科技英語閱讀翻譯張敏

1、科技英語閱讀翻譯（張敏）Unlocking the Climate Puzzle解開氣候之謎(1)Life has prospered on this planet for nearly four billion years. In that time, climate had fluctuated drastically, from ice ages lasting tens of thousands of years to epochs of steamy heat. With each change, sundry species have benefited and flourishe

2、d.Others adapted, faltered, or died. Now, many experts believe, humans are imperiling their own ecological niche with the threat of global warming. The vaporous by-products of civilization, in the form of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (C0? ), have trappedenough heat in the atmosphere to ra

3、ise Earths average surface air temperature a half degree Celsius (one degree Fahrenheit) during this century. If the trend continues, it could alter climate patterns worldwide-thawing glaciers, boosting sea level, scorching plains into deserts, and shifting vegetation zones.(1)生命在這個星球上已經(jīng)發(fā)展了近四十億年。在這段

4、時間里，氣候有大幅波動，從冰河 時代到蒸汽時代延續(xù)了幾千年。每一次改變，各種物種受益和繁榮。其他適應，步履蹣跚， 或死亡?，F(xiàn)在，許多專家認為，人類正在通過全球變暖危及自己的生態(tài)位。在本世紀，文明 的氣態(tài)副產物，以二氧化碳(C0?)等溫室氣體的形式，把足夠的熱量困在大氣中，來提 高地球表面平均氣溫半攝氏度(1華氏度)。如果這種趨勢繼續(xù)下去，它可能會改變世界范 圍內的氣候模式 一融化冰川，提高海平面，把平原烤成沙漠，以及改變植被區(qū)。Or it might not. Global climate depends on combinations of factors interacting in su

5、btle and complex ways that we do not yet fully understand. It is possible that the warming observed during this century may have resulted from natural variations, even though the increase has been much more rapid than what the planet has witnessed over the past hundred centuries. Moreover, the super

6、computer simulations used to project future conditions may not be accurate.(2)或者不可能。全球氣候取決于各種因素的組合，這些因素以微妙和復雜的方式相互作 用，我們還沒有完全了解。這是可能的，在本世紀中觀察到的變暖可能是由于自然的變化， 即使增加已遠遠超過這個星球在過去的幾百個世紀已經(jīng)見證過的。此外，用于展現(xiàn)未來條件的超級計算機模擬可能是不準確的。Nonetheless, in 1995, after years of intense study, the Intergovernmental Panel on Clim

7、ate Change (IPCC), sponsored by the United Nations, concluded tentatively that the balance of evidence suggests that there is a discernible human influence on global climate. The amount of that influence, the group noted, is unknown because of uncertainties in key factors, including the degree to wh

8、ich clouds and the oceans affect1 / 24科技英語閱讀翻譯(張敏)the rate of temperature change. It may take a decade or more of additional research to resolve those uncertainties.(3)然而，由聯(lián)合國發(fā)起的政府間氣候變化專門委員會，經(jīng)過數(shù)年集中的研究，在1995年，初步得到了 對照所有證據(jù)表明，人類對全球氣候有明顯的影響”這個結論。該委員會同時提到，由于關鍵因素的不確定性：包括云層和海洋對溫度變化率的影響程度，人類對全 球氣候的影響量是未知的。解

9、決這些不確定因素可能需要十年乃至更長時間的額外研究。Meanwhile, much is known. And although the specific consequences of human activity remain ambiguous, our ability to alter the atmosphere is incontestable.(4)同時，大多是已知的。盡管人類活動的具體后果仍不明確，我們改變大氣的能力是不 可否認的。What causes climate change? Weather is what happens outside your home this

10、 morning. Climate is what you can expect to happen outside during your 30-year mortgage. Over time small changes can make a big difference. Driven by tremendous flows of heat over the surface of the planet, Earths climate system is influenced by innumerable interacting variables.(5)是什么導致了氣候變化？天氣是這個早

11、上出現(xiàn)在戶外的自然現(xiàn)象。氣候是在30年內可以預測的發(fā)生在戶外的自然現(xiàn)象。隨著時間的流逝，微小的變化會造成巨大的影響。由于星球表面上的巨大熱流，無數(shù)相互作用的變量影響著地球的氣候系統(tǒng)。Solar InputHaving traveled 93 million miles, solar energy hits the upper atmosphere at about the intensity of three 100-watt bulbs per square yardone-third of which is reflected backinto space. The rest of the

