高级英语 翻译重点(下)

Lesson Eight Science Has Spoiled My Supper科学毁了我的晚餐

I am a fan for Science. My education is scientific and I have, in one field, contributed a monograph to a scientific journal.

我是个科学迷。我是学科学的，曾为一份科学刊物写过某个领域的一篇专题文章。

Science, to my mind, is applied honesty, the one reliable means we have to find out truth.

在我看来，科学需运用诚实，是我们发现真理的唯一可靠的手段。

That is why, when error is committed in the name of science, I feel the way a man would if his favorite uncle had taken to drink.

因此在以科学的名义做错事时，我的感觉就像一个人最喜欢的叔叔染上酒瘾后的心情一样。

Take cheese, for instance.Here and there, in big cities, small stores and delicatessens specialize in cheese.

以奶酪为例。在大城市到处都有一些小店和熟食店专营奶酪。

At such places, one can buy at least some of the first –rate cheeses that we used to eat

在这些地方，至少还能买到过去吃过的一些最好的奶酪

---such as those we had with pie and macaroni (通心粉).

比如我们在吃馅饼和通心粉时吃的奶酪。

The latter were sharp but not too sharp. They were a little crumbly. (易碎的)

后一种味道重但又不过重，有点易碎。

We called them American cheeses; actually they were Cheddars.

我们把它们称作美国奶酪，其实就是切达奶酪。

Long ago, this cheese began to be supplanted(替代) by a material called “cheese foods “.

很久以前，这种奶酪开始被一种叫做“奶酪食品”的东西所代替。

Some cheese foods are fairly edible; but no one comes within miles of the old kind ---for flavor(味道).

有些奶酪食品是可以吃的，但是在味道上没有一种能和原来的奶酪相比。

It is not possible to make the very best cheese in vast quantities at a low average cost.

要在平均成本低的情况下大量生产出最上等的奶酪是不可能的。

“Scientific samplings “科學取樣got in its statistically nasty work.

“科学抽样”做了令人讨厌的统计工作，

It was found that the largest number of people will buy something that is bland(平淡的) and rather tasteless.

结果发现大多数人都会买平淡的没什么味道的东西。

Those who prefer a product of a pronounced and individualistic flavor(明顯獨特風味產品)have a variety of preferences （各種不同的愛好）. Nobody is altogether pleased by bland foodstuff, in other words; but nobody is very violently put off.

那些喜欢有明显独特风味产品的人有各种不同的爱好，也就是说，没有人会完全喜欢平淡无味的食物，但也没有人会厌恶到不去买的地步。

The results is that a “ reason “ has been found for turning out zillions of packages of something that will “ do “ for nearly all and isn’t even imagined to be superlatively good by a single soul.

其结果是得出一个“理由”，去生产出大量的包装食品。这些食品几乎所有的人都能“凑合着用”，但是不会有人认为它们是特别好的东西。

Our vegetables, however, come to us through a long chain of command.

然而，我们的蔬菜是经过一个长长的控制环节才供应到我们手中。

There are merchants of several sorts -----wholesalers (批發商)before the retailers(零售商), commission men(代理商), and so on ----with the result that what were once edible products become, in transit, mere wilted leaves and withered tubers.