2004年9月上海市高級口譯筆試真題
Of course, those population trends have been forecast for years. Some countries, such as Britain and the Netherlands, have responded by making individuals and their employers assume more of the responsibility for pensions. But many Continental governments dragged their feet. Now, the rapid runup in costs in finally forcing them to act. State-funded pension payments make up around 12% of gross domestic product in Germany and France and 15% in Italy — two percentage points more than 20 years ago. Pensions account for an average 21% of government spending across the European Union. The U.S. Social Security system, by contrast, consumes just 4.8% of GDP. The rising cost is having serious repercussions on key European nations' commitments to fiscal restraint. "Governments have no choice but to make pension reform a priority," says Antonio Cabral, deputy director of the European Commission's Directorate General for Economic & Financial Affairs.
Just as worrisome is the toll being exacted on the private sector. Corporate contributions to state pension systems — which make up 19.5% of total gross pay in Germany — add to Europe's already bloated labor costs. That, in turn, blunts manufacturers' competitiveness and keeps unemployment rates high. According to the Institute of German Economics in Cologne, benefit costs reached a record 41.7% of gross wages in Germany last year, compared with 37.4% a decade before. French cement manufacturer Lafarge says pension cost of $121 million contributed to a 9% fall in operating profits last year.
To cope, Germany and most of its EU partners are using tax breaks to encourage employees to put money into private pensions schemes. But even if private pensions become more popular, European governments will have to increase minimum retirement ages and reduce public pensions. While today's seniors complain about reduced benefits, the next generation of retirees may look back on their parents' pension checks with envy.
7. What does the author want to tell us from the example of the retired bank teller Sabine Wetzel?
8. Paraphrase Italian Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti's statement "The welfare state is producing too few cradles and too few graves." (para.3)
9. Introduce briefly the pension reforms in some key European countries.
10. What is implied by the last sentence of the passage "While today's seniors complain about reduced benefits, the next generation of retirees may look back on their parents' pension checks with envy."?
SECTION 6: TRANSLATION TEST (30 minutes)
Directions: Translate the following passage into English and write your version in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.
舒舍予，字老舍，現年四十歲，面黃無須，生于北平，三歲失怙，可謂無父，志學之年，帝王不存，可謂無君，無父無君，特別孝愛老母。幼讀三百篇，不求甚解。繼學師范，遂奠教書匠之基，及壯，糊口四方，教書為業。甚難發財，每購獎券，以得末獎為榮，示甘為寒賤也。二十七歲，發憤著書，科學哲學無所終，故寫小說，博大家一笑，沒什么了不得。三十四歲結婚，今已有一男一女，均狡猾可喜。書無所不讀，全無所獲，并不著急，教書做事，均甚認真，往往吃虧，也不后悔。再活四十年，也許能有點出息。