12、 energy warms Earth and fuels its weather engine.太陽能輸入(6)已經(jīng)走了 9300萬英里，太陽能達到高層大氣時，每平方的強度大約是3個100瓦燈泡一其中三分之一被反射回太空。其余的能量使地球變暖，并引起天氣改變。The AtmosphereA delicate balance of gases gives Earth an average temperature of 15C (59 F).Greenhouse gases - water vapor, C0 ? , methane, nitrous oxide, and others - ab

13、sorb heat energy, then re-radiate a portion of it back to the surface.大氣(7)氣體的一種微妙平衡使地球平均溫度為15 C (59 F)。溫室氣體一水汽，C0?,甲烷，一氧化二氮，和其他氣體一吸收熱能，然后再輻射一部分返回地面。2 / 24科技英語閱讀翻譯（張敏）The OceansCovering 70 percent of Earths surface, oceans are the chief source of water vapor in the air. Oceans store heat efficiently

14、 and transport it thousands of miles. When warm water collects in one place, evaporation and cloud buildup may increase. Marine organisms consume huge amounts of C0 ?.海洋(8)覆蓋地球表面的百分之70,海洋是空氣中的水蒸氣的主要來源。海洋能有效地儲存熱能和把它運輸數(shù)千英里。當溫水聚集在一個地方，蒸發(fā)和云層積累可能會增加。海洋生物消耗大量的C0?。The Water CycleHigher air temperatures can

15、 mean increased water evaporation and the melting of sea and land ice. Although water vapor is the most potent greenhouse gas,evaporation also leads to cloud formation, which can have a cooling effect.水循環(huán)(9)更高的空氣溫度可以增加水的蒸發(fā)和融化海洋和陸地的冰。雖然水蒸氣是最有效的溫室氣體，蒸發(fā)也導致云的形成，它可以有一個冷卻效果。CloudsThe role of clouds is poo

16、rly understood, but they are known to both cool Earth by reflecting solar energy and warm Earth by trapping heat being radiated up from the surface.云層(10)人類對云層的作用了解很少，但是知道它們會通過反射太陽能使地面溫度下降，且通過儲存地表散發(fā)的熱量使地面溫度上升。Ice and SnowBright white expanses of ice and snow reflect sunlight back into space, cooling

17、 the planet. Melting sea ice draws heat from the ocean. In the Northern Hemisphere, snow cover has decreased about 10 percent in the past 21 years, but no significant melting of the Antarctic ice sheet has been detected.冰和雪3 / 24科技英語閱讀翻譯(張敏)(11)廣闊區(qū)域的明亮白色的冰和雪把陽光反射回太空，使地球冷卻。融化的海冰從 海洋中吸取熱量。在北半球，雪覆蓋在過去的

18、21年中減少了約百分之 10,但沒有明顯的南極冰蓋的融化已經(jīng)被檢測到。Land SurfaceWhen solar energy penetrates the land surface, it is converted into heat, most of which radiates upward quickly. Still, topography and land use can have major effects on climate. Mountain ranges can block clouds, creating dry shadows downwind. Sloping l

19、and allows more water runoff, leaving the land and air drier. A tropical forest will soak up C0 ? , but once cleared for cattle ranching, the same land becomes a source of methane.(12)當太陽能滲入地表時，會轉化為熱能，其中大部分會很快上升散發(fā)到空氣中。地形和土地使用仍然對氣候有主要的影響。在下風口，山脈會擋住云層，形成缺乏雨水的陰影地”。坡地讓更多的水分流失，使得土地和空氣更加干燥。熱帶森林會吸收二氧化碳，但 是

20、一旦允許牲畜農場經(jīng)營，這塊土地將會產生大量的甲烷。Human InfluencesAdding to the mix of greenhouse gases naturally present in the atmosphere, human activities magnify warming effects. Fuel combustion is the chief cause ofrising C0 ? concentrations. Ranching, rice farming, and landfills have raised methane levels. Aerosols, s

