二级笔译实务题

2009年5月CATTI二级笔译真题回忆E-C TranslationCompulsory TranslationThere was, last week, a glimmer of hope in the world food crisis. Expecting a bumper harvest, Ukraine relaxed restrictions on exports. Overnight, global wheat prices fell by 10 percent.By contrast, traders in Bangkok quote rice prices around $1,000 a ton, up from $460 two months ago.Such is the volatility of todays markets. We do not know how high food prices might go, nor how far they could fall. But one thing is certain: We have gone from an era of plenty to one of scarcity. Experts agree that food prices are not likely to return to the levels the world had grown accustomed to any time soon.Imagine the situation of those living on less than $1 a day - the “bottom billion,” the poorest of the worlds poor. Most live in Africa, and many might typically spend two-thirds of their income on food.In Liberia last week, I heard how people have stopped purchasing imported rice by the bag. Instead, they increasingly buy it by the cup, because thats all they can afford.Traveling though West Africa, I found good reason for optimism. In Burkina Faso, I saw a government working to import drought resistant seeds and better manage scarce water supplies, helped by nations like Brazil. In Ivory Coast, we saw a womens cooperative running a chicken farm set up with UN funds. The project generated income - and food - for villagers in ways that can easily be replicated.Elsewhere, I saw yet another womens group slowly expanding their local agricultural production, with UN help. Soon they will replace World Food Program rice with their own home-grown produce, sufficient to cover the needs of their school feeding program.These are home-grown, grass-roots solutions for grass-roots problems - precisely the kind of solutions that Africa needs.optionalTopic 1For a decade, metallurgists studying the hulk of the Titanic have argued that the storied ocean liner went down quickly after hitting an iceberg because the ship's builder used substandard rivets that popped their heads and let tons of icy seawater rush in. More than 1,500 people died.Now a team of scientists has moved into deeper waters, uncovering evidence in the builder's own archives of a deadly mix of great ambition and use of low-quality iron that doomed the ship, which sank 96 years ago Tuesday.The scientists found that the ship's builder, Harland and Wolff, in Belfast, struggled for years to obtain adequate supplies of rivets and riveters to build the world's three biggest ships at once: the Titanic and two sisters, Olympic and Britannic.Each required three million rivets, and shortages peaked during Titanic's construction."The board was in crisis mode," said Jennifer Hooper McCarty, a member of the team that studied the company's archive and other evidence. "It was constant stress. Every meeting it was, 'There's problems with the rivets, and we need to hire more people.' "The team collected other clues from 48 Titanic rivets, using modern tests, computer simulations, comparisons to century-old metals and careful documentation of what engineers and shipbuilders of the era considered state of the art.The scientists say the troubles began when the colossal plans forced Harland and Wolff to reach beyond its usual suppliers of rivet iron and include smaller forges, as disclosed in company and British government papers. Small forges tended to have less skill and experience.Adding to the threat, the company, in buying iron for Titanic's rivets, ordered No. 3 bar, known as "best," not No. 4, known as "best-best," the scientists found. They also discovered that shipbuilders of the day typically used No. 4 iron for anchors, chains and rivets.So the liner, whose name was meant to be synonymous with opulence, in at least one instance relied on cheap materials.The scientists argue that better rivets would have probably kept the Titanic afloat long enough for rescuers to have arrived before the icy plunge, saving hundreds of lives.2010年下半年翻译资格考试二级笔译实务预测试题Part A Compulsory Translation (必译题)（30 points）The Dreadlock DeadlockIn the fall of 1993 Christopher Polk transferred from FedExs hub in Indianapolis to take over a delivery route in Flatbush District, Brooklyn, N.Y. But moving to