telecommunications

UNIT ELEVEN
TEXT
PRESIDENT NIXON'S SPEECH1
Mr. Prime Minister and all of your distinguished guests this evening,
On behalf of all of your American guests, I wish to thank you2 for the incomparable hospitality for which3 the Chinese people are justly famous throughout the world. I particularly want to pay tribute, not only to those who prepared the magnificent dinner, but also to4 those who have provided5 the splendid music. Never have I heard American music played better in a foreign land.
Mr. Prime Minister, I wish to thank you for your very gracious and eloquent remarks. At this very moment6 through the wonder7 of telecommunications, more people are seeing and hearing what we say than on any other such occasion in the whole history of the world. Yet, what we say here will not be long remembered. What we do here can change the world.
As you said in your toast, the Chinese people are a great people, the American people are a great people. If our two people are enemies the future of this world we share together is dark indeed. But if we can find common ground8 to work together, the chance for world peace9 is immeasurably increased.
In the spirit of frankness which10 I hope will characterize our talks this week, let us recognize at the outset11 these points: we have at times in the past been enemies. We have great differences today. What brings us together is that we have common interests which transcend those differences. As we discuss our differences, neither of us will compromise our principles. But while we cannot close the gulf between us, we can try to bridge it so that we may be able to talk across it.
So, let us, in these next five days, start a long march together, not in lockstep12, but on different roads leading to the same goal, the goal of building a world structure of peace and justice in which13 all14 may stand together with equal dignity and in which each nation, large or small, has a right to determine its own form of government, free of outside interference or domination15. The world watches. The world listens. The world waits to see what we will do. What is the world In a personal sense, I think of my eldest daughter whose birthday is today. As I think of her, I think of all the children in the world, in Asia, in Africa, in Europe, in the Americas, most of whom were born since the date of the foundation of the People's Republic of China.
What legacy shall we leave our children Are they destined to die for the hatreds which have plagued the old world, or are they destined to live because we had the vision16 to build a new world
There is no reason for us to be enemies. Neither of us seeks the territory of the other; neither of us seeks domination over the other, neither of us seeks to stretch out our hands and rule the world.
Chairman Mao has written, "So many deeds cry out to be done, and always urgently; the world rolls on , time presses. Ten thousand years are too long, seize the day, seize the hour!"
This is the hour. This is the day for our two peoples to rise to the heights of greatness which can build a new and a better world.
In that spirit, I ask all of you present to join me in raising your glasses to Chairman Mao, to Prime Minister Chou, and to the friendship of the Chinese and American people which can lead to friendship and peace for all people in the world.
WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
1. hospitality [h0spi′t0liti] n.热情,好客
2. gracious [′0rei00s] adj.彬彬有礼的;落落大方的
3. eloquent [′el0kw0nt] adj.雄辩的
4. telecommunication [teli0k0mju0ni′kei00n] n.电信,远程通讯
5. toast [t0ust] n.祝酒辞
6. transcend [tr0n′send] v.跨越
7. compromise [′k0mpr0maiz] v.妥协
8. domination [d0mi′nei00n] n.统治,支配
9. legacy [′le00si] n.遗产
10. plague [plei0] v.折磨,使苦恼
11. territory [′terit0ri] n.领土,领地
DIFFICULT POINT EXPLANATION
1. 本文是美国总统尼克松在1972年2月21日欢迎宴会上的讲话.
2. 这一句较长,为使译文语气更舒缓,先补译一句"向你们表示感谢",停顿一下,再说"感谢你们的……",而不直接说"感谢你们的……".
3. which引导的定语从句,在译文里单独成句.justly若一定要译出,可译作"是理所当然的",放在句末.
4. 虽然原文只重复介词to,译文还是要重复动词"赞扬".
5. 原文provide一词比较笼统,译文用"演奏"一词,比"提供"具体,还与"音乐"搭配.
6. "此时此刻"用在这里非常合适.very是个加强语气的词,常可以用"就"字来表示.但此处若译作"就在此刻",就显得平淡了.
7. wonder:miracle,译为"奇迹".
8. common ground:共同点.
9. 原文the chance for world peace, 有了介词for, 就不需要再加动词了.但译文加了动词"实现",否则句子就不通了.
10. 原文which引导的定语从句在译文里单独成句,而且放在前面,然后再说"本着这种坦率的精神……"这是处理定语从句的一个很好的办法.
11. at the outset:at the beginning一开始.
12. in lockstep:together and at the same peace步调一致.
13. 这里"which"指"a world structure of peace and justice".
14. 这里"all"指代"all the nations".
15. "the goal ... domination"是"the same goal"的同位语.
16. vision:foresight译为"前景".
REFERENCE VERSION
美国总统尼克松的讲话
总理先生及今晚在座的诸位贵宾:
我谨代表你们的所有美国客人向你们表示感谢,感谢你们的无可比拟的盛情款待.中国人民以这种盛情款待而闻名世界.我们不仅要赞扬那些准备了这次盛大晚宴的人,而且还要特别赞扬那些为我们演奏美好音乐的人.我在外国从未听到过演奏得这么好的美国音乐.
总理先生,我要感谢你的非常盛情和雄辩的讲话.此时此刻,通过电讯的奇迹,看到和听到我们讲话的人比在世界历史上任何其他这样的场合都要多.不过,我们在这里所讲的话,人们不会长久地记住,但我们在这里做的事却能改变世界.
正如你在祝酒时讲的那样,中国人民是伟大的人民,美国人民是伟大的人民.如果我们两国人民互相为敌,那么我们共同居住的这个世界的前途就的确很暗淡.但是,如果我们能够找到进行合作的共同点,那么实现世界和平的机会就将无可估量地大大增加.
我希望我们这个星期的会谈将是坦率的.本着这种坦率的精神,让我们在一开始就认识到这样几点:过去一些时候我们曾是敌人,今天我们有巨大的分歧.使我们走到一起的,是我们有超越这些分歧的共同利益.在我们讨论我们的分歧时,我们双方都要在自己的原则上妥协.但是,虽然我们不能弥合双方之间的鸿沟,我们却能够设法搭一座桥,以便我们能够越过它进行会谈.
因此,让我们在接下来的五天里,一起踏上漫漫征程,虽然步调不一致,但都是朝着同一个目标在不同的道路上前进.这个目标是建立一个公正和平的世界格局.在这个格局中,所有国家都能相互尊重,国家不论大小,都有权不受外界的干涉或统治,自主地决定自己的政府形式.世界在注视着我们,世界在聆听着我们,世界期盼着我们的决定.世界是什么呢 就我个人而言,我想起今天是我大女儿的生日,我想起了她,便想起了全世界的孩子们,亚洲的,非洲的,欧洲的和美洲的,各国大部分孩子都是在中华人民共和国建国以后出生的.
该留给孩子们什么样的遗产呢 他们是注定要死于困扰旧世界的仇恨还是注定为创建新世界这一远景而生存呢
我们毫无理由成为敌人,我们都既不窥视另一方的领土,也不寻求主宰另一方,更不想扩展势力统治世界.
毛主席曾写道:"多少事,从来急,天地转,光阴迫,一万年太久,只争朝夕."