21、uch as smoke and sulfates from industry, reflect sunlight and have temporary, localized cooling effects.人類的影響(13)增加在大氣中自然存在的溫室氣體的混合，人類活動放大變暖的影響。燃料燃 燒是C0?濃度上升的一個主要原因。牧場，水稻種植，和垃圾填埋場已經(jīng)提高甲烷的程度。懸浮顆粒，如來自工業(yè)的煙塵和硫酸鹽，能反射陽光，有暫時的、局部的冷卻效果。If C0 ? emission increases are to blame for global warming, skeptics say,

22、thentemperatures should have risen appreciably during the postwar economic boom, when fossil fuels were burned in escalating quantity. Jerry Mahlman, director of NOAAs Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at Princeton, however, has calculated that the surge in coal and oil use quickly increased the

23、 amount of sulfates aloft, prompting the cooling. After 1970 the longer term effect of C0 ? and methane overwhelmed the short-lived aerosols, accounting for the temperature rise since then.(14)質疑者們說，如果CO2的增加應該對全球變暖負責，那么在戰(zhàn)后經(jīng)濟繁榮期間化石燃料被越來越多的燃燒時，溫度應該很明顯的增加。不管怎樣，Jerry Mahlman ,美國4 / 24科技英語閱讀翻譯(張敏)國家海洋和大氣

24、局位于普林斯頓關于地球物理流體動力學實驗室的主任，曾計算過煤和油的使用量的激增會迅速增加空氣中大量的硫酸鹽，并促進它們冷卻。從1970年后，CO2和甲烷覆蓋了短期效應的氣溶膠從而帶來的長期效應，導致了溫度的上升。An enhanced greenhouse effect may not necessarily be catastrophic. Indeed, it might be good news for some farmers. High concentrations of C0 ? can have a fertilizing effect on plants, which is w

25、hy some commercial greenhouses use an artificial indoor atmosphere containing C0 ? at about three times the level outside.Because plants use photosynthesis to turn C0 ? into living tissue, more vegetation also might mean more C0 2 scavenged from the atmosphere, perhaps slowing global warming.(15)增強的

26、溫室效應可能不一定是災難性的。事實上，這對一些農民來說可能是好 消息。高濃度 C0?對植物可以有施肥的效果，這就是為什么有些商業(yè)溫室使用C0?濃度約為室外三倍水平的人工室內空氣。由于植物利用光合作用將C0?轉換為細胞組織，更多的植被也可能意味著更多來自于大氣的C0?被清除，可能減緩全球變暖。Furthermore, higher temperatures might be most welcome where they are most likely to occur. Since 1900, the greatest warming has been observed between 40d

27、egrees and 70 degrees north latitude-including Europe, Russia, and the northern half of the U.S. where much of the worlds industrial greenhouse gas emissions originate. Most of the warming has taken place at night-presumably because increased cloud cover shades the land by day and traps outgoing hea

28、t at night. The growing season in the northern U.S. has lengthened by about a week.(16)此外，高溫在最可能發(fā)生的地方也許會最受歡迎。從 1990年開始，在人們北 緯40。 70。之間觀察最主要的溫室變化。包括歐洲I、俄羅斯和美國北部半數(shù)地區(qū)，這些地 區(qū)是世界上工業(yè)溫室氣體主要的排放地。大多數(shù)的溫室變化是發(fā)生在晚上的，大概是因為在白天增加的陰云遮住了大地并且晚上高溫的散發(fā)受到了限制。在美國北部植物的增長期被延長了差不多一周左右。Some scientists argue that hasty measures

29、are pointless: Any appreciablealterations in climate, they say, are likely to be gradual enough that we will be able to adapt. And even if all greenhouse gas emissions stopped tomorrow, the planet almost certainly would continue to warm for several decades because of the gases long atmospheric lifet

30、ime.一些科學家認為，草率的措施是毫無意義的：他們說，任何可預見的氣候變化， 有可能是漸進的，我們將能夠適應。即使所有的溫室氣體在明天都停止排放，地球幾乎肯定會繼續(xù)溫暖幾十年，因為氣體的長的大氣壽命。5 / 24科技英語閱讀翻譯(張敏)On the other hand, there is evidence that some kinds of events could changeclimate radically in the span of decades. Perhaps the most feared is an abrupt collapse in the huge Atlant

