下面是小编给大家带来英语六级翻译模拟题(共含8篇),一起来阅读吧,希望对您有所帮助。同时,但愿您也能像本文投稿人“pzx”一样,积极向本站投稿分享好文章。
一、中国神话故事
翻译原文:
尽管中国古代神话(mythology)没有十分完整的情节,神话人物也没有系统的家谱(genealogy),但它们却有着鲜明的东方文化特色,其中尤为显著的是它的尚德精神(the spirit of esteeming virtue)。这种尚德精神在与西方神话特别是希腊神话比较时,显得更加突出。在西方神话尤其是希腊神话中,对神的褒贬标准多以智慧、力量为准则,而中国古代神话对神的褒贬则多以道德为准绳。这种思维方式深植于中国的文化之中。几千年来,这种尚德精神影响着人们对历史人物的品评与现实人物的期望。
参考译文:
Although ancient Chinese mythology does not have relatively complete plot and mythological figures don't have systematic genealogy, they have distinct features of oriental culture, among which the spirit of esteeming virtue is particularly significant.When compared with Western mythology, especially Greek mythology, this spirit of esteeming virtue is even more prominent.In Western mythology, especially Greek mythology,the criteria for judging whether a god is good or not are mostly the god's wisdom and strength,while in ancient Chinese mythology, the criterion lies in morality. This way of thinking is deeply rooted in Chinese culture.For thousands of years, this spirit of esteeming virtue has affected people's comments on historical figures and expectations of real people.
二、敬茶礼仪
翻译原文:
当今社会,客来敬茶已经成为人们日常社交和家庭生活中普遍的往来礼仪。俗话说:酒满茶半。上茶时应以右手端茶,从客人的右方奉上,并时带微笑。当然,喝茶的客人也要以礼还礼,双手接过,点头致谢。品茶时,讲究小口品饮,其妙趣在于意会而不可言传。另外,可适当称赞主人茶好。总之,敬茶是国人礼仪中待客的一种日常礼节,也是社会交往的一项内容,不仅是对客人、朋友的尊重, 也能体现自己的修养(self-cultivation)。
参考译文:
Nowadays, offering tea to guests has becomecommon etiquette in daily social interaction andfamily life. As the saying goes, white spirit, full cup;tea, half cup. Tea cup should be held on the righthand and offered to guests with a smile from theirright side. Of course,the guests should pay respect as well, taking over the cup with bothhands and nodding to express his thanks. When tasting tea,you should drink it in small sips,the beauty and fun of which is beyond words. In addition, you could praise the tea of theowner appropriately. In short, offering tea is a daily ritual of Chinese people when receivingguests and it is also part of social interaction. It can not only show respect to guests andfriends, but also reflect your self-cultivation.
词汇详解:
1.敬茶:可以理解为“献茶”,故译为offer tea。
2.俗话说:可译为as the saying goes,固定译法。
3.酒满茶半:可译为white spirit,full cup;tea,halfcup。在中国的餐桌文化里,酒要倒满,而茶要倒半杯。
4.以礼还礼:可译为pay respect as well。
5.讲究小口品饮:即drink it in small sips。其中,sip作名词,意为“小口喝”;也可以作动词,例如Mike sipped hisdrink quickly.(迈克快速地喝了 一小口饮料。) 词组take a sip表示“喝一小口,抿一口。”
6.日常礼节:可译为daily ritual。
7.对客人、朋友的尊重:可译为动词词组,即show respect to guests and friends.
