2016年考研英语一阅读 Text 2 原文翻译及答案解析

For the first time in history more people live in towns than in the country. In Britain this has had a curious result. While polls show Britons rate “the countryside” alongside the royal family, Shakespeare and the National Health Service (NHS) as what makes them proudest of their country, this has limited political support.

历史上首次，更多的人居住在城镇而非乡村。在英国，这产生了一个奇特的结果。尽管民意调查显示，英国人将“乡村”与王室、莎士比亚和国家医疗服务体系（NHS）并列为最让他们自豪的事物，但这方面的政治支持却有限。

A century ago Octavia Hill launched the National Trust not to rescue stylish houses but to save “the beauty of natural places for everyone forever.” It was specifically to provide city dwellers with spaces for leisure where they could experience “a refreshing air.” Hill’s pressure later led to the creation of national parks and green belts. They don’t make countryside any more, and every year concrete consumes more of it. It needs constant guardianship.

一个世纪前，奥克塔维亚·希尔创立了国家信托，目的不是为了拯救时尚的房屋，而是为了“为每个人永久保存自然之地的美”。它专门为城市居民提供休闲空间，让他们能体验到“清新的空气”。希尔的努力后来促成了国家公园和绿化带的建立。人们不再创造乡村，每年混凝土吞噬更多的乡村。它需要持续的守护。

At the next election none of the big parties seem likely to endorse this sentiment. The Conservatives’ planning reform explicitly gives rural development priority over conservation, even authorising “off-plan” building where local people might object. The concept of sustainable development has been defined as profitable. Labour likewise wants to discontinue local planning where councils oppose development. The Liberal Democrats are silent. Only Ukip, sensing its chance, has sided with those pleading for a more considered approach to using green land. Its Campaign to Protect Rural England struck terror into many local Conservative parties.

在下一次选举中，似乎没有哪个大党会支持这种情感。保守党的规划改革明确将乡村发展置于保护之上，甚至授权在可能遭当地人反对的“计划外”建筑。可持续发展的概念被定义为有利可图。工党同样希望停止地方规划，如果地方议会反对发展。自由民主党保持沉默。只有英国独立党（Ukip）察觉到机会，站在了那些呼吁更审慎使用绿地的人一边。其保护英格兰乡村运动让许多地方保守党感到恐惧。

The sensible place to build new houses, factories and offices is where people are, in cities and towns where infrastructure is in place. The London agents Stirling Ackroyd recently identified enough sites for half a million houses in the London area alone, with no intrusion on green belt. What is true of London is even truer of the provinces.

建造新房屋、工厂和办公室的明智之处在于人口集中的地方，在基础设施完善的城市和城镇。伦敦的代理商斯特林·阿克罗伊德最近在仅伦敦地区就识别出了足够建造50万套房屋的场地，而不侵占绿化带。伦敦的情况如此，各省份更是如此。

The idea that “housing crisis” equals “concreted meadows” is pure lobby talk. The issue is not the need for more houses but, as always, where to put them. Under lobby pressure, George Osborne favours rural new-build against urban renovation and renewal. He favours out-of-town shopping sites against high streets. This is not a free market but a biased one. Rural towns and villages have grown and will always grow. They do so best where building sticks to their edges and respects their character. We do not ruin urban conservation areas. Why ruin rural ones?

认为“住房危机”等于“混凝土化草地”的说法纯粹是游说言论。问题不在于需要更多房屋，而是像往常一样，把它们放在哪里。在游说压力下，乔治·奥斯本倾向于乡村新建而非城市翻新和更新。他倾向于城外购物点而非商业街。这不是一个自由市场，而是一个有偏见的市场。乡村城镇和村庄已经并将继续增长。它们在建筑紧贴边界并尊重其特性时发展得最好。我们不会破坏城市保护区。为什么要破坏乡村保护区呢？

Development should be planned, not let rip. After the Netherlands, Britain is Europe’s most crowded country. Half a century of town and country planning has enabled it to retain an enviable rural coherence, while still permitting low-density urban living. There is no doubt of the alternative — the corrupted landscapes of southern Portugal, Spain or Ireland. Avoiding this rather than promoting it should unite the left and right of the political spectrum.

发展应该有规划，而不是放任自流。继荷兰之后，英国是欧洲最拥挤的国家。半个世纪的城乡规划使其保持了令人羡慕的乡村连贯性，同时仍允许低密度城市生活。毫无疑问，另一种选择是——葡萄牙南部、西班牙或爱尔兰被破坏的景观。避免这种情况而不是促进它，应该团结政治光谱的左右两派。