1、So I discovered on a recent book tour around the United States and Canada.最近我在美国和加拿大宣传新书时发现了这个问题。No matter how carefully I avoided using the word “organic” when I spoke to groups of food enthusiasts about how to eat better, someone in the audience would inevitably ask, “What if I cant afford to buy
2、organic food?当我和食物爱好群体交流如何吃得更好时，无论我再怎么小心地避免使用“有机”这个词语，读者中还是会有人不可避免地问及“如果我买不起有机食品怎么办？ Organic food seems to have become the magic cure for all. 有机食品似乎变成万能的神奇疗法。When people think of eating it, they think they are eating well, healthily, reasonably, even morally.人们在吃它的时候，他们认为自己吃得好，吃得健康，吃得合理甚至是有道德的。But
3、eating “organic” offers no guarantee of any of that. 但是吃“有机”食品不能对这些提供保障。And the truth is that most Americans eat so badly we get 7 percent of our calories from soft drinks, more than we do from vegetables; the top food group by caloric intake is “sweets”; and one-third of nations adults are now obes
4、e that the organic question is a secondary one. 而事实是大部分美国人吃得很糟糕我们从软饮料（不含酒精的饮料）中获取7%的卡路里，多于我们从蔬菜中所获取的卡路里；卡路里摄取量最多的食品类别是糖果；国内1/3的成年人现在都超重这样一来有机食品问题成了次要问题。Its not unimportant, but its not the primary issue in the way Americans eat.它不是不重要，但它不是美国人饮食的首要问题。To eat well, says Michael Pollan, the author of In
5、 Defense of Food, means avoiding “edible food-like substances” and sticking to real ingredients, increasingly from the plant kingdom. （Americans each consume an average of nearly two pounds a day of animal products.） 食物防御的作者Michael Pollan说，要吃得好就意味着要避免可食用的类似食品食品的物质 ，并逐渐地坚持从蔬菜中获取真正的营养成分。（平均每个美国人每天消费近两
6、磅的肉类产品。）Theres plenty of evidence that both a persons health as well as the environments will improve with a simple shift in eating habits away from animal products and highly processed foods to plant products and what might be called “real food.”有充足的证据表明，只要对饮食习惯做简单的改变，把吃肉类食品和高度加工食品的习惯转为食用蔬果类食品和那些能被
7、成为“真正的食品”，就能增进一个人的健康和改善环境。From these changes, Americans would reduce the amount of land, water and chemicals used to produce the food we eat, as well as the incidence of lifestyle diseases linked to unhealthy diets, and greenhouse gases from industrial meat production.这些转变会使美国人减少用于生产食物的土地，水和化学品，同时降低
8、与不健康饮食有关的生活方式引发的疾病的发病率，减弱因工业肉类生产产生的温室效应。The governments organic program, says Joan Shaffer, a spokeswoman for the Agriculture Department, “is a marketing program that sets standards for what can be certified as organic. Neither the enabling legislation nor the regulations address food safety or nutr
9、ition. ”“政府的有机计划，”农业部发言人Joan Shaffer说，“是给可以认证为有机的食品设立标准的一项市场计划，无论是授权法条或是规定都没有处理食品安全和营养问题。” People dont understand that, nor do they realize “organic” doesnt mean “local.” 人们不明白这些东西，也不知道“有机”并不意味“本土”。“It doesnt matter if its from the farm down the road or from Chile,” Ms. Shaffer said. “As long as it
10、meets the standards, its organic.”“无论食品是从路边的农场或是从智利运来”，Shaffer女士说，“只要符合标准，它就是有机的。Hence, the organic status of salmon flown in from Chile, or of frozen vegetables grown in China and sold in the United States no matter the size of the carbon footprint left behind by getting from there to here.因此，从智利空运
11、来的鲑鱼或是在美国出售的中国种植的冷冻蔬菜都是有机的，与食物从哪里飞到这里来所留下的碳排放量无关。Today, most farmers who practice truly sustainable farming, or what you might call “organic in spirit,” operate on small scale, some so small that they cant afford the requirements to be certified organic by the government.今天大部分农民在实践真正的可持续农业，或者你可能称之为“
12、精神上的有机”的农民都实行小规模经营，有一些的规模小到无法承担让政府进行有机认证的费用。But the organic food business is now big business, and getting bigger. 但有机食品商业现在是大产业，而且日益壮大。Professor Howard estimates that major corporations now are responsible for at least 25 percent of all organic manufacturing and marketing. Howard教授估计现在大公司至少占整个有机生产与
13、销售市场的25%。In 2006, sales of organic foods and beverages totaled about $16.7 billion, according to the most recent figures from Organic Trade Association.根据来自有机贸易协会的最新数据，2006年有机食物和饮料的销售总额大约$167亿。But the questions remain over how we eat in general. 但问题仍然普遍存在于我们怎么吃。It may feel better to eat an organic O
14、reo than a conventional Oreo, but, says Marion Nestle, a professor at New York Universitys department of nutrition, food studies and public health, “Organic junk food is still junk food. ”人们可能觉得吃一块有机奥利奥比吃传统的奥利奥要好。但纽约大学的营养,食品研究和公共健康系教授Marion Nestle说，“有机垃圾食品仍然是垃圾食品。Last week, Michelle Obama began digg
15、ing up a patch of the South Lawn of the White House to plant an organic vegetable garden to provide food for the first family and, more important, to educate children about healthy, locally grown fruits and vegetables at a time when obesity and diabetes have become national concerns.上周Michelle Obama