三、景德镇瓷器
翻译原文:
景德镇(Jingdezhen)位于江西省东北部,以瓷器而闻名,历来被誉为中国的 “千年瓷都”。在景德镇出产的各类瓷器中,尤以青花瓷(blue and white porcelain)最为突出。清代是青花瓷的鼎盛时期,景德镇青花瓷以其烧造精致而独占鳌头。新中国成立后,在景德镇设立了人民瓷厂(People'sPorcelain Factory)专门生产青花瓷。景德镇青花瓷造型优美,色彩绚丽,装饰精美,是景德镇四大传统名瓷之一,素有“永不凋谢的青花”之称。青花瓷远销世界各地,受到世界人民的喜爱。
参考译文:
Jingdezhen,located in the northeast of JiangxiProvince,is famous for porcelain and is honored as“home of porcelain for thousands of years” inChina. Among different types of porcelain producedin Jingdezhen,blue and white porcelain is the mostrenowned. Blue and white porcelain reached its peak in the Qing Dynasty.Blue and whiteporcelain from Jingdezhen ranked first for its fine production. After new China was founded,People's Porcelain Factory was set up in Jingdezhen to produce blue and white porcelainspecially. Blue and white porcelain from Jingdezhen is elegantly shaped,rich in color anddelicately decorated. It is one of the four famous traditional types of porcelain in Jingdezhen,and enjoys the reputation of “ever-green blue and white porcelain”.Blue and white porcelainhas been sold to countries all over the world and is liked by people around the world.
词汇详解:
1.位于:可译为be located in,也可用lie in或be situated in等来表达。
2.被誉为:可译为be honored as,也可译为be praisedas。
3.清代是青花瓷的鼎盛时期:本句可以理解为“青花瓷在清代达到顶峰”,其中 “达到顶峰”可以用reach its peak表达。
4.专门生产:其中“专门”可译为specially。
5.色彩s丽:即“色彩丰富”,可译为rich in color,也可以用形容词colorful表达。
6.永不凋谢的:可以理解为“常青的”,即ever-green。
中国是世界上最古老的文明之一,有着悠久的历史和灿烂的文化。中国在夏朝时开始进入了文明时代,创造了辉煌的科技和文化。指南针、火药、造纸术、印刷术是中国古代的四大发明,对世界文明和人类的进步做出了极大的贡献。中国的丝绸之路(the Silk Road)―世界上最古老的贸易通道―极大地促进了东西方文化的交流。长城、京杭大运河(grand canal)被誉为世界工程奇迹。此外,中国有着丰富多彩的传统文化和民间艺术,例如京剧、剪纸、风筝、刺绣(embroidery)、皮影戏(shadow play)等。
参考译文
As one of the oldest civilizations of the world, China has a long history and brilliant culture. After entering the era of civilization in the Xia Dynasty, China created glorious science and culture. The compass, gunpowder, paper-making and printing are considered to be the four great inventions of ancient China, which have contributed immensely to the civilization of the world and the progress of mankind. The Silk Road of China, the oldest trade route in the world, largely promoted the cultural exchange between the East and the West. The Great Wall and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal are honored as the engineering wonders in the world. Besides, China has colorful traditional culture and folk arts such as Beijing Opera, paper-cutting, kite, embroidery and shadow play.
解析
1.第一个句子的主语是“中国”,后面跟着两个并列的谓语“是”和“有着”,翻译时可将“中国有着悠久的历史…”译为主句,将“是…之一”译为“as+名词短语”结构,即as one of the...,放在句首。
2.第二句的主干可理解为“中国创造了…”;将“中国在夏朝时开始进入了文明时代”作为时间状语处理,采用“after+动名词”结构来表达,译为After entering the era of civilization in the Xia Dynasty。
3.翻译“指南针、火药、造纸术、印刷术是…”这句话时,可使用which引导的非限制性定语从句来说明四大发明的贡献。
4.翻译“长城、京杭大运河被誉为世界工程奇迹”时需使用被动语态,“被誉为…”可译作be honored as..., be praised as...,be known as...。
一、中国书法
书法(calligraphy)是中国文化的精髓。书法在中国随处可见,与日常生活紧密相连。书法作品能装点客厅、书房和卧室。它是将汉字写在吸水性良好的宣纸 (Xuan paper)上,然后将作品贴在一块镶有丝绸边的厚纸上,安上卷轴(scroll)或用画框装裱起来挂在墙上。书法作品通常是一首诗、一副对联或主人很喜欢的座右铭。主人亲自书写的作品将体现他的愿望、兴趣以及文学或艺术才华。一幅书法作品可以给白色的墙壁增添活力,为宾客友人带来快乐。
译文:
Calligraphy is the essence of Chinese culture. It can be found everywhere in China, and is closely linked to daily life. Calligraphic works decorate sitting rooms, studies and bedrooms. The Chinese characters are written on Xuan paper which is good at absorbing ink. The work will be pasted on a piece of thick paper with a silk edge, and then mounted on a scroll or put into a picture frame for hanging on the wall.Usually, a calligraphic work contains a poem, a pair of couplets or a motto the owner likes very much. If the calligraphic work is written by the owner himself, it will demonstrate his wish and interest as well as his literary or artistic talent. A calligraphic work can bring vitality to the white wall,pleasure to guests and friends.
