英汉互译练习.doc

英译汉40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 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 cant 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. (2010.01) The reason for not classifying carbon dioxide as a pollutant is that it is a natural component of the atmosphere and needed by plants to carry out biological synthesis. No one would argue that carbon dioxide is a necessary component of the atmosphere any more than one would argue the fact that Vitamin D is necessary in the human diet. However, excess intake of Vitamin D can be extremely toxic. Living systems, be they an ecosystem or an organism, require that a delicate balance be maintained between certain compounds in order for the system to function normally. When the excess presence of one substance threatens the wellbeing of an ecosystem, it becomes toxic despite the fact that it is required in small quantities.10. On some occasions it is important to adhere to the conventions that characterize serious public discourse and to avoid expressions that might be used in more casual situations. Among the features of formal English are the careful explanation of background information, complexity in sentence structure, explicit transitions between thoughts, and the use of certain words that are reserved chiefly for creating a formal tone. Situations that normally require formal usage would include an article discussing a serious matter submitted to a respected journal, an official report by a group of researchers to a government body, a talk presented to a professional organization, and a letter of job application. 11. The Microsofts rise to prominence set off an explosion in demand for all things digital and sparked the Internet boom, because every investor looked at the Internet and concluded that if everything was going to be digitized data, inventories, commerce, books and entertainment and transported and sold on the Internet, the demand for Internet-based products and services would be infinite. This led to the dot-com stock bubble and a massive overinvestment in the fiber-optic cable needed to carry all the new digital information. As a result, some companies became bankrupt and some were struggling to stay in business. Keep in mind that cyberspace promises both opportunities and high risks.12. 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.13. To survive, humans need food, clothes and shelter. There are three ways human activities endanger other species: by killing off animals directly, introducing foreign species into their habitat and by destroying their natural habitats. One reason for preserving life-forms is that each of them occupies a special place within its ecosystem - the community of plant and animal life, in combination with the nonliving components of its environment. Many methods of preserving endangered species are being practiced worldwide, involving legislation, protection of individual species, promotion of ecologically sound development, support to scientific investigation, encouragement of effective conservation activities, monitoring of the international wildlife trade and influence on public opinion and guidelines of governments and private institutions. 14. Desertification is accomplished primarily through the loss of stabilizing natural vegetation and the subsequent accelerated soil erosion. In some cases, the loose soil is blown completely away, leaving a stony surface. In other cases, the finer particles may be removed, while the sand-sized particles are accumulated to form mobile hills or ridges of sand. Desertification in most areas results primarily from human activities rather than from natural processes. The semi-dry lands bordering desert exist in a delicate ecological balance and are limited in their potential to adjust to increased environmental pressures. Expanding populations are subjecting the land to increasing pressures to provide them with food and water. The pressure on the land is often far in excess of its diminished capacity.15. Under very cold conditions, rocks can be shattered by ice and frost. Glaciers may form in permanently cold areas, and these slowly moving masses of ice cut out valleys, carrying with them huge quantities of eroded rock fragments. In dry areas the wind is the principal agent of erosion. It carries fine particles of sand, which strike exposed rock surfaces, thereby wearing them into yet more sand. Even living things contribute to the formation of landscapes. Tree roots force their way into cracks and speed their splitting. In contrast, the roots of grasses and other small plants may help to hold loose soil together.16. 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.17. Ozone blowing over from Asia is raising background levels of a major ingredient of smog in the skies over Western states of the US. The amounts are small and, but they have been steadily rising since 1995. The development could complicate U.S. efforts to control air pollution. The U.S. government is considering lowering the current limit on ozone in the atmosphere by as much as 20 percent, and has been working with China to lower its emissions of the chemicals that turn into ozone. Ozone is harmful to peoples respiratory systems and plants. It is created when compounds produced by burning fossil fuels are hit by sunlight and break down. Ozone also contributes to the greenhouse effect, ranking behind carbon dioxide in importance.18. One of E-mails chief virtues is that information can be exchanged without the participants having to interact simultaneously and without the drawbacks of the telephone. A second advantage is its speed. In seconds your can send entire documents across time zones. E-mail gives people more flexibility in their schedules and sparing them the distractions that take up much time. Besides, E-mail eliminates the visual tokens of social status that are apparent to everyone in a face-to-face meeting. Ideas that are proposed on a computer network tend to be evaluated in terms of their merits more than their origin. The final advantage is psychological. It can nurture a sense of connectedness and commitment in people who see themselves actively involved in a discussion.19. 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. Its 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 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.20. 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 allowing limited hunting, good management can control certain species that threaten to overpopulate their habitat.21. 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.22. 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. 23. Successive heavy snowfalls, which were rare in the past fifty years, struck the south of China, cutting off power supply and leaving expressways closed. On Sunday, heavy fog fell over parts of central China, further obstructing a transport system already paralyzed by weeks of snow, a day after one person was stamped to death by frustrated train passengers stranded for days. The fog covered parts of Human one of the provinces hit worst by the odd winter storms delaying flights and bringing road traffic to a halt. To make the matter worse, his disaster coincides with Chinas Spring Festival.24. 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 mens muscles and enormously expanded productivity, so the microcomputer is rapidly assuming huge burdens of tedious work from the human brain and thereby expanding the minds 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. 25. 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 chang