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2024考研英语一 · 翻译
本页为 2024考研英语一 翻译的完整原文、正确答案与逐题解析（原文约 356 词，共 5 题）。建议先自己作答，再逐题核对解析里的原文定位与干扰项说明。
2024考研英语一翻译原文
Section II Reading Comprehension / Part C
"Elephants never forget"-or so they-and that piece of folklore seems to have some foundation. The African savanna elephants, also known as the Africa bush elephants, is distributed across 37 African countries. They move between a variety of habitats, including forests, grassland, woodlands, wetlands. (46) They sometimes travel more than sixty miles to find food or water, and are very good at working out where other elephants are-even when they are out of sight. What is more, they almost always seem to choose the nearest waterhole. (47) The researchers are convinced that the elephants always know precisely where they are in relation to all the resources the need. and can therefore take shortcuts, as well as following familiar routes. Although the cues used by African elephants for long-distance navigation are not yet understood, smell may well play a part. Elephants are very choosy eaters, but until recently little was known about how they selected their food. (48) One possibility was that they merely used their eyes and tried out the plants they found, but that would probably result in a lot of wasted time and energy, not least because their eyesight is actually not very good. (49) The volatile chemicals produced by plants can be carried a long way, and they are very characteristic: Each plant or tree has its own particular odor signature. What is more, they can be detected even where they are not actually visible. New research suggests that smell is a crucial factor in guiding elephants-and probably other herbivores-to the best food resources. The researchers first established what kinds of plant the elephants preferred either to eat or avoid when foraging freely. They then set up a food station experiment, in
which they gave the elephants a series of choices based only on smell. (50) The experiment showed that elephants may well use smell to identify patches of trees that are good to eat. And secondly to assess the quality of the trees within each patch. Free-ranging elephants presumably also use this information to locate their preferred food. Their well-developed hippocampal structures may enable elephants, like rats and people, to construct cognitive maps.
参考译文与得分要点
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46请翻译第 46 处划线句。
参考译文它们有时会跋涉六十多英里去寻找食物或水源，并且非常善于判断其他大象的位置——即使那些大象不在视线范围内。
解析先抓并列主干：travel...to find... and are very good at working out...。even when they are out of sight 是让步时间从句，修饰定位能力。travel more than sixty miles 宜译“跋涉六十多英里”，working out where 译“判断……位置”，out of sight 译“不在视线范围内”。技巧：and 后补出主语“它们”；破折号保留补充说明。失分点：漏译 even when、把 working out 译成“算出/锻炼”、miles 死译成“英里数”而不通顺。
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47请翻译第 47 处划线句。
参考译文研究人员确信，大象总能精确地知道自己相对于所需全部资源的位置，因此既能走捷径，也能沿熟悉的路线行进。
解析主干是 The researchers are convinced that...。that 从句内 always know precisely where they are in relation to all the resources they need，后接 and can therefore take shortcuts, as well as following...。in relation to 译“相对于……的位置”，resources they need 译“所需全部资源”，take shortcuts 译“走捷径”。技巧：被动/确信结构转“确信”；as well as 译“既能……也能……”。失分点：漏 therefore、resources 漏 they need、shortcuts 译成“抄近路”却丢掉 familiar routes。
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48请翻译第 48 处划线句。
参考译文一种可能是它们仅仅依靠眼睛观察并试吃所发现的植物，但这很可能造成大量时间和精力的浪费，尤其是因为它们的视力其实并不好。
解析One possibility was that... but that would... 为对比结构。merely used their eyes and tried out the plants they found 是方式；not least because 引出原因。tried out 译“试吃”，wasted time and energy 译“时间和精力的浪费”，eyesight is not very good 译“视力其实并不好”。技巧：that 指代前半假设；not least because 译“尤其是因为”。失分点：漏 merely、把 tried out 译成“尝试找到”、not least 漏译或误作“不少于”。
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49请翻译第 49 处划线句。
参考译文植物产生的挥发性化学物质可以传播很远，而且极具特征性：每一种植物或树木都有其独特的气味“签名”。
解析主干 The volatile chemicals... can be carried... and they are very characteristic，冒号后解释。volatile chemicals 译“挥发性化学物质”，carried a long way 译“传播很远”，odor signature 译“气味‘签名’/气味特征”。技巧：被动 can be carried 转“可以传播”；Each plant or tree 增“每一种”。失分点：volatile 漏译、signature 直译成“签名”却不加引号或不加“气味”、characteristic 译成“性格”。
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50请翻译第 50 处划线句。
参考译文实验表明，大象很可能利用嗅觉来识别适合食用的树木区域，其次再评估每个区域内树木的品质。
解析The experiment showed that... may well use smell to identify... And secondly to assess...。may well 表较大可能性，译“很可能”；patches of trees that are good to eat 译“适合食用的树木区域”；assess the quality 译“评估……品质”。技巧：And secondly 与前面 to identify 并列，补“再/其次”；patches 勿译成“补丁”。失分点：漏 may well、identify 与 assess 层次不清、within each patch 漏译。
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