quarterly篇章翻译练习

英译汉

33

篇：

1. Quitting smoking is more of a matter of willpower than of individual choice, for smoking is widely

recognized as addictive. Although counseling and medication can increase the odds that a smoker quits

permanently, the best way to avoid dilemmas is never to take up smoking to begin with.

The irreversible effects of cigarette smoking vary in intensity and are related both to the amount

and duration of exposure and the age at which the person is initially exposed. This report challenges the

notion that a few years of exposure to smoking will have no lasting harmful consequences. We hope to

discourage

this

prevalent

but

vital

habit

and

suggest

that

tobacco-related

health

effects

decline

substantially as time away from smoking increases.

2. This book derives from decades of teaching in various schools across the country. It is based on the

belief that philosophy is a genuinely exciting subject, accessible not only to gifted undergraduate majors

but

to

everyone.

Everyone

is

a

philosopher,

whether

enrolled

in

a

philosophical

course

or

not.

The

difference

is

that

someone

who

has

studied

philosophy

systematically

has

the

advantage

of

having

encountered

stronger

and

more

varied

arguments

than

might

have

been

available

otherwise.

What

is

special

about

this

book

is

that

it

offers

introductory

students

the

opportunity

of

having

direct

contact

with substantial readings from significant books on philosophy, but without the unreasonable demand

that they confront these books in full, which are often incomprehensible.

3. Social progress has done away with the need for backbreaking work and has provided time and leisure

for personality development. With it, indeed because of it, today the middle- class family expects each of

its members to develop his unique personality, and so does each individual, more or less, himself. This

new

obligation

of

the

family

to

provide

a

setting

for

the

development

of

a

unique

personality

makes

family consensus extremely difficult, if not impossible. Nothing is more problematic for a small group

of quite different, unique individuals than to live in close quarters, in close harmony

with each other.

Besides, the necessity of cultivating teenagers’ moral character adds

to the difficulty in parenting.

4. One of the unintended consequences of the globalization is that it puts different societies and cultures

in much greater direct contact with one another. It connects people to people much faster than people

and

cultures

can

often

prepare

themselves.

Some

cultures

thrive

on

the

sudden

opportunities

for

collaboration that this global intimacy makes possible. Others are frustrated, and even humiliated by this

close contact, which, among other things, makes it easy for people to see where they stand in the world

in relation to everyone else. All of this helps to account for the emergence of one of the most devastating

forces today

–

terrorist organizations which have no regard for human lives and which it is in our best

interest to wipe out.

5. In this book, we offer advice that we hope will seem reasonable and worth serious consideration. But

as

any

experienced

writer

knows,

there

are

occasions

when

even

the

best

advice

may

not

apply.

The

demands

of

writing

for

different

audiences,

with

different

purposes,

on

different

subjects,

at

different

levels

of

formality

are

so

varied

that

they

cannot

begin

to

be

anticipated

in

a

book

like

this,

and

we

recognize that what is appropriate for one piece of writing may not be appropriate for another. In most

cases,

you

will

have

to

avoid

ambiguity

at

all

costs

so

as

not

to

leave

your

words

open

to

misinterpretation.

6. When dominant innovators in a science respond to the challenge of a situation that demands some

change in its practice, this may take a number of forms, and rival schools may grow up around different

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leaders responding differently to a particular situation. These rivalries may be reinforced and perpetuated

by the use of standard textbooks. Any empirical science must be able to cope with its own phenomena,

and once any observation is accepted as relevant, its theory and modes of description and analysis must

be able to handle it with scientific adequacy, of which exhaustiveness, consistency, economy are basic

principles. The extension of a science to new but relevant fields may require the further elaboration and

presentation of existing theory along previously-followed lines.

7. Changes and developments in a science are determined by a number of causes. Every science grows

from its past, and the state reached in a previous generation provides the starting point for the next. But

no science is carried on in a vacuum, without reference to or contact with other sciences and the general

atmosphere for learning. Scientists and men of learning are also men of their age and country, and they

can’t live independent of the culture. Besides its own past, the course

of science is also affected by the

social context of its contemporary world and the intellectual premises in it. Applications of the science

and the expectations that others have of it may be a very important determinant of the direction of its

growth and changes.

8. Human progress is greatly accelerated by the use of language in cultural transmission; the knowledge

and

experience

acquired

by

a

particular

person

can

be

passed

on

to

another

in

language,

so

that

no

amount

of

demonstration

can

replace

the

role

of

language.

