2019年英语六级翻译练习：人类问题

　　人类之间为了钻石而相互残杀;国家之间为了石油而发动战争。但如果没有水，这世界上最珍贵的东西将一文不值。淡水是维持生命的必需品，无可替代。水，尽管几乎无法估价，却是世界上最贵重的东西。自然规律决定了水的供给是有限的。但随着世界人口的增加和生活水平的提高，人类对水的需求量增加的趋势是不可避免的。家庭、工厂和办公场所正在消耗越来越多的水，但是这个星球对于食物(和生产庄家和肉类过程中使用的水)日益增长的需求才是最忧心的问题。

　　参考译文

　　People kill each other over diamonds; countries go to war over oil. But the world’s most expensive commodities are worth nothing in the absence of water. Fresh water is essential for life, with no substitute. Although mostly unpriced, it is the most valuable stuff in the world. Nature has decreed that the supply of water is fixed. Meanwhile demand rises inexorably as the world’s population increases and enriches itself. Homes, factories and offices are sucking up ever more. But it is the planet’s growing need for food (and the water involved in producing crops and meat) that matters most.