考研阅读计划23——1991 Text3《环境|人口增长引起的危机》

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最新推荐文章于 2024-04-10 17:36:22 发布

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Hi，我是新海，一个正在备战的考研人。
最近需要进行大量的考研专项阅读，于是萌生了一个翻译计划，准备翻译1986——2018年所有阅读，通过大量的阅读训练来熟悉考研单词，短语以及语法，更深刻理解考研阅读。

下面是我的第23篇，所有中文释义，均是由本人整理翻译，当然也有不够完善的地方，欢迎大家评论补充。

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. 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.
事实上，能源危机，已经突然正式宣布，已经伴随我们很长一段时间，并将伴随我们更长的时间。不管阿拉伯石油是否自由流动，每个人都清楚不能允许世界工业依赖如此脆弱的基础。
The supply of oil can be shut off unexpectedly at any time, and in any case, the oil wells will all run dry in thirty years or so at the present rate of use. 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. For an indefinite period from here on, mankind is going to advance cautiously, and consider itself lucky that it can advance at all.
石油供应随时可能突然中断，而且无论如何，按照目前的使用速度，油井在三十年左右都会枯竭。必须找到新的能源，这需要时间，但不可能导致任何情况，将永远恢复我们过去拥有的廉价和丰富的能源的感觉。从此以后的一段不确定的时期内，人类将谨慎前进，并认为自己能够前进是幸运的。
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.
更糟糕的是，目前还没有迹象表明世界人口正在减速。尽管包括美国在内的一些国家的出生率已经下降，但随着21世纪的开放，世界人口似乎肯定会超过60亿，甚至可能超过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.
食品供应的增长远远不足以应付这种情况，这意味着我们在生产和销售食品方面正面临危机。
Taking all this into account, what might we reasonably estimate supermarkets to be like in the year 2001?
考虑到这一切，我们可以合理地估计2001年的超市是什么样的？
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，世界粮食供应将在未来30年稳步收紧，甚至在美国也是如此。到2001年，美国的人口将至少达到两亿五千万，可能达到两亿七千万，而且这个国家将发现很难扩大粮食生产以填补更多的人口。
This will be particularly true since energy pinch will make it difficult to continue agriculture in the high-energy American fashion that makes it possible to combine few farmers with high yields.
这尤其正确，因为能源紧缩将使得美国难以继续以高能源的方式发展农业，而这种方式使得少数农民与高产量结合成为可能。
It seems almost certain that by 200l 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.
似乎几乎可以肯定，到2001年，美国将不再是一个伟大的食品出口国，如果必要，迫使出口，其代价将是在国内勒紧裤腰带。
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. (75) Until such time as mankind has the sense to lower its population to the point where the planet can provide a comfortable support for all, people will have to accept more “unnatural food”.
事实上，由于食品质量趋于下降，品种趋于减少，调味添加剂的使用很有可能增加。(75)在人类意识到要将人口减少到地球能够为所有人提供舒适支持的程度之前，人们将不得不接受更多的“非自然食品”。