Text 1

　　China has been through a wrenching series of changes and experiments. (1) It is not for me, or for others in America, to tell China what its economic system should be. What works best for China will be a system rooted in China itself-in Chinese customs and traditions and ways of doing things. (2) The proof of any system lies in its results: in the extent to which it provides for the people more of what those people want. What the people of China want will not be in all respects the same as what the people of the United States would want. But in some respects it will be the same. The bottom lines test of any economic system is whether it works. (3) An economic system that works is one that creates incentives to produce, and provides a fair distribution of what is produced. What incentives will work, what distribution is seen to be “fair”---these are questions that different cultures may answer differently, and that even the same culture may answer differently in different periods of history or at different stages of its development.

　　Among the great nations, the United States’ economic system is the most successful in history in producing prosperity. The Chinese system is the most successful in history in producing equality. (4)The challenge we both face is to avoid forcing people to make a hard choice between a system at one extreme which provides equality but would perpetuate poverty and one at the other extreme which provides prosperity but would ignore poverty. Poverty is too high a price to pay for either equality or prosperity. China’s challenge is to support the principle of equality without destroying the productivity of the people. America’s challenge is to provide prosperity which gives all an opportunity to escape from poverty. (5) Our systems are profoundly different, but in long view our goal of a better life for all our people is the same.

　　——選自《2008年考研英語閱讀完型翻譯全突破》

　　參考譯文

　　1. 不論是我還是其他美國人都不便說中國應當實行什么樣的經濟制度。

　　2. 檢驗任何制度的標準在于它的成效，在于他能在多大程度上向人民更多地提供他們所需要的東西。

　　3. 一個行之有效的經濟制度能刺激生產的積極性，能公平的分配產品。

　　4. 我們兩國面臨的共同挑戰是避免強迫人民在兩個極端之間做出困難的選擇：一種制度實現了平等，但會使貧窮長期繼續下去;另一種制度帶來了繁榮，卻會無視貧困。

　　5.我們兩國的制度有著深刻的差別，但從長遠看，我們為本國全體人民謀求更好生活的目標則是一致的。

　　Text 2

　　There is a difference between science and technology. Science is a method of answering theoretical questions; technology is a method of solving practical problems. (1) Science has to do with discovering the facts and relationships between observable phenomena in nature and with establishing theories that serve to organize these facts and relationships. Technology has to do with tools, techniques, and procedures for implementing the findings of science.

　　Another distinction between science and technology has to do with the progress in each. Progress in science excludes the human factor. (2) Scientists, who seek to comprehend the universe and know the truth with the highest degree of accuracy and certainty, cannot pay attention to their own or other people’s likes or dislikes, or to popular ideas about the fitness of things. What scientists discover may shock or anger people---as did Darvin’s theory of evolution. But even an unpleasant truth is more than likely to be useful; besides, we have the option of refusing to believe it! (3) But hardly so with technology; we do not have the option of refusing to hear the sonic boom produced by a supersonic aircraft flying overhead; we do not have the option of refusing to breathe polluted air. (4) The legitimate purpose of technology is to serve people---people in general, not merely some people; and future generation, not merely those who presently wish to gain advantage for themselves.

　　We are all familiar with the abuses of technology. (5) Many people blame technology itself for widespread pollution, and even social decay---so much so that the promise of technology is obscured. That promise is a cleaner and healthier world. If wise applications of science and technology do not lead to a better world, what else will?

　　——選自《考研英語第一時間——翻譯與寫作雙向突破》

　　參考譯文

　　1. 科學關注的是發現事實，找出自然界可觀察的各種現象之間的關系，并建立起一些理論，將這些事實與關系組織起來。

　　2. 科學家在試圖最精確、最可靠的理解宇宙、了解真相時，不能夠顧及他們本人或他人的好惡以及關于事物合理性的普遍看法。

　　3. 不過，技術就不同了。我們無法不去聽在頭頂掠過的超音速飛機發出的轟鳴，也無法拒絕呼吸被污染了的空氣。

　　4. 技術的正當目的就是服務于人——是服務于所有人，而不僅僅是某些人;是服務于未來一代又一代的人，而不僅僅是那些希望馬上從中獲益的人。

　　5. 許多人責怪技術是因為它引起了大規模的污染，甚至社會腐敗;人們對技術的指責如此之多，以至于科技發展的前景也模糊不清了。

　　相關推薦：2009年1月考研英語翻譯最新模擬題及答案詳解(一)

　　　　　　　名師指導：考研英語小灶－英譯漢“必備技巧”