翻译词汇:
1...的精髓:可译为the essence of。essence在这里意为“精髓,精华,另外它还有“本质”的意思。
2.随处可见:文中译为can be found everywhere,还可以用can be seen everywhere表达。
3.吸水性良好的:可理解为“善于吸水的”,即is good at absorbing ink。
4.安上卷轴:可译为mounted on a scroll。其中mount意为“安装”。
5.装裱起来:可理解为“放进画框”,译为put into a picture frame。
6.一副对联:可译为a pair of couplets。其中couplet意为“对联;对句”。
7.艺术才华:可译为 artistic talent。
8.增添活力:可译为bring vitality to,即“为...带来活力”。
二、中国礼仪
中国文化中,一个家庭或一个组织中最年长的人享有最多的尊敬、荣誉和尊严。对家庭女性而言,最高辈分的长媳比其余的媳妇和儿媳(daughter-in-law)更有权力。年轻人会称呼年长的人“爷爷”、“奶奶”、“叔叔”和“婶婶”以示尊重,即使和那个人没有血缘关系(blood lineage)。中国人坚持的一个传统就是当父母上年纪时候要一直亲自照顾他们。
译文:
In Chinese culture, the oldest person in a family or an organization has the most respect, honor, and dignity. For family ladies, the first elder wife holds more power than the next wives and daughters-in-law. The young people will call an older person “Ye Ye” (grandfather), “Nai Nai” (grandmother), “Shu Shu”(uncle), and “Shen Shen”(aunt) as a sign of respect even if there is not blood lineage. A tradition that Chinese people hold on to is taking care of their parents personally when they get older.
三、中国幸运数字
中国幸运数字(lucky numbers)的概念与其他文化相似。对广东人来说,区别好数字与坏数字的关键是根据发音。例如,2是幸运的,因为它和“容易”的发音相似。3与生活有关。4在汉语里听起来像“死”。6代表好运。8与“繁荣”有关,所有场合都适用。9与“永恒(eternity)”相联系。起初只有皇家(the imperial family)才能用9。例如,故宫就设计有9999个房间。
译文:
The Chinese concept of lucky numbers is similar tothat of other cultures. The key to distinguish goodor bad numbers for Cantonese is based on sound,For example, the number two is fortunate, becauseit is similar to the sound of “easy”.Three isassociated with living. The number four sounds like “death”in Chinese.Six represents good luck.Eight is associated with “prosperity” and is desirable for all occasions. Nine is associated with“eternity”.Originally it could only be used by the imperial family. For example,the Forbidden Citywas designed with 9,999 rooms.
【国人消费观】
70年代,中国人曾以有一件外国衬衣和一块进口电子手表而自豪。那时候,国产商品在外观和功能方面无疑都远远逊色于外国品牌产品。“崇洋媚外”在中国消费者心里打下了烙印。随着中国的现代化科技、经济和国力的发展,今天的国产商品从外观、质量、科技含量等各个方面都得到了飞跃,不少产品已优于同类的外国品牌。中国消费者对外国品牌从仰视,到平视,最后甚至会俯视。消费者心理正在发生改变,逐步回归理性消费。
In the 1970s, Chinese people were proud of owningan imported shirt and an imported electronic watch.At that time, domestic products were inferior toproducts of foreign brands both in appearance andfunction. The idea of worshipping and having blindfaith in foreign things has been deeply rooted in the Chinese consumers. With the developmentof modern science and technology, economy and national strength in China, domestic productsat present have made a leap in appearance, quality, elements of science and technology. Manydomestic products are even superior to the similar products in foreign brands. Chinesepeople's attitude toward foreign products has changed from admiration to objectiveness, andfinally even to contempt. The psychology of consumers is changing and people are graduallycoming back to rational consumption.
