INTERPRETATION TEST (Paper 0111) Part A
Directions: In this part of the test, you will hear 2 passages in English. After you have heard each sentence or paragraph, interpret it into Chinese. Start interpreting at the signal...and stop it at the signal...You may take notes while you are listening. Remember you will hear the passages only once. Now, let us begin Part A with the first passage.
Passage 1 is about how the City of Toronto endeavors to successfully turn itself into a green city.
本篇选编自教材第七单元第一篇A Green City。值得重视的是至此,第七单元的所有四篇文章:A Green City,The Romanic Champagne, A Place to Stay,A Tour around the Cathedral都已在最近一年的中级口译第二阶段考试中出现。足见教材的价值。
Toronto是加拿大重点城市,其它还有Montreal,Ottawa,Vancouver等,重点是对它们的发音的掌握。由此,有必要提醒大家去熟悉世界其它重要国家及其重要城市的英文(重点在它们的发音),要多朗读,多听。
endeavor是政经常用词,此处是动词,相当于try或attempt或seek,较正式,用在endeavor to do结构中,可以译成“致力于”,“努力”,“力图”等。
Passage 1:
The City of Toronto is a mature municipality and has limited greenfield development potential. Unlike the cities surrounding us, the City of Toronto has also the added cost burden of having to begin replacing its infrastructure.
本段涉及较为复杂的句式以及较难的语汇。首先,第一句前半段谈到“多伦多市是一个发展得很成熟的大城市”,听到此处考生需要调用自己的背景知识:成熟的城市有什么特点?用这一语境来理解has limited greenfield development potential就比较容易得出(城市因为发展成熟,比较拥挤所以)“绿地开发潜力有限”之意,这是多伦多市面临的一个问题。第二句的基本结构为 unlike A, B…,其中B…是主干结构,A是与B的对比;而且本句中的also引导我们意识到该句所谈的是多伦多所面对的另一个问题。以上是句式分析以及语篇分析的结果,此两种技巧与意识需要在阅读中获取。本段难,很大程度上在于两句话之间不容易找到逻辑衔接与贯穿,这考验的是阅读能力。应当说,阅读理解能力是听力理解能力的基础,望重视。
语汇方面,greenfield,development potential,added cost burden of having to…,replacing infrastructure等词/词组在听力中累加,这无疑给考生造成了极大的负担。以“成熟的大城市”为理解背景,理解第二句中的having to replace its infrastructure就较容易:城市已经很成熟了,说明其历史较长,infrastructure年代较久远,所以需要replace。 added cost burden中的added是针对greenfield development这第一个问题而谈的,因为这需要cost,而第二个问题即replacing infrastructure也需要cost,因而cost就需要added了。
Most of the development in the municipalities around Toronto has occurred over the past 30 years. Therefore, their infrastructure is relatively new and was paid for by the development charges.
如果没有第一段中的Unlike A, B…作为基础,理解这一段就非常困难。其中B指的是多伦多,A与B情况相反,指的是多伦多周边的城市,即本段的主题。我们从上段知道B(Toronto)因为已经很成熟,所以发展的空间不大,且需更换infrastructure,经济负担由此加重,那么就可推导出与之相反的A应当是 infrastructure不老旧,经济负担不重。事实上,infrastructure was paid for by the development charges讲明infrastructure的费用已由the development charges支付。the development charges为何意?infrastructure需要政府投入,那么the development charges必须是政府收入才能收支平衡,所以development此处不指“发展”,实为“开发”之意,再联想国内地方政府的土地财政,就知道这是从房产商手上收的费用,即“开发费用”。
One of the four visions in the City’s Strategic Plan is that Toronto is a clean, green and environmentally sustainable city. The City of Toronto has adopted an environmental plan to achieve its long-term goal.
本段相对容易。不过vision一词本意应为“幻想”,“远见”等,在此处既然是plan中的内容,就可意译为“目标”或“愿景”。
此外,strategic一词阅读时遇到不难,但其发音考生要十分熟悉才可以,否则其就会成为听力中的障碍。
The plan includes 66 specific recommendations which guide city policies. It was developed with suggestions from a wide range of community participants including citizens, students, academics, businesses people and civil servants.
本段难点在于内容较多,考验笔录的能力与短时记忆水平,这需要平时的不断实践。
(参考答案)
多伦多市是一个发展得很成熟的大城市,这样就限制了这座城市发展绿地的潜力。不像其周围城市,多伦多市面临着城市基础设施的重建问题,这也给这座城市增加了沉重负担
而多伦多市周边的城市大都是在最近30年才发展起来的新城,因而它们的基础设施比较新,而且这些基础设施建设的费用已在城市自身建设 / 发展的过程中得到了解决。
多伦多市的《市发展战略计划》发展目标之一就是把多伦多市建设成为一座清洁、绿色、环境可持续性发展的城市。多伦多市制定了一项环保计划,以确保这实现其长期目标。
这项环保计划包含旨在引导城市政策的66条细则。社会各界为其献计献策 / 各方人士群策群力,共同参与了该计划的制定,他们中有市民、学生、学者、商人和市政府公务员。
Passage 2 tells us how to live well in the present moment so as to set our mind at peace.
set one’s mind at peace意为“使心境平和/安宁”。
Passage 2:
To some extent, our peace of mind is determined by how we are able to live in the present moment. No matter what happened yesterday, and what may happen tomorrow, remember we are living at the present moment.
第一句话的结构为A is determined by B,即“A由B决定”或“A取决于B”,与之相近的句式还有A depends/relies on B或A lies in B。
注意第二句中的三个连带的词:yesterday,tomorrow与present。它们是时间的三个阶段,显然,present是关键。笔者由这三个词想到一段英文:The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it is called the present. 其中的划线部分曾在《功夫熊猫I》中被Master Wugui引用。
It goes without saying that many of us always spend much of our lives worrying about a variety of things. We allow past problems and future concerns to dominate our present moments.
It goes without saying that…句式意为“毫无疑问/不用说,…”,相当于Needless to say, …或Doubtlessly, …等句式。a variety of极为常用,可替换为various kinds of或a wide range of。
concerns在口译考试中出现频繁,此处为名词,意为“关心/关切的事情”,与此含义相应的常用短语be concerned about相当于be worried about。此外,concern作为动词还有“涉及;与…相关”之意,常用词组是be concerned with,相当于be related/linked to,be connected/associated with,have something to do等结构;与此义相关的介词形式concerning相当于about,意为“关于”,较为正式;与此义相关的过去分词形式concerned相当于 involved,意为“相关的/有关的”,需放在中心名词后做修饰语,如the government/person concerned/involved(有关部门/人员)。
That’s why we end up anxious, depressed and hopeless. On the other hand, we also postpone our happiness, and often convince ourselves that “someday” will be better than today.
本段注意on the other hand这一转折标志的结构,说明两句话为相反含义。
end up意为“达到某状态或采取某行动(尤指经过一番周折)”,例如:If you continue to steal you’ll end up in prison (你要是继续行窃的话终归得进监狱),At first he refused to accept any responsibility but he ended up apologizing (最初他拒不承认有任何责任,到头来还是道了歉)。再如肯尼迪就职演说中有这样一句:…those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside (愚蠢得要骑在虎背上以壮声势的人,终必葬身虎口)。
(责任编辑:allen)