科技英語(yǔ)閱讀翻譯(張敏)

Unlocking the Climate Puzzle解開(kāi)氣候之謎(1)Life has prospered on this planet for nearly four billion years. In that time, climate had fluctuated drastically, from ice ages lasting tens of thousands of years to epochs of steamy heat. With each change, sundry species have benefited and flourished.Others adapted, faltered, or died. Now, many experts believe, humans are imperiling their own ecological niche with the threat of global warming. The vaporous by-products of civilization, in the form of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (C0), have trapped enough heat in the atmosphere to raise Earths average surface air temperature a half degree Celsius (one degree Fahrenheit) during this century. If the trend continues, it could alter climate patterns worldwide-thawing glaciers, boosting sea level, scorching plains into deserts, and shifting vegetation zones.（1）生命在這個(gè)星球上已經(jīng)發(fā)展了近四十億年。在這段時(shí)間里，氣候有大幅波動(dòng)，從冰河時(shí)代到蒸汽時(shí)代延續(xù)了幾千年。每一次改變，各種物種受益和繁榮。其他適應(yīng)，步履蹣跚，或死亡。現(xiàn)在，許多專(zhuān)家認(rèn)為，人類(lèi)正在通過(guò)全球變暖危及自己的生態(tài)位。在本世紀(jì)，文明的氣態(tài)副產(chǎn)物，以二氧化碳（C0）等溫室氣體的形式，把足夠的熱量困在大氣中，來(lái)提高地球表面平均氣溫半攝氏度（1華氏度）。如果這種趨勢(shì)繼續(xù)下去，它可能會(huì)改變世界范圍內(nèi)的氣候模式融化冰川，提高海平面，把平原烤成沙漠，以及改變植被區(qū)。(2) Or it might not. Global climate depends on combinations of factors interacting in subtle and complex ways that we do not yet fully understand. It is possible that the warming observed during this century may have resulted from natural variations, even though the increase has been much more rapid than what the planet has witnessed over the past hundred centuries. Moreover, the supercomputer simulations used to project future conditions may not be accurate.（2）或者不可能。全球氣候取決于各種因素的組合，這些因素以微妙和復(fù)雜的方式相互作用，我們還沒(méi)有完全了解。這是可能的，在本世紀(jì)中觀察到的變暖可能是由于自然的變化，即使增加已遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過(guò)這個(gè)星球在過(guò)去的幾百個(gè)世紀(jì)已經(jīng)見(jiàn)證過(guò)的。此外，用于展現(xiàn)未來(lái)?xiàng)l件的超級(jí)計(jì)算機(jī)模擬可能是不準(zhǔn)確的。(3) Nonetheless, in 1995, after years of intense study, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), sponsored by the United Nations, concluded tentatively that the balance of evidence suggests that there is a discernible human influence on global climate. The amount of that influence, the group noted, is unknown because of uncertainties in key factors, including the degree to which clouds and the oceans affect the rate of temperature change. It may take a decade or more of additional research to resolve those uncertainties.（3）然而，由聯(lián)合國(guó)發(fā)起的政府間氣候變化專(zhuān)門(mén)委員會(huì)，經(jīng)過(guò)數(shù)年集中的研究，在1995年，初步得到了“對(duì)照所有證據(jù)表明，人類(lèi)對(duì)全球氣候有明顯的影響”這個(gè)結(jié)論。該委員會(huì)同時(shí)提到，由于“關(guān)鍵因素的不確定性”，包括云層和海洋對(duì)溫度變化率的影響程度，人類(lèi)對(duì)全球氣候的影響量是未知的。解決這些不確定因素可能需要十年乃至更長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的額外研究。(4) Meanwhile, much is known. And although the specific consequences of human activity remain ambiguous, our ability to alter the atmosphere is incontestable.