【献茶礼仪】
当今社会,客来敬茶已经成为人们日常社交和家庭生活中普遍的往来礼仪。俗话说:酒满茶半。上茶时应以右手端茶,从客人的右方奉上,并时带微笑。当然,喝茶的客人也要以礼还礼,双手接过,点头致谢。品茶时,讲究小口品饮,其妙趣在于意会而不可言传。另外,可适当称赞主人茶好。总之,敬茶是国人礼仪中待客的一种日常礼节,也是社会交往的一项内容,不仅是对客人、朋友的尊重,也能体现自己的修养(self-cultivation)。
参考译文:
Nowadays, offering tea to guests has becomecommon etiquette in daily social interaction andfamily life. As the saying goes, white spirit, full cup; tea, half cup. Tea cup should be held on the righthand and offered to guests with a smile from theirright side. Of course,the guests should pay respect as well, taking over the cup with both hands and nodding to express his thanks. When tasting tea,you should drink it in small sips, the beauty and fun of which is beyond words. In addition, you could praise the tea of theowner appropriately. In short, offering tea is a daily ritual of Chinese people when receivingguests and it is also part of social interaction. It can not only show respect to guests andfriends, but also reflect your self-cultivation.
【低碳生活】
低碳生活(low-carbon life)对于我们普通人来说是一种态度,我们应该积极提倡并去实践,从自己做起,从节约水电这些点滴做起。除了植树,有的人买运输里程很短的商品,还有人坚持爬楼梯,形形色色,非常有趣。“低碳生活”的理念逐渐被世界各国所接受。低碳生活的出现不仅告诉人们可以为减碳做些什么,还告诉人们可以怎么做。在这种生活方式逐渐兴起的时候,大家开始关心自己每天是否为减碳做了什么。
参考译文:
Low-carbon life is an attitude for ordinary people,and we should actively advocate and practice low-carbon life by doing it from ourselves and by starting bit by bit from saving water and electricity.Besides planting trees,some people purchase goods within a short delivery distance and others stick to climbing stairs.People do various things to live a low-carbon life,which is really interesting.“Low-carbon life” concept has gradually been accepted worldwide.The emergence of low-carbon lifestyle not only introduces to people what they can do for carbon reduction,but also tells them how they can do it.As this lifestyle gradually becomes popular,people begin to ask themselves whether they have contributed something to carbon reduction every day.
12月英语六级翻译模拟题:紫禁城
因为阅兵式,让北京又火了一把,中国,北京再次被世人瞩目。北京的名胜古迹也吸引了许多中外游客。可能成为考试翻译的热点。
请将下面这段话翻译成英文:
故宫,又名紫禁城,为明清共二十四位皇帝统治中国近5的皇宫。它位于北京市中心,在天安门广场的北侧,形状为长方形。南北长960米,东西宽750米,占地72公顷,总建筑面积达15万平方米。故宫是世界上现存规模最大、最完整的古代木构宫殿。它分为外朝和内廷两部分,外朝是皇帝上朝处理国家大事的地方,内廷是皇帝和皇室的居住地。1987年,故宫被联合国教科文组织列入世界文化遗产。
翻译词汇:
故宫 the Imperial Palace
紫禁城 the Forbidden City
天安门广场 Tian’anmen Square
长方形 rectangular
建筑面积 floor space
现存 in existence
上朝 give audience
处理 handle
世界文化遗产 World Cultural Heritage
参考译文:
The Imperial Palace, also called the Forbidden City was the palace where the 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties ruled China for roughly 500 years. The Imperial Palace is located in the center of Beijing, on the northern side of Tian’anmen Square, rectangular in shape, 960 meters from north to south and 750 meters wide from east to west, with an area of 72 hectares and a total floor space of 150 000 square meters. It’s the world’s largest and most integral palace made of wood in existence. The Forbidden City is divided into two parts: the outer court and the inner court. The outer court was the place where the emperors gave audience and handled state affairs, while the inner court was the living quarters for the emperors and their families. In 1987 the Imperial Palace was listed by the UNESCO as one of the World Cultural Heritage sites.
