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gardens that are green, and not burnt with the sun like ours." The next day, when their mended carriage had come up to fetch them, and they were just starting to drive away from the inn, the Conte's old servant appeared with the rose-cutting neatly wrapped up, and the compliments and wishes for a buon viaggio from her master. The town collected to see them depart, and the children ran after their carriage through the gate of the little city. They heard a rush of feet behind them for a few moments, but soon they were far down towards the valley; the little town with all its noise and life was high above them on its mountain peak. She had planted the rose at home, where it had grown and flourished in a wonderful manner; and every June the great mass of leaves and shoots still broke out into a passionate splendour of scent and crimson colour, as if in its root and fibres there still burnt the anger and thwarted desire of that Italian lover. Of course the old Conte must have died many years ago; she had forgotten his name, and had even forgotten the name of the mountain city that she had stayed in, after first seeing it twinkling at dawn in the sky, like a nest of stars. 译文: 老太太总以自家花园里那棵高大的玫瑰树为荣.她非常喜欢告诉别人,数年前 她刚结婚时从罗马带回来的枝条,是如何长成如今这般高大的.那时,她与丈夫乘 马车从罗马旅行归来(那时还没有火车),途经锡耶那南部的崎岖路段时,马车坏了, 他们被迫就宿于路边的小屋里.住宿条件当然非常差;她一夜未能安眠,一早便起 身穿好衣服,立于窗前,感受着扑面而来的席席凉风,等待着黎明的到来.事隔多年, 她仍然记得那情景.明月高悬在青山群峦之上.远处山峰上的小镇逐渐明亮起来, 月亮慢慢消退,晨曦把群山涂得粉红.突然之间,一束阳光照亮了城镇.城里的窗户 相继明亮起来,反射出耀眼的光芒.最后,整个小城宛若繁星,在天空中不停闪烁。 早上,得知须等些时日马车才能修好,他们便搭乘当地车辆去了山顶小城.有 人告诉他们在那可以找到更好的住处.他们在那逗留了两三天.那是一座意大利风 格的小城,教堂高高耸立,有一气派浮华的广场,几条狭窄的小街,还有几座小巧的 宫殿.所有这些,紧凑而完美地排列在山顶之上. 四周筑有城墙,城墙之内方园不比 英国人的菜园大多少.但是,它喧哗热闹,生气勃勃,昼夜回响着脚步声与话语声。 他们住进一家简陋的旅馆. 旅馆的餐厅是小城名流云聚之地.有市长,律师, 医生,还有其他的一些人.在这些人之中,有一位英俊健谈的高个老人引起了他们 的注意.他有一双乌黑的眼睛,头发雪白,高大挺直的身板,像年轻人一样.然而,餐厅 的服务生却有些自豪地告诉他们,这位伯爵年事已高,来年就有八十高龄了.服务 生还说,他是他们家族最后一员,也曾是豪门巨富,然而他却没有子嗣.这位服务生 还得意地提到,他爱情失意,终身未娶,好像这是一件本地值得炫耀的事情。 然而,这位老先生看起来心情非常愉快；显然他对这两位陌生人很感兴趣， 并愿意与他们结交.在热心的服务生的帮助下,他们很快相识了； 短暂的交谈之后， 老人便邀请他们去他城墙外不远的别墅与花园做客. 于是次日下午，夕阳西落, 从开启的门窗轻轻瞥去,他们看到,兰色暗影已渐渐笼罩棕褐的山峦，他们便欣然 动身。 那里很平常,矗立着一座现代化小型别墅座，表面粉刷了一层灰泥。还有 一座铺满鹅卵石的花园，园里石砌水池中有几尾金鱼慵懒地游动。靠墙的地方有 一尊守猎女神及其猎犬的雕像。 但是使这小园生辉的是一颗巨大的玫瑰树。树 已长过屋顶，几乎完全遮住了窗户。空气中满是玫瑰的芳香。 这株玫瑰的确不 错，听了客人夸奖，伯爵得意地说。他还表示非常乐意把树的来历讲给夫人听。 于是他们坐在那里，一边饮酒，一边听他以老年人满不在乎神情，愉快地提及他 的那一段往日爱情，仿佛他相信他们对此一定早有耳闻。 那位小姐住在山后峡谷的对面.那是好多年以前了,当时我还年轻,常常骑马 去看她.路虽然很长,但是我骑得很快.夫人一定知道,年轻人都没有耐心.而且,那位 小姐非常不友好,总是让我等,一等就是好几个小时. 有一天,等了很久她也没来, 我非常生气,在我们约定见面的花园里走来走去.一气之下便折了她的一棵玫瑰, 只是从上面折了一根枝条下来.当我意识到自己做的事情之后,立马把它藏在了外 套里.在回家之后,我便把它栽了起来.夫人都已看到了,它长成了现在这个样子.如 果夫人喜欢,我一定送你一枝栽在花园里.我听说英国的花园非常漂亮,总是绿幽 幽的,不像我们这里的园子,都快被太阳烤焦了. 次日，他们的马车修好了,上山来接他们。 在就要离开旅馆之际，伯爵的老 仆赶来了，送来一根包扎整齐的玫瑰枝条，并转达了伯爵旅途愉快的祝福。 