◆资源环境类
Practice 83
One of nature’s most dest ructive forces is the tornado, a violent windstorm that takes the shape of a rotating column of air. Tornadoes almost always occur in conjunction with severe thunderstorms that produce high winds, heavy rainfall and damaging hail. Though their cause is unknown, tornadoes are believed to be the result of the convergence of strong upward wind currents inside a storm with upper level winds above the storm; the greater the air contrast, the more violent the storm will be. The United States has more tornadoes, approximately 750 tornadoes reported each year, than any other country in the world because this is where arctic and tropical air masses most frequently converge.
参考译文及解析
【参考译文】
自然界最具破坏性的力量之一是龙卷风，它是一种旋转的柱状强烈风暴。龙卷风几乎总是与强烈的雷暴并
appreciates
列发生，雷暴能引发大风，暴雨和破坏性的冰雹。虽然它们的起因尚未知晓，但人们认为龙卷风是由暴风雨中上升的强气流与暴风上方的风的会聚造成；气流对比越明显，龙卷风的威力也就越大。美国比世界上其他任何地方的龙卷风都要多，每年大约有750起龙卷风事件报道，这是因为北极气流和热带气流最频繁地在美国汇聚。
【解析】
◆翻译要点
本文翻译时需注意定语从句和被动语态的处理。windstorm that takes the shape翻译时应将定语从句独立成句，以使句子结构清晰，表意明确。tornadoes are believed to be 翻译时，要将被动语态主动化，译为“人们认为龙卷风…”，这一表达更为自然。此外，翻译中还应注意状语的放置，通常需将状语提前，以符合汉语表达习惯。
◆词汇点津
tornado n. 龙卷风
take the shape of呈…形状，以…形式出现
in conjunction with和…一道，结合
Practice 84
Pollution is a problem because man, in an increasingly populated and industrialized world, is upsetting the environment in which he lives. Many scientists maintain that one of man’s greatest errors has been to equate growth with advancement. Now “growth” industries are being looked on with suspicion in case their side effects damage the environment and disrupt the relationship of different forms of life. The growing population makes increasing demands on the world’s fixed supply of air, water and land. Thi s rise in population is accompanied by the desire of more and more people for a better standard of living. Thus still greater demands for electricity, water and goods result in an ever increasing amount of waste material to be disposed of. The problem has been causing increasing concern to living things and their environment. Many believe that man is
not solving these problems quickly enough and that his selfish pursuit of possessions takes him past the point of no return before be fully appreciates the damage.
参考译文及解析
【参考译文】
污染已成为问题，因为在当今人口越来越多，社会越来越工业化的世界上，人类正在污染他们居住的环境。许多科学家认为人类最大的错误是把发展和进步等同起来。现在人们以怀疑的态度看待“发展性”的产业，因为它们的副作用会破坏环境，破坏各种生命之间的关系。人口的增长导致对世界上有限的空气、水和土地的需求不断增长。伴随着人口增长的是越来越多的人渴望更高的生活水平。于是对电、水和商品的更大需求必然造成有更多的废物要处理。这个问题已经引起人们对生物及其环境的日益关注。许多人认为，人类没有尽快地解决这一问题，却只顾谋求私利，以致于到了无可挽救的地步以后才充分认识到这种损害。【解析】
◆翻译要点
最后一句主句谓语believe后边接了两个由that引导的宾语从句，同时，还包含一个由before引导的时间状语从句。
◆词汇点津
<把…和…等同起来
side effect副作用
be accompanied by伴随着…
dispose of处理；清除；解决
Practice 85
Resource efficiency means reducing the environmental impact of the consumption and production of goods and services. The doing more with less slogan indicates the focus on more outputs with fewer impacts. Efficiency gains do not guarantee that the overall outcome stays within the ecological carrying capacity of the Earth. Influencing the demand side is therefore another prerequisite for sustainable development.
It is indeed timely to recognize that the world cannot achieve sustainable, economic growth with old fashioned consumption and production patterns. Companies will have to accelerate the trends of polluting less and of designing, producing and marketing better products and services. Consumers have to get used to the fact that environmental concerns are as important in their daily choices as considerations of price, convenience and quality. And governments and civil society have a key role to play in inspiring such a process.
参考译文及解析
【参考译文】
资源增效指的是减少商品和服务生产过程及消费过程对环境产生的影响。“用更少创造更多”这一口号表明其重心在于用较少的影响来创造更多的产出。生产效率的提高并不能保证整体结果能维持在地球的生态承受力范围之内。因此，对需求方的影响成为了可持续发展的另一先决条件。
我们现在确实迫切需要意识到传统的消费生产模式是无法实现经济的可持续发展的。公司需要加快减污
减排的脚步，敦促自身去设计、生产和经营更好的产品和服务。消费者也要接受这一事实——在日常购物时，对环境的影响、商品价格、便利度和产品品质都应被纳入考虑范围内，作为进行选择的参考条件。此外，政府和民间团体也需在推进上述进程中发挥关键性作用。
【解析】
◆翻译要点
本题句子结构相对比较简单，需要注意的是倒数第二段倒数第二句中同位语的处理，对于同位语可根据情况加入冒号、破折号和“这样”、“这一”、“即”等字眼，此处便采用了这种方法，即把the fact只有由that引导的同位语从句用破折号与前文相连接。
◆词汇点津
sustainable development可持续发展
accelerate v. 加快，加速，促进
Practice 86
But owing to the constant presence of air currents, arranging both the dust and vapor in strata of varying extent and density, and of high or low clouds which both absorb and reflect the light in varying degree, we see produced all those wondrous combinations of tints and those gorgeous ever-changing colors which are a constant source of admiration and delight to all who have the advantage of an uninterrupted view to the west and who are accustomed to watch for those not infrequent exhibitions of nature’s kaleidoscopic color painting. With every change
in the altitude of the sun the display changes its character; and most of all when it has sunk below the horizon, and owing to the more favorable angle a larger quantity of the colored light is reflected toward us. These, as long as the sun was above the horizon, intercepted much of the light and color; but when the great luminary has passed away from our direct vision, its light shines more directly on the under sides of all the clouds and air strata of different densities.
参考译文及解析
【参考译文】
但是由于不断出现的气流，把尘埃与水汽形成范围和密度均不等的空气层，加上不断出现的高低空云层不同程度地吸收和反射太阳光，我们这才看到所产生的各种奇异的调和不断变化的彩，任何人只要有幸看到一幅完整的西天的景，习惯于注意大自然不时展现的那瞬息万变的画面，都会为之赞不绝口，喜不自胜。随着夕阳缓缓西坠，这种景观也不断变幻，尤其是在太阳沉入地平线之后，由于角度更加适宜，大量五颜六的光就都反射到地面上来了。原先只要太阳还在地平线上，云雾就截住不少阳光和彩，但现在太阳从我们的视野中消失了，阳光便更为直接地照射到密度不同的云层和大气层的底部。
【解析】
◆翻译要点
段落第一句结构比较复杂，包含四个定语从句，这是本句话翻译的重点和难点，四个定语从句分别为：which both absorb and reflect the light in ；which are a constant source ；who have the ；who are accustomed to watch 。翻译时首先要弄清先行词指代的内容，然后判断which