中文原文：

過去，人們普遍缺乏關(guān)于預(yù)防傳染病的科學(xué)知識。

錯(cuò)誤譯文：

In the past, the people generally lacked of the scientific knowledge about how to prevent infectious diseases.

正確譯文：

1)In the past, the people generally lacked the scientific knowledge about how to prevent infectious diseases.

2)Formerly, the people were generally lacking in the scientific knowledge on how to forestall contagious diseases.

3) In the past, the people were generally short of the scientific knowledge concerning the prevention of infectious diseases.

4) Previously, the general public had insufficient scientific knowledge in connection with the prevention of epidemic diseases.

翻譯加油站：

表示“缺乏”，可以用to lack。它是及物動詞，后面直接跟賓語，不需要用介詞of。表示“缺乏知識”，常用to lack the knowledge; to be lacking in the knowledge; to be short of the knowledge; to have insufficient knowledge等方式。注意： infectious disease是通過空氣的傳染病；contagious disease是通過接觸的傳染病。而epidemic disease是流行病。“預(yù)防疾病”可以用to prevent a disease; to forestall a disease或the prevention of a disease表示。

“缺乏知識”，具有“所知甚少”的意思，可以用to know very little; not to know much; to have little knowledge等方式表示。例如：

1. 幾個(gè)月以前，甚至連專家都對非典所知甚少。
1)A few months ago, even the experts knew very little about SARS.
2)Several months ago, even the experts didn't know much about SARS.
3)Some months ago, even the specialists had very little knowledge about SARS.

“缺乏知識”，具有“無知”的意思，可以用to be ignorant of/about等方式表示。例如：

2. 現(xiàn)在許多人仍然對免疫相當(dāng)無知。
Now many people are still rather ignorant of immunity.

3. 一開始，醫(yī)生們對如何治療非典一無所知。
1)Initially, the doctors were totally ignorant about how to deal with SARS.
2)In the beginning, the doctors were quite ignorant about how to treatSARS.