1990年考研英语翻译试题及参考译文(英译汉)

　　Directions:

　　Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese.

　　1990年考研英语英译汉试题

　　People have wondered for a long time how their personalities，and behaviors are formed. It is not easy to explain why one person is intelligent and another is not，or why one is cooperative and another is competitive.

　　Social scientists are，of course，extremely interested in these types of questions.(61)They want to explain why we possess certain characteristics and exhibit certain behaviors.There are no clear answers yet，but two distinct schools of thought on the matter have developed. As one might expect，the two approaches are very different from each other. The controversy is often conveniently referred to as nature vs. nurture.

　　(62)Those who support the nature side of the conflict believe that our personalities and behavior patterns are largely determined by biological factors.(63)That our environment has little，if anything，to do with our abilities，characteristics and behavior is central to this theory. Taken to an extreme，this theory maintains that our behavior is predetermined to such a great degree that we are almost completely governed by our instincts.

　　Those who support the nurture theory，that is，they advocate education，are often called behaviorists. They claim that our environment is more important than our biologically based instincts in determining how we will act. A behaviorist，B.F.Skinner，sees humans as beings whose behavior is almost completely shaped by their surroundings.(64)The behaviorists maintain that，like machines，humans respond to environmental stimuli as the basis of their behavior.

　　Let us examine the different explanations about one human characteristic，intelligence，offered by the two theories.(65)Supporters of the nature theory insist that we are born with a certain capacity for learning that is biologically determined. Needless to say，they don’t believe that factors in the environment have much influence on what is basically a predetermined characteristic. On the other hand，behaviorists argue that our intelligence levels are the product of our experiences.(66)Behaviorists suggest that the child who is raised in an environment where there are many stimuli which develop his or her capacity for appropriate responses will experience greater intellectual development.

　　The social and political implications of these two theories are profound.(67)In the United States，blacks often score below whites on standardized intelligence tests.This leads some nature proponents to conclude that blacks are biologically inferior to whites.(68)Behaviorists，in contrast，say that differences in scores are due to the fact that blacks are often deprived of many of the educational and other environmental advantages that whites enjoy.

　　Most people think neither of these theories can yet fully explain human behavior.

1990年考研英语翻译(英译汉)真题参考答案

　　61. 他们(社会科学家)想要说明，为什么我们具有某些性格特征并表现出某些行为。

　　62. 这场争论中，赞成“天性(理论)”的社会科学家们认为，我们的性格特征和行为模式大部分是由生物因素所决定的。

　　63. 这种理论(“天性”理论)的核心是，即使我们的环境同我们的才能、性格特征和行为有点关系，那也是微不足道的。

　　64. 行为主义者认为，如果一个儿童在有许多刺激物的环境中成长，且这些刺激物能够发展其做出适当反应的能力，那么这个儿童的智力将获得更高的发展。

　　65. 相反，行为主义者认为，成绩差异的原因在于黑人往往被剥夺了白人在教育及其它环境方面所享有的许多有利条件。

1990年考研英语英译汉试题翻译全文

　　长期以来，人们一直想弄清楚其性格特征和行为模式是如何形成的。为什么一个人聪明，而另一个人却愚蠢;为什么一个人具有协作精神，而另一个人却具有竞争意识;这些都是很难解释的。

　　当然，社会科学家对这类问题极为关注。(61)他们(社会科学家)想要说明，为什么我们具有某些性格特征并表现出某些行为。尽管这些问题尚无明确的答案，在此方面却已经形成了两个截然不相同的学派。正如人们所料，这两个学派的看法大相径庭。为方便起见，这种争论通常被称为“天性论与环境因素论之争”。

　　(62)这场争论中，赞成“天性(理论)”的社会科学家们认为，我们的性格特征和行为模式大部分是由生物因素所决定的。(63)这种理论(“天性”理论)的核心是，即使我们的环境同我们的才能、性格特征和行为有点关系，那也是微不足道的。该理论极端地坚持认为，我们的行为模式在很大程度上是由先天决定的，我们几乎完全受我们的本能所支配。

　　环境因素论的赞成者，也就是提倡教育的人，通常被称为行为主义者。他们声称，在决定我们的行为方式方面，环境比基于生理的本能更为重要。行为主义者B.F.史基纳认为，人的行为几乎完全是由周围环境所塑造的。行为主义者坚信，人像机器一样，对环境的刺激作出反应，这是其行为的基础。

　　让我们来看看这两种理论对人的智力这一性格特征的不同解释。天性论者认为，我们生来就具有一定的学习能力，这是由生物因素所决定的。勿庸说，他们认为，周围环境的各种因素对基本上是由先天决定的性格特征没有重大的影响。相反，行为主义者却认为，我们的智力水平是我们经历的产物。(64)行为主义者认为，如果一个儿童在有许多刺激物的环境中成长，且这些刺激物能够发展其作出适当反应的能力，那么这个儿童的智力将获得更高的发展。

　　这两种理论蕴含着深刻的社会和政治内涵。在美国标准化智力测试中，黑人的成绩常常低于白人。于是，一些天性论的拥护者据此得出结论，认为黑人在生理上比白人略低一筹。(65)相反，行为主义者认为，成绩差异的原因在于黑人往往被剥夺了白人在教育及其它环境方面所享有的许多有利条件。

　　大部分人认为，这两种理论都不能完全解释人的行为。