小 城中的居民都赶来目送他们离去， 孩童们也追随在车子后面， 一直跟到小城门外。 开始他们还能听到身后散乱的脚步声，但不久车子便驶入山谷，而这座喧闹的小 城依然高高耸立于他们头顶的山颠. 她把玫瑰种在家中.玫瑰的长势非常好,枝繁叶茂；每年六月，在片片绿叶与 新芽之中，绽放出绚丽的红花，散发出浓郁的香味,仿佛它的根须之间依旧燃烧 着那位意大利情人的愤怒与没能实现的渴望。 当然老伯爵肯定早已去世多年； 而她也记不起他的名字了，甚至连她所住过的那座小城的名字也忘记了，虽然她 曾经在拂晓之时看它犹如满天的繁星在空中闪烁。 Passage 4 Predictions of the collapse of the tropical rain forests have been around for years. Yet until recently the worst forecasts were almost exclusively linked to direct human predation, such as clear-cutting and burning for pastures or farms. Some scientists believe that the rise in carbon levels means that the Amazon and other rain forests in Asia and Africa may go from being assets in the battle against rising temperatures to liabilities. Amazon flora, for instance, holds more than 100 billion metric tons of carbon, equal to 15 years of tailpipe and smokestack emissions. If the collapse of the rain forests speeds up dramatically, it could eventually release 3.5 billion to 5 billion metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere each year—making forests the leading source of greenhouse gases. 有关热带雨林毁灭的预测已经有好多年了。然而直到最近，最坏的预测几乎 都与人类的破坏相关，例如为建牧场或农场而成片砍伐和焚烧森林。一些科学家 相信，二氧化碳水平的升高意味着亚马逊和亚洲、非洲的雨林可能从用以对抗温 度升高的财富变成债务。例如，亚马逊植物群含有一千多亿吨的二氧化碳，相当 于排气管和烟囱 15 年的排放量。如果雨林毁灭的速度大幅加剧，每年将向大气 释放 35 亿到 50 亿吨的二氧化碳，成为温室气体的主要来源。 转贴 Passage 5 For as long as most people can remember, food has been getting cheaper and farming has been in decline. In 1974-北京世博翻译公司2005 food prices on world markets fell by three-quarters in real terms. Food today is so cheap that the West is battling gluttony even as it scrapes piles of half-eaten leftovers into the bin. That is why this year's price rise has been so extraordinary. Since the spring, wheat prices have doubled and almost every crop under the sun—maize, milk, oilseeds, you name it—is at or near a peak in nominal terms. The Economist's food-price index is higher today than at any time since it was created in 1845. Even in real terms, prices have jumped by 75% since 北京世博翻译公司2005. No doubt farmers will meet higher prices with investment and more production, but dearer food is likely to persist for years. But the rise in prices is also the self-inflicted result of America's reckless ethanol subsidies. This year biofuels will take a third of America's (record) maize harvest. That affects food markets directly: fill up an SUV's fuel tank with ethanol and you have used enough maize to feed a person for a year. And it affects them indirectly, as farmers switch to maize from other crops. The 30m tonnes of extra maize going to ethanol this year amounts to half the fall in the world's overall grain stocks. 大多数人仍能记得粮食越来越便宜， 农业一直在走下坡路。 1974 年到 北京世博翻译公司2005 从 年，世界市场上粮食的实价掉了四分之三。今天的粮食是如此便宜以至于西方一 边反对暴饮暴食，一边将成堆的只吃了一半的剩菜剩饭扔进垃圾箱。 