【解析】

1.第1句中的“全长……公里”可表达为is…kilometers long，也可表达为has a length of…， kilometers.“第二长河”，在数量、规模等方面要表达“第几长”、“第几大”时应该是序数词加上形容词的最高级，故这里译为the second longest river.“仅次于”可以表达为only second to或second to，如“他举世无双”，译为He is second to none.

 

2.翻译第2句“黄河发源于……，流经……，最后流入……，可沿用原文的结构，译作The Yellow River has its origin in…，flows through…， and finally pours itself into…，但此种译法稍显生硬、平淡。可将 ”黄河发源于…“处理为状语，用介词短语With its origin in…表达，使译文主次分明。”青海、四川、甘肃、宁夏、陕西等9个省区“翻译时可以先译中心词”9个省区“，具体的省区名称可以用such as引出，作为进一步说明。”流经“、”流入渤海“，这里的”流“可译为flow，但为了避免用词重复、译文表达丰富，”流人渤海“可更换表达为 enter the sea, reach the sea或pours itself into the sea.

 

3.第3句中的原因状语“由于夹带了大量的泥沙”表达为because it carries a lot of silt.“呈黄色”表达为in yellow 或 in the color of yellow，介词 in 表示“处于某种状态”。

 

4.第4句中的“黄河流域给中华文明带来……”可直译为the Yellow River basin brings significant influence…“但这样处理不如将名词短语”巨大的影响“转译为动词短语来得简单明了，表达为the Yellow River basin influences…significantly.

 

【参考译文】

The Yellow River is about 5,000 kilometers long. It is the second longest river in China, only second to the Yangtze River. With its origin in Qinghai Province, the Yellow River flows through nine provinces of China such as Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, and Shanxi, and finally pours itself into the Bohai Sea.Because it carries a lot of silt, the water of the River is in yellow. In Chinese history, the Yellow River basin influences Chinese civilization significantly and is also the major birthplace of Chinese nation. Therefore, the Yellow River is called "the Cradle of Chinese Civilization" and "Mother River" of China.

 

【词汇】

 

步入 step into       

 

老龄化社会 aging society      

 

独生子女一代 the only-child generation

 

巨大的 enormous    

 

调整 adjust   

 

计划生育政策 the family planning policy

 

在特殊情况下 under certain circumstances    

 

由于，迫于 due to  

 

放弃 abandon

 

依靠 rely on 

 

出生率 birth rate     

 

【词汇】

博大精深 both extensive and profound 

 

儒家学说 Confucianism

 

道家学说 Taoism 

 

诸子百家 Hundred Schools of Thought

 

孔夫子 Confucius 

 

孙中山 Dr. Sun Yat-sen

 

天下兴亡，匹夫有责 Everybody is responsible for the rise or fall of the country.

 

爱国情操 patriotism 

 

民为邦本 People are the foundation of the country.

 

民贵君轻 The people are more important than the monarch.

 

己所不欲，勿施于人 Don’t do to others what you don’t want others to do to you.

 

行为准侧 code of conduct

 

【译文】

The traditional Chinese culture, both extensive and profound, starts far back and runs a long, long course. More than 2 000 years ago, there emerged in China Confucianism and Taoism, and many other theories and doctrines that figured prominently in the history of Chinese thought, all being covered by the famous term “the Hundred Schools of Thought”. From Confucius to Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the traditional Chinese culture presents many precious ideas. For example, they lay stress on. patriotism as embodied in the saying “Everybody is responsible for the rise or fall of the country.”, the populist ideas that “People are the foundation of the country.” and that “The people are more important than the monarch” and the code of conduct of “Don’t do to others what you don’t want others to do to you”.

 

 

有效的 effective  　

 

社会保障制度 social security system

 

【译文】

Nowadays, China is stepping into the aging society. Therefore, the only-child generation is facing enormous pressure both from work and life. The Chinese government has begun to adjust the family planning policy and allows some families to have a second child under certain circumstances. However, the survey shows that some couples abandon to have a second child due to the increasing financial burden. Thus, in order to solve the aging problem, the basic thing is not relying on the increase of birth rate. The best solution is to establish an effective social security system.