敘述，所以，這里可填A。

4.[C]

講全球捕魚業(yè)的， C選項可以恰當的概括原文段落的意思，所以選C。

5.[E]

在該段中提到了"water shortage",看到這里基本可以判斷，這個段落一定是與水有關的。那么自然可以選B。

Ⅲ Translation：

1．using one method or several methods本句中的這種ing形式在翻譯時可譯成謂語。

本句應譯為：或者是科學家能夠找到一種或是幾種方法來降低世界范圍的人口出生率，或者是自然界將會最終增加人口的死亡率（通過最嚴峻的自然法則）。

2．在該句中"Many claim ......environmental problems"作句子的主語，"are"是謂語，"regional"是賓語。"but"和"and"分別引導兩個并列結構，其中，"and"在翻譯時可以不用譯出。

本句應譯為很多對于人口增長以及環(huán)境問題的關注是區(qū)域性的，但是現代社會全球化趨勢越來越嚴重，某些特定區(qū)域的問題必將給其他地方帶來影響。

3．該句話要注意一點，語句中間用到了一個插入語"yes"在原句中是起強調作用的。可以不譯。

本句應譯為：如果人口繼續(xù)增長的話，科學與技術還有，政治，將會在短期內為我們提供解決人口和環(huán)境問題的辦法。

4．該句重點在于兩個詞組："the more draconian must be the method"和"the greater must be the price paid"這兩個詞組中the more draconian是修飾名詞method的，而the greater是修飾the price paid的搞清這兩點再來看全句就容易多了。

本句應譯為：全球人口終將得到控制。但是拖的時間越長，在環(huán)境問題和人類生活方式的控制上所使用的方法就越嚴厲，所花的錢也越多。

5．該句是一個問句，語序上有所倒裝，在翻譯的時侯我們要調成符合漢語習慣的語序。

本句應譯為：地球能否以每年數百萬的數字向外輸出人口，用以有效減輕人口與環(huán)境問題呢？