2019年翻譯資格考試英語筆譯初級模擬題：宇宙

英譯漢

They were, by far, the largest and most distant objects that scientists had ever detected: a strip of enormous cosmic clouds some 15 billion light years from earth. But even more important, it was the farthest that scientists had been able to look into the past, for what they were seeing were the patterns and structures that existed 15 billion years ago. That was just about the moment that the universe was born. What the researchers found was at once both amazing and expected; the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Cosmic Background Explorer satellite -Cobe-had discovered landmark evidence that the universe did in fact begin with the primeval explosion that has become known as the Big Bang(the theory that the universe originated in an explosion from a single mass of energy).

The existence of the giant clouds was virtually required for the Big Bang, first put forward in the 1920s, to maintain its reign as the dominant explanation of the cosmos. According the the theory, the universe burst into being as a submicroscopic, unimaginable dense knot of pure energy that flew outward in all directions, emitting radiation as it went, condensing into particles and then into atoms of gas. Over billions of years, the gas was compressed by gravity into galaxies, stars, plants and eventually, even humans.

Cobe is designed to see just the biggest structures, but astronomers would like to see much smaller hot spots as well, the seeds of local objects like clusters and super clusters of galaxies. They shouldn't have long to wait. Astrophysicists working with ground based detectors at the South Pole and balloon borne instruments are closing in on such structures, and may report their findings soon.

If the small hot spots look as expected, that will be a triumph for yet another scientific idea, a refinement of the Big Bang called the inflationary universe theory. Inflation says that very early on, the universe expanded in size by more than a trillion trillion -trillion -trillion-fold in much less than a second, propelled by a sort of antigravity. Odd though it sounds, cosmic inflation is a scientifically plausible consequence of some respected ideas in elementary particle physics, and many astrophysicists have been convinced for the better part of a decade that it is true.

參考譯文

離地球大約150億光年的一塊狹長的巨大宇宙云系是科學(xué)家在此以前所發(fā)現(xiàn)的最大、最遙遠(yuǎn)的物體。但更為重要的是，這是科學(xué)家所能觀測到的最遙遠(yuǎn)的過去的景象，因為他們看到的是150億年前宇宙云的形狀和結(jié)構(gòu)。那大約就是宇宙形成的時候。研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)的宇宙云既令人驚訝，又是人們所期待的，因為美國國家航空航天局的宇宙背景探測者Cobe號衛(wèi)星已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)了劃時代的證據(jù)，證明宇宙確實起源于最早的一次爆炸，即人們一直所稱的“大爆炸”(此理論認(rèn)為宇宙起源于一大塊能量)。

巨大的宇宙云的存在，實際上是使本世紀(jì)二十年代首次提出的大爆炸論是以保持其宇宙起源論的主導(dǎo)地位所必不可少的。根據(jù)這一理論，宇宙的形成是由一團(tuán)亞微觀的、極其稠密的純能量團(tuán)朝四面八方向外發(fā)散，隨著放出輻射線，濃縮成粒子，然后形成氣體原子。數(shù)十億年來，這種氣體受引力的壓縮形成星系、恒星、行星，并最終甚至產(chǎn)生人類。

Cobe衛(wèi)星設(shè)計的目的就是觀察這些最大的物體結(jié)構(gòu)，但宇航員還想看到更為微小的熱點，即像星紗中的星團(tuán)和超星團(tuán)這樣一些局部物體的粒子?？磥硭麄儾槐亻L期等待。天體物理學(xué)家使用南極陸基探測器及球工儀器，正越來越近地觀測這些云系，也許不久會報告他們的觀測結(jié)果。

假如這些小熱點看上去同預(yù)計的一致，那就意味著又一科學(xué)論說的勝利，這種論說即更完美的大爆炸論，亦稱宇宙膨脹說。膨脹說告訴我們，早在很久以前，宇宙的體積在不到一秒鐘內(nèi)被一種反引力驅(qū)動而發(fā)生了無數(shù)倍的膨脹。宇宙膨脹說雖然聽似奇特，但它是基本粒子的物理學(xué)中一些公認(rèn)的理論在科學(xué)上看來似乎可信的推論。許多天體物理學(xué)家七八年來一直確信這一論說是正確的。