此时此刻,两国人民应该行动起来,努力开创一个全新的,更美好的世界.
本着这种精神,我诚邀在坐的各位与我共同为毛主席,为周总理,为中美两国人民的友谊,以及由此带给全世界人民的友谊与和平干杯.
TRANSLATION TECHNIQUES
合译法
合译是把英语的复合句译成一个汉语单句.
由于英汉两种语言句子结构不完全相同,有时套用原文的句式往往是行不通的.当原文句子的表层结构与汉语的表达方式不一致时,需要进行句子结构的调整,使译文和原文的内容相一致.将原文中的复合句译成一个汉语单句可以使译文紧凑,简练,语气连贯,合乎汉语的表达习惯.
一,把原文中两个或两个以上的简单句译成一个单句
・He was very clean. His mind was open.
他为人单纯而坦率.
・There are men here from all over the country. Many of them are from the South.
从全国各地来的人中有许多是南方人.
・These trains had beautiful bedrooms, bathrooms, dining rooms, and sitting rooms. They were like little palaces, really fit for a king.
这种火车上有华丽的卧室,浴室,餐厅和起居室,宛如小型宫殿,简直可供国王使用了.
・You've probably seen freight trains. There are many kinds. There are trains to carry logs, refrigerator trains to carry food, tank trains to carry fuel, even trains to carry cars.
你可能见过货运列车吧.其种类非常之多,有运载木材的列车,运载食品的冷藏列车,运油的油罐列车,甚至还有运载小轿车的列车.
・The building has 36 barn-size bins. The temperature and the amount of water in the air are recorded in the bins. There are machines to heat or cool the air.
这座建筑物有三十六件如谷仓大小的库房,在这些库房里,空气的温度和湿度都作了记录,还配有给空气加温或降温的机器.
・It's good there.Quiet. Fresh-aired. White swans swam around whitely.
那儿景色宜人,环境幽静,空气清新,白天鹅游来荡去,一片洁白.
・I pulled up a chair and sat down. I sat with my legs wide apart at first. But this struck me as being irreverent and too familiar. So I put my knees together and let my hands rest loosely on them.
我把椅子挪过来坐下,起初两腿分开,但我突然觉得这样显得不太尊重,太不拘礼节,便把两膝并拢,把双手随便地放在膝盖上.
・The young man was very miserable. He had no money about him. All his savings had been stolen.
这个年轻人很惨,已落到身无分文的地步,因为他所有的积蓄都被窃了.
・Darkness fell. An explosion shook the earth. It did not shake his will to go to the front.
夜幕降临时,一声爆炸震动了大地,可并没动摇他上前线的决心.
・That day, the President had an interview with her father. Her father was going to the moon by spaceshuttle.
那天,总统会见了她的父亲,因为当时她的父亲即将乘航天飞机去登月.
・She is very busy at home. She has to take care of the children and do the kitchen work.
她在家很忙,又要看孩子,又要下厨房.
二,把原文中的复合句译成一个单句
・I don't care if at first they look dismayed, as long as they discover there is help.
我不在乎他们起初会不会感到惊愕,只要他们能发现这病是有办法可治愈的就行了.
三,把原文中的并列句译成一个单句
・The time was 10:30, and the traffic on the street was light.
10点30分的时候,街上来往的车辆稀少了.
・In 1844 Engels met Marx, and they became friends.
在1844年恩格斯与马克思相遇并成了朋友.
四,把简单句与复合句或并列句合译成一个句子
・The monorail is another kind of train used in busy places. The train hangs from a rail high above the streets and it carries people quickly in and out of the city.
单轨火车是交通繁忙地区所使用的另一种火车,它在街道上空的高架铁轨上行使,迅速地将人们运送进城来或送出城去.
・There are trains to carry people, trains to carry animals, and trains to carry things. There are fast trains, slow trains, trains that go under the ground, trains that go through mountains.
有运送旅客的火车,运载动物的火车,还有运载货物的火车;有快车,慢车;还有地下火车和穿山火车.
・I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore. I have amused myself by now and then finding a smooth pebble or a pretty shell, but the great ocean of truth still lies before me unknown and unexplored.
看来我只像个在海边玩耍的孩子,不时拣起一块小小的光滑卵石,或是一片美丽的贝壳,自娱自乐,而横在我面前的真理的海洋,却还有待于发现和探索.
・A year later, in 1996, I had the operation on my left hand. Now, although my fingers aren't perfectly straight, they're supple and work wonderfully. And there's no more pain.
一年以后,也就是在1990年,我的左手动了手术.虽说现在我的10个手指还不能完全挺直,但已能伸屈自如,行动灵活了,而且也不再感到疼痛.
・One may have to learn to live with pain, but there's one thing you never have to live without. Hope.
一个人可能必须学会忍受痛苦活下去,但有一样东西是你活着就必须要有的,那就是希望.
EXERCISES
Ⅰ.USEFUL TERM TRANSLATION
1. life insurance 2. insured
3. insurer 4. pay agent
5. insurance broker 6. insurance certificate
7. insurance clause 8. insurance commission
9. insurance declaration 10. insurance policy
11. insurance premium 12. insured amount
13. marine insurance 14. accident insurance
15. fire insurance 16. term insurance
17. straight life insurance 18. medical insurance
19. labor insurance 20. household property insurance
Ⅱ.SENTENCE TRANSLATION
1. It was on the early morning of April 2, 1971.The pilots were briefed in the ready room.
2. I'm blest if I know.
3. When we praise the Chinese leadership and the people, we are not merely being polite.
4. From Florence the river Arno ran down to Pisa, and then it reached the sea.
5. There are many people who want to see the film.
6. Oxygen is a gas which unites with many substances.
7. When I negotiate, I get nervous. When I get nervous, I eat.
8. If we do a thing, we should do it well.
9. It develops an argument; it cites instances; It reaches a conclusion.
10. There was nothing to be done. We could not segregate the sick, nor could we care for them.
Ⅲ.PASSAGE TRANSLATION
SPEECHES BY FORMER U.S.PRESIDENT
CARTER AT WELCOMING BANQUET
Permit me first to thank our Chinese hosts for your extraordinary arrangements and hospitality. My wife and I, as well as our entire party, are deeply grateful. In the short period of six days, we have gone a longer distance than the Long March. We have acquired a keen sense of the diversity, dynamism, and progress of China under your policies of reform and opening to the outside world.
More than eight years have passed since Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping and I joined hands to establish full diplomatic relations between our great nations. Our hope and vision was to forge a Sino-American relationship which would contribute to world peace and the welfare of our two peoples. I personally looked upon the forging of firm Sino-American ties as a historically significant experiment.
We faced the question in 1978, as to some extent we still do today: can two nations as different as ours - yours one of the oldest civilizations on earth, mine one of the youngest; yours a socialist state and mine committed to capitalism; yours a developing country and mine a developed one - can two nations surmount and indeed draw upon these differences to build an unprecedented and distinctive relationship in world affairs If we are successful, in one great step our two nations will have been able to ease one of the greatest sources of tension in international affairs: that between the developing and developed worlds. We still have a long way to go, and it is still too early to conclude that our experiment will culminate in success, but certainly the results of the first ten years are promising. Sino-American ties have become extensive, affecting all aspects of our national lives: commerce, culture, education, scientific exchange, and our separate national security policies.