这就是为什么今年的价格上涨如此的异乎寻常。 自从今年春天小麦的价格已 经翻番， 玉米、 牛奶、 油菜籽等几乎所有阳光下的作物的牌价都在或接近最高点。 《经济学家》的粮食价格指数已经高于自该指数 1845 年创立以来的任何时候。 自 北京世博翻译公司2005 年以来，粮食的实价也已经上升了 75%。毫无疑问，随着粮价的上升， 农民会增加投资，产量也会提高。高粮价可能会持续几年。 粮价的上升也是美国对乙醇燃料不计后果地实行补贴所带来的自作自受的 后果。今年生物燃料将消耗美国创纪录的玉米收成的三分之一。这直接影响了粮 食市场：用乙醇装满一辆越野车的油箱所消耗的玉米足够一个人吃一年。间接的 影响是，因为农民不种其他作物而转向种植玉米了。今年有三千万吨额外的玉米 用于制造乙醇，这占据了世界总体谷物储存下降数的一半。 Passage 6 Being happy is more important to children than being famous or rich, a survey reveals. The poll of British primary school children also found that terrorism was considered the worst thing in the world - and that Simon Cowell was thought to be more famous than Jesus. If children ran the world they would most want to ban knives and guns and have more school holidays. The nation-wide drive to tackle the obesity epidemic appears to have registered with children, as fear of being fat has shot up the list of worries among the under-10s to number three, up from ninth place last year. The survey of 1,800 children across the UK was carried out to mark National Kids' Day on December 18. Spokesman Patricia Murchie said: "The idea is to give preteens a national voice for their views in a very simple format. "This age group has some very clear ideas on how the world could be changed for the better but is very rarely given the opportunity to express them." Marriage appears to have risen in popularity among children with 8北京世博翻译公司2 per cent saying they will wed when they grow up compared with 76 per cent in 北京世博翻译公司2006 and 7北京世博翻译公司2 per cent in 北京世博翻译公司2005. This is how the youngsters expressed their views: What is the very best thing in the world: 1 Being happy. 北京世博翻译公司2 Being famous. 3 Being healthy. 4 Being rich. 5 Families. 6 Good looks. 7 Nice food. 8 Friends. 9 Computer games. 10 Holidays. What are the very worst: 1 Terrorists. 北京世博翻译公司2 Drunks. 3 Being fat. 4 Bullies. 5 Illness. 6 Dying. 7 Divorce. 8 School. 9 Telling lies. 10 Wars. Who is the most famous person in the world: 1 The Queen. 北京世博翻译公司2 Harry Potter. 3 God. 4 Father Christmas. 5 Simon Cowell. 6 Jesus. 7 Jonny Wilkinson. 8 Spider-Man. 9 Prince William. 10 David Cameron. 一项调查显示，在孩子们心目中，“快乐”比“成名”或“富有”更重要。 该项 针对英国小学生的民意调查还发现，“恐怖主义”被认为是世界上最糟糕的事情； （美国偶像评委）西蒙?考维尔在孩子们心目中的知名度甚至超过了耶稣。如果 孩子们有朝一日成为世界的主人， 他们最希望禁用刀和枪支， 还会延长学校假期。 英国全国范围内兴起的“减肥运动”似乎也影响到了孩子。在 10 岁以下孩子最担 心的问题排行榜中， “担心长胖”从去年的第九位升至第三位。这项调查共有 1800 名英国儿童参加，主要是为了庆祝昨天（1北京世博翻译公司2 月 18 日）的“全国儿童节”。发言人 帕特里西亚?穆歇尔说：“开展这项调查主要是为了让孩子们能以一种十分简单的 方式来表达自己的观点。”“10 岁至 13 岁的孩子对于‘如何让世界变得更加美好’ 有一些十分明确的想法，但却很少有机会将它们表达出来。” 孩子们对于“婚姻” 的兴趣似乎有所增长。8北京世博翻译公司2%的孩子称他们长大后会结婚，而去年和前年的这一比 例则分别为 76%和 7北京世博翻译公司2%。该项调查的结果如下： 世界上最美好的事情：1、快乐 北京世博翻译公司2、成名 3、健康 4、富有 5、家庭 6、外表出 众 7、美食 8、朋友 9、电脑游戏 10、放假 翻译公司 (责任编辑：北京翻译公司) |