16、开始在白宫南边的草坪上挖一个洞来开垦一个有机蔬菜种植园，用来为第一家庭提供食物，更重要的是，在肥胖与糖尿病已经成为举国关注的问题时，以此教育孩子有关健康以及当地种植的水果和蔬菜的知识。 But Mrs. Obama also emphasized that there were many changes Americans can make if they dont have the time or space for an organic garden.但与此同时Obama夫人强调，如果，美国民众没有时间或空间去打理有机蔬果园，那还有许多美国人可以做的改变。“You can begin in
17、 your own cupboard,” she said, “by eliminating processed food, trying to cook a meal a little more often, trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables.“你可以从你的食橱开始”，她说，“清除加工食品，尝试平常多做饭，尝试将更多的水果和蔬菜加进去。Popularizing such choices may not be as marketable as creating a logo that says “organic.” 推广这样的选择
18、可能不像创造一个说是“有机的”标志那样可市场化的。But when Americans have had their fill of “value-added” and over-processed food, perhaps they can begin producing and consuming more food that treats animals and the land as if they mattered. 但当美国人民厌倦了“增值的”和“过度加工的”食品时，他们可能会开始生产和消费更多重视动物和土地的食品。Some of that food will be organi
19、c, and hooray for that. Meanwhile, they should remember that the word itself is not synonymous to “safe,” “healthy,” “fair” or even necessarily “good.”这些食品当中的一部分将是有机的，这是再好不过了。同时，人们应该记住这个词本身不是“安全”、“健康”、“公平”甚至或是“好”的同义词。英语翻译2Leaning Tower of Pisa意大利比萨斜塔The tower in Pisa, Italy, is famous simply because
20、 it leans. 意大利比萨斜塔著名仅仅是因为它倾斜。It was closed to the public in 1990, after fears that an entire busload of tourists at the top would be enough to make it fall. 在担心一整辆公共汽车的载客量足以使它倒塌之后，它在1990年向公众停止开放。Eleven years later, the lean has been corrected a little, but not entirely. 11年以后倾斜被矫正了一点点，但并没有完全矫正回来。Alt
21、hough the tower is famous because it leans, it is an outstanding example of Romanesque architecture, and would probably be famous, even if it didnt lean. 尽管这座塔是因为倾斜所闻名，但它仍然是罗马建筑的杰出典范，它仍可能会闻名，即使它并不倾斜。It stands 187 feet high and until 1990 was leaning over at about a 10-degree angle, the top being 17
22、feet further over than was originally intended. 它有187英尺高，直至1990年它倾斜角度大约10，顶部比原先预想的要高17英尺。It was estimated that the lean was increasing by one inch every 20 years.估计它的斜度会每20年增加一英寸。In 1172, a wealthy widow named Berta di Bernado, left sixty coins in her will to buy stones to begin the construction of
23、the tower.在1172年，一位富裕的寡妇名叫“Berta di Bernado”在她的遗嘱里留下六枚硬币去买石头，从而开始了这座塔的建筑。It is a bell tower to accompany the cathedral that it stands next to. 它是一座用来陪衬在它旁边的大教堂的钟塔。It isnt quite clear who the actual designer was, but construction was begun on August 9, 1173. 谁是这座塔真正的设计师并不太清楚，但清楚的是建筑于1173年8月9日开始。Due t
24、o the fact that the people of Pisa were involved in a lot of wars, with several stops to fight, it took until 1350 to complete the building.由于Pisa斜塔的人被卷入许多战争的事实以及几次为了抗战的停止，它直到1350年才完工。 The tower is circular, and made up of eight floors of limestone and lime mortar, covered on the outside with marble
25、.这座塔是圆形的，由八扇石灰石做的门构建起来，外面被大理石所覆盖。 The outside of each level has columns and arches.每一层的外面都有石柱和拱门。 There is a staircase of 293 steps leading up from the ground to the eighth floor; the steps are built between an inner wall and the outer walls.从地面到8楼有一条293级的台阶，阶梯是建立在内墙与外墙之间。 The eighth floor contains
26、the bells, seven in all. 第八层装有鸣钟，一共7个。The first stage was the building of the first three floors; this began in 1173 and stopped in 1178, when Pisa was at war. 第一阶段是建造前三层，这是在1173年开始建造，在1178年停止，当时Pisa在战乱之中。Construction began again in 1275 under an architect called Giovanni di Simone. 1275年在一名叫“Giovan
27、ni di Simone”的指挥下又开始了建造。He built the next three floors, and again work was halted until 1319. 他建造了接下来的三层，直至1319年再建工作才完工。The final two floors were added between 1319 and 1350.最后的两层是在1319年至1350年被加上去的。Only 5 years after work on the building began, it was leaning noticeably to the north. 仅仅5年之后这栋建筑开始动工，
28、它明显地向北倾斜。The lean was first noticed during construction of the third floor. 它的倾斜被人们首次注意是在第三层的建筑期间。During the building of the next three floors, the lean was corrected by building the floors parallel to the ground, and not level with the leaning building. 在建筑第三层的时候，它的倾斜通过建造与地面平行而不是同倾斜的建筑相平的楼层来纠正。Duri
29、ng this phase the tower started to lean the other way. 在这一阶段塔开始以另一种方式倾斜。Now it was leaning to the south. 此时它是向南倾斜的。The tower is built on unsuitable ground for such a heavy and tall building.这座塔是建立在不适合（建造）这样一座又重又高的建筑的地面上。It is only about 6 feet above sea level and built on a riverbed. 它离海平面只有6英尺，建造在河床上。The underlying ground is made up of layers of sand and clay. 底层地面是由一层层的沙子和黏土构成。Because the layers are not even, as the grou