I am most proud of the large number of Chinese students being educated in our country - now about 18,000. I teach some of them and see the benefits that come from this exchange. At the same time we are learning valuable lessons from you. Nevertheless, problems remain in our economic, educational and strategic relations.
As a private American citizen I recognize that many of the burdens and opportunities of our relationship have now passed to the non-government sectors of our two societies: to individuals, our corporations, universities, research institutes, foundations, and so on. There is no doubt that Sino-American relations have reached a new stage. In this context, it is important for our two societies to search for areas of cooperation which clearly add to our mutual benefit.
TRANSLATION APPRECIATION
1. Many straws may bind an elephant.
草多可缚象.
2. No pains, no gains.
不劳无获.
3. Money burns a hole in his pocket.
钱烧口袋漏,一有就不留.
4. No vice goes alone.
祸不单行.
5. No way is impossible to courage.
勇士面前无险路. / 勇者无惧.
6. Not even good officials can settle family troubles.
清官难断家务事.
7. Anger punishes itself.
生气是一种自我惩罚.
8. Misfortune is a good teacher.
不幸是良好的教师.
9. Misfortunes come at night.
祸常生于不测.
10. Misfortunes tell us what fortune is.
恶运临头后,才知幸运贵. / 失去方知可贵.
11. Modesty helps one to go forward, whereas conceit makes one lag behind.
谦虚使人进步,骄傲使人落后.
12. Never offer to teach fish to swim.
不要班门弄斧.
13. Good wine needs no bush.
酒好客自来.
14. No man is born wise or learned.
人非生而知之.
15. Nothing is difficult to the man who will try.
世上无难事,只要肯登攀.
UNIT TWELVE
TEXT
HOW TO GROW OLD
Bertrand Russell
In spite of the title, 1 this article will really be on how not to grow old, which2, at my time of life, is a much more important subject. My first advice3 would be to choose your ancestors4 carefully. Although both my parents died young, I have done well in this respect5 as regards my other ancestors. 6 My maternal grandfather, it is true, was cut off in the flower of his youth at the age of sixty-seven, 7 but my other three grandparents8 all lived to be over eighty. Of remoter ancestors I can only discover one who did not live to a great age, and he died of a disease which is now rare, namely, having his head cut off. A great-grandmother of mine, who was a friend of Gibbon, lived to the age of ninety-two, and to her last day remained a terror to all her descendants. My maternal grandmother, after having nine children who survived, one who died in infancy, and many miscarriages, as soon as she became a widow devoted herself to women's higher education.9 She was one of the founders of Girton College, and worked hard at opening the medical profession to women. She used to relate how she met in Italy an elderly gentleman who was looking very sad. She inquired the cause of his melancholy and he said that he had just parted from his two grandchildren. "Good gracious," she exclaimed,"I have seventy-two grandchildren, and if I were sad each time I parted from one of them, I should have a dismal existence!" "Madre snaturale," he replied. But speaking as one of the seventy-two, I prefer her recipe. After the age of eighty she found she had some difficulty in getting to sleep, so she habitually spent the hours from midnight to 3 a. m. in reading popular science. I do not believe that she ever had time to notice10 that she was growing old. This, I think, is the proper recipe for remaining young. If you have wide and keen interests and activities in which you can still be effective, you will have no reason to think about the merely statistical fact of the number of years you have already lived, still less of the probable brevity of your future. 11
As regards health, I have nothing useful to say since I have little experience of illness. I eat and drink whatever I like, 12 and sleep when I cannot keep awake. I never do anything whatever on the ground that it is good for health, though in actual fact the things I like doing are mostly wholesome.
Psychologically there are two dangers to be guarded against in old age. One of these is undue absorption in the past. 13 It does not do to14 live in memories, in regrets for the good old days, or in sadness about friends who are dead. One's thoughts must be directed to the future, and to things about which there is something to be done. This is not always easy; one's own past is a gradually increasing weight. 15 It is easy to think to oneself that one's emotions used to be more vivid than they are, and one's mind more keen. 16 If this is true it should be forgotten, 17 and if it is forgotten it will probably not be true.
The other thing to be avoided is clinging to youth in the hope of sucking vigor from its vitality. When your children are grown up they want to live their own lives, and if you continue to be as interested in them as you were when they were young, you are likely to become a burden to them, unless they are unusually callous. I do not mean that one should be without interest in them, but one's interest should be contemplative and, if possible, philanthropic, but not unduly emotional. 18Animals become indifferent to their young as soon as their young can look after themselves, but human beings, owing to the length of infancy, 19 find this difficult.
I think that a successful old age is easiest for those who have strong impersonal interests involving appropriate activities. It is in this sphere that long experience is really fruitful, and it is in this sphere that the wisdom born of experience can be exercised without being oppressive. It is no use telling grown-up children not to make mistakes, both because they will not believe you, and because mistakes are an essential part of education. But if you are one of those who are incapable of impersonal interests, you may find that your life will be empty unless you concern yourself with your children and grandchildren. In that case you must realize that while you can still render them material service, such as making them an allowance or knitting them jumpers, you must not expect that they will enjoy your company.
Some old people are oppressed by the fear of death. In the young there is a justification for this feeling. Young men who have reason to fear that they will be killed in battle may justifiably feel bitter in the thought that they have been cheated of the best things that life has to offer. But in an old man who has known human joys and sorrows, and has achieved whatever work it was in him to do, the fear of death is somewhat abject and ignoble. The best way to overcome it - so at least it seems to me - is to make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal, until bit by bit the walls of the ego recede, and your life becomes increasingly merged in the universal life. An individual human existence should be like a river - small at first, narrowly contained within its banks, and rushing passionately past boulders and over waterfalls. Gradually the river grows wider, the banks recede, the waters flow more quietly, and in the end, without any visible break, they become merged in the sea, and painlessly lose their individual being. The man who, in old age, can see his life in this way, will not suffer from the fear of death, since the things he cares for will continue. And if, with the decay of vitality, weariness increases, the thought of rest will be not unwelcome. I should wish to die while still at work, knowing that others will carry on what I can no longer do, and content in the thought that what was possible has been done.
WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
1. melancholy [′mel0nk0li] adv.忧郁地
2. terror [′ter0] n.畏惧
3. recipe [′resipi] n.秘方
4. descendant [di′send0nt] n.后裔
5. absorption [0b′s00p00n] n.专注
6. brevity [′breviti] n.简洁
7. statistical [st0′tistikl] adj.统计的
8. callous [′k0l0s] adj.冷酷的,无情的
9. contemplative [′k0ntempleitiv] adj.沉思的,冥想的
10. Madre snaturale (意大利语)这个做母亲的真怪呀
11. render [′rend0] v.给予
12. knit [nit] v.编织,针织
13. jumper [′d00mp0] n.无袖连衣裙
14. ego [′i000u] n.自我;自负;自尊
15. merge [m00d0] v.合并
DIFFICULT POINT EXPLANATION
1. in spite of 用作介词,后面可以跟名词.在汉语里,"尽管"或"虽然"后面不能直接用名词,因此译文用了主谓结构.
