2017年翻译考试初级笔译模拟题：经济发展得越快越好吗

　　【英译汉】

　　Is More Growth Really Better?

　　A number of writers have raised questions about the desirability of faster economic growth as an end in itself, at least in the wealthier industrialized countries. Yet faster growth does mean more wealth, and to most people the desirability of wealth is beyond question. "I've been rich and I've been poor - and I can tell you, rich is better, " a noted stage personality is said to have told an interviewer, and most people seem to have the same attitude about the economy as a whole. To those who hold this belief, a healthy economy is one that is capable of turning out vast quantities of shoes, food, cars, and TV sets. An economy whose capacity to provide all these things is not expanding is said to have succumbed to the disease of stagnation.

　　Economists from Adam Smith to Karl Marx saw great virtue in economic growth. Marx argued that capitalism, at least in its earlier historical stages, was a vital form of economic organization by which society got out of the rut in which the medieval stage of history had trapped it. Marx believed that "the development of the productive powers of society…alone can form the real basis of a higher form of productive powers of society". Marx went on to tell us that only where such great productive powers have been unleashed can one have "a society in which the full and free development of every individual forms the ruling principle." In other words, only a wealthy economy can afford to give all individuals the opportunity for full personal satisfaction through the use of their special abilities in their jobs and through increased leisure activities.

　　Yet the desirability of further economic growth for a society that is already wealthy has been questioned on grounds that undoubtedly have a good deal of validity. It is pointed out that the sheer increase in quantity of products has imposed an enormous cost on society in the form of pollution, crowding, proliferation of wastes that need disposal, and debilitating psychological and social effects. It is said that industry has transformed the satisfying and creative tasks of the artisan into the mechanical and dehumanizing routine of the assembly line. It has dotted our road sides with junkyards, filled our air with smoke, and poisoned our food with dangerous chemicals. The question is whether the outpouring of frozen foods, talking dolls, radios, and headache remedies is worth its high cost to society. As one well-known economist put it:

　　The continued pursuit of economic growth by Western Societies is more likely on balance to reduce rather than increase social welfare… Technological innovations may offer to add to men's material opportunities. But by increasing the risks of their obsolescence it adds also to their anxiety. Swifter means of communications have the paradoxical effect of isolating people; increased mobility has led to more hours commuting; increased automobilization to increased separation; more television to less communication. 10 In consequence, people know less of their neighbors than ever before.

　　Virtually every economist agrees that these concerns are valid, though many question whether economic growth is their major cause. Nevertheless, they all emphasize that pollution of air and water, noise and congestion, and the mechanization of the work process are very real and very serious problems. There is every reason for society to undertake programs that grapple with these problems.

　　【参考译文】

　　经济发展得越快越好吗?

　　近年来，不少人或撰文或著书，已经提出质疑：为经济而发展经济，至少在较富裕的工业化国家究竟有无必要?诚然，经济增长得越快的确意味着更多的财富，而且大多数人都追求财富，这是勿庸置疑的。“富裕也罢，贫穷也罢，我都经历过。说实话，富裕当然胜过贫穷。”一位知名演员曾这样向采访者坦言。大多数人在整体上对经济似乎也持同样观点。他们认为，健康的经济必须能够生产出大批量的鞋子、食品、汽车和电视机。当某个经济体的这种产出能力不再扩大，人们就认为它遭遇了经济停滞。

　　从亚当·斯密到卡尔·马克思，许多经济学家都认识到经济增长的好处。马克思认为资本主义至少在其历史发展的初期确实是一种重要的经济组织形式，它使整个社会摆脱了中世纪的桎梏。马克思认为“单凭社会生产能力的发展这一点就能为社会生产能力的更高形式打下坚实基础，成为更高一级社会形式的根基。”马克思还告诉我们，只有当这种强大的生产能力有了长足的发展之后，人们才能拥有“一个以个人的完全自由发展为指导原则的社会。”换言之，只有富足的经济才能使每个社会成员的自我需求得到充分满足。这种满足体现为：在工作中施展才能或是在不断丰富的休闲活动中尽情放松。

　　然而对于一个已经非常富足的社会而言是否有必要再一味追求发展，人们对此的质疑，无疑是有充分说服力的。一味地追求产品数量的增长已经让社会付出了巨大的代价。比如环境污染，交通拥挤，需特殊处理废物的激增，以及由此造成的负面心理及社会影响。人们认为，工业化的出现，已经把以往工匠们给人以享受的创造性工作，变成了流水线上毫无人性的机械化操作。它使街头堆满了垃圾，空气中弥漫着烟雾，食品中残留着有毒农药。问题在于，那些大量的冷冻食品、说话娃娃、收音机和止痛药能否弥补工业化给社会造成的巨大代价。

　　正如一位著名的经济学家所言：西方社会一味地追求经济发展，总体看来，非但没有优化人们的社会生活，相反有恶化趋势。科技创新也许给人们带来了物质上的满足，但是由于更新换代的速度太快，反而使人们倍感焦虑;通讯方式更加快捷了，人们却更加孤独了;社会流动性增强了，人们反而疲于奔命;汽车更加普及了，人们反而更加疏远了;看电视的时间多了，人们交流的机会少了。结果人们与周围邻居之间从来没有像现在这样陌生。

　　几乎所有的经济学家都认为这种关注并非杞人忧天，尽管很多人并不认为经济的增长就是罪魁祸首。然而他们一致强调：水和空气污染、噪音、交通拥挤、机械性的工作等问题的确是很严重的现实问题。社会确实没有任何理由不尽一切努力解决好这些问题。