月英语六级翻译模拟题:中国骄傲――算盘
请将下面这段话翻译成英文:
算盘(abacus)是中国传统的计算工具,也是中国古代的一项重大发明。阿拉伯数字出现以前,算盘在世界各地广泛使用。算盘是矩形的木框,木框上固定着带算珠的木杆。木框中间的横梁(beam)将木杆分成两部分:木杆上方的两颗算珠 (counting beads)每个代表5,下方的五颗算珠每个代表1。随着算盘的应用,人们总结出很多计算技巧,提高了计算速度。由于算盘易于制造,而且计算口诀易于记忆和操作,因此算盘在中国十分流行。
参考译文:
As a traditional Chinese calculation tool and an important ancient Chinese invention,the abacus was widely used before the invention of Arabic numerals in the world. The abacus is a rectangle with a wooden frame. Within the frame,rods with stringed beads are fixed. The beam in the middle of the frame divides each rod into two parts. The two counting beads in the upper part of each rod represent five and the rest five beads in the lower part represent one. With the application of the abacus, people summarized many calculation tips to help improve the speed of calculation. As the abacus is simple to produce, and its calculation tips are easy to memorize and operate, it is quite popular in China.
词句点拨
1.广泛使用:可以用被动语态表示“被广泛使用”,即be widely used。
2.带算珠的木杆:可译为rods with stringed beads。其中rod意为“木杆”,stringed 意为“用带或绳绑或挂的”,beads意为“珠子”,故stringed beads意为“串起来的珠子”。
3.上方:即in the upper part;“下方”可译为in the lower part。
4.随着算盘的应用:可译为 with the application of the abacus。
【题目预测】
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay based on the picture below. You should start your essay with a brief description of the picture and then express your view on people’s addiction to smartphones. You should give sound argument to support your views and write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
【参考范文】 Addiction to Smartphones
Do you check your smartphone frequently? Do you feel distracted if your smartphone is not with you? When there’s no wifi or signal for your smartphone, will you get irritated? If you say yes, then you’ve got addiction to smartphones. Smartphone addiction is a phenomenon that causes a lot of troubles to people.
In the first place, it may cause some problems to your health, such as visual fatigue, cervical spondylosis, and even neurasthenia. A friend of mine suffers from a serious spine collapse due to her addiction to smartphones during pregnancy.
Secondly, if you keep playing with your phone when you are with your friends or family, you will spend less time talking to them. In fact, it is they who need and deserve to be cared for.
Lastly, an excessive reliance on smartphones may weaken your interpersonal skills. When you cannot find a place, you consult your GPS instead of consulting local people. You spare more time playing mobile games than playing real games with real people. As time passes, it’s possible that you may have difficulty in communicating with people.
Therefore, isn’t it better to get rid of smartphone addiction?
【题目预测】
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay based on the picture below. You should start your essay with a brief description of the picture and then give your comments. Write your essay on Answer Sheet 1. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
【参考范文】
In the picture above, two men shake hands with both saying “it’s my fault”. We can infer that their cooperation will be continued and connections be closer after they acknowledge their mistakes actively. The inference is grounded in the following two points.
Firstly, acknowledging our mistakes actively represents a kind of attitude which indicates that we have realized the mistakes and we will be responsible for it. Such an attitude can, to some extent, mitigate the consequences our mistakes have incurred. Secondly, when we say “sorry, it’s my fault” to our partners or to the person involved with our mistakes, they will forget the harm or loss our mistakes bring them and will continue cooperation and connection with us because they regard that we can shoulder the responsibility. Otherwise, we will leave a bad impression on them.
All in all, it is not embarrassed to acknowledge our mistakes. Instead, acknowledging our mistakes actively reflects our responsible attitude and can leave a good impressions on others.
【高分表达】
We can infer that their cooperation will be continued and connections be closer... 我们可以推断他们会继续合作,联系会更紧密……
The inference is grounded in the following two points. 推断基于以下两点。
mitigate 减轻,缓解
continue cooperation and connection with us 继续同我们的合作和与联系
all in all 总之
听材料,回答下列各题:
There is growing dissatisfaction toward rich people, according to a new online poll.