2. which 指前面提出的问题,用在这里很方便.译文将一句分两句,汉语也没有类似which 的词,因此用"这个问题"来概括前面的话.
3. my first advice 若译作"我的第一条忠告",就显得过于正式,译作"我的头一条忠告",语气就比较灵活,合乎整个第一段话的风格.
4. 看到ancestor 一词,往往容易联想到"祖先",但"祖先"的含义是指年代比较久远的上代,而从下文看,ancestors 在这里要包括父亲,所以译作"先人".
5. 原文前面一句说了to choose your ancestors carefully,这一句为了避免重复,换了一个说法,I have done will in this respect.汉语不怕重复,而且译文把这一部分调到了句末,因此译作"我还是选得不错的",而没有译作"我在这一方面还是做得不错的".
6. other ancestors 在这里显然不包括父母,所以译作"祖辈".
7. 此处若译作"在风华正茂的六十七岁就弃世了",则显得过于别扭,不如分开译较为从容.
8. 汉语没有一个适当的词能够兼顾祖父,祖母,外祖父,外祖母.所以这里只好把grandparents具体化,根据上下文,译为"祖父,祖母和外祖母".
9. 原文这一句较长,主语和动词之间有好几个定语,状语从句和短语,译文无法保持这样的结构,将一句分为两句,先说她生过几个孩子,再说她在丈夫死后的生活.
10. 原文I do not believe that she ever had time to...否定词跟第一个动词连用,这是英语的用法.汉语则是否定词与第二个动词连用,因此译作"我相信她从来没有工夫去……".
11. 原文为了避免重复,用了一个省略的说法.汉语无法省略,只好重复"没有理由去考虑自己……".
12. I eat and drink whatever I like...英语把吃喝连在一起说,汉语则不能说"我想吃喝什么就吃喝什么",而只好分开译作"我想吃什么就吃什么,想喝什么就喝什么".
13. undue absorption in the past是一个名词短语,其中包含一个抽象名词.若照字面译作"对过去的过分怀念",则不顺.因此,译的文用了一个动宾结构,译作"过分地怀念过去"这是一个常用的处理抽象名词的方法.
14. It does not do to...英语是先表态,后说明情况,泽语则往往先说明情况,后表态,因此译文最后才说"这是不妥的".
15. weight 的本意是"重物"或"负担",汉语"包袱"二字正是此意.
16. 这一句也可照原文的结构译作"我过去感情比现在丰富,思想比现在敏锐".但考虑到与下文的连接,就不如译作"我过去感情多么丰富,思想多么敏锐,现在不行了" ,这是正话反译.
17. it should be forgotten 没有照字面译作"那就应该把它忘掉",而译作"那就不要去想它",也是正话反译.
18. 原文用了三个形容词:contemplative, philanthropic和emotional,这三个形容词含义比较丰富,汉语很难找到与之相对应的形容词,因此分别译作"多为他们着想","给他们一些接济"和"动感情".
19. 看到infancy一词,往往容易想到婴儿时期.但从上下文看,此处的infancy指一个人能独立生活以前的整个时期,对父母来讲,也就是"抚养子女的时间"了.
REFERENCE VERSION
怎样才能长寿
罗素
题目虽然这样写,实际上本文所要谈的却是人怎样才可以不老.对于像我这样上了年纪的人来说,这个问题就更是重要得多了.我的头一条忠告是,你可得要挑选好你的先人啊.我的父母年纪轻轻就去世了,可是说到祖辈,我还是选得不错的.我外祖父固然是在风华正茂之年就弃世了,当时他只有六十七岁,但是我的祖父,祖母和外祖母却都活到了八十以上.再往远一点说,在我的先人之中,我发现只有一位活得不长,他得了一种现在已不多见的病,那就是头让人砍掉了.我的一位曾祖母,和吉本是朋友,活到了九十二岁,她直到临终都使儿孙望而生畏.我外祖母有九个孩子活了下来,有一个孩子很小就死了,她还流产过多次.丈夫一死,她就致力于女子高等教育.她是戈登学院的创办人之一,曾竭力使医学专业对妇女开放.她常对人说,她在意大利碰到过一位愁容满面的老先生,就问他为什么闷闷不乐,他说两个孙孙刚刚离开他."我的天哪!"我外祖母说,"我的孙子孙女有七十二个,要是每离开一个都要难过,我的生活就太痛苦了."听了这话,老先生竟说,"这个做母亲的真怪呀".但是我作为这七十二人中的一员,倒是赞成她的办法的.她过了八十以后,常睡不着觉,所以从午夜到凌晨三点总要读些科普读物.我相信她从来没有工夫去注意自己是不是在日益衰老.我认为,要想永葆青春,这是最好的办法.你要是有广泛的爱好和强烈的兴趣,而且还有能力参加一些活动,你就没有理由去考虑自己已经活了多少岁这样的具体数字,更没有理由去考虑自己的余年大概是很有限的了.
谈到健康问题,我就没有什么可说的了,因为我没怎么生过病.我想吃什么就吃什么,想喝什么就喝什么,眼睛睁不开了就睡觉,从来不为对身体有益而搞什么活动,然而实际上我喜欢做的事大都是有助于增进身体健康的.
从心理方面来说,到了老年,有两种危险倾向需要注意防止.一是过分地怀念过去.老想着过去,总觉得过去怎么好怎么好,或者总是为己故的朋友而忧伤,这是不妥的.一个人应当考虑未来,考虑一些可以有所作为的事情.要做到这一点并非总是很容易的;自己过去的经历而就是一个越来越沉重的包袱.人们往往会对自己说,我过去感情多么丰富,思想多么敏锐,现在不行了.如果真是这样的话,那就不要去想它,而如果你不去想它,情形就很可能不是这样了.
另一件需要避免的事就是老想着和年轻人呆在一起,希望从青年的活动中汲取力量.孩子们长大以后,就希望独立生活,如果你还像在他们年幼时那样关心他们,你就会成为他们的累赘,除非他们特别麻木不仁.我不是说一个人不应当关心孩子,而是说这种关心主要应该是多为他们着想,可能的话,给他们一些接济,而不应该过分地动感情.动物,一旦它们的后代能够自己照料自己,它们就不管了;但是人,由于抚养子女的时间长,是难以这样做的.
我认为,如果老年人对个人以外的事情怀有强烈的兴趣,并参加适当的活动,他们的晚年是最容易过好的,他们的晚年才会是一生收获的时节,他们通过经历获得的智慧在这一时期才会毫无束缚地发挥出作用.对已成年的孩子讲,告诉他们别犯错误,这么做是徒劳的行为.理由之一是他们不听你的,其二是因为错误是教育的一个重要组成部分.但如果你是那种兴趣只能停留在某一个人身上的人,你会发现你只有把自己同孩子们或孙子们联系在一起,生活才不会空虚.如果是这样,你该意识到,自己只能为他们做些很实在的事,如给点零钱,给他们织毛衣,千万别指望他们会愿意你陪着他们.