In

this

connection

the

importance

of

the

invention of printing can never be exaggerated. At the present time the achievements of anyone in any

part

of

the

world

can

be

made

available

and

accessible

to

anyone

else

able

to

read

and

capable

of

understanding what is involved. From these uses of language, spoken and written, the most developed

animal communication system, though given the courtesy title of language, is worlds away.

9. The purchase process is initiated when a consumer becomes aware of a need. This awareness may

stem

from

an

internal

source

such

as

starvation

or

an

external

source

such

as

TV

commercials

or

promotions. Awareness of such a need motivates the consumer to search for information about options

with which to fulfill the need. This information is available from varied sources. Once alternatives have

been

identified

through

these

sources,

consumers

evaluate

the

options,

paying

particular

attention

to

those

attributes

the

consumer

considers

vital.

To

attract

more

regular

customers,

many

companies

continue to communicate with their customers after a purchase in an effort to influence post-purchase

satisfaction and behavior.

10.

Here

are

some

tips

for

a

low-carbon

life.

Burning

fossil

fuels

emits

heat- trapping

pollution

like

carbon

dioxide

that

contributes

to

global

warming.

Cutting

down

on

driving

is

environmentally

friendly and helps eliminate weight problems over time without dangerous diets or surgery. Next, skip

the

bottled

water

and

drink tap

water. Limit

your

consumption

of

red

meat

because

of

its

unhealthy

saturated fat content, particularly corn-fed animals. Raising food animals contributes substantially to

climate change because a meat-based diet requires more energy than a plant-based one. Finally, avoid

heavily

packaged

foods

and

buy

in

bulk.

The

health

benefits

of

going

organic

include

no

synthetic

pesticides and fertilizers so you reduce your exposure to hazardous chemicals.

11. There is more to school education than instruction and passing knowledge. To live up to his or her

image, a teacher at an elementary or secondary school has to have positive influence on the pupils in

terms of manners, attitudes and views of life. It’s no exaggeration to claim that a teacher is a parent,

consultant and role model all rolled into one. When a teacher has become someone to talk to, turn to

2

and

correspond

to,

his

role

as

a

friend

is

enhanced.

Accompanied

by

teachers

who

are

considerate,

helpful and responsible, a child is likely to be imprinted by such good qualities and eventually does the

same to others.

12. One of the chief concerns of wildlife management is the protection and improvement of the natural

habitat so that animals have enough food and water to survive. Wildlife management involves care of the

soil

to

produce

good

vegetation;

it

also

involves

care

of

plants,

not

only

as

a

source

of

food,

but

as

protection. Animals need cover to hide from their natural enemies and to raise their young safely. Just as

crops

are

harvested,

wildlife

too

must

sometimes

be

“harvested”.

By

a

llowing

limited

hunting,

good

management can control certain species that threaten to overpopulate their habitat.

13.

The

standard

educational

or

psychological

tests

are

widely

used

to

aid

in

selecting,

classifying,

assigning, or promoting students, employees and

military personnel. But they have been the target of

recent attacks in books, magazines, and even in Congress. The target is wrong, for in attacking the tests,

critics

divert

attention

from

the

fault

that

lies

with

ill- informed

or

incompetent

users.

The

tests

themselves are merely tools, with characteristics that can be measured with reasonable precision under

specified

conditions.

Whether

the

results

will

be

valuable,

meaningless,

or

even

misleading

depends

partly upon the tools themselves but largely upon the user.

14. To the average person knowledge itself is of importance because of its bearing upon what he needs

to do and to make. It helps him in clarifying his wants, in constructing his ends and in finding means for

realizing them. There exist, in other words, values as well as known facts and principles, and philosophy

is

concerned

primarily

with

values

–

with

the

ends

for

the

sake

of

which

man

acts.

Given

the

most

extensive

and

accurate

system

of

knowledge,

man

is

still

confronted

with

the

question

of

what

he

is

going to do about it and what he is going to do with the knowledge in his possession.

15. The miracle silicon chip represents a development in the technology of mankind that over the past

few years has acquired the force and significance associated with the development of hand tools or the

discovery of the steam engine. Just as the Industrial Revolution took over an immense range of tasks

from men’s muscles and enormously expanded productivity, so the microcomputer is ra

pidly assuming

huge

burdens

of

tedious

work

from

the

human

brain

and

thereby

expanding

the

mind’s

capacities

in

ways that man is beginning to grasp. With the chip, remarkable achievements of memory and execution

become possible in everything from farms to banks to corporate offices.

