2011年11月三級筆譯實務真題

Section 1： English-Chinese Translation (50 points)

This month, the United Nations Development Program made water and sanitation the centerpiece of its flagship publication, the Human Development Report.

Claims of a "water apartheid," where poor people pay more for water than the rich, are bound to attract attention. But what are the economics behind the problem, and how can it be fixed? In countries that have trouble delivering clean water to their people, a lack of infrastructure is often the culprit. People in areas that are not served by public utilities have to rely on costlier ways of getting water, such as itinerant water trucks and treks to wells. Paradoxically, as the water sources get costlier, the water itself tends to be more dangerous. Water piped by utilities - to the rich and the poor alike - is usually cleaner than water trucked in or collected from an outdoor tank.

The problem exists not only in rural areas but even in big cities, said Hakan Bjorkman, program director of the UN agency in Thailand. Further, subsidies made to local water systems often end up benefiting people other than the poor, he added.

The agency proposes a three-step solution. First, make access to 20 liters, or 5 gallons, of clean water a day a human right. Next, make local governments accountable for delivering this service. Last, invest in infrastructure to link people to water mains.The report says governments, especially in developing countries, should spend at least 1 percent of gross domestic product on water and sanitation. It also recommends that foreign aid be more directed toward these problems. Clearly, this approach relies heavily on government intervention, something Bjorkman readily acknowledged. But there are some market-based approaches as well.

By offering cut-rate connections to poor people to the water mainline, the private water utility in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, has steadily increased access to clean water, according to the agency's report. A subsidy may not even be necessary, despite the agency's proposals, if a country can harness the economic benefits of providing clean water.

People who receive clean water are much less likely to die from water-borne diseases - a common malady in the developing world - and much more likely to enjoy long, productive, taxpaying lives that can benefit their host countries. So if a government is trying to raise financing to invest in new infrastructure, it might find receptive ears in private credit markets - as long as it can harness the return. Similarly, private companies may calculate that it is worth bringing clean water to an area if its residents are willing to pay back the investment over many years.

In the meantime, some local solutions are being found. In Thailand, Bjorkman said, some small communities are taking challenges like water access upon themselves. "People organize themselves in groups to leverage what little resources they have to help their communities," he said. "That's especially true out in the rural areas. They invest their money in revolving funds and saving schemes, and they invest themselves to improve their villages. "It is not always easy to take these solutions and replicate them in other countries, though. Assembling a broad menu of different approaches can be the first step in finding the right solution for a given region or country.

Section 2： Chinese-English Translation (50 points)

即使遇到豐收年景，對中國來說，要用世界百分之七的耕地養(yǎng)活全球五分之一的人口仍是一項艱巨的任務。

中國政府面臨許多挑戰(zhàn)，最嚴峻的挑戰(zhàn)之一就是耕地流失。過去幾年中，平均每年有66.7萬公頃耕地被城市擴建、工業(yè)發(fā)展以及公路建設工程占用，另有1萬平方公里的耕地被沙漠吞噬。

中國北方地區(qū)地下水位下降，農民不得不改種耐旱、地產(chǎn)作物，甚至撂荒。同時，農業(yè)基礎設施損耗嚴重，三分之二的灌溉設施需要整修。

由于農民為增加收入而改種經(jīng)濟作物，農業(yè)生產(chǎn)方式正在轉變。過去十幾年，全國水果和蔬菜種植面積平均每年增加130萬公頃。因此，水稻、玉米及小麥產(chǎn)量急劇下降。中國已由糧食凈出口國變?yōu)榧Z食凈進口國。

中國政府把農業(yè)改革視為頭等大事，投入大量資金用于提高小麥和稻米的收購價以及改進農田灌溉基礎設施。近年來，農產(chǎn)品的價格穩(wěn)步上升，中國政府采取此項措施以提高農民種糧的積極性。