（4）同時(shí)，大多是已知的。盡管人類(lèi)活動(dòng)的具體后果仍不明確，我們改變大氣的能力是不可否認(rèn)的。(5) What causes climate change? Weather is what happens outside your home this morning. Climate is what you can expect to happen outside during your 30-year mortgage. Over time small changes can make a big difference. Driven by tremendous flows of heat over the surface of the planet, Earths climate system is influenced by innumerable interacting variables.（5）是什么導(dǎo)致了氣候變化？天氣是這個(gè)早上出現(xiàn)在戶(hù)外的自然現(xiàn)象。氣候是在30年內(nèi)可以預(yù)測(cè)的發(fā)生在戶(hù)外的自然現(xiàn)象。隨著時(shí)間的流逝，微小的變化會(huì)造成巨大的影響。由于星球表面上的巨大熱流，無(wú)數(shù)相互作用的變量影響著地球的氣候系統(tǒng)。Solar Input(6) Having traveled 93 million miles, solar energy hits the upper atmosphere at about the intensity of three 100-watt bulbs per square yardone-third of which is reflected back into space. The rest of the energy warms Earth and fuels its weather engine. 太陽(yáng)能輸入（6）已經(jīng)走了9300萬(wàn)英里，太陽(yáng)能達(dá)到高層大氣時(shí)，每平方的強(qiáng)度大約是3個(gè)100瓦燈泡其中三分之一被反射回太空。其余的能量使地球變暖，并引起天氣改變。The Atmosphere(7) A delicate balance of gases gives Earth an average temperature of 15(59). Greenhouse gases一water vapor, C0, methane, nitrous oxide, and others一absorb heat energy, then re-radiate a portion of it back to the surface.大氣（7）氣體的一種微妙平衡使地球平均溫度為15（59）。溫室氣體一水汽，C0，甲烷，一氧化二氮，和其他氣體一吸收熱能，然后再輻射一部分返回地面。The Oceans(8) Covering 70 percent of Earths surface, oceans are the chief source of water vapor in the air. Oceans store heat efficiently and transport it thousands of miles. When warm water collects in one place, evaporation and cloud buildup may increase. Marine organisms consume huge amounts of C0.海洋（8）覆蓋地球表面的百分之70，海洋是空氣中的水蒸氣的主要來(lái)源。海洋能有效地儲(chǔ)存熱能和把它運(yùn)輸數(shù)千英里。當(dāng)溫水聚集在一個(gè)地方，蒸發(fā)和云層積累可能會(huì)增加。海洋生物消耗大量的C0。The Water Cycle(9) Higher air temperatures can mean increased water evaporation and the melting of sea and land ice. Although water vapor is the most potent greenhouse gas,evaporation also leads to cloud formation, which can have a cooling effect.水循環(huán)（9）更高的空氣溫度可以增加水的蒸發(fā)和融化海洋和陸地的冰。雖然水蒸氣是最有效的溫室氣體，蒸發(fā)也導(dǎo)致云的形成，它可以有一個(gè)冷卻效果。Clouds(10) The role of clouds is poorly understood, but they are known to both cool Earth by reflecting solar energy and warm Earth by trapping heat being radiated up from the surface.云層（10）人類(lèi)對(duì)云層的作用了解很少，但是知道它們會(huì)通過(guò)反射太陽(yáng)能使地面溫度下降，且通過(guò)儲(chǔ)存地表散發(fā)的熱量使地面溫度上升。Ice and Snow(11) Bright white expanses of ice and snow reflect sunlight back into space, cooling the planet. Melting sea ice draws heat from the ocean. In the Northern Hemisphere, snow cover has decreased about 10 percent in the past 21 years, but no significant melting of the Antarctic ice sheet has been detected.冰和雪（11）廣闊區(qū)域的明亮白色的冰和雪把陽(yáng)光反射回太空，使地球冷卻。融化的海冰從海洋中吸取熱量。在北半球，雪覆蓋在過(guò)去的21年中減少了約百分之10，但沒(méi)有明顯的南極冰蓋的融化已經(jīng)被檢測(cè)到。