有些老年人因畏惧死亡而感到压抑.年青时有这种想法是可以理解的.年轻人害怕阵亡疆场,而且一想到人生最美好的一切就这么被葬送了,恐惧的心情会更加严重.这种恐惧无可厚非.但作为老年人,人生的悲欢离合你都已经历过了,自己要做的事情也都做了,这时若还恐惧死亡,那就有些让人瞧不起了.排除这种恐惧的最好方法――至少在我看来――便是逐渐扩展自己的兴趣,不受感情的影响.慢慢地,封闭自我的墙就会消失,个体的生命将一天天地融入一个集体的生命中.一个人的一生应像一条河――起初窄窄的,夹在两岸之中,急速地流动着,冲过岩石,冲下瀑布.渐渐地,河面变宽了,两岸变得越来越远,河水静静地流动着,直到最后,再也没有什么阻碍了,因为这时,你已融入了大海,毫无痛苦地结束了自己单独存在的那一段历程.老年人如能这么看待生命,将不会有对死亡的恐惧,因为他所忠爱的一切还会继续下去.而且,随着生命的衰退,健康的衰弱,休息一下是应该的.真希望自己能在工作的时候死去.我知道别人会继续我未做的一切.一想到自己该做的都做了,心里就高兴极了.
TRANSLATION TECHNIQUES
名词性从句的翻译方法
英语名词性从句包括主语从句,宾语从句,表语从句,同位语从句四大类.这些从句或是在句子中做主语,或是作宾语,表语,同位语,在句子中的作用相当于名词,因此我们习惯是将它们叫做名词性从句.
名词性从句的翻译相对较为容易,一般按原文的语序处理即可.
一,主语从句的翻译
1.翻译由what,whatever,whoever等引起的主语从句,可保持原词序不变.
・What he told me was only half-truth.
他告诉我的只是半真半假的东西而已.
・Whatever he saw and heard on his trip gave him a very deep impression.
他此行所见所闻都给他留下了深刻的印象.
・Whoever comes to our public reference library will be welcome.
任何人到我们的公共参考图书馆来都将受到欢迎.
2.翻译以"it"为形式主语,形式宾语的主语从句,宾语从句时,语序往往需要颠倒.
・It doesn't make much difference whether he attends the meeting or not.
他参不参加会议都没多大关系.
・It seemed inconceivable that the pilot could have survived the crash.
驾驶员在飞机坠毁之后,竟然还能活着,这看来是不可想象的事.
・It is strange that she should have failed to see her own shortcomings.
真奇怪,她竟然没有看到自己的缺点.
・It is rumored that the meeting will be held in June.
据传闻,这次会议将在六月举行.
二,宾语从句的翻译
翻译宾语从句一般可按原词序进行,有时也可放在主句前.
・I understand that he is well qualified,but I feel that he needs more experience.
我知道他完全够条件,但我觉得他需要更多的经验.
・I take it for granted that you will come and talk the matter over with him.
我理所当然地认为,你会来跟他谈这件事的.
・I regard it as an honor that I am chosen to attend the meeting.
能被选中参加会议,我感到十分荣幸.
・We have no definite information yet as to which route he will take.
至于他将走哪条路线,我们还没有确切的消息.
三,表语从句的翻译
表语从句的翻译可一成不变地按原文的次序进行.
・This is where the shoe pinches.
这就是问题的症结所在了.
・Things are not always as they seem to be.
事物并不总是如其表象.
・His view of the press was that the reporters were either for him or against him.
他对新闻界的看法是,记者们不是支持他,就是反对他.
四,同位语从句
英语同位语从句的翻译可以按照四种方法来处理:
1. 保持原来的语序
・He expressed the hope that he would come over to visit China again.
他表示希望能再来中国访问.
・We are not investigating the question whether he is trustworthy.
我们不是在调查他是否可以信任的问题.
・She had no idea why she thought of him suddenly.
她不明白自己为什么突然想到了他.
2. 译为类似定语的结构或独成一句
・Yet,from the beginning,the fact that I was alive was ignored.
然而,从一开始,我仍然活着这个事实却偏偏被忽视了.
・They were very suspicious of the assumption that he would rather kill himself than surrender.
对于他宁愿自杀也不投降这种假设,他们是很怀疑的.
・It does not alter the fact that he is the man responsible for the delay.
迟延应由他负责,这个事实是改变不了的.
3. 加人冒号,破折号或"这样","这一","即"等词语
・But considering realistically, we had to face the fact that our prospects were less than good.
但是现实地考虑一下,我们不得不正视这样一个事实:我们的前景并不妙.
・And there was the possibility that a small electrical spark might accidentally bypass the most carefully planned circuit.
而且总有这种可能性――一个小小的电火花,可能会意外地绕过了最为精心设计的线路.
・The fact that the gravity of the earth pulls everything towards the center of the earth explains many things.
地球引力把一切东西都吸引向地心这一事实解释了许多现象.
・Not long ago the scientists made an exciting discovery that this "waste" material could be turned into plastics.
不久以前,科学家们有了一个令人振奋的发现,即可以把这种废物变为塑料.
4.改变原文的同位语结构,用汉语的无主句或其他方式译出
・An order has been given that the researchers who are now in the sky lab should be sent back.
已有命令下达,要求将现在在航天实验室里的研究人员送回来.
・Even the most precisely conducted experiments offer no hope that the result can be obtained without any error.
即使是最精确的实验,也没有希望获得无任何误差的实验结果.
・However,the writing of chemical symbols in the form of an equation does not give any assurance that the reaction shown will actually occur.
但是,将化学符号写成反应式,并不意味着所表示的反应确实会发生.
EXERCISES
Ⅰ. USEFUL TERM TRANSLATION
1. AID (Agency for International Development)
2. APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation)
3. IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)
4. IMF (International Monetary Fund)
5. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
6. OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
7. PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization)
8. UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees)
9. WHO (World Health Organization)
10. WTO (World Trade Organization)
11. IMC (International Maritime Committee)
12. ILA (International Law Association)
13. ILO (International Labor Organization)
14. WFC (World Food Council)
15. CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States)
16. CSCE (Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe)
17. EU (European Union)
18. G-7 (Group of Seven)
19. MEN (Most Favored Nation)
20. OAU (Organization of African Unity)
Ⅱ. SENTENCE TRANSLATION
1. What has happened is no surprise to us.We all know well enough what he is.
2. Whatever he says is reliable.
3. It's a bit fishy that he should have given away a mattress like that.
4. It was in vain that old lady asked her if she was aware she was speaking to Miss Pinkerton.
5. The fact is that the old lady believed Rebecca to be the meekest creature in the world.
6. That is why the machine parts wear away during use.
7. I am sorry I wrote that I might quit school.
8. I want to make it clear whether he was a foreigner or not.
9. We know the fact that bodies possess weight.
10. The meeting was to take place at a hotel, the Park Hotel on Nanjing Road.
Ⅲ. PASSAGE TRANSLATION
THE WORD "WORK"
"It works." These words may be the final judgment on a missile project or a plan to increase the efficiency of a labor group or could be the happy answer to the project that proved too complicated for father to assemble. They also may describe what goes on when the right mixture is put away in sealed bottles or jugs. Some earn their living at a boiler "works" and it is the "works" that make a watch tick. Most people work for a living, but what teenager hasn't "worked" on his dad for the use of the car. And a boat will work its way through an ice field or an army through a swamp or heavy going.
