2017年翻译考试初级笔译模拟题：生态旅游
【英译汉】
Ecotourism
The ideas behind ecotourism are not new. Rooted in the conservation and environmental movements in the United States over the past 150 years - spurred by the writings of Thoreau, Muir, and before them, Buddhist and other philosophical ideologies - ecotourism is a new application for an age-old concept of stewardship. It recognizes the interconnections of all life and the importance of maintaining a balance between human needs and those of existing ecosystems.
Perhaps Aldo Leopold's famous Land Ethic best captures the philosophical essence of stewardship: "a thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community... it is wrong if it does otherwise." In diversity there is stability. Ecotourism is really nothing more than the application of this philosophy to the self-enriching discovery made possible through travel. It is a process and an ethic, not an end in itself.
Ecotourism (often including rural tourism, heritage/cultural tourism, nature-based tourism, and adventure/experience-based tourism) has demonstrated growth far in excess of the so-called "mass tourism" market by posting 30% annual increases between 1995 and 2000. This increase can be compared to the 8% growth in mass tourism over the same period.
According to the Travel Industry Association of America, over 50% of the U. S. adult traveling public ——147 million people ——have taken an "adventure" trip in their lifetime. Included on this "adventure" activity roster are camping, hiking and biking. Though a small portion of the overall tourism industry, ecotourism's profit margin tends to exceed that of mass tourism. Last year, the average ecotourism two-week package cost is $ 3,500.
Ecotourism has both the potential to change the way we view travel and to provide the means to care for our diverse and rich resources. Western society (about l.2 billion people) cannot bring the remaining 5.l billion people in less developed countries up to the Western consumptive "standard of living" without exhausting the earth's resources. Ecotourism creates a situation where both the West and the less developed societies can converge toward the middle. Ecotourism is the "common ground" because it fundamentally changes the economic dynamics of business. Ecotourism recognizes the ecological and cultural costs of doing business as well as champions "local economy", i.e., the community becomes strong and cohesive by what's developed and sustainably managed on a local level.
As a part of the service industry, ecotourism promotes what Alan During, in his important book How Much is Enough? calls the "shift from material to non-material ends". This shift is the only viable way in which human demands made on the environment will not overrun the carrying capacity of the planet. is Ecotourism is in fundamental opposition to consumption as a means to fulfillment; rather, the sense of place, the excitement of experience, and the opportunity of learning become the overriding products " sold" to ecotourists. These ecotourism "products" are based upon preserving and protecting the original cultures and environments, not upon transforming them into some Disneyland-like fantasy-world.
Increasingly, a conservation ethic and a viable process of development have emerged from the ecotourism movement, or perhaps vice versa. The ecotourism ethic has been defined by the Ecotourism Society to mean: "responsible travel that conserves the natural environs and sustains the well-being of local people. Ecotourism offers travelers the means to assist personally and locally in the conservation of threatened environments and to support communities directly that are seeking viable economic alternatives to cycles of poverty and environmental destruction." This non-profit organization is working to raise public support for implementing ecotourism principles and practices around the world.
The concerted effort by policy makers, businesses, recreation managers and organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund and Conservation International to define and make ecotourism a mainstream practice is promising. We in the Western industrialized nations have an incredible opportunity for restorative and regenerative change through ecotourism. There seems to be little doubt that tourism will continue to grow; the most important question remains: Will it be ecologically responsible and sustainable?
The responsibility clearly rests with ourselves to care for an environmental and cultural diversity which historically we have used merely to serve our needs - and our needs only. Ecotourism, as a model, process and ethic, offers an opportunity to put respect for our earth into practice in a way that all people can enjoy its beauty and benefits.
【参考译文】
生态旅游
生态旅游的理念并不新鲜，它是在梭罗、缪尔的著述、以及之前的佛教等思想体系的启发下形成的，并植根于美国150年来的野生动物和环境保护运动中，是一种对古老的资源管理概念的新的发挥。它认识到了所有生命之间的相互联系，以及维护人类需求和现荐生态系统之间的平衡的重要性。
埃尔多·利奥波德著名的《土地伦理》一书也许最能体现资源管理的哲学精髓：“凡是有利于维持生物群落的完整性、稳定性和美感的，就是正确的……凡是违背了这一点的，就是错误的。”在多样性里蕴含着稳定性。生态旅游其实也就是将这种哲学应用于能充实自我的探索发现中，而后者正是通过旅游来实现的。生态旅游本身并不是一种目的，而是一种过程，一种伦理。
生态旅游(通常包括乡村旅游、文化遗产旅游、自然风景旅游、冒险体验旅游)的增长速度远远超过了所谓的“大众旅游”市场，在1995年至2000年间，年增长率达到30%。与之相比，大众旅游市场的同期增长率为8%。
美国旅游业协会称，在美国的1. 47亿成年旅游者中，有50%以上的人曾经进行过“冒险”旅游。这种冒险活动包括野营、徒步旅行和骑自行车旅行。生态旅游虽然只占整个旅游产业的一小部分，但是它的利润率却有超过大众旅游的趋势。去年，两周生态旅游的一揽子费用平均约为3500美元。
生态旅游既可能改变我们对旅游本身的看法，也为保护我们丰富多样的资源提供了手段。西方社会有约12亿人口，维持他们的生活标准需要消耗大量的资源。要让欠发达国家的51亿人口都达到西方的“生活标准”，必然会把地球的资源消耗殆尽。生态旅游为西方国家和欠发达国家向中等消耗标准靠拢创造了条件。它是一种“共同基础”，因为它从根本上改变了商业的经济动态棋式。生态旅游在认识到商业行为的生态和文化成本的同时，也倡导“局部经济”，通过局部的发展和可持续管理，增强局部地区的社会实力和凝聚力。
作为服务产业的一部分，生态旅游提倡的是艾伦·杜灵在其重要著作《多少才算够?》一书中所提到的“从物质追求向非物质追求的转移”。唯有如此，人类对环境的需求才不会超出地球的承受能力。生态旅游与那种靠消耗资源来获得满足的做法是格格不入的。生态旅游者所购买的最主要的“产品”实际上是对旅游地的感受、令人兴奋的体验以及学习的机会。这些生态旅游“产品”的宗旨是维护原始的文化和环境，而不是将它们改造成迪斯尼式的梦幻世界。
生态旅游正日益促进环保伦理的兴起和可行的发展方式，或者反过来说，是环保伦理和可行的发展方式促进了生态旅游。根据生态旅游协会的定义，生态旅游是“一种负责任的旅游方式，它把保护当地自然环境与维持当地人民的福利结合起来，使旅游者能够亲自参与保护当地受到威胁的自然环境，并直接支持那些正在寻求其他经济发展方式的地区，以结束贫穷和环境破坏的恶性循环。”这一非赢利性组织正在努力寻求公众支持，在世界范围内推广生态旅游的原则和实践。
一些政府决策者、商家、娱乐业经营者以及世界拜生动植物基金会和“保护国际”等组织正携手合作，努力推广生态旅游，使之成为主流行为，他们很有希望获得成功。我们西方工业化国家正面临着一个天赐良机，通过生态旅游，让大自然得以休养生息，再现生机。毫无疑问，旅游业将继续发展。最重要的问题依然是：它是否有利于生态，能否持续发展?
以前，我们只知道利用环境和文化的多样性来单方面满足自己的需要，而现在，保护它们的责任无疑落在了我们自己身上。生态旅游，作为一种模式，一个过程，和一种伦理，为我们提供了一种机会，把我们对地球的尊重付诸实施，让所有人都能领略它的美丽，享受它的恩泽。
