1991年考研英语翻译题型全文翻译和答案—本文介绍能源危机及后果

　　The fact is that the energy crisis, which has suddenly been officially announced, has been with us for a long time now, and will be with us for an even longer time.

　　事实是，虽然官方突然宣布能源危机的存在，然而长期以来我们一直面临着能源危机，而且这种情况今后将会持续更长的时间。

　　Whether Arab oil flows freely or not, it is clear to everyone that world industry cannot be allowed to depend on so fragile a base.

　　不管阿拉伯的石油能否源源不断地流出，人人都清楚，再也不能让世界工业依赖于如此脆弱的能源基础了。

　　The supply of oil can be shut off unexpectedly at any time, and in anycase, the oil wells will all run dry in thirty years or so at the present rate of use.

　　石油供应可能随时会被突然切断；不管怎样，以目前这种消费速度，只需30年左右，所有的油井都会枯竭。

　　New sources of energy must be found, and this will take time, but it is not likely to result in any situation that will ever restore that sense of cheap and plentiful energy we have had in the times past.

　　必须找到新的能源，这需要时间；而过去我们感觉到的那种能源廉价而充足的情况将不大可能再出现了。

　　For an indefinite period from here on, mankind is going to advance cautiously, and consider itself lucky that it can advance at all.

　　在今后的漫长的时间内，人类将谨慎前进，而且应该对自己能够继续前进感到非常幸运。

　　To make the situation worse, there is as yet no sign that any slowing of the world’s population is in sight. Although the birth-rate has dropped in some nations, including the United States, the population of the world seems sure to pass six billion and perhaps even seven billion as the twenty-first century opens.

　　使目前状况更糟的是，至今尚无迹象表明，世界人口的增长在近期内会减慢。虽然包括美国在内的一些国家的出生率已经下降，但是在21世纪初世界人口似乎肯定会超过60亿，或许甚至超过70亿。

　　The food supply will not increase nearly enough to match this, which means that we are heading into a crisis in the matter of producing and marketing food.

　　食品供应的增加将远远赶不上人口的增长，这就意味着我们在粮食的生产和购销方面已陷入危机。

　　Taking all this into account, what might we reasonably estimate supermarkets to be like in the year 2001?

　　考虑到所有这些因素，我们可以适当地估计一下2001年的超级市场将会是什么样子呢？

　　To begin with, the world food supply is going to become steadily tighter over the next thirty years -- even here in the United States. By 2001, the population of the United States will be at least two hundred fifty million and possibly two hundred seventy million, and the nation will find it difficult to expand food production to fill the additional mouths.

　　首先，今后的30年内，世界的食品供应日益紧张，甚至美国这里也不例外。到2001年美国人口将至少达到2亿5千万，也可能是2亿7千万。那时，美国将很难扩大食品生产来满足人口增长的需要。

　　This willbe particularly true since energy pinch will make it difficult to continue agriculture in thehigh-energy American fashion that makes it possible to combine few farmers with high yields.

　　这种困境将是确定无疑的，因为能源的匮乏使农业无法以高能消费这种美国耕作方式继续下去了，而按照这种耕作方式可以投入少数农民就获得高产。

　　It seems almost certain that by 2001 the United States will no longer be a great food-exporting nation and that, if necessity forces exports, it will be at the price of belt-tightening at home.

　　几乎可以肯定，到2001年美国将不再是一个食品输出国；如果必须出口的话，那么其代价就是美国国内人民将勒紧裤带。

　　In fact, as food items will tend to decline in quality and decrease in variety, there is very likely to be increasing use of flavouring additives.

　　实际上，由于各种食品往往会质量下降、品种减少，这就非常有可能更多地使用调味添加物。

　　Until such time as mankind hasthe sense to lower its population to the point where the planet can provide a comfortable supportfor all, people will have to accept more “unnatural food”.

　　除非人类终于意识到要把人口减少到这样的程度，使地球能为所有人提供足够的饮食，否则人们将不得不接受更多的“人造食品”。