Land Surface(12) When solar energy penetrates the land surface, it is converted into heat, most of which radiates upward quickly. Still, topography and land use can have major effects on climate. Mountain ranges can block clouds, creating dry shadows downwind. Sloping land allows more water runoff, leaving the land and air drier. A tropical forest will soak up C0，but once cleared for cattle ranching, the same land becomes a source of methane.（12）當(dāng)太陽(yáng)能滲入地表時(shí)，會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)化為熱能，其中大部分會(huì)很快上升散發(fā)到空氣中。地形和土地使用仍然對(duì)氣候有主要的影響。在下風(fēng)口，山脈會(huì)擋住云層，形成缺乏雨水的“陰影地”。 坡地讓更多的水分流失，使得土地和空氣更加干燥。熱帶森林會(huì)吸收二氧化碳，但是一旦允許牲畜農(nóng)場(chǎng)經(jīng)營(yíng)，這塊土地將會(huì)產(chǎn)生大量的甲烷。Human Influences(13) Adding to the mix of greenhouse gases naturally present in the atmosphere, human activities magnify warming effects. Fuel combustion is the chief cause ofrising C0 concentrations. Ranching, rice farming, and landfills have raised methane levels. Aerosols, such as smoke and sulfates from industry, reflect sunlight and have temporary, localized cooling effects.人類(lèi)的影響（13）增加在大氣中自然存在的溫室氣體的混合，人類(lèi)活動(dòng)放大變暖的影響。燃料燃燒是C0濃度上升的一個(gè)主要原因。牧場(chǎng)，水稻種植，和垃圾填埋場(chǎng)已經(jīng)提高甲烷的程度。懸浮顆粒，如來(lái)自工業(yè)的煙塵和硫酸鹽，能反射陽(yáng)光，有暫時(shí)的、局部的冷卻效果。(14) If C0 emission increases are to blame for global warming, skeptics say, thentemperatures should have risen appreciably during the postwar economic boom, when fossil fuels were burned in escalating quantity. Jerry Mahlman, director of NOAAs Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at Princeton, however, has calculated that the surge in coal and oil use quickly increased the amount of sulfates aloft, prompting the cooling. After 1970 the longer term effect of C0 and methane overwhelmed the short-lived aerosols, accounting for the temperature rise since then.（14）質(zhì)疑者們說(shuō)，如果CO2的增加應(yīng)該對(duì)全球變暖負(fù)責(zé)，那么在戰(zhàn)后經(jīng)濟(jì)繁榮期間化石燃料被越來(lái)越多的燃燒時(shí)，溫度應(yīng)該很明顯的增加。不管怎樣，Jerry Mahlman，美國(guó)國(guó)家海洋和大氣局位于普林斯頓關(guān)于地球物理流體動(dòng)力學(xué)實(shí)驗(yàn)室的主任，曾計(jì)算過(guò)煤和油的使用量的激增會(huì)迅速增加空氣中大量的硫酸鹽，并促進(jìn)它們冷卻。 從1970年后， CO2和甲烷覆蓋了短期效應(yīng)的氣溶膠從而帶來(lái)的長(zhǎng)期效應(yīng)，導(dǎo)致了溫度的上升。(15) An enhanced greenhouse effect may not necessarily be catastrophic. Indeed, it might be good news for some farmers. High concentrations of C0 can have a fertilizing effect on plants, which is why some commercial greenhouses use an artificial indoor atmosphere containing C0 at about three times the level outside.Because plants use photosynthesis to turn C0 into living tissue, more vegetation also might mean more C02 scavenged from the atmosphere, perhaps slowing global warming.（15）增強(qiáng)的溫室效應(yīng)可能不一定是災(zāi)難性的。事實(shí)上，這對(duì)一些農(nóng)民來(lái)說(shuō)可能是好消息。高濃度C0對(duì)植物可以有施肥的效果，這就是為什么有些商業(yè)溫室使用C0濃度約為室外三倍水平的人工室內(nèi)空氣。由于植物利用光合作用將C0轉(zhuǎn)換為細(xì)胞組織，更多的植被也可能意味著更多來(lái)自于大氣的C0被清除，可能減緩全球變暖。