翻译训练：普通话与方言

中国土地广阔，人口众多。尽管全国都讲汉语，但是不同地区的人说汉语的方式不同，这被称为方言。方言一般被称为地方话，是汉语在不同地区的分支，只在特定地区使用。汉语方言非常复杂。它们有以下三方面不同：发音、词汇和语法。发音的区别最为显著。2000多年前，中国人发现社交时应该使用统一的语言。和方言相比，普通话(mandarin)能被所有人理解。普通话有利于不同种族、地区人民之间的信息传递和文化交流。

Whatdoesthefutureholdfortheproblemofhousing?Agooddealdepends,ofcourse,onthemeaningof“future”.Ifoneisthinkingintermsofsciencefictionandthespaceage,itisatleastpossibletoassumethatmanwillhavesolvedsuchtrivialandearthlyproblemsashousing.Writersofsciencefiction,fromH.G.Wellsonwards,havehadlittletosayonthesubject.Theyhaveconveyedthesuggestionthatmenwillliveingreatcomfort,witheveryconceivableapparatustomakelifesmooth,healthyandeasy,ifnothappy.Buttheyhavenotsaidwhathishousewillbemadeof.Perhapssomenewbuildingmaterial,asyetunimagined,willhavebeendiscoveredorinventedatleast.Onemaybecertainthatbricksandmortar(泥灰，灰浆)willlonghavegoneoutoffashion.

Buttheproblemsofthenextgenerationortwocanmorereadilybeimagined.Scientistshavealreadypointedoutthatunlesssomethingisdoneeithertorestricttheworld’srapidgrowthinpopulationortodiscoveranddevelopnewsourcesoffood(orboth),millionsofpeoplewillbedyingofstarvationoratthebestsufferingfromunderfeedingbeforethiscenturyisout.Butnobodyhasyetworkedoutanyplanforhousingthesegrowingpopulations.Admittedlytheworstsituationswilloccurinthehottestpartsoftheworld,wherehousingcanbelightstructureorinbackwardareaswherestandardsaretraditionallylow.Buteventheminimumshelterrequiresmaterialsofsomekindandintheteeming,bulgingtownsthelow-standard“housing”offlattenedpetrolcansanddirtycanvasisfarmorewastefulofgroundspacethancanbetolerated.

Sincethewar,HongKonghassufferedthekindofcrisiswhichislikelytoariseinmanyotherplacesduringthenextgeneration.Literallymillionsofrefugeesarrivedtoswellthealreadygrowingpopulationandemergencystepshadtobetakenrapidlytopreventsqualor(肮脏)anddiseaseandthespreadcrime.Thecityistacklingthesituationenergeticallyandenormousblocksoftenements(贫民住宅)arerisingatanastonishingaped.ButHongKongisonlyonesmallpartofwhatwillcertainlybecomeavastproblemandnotmerelyahousingproblem,becausewhenpopulationgrowsatthisratethereareaccompanyingproblemsofeducation,transport,hospitalservices,drainage,watersupplyandsoon.NoteveryareamaygivethesameresourcesasHongKongtodrawuponandthesearchforquickerandcheapermethodsofconstructionmustnevercease.

1.Whatistheauthor’sopinionofhousingproblemsinthefirstparagraph?

A.Theymaybecompletelysolvedatsometimeinthefuture.

B.Theyareunimportantandeasilydealtwith.

C.Theywillnotbesolveduntilanewbuildingmaterialhasbeendiscovered.

D.Theyhavebeendealtwithinspecificdetailinbooksdescribingthefuture.

2.Thewriterissurethatinthedistantfuture___.

A.bricksandmortarwillbereplacedbysomeotherbuildingmaterial.

B.anewbuildingmaterialwillhavebeeninvented.

C.bricksandmortarwillnotbeusedbypeoplewhowanttheirhousetobefashionable.

D.anewwayofusingbricksandmortarwillhavebeendiscovered.

3.Thewriterbelievesthatthebiggestproblemlikelytoconfronttheworldbeforetheendofthecentury___.

A.isdifficulttoforesee.

B.willbehowtofeedtheevergrowingpopulation.

C.willbehowtoprovideenoughhousesinthehottestpartsoftheworld.

D.isthequestionoffindingenoughgroundspace.

4.Whenthewritersaysthattheworstsituationswilloccurinthehottestpartsoftheworldorinbackwardareas,heisreferringtothefactthatintheseparts___.

A.standardsofbuildingarelow.

B.onlyminimumshelterwillbepossible.

C.thereisnotenoughgroundspace.

D.thepopulationgrowthwillbethegreatest.

5.WhichofthefollowingsentencesbestsummarizesParagraph3?

A.HongKonghasfacedaseriouscrisiscausedbymillionsofrefugees.

B.HongKonghassuccessfullydealtwiththeemergencycausedbymillionsofrefugees.

