2019上半年翻译资格考试中级笔译冲刺试题八

英译汉

Impacts of Climatic Changes on Livestock: A Canadian Perspective

There are more than 90,000 livestock operations in Canada, which accounted for more than $17 billion in farm cash receipts in 20001.Despite the economic importance of livestock operations to Canada2, relatively few studies have examined how they could be impacted by climate change. 3

Temperature is generally considered to be4 the most important bioclimatic factor for livestock. Warmer temperatures are expected to present both benefits and challenges to livestock operations. Benefits would be particularly evident during winter, when 5 warmer weather lowers feed requirements, increases survival of the young, and reduces energy costs. Challenges would increase during the summer, however, when heat waves can kill animals. For example, large numbers of chicken deaths are commonly reported in the United States during heat waves. 6 Heat stress also adversely affects milk production, meat quality and dairy cow reproduction. In addition, warmer summer temperatures have been shown to suppress appetites in livestock and hence reduce weight gain. For example, a study conducted in Appalachia found that a 5︒C increase in mean summer temperature7 caused a l0% decrease in cow, calf and dairy operations.

Provided there is adequate moisture, warmer temperatures and elevated CO2 concentrations are generally expected to increase growth rates in grasslands and pastures. 8 It is estimated that a doubling of9 atmospheric CO2 would increase grassland productivity by an average of 17%, with greater increases projected for colder regions and moisture-limited grassland systems. However, study results tend to vary greatly with location, and changes in species composition may affect the actual impacts10 on livestock grazing. For instance, studies have noted future climate changes, particularly extreme events, may promote the invasion of alien species into grasslands, which could reduce the nutritional quality of the grass.

An increase in severe moisture deficits due to drought may require producers to reduce their stock of grazing cattle to preserve their land, as exemplified by the drought of 2001 when many Prairie producers had to cull their herds. For the 2002 season, it was predicted that many pastures would be unable to support any grazing, while others would be reduced to 20-300/o of normal herd capacity.

There is relatively little literature available on the impacts of extreme climate events on livestock. Nevertheless, storms, blizzards and droughts are an important concern for livestock operations. In addition to the direct effects on animals, storms may result in power outages that can devastate farms that are heavily dependent upon electricity for daily operations. This was exemplified by" the 1998 ice storm in eastern Ontario and southern Quebec, when the lack of power left many dairy farms unable to use their milking machines. This threatened the health of the cows (due to potential mastitis) and caused significant revenue losses. Milk revenue was also lost through the inability to store the milk at the proper temperature.12 Furthermore, the lack of electricity made it difficult to provide adequate barn ventilation and heating, thereby making the animals more susceptible to illness.

词汇

1.cash receipts现金收入

2.bioclimatic factor生物气候因素

3.heat wave/heat stress热浪

4.C02 concentration二氧化碳浓度

5.grassland/pasture/prairie草原，草地，草场

6.grazing放牧

7.cull拣选，剔除

8.herd capacity放牧能力

9.mastitis乳突炎

10.revenue收入

注释

1.本句中which引导的定话从句补充说明加拿大家畜业的收入情况，汉译时不必译为前置定语，可独立译为一句，更符合汉语习惯：加拿大有9万多家家畜企业，2000年现金收入超过170亿美元。

2.此处为despite介词词组做状语，汉译时需译成句子。汉译时，一般英语的状语都可译作汉语的一个分句，更符合汉语习惯。此外，英语以名词为胜，经常使用名词、名词词组和介词词组，而汉语则以动词为胜，本句就又是一例。

3.表述之前已提到内容时，英语常用代词、助动词、近义词等替代，汉语则常采用重复的手段。这里的they指代之前的Livestock operations，汉译时应将they译为“家畜业”，而不能简单地用“它们”对应。关于替代与重复这一技巧请参见本单元的Skills of Translation.

