2017职称英语理工A翻译练习-2

Transport and Trade

Transport is one of the aids to trade. By moving goods from places where they are plentiful to places where they are scarce， transport adds to their value. The more easily goods can be brought over the distance that separates producer and consumer， the better for trade. When there were no railways， no good roads， no canals， and only small sailing ships， trade was on a small scale.

The great advances made in transport during the last two hundred years were accompanied by a big increase in trade. Bigger and faster ships enabled a trade in meat to develop between Britain and New Zealand， for instance. Quicker transport makes possible mass-production and big business， drawing supplies from， and selling goods to， all parts of the globe. Big factories could not exist without transport to carry the large number of workers they need to and from their homes. Big city stores could not have developed unless customers could travel easily from the suburbs and goods delivered to their homes. Big cities could not survive unless food could be brought from a distance.

Transport also prevents waste. Much of the fish landed at the ports would be wasted if it could not be taken quickly to inland towns. Transport has given us a much greater variety of foods and goods since we no longer have to live on what is produced locally. Foods which at one time could be obtained only during a part of the year can now be obtained all through the year. Transport has raised the standard of living.

By moving fuel， raw materials， and even power， as， for example， through electric cables， transport has led to the establishment of industries and trade in areas where they would have been impossible before. Districts and countries can concentrate on making things which they can do better and more cheaply than others and can then exchange them with one another. The cheaper and quicker transport becomes， the longer the distance over which goods can profitably be carried. Countries with poor transport have a lower standard of living.

Commerce requires not only the moving of goods and people but also the carrying of messages and information. Means of communication， like telephones， cables and radio， send information about prices， supplies， and changing conditions in different parts of the world. In this way， advanced communication systems also help to develop trade.

参考翻译：

交通与贸易

交通是贸易的辅助手段之一。把货物从它们比较丰富的地区运到这种货物稀少的地区，交通增加了它们的价值。把货物从生产者那里运送到一定距离之外的消费者那里越容易，对贸易就越有利。过去没有铁路，没有很好的公路，也没有运河，只有小帆船，所以贸易的规模很小。

在过去的两百年中，运输业取得了巨大的进展，伴之而来的是贸易的迅猛增长。例如，更大更快的轮船使英国和新西兰之间发展了肉食贸易。快捷的运输使大批量的生产和大的企业成为可能。它们从全球各地购买原料，又把产品销售到全球各地。如果没有方便的交通把他们所需的大批工人从家乡带来或送回，大的工厂就不可能存在。除非顾客们能很快从郊区赶到城里并且货物能迅速地被送到家里，否则，城市里的大商场也不可能发展起来。除非食物能从远处运来，否则，大城市也无法生存。

交通能够防止浪费。如果大量的鱼被运到了港口却不能很快送往内陆城镇，那么很多就要被浪费。交通使我们的食品和货物丰富起来，因为我们再也无须以当地所产的东西为主要食品了。过去一年内某一时间才能得到的食物现在一年四季都可以得到。交通提高了人们的生活水平。

通过运输燃料、原料，甚至电力(例如，可通过电缆)，交通使工业和贸易在原来不可能的地区发展起来，地区和国家可以集中生产那些比别的地区成本低、质量又好的产品，然后互相交换。交通运输越便宜越快捷，那么货物的产地和目的地之间的距离就越远，同时又能贏利。交通落后的国家生活水平也较低。

商业的发展不仅需要有货物和人口的迁移，而且要求信息的传递。一些联系手段，如电话、电报和无线电广播可以给人们带来世界各地的价格、供应的信息，让人们了解变化的情况。先进的通信系统可以以这种方式帮助发展贸易。