The physicist has a precise meaning for the word "work" , but the metallurgist uses the word in relation to a wide variety of processes. Cogging of ingots,rolling of bars or sheets, forging of bars,blocks,or semi-finished parts,piercing of bars to form tubing, drawing of wire through dies or the drawing of sheet into cups,swaging,hammering,extruding,all are operations involving the "working" of materials and produce parts that are classed as "worked" metals."Work" to the metallurgist is any operation that changes the shape of a metal part without changing its volume. A nail bent by a hammer is "worked" and the straightening that follows is further working. The making of an automobile fender, of a tube for toothpaste, or of an aluminum safety are common examples which involve severe working of metals. Of all parts made of metals,castings and sintered products are the only classes of final product which do not, at some stage or other in their manufacture,go through one or more operations which are classed as "working".
TRANSLATION APPRECIATION
1. Perseverance is failing nineteen times and succeeding the twentieth.
十九次失败,到第二十次获得成功,这就叫坚持.
2. Pigs might fly.
天下之大,无奇不有.
3. Play to the score.
见机行事.
4. Joys shared with others are more enjoyed.
有乐与人共享,平增一倍欢乐.
5. Praise is not pudding.
恭维不能当饭吃.
6. Comparisons are odious.
人比人气死人.
7. Pride goes before a fall.
骄兵必败.
8. Put all one's eggs in one basket.
孤注一掷.
9. Reading enriches the mind.
开卷有益.
10. Reading is to the mind while exercise to the body.
读书健脑,运动强身.
11. Respect yourself, or no one else will respect you.
要人尊敬,必须自重.
12. Rome was not built in a day.
罗马并非一日可建成. / 坚持必成.
13. Saying is one thing and doing another.
言行不一.
14. Scornful dogs will eat dirty puddings.
人到危急时,平时所不屑做的也要做.
15. Nothing is given so profusely as advice.
最慷慨的施与,莫过于进言.
UNIT THIRTEEN
TEXT
SLEEP DEBT1 AND MICROSLEEPS
Even if society2 is getting too little sleep, it is reasonable to question whether this makes any measurable difference in our lives. Research has shown that when people get less sleep than they need, they build up a sleep debt. Each day without enough sleep increases the debt, and when it becomes large enough, problems appear.
The problems associated with sleep debt are most likely to show themselves at certain times of the day when the pressure of sleep is greatest. The human body has observable cycles known as circadian rhythms. Thus, a circadian rhythm is one that varies through a roughly 24-hour cycle. For sleep and wakefulness there is a shorter, embedded cycle around 12 hours long. The pressure to go to sleep is greatest in the wee hours of the morning, between 1 and 4 a. m. A somewhat less-pronounced but still noticeable increase in sleepiness occurs 12 hours later, between 1 and 4 p.m.3 It is this second low point that makes people sleepy after lunch, not the meal that they may have just eaten, since even if people eat exactly the same meal for breakfast, lunch, and supper, they get sleepy only after the midday meal.
If people are operating with a sleep debt, they will tend to be less efficient, particularly when their circadian cycle is at its lowest ebb4.One of the most manifest results of sleep debt is the occurrence of microsleeps. A microsleep is a short period of time, perhaps only a few seconds to a minute in length, in which the brain actually goes to sleep, regardless of what the person may be doing at the time. In fact, the person often is not aware of this momentary blackout5. Thus, a tired bookkeeper may sleep briefly while adding up a column of figures and reawaken after having moved several lines lower in the column. The bookkeeper's error may be minor6, but if it is caught during a tax audit, with penalties, it may represent a sizable loss. Similarly, a sleep-deprived medical intern, while listening to a patient explain a set of symptoms, may doze for 10 or 15 seconds - just long enough to miss the information that would have told him to avoid prescribing the drug being considered because it could do the patient harm.7 A sleepy truck driver maintaining a moderate speed of 50 kilometers an hour may blank out for 10 seconds, during which time the truck will travel more than the length of a football field, perhaps hitting several parked cars and an electrical pole before it stops.
In addition to encouraging microsleeps, sleep debt reduces our ability to focus attention for a prolonged time. Short-term memory deteriorates, and the brain remembers fewer items. Although mental activities involving well-practiced routines and familiar conclusions may be unimpaired, any activity that requires a creative approach or a novel solution will show major deficits. Microsleeps and reduced mental capacity cause sleep-deprived individuals to act both clumsier and less intelligent than they normally are - a clear invitation8 to accidents.
Some countries shift to daylight saving time (known in some countries as summertime) on a Sunday each spring and return to standard time in the fall. The spring shift results in a loss of one hour of sleep time as clock time is advanced an hour; conversely, the fall shift permits an additional hour of sleep. Although one hour's loss may seem to be a minor change in sleep patterns, if people are already sleep deprived as much as three hours per day, that additional hour could have a noticeable effect on alertness and, hence, susceptibility to accidents. For instance, the Monday after the spring shift, traffic accident rates increased about 7% in Canada in 1996.If one hour of sleep gained or lost on a single night can cause such a large change in traffic accident rates, we as a society may be so sleep deprived that we are teetering on the verge of disaster.
WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
1. circadian rhythms [s00′keidj0n] 昼夜节律,(24小时)生理节律
2. embed [im′bed] v.使深留脑中
3. wee hours 半夜一,二,三点钟
4. ebb [eb] n.& vi.退潮,低落,衰退
5. tax audit [′00dit] 税务监察
6. penalty [′pen0lti] n.处罚
7. sizable [′saiz0bl] adj.相当大的
8. intern [′int00n] n.实习医生
9. doze [d0uz] v.打瞌睡,打盹儿
10. deteriorate [di′ti0ri0reit] v.(使)恶化,(使)下降,(使)退化
11. unimpaired [00nim′p00d] adj.未受损伤的,没有削弱的
12. deficit [′defisit] n.赤字,亏空
13. conversely [k0n′v00sli] adv.相反地
14. alertness [0′l00tnis] n.机警,警觉性
15. susceptibility [s00sept0′biliti] adj.易受影响或损害的状况; (感情的)脆弱
16. teeter [′ti0t0] v.蹒跚行走,踉跄;玩跷跷板
DIFFICULT POINT EXPLANATION
1. 这里的debt用词简单明了,并生动形象地表达出了"欠缺"的含义,但词典中的debt 只被释义为"债,债务和欠款",这显然不适宜直译.因此译者将其看作含蓄否定词译成"不足",使译文入境达意.
2. 此处的society应具体引申为people in the society,这样句子的主谓成分才符合逻辑,因此要译为"人们".
3. 此句在汉译时注意到了汉语的表达习惯,对原句进行了一定的加工,比起直译"另一个不那么强烈但仍很明显的困倦高峰会在12小时后(也就是下午1点到4点)出现",在结构和意境上都要好很多.