The poll by the China Youth Daily 26_______ sina.com has highlighted the apparent 27_______ over the country's widening income gap.
Nearly 8,000 people filled in online 28_______ last week, and when asked to use three words to describe the society's rich, the top 29_______ were “extravagant”, “greedy” and “corrupt”.
About 57 percent of those 30_______ said that “extravagant” was the best word to describe the rich, followed closely by “greedy”.
31_______ , despite their dissatisfaction, 93 percent of those polled wished they could be rich too, and that richer people should be “socially 32 _______”.
Some 33_______ percent of respondents also praised rich people for being “smart”.
Nearly 90 percent of respondents agreed that most people in society, including themselves, 33 speak up for the poor but were 34_______ to take action and actually do something for them.
The survey comes on the heels of a heated debate over comments made by renowned economist Mao Yushi, who said a couple of days ago that he was speaking for the rich and working for the poor.
A report released by the Asian Development Bank last Wednesday revealed that China's Gini coefficient-an indicator of the wealth divide-rose from 0.407 in 1993 to 0.473 in 2004.
An earlier Chinese Academy of Social Sciences report said that the richest 10 percent of Chinese families now own more than 40 percent of all private assets, while the poorest 10 percent in the country share less than 2 percent of the total wealth.
The country's income gap is close to that of Latin America, the report which 35_______ in January said.
根据下列短与答案,填写36-45题。
Cancer is the world's top “economic killer” as well as its likely leading cause of death. Cancer costs more in 36_______ and lost life than AIDS, malaria, the flu and other diseases that spread person-to-person. Chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease and diabetes 37 _______ for more than 60 percent of deaths worldwide but less than 3 percent of public and private 38_______ for global health, said Rachel Nugent of the Center for Global Development, a Washington-based policy research group. Money shouldn't be taken away from fighting diseases that. 39_______ person-to-person, but the amount 40_______ to cancer is way out of whack (重击) with the impact it has, said Otis Brawley, the cancer society's chief medical officer.
Cancer's economic toll (损耗) was $895 billion in 2008--equivalent to 1.5 percent of the world's gross 41 _______ product, the report says. That's in terms of disability and years of life lost--not the cost of treating the disease, which wasn't addressed in the report. Many groups have been pushing for more attention to non-infectious causes of death, and the United Nations General Assembly has set a meeting on this a year from now. Some policy experts are 42_______ it to the global initiative that led to big increases in spending on AIDS nearly a decade ago. “This needs to be discussed at the UN--how we are going to deal with this rising burden of 43_______ disease”, said Dr. Andreas Ullrich, medical officer for cancer control at WHO.
Researchers used the World Health Organization's death and disability reports, and economic data from the World Bank. They 44_______ disability-adjusted life years, which reflect the impact a disease has on how long and how 45 _______ people live.
A.productively
B.supplying
C.shifting
D.spread
E.account
F.funding
G.calculated
H.devoted
I .productivity
J.chronic
K.comparing
L. domestic
M.doubtful
N.clumsily
O.disability
Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived.
You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
根据答案,回答46-55题。
Daylight Saving Time (DST)
How and When Did Daylight Saving Time Start?
A.Benjamin Franklin--of “early to bed and early to rise” fame-was apparently the first person to suggest the concept of daylight savings. While serving as U.S. ambassador to France in Paris, Franklin wrote of being awakened at 6 a.m. and realizing, to his surprise, that the sun would rise far earlier than he usually did. Imagine the resources that might be saved if be and others rose before noon and burned less midnight oil, Franklin,tongue half in cheek, wrote to a newspaper.
B.It wasn't until World War I that daylight savings were realized on a grand scale. Germany was the first state to adopt the time changes, to reduce artificial lighting and thereby save coal for the war effort. Friends and foes soon followed suit. In the U.S. a federal law standardized the yearly start and end of daylight saving time in 1918--for the states that chose to observe it.
C.During World War II the U.S. made daylight saving time mandatory (强制的) for the whole country, as a way to save wartime resources. Between February 9, 1942, and September 30, 1945, the government took it a step further. During this period daylight saving time was observed year-round, essentially making it the new standard time, if only for a few years. Many years later, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 was enacted, mandating a controversial month-long extension of daylight saving time, starting in 2007.