the countrys largest community of Caribbean and African immigrants only precipitated a far more profound journey. "I was becoming culturally aware of the history of the black people," says Polk, now 31, "and that gave me these spiritual questions." His answer came providentially, by way of a music video featuring Lord Jamal, who raps about the Rastafarian belief in the sanctity of dreadlocks - the cords of permanently interlocked strands first worn by African chiefs perhaps 6,000 years ago.Now a practicing Rastafarian, Polk sports thick garlands that gently cascade onto his shoulders. "Your hair is your covenant," he says. "Once you grow your locks, it puts you on a path."Unfortunately, that path was a collision course with Federal Expresss grooming policy, which requires men to confine their dos to "a reasonable style." After years of deliberation, Polks bosses gave him a choice: shear his locks or be transferred to a lower-paid job with no customer contact. He refused both options and was terminated in June 2000.His tale is not unique. Although Rastafarians number about 5,000 nationally, today dreadlocks, twists or braids are at the height of fashion, nearly as common as Afros were 30 years ago. If Afros symbolized militancy, dreads signal a more spiritual self-declaration, a figurative locking with African ancestors. As Stanford professor Kennell Jackson, who teaches a course called "African Coiffures and Their New World Legacies," puts it, "Theres a divinity to these locks."Divine or not, some employers consider them unacceptably outré. Six other New York-area FedEx employees have lost their jobs because of dreadlocks. They have sued, alleging religious discrimination; the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and New Yorks attorney general have also charged FedEx with violating religious protections in the Civil Rights Act.The dreadlock deadlock may be easing. FedEx altered its policy slightly a few weeks ago: in the future, observant employees who seek a waiver may wear their locks tucked under uniform hats, says a company spokeswoman. The concession isnt enough to settle the lawsuits yet. The EEOC also wants reinstatement for the fired drivers, says trial attorney Michael Ranis. Hes optimistic. Some new styles, he knows, grow more appealing over time.Part B Choice of Two Translations (二选一题)（30 points）Topic 1 (选题一)Eurasians: The New Face of AsiaFusion is in, not only as an abstract fashion concept, but in that most grounded of realities: mixed-blood people who walk, talk, and produce even more multiracial progeny. Most strange of all, these hybrids are finding themselves hailed as role models for vast masses in Asia with no mixed blood at all. "When I think of Asia, I don't necessarily think of people who look like me," says Declan Wong, a Chinese-Dutch-American actor and producer, "But somehow weve become the face that sells the new Asia."So maybe Asia's Eurasian craze is driven by the theories of that whitest of white men, economist Adam Smith. As the world gets smaller, we look for a global marketing mien, a one-size-fits-all face that helps us sell Nokia cell phones and Palmolive shampoo across the world."For any business, you can't think locally anymore," says Paul Lau, general manager at Elite Model Management in Hong Kong, who has built up a stable of Eurasians for his internationally minded clients. "At the very least, you need to think regionally. Ideally, you should think globally." A global image helps sell products, even if no one but Filipinos would ever want to buy duck-fetus eggs or Thais the most pungent variety of shrimp paste. Yanto Zainal, president of Macs909, a boutique ad agency in Jakarta, used all indos for a campaign for the local Matahari department store chain. "The store wanted to promote a more cosmopolitan image," he says. "Indos have an international look but can still be accepted as Indonesian."Channel V, the Asia-wide music television channel, was one of the first to broadcast the message of homogenized hybridism. "We needed a messenger that would fit in from Tokyo to the Middle East." Says Jonnifer Seeto, regional sales marketing manager for the channel, which began beaming its border-busting images in 1994. Star