31、ic conveyor belt system that brings warm water north from theequator, keeping Europe several degrees warmer than it would otherwise be.Evaporation of this incoming flow leaves the belt with a higher salt content than the rest of the North Atlantic, which is fed by substantial freshwater runoff fromc

32、ontinental watersheds. The belt cools and becomes denser as it approachesGreenland, where it sinks. It then travels far below the surface in a south-moving return flow.(18)從另一方面說，有證據(jù)表明一些事件會在數(shù)十年的時間內從根本上改變氣候。也許人們大多數(shù)的擔憂是巨大的大西洋傳送帶”會發(fā)生一種突然的崩潰。這個 傳送帶”從赤道北部帶來了溫暖的水，使它比原來的溫度高幾度。這種流入水的消失會使傳送帶”變得比北大西洋其它地區(qū)的鹽度都高

33、，北大西洋其它的地區(qū)存儲著大量從陸地流域流入的淡水。這個 傳送帶”中的水在接近格陵蘭島時會變得冰冷而且稠密，在那里它下沉了。然后它隨著向 南流動的回流表層下部遠去。But what if human-induced global warming altered the delicate temperature difference between the flows and at the same time caused increased rainfall over the oceans, diluting the salinity of the northward flow? The wh

34、ole Atlantic conveyor belt could simply shut down, as ocean-sediment evidence suggests it has several times in the past. The effect would be locally disastrous. By one estimate, Ireland would have about the same temperature as present-day Spitsbergen, which is hundreds of miles above the Arctic Circ

35、le. Much of northern Europe would be largely uninhabitable.(19)但是人類引起的全球變暖改變了水流之間的微妙的溫度差，同時在海洋上引起 的降雨量增加，稀釋北上水流的鹽度又怎樣？整個大西洋輸送帶可以簡單地關閉，因為海洋沉積物的證據(jù)表明，它在過去發(fā)生過好幾次。影響會是局部災難性的。根據(jù)一個預測，愛爾 蘭將會和現(xiàn)在位于北極圈數(shù)百英里以上的斯匹次卑爾根有大約相同的溫度。歐洲北部的大部分將不適合居住。No one knows for certain whether such things will happen. Beyond that the

36、 specific human effect on climate change will remain hauntingly indefinite until our knowledge increases and the models improve.(20)沒人確信這些事情是不是真的會發(fā)生。除了對氣候做出特別的人為影響，這種 不確定性將會一直縈繞人們的心頭直到我們的知識增加和理論提高。6 / 24科技英語閱讀翻譯(張敏)The Greenhouse Effect溫室效應(l)The air we breathe keeps us alive in more ways than one.

37、Without our atmosphere, average global temperature would be about minus 18 C (minus 0.4 F ) instead of the present 15 C (59 F). All the incoming sunlight, with energy equivalent to about three 100-watt light bulbs per square yard, would strike Earths surface, causing it to emit infrared waves like a

38、 giant radiator. That heat would simply travel unimpeded back out into the void.(l)我們呼吸的空氣不止從一個方面確保我們活著。沒有大氣層，全球平均溫度大約 是零下18c (零下0.4丁)，而不是現(xiàn)在的 15 c (59 F)。所有入射的太陽光，每平方碼 的能量相當于3個100瓦的燈泡，會撞擊地球表面，使它像一個巨大的散熱器一樣發(fā)射出 紅外波。這種熱將簡單地傳播，無阻礙地返回到虛空中去。Because of the atmosphere, however, only a fraction of that heat

39、makes it directly back into space. The rest is trapped in the lower air layers, which contain a number of gases - water vapor, C0 ? , methane, and others - that absorb the outgoing infrared radiation. As those gases heat up, some of their warmth radiates back down to the surface. The entire process

40、is called the greenhouse effect, and most of it is caused by the predominant greenhouse gas, water vapor (2)然而，由于大氣，只有一小部分的熱量，使它直接回到太空。剩下的熱量被困在 低層大氣中，其中含有一些氣體 一水汽，C0?,甲烷和其他氣體 一吸收外面的紅外輻射。 由于這些氣體加熱，它們的一些溫暖輻射回地面。整個過程被稱為溫室效應，大部分是由主要的溫室氣體，水蒸氣引起的。With increased heating, more water evaporates from oceans,