詞義推敲：

even more important 更為重要的是

it was the farthest 這是最遙遠(yuǎn)的宇宙云

it 由于有“the farthest”作表語，所以譯作“這”。

the farthest 等于“the farthest strip of enormous cosmic clouds”

look into 觀察，調(diào)查，瀏覽

what they were seeing

they 指代“scientists”，可以譯作“他們”。

the patterns and structures(of cosmic clouds)(宇宙云的)形狀和結(jié)構(gòu)

15 billion years ago 150億年前

the giant (cosmos)clouds 巨大的(宇宙)云

virtually required for：必不可少

virtual：existing or resulting in essence or effect though not in actual fact, form, or name 實質(zhì)上的，實際上的雖然沒有實際的事實、形式或名義，但在實際上或效果上存在或產(chǎn)生的

the Big Bang 大爆炸理論

first put forward 首創(chuàng)的，開始提出的

in the 1920s 二十世紀(jì)二十年代

to maintain its reign as 以保持……的地位

maintain：to keep up or carry on; continue 維持或保持;繼續(xù)

its 指代“the Big Bang”，譯作“它的”

reign：dominance or widespread influence 主宰占統(tǒng)治地位的或者廣泛的影響

as the dominant explanation of cosmos 作為對宇宙(起源論)的主要解釋

dominant：exercising the most influence or control 支配的最有影響的或支配的

astrophysicist：天體物理學(xué)家，天文物理學(xué)家

working with 使用，以……為工作手段

ground-based detectors 以地面為基礎(chǔ)的探測器，陸基探測器

ground-based = based on the ground

ground-bases detectors：陸基探測器

balloon-borne instruments 球載儀器

are closing in on 正越來越近

such structures 云系

findings a conclusion reached after examination or investigation 結(jié)果，結(jié)論檢查或調(diào)查后得出的結(jié)果。我們可以翻譯為觀測結(jié)果

the small hot spots 小熱點

look as expected = look as they (hot spots) were expected或者look as we (scientists) expected，譯作“看上去正如所料”。

triumph：the fact of being victorious; victory or conquest 勝利，得勝勝利的事實，勝利或征服

yet：表示強(qiáng)調(diào)，譯作“再，還，又”

refinement 更完美，提煉，改進(jìn)，相當(dāng)于原文中的“better the

called：作后置定語，譯作“所謂的……”，“人們稱之為……”

the inflationary universe theory 宇宙膨脹說/理論

inflation：the act of inflating or the state of being inflated 充氣充填氣體的動作或被充氣的狀態(tài)

Odd though it sounds：倒裝結(jié)構(gòu)。 還原為：though it sounds odd 雖然聽似奇特。

odd：奇特，古怪

it 指代“cosmic inflation”(宇宙膨脹說)

cosmic inflation = inflationary universe theory /cosmic inflation theory 宇宙膨脹說

a scientifically plausible consequence / of some respected ideas / in elementary-particle physics：基本粒子物理學(xué)中一些公認(rèn)的理論在科學(xué)上看來可信的推論。

scientifically plausible consequence 科學(xué)上可信的推論

in elementary-particle physics 基本粒子物理學(xué)，關(guān)鍵詞“physics”。

respected ideas 公認(rèn)的理論，權(quán)威理論

plausible：seemingly or apparently valid, likely, or acceptable; credible 看似真實的，看似有道理的看起來或表面上正確的、可能的或可接受的;可靠的

convince：to bring by the use of argument or evidence to firm belief or a course of action 說服通過進(jìn)行辯論或者提供證據(jù)使…確信或使…采取某種行為

for the better part of a decade 七八年來

better = greater大部分