2009年考研英语全题型高分强化教程(19)

小标题选择

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?

练习答案与题解：

Part B

小标题选择

1.[B]

文中有一处可以作为信息点，帮助我们找到正确答案。在段中有这样一句 "the early phases of global warming may be upon us now".由此推知，该段主要讲全球变暖的。

2.[D]

在该段段首有这样一句可以给我们启示："The destruction of ozone in the high atmosphere"帮助我们了解了该段将主要谈论关于臭氧层的问题。D项意思是臭氧层空洞，正好合适，所以选D。

3.[A]

从横线后的段落中，我们能看到关于谷物产量的叙述，所以，这里可填A。

4.[C]

讲全球捕鱼业的， C选项可以恰当的概括原文段落的意思，所以选C。

5.[E]

在该段中提到了"water shortage",看到这里基本可以判断，这个段落一定是与水有关的。那么自然可以选B。

Ⅲ Translation：

1．using one method or several methods本句中的这种ing形式在翻译时可译成谓语。

本句应译为：或者是科学家能够找到一种或是几种方法来降低世界范围的人口出生率，或者是自然界将会比较终增加人口的死亡率（通过比较严峻的自然法则）。

2．在该句中"Many claim ......environmental problems"作句子的主语，"are"是谓语，"regional"是宾语。"but"和"and"分别引导两个并列结构，其中，"and"在翻译时可以不用译出。

本句应译为很多对于人口增长以及环境问题的关注是区域性的，但是现代社会全球化趋势越来越严重，某些特定区域的问题必将给其他地方带来影响。

3．该句话要注意一点，语句中间用到了一个插入语"yes"在原句中是起强调作用的。可以不译。

本句应译为：如果人口继续增长的话，科学与技术还有，政治，将会在短期内为我们提供解决人口和环境问题的办法。

4．该句重点在于两个词组："the more draconian must be the method"和"the greater must be the price paid"这两个词组中the more draconian是修饰名词method的，而the greater是修饰the price paid的搞清这两点再来看全句就容易多了。

本句应译为：全球人口终将得到控制。但是拖的时间越长，在环境问题和人类生活方式的控制上所使用的方法就越严厉，所花的钱也越多。

5．该句是一个问句，语序上有所倒装，在翻译的时侯我们要调成符合汉语习惯的语序。

本句应译为：地球能否以每年数百万的数字向外输出人口，用以有效减轻人口与环境问题呢？