4.科技英语中大量使用被动结构，以使内容更具客观性。然而汉语被动结构使用并不广泛，所以汉译时一般需转为主动，故此句译为：“对家畜而言，气温通常是最为重要的生物气候因素。”

5.此句中when引导的定语从句具有状语功能，汉译时可将其译作状语从句，使用关联词“因为”表明上下文关系。下句讲夏季温度上升的风险时，也使用了when，两者情况相似。

6. large numbers of chicken deaths are commonly reported in the United States during heat waves本句显然不能机械地译作“在美国热浪时期，大量小鸡死亡通常被报道”，不妨将动词report化作名词，将名词heat waves化为主谓词组，译为“热浪来袭时，美国经常有大批小鸡死亡的报道”，更符合汉语习惯。

7.mean summer temperature意为“夏季平均气温”。此处mean的意思为居于两端中间的、平均的，相似例子有，mean moisture(平均湿度)、mean price(财务、证券交易经纪人买进卖出的平均价格)、Greenwich Mean Time(格林尼治时间)等。

8.此句又为被动句，翻译技巧同注释4。这里的grasslands和pastures分别为“草场”和“草原”，不能笼统地都译为“草地”。

9.a doubling of可译为“翻一番”、“两倍”、“增长一倍”等，这里的英文表达方式很值得借鉴。科技文献中表示倍数、增减等概念的数字较多，并有多种表达方法，翻译时应弄清确切含义，选择合适的表达方法。倍数的译法请参见本单元的Skills of Translation。

10.原文中the actual impact on livestock grazing翻译时需根据上下文补充“气候变化”

译为“气候变化对家畜放牧的实际影响”，使之完整，前后连贯。

11.奉文中多次举例，使用for example，for instance，as exemplified by，be exemplified by等表达方式，汉译一般译作“例如”、“比如”。不妨多积累些表示举例的英语表达方法，在汉译英时即可游刃有余。

12.Milk revenue was also lost through the inability to store the milk at the proper temperature本句结果在前，原因在后，汉译时可按“先因后果”的汉语逻辑习惯调整语序，译为：牛奶无法在合适的温度下存放也导致了收入的减少。

参考译文

气候变化对家畜的影响——加拿大的视角

加拿大有9万多家家畜企业，2000年现金收入超过170亿美元。家畜业对加拿大经济举足轻重，但是，有关气候变化对家畜业影响的研究却相对不足。

对家畜而言，气温通常是最为重要的生物气候因素。温度较高对家畜业既有益处，也有风险。这种益处在冬季尤为明显，因为温度较高，就会降低家畜饲养要求，提高幼畜存活几率，节约能源成本。然而在夏季，温度上升的风险就会凸现，热浪可能置牲畜于死地。例如，热浪来袭时，美国经常有大批小鸡死亡的报道。热浪对牛奶生产、肉制品质量以及奶牛繁殖也很不利。另外，研究表明，夏季气温较高会抑止家畜的食欲，从而影响其体重增长。

如阿巴拉契亚地区的一项研究表明，夏季平均气温上升5摄氏度，会导致奶牛、肉牛和奶制品产业产值减少10%。

假设湿度适宜，较高的气温和二氧化碳浓度通常会提高草场和草原的生长率。据估计，大气中二氧化碳浓度翻一番，草场产量就会平均增长17 010，在较冷的地区和湿度较低的草场上增长率更高。然而，研究结果地区差异很大，而物种构成的变化，也会使气候变化对家畜放牧的实际影响有所不同。比如，多项研究指出，未来气候变化，尤其是极端气候情况的出现，会助长外来物种侵入草场，从而降低草的营养价值。

干旱引起的湿度亏欠增加，会迫使牧场主减少牲畜存栏数，以保护草场。2001年的干旱就迫使许多草原牧场主大量宰杀病弱牲畜。2002年曾有人预言，许多草原将不再能放牧，而其他草原的正常放牧能力也将下降20-30%。