(16) Furthermore, higher temperatures might be most welcome where they are most likely to occur. Since 1900, the greatest warming has been observed between 40degrees and 70 degrees north latitude-including Europe, Russia, and the northern half of the U.S.where much of the worlds industrial greenhouse gas emissions originate. Most of the warming has taken place at night-presumably because increased cloud cover shades the land by day and traps outgoing heat at night. The growing season in the northern U.S. has lengthened by about a week.（16）此外，高溫在最可能發(fā)生的地方也許會(huì)最受歡迎。從1990年開(kāi)始，在人們北緯4070之間觀察最主要的溫室變化。包括歐洲、俄羅斯和美國(guó)北部半數(shù)地區(qū)，這些地區(qū)是世界上工業(yè)溫室氣體主要的排放地。大多數(shù)的溫室變化是發(fā)生在晚上的，大概是因?yàn)樵诎滋煸黾拥年幵普谧×舜蟮夭⑶彝砩细邷氐纳l(fā)受到了限制。在美國(guó)北部植物的增長(zhǎng)期被延長(zhǎng)了差不多一周左右。(17) Some scientists argue that hasty measures are pointless: Any appreciablealterations in climate, they say, are likely to be gradual enough that we will be able to adapt. And even if all greenhouse gas emissions stopped tomorrow, the planet almost certainly would continue to warm for several decades because of the gases long atmospheric lifetime.（17）一些科學(xué)家認(rèn)為，草率的措施是毫無(wú)意義的：他們說(shuō)，任何可預(yù)見(jiàn)的氣候變化，有可能是漸進(jìn)的，我們將能夠適應(yīng)。即使所有的溫室氣體在明天都停止排放，地球幾乎肯定會(huì)繼續(xù)溫暖幾十年，因?yàn)闅怏w的長(zhǎng)的大氣壽命。(18) On the other hand, there is evidence that some kinds of events could changeclimate radically in the span of decades. Perhaps the most feared is an abrupt collapse in the huge Atlantic conveyor belt system that brings warm water north from theequator, keeping Europe several degrees warmer than it would otherwise be.Evaporation of this incoming flow leaves the belt with a higher salt content than the rest of the North Atlantic, which is fed by substantial freshwater runoff fromcontinental watersheds. The belt cools and becomes denser as it approachesGreenland, where it sinks. It then travels far below the surface in a south-moving return flow.（18）從另一方面說(shuō)，有證據(jù)表明一些事件會(huì)在數(shù)十年的時(shí)間內(nèi)從根本上改變氣候。也許人們大多數(shù)的擔(dān)憂(yōu)是巨大的大西洋“傳送帶”會(huì)發(fā)生一種突然的崩潰。這個(gè)“傳送帶”從赤道北部帶來(lái)了溫暖的水，使它比原來(lái)的溫度高幾度。這種流入水的消失會(huì)使“傳送帶”變得比北大西洋其它地區(qū)的鹽度都高，北大西洋其它的地區(qū)存儲(chǔ)著大量從陸地流域流入的淡水。 這個(gè)“傳送帶”中的水在接近格陵蘭島時(shí)會(huì)變得冰冷而且稠密，在那里它下沉了。然后它隨著向南流動(dòng)的回流表層下部遠(yuǎn)去。(19) But what if human-induced global warming altered the delicate temperature difference between the flows and at the same time caused increased rainfall over the oceans, diluting the salinity of the northward flow? The whole Atlantic conveyor belt could simply shut down, as ocean-sediment evidence suggests it has several times in the past. The effect would be locally disastrous. By one estimate, Ireland would have about the same temperature as present-day Spitsbergen, which is hundreds of miles above the Arctic Circle. Much of northern Europe would be largely uninhabitable.（19）但是人類(lèi)引起的全球變暖改變了水流之間的微妙的溫度差，同時(shí)在海洋上引起的降雨量增加，稀釋北上水流的鹽度又怎樣？整個(gè)大西洋輸送帶可以簡(jiǎn)單地關(guān)閉，因?yàn)楹Ｑ蟪练e物的證據(jù)表明，它在過(guò)去發(fā)生過(guò)好幾次。影響會(huì)是局部災(zāi)難性的。根據(jù)一個(gè)預(yù)測(cè)，愛(ài)爾蘭將會(huì)和現(xiàn)在位于北極圈數(shù)百英里以上的斯匹次卑爾根有大約相同的溫度。歐洲北部的大部分將不適合居住。