Daylight Saving Time: Energy Saver or Just Time Suck?
D.In recent years several studies have suggested that daylight saving time doesn't actually save energy-and might even result in a net loss. Environmental economist Hendrik Wolff, of the University of Washington, coauthored a paper that studied Australian power-use data when parts of the country extended daylight saving time for the 2000 Sydney Olympics and others did not. The researchers found that the practice reduced lighting and electricity consumption in the evening but increased energy use in the now dark mornings--wiping out the evening gains. That's because the extra hour that daylight saving time adds in the evening is a hotter hour. “So if people get home an hour earlier in a warmer house, they turn on their air conditioning,” the University of Washington's Wolff said.
E. But other studies do show energy gains. In an October 2008 daylight saving time report to Congress, mandated by the same 2005 energy act that extended daylight saving time, the U.S. Department of Energy asserted that springing forward does save energy. Extended daylight saving time saved 1.3 terawatt (太瓦) hours of electricity. That figure suggests that daylight saving time reduces annual U.S. electricity consumption by 0.03 percent and overall energy consumption by 0.02 percent. While those percentages seem small, they could represent significant savings because of the nation's enormous total energy use.
F. What's more, savings in some regions are apparently greater than in others. California, for instance, appears to benefit most from daylight saving time--perhaps because its relatively mild weather encourages people to stay outdoors later. The Energy Department report found that daylight saving time resulted in an energy savings of one percent daily in the state.
G.But Wolff, one of many scholars who contributed to the federal report, suggested that the numbers were subject to statistical variability (变化) and shouldn't be taken as hard facts. And daylight savings' energy gains in the U.S. largely depend on your location in relation to the Mason-Dixon Line, Wolff said.“The North might be a slight winner, because the North doesn't have as much air conditioning,” he said. “But the South is a definite loser in terms of energy consumption. The South has more energy consumption under daylight saving.”
Daylight Saving Time: Healthy or Harmful?
H. For decades advocates of daylight savings have argued that, energy savings or no, daylight saving time boosts health by encouraging active lifestyles--a claim Wolff and colleagues are currently putting to the test. “In a nationwide American time-use study, we're clearly seeing that, at the time of daylight saving time extension in the spring, television watching is substantially reduced and outdoor behaviors like jogging, walking, or going to the park are substantially increased,” Wolff said. “That's remarkable, because of course the total amount of daylight in a given day is the same. ”
I. But others warn of ill effects. Till Roermeberg, a university professor in Munich (慕尼黑), Germany, said his studies show that our circadian (生理节奏的) body clocks--set by light and darkness--never adjust to gaining an “extra” hour of sunlight to the end of the day during daylight saving time.
J. One reason so many people in the developed world are chronically (长期地) overtired, he said, is that they suffer from social jet lag. “ In other words, their optimal circadian sleep periods don't accord with their actual sleep schedules. Shifting daylight from morning to evening only increases this lag, he said. ”Light doesn't do the same things to the body in the morning and the evening. More light in the morning would advance the body clock, and that would be good. But more light in the evening would even further delay the body clock. “
K.Other research hints at even more serious health risks. A 2008 study concluded that, at least in Sweden, heart attack risks go up in the days just after the spring time change. ”The most likely explanation to our findings is disturbed sleep and disruption of biological rhythms,“ One expert told National Geographic News via email. Daylight Savings' Lovers and Haters
L. With verdicts (定论) on the benefits, or costs, of daylight savings so split, it may be no surprise that the yearly time changes inspire polarized reactions. In the U.K., for instance, the Lighter Later movement--part of I0:10,a group advocating cutting carbon emissions--argues for a sort of extreme daylight savings. First, they say, move standard time forward an hour, then keep observing daylight saving time as usual--adding two hours of evening daylight to what we currently consider standard time. The folks behind Standardtime.com, on the other hand, want to abolish daylight saving time altogether, calling energy-efficiency claims ”unproven. “
M. National telephone surveys by Rasmussen Reports from spring 2010 and fall 2009 deliver the same answer.Most people just ”don't think the time change is worth the hassle (麻烦的事). “ Forty-seven percent agreed with that statement, while only 40 percent disagreed. But Seize the Daylight author David Prerau said his research on daylight saving time suggests most people are fond of it. ”1 think if you ask most people if they enjoy having an extra hour of daylight in the evening eight months a year, the response would be pretty positive.“
46、Daylight savings' energy gains might be various due to different climates.