41、lakes, and soils. Because a warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapor, this creates a powerful feedback loop: the hotter it gets, the higher the water vapor content of the air, and thus the greater the greenhouse warming.(3)因為熱量增加，更多的水從海洋、湖泊和土壤中蒸發(fā)掉。由于一個溫暖的大氣可 以容納更多的水蒸氣，這創(chuàng)造了一個強大的反饋回路：它得到的熱量越多，空氣中水蒸

42、氣含量越高，從而溫室變暖越嚴重。Human beings have little direct control over the volume of water in the atmosphere. But we produce other greenhouse gases that intensify the effect. The IPCC estimates that rising C0 ? emissions, mostly from burning fossil fuels, account for about 60 percent of the warming observed s

43、ince 1850. Carbon dioxide concentration has been7 / 24科技英語閱讀翻譯(張敏)increasing about 0.3 percent higher than it was before the industrial revolution. If current rates continue, it will rise to at least twice pre-industrial levels by about 2060-and by the end of the century could be four times as high.

44、 That is particularly worrisome because C0 ? has a lifetime of more than a hundred years in the atmosphere, compared with eight days for water vapor.(4)人類對大氣中的水的體積幾乎沒有直接的控制權。但我們生產的其他溫室氣體可以加劇影響。IPCC估計，C0?排放上升，大部分來自化石燃料的燃燒，占據(jù)了自1850年開始觀察的氣候變暖的60%。二氧化碳濃度比工業(yè)革命之前持續(xù)增加了約0.3%。如果目前的速度持續(xù)下去，到 2060左右至少會上升到工業(yè)化前水平

45、的兩倍一到本世紀末，可能高達四倍。這是特別令人擔憂的，因為與水蒸氣的八天壽命相比，C0?在大氣中的壽命超過一百年。Pushing their way through emerging cities like Barakar, India,automobiles carry unwanted cargo - C0? emissions. Since the late 1700s, the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities have increased atmospheric C0?concentrations more than

46、 30 percent. While the amount added to the air by humans, roughly 7 billion metric tons a year, is a tiny fraction of the total held by the atmosphere-750 billion tons-and an even smaller figure compared with that held in the oceans about 35 trillion tons it remains a significant amount. The reason:

47、 Natural processes are in balance, drawing about as much C0 ? from the air as they deposit. Human activity, however, only adds C0 ?.(5)通過印度Barakar這樣的新興城市推動它們的方式，利用汽車運載無用的貨物 -C0?排放。自18世紀晚期，化石燃料和其他人類活動燃燒使大氣C0?濃度超過30%。然而人類向空氣中每年大約增加70億噸量的C0?,是大氣C0?總容量的一小部分的-750億噸一與海洋中的容量相比是一個更小的數(shù)字一大約35兆噸一它仍然是一個重要的數(shù)量。原因

48、是：自然過程是平衡的，空氣吸收的C0?和它們存儲的差不多從。然而人類活動，只是增加C0?容量。Much remains to be learned about Earths carbon cycle and the roleof the oceans as a sink for CO2. Despite such uncertainties, the computerprograms used to model Earths climate are improving rapidly. Current models do well in simulating seasonal variatio

49、ns and climate over thousands of years, leading most scientists to take their overall projections seriously.(6)地球的碳循環(huán)和海洋匯集CO2作用還有許多有待了解。不管有這些不確定8 / 24科技英語閱讀翻譯(張敏)性，用于模擬地球氣候的計算機程序正在迅速改善。目前的模型很好地模擬了幾千年 的季節(jié)性變化和氣候，導致大多數(shù)科學家認真地接受他們的全部預測。Methane, the principal ingredient of natural gas, has caused an estim

50、ated 15 percent of the warming in modem times. Generated by bacteria in rice fields, decomposing garbage, cattle ranching, and fossil fuel production, methane persists in the atmosphere for nearly a decade and is now about 2.5 times as prevalent as it was in the 18th century. Other major greenhouse