C.HongKong’scrisiswasnotonlyamatterofhousingbutincludedanumberofotherproblemsofpopulationgrowth.

D.ManypartsoftheworldmayhavetofacethekindofproblemsencounteredbyHongKongandmayfinditmuchhardertodealwiththem.

You’dbetterletmeknowassoonasthereisa(n)____positioninthebranchoffice.

Scatteredthroughtheseasoftheworldarebillionsoftonsofsmallplantsandanimalscalledplankton.Mostoftheseplantsandanimalsaretoosmallforthehumaneyetosee.Theydriftaboutlazilywiththecurrents,providingabasicfoodformanylargeranimals.Planktonhasbeendescribedastheequivalentofthegrassesthatgrowonthedrylandcontinents,andthecomparisonisanappropriateone.Inpotentialfoodvaluehowever,planktonfaroutweighsthatofthelandgrasses.Onescientisthasestimatedthatwhilegrassesoftheworldproduceabout49billiontonsofvaluablecarbohydrateseachyear.Thesea’splanktongeneratesmorethantwiceasmuch.

Despiteitsenormousfoodpotential,littleeffortwasmadeuntilrecentlytofarmplanktonaswefarmgrassesonland.Nowmarinescientistshaveatlastbeguntostudythispossibility,especiallyasthesea’sresourcesloomevenmoreimportantasameansoffeedinganexpandingworldpopulation.

Nooneyethasseriouslysuggestedthat“planktonburgers”maysoonbecomepopulararoundtheworld.Asapossiblefarmedsupplementaryfoodsource,however,planktonisgainingconsiderableinterestamongmarinescientists.

Onetypeofplanktonthatseemstohavegreatharvestpossibilitiesisatinyshrimplikecreaturecalledkrill.Growingtotwoorthreeincheslong,krillprovidethemajorfoodforthegiantbluewhale,thelargestanimalevertoinhabittheEarth.Realizingthatthiswhalemaygrow100feetandweigh150tonsatmaturity,itisnotsurprisingthateachonedevoursmorethanonetonofkrilldaily.

Krillswimaboutjustbelowthesurfaceinhugeschoolssometimesmileswide,mainlyinthecoldAntarctic.Becauseoftheirpinkcolor,theyoftenappearasasolidreddishmasswhenviewedfromashiporfromtheair.Krillareveryhighinfoodvalue.Apoundofthesecrustaceanscontainsabout460calories—aboutthesameasshrimporlobster,towhichtheyarerelated.

Ifthekrillcanfeedsuchhugecreaturesaswhales,manyscientistsreason,theymustcertainlybecontendersasnewfoodsourceforhumans.

1.Whichofthefollowingbestportraystheorganizationofthepassage?

A.Theauthorpresentstheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofplanktonasafoodsource.

B.Theauthorquotespublicopiniontosupporttheargumentforfarmingplankton.

C.Theauthorclassifiesthedifferentfoodsourcesaccordingtoamountofcarbohydrate.

D.Theauthormakesageneralstatementaboutplanktonasafoodsourceandthenmovestoaspecificexample.

2.Accordingtothepassage,whyisplanktonregardedtobemorevaluablethanlandgrasses?

A.Itiseasiertocultivate.

B.Itproducesmorecarbohydrates.

C.Itdoesnotrequiresoil.

D.Itismorepalatable.

3.Whydoestheauthormention“planktonburgers”?

A.Todescribetheappearanceofonetypeofplankton.

B.Toillustratehowmuchplanktonawhaleconsumes.

C.Tosuggestplanktonasapossiblefoodsources.

D.Tocomparethefoodvaluesofbeefandplankton.

4.Whatismentionedasoneconspicuousfeatureofkrill?

A.Theyarethesmallestmarineanimals.

B.Theyarepinkincolor.

C.Theyaresimilarinsizetolobsters.

D.Theyhavegrasslikebodies.

5.Theauthormentionsallofthefollowingasreasonswhyplanktoncouldbeconsideredahumanfoodsourceexceptthatitis___.

A.highinfoodvalue.

B.inabundantsupplyintheoceans.

C.anappropriatefoodforotheranimals.

D.freeofchemicalsandpollutants.

翻译：

最近，一些地方大学开始将方言列为某些学生的必修课程，学生们要学习当地方言，然后被评分以作为毕业的依据之一。一方面，支持此种做法的人认为，将方言列为必修课可防止其消失，从而使当地传统文化和文化多样性得以弘扬，同时城市独特的个性得以保留。另一方面，反对此种做法的人争论说，当地学生与外地学生相比有很多绝对优势，因此将方言列为必修课会引起教育不公平的问题。而且，将方言列为必修课程还会引起一些其他问题，如教材使用、师资问题和考试标准等。在我看来，方言作为传统文化不可缺少的一部分和一种交流工具，可以让学生自愿学习和使用，而不是强制完成。