47、Disturbed sleep and disruption of biological rhythms may be the best explanation to higher heart attack risks in the days after the spring time change.
48、A research indicated that DST might not save energy by increasing energy use in the dark mornings, though it reduced lighting and electricity consumption in the evening.
49、Germany took the lead to save wartime resources by adopting the time changes and reducing artificial lighting.
50、A university professor studied the effect of daylight saving time and sounded the alarm of its negative effects.
51、Social jet lag can partly account for people's chronic fatigue syndrome in developed countries.
52、The figure of a study in the U.S. suggested that DST could save a lot of energy nationally.
53、Supporters of daylight savings have long considered daylight saving time does good to people's health.
54、A group advocating cutting carbon emissions launches the Lighter Later movement to back a kind of extreme daylight savings.
55、A scholar contributing to a federal report suggested that the amount of saved energy had something to do with geographic position.
Section C
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D ). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
根据下列短文,回答56-60题。
The unique human habit of taking in and employing animals--even competitors like wolves--spurred on human tool-making and language, which have both driven humanity's success, Pat Shipman says, paleoanthropologist of Penn State University. ”Wherever you go in the world, whatever ecosystem (生态系统), whatever culture, people live with animals,“ Shipman said.
For early humans, taking in and caring for animals would seem like a poor strategy for survival. ”On the face of it, you are wasting your resources. So this is a very weird behavior," Shipman said. But it's not so weird in the context something else humans were doing about 2.6 million years ago: switching from a mostly vegetarian diet to one rich in meat. This happened because humans invented stone hunting tools that enabled them to compete with other top predators. Quite a rapid and bizarre switch for any animal. So we invented the equipment, learned how to track and kill, and eventually took in animals who also knew how to hunt--like wolves and other canines. Others, like goats, cows and horses, provided milk, hair and, finally, hides and meat.
Managing all of these animals--or just tracking them--requires technology, knowledge and ways to preserve and convey information. So languages had to develop and evolve to meet the challenges. Tracking game has even been argued to be the origin of scientific inquiry, said Peter Richerson, professor emeritus (名誉退休的) in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at the University of California, Davis. One of the signs that this happened is in petroglyphs (史前岩画) and other rock art left by ancient peoples. At first they were abstract, geometric patterns that are impossible to decipher (破译). Then they converge on one subject: animals.
There have also been genetic changes in both humans and our animals. For the animals those changes developed because human bred them for specific traits, like a cow that gives more mill or a hen that lays more eggs. But this evolutionary influence works both ways. Dogs, for instance, might have been selectively taken in by humans who shared genes for more compassion, Those humans then prospered with the dogs' help in hunting and securing their homes.
56、What do we learn from the first paragraph about animals?
A.Animals have driven humanity's success.
B.Tool-making and language are uniquely human habits.
C.Employing wolves is uniquely human habit.
D.People live with animals everywhere.
57、Why did Shipman say taking in animal is a poor strategy for survival?
A.Early humans were poor in survival resources.
B.Taking in animal was a very weird behavior.
C.Early humans didn't know how to track and kill.
D.Early humans switched from a vegetarian diet to meat.
58、Why did languages have to develop and evolve to meet the challenges?
A.Early humans should have communication in tracking game.
B.Language can enable humans to compete with other top predators.
C.Animals should understand the orders given by humans.
D.Language could give a rapid and bizarre switch for any animal.
59、What do we learn from the statement of Pat Shipman and Peter Richerson?
A.Caring for animals seemed common after people invented tools.
B.After language developed early humans learned how to track and kill.
C.Managing and tracking animals are the origin of modem science.
D.Language developed from abstract to specific because of animals.
60、What do we learn from the last paragraph?
A.Animals changes are developed by themselves.
B.Human bred animals for specific genes.
C.Evolutionary influence works on both humans and animals.
D.Genes could make the dogs help people in hunting.
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