翻译题
One of the extraordinary things about the modern world is that so much of it takes food for granted. 【F1】For most of recorded history, the struggle to eat has been the main focus of human activity, and all but a handful of people were either farmers or farm workers. Starvation was an ever-present threat. Even the best years rarely yielded much of a surplus to carry over as an insurance against leaner times. In the worst, none but the powerful could be sure of a full stomach. Now most people in rich countries never have to worry about where the next meal is coming from. In 1900 two in every five American workers labored on a farm; now one in 50 does. 【F2】Even in poor places such as India, where famine still struck until the mid-20th century, the assumption that everyone will have something to eat is increasingly built into the rhythm of life. That assumption, though, leads to complacency. Famine has ended in much of the world, but it still stalks parts of Africa. And millions of people still suffer from famine's lesser cousin, malnutrition. Since the time of Thomas Malthus, an economist writing a little over 200 years ago, people have been worried that population growth would exceed food supply. So far, it has not. But neo-Malthusians spot worrying signs. One is that in some places the productivity of staples such as rice and wheat has reached a plateau. Neither new strains nor fancy agrochemicals are raising yields. Nor is there much unfarmed land left that is suitable to be brought under the plough. Neo-Malthusians also point to climate change. 【F3】They suggest that, if global temperatures continue to rise, some places will become unfarmable—particularly poor, tropical regions. These are legitimate concerns. But they can be overcome by two things: the application and spreading of technology, and the implementation of sensible government policies. Agricultural technology is changing fast. Much of this change is brought about by rich-world farmers and by affluent farmers in middle-income places like Brazil. 【F4】Techniques developed in the West— especially breeding that can create crops with special properties almost to order—are being adapted to make tropical crops, hitherto untouched by scientific progress, both more productive and more nutritious. Technology is of little use, though, if it is not adopted. 【F5】The developing world applies as much to existing farming techniques as it does to the latest advances in genetic modification. Government policy to reduce waste more generally would also make a huge difference.
问答题1.【F1】
【正确答案】在大多数有记载的历史中，努力填饱肚子一直是人类活动的重心，几乎只有少数人不以务农为生。
【答案解析】①本句是由连词and连接的并列句。句首的介宾短语For most of recorded history作整个句子的时间状语，说明句子所表述内容发生的时间段。②分句1中，主语the struggle to eat带有不定式作后置定语。该句使用了现在完成时态，表示人类为填饱肚子的努力从过去开始，并持续到现在仍未结束。③分句2中，副词all but意为“几乎”，相当于almost。句末处是由either…or…连接两个并列成分farmers和farm workers，充当分句2的表语。该句使用一般过去时表示过去人们多数以务农为生这一客观事实。
【答案解析】①本句包含一个定语从句和一个同位语从句。②定语从句修饰先行词India。同位语从句则对句子主语the assumption作进一步补充说明，指明是一种怎样的“设想、假想”。③Even in poor place为地点状语，限定主句所述情况的地点范围是在贫穷国家。
问答题3.【F3】
【正确答案】他们指出，如果全球气温继续升高，有些地方，尤其是贫穷的热带地区，将会变得无法耕种。
【答案解析】①本句是包含一个宾语从句和一个条件状语从句的复合句。②They suggest that…为主句，其中宾语由that引导的从句充当，说明suggest的具体内容。③在宾语从句中同时包含了一个由if引导的条件状语从句．即if global temperatures continue to rise，是主句“有些地方的土地会变得无法耕种”成立的假设条件，此处的时态是典型的“主将从现”。破折号后为插入语particularly…regions说明尤其是哪些地区会出现“无法耕种”的情况。
【答案解析】①本句是较长的复合句。②主语是Techniques，后面带有过去分词短语developed in the West作后置定语，说明这项技术是在何处发明的。两个破折号间的内容是对上文Techniques developed in the West“西方发明的技术”的进一步说明，其中包含that引导的定语从句，特别说明了一项培育作物的技术方法；介词短语with special…to order为后置定语修饰crops，说明这是一种怎样的作物。③过去分词短语untouched by scientific progress修饰tropical crops，说明热带作物未受科学进步的影响。句末处的both more productive and more nutritious作tropical crops的宾语补足语，说明西方发明的技术会对热带作物有何影响。
问答题5.【F5】
【正确答案】发展中国家在现有耕种方法上所应用的技术，和它们应用在最新的基因改造上的技术一样多。
【答案解析】①本句是包含比较状语从句的复合句，句意易于理解。②句子有比较结构连接词as much as连接比较对象，much后省略了上一句提到的technology“技术”，故此处比较的是“发展中国家应用于现有耕种方法上的技术”和“发展中国家应用于基因改造方面的技术”的数量。其中为了避免重复出现主谓结构The developing world applies，第二个as后面用it替代了the developing world，does替代了applies。