Text 1

　　China has been through a wrenching series of changes and experiments. (1) It is not for me, or for others in America, to tell China what its economic system should be. What works best for China will be a system rooted in China itself-in Chinese customs and traditions and ways of doing things. (2) The proof of any system lies in its results: in the extent to which it provides for the people more of what those people want. What the people of China want will not be in all respects the same as what the people of the United States would want. But in some respects it will be the same. The bottom lines test of any economic system is whether it works. (3) An economic system that works is one that creates incentives to produce, and provides a fair distribution of what is produced. What incentives will work, what distribution is seen to be “fair”---these are questions that different cultures may answer differently, and that even the same culture may answer differently in different periods of history or at different stages of its development.

　　Among the great nations, the United States’ economic system is the most successful in history in producing prosperity. The Chinese system is the most successful in history in producing equality. (4)The challenge we both face is to avoid forcing people to make a hard choice between a system at one extreme which provides equality but would perpetuate poverty and one at the other extreme which provides prosperity but would ignore poverty. Poverty is too high a price to pay for either equality or prosperity. China’s challenge is to support the principle of equality without destroying the productivity of the people. America’s challenge is to provide prosperity which gives all an opportunity to escape from poverty. (5) Our systems are profoundly different, but in long view our goal of a better life for all our people is the same.

　　——选自《2008年考研英语阅读完型翻译全突破》

　　参考译文

　　1. 不论是我还是其他美国人都不便说中国应当实行什么样的经济制度。

　　2. 检验任何制度的标准在于它的成效，在于他能在多大程度上向人民更多地提供他们所需要的东西。

　　3. 一个行之有效的经济制度能刺激生产的积极性，能公平的分配产品。

　　4. 我们两国面临的共同挑战是避免强迫人民在两个极端之间做出困难的选择：一种制度实现了平等，但会使贫穷长期继续下去；另一种制度带来了繁荣，却会无视贫困。

　　5.我们两国的制度有着深刻的差别，但从长远看，我们为本国全体人民谋求更好生活的目标则是一致的。

　　Text 2

　　There is a difference between science and technology. Science is a method of answering theoretical questions; technology is a method of solving practical problems. (1) Science has to do with discovering the facts and relationships between observable phenomena in nature and with establishing theories that serve to organize these facts and relationships. Technology has to do with tools, techniques, and procedures for implementing the findings of science.

　　Another distinction between science and technology has to do with the progress in each. Progress in science excludes the human factor. (2) Scientists, who seek to comprehend the universe and know the truth with the highest degree of accuracy and certainty, cannot pay attention to their own or other people’s likes or dislikes, or to popular ideas about the fitness of things. What scientists discover may shock or anger people---as did Darvin’s theory of evolution. But even an unpleasant truth is more than likely to be useful; besides, we have the option of refusing to believe it! (3) But hardly so with technology; we do not have the option of refusing to hear the sonic boom produced by a supersonic aircraft flying overhead; we do not have the option of refusing to breathe polluted air. (4) The legitimate purpose of technology is to serve people---people in general, not merely some people; and future generation, not merely those who presently wish to gain advantage for themselves.

　　We are all familiar with the abuses of technology. (5) Many people blame technology itself for widespread pollution, and even social decay---so much so that the promise of technology is obscured. That promise is a cleaner and healthier world. If wise applications of science and technology do not lead to a better world, what else will?

　　——选自《考研英语第一时间——翻译与写作双向突破》

　　参考译文

　　1. 科学关注的是发现事实，找出自然界可观察的各种现象之间的关系，并建立起一些理论，将这些事实与关系组织起来。

　　2. 科学家在试图最精确、最可靠的理解宇宙、了解真相时，不能够顾及他们本人或他人的好恶以及关于事物合理性的普遍看法。

　　3. 不过，技术就不同了。我们无法不去听在头顶掠过的超音速飞机发出的轰鸣，也无法拒绝呼吸被污染了的空气。

　　4. 技术的正当目的就是服务于人——是服务于所有人，而不仅仅是某些人；是服务于未来一代又一代的人，而不仅仅是那些希望马上从中获益的人。

　　5. 许多人责怪技术是因为它引起了大规模的污染，甚至社会腐败；人们对技术的指责如此之多，以至于科技发展的前景也模糊不清了。