(20) No one knows for certain whether such things will happen. Beyond that the specific human effect on climate change will remain hauntingly indefinite until our knowledge increases and the models improve.（20）沒(méi)人確信這些事情是不是真的會(huì)發(fā)生。除了對(duì)氣候做出特別的人為影響，這種不確定性將會(huì)一直縈繞人們的心頭直到我們的知識(shí)增加和理論提高。The Greenhouse Effect溫室效應(yīng)(l)The air we breathe keeps us alive in more ways than one. Without our atmosphere, average global temperature would be about minus 18 (minus 0.4) instead of the present 15 (59). All the incoming sunlight, with energy equivalent to about three 100-watt light bulbs per square yard, would strike Earths surface, causing it to emit infrared waves like a giant radiator. That heat would simply travel unimpeded back out into the void.（l）我們呼吸的空氣不止從一個(gè)方面確保我們活著。沒(méi)有大氣層，全球平均溫度大約是零下18（零下0.4），而不是現(xiàn)在的15（59）。所有入射的太陽(yáng)光，每平方碼的能量相當(dāng)于3個(gè)100瓦的燈泡，會(huì)撞擊地球表面，使它像一個(gè)巨大的散熱器一樣發(fā)射出紅外波。這種熱將簡(jiǎn)單地傳播，無(wú)阻礙地返回到虛空中去。(2) Because of the atmosphere, however, only a fraction of that heat makes it directly back into space. The rest is trapped in the lower air layers, which contain a number of gases一water vapor, C0, methane, and othersthat absorb the outgoing infrared radiation. As those gases heat up, some of their warmth radiates back down to the surface. The entire process is called the greenhouse effect, and most of it is caused by the predominant greenhouse gas, water vapor（2）然而，由于大氣，只有一小部分的熱量，使它直接回到太空。剩下的熱量被困在低層大氣中，其中含有一些氣體水汽，C0，甲烷和其他氣體吸收外面的紅外輻射。由于這些氣體加熱，它們的一些溫暖輻射回地面。整個(gè)過(guò)程被稱(chēng)為溫室效應(yīng)，大部分是由主要的溫室氣體，水蒸氣引起的。(3) With increased heating, more water evaporates from oceans, lakes, and soils. Because a warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapor, this creates a powerful feedback loop: the hotter it gets, the higher the water vapor content of the air, and thus the greater the greenhouse warming.（3）因?yàn)闊崃吭黾?，更多的水從海洋、湖泊和土壤中蒸發(fā)掉。由于一個(gè)溫暖的大氣可以容納更多的水蒸氣，這創(chuàng)造了一個(gè)強(qiáng)大的反饋回路：它得到的熱量越多，空氣中水蒸氣含量越高，從而溫室變暖越嚴(yán)重。(4) Human beings have little direct control over the volume of water in the atmosphere. But we produce other greenhouse gases that intensify the effect. The IPCC estimates that rising C0 emissions, mostly from burning fossil fuels, account for about 60 percent of the warming observed since 1850. Carbon dioxide concentration has been increasing about 0.3 percent higher than it was before the industrial revolution. If current rates continue, it will rise to at least twice pre-industrial levels by about 2060-and by the end of the century could be four times as high. That is particularly worrisome because C0 has a lifetime of more than a hundred years in the atmosphere, compared with eight days for water vapor.（4）人類(lèi)對(duì)大氣中的水的體積幾乎沒(méi)有直接的控制權(quán)。但我們生產(chǎn)的其他溫室氣體可以加劇影響。IPCC估計(jì)， C0排放上升，大部分來(lái)自化石燃料的燃燒，占據(jù)了自1850年開(kāi)始觀察的氣候變暖的60%。二氧化碳濃度比工業(yè)革命之前持續(xù)增加了約0.3%。如果目前的速度持續(xù)下去，到2060左右至少會(huì)上升到工業(yè)化前水平的兩倍到本世紀(jì)末，可能高達(dá)四倍。這是特別令人擔(dān)憂(yōu)的，因?yàn)榕c水蒸氣的八天壽命相比，C0在大氣中的壽命超過(guò)一百年。