Veejay Asha Gill personifies the global look. When asked what her ethnic heritage is, Gill, a Malaysian citizen, simply shrugs. "Oh, who knows," she says. "I'm half Punjabi, mixed with some English, a little French and dribs and drabs of God knows what else." The 29-year-old speaks crisp British English, fluent Malay, and a smidgen of Punjabi. She grew up in a Kuala Lumpur neighborhood that was mostly Chinese, attended an English-speaking school and was pals with Malay and Indian kids. Gills Channel V show, broadcast in English, has a strong following in Malaysia, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. "I'm Hitlers worst nightmare," she says. "My ethnicity and profession make me a global person who can't be defined in just one category."global person who can't be defined in just one category."Topic 2 (选题二)MatterLook at all the things around us: chairs, desks, cupboards, papers and pens in our classroom; motor cars, bicycles and buses in the streets; trees, plants and animals in the countryside; birds, aeroplanes and clouds in the sky; fishes, seaweeds and corals in the sea; stars, the moon and the sun in outer space. These and all other things including the human body, are examples of matter. Matter is anything that takes up space and has weight.What is Matter Made of?Since ancient times, learned men or philosophers have thought about matter and what it is made up of. One group of philosophers thought that matter was made up of a substance called "hyle" (实质). Another group of philosophers said that matter was made up of four substances, namely earth, water, air and fire. A third group believed that matter was made up of very tiny particles which were too small to be seen. These particles were so small that they could never be further divided into smaller particles. They gave the particles the name atoms which means "those which cannot be divided." The difference between the various kinds of atoms and the ways in which they were joined were supposed to result in the different kinds of matter.All these ideas arose purely from the mind and were not based on investigation. For many years, people believed in the second idea. But actually it is the third idea that is nearer to our present concept of matter.Dalton's Atomic TheoryIn the early nineteenth century, Dalton, an English school teacher, stated in this atomic theory that matter was made up of tiny, indivisible particles, which he also called atoms. His laboratory work showed him that atoms could neither be divided into smaller parts nor could they be destroyed. He pictured matter as being made up of tiny solid spherical atoms. Today the idea of the atoms has been accepted. But further work has shown that contrary to Daltons findings, atoms are made up of even smaller particles.This section consists of two parts, Part A "Compulsory Translation" and Part B - "Choice of Two Translations" consisting of two sections "Topic 1" and "Topic 2". For the passage in Part A and your choice of passages in Part B, translate the underlined portions, including titles, into English. Above your translation of Part A, write "Compulsory Translation" and above your translation from Part B, write "Topic 1" or "Topic 2" and write your translations on the ANSWER SHEET (40 points, 80 minutes).Part A Compulsory Translation (必译题)（20 points）中国政府高度重视人口与发展问题，将人口与发展问题作为国民经济和社会发展总体规划的重要组成部分列入议事日程，始终强调人口增长与经济社会发展相适应，与资源利用和环境保护相协调。二十世纪九十年代以来，中央政府每年召开一次关于人口与发展问题的座谈会，研究分析重大问题，制定重大决策和措施。国家组织、协调有关部门和群众团体共同实施人口与计划生育方案，将计划生育与发展经济、消除贫困、保护生态环境、合理利用资源、普及文化教育、发展卫生事业、完善社会保障、提高妇女地位等紧密结合起来，努力从根本上解决中国的人口与发展问题。Part B Choice of Two Translations (二选一题) （20 points）Topic 1 (选题一)中国画中国画与中医、京剧在一起，被誉为中国的"三大国粹。"按内容分，主要有人物画、山水画、花鸟画三大类。战国时，中国就以有比较成熟的人物画，唐代达到顶峰。著名的人物画家有顾恺之、吴道子等。山水画产生于秦代，宋代达到很高水平。著名的山水画家有唐代李思训、王维和明代唐寅等。花鸟画画的是自然界中的花卉、鸟兽、鱼虫。南北朝时出现了花鸟画，宋代走向成熟。著名花鸟画家有擅长画花鸟的朱耷，擅长画竹子的郑燮、擅长画鱼虾的齐白石。按画法分，中国画主要有工笔画和写意画。工笔画的特点是按照事物原来的样子，一笔一笔画得非常细致，尤其注重细节的描绘；写意画是一种夸张的画法，要求用简单的笔墨画出事物的神韵，虽然笔墨简单，但意趣生动，表现力很强。Topic 2 (选题二)中国航天事业的宗旨与原则中国航天事业的发展宗旨是：探索外层空间，扩展对宇宙和地球的认识；和平利用外层空间，促进人类文明和社会发展，造福全人类；满足经济建设、国家安全、科技发展和社会进步等方面日益增长的需要，维护国家利益，增强综合国力。中国航天事业的发展原则是：坚持长期、稳定、持续的发展方针，使航天事业的发展服从和服务于国家整体发展战略；坚持独立自主、自力更生、自主创新，积极推进国家交流与合作；根据国情和国力，选择有限目标，重点突破；提高航天活动的社会效益和经济效益，重视技术进步的推动力；坚持统筹规划、远近结合、天地结合、协调发展