2019年翻译资格考试英语笔译初级模拟题：宇宙

　　They were, by far, the largest and most distant objects that scientists had ever detected: a strip of enormous cosmic clouds some 15 billion light years from earth. But even more important, it was the farthest that scientists had been able to look into the past, for what they were seeing were the patterns and structures that existed 15 billion years ago. That was just about the moment that the universe was born. What the researchers found was at once both amazing and expected; the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Cosmic Background Explorer satellite -Cobe-had discovered landmark evidence that the universe did in fact begin with the primeval explosion that has become known as the Big Bang(the theory that the universe originated in an explosion from a single mass of energy).

　　The existence of the giant clouds was virtually required for the Big Bang, first put forward in the 1920s, to maintain its reign as the dominant explanation of the cosmos. According the the theory, the universe burst into being as a submicroscopic, unimaginable dense knot of pure energy that flew outward in all directions, emitting radiation as it went, condensing into particles and then into atoms of gas. Over billions of years, the gas was compressed by gravity into galaxies, stars, plants and eventually, even humans.

　　Cobe is designed to see just the biggest structures, but astronomers would like to see much smaller hot spots as well, the seeds of local objects like clusters and super clusters of galaxies. They shouldn't have long to wait. Astrophysicists working with ground based detectors at the South Pole and balloon borne instruments are closing in on such structures, and may report their findings soon.

　　If the small hot spots look as expected, that will be a triumph for yet another scientific idea, a refinement of the Big Bang called the inflationary universe theory. Inflation says that very early on, the universe expanded in size by more than a trillion trillion -trillion -trillion-fold in much less than a second, propelled by a sort of antigravity. Odd though it sounds, cosmic inflation is a scientifically plausible consequence of some respected ideas in elementary particle physics, and many astrophysicists have been convinced for the better part of a decade that it is true.

　　参考译文

　　离地球大约150亿光年的一块狭长的巨大宇宙云系是科学家在此以前所发现的最大、最遥远的物体。但更为重要的是，这是科学家所能观测到的最遥远的过去的景象，因为他们看到的是150亿年前宇宙云的形状和结构。那大约就是宇宙形成的时候。研究人员发现的宇宙云既令人惊讶，又是人们所期待的，因为美国国家航空航天局的宇宙背景探测者Cobe号卫星已经发现了划时代的证据，证明宇宙确实起源于最早的一次爆炸，即人们一直所称的“大爆炸”(此理论认为宇宙起源于一大块能量)。

　　巨大的宇宙云的存在，实际上是使本世纪二十年代首次提出的大爆炸论是以保持其宇宙起源论的主导地位所必不可少的。根据这一理论，宇宙的形成是由一团亚微观的、极其稠密的纯能量团朝四面八方向外发散，随着放出辐射线，浓缩成粒子，然后形成气体原子。数十亿年来，这种气体受引力的压缩形成星系、恒星、行星，并最终甚至产生人类。

　　Cobe卫星设计的目的就是观察这些最大的物体结构，但宇航员还想看到更为微小的热点，即像星纱中的星团和超星团这样一些局部物体的粒子。看来他们不必长期等待。天体物理学家使用南极陆基探测器及球工仪器，正越来越近地观测这些云系，也许不久会报告他们的观测结果。

　　假如这些小热点看上去同预计的一致，那就意味着又一科学论说的胜利，这种论说即更完美的大爆炸论，亦称宇宙膨胀说。膨胀说告诉我们，早在很久以前，宇宙的体积在不到一秒钟内被一种反引力驱动而发生了无数倍的膨胀。宇宙膨胀说虽然听似奇特，但它是基本粒子的物理学中一些公认的理论在科学上看来似乎可信的推论。许多天体物理学家七八年来一直确信这一论说是正确的。

　　词义推敲：

　　even more important 更为重要的是

　　it was the farthest 这是最遥远的宇宙云

　　it 由于有“the farthest”作表语，所以译作“这”。

　　the farthest 等于“the farthest strip of enormous cosmic clouds”

　　look into 观察，调查，浏览

　　what they were seeing

　　they 指代“scientists”，可以译作“他们”。

　　the patterns and structures(of cosmic clouds)(宇宙云的)形状和结构

　　15 billion years ago 150亿年前

　　the giant (cosmos)clouds 巨大的(宇宙)云

　　virtually required for：必不可少

　　virtual：existing or resulting in essence or effect though not in actual fact, form, or name 实质上的，实际上的虽然没有实际的事实、形式或名义，但在实际上或效果上存在或产生的

　　the Big Bang 大爆炸理论

　　first put forward 首创的，开始提出的

　　in the 1920s 二十世纪二十年代

　　to maintain its reign as 以保持……的地位

　　maintain：to keep up or carry on; continue 维持或保持;继续

　　its 指代“the Big Bang”，译作“它的”

　　reign：dominance or widespread influence 主宰占统治地位的或者广泛的影响

　　as the dominant explanation of cosmos 作为对宇宙(起源论)的主要解释

　　dominant：exercising the most influence or control 支配的最有影响的或支配的

　　astrophysicist：天体物理学家，天文物理学家

　　working with 使用，以……为工作手段

　　ground-based detectors 以地面为基础的探测器，陆基探测器

　　ground-based = based on the ground

　　ground-bases detectors：陆基探测器

　　balloon-borne instruments 球载仪器

　　are closing in on 正越来越近

　　such structures 云系

　　findings a conclusion reached after examination or investigation 结果，结论检查或调查后得出的结果。我们可以翻译为观测结果

　　the small hot spots 小热点

　　look as expected = look as they (hot spots) were expected或者look as we (scientists) expected，译作“看上去正如所料”。

　　triumph：the fact of being victorious; victory or conquest 胜利，得胜胜利的事实，胜利或征服

　　yet：表示强调，译作“再，还，又”

　　refinement 更完美，提炼，改进，相当于原文中的“better the

　　called：作后置定语，译作“所谓的……”，“人们称之为……”

　　the inflationary universe theory 宇宙膨胀说/理论

　　inflation：the act of inflating or the state of being inflated 充气充填气体的动作或被充气的状态

　　Odd though it sounds：倒装结构。 还原为：though it sounds odd 虽然听似奇特。

　　odd：奇特，古怪

　　it 指代“cosmic inflation”(宇宙膨胀说)

　　cosmic inflation = inflationary universe theory /cosmic inflation theory 宇宙膨胀说

　　a scientifically plausible consequence / of some respected ideas / in elementary-particle physics：基本粒子物理学中一些公认的理论在科学上看来可信的推论。

　　scientifically plausible consequence 科学上可信的推论

　　in elementary-particle physics 基本粒子物理学，关键词“physics”。

　　respected ideas 公认的理论，权威理论

　　plausible：seemingly or apparently valid, likely, or acceptable; credible 看似真实的，看似有道理的看起来或表面上正确的、可能的或可接受的;可靠的

　　convince：to bring by the use of argument or evidence to firm belief or a course of action 说服通过进行辩论或者提供证据使…确信或使…采取某种行为

　　for the better part of a decade 七八年来

　　better = greater大部分