51、gases include nitrous oxide-produced by both agriculture and industry-and various solvents and refrigerants likechlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which are now banned by international treaty because of their damaging effect on Earths protective ozone layer.(7)甲烷是天然氣的主要成分，在現(xiàn)代已造成約15%的氣候變暖。在稻田細菌，分解垃圾，養(yǎng)牛，和化

52、石燃料生產的過程中產生，甲烷在大氣中持續(xù)了將近十年，現(xiàn)在是在第 十八世紀普遍存在的2.5倍。其他主要的溫室氣體包括NO一在農業(yè)和工業(yè)中產生 一各種溶劑和制冷劑如氯氟燒，或者 CFCs ,現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)被國際條約禁止，因為它們會破壞保護地球的 臭氧層。The relentless accumulation of greenhouse gases has led the IPCC to project that in the next hundred years global average temperatures will rise by 1 to 3.5 degrees C. That may n

53、ot seem like much. Yet the little ice age, an anomalous cold snap that peaked from 1570 to 1730 and forced European farmers to abandon their fields, was caused by a change of only half a degree C.(8)溫室氣體的不斷積累，令 IPCC預測在下一個百年全球平均氣溫將上升1到3.5 Co看起來可能不太多。然而，小冰河時代：一個異常寒冷的瞬間，使最高溫度從1570變?yōu)?730 ,并迫使歐洲農民放棄他們的田地

54、，只是由一個半度的變化引起的。But how credible are current projections? The computer models used to project greenhouse effects far into the future are still being improvedto accommodate a rapidly growing font of knowledge. And it is remarkably difficult to detect a definitive signature of human activity in the wor

55、lds widely fluctuating climate record.(9)但目前的預測有多可信？用于預測遙遠將來溫室效應的計算機模型仍在改進，以適應快速增長的知識。而且世界上廣泛波動的氣候記錄很難檢測到一個明確的人類活動的 簽名”。Toyota s Story in Europe9 / 24科技英語閱讀翻譯（張敏）豐田汽車在歐洲(1) It s Monday afternoon inside Toyota Motor Corp. s Valenciennes plant northernFrance, where workers turn and bend over the assem

56、bly line to meet demanding hourly production target. Red neon numbers mounted high above the river of moving cars blink steadily, comparing the rate of completed autos with the company s goal. Demand for theYairs subcompacts this pristine plant cranks out is outstripping the 920-per-day output. So V

57、alenciennes has hired 500 more workers and this month is adding a third shift foR round-the-clock production a first in Toyota manufacturing history.We produce a carevery minute. That s the maximum. The solution is to try three shifts, says Didier Leory,seniorvice- president of Toyota MotoR Manufact

58、uring, France.”(1) 一個周一的下午，豐田汽車制造公司旗下位于法國北部的瓦朗西安工廠內，工人 們?yōu)檫_到每小時的生產目標，熟練且有條不紊的在裝配線上忙碌著。在汽車生產流水線上方，紅色霓虹燈數(shù)字持續(xù)地閃爍著，表示與公司目標對比下的汽車生產率穩(wěn)步增長。對于這個新工廠迅速出產的豐田威姿微型汽車，公司要求日產量超過920輛。因此，瓦朗西安工廠雇傭了 500多個工人，并且這個月實行三輪班制度不分晝夜地生產，這在豐田汽車制造史上 尚屬首次。法國豐田制造公司的高級副總裁Didier Leroy說我們每一分鐘就能生產出一輛汽車，這已經(jīng)是最大限度了，相應的解決方案就是嘗試三輪班制度?！?2)Toy

59、ota, a marginal player in Europe, is becoming a fearsome market force as it applies itself to winning a bigger share of the Old World s roadways. Sales in Europe rose20.6% in the first four months of this year, following a 10.4 % leap in 2003, to 835,000 cars. Those gains, fueled partly by the redes

60、igned Yaris, pushed Toyota s market share inWestern Europe to 5.3% in April, up from 4.5% a year ago, overtaking Mercedes and Audi and ending close to Italy s Fiat. Every point Toyota gains is hurting the others badly, says Peter Soliman, partner at Booz Allen Hamilton s Disseldorf office.在歐洲并不起眼的豐田