26. Recent history has demonstrated the need to change our conception of the process driven forward by

competition. The price variable once perceived as the dominant aspect of the competitive process is now

subordinate

to

the

competition

of

the

new

product

and

technology.

While

in

a

highly

competitive

industry investment in innovation might meet resistance from management and stockholders who might

be concerned with cost-cutting and large advertising budgets, it would be a shocking error to assume

that

producers

enjoying

monopoly

should

favor

abundant

expenditures

on

research.

Large-scale

enterprises tend to operate more smoothly in stable circumstances, and their managerial bureaucracies

tend to promote the status and resist the threat implied in change.

17. As a branch of cognitive science, linguistics, which has direct bearing on verbal communication, has

undergone

systematic

exploration

and

explicit

elaboration.

The

combination

of

linguistics

and

psychology

has

shed

light

on

how

an

infant

acquires

the

mother

tongue

and

contributed

to

the

great

3

variety

of

teaching

approaches

to

a

foreign

language.

However,

a

keen

insight

into

the

process

of

language acquisition can’t be gained until the function of each part of the brain is

disclosed. The myth

that

the

earlier

an

infant

learns

a

foreign

language

the

better

the

result

arises

from

the

confusion

of

language acquisition with language learning. Scientists have yet to reach consensus on the best age to

start learning a foreign language.

18. Efforts have been continually made to maintain the currency of this dictionary though annual updating.

These efforts were for a time successful, at least in incorporating the newest additions to the language

into the written record of that language. Eventually, however, it turned out that the flood of new terms,

subtle changes in pronunciation and changes in attitudes toward numerous expressions had made a total

revision of the dictionary necessary. The past two decades have witnessed an information explosion of

unprecedented proportions. Rapid advances in science are bringing with them countless new terms and

new applications of established terms.

19. There is no question that China and India are better off for having at least part of their population in the

flattening world. When societies begin to prosper, you get a virtuous cycle going: They begin to produce

enough

food

for

the

people

to

leave

the

land,

the

excess

labor

gets

trained

and

education,

it

begins

working in services and industry; that leads to innovation and better education and institutions of higher

learning,

free

markets,

economic

growth

and

development,

better

infrastructure,

fewer

diseases

and

slower population growth.

20. Countries whose workers and industries are woven into a major global supply chain know that they

cannot take an hour, a week, or a month off for war without disrupting industries and economies around

the world and thereby risking the loss of their place in that supply chain for a long time, which could be

extremely

costly.

For

a

country

with

no

natural

resources,

being

part

of

a

global

supply

chain

is

like

striking oil

–

oil that never runs out. And therefore, to get dropped from such a chain because you start a

war is to have your oil wells go dry or have someone pour cement on them.

21. Each year natural disasters, some of which are of unimaginable magnitude, cause heavy casualties.

It’s

estimated

that

devastating

floods

alone

cause

losses

of

approximately

5

billion

dollars.

In

flood-affected regions, reconstruction usually entails expenses that reach astronomical figures. Given the

gravity of the situation, many countries as well as international agencies are intensifying their efforts to

make more accurate predictions and take precautions. One solution is to construct solid architectures that

can survive extreme conditions in disaster-prone areas. Where misfortune never strikes once, people need

to be alert to potential risks all the time.

22.

History

has

been

a

fascinating

sphere

of

research

since

ancient

times.

Unlike

other

disciplines

of

science,

history

can

never

reach

accuracy.

The

most

historians

can

do

is

approximate

accuracy

by

recording

past

events

realistically

and

interpreting

these

events

objectively.

The

infinite

number

of

historical figures and incidents makes impossible the documentation of everything that has happened, so

historians have to make selections from the data available and accessible before deciding on the data that

are deemed necessary and relevant. The fact that explanations on a particular event and its cause vary

from historian to historian makes history all the more exciting.

23. Creativity is by no means something one is just born with, nor is it necessarily a characteristic of high

intelligence. Creativity is the ability to use the resources available to produce original ideas that are good

for something.

There are numerous things parents can do to facilitate the development of creativity of infants. They

can involve children in decision-making if the problem is appropriate by seeking their suggestions. It is

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