Section 1： English-Chinese Translation (50 points) For generations,coal has been the lifeblood of this mineral-rich stretch of eastern Utah.Mining families proudly recall all the years they toiled underground. Supplycompanies line the town streets. Above the road that winds toward the mines, asoot-smudged miner peers out from a billboard with the slogan “Coal = Jobs.”
But recently, fearhas settled in. The state’s oldest coal-fired power plant, tucked among thecanyons near town, is set to close, a result of new, stricter federalpollutionregulations. As energycompanies tack away from coal, toward cleaner, cheaper natural gas, people herehave grown increasingly afraid that their community may soon slip away. Dozensof workers at the facility here, the Carbon Power Plant, have learned that theymust retire early or seek other jobs. Local trucking and equipment outfits arepreparing to take business elsewhere. “There are a lotof people worried,” said Kyle Davis, who has been employed at the plant sincehe was 18. Mr. Davis, 56, worked his way up fromsweeping floors to managing operations atthe plant, whosefurnaces have been burning since 1954.
“I would haveliked to be here for another five years,” he said. “I’m too young to retire.” But Rocky MountainPower, the utility that operates the plant, has determined that it would be tooexpensive to retrofit the aging plant to meet new federal standards on mercuryemissions. The plant is scheduled to be shut by April 2015. “We had beenworking for the better part of three years, testing compliance strategies,”said David Eskelsen, a spokesman for the utility. “None of the ones weinvestigated really would produce the results that would meet the requirements.”
For the last several years, coal plants have been shutting down across the country, drivenby tougher environmental regulations, flattening electricity demand and a moveby utilities toward natural gas. This month, theboard of directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority, the country’s largestpublic power utility, voted to shut eight coal-powered plants in Alabama andKentucky and partly replace them with gas-fired power. Since 2010, more than150 coal plants have been closed or scheduled for retirement. The EnvironmentalProtection Agency estimates that the stricter emissions regulations for theplants will result in billions of dollars in related health savings, and willhave a sweeping impact on air quality. In recent weeks,the agency held 11 “listening sessions” around the country in advance ofproposing additional rules for carbon dioxide emissions.
“Coal plants are the single largest source of dangerous carbon pollution in the United States,and we have ready alternatives like wind and solar to replace them,” said BruceNilles, director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign, which wants to shut all of the nation’s coal plants. For many here,coal jobs are all they know. The industry united the area during hard times, too, especially during the dark days after nine men died in a 2007 mining accident some 35 miles down the highway. Virtually everyone around Price knew the men, six of whom remain entombed in the mountainside.
But there is quietacknowledgment that Carbon County will have to change — if not now, soon. David Palacios’sfather, Pete, who worked in the mines for 43 years, has seen coal roar and fadehere. Now 86, his eyes grew cloudy as he recalled his first mining job. He was12, and earned $1 a day. “I’m retired, so I’llbe fine. But these young guys?” Pete Palacios said, his voice trailing off.
Section 2： Chinese-English Translation (50 points)
天柱县位于贵州省东部，是川渝黔通往两广、江浙的重要门户。素有“黔东第一关”、“中国重晶石之乡”、“贵州高原黄金县”之称。
天柱县总面积2201 平方千米，辖16 个乡镇，326 个行政村，总人口41 万余人，以侗，苗族为主的少数民族人口占98.3%，是贵州省少数民族比例最多的县份之一。天柱蕴藏着丰富的自然资源，气候温和，土壤肥沃，是贵州重要粮食生产基地，素有“黔东粮仓”的美誉。当地年产烟叶2.6 万担，是中国烟叶主产区。这里林业资源丰富，森林面积达185 万亩，覆盖率达56%，是贵州十大林业基地之一。重晶石、黄金、煤等矿产资源丰富。
天柱乘西部大开发的东风，迅速崛起。全县国民经济稳步发展，综合实力日益增长，人民生活水平不断提高，产业结构调整日益优化，基础设施建设加强，城镇面貌日新月异。“生态环境优美，综合服务优越，人居条件优良，经济充满活力”的新天柱呈现在世人面前。
Section 1：英译汉参考译文犹他州东部有一个矿产丰富的小镇，那里的人们祖祖辈辈都以采煤为生。每当回忆起在地下辛苦采煤时的情景，各个家庭总是倍感骄傲。街道两旁的煤炭供应公司一个挨着一个。在通往矿井的蜿蜒小路上方的广告牌上，一个满脸炭灰的矿工凝视着远方，旁边的标语写着“煤炭=工作”。但是最近，小镇的人们心里充满了恐惧。联邦政府新颁布了一套更为严格的污染管理条例，这使得位于小镇附近峡谷之中的一家美国最古老的燃煤电厂频临倒闭。由于能源公司纷纷弃用煤炭，转而使用更清洁、更廉价的天然气，小镇的人们越来越害怕，他们的家园可能很快就不复存在。卡本电厂的几十名工人早就意识到，他们要么提前退休，要么另谋职业。当地的货运和装配人员正准备开发外地的业务。
凯尔戴维斯从18岁起，一直在这家发电厂工作。他说：“很多人都在担忧。”
戴维斯先生今年56岁，从清洁工一直做到电厂的经营主管。这家电厂的熔炉从1954年开始，一直燃烧至今。
他说：“如果可能，我还想再工作五年。毕竟我还很年轻，没到退休年龄。”
公共事业公司落基山脉电力公司是这家电厂的经营者，公司已经决定，要达到联邦政府最新规定的水银排放标准，就必须改造这家老化的电厂，而改造费用实在是太贵了，并不可行。电厂计划在2015年4月关闭。大卫艾斯凯尔森是电力公司的发言人。他说：“三年来，我们一直在不断地努力改善，尝试各种合规策略。经过调查，这些策略都不能满足政府的要求。” 近年来，政府的环境保护条例愈加苛刻，人们用电的需求量逐渐下滑，加之公共事业公司打算向天然气转型，美国境内已经有数家燃煤电厂被迫关闭。田纳西河流域管理局是美国最大的公共电力公司。本月，其董事会投票表决，关闭位于阿拉巴马州和肯塔基州的八家燃煤电厂，部分电厂转成天然气电厂。2010年起，150多家燃煤电厂有的已经关闭，有的即将关闭。美国环保局估计，这些针对燃煤电厂制定的更为严格的排放管理条例将节省数十亿美元的健康储蓄金，明显改善空气质量。
二氧化碳排放的补充条款推出之前，美国环保局近几周来在全国范围内召开了11场“听证会”。布鲁斯尼尔斯是塞拉俱乐部“超越煤炭”活动的负责人，该行动旨在关闭美国所有的燃煤电厂。他说“燃煤电厂是美国危险性最大的碳污染源，我们已经采取其他能源代替煤炭，比如风力发电和太阳能发电。” 对于这里的许多人来说，采煤对他们再熟悉不过了。煤炭工业在困难时间也能把该地区团结起来，尤其是2007年矿难发生后的黑暗时期。那次矿难发生在距离公路南35英里的矿区，矿难造成九人死亡，普里斯附近每一个人几乎都认识他们，其中六人还埋在山里。
尽管如此，人们心里还是默默地承认，卡本县必须改变，现在不变，不久也会变。
大卫帕拉西奥斯的父亲名叫皮特，在矿区工作了43年，见证了这里煤炭工业的兴衰。皮特今年86岁，当回忆第一次采煤的情景，他双眼湿润了。那年他才12岁，每天挣1美元。
“我退休了，日子会好过一些。可是这样年轻人呢”皮特帕拉西奥斯说，声音低不可闻。
