Part B Read the following text carefully and then
translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Your translation should be
written clearly on ANSWER SHEET 2.
The fact is that the energy crisis, which has suddenly been
officially announced, has been with us for a long time now, and will be with us
for an even longer time. Whether Arab oil flows freely or not, it is clear to
everyone that world industry cannot be allowed to depend on so fragile a base.
(61) The supply of oil can be shut off unexpectedly at any time, and in any
case, the oil wells will all run dry in thirty years or so at the present rate
of use. (62) New sources of energy must be found, and
this will take time, but it is not likely to result in any situation that will
ever restore that sense of cheap and plentiful energy we have had in the times
past. For an indefinite period from here on, mankind is going to advance
cautiously, and consider itself lucky that it can advance at all.
To make the situation worse, there is as yet no sign that any slowing of
the world’s population is in sight. Although the birth-rate has dropped in some
nations, including the United States, the population of the world seems sure to
pass six billion and perhaps even seven billion as the twenty first century
opens. (63) The food supply will not increase nearly enough
to match this, which means that we are heading into a crisis in the matter of
producing and marketing food. Taking all this into account,
what might we reasonably estimate supermarkets to be like in the year 2001
To begin with, the world food supply is going to become
steadily tighter over the next thirty years even here in the United States. By
2001, the population of the United States will be at least two hundred fifty
million, and possibly two hundred seventy million, and the nation will find it
difficult to expand food production to fill the additional mouths. (64) This
will be particularly true since energy pinch will make it difficult to continue
agriculture in the high-energy American fashion that makes it possible to
combine few farmers with high yields. It seems almost
certain that by 2001 the United States will no longer be a great food-exporting
nation and that, if necessity forces exports, it will be at the price of
belt-tightening at home. In fact, as food items will tend to
decline in quality and decrease in variety, there is very likely to be
increasing use of flavoring additives. (65) Until such time as mankind has
the sense to lower its population to the point where the planet can provide a
comfortable support for all, people will have to accept more unnatural
food.