(5) Pushing their way through emerging cities like Barakar, India,automobiles carry unwanted cargo一C0 emissions. Since the late 1700s, the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities have increased atmospheric C0 concentrations more than 30 percent. While the amount added to the air by humans, roughly 7 billion metric tons a year, is a tiny fraction of the total held by the atmosphere-750 billion tons-and an even smaller figure compared with that held in the oceansabout 35 trillion tonsit remains a significant amount. The reason: Natural processes are in balance, drawing about as much C0 from the air as they deposit. Human activity, however, only adds C0.（5）通過(guò)印度Barakar這樣的新興城市推動(dòng)它們的方式，利用汽車(chē)運(yùn)載無(wú)用的貨物C0排放。自18世紀(jì)晚期，化石燃料和其他人類(lèi)活動(dòng)燃燒使大氣C0濃度超過(guò)30%。然而人類(lèi)向空氣中每年大約增加70億噸量的C0，是大氣C0總?cè)萘康囊恍〔糠值?50億噸與海洋中的容量相比是一個(gè)更小的數(shù)字大約35兆噸它仍然是一個(gè)重要的數(shù)量。原因是：自然過(guò)程是平衡的，空氣吸收的C0和它們存儲(chǔ)的差不多從。然而人類(lèi)活動(dòng)，只是增加C0容量。(6) Much remains to be learned about Earths carbon cycle and the roleof the oceans as a sink for CO2. Despite such uncertainties, the computerprograms used to model Earths climate are improving rapidly. Current models do well in simulating seasonal variations and climate over thousands of years, leading most scientists to take their overall projections seriously.（6）地球的碳循環(huán)和海洋匯集CO2作用還有許多有待了解。不管有這些不確定性，用于模擬地球氣候的計(jì)算機(jī)程序正在迅速改善。目前的模型很好地模擬了幾千年的季節(jié)性變化和氣候，導(dǎo)致大多數(shù)科學(xué)家認(rèn)真地接受他們的全部預(yù)測(cè)。(7) Methane, the principal ingredient of natural gas, has caused an estimated 15 percent of the warming in modem times. Generated by bacteria in rice fields, decomposing garbage, cattle ranching, and fossil fuel production, methane persists in the atmosphere for nearly a decade and is now about 2.5 times as prevalent as it was in the 18th century. Other major greenhouse gases include nitrous oxide-produced by both agriculture and industry-and various solvents and refrigerants likechlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which are now banned by international treaty because of their damaging effect on Earths protective ozone layer.（7）甲烷是天然氣的主要成分，在現(xiàn)代已造成約15%的氣候變暖。在稻田細(xì)菌，分解垃圾，養(yǎng)牛，和化石燃料生產(chǎn)的過(guò)程中產(chǎn)生，甲烷在大氣中持續(xù)了將近十年，現(xiàn)在是在第十八世紀(jì)普遍存在的2.5倍。其他主要的溫室氣體包括NO在農(nóng)業(yè)和工業(yè)中產(chǎn)生各種溶劑和制冷劑如氯氟烴，或者CFCs，現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)被國(guó)際條約禁止，因?yàn)樗鼈儠?huì)破壞保護(hù)地球的臭氧層。(8) The relentless accumulation of greenhouse gases has led the IPCC to project that in the next hundred years global average temperatures will rise by 1 to 3.5 degrees C. That may not seem like much. Yet the little ice age, an anomalous cold snap that peaked from 1570 to 1730 and forced European farmers to abandon their fields, was caused by a change of only half a degree C.(8)溫室氣體的不斷積累，令I(lǐng)PCC預(yù)測(cè)在下一個(gè)百年全球平均氣溫將上升1到3.5?？雌饋?lái)可能不太多。然而，“小冰河時(shí)代”，一個(gè)異常寒冷的瞬間，使最高溫度從1570變?yōu)?730，并迫使歐洲農(nóng)民放棄他們的田