4. 此处的"效率就更低了"补足了原文中省略的部分,使句子之间的联系更加紧密.
5. blackout在词典中的解释是"(幕间或剧终时的)舞台灯光暂时熄灭;短暂眩晕,失明或记忆缺失",在语境中理解时容易造成模糊,这里译为"暂时陷入昏睡中".
6. 这里的minor被看作含蓄否定词,译为"不算大".
7. 这是一个长句,翻译时可以以破折号为界,简单地将其分为前后两部分,此时破折号后的部分则成为前部句子的一个补充说明成分而非一个句子,用来强调打盹时间虽短却很致命.其中because 所引出的从句与to avoid 构成因果关系.此外应注意到句中出现的两个含蓄否定词miss 和 avoid,虽然乍一看句子因它们的出现而变得更加复杂,但不难看出information后面的部分都是它的定语,因此这两个否定词可以在这个定语从句中合译为肯定形式,使句子变得简单明了.
8. invitation一词除了指"邀请"之外还指用来"引诱,鼓励或怂恿(某人做某事)的事物".因此a clear invitation to accidents 指代事故的极大引发物,故转译为含有动词的句子"极易引发事故".
REFERENCE VERSION
睡眠不足与短暂昏睡
尽管人们正逐渐减少睡眠,但我们还是应该分析一下这究竟会对我们的生活有多大影响.有关研究表明,如果人们的睡眠没有达到所需要的时间,即每天都缺少睡眠就会造成睡眠不足.长此以往当睡眠严重不足时就会引发很多问题.
由睡眠不足带来的问题很可能在一天中睡眠压力达到最高峰时出现.人体内有明显的节律循环,称作昼夜节律.昼夜节律大概以24小时为一个周期.而其中的睡眠循环和非睡眠循环则要短些,大约每12小时构成一个循环.在凌晨1点到4点这短短几小时的时间里,睡眠压力最大.12小时之后,也就是在下午1点到4点,人们的困倦再次达到高峰,虽不如凌晨时那么强烈但也相当明显,因此人们吃过午饭后便会感到困倦.其实这种困倦并非由人们刚刚食用的食物所致,因为即使人们一日三餐所吃的食物都相同,他们也仍然只是在午饭后感到困倦.
人们睡眠不足,效率就特别低,尤其是当人们的昼夜节律循环处于最低点时,效率就更低了.睡眠不足最明显的后果之一就是人们会出现短暂的昏睡.短暂昏睡的时间很短,也许就几秒钟或一分钟.在这短暂的时间里,不管人们当时在做什么,他们的大脑其实已经入睡了,可人们通常却感觉不到这种短暂的昏睡.例如,疲惫不堪的记账员在将一系列数字相加时也会偶尔打个盹儿,等他醒来时,可能已经向下漏算了好几行了.记账员出的错也许不算什么,但如果在税务监察时被发现,则要受到处罚,损失就大了.同样,一位睡眠不足的实习医师在听病人诉说各种症状时,如果打了个盹儿,哪怕只有10 或15秒钟,也足以让他漏听许多关键信息,很难说他此时开出的处方会不会对病人有害.一位困倦的卡车司机,驾驶速度仅为每小时50公里,哪怕大脑出现10秒钟的空白,都会使卡车再开出约一个足球场那么长的距离,等他把车停下来,可能早已撞上了道边的几辆轿车或电线杆.
睡眠不足除了会造成短暂昏睡外,还会降低人们长时间内集中注意力的能力,使短时记忆衰退,记忆力下降.虽然我们做熟悉的,重复性的工作时脑力活动不会受影响,但当我们从事新的创造性的活动时,就会感到脑力明显不足.短暂昏睡和脑力的衰退会使缺乏睡眠的人在进行脑力和体力活动时都不如平时灵活,很容易引发事故.
一些国家从每年春天的一个星期日开始改用日光节约时间(在一些国家称作夏令时间),而在秋天再恢复为正常时间.春天改用夏令时,钟表往前拨一个小时,使人们睡眠时间减少了一小时.相反,秋天改回正常时间则使睡眠又增加了一小时.虽然减少一小时睡眠好像只让睡眠方式发生了很小的变化,但对于每天已经少睡三小时的人来说,如果再少睡一小时,就会明显影响人们的警觉性,很容易造成事故.例如,1996年加拿大在春天改为夏令时后的第一个星期一,交通事故大约增长了7%.一晚上人们增加或减少一小时的睡眠就使交通事故发生这么大的变化,那么对于整个社会来说,人们就更可能会由于睡眠不足而引发灾难.
TRANSLATION TECHNIQUES
否定句的翻译方法
英语里表示否定意义的词汇,语法手段等跟汉语不完全相同.因此在翻译实践中对于否定句必须特别注意.英语里的否定句又有很多不同形式,所表达的含义也有所不同,译者必须辨别清楚才能正确理解和使用各种否定形式.
一,全部否定
表示全部否定时,常用not, no, never, none, neither...nor, nothing, nobody, nowhere等否定词.汉译时并不难,但需把表示否定的"不,无,非"之类的词语用在动词前以构成全部否定.
例如:
・Whether any of this causes immediate harm is not known.
这是否会造成直接危害目前还不得而知.
・Never is aluminum found free in nature.
铝在自然界从不以游离状态存在.
・Nobody wants a dump, or an incinerator, next door.
谁都不愿在自己的家门口有个垃圾场或垃圾焚化炉.
・Carbon dioxide does not burn, neither does it support burning.
二氧化碳既不自燃,也不助燃.
二,部分否定
英语有些否定句是由all, every, both, always 等词与否定词not构成的,所表达的意思却是不完全否定,相当于汉语的"不是所有都","不是每个都","不是两个都","不总是"之意.尤其是当否定词与谓语动词构成否定结构时,从形式上看很像全部否定,而实际却是部分否定,翻译时要特别注意.
例如:
・All these metals are not good conductors.
这些金属并不都是良导体.
・Every color is not reflected.
并非每种色光都会反射回来.
・Friction is not always useless, in certain cases it becomes a helpful necessity.
摩擦并非总是无用的,在某些场合下,则是有益和必须的.
・Notice that not all mechanical energy is kinetic energy.
要注意,并非所有的机械能都是动能.
・Both the instruments are not precision ones.
这两台不都是精密仪器.
三,双重否定
两个否定词并用,否定同一个词,或者其中一个否定词被用来否定另一个含有否定意义的词时就构成了双重否定.最常见的双重否定形式有:no(not)...no(not) ...(没有……没有……),no(not)...but...(没有……不……),no(not)...without...(除……不……),not(none)...the less...(不因……就不……),no(not)...unless...(除非……才……),not...until...(直到……才……),no(none)...other than...(不是别的……而是……),not but that...(并非……不……),not a little...(不少;很多;大大地),一般而言双重否定句可以采用两种方法来译,一是采用双重否定形式,另一种是译成肯定句.
例如:
・Sodium is never found uncombined in nature.
自然界中从未发现不处于化合状态的钠.
(或:自然界中所发现的钠都处于化合状态.)
・There has not been a scientist of eminence but was a man of industry.