虽然有关极端气候事件对家畜影响的现有文献相对较少，但毫无疑问，暴风雨、暴风雪和干旱是影响家畜业的重要因素。除了对牲畜的直接影响外，暴风雨会导致电力供应中断。

那些高度依赖电力的农场的日常运作，将受到严重影响。例如，1998年安大略省东部和魁北克南部遭受暴风雪时，许多产奶场因缺电无法使用挤奶机器，从而威胁奶牛的健康(因为可能导致乳突炎)，并对农户收入造成严重损失。牛奶无法在合适的温度下存放也导致了销售收入的减少。此外，缺电还容易导致谷仓通风不畅，供暖不足，使奶牛易于患病。

练习

1.The Canadian government has reduced its subsidies to the agricultural industry, making it necessary for farmers to introduce more profitable crops and more livestock production, which is generally more profitable.

2.Mechanization, increasing capitalization, and corporate organization became characteristic of American farming in the twentieth century.

3.Wheat is the single most important crop in Canada, and the Prairie Provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan form one of the greatest wheat-growing areas of the world, producing more than one-fifth of the world's supply.

4.Recent outbreaks of devastating diseases around the world (including mad cow disease, foot and mouth disease and bird flu) and concerns over bioterrorism reinforce the low-risk, science- based approach to quarantine and biosecurity policy.

5.FAO's work to promote rural development and achieve food security is integral to our efforts to attain sustainable development in its social, economic and environmental aspects, within the overarching framework of United Nations System activities. Rural and agricultural development should be an integral part of national and international development policies.

6.The British Isles are surrounded by comparatively shallow seas which are rich fishing-grounds, and the British fishing industry is one of the most important in the world.

7.Australia is the world's largest exporter of wool, the second largest exporter of meat, the third largest exporter of wheat and a major international supplier of sugar, dairy products, fruits, cotton and rice.

8.Scientific methods of farming, including development of sturdy, disease-resistant hybrid seeds and the use of machines, are responsible for the production increase.

9.Scientists today are giving more attention to environmental concerns by helping small farmers and farmers working on barely productive lands.

10.Twenty years ago, and in the face of growing populations and food shortages in South Asia, India and Pakistan launched the " Green Revolution" by introducing highly productive varieties of wheat and rice, and employing new methods in the use of more and better chemical fertilizers, improved irrigation, and pesticides.

答案

1.由于加拿大政府降低了对农业的补贴，迫使农户引进经济效益更好的作物和通常收益较高的家畜。

2.机械化、资本额增长和合作组织成为20世纪美国农业的特点。

3.小麦是加拿大最重要的作物。艾伯塔、马尼托巴、萨斯喀彻温等省份草原遍布，是全世界最大的小麦种植区之一，产量超过全球的五分之一。

4.最近全球多种疫情肆虞(包括疯牛病、口蹄疫和禽流感)，生物恐怖主义威胁加重，迫使加强检疫和生物安全政策中采纳科学的低风险措施。

5.粮农组织为促进农村发展和实现粮食安全而开展工作，这是我们在联合国系统总的活动范围内，努力实现社会、经济和环境方面可持续发展的重要组成部分。农村和农业发展应当成为国家和国际发展政策不可分割的部分。

6.不列颠诸岛被浅海包围，渔业资源丰富。英国捕鱼业在世界上占有重要地位。

7.澳大利亚羊毛出口居世界第一，肉类第二，小麦第三;还是主要的蔗糖、奶制品、水果、棉花和水稻出口国。

8.产量增长的根本原因在于科学种田法，它包括培植强壮抗病杂交种子和使用机械进行耕作。

9.今天科学家更加注重环境，常常帮助小农户和在贫瘠土地上耕作的农户。

10.20年前，南亚面临人口增长食物短缺的危机，印度和巴基斯坦启动了“绿色革命”，引进各种高产小麦和水稻，采用新方法，增加优质化肥的使用，改进灌溉和杀虫剂。