没有哪一个有成就的科学家不是勤奋的.
(或:所有有成就的科学家都非常勤奋.)
・There is no law that has no exceptions.
凡是规律都有例外.
・The charging of a condenser from a battery is not unlike the filling of tank from a reservoir.
电池给电容器充电就像油库给油箱加油一样.
・Though often beneficial, mindless use of antibiotics is not without hazard.
虽然抗生素在正常使用时是有益的,但如果盲目使用,也会有害.
四,意义上的肯定
英语中有的否定词与其他词连用形成一个固定结构,这种固定结构在形式上是否定的,但意义上是肯定的,常见的有nothing like...(没有什么比得上),cannot...too...(越……越好), no(not)...more (非常;完全),no / not / nothing + more than...(不过),no / not / nothing + less than...(多达)等.
例如:
・There is nothing like mineral water to quench one's thirst.
矿泉水是最解渴的饮料.
・Pesticides can cause a lot of harm, so you can never be too careful when using them.
杀虫剂会造成很大危害,因此使用时应特别小心.
・These scientists could not believe the Curies more.
这些科学家完全相信居里夫妇.
・Laser, its creation being thought to be one of today's wonders, is nothing more than a light that differs from ordinary lights only in that it is many times more powerful and so can be applied in the fields that no ordinary light or other substance has ever been able to get in.
人们认为激光的发明是当代的奇迹之一.其实,它无非是一种光,与普通光的区别仅在于其功率比普通光大许许多多倍,因而它能用于普通光和其他光质从未进入过的领域.
五,含蓄否定
英语中有大量词语和句子结构,尽管在形式上没有否定词或否定词缀,但其意义上却是否定的,它们在英语的否定表达中起着极其重要的作用,大家在学习中应注意积累.
常见的含蓄否定动词和动词短语如:deny(拒绝;否认),exclude(排除;除去),avoid(避免),fail(不能;没有) ,ignore(不顾;忽视),lack(不足),miss(失败;没有),overlook(忽视;不顾),stop(停止),keep / prevent / protect / save...from(避免……;不受……),refuse(拒绝),neglect(忽略) 等等.
常见的含蓄否定名词如:exclusion(排除;除去),neglect(忽视),refusal(拒绝),absence(缺少;没有),failure(失败),loss(损耗;失去),deficiency(不足;缺乏) 等等.
常见的含蓄否定形容词和形容词短语如:devoid of(没有),ignorant of(不知道),few(几乎没有),short of(缺少),far from(绝不),little(几乎没有),safe from(免于),last(决不会),free from(没有;免于)等等.
常见的含蓄否定副词如:hardly(几乎不), rarely(不常;难得) ,vainly(无效),scarcely(大概不;几乎不), seldom(很少) 等等.
常见的含蓄否定介词和介词短语有:above(在……以上),at issue with(与……意见不合),behind(不如),below(不值得),beneath(不相称),beside(同……无关),beyond(超出),but for(要不是;若非),in default of(没有……时),in defect of(假如没有……时),in place of(代替),in vain(无效;徒劳),instead of(而不是),off(离开;解除) 等等.
常见的含蓄否定连词有:before(在……以前;尚未),but(而不),but that(要不是;若非),rather than(而不),too...to...(太……不……),unless(如果不) 等等.
这里就此略举几例:
・It is the last type of machine for such a job.
这是最不适合这种作业的机器.
・Oil is being found in parts of the world which were once pronounced lacking in oil.
在世界上一些曾被宣告为贫油的地区,石油正在为人们所发现.
・Far from increasing the reaction rate, high temperatures decrease it.
高温不但没有加快该反应速度,反而降低了反应速度.
・ On freezing water becomes larger in volume instead of smaller.
水在结冰时体积增大,而不是缩小.
EXERCISES
Ⅰ. USEFUL TERM TRANSLATION
1. the World Health Organization 2. the International Red Cross
3. epidemic prevention station 4. Registration Office
5. Department of Internal Medicine 6. Department of Surgery
7. Department of Pediatrics 8. Ophthalmology Department
9. Department of Stomatology 10. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
11. general / local anesthesia 12. acute / chronic disease
13. benign / malignant tumor 14. positive / negative reaction
15. medical records 16. coma
17. anemia 18. astral lamp
19. injection 20. after-effect
Ⅱ. SENTENCE TRANSLATION
1. A big problem in learning English as a foreign language is lack of opportunities for verbal interaction with proficient speakers of English.
2. We don't foresee any difficulties in completing the project so long as we keep within our budget.
3. In fact as he approached this famous statue, he only barely resisted the impulse to reach into his bag for his camera.
4. No atmosphere has been found on Mercury, and we can be fairly certain that none exists.
5. All thermometers do not consist of mercury in a glass tube.
6. Many pure metals have little use because they are too soft, rust too easily, or have some other drawbacks.
7. Assuming that the demand for power continues to rise at the current rate, it will not be long before traditional sources become inadequate.
8. Weeks elapsed before anyone was arrested in connection with the bank robbery.
9. Often such arguments have the effect of obscuring rather than clarifying the issues involved.
10. I had eaten Chinese food often, but I could not have imagined how fabulous and extravagant a real Chinese banquet could be.
Ⅲ. PASSAGE TRANSLATION
BRAIN CHEMISTRY
Recent studies of the human brain have resulted in some interesting discoveries. Scientists believe that a way to improve the power of the brain may soon be possible.
Scientists have discovered that the brain can make its own drugs. The brain contains peptides, a protein substance. Peptides can act directly on the brain to change aspects of mental activity. There are peptides that may change or improve, for example, creativity, intelligence, imagination, and memory.
Chemicals found in the brain are called neurotransmitters because they carry messages. In recent years scientists have found chemicals that affect mood, memory, and other happenings of the mind. About 25 neurotransmitters have been found so far.
Today the role of neuropeptides in human behavior is creating much interest. Research seems to show that peptides may help control insomnia, pain and mental illness.
Peptides have a great capacity to stimulate the brain to conquer deficiencies. They also improve the qualities of memory and learning already in the brain. They hold the secret to mood and emotion.
Some day the peptides may be the chemical way to create better and more efficient brains.
TRANSLATION APPRECIATION
1. No man can do two things at once.
一心不可二用.
2. Every heart knows its own bitterness.
人人有苦恼,深浅自家知.
3. No man is content.
人心不足蛇吞象.
4. No man is wise at all times.
聪明一世,糊涂一时.
5. No news is good news.
没有消息就是好消息.
6. No one can call back yesterday.
昨日不会重现.
7. No pleasure without pain.
没有苦就没有乐.
8. No rose without a thorn.
没有不带刺的玫瑰.
9. No sweet without sweat.
先苦后甜.
10. None are so blind as those who won't see.
视而不见.
11. Too many cooks spoil the broth.
厨师多了烧坏汤.
12. Not to advance is to go back.
不进则退.
13. Not to know what happened before one was born is always to be a child.
不懂世故,幼稚可笑.
14. Nothing dries sooner than a tear.
眼泪干得最快.
15. Nothing in the world is difficult for one who sets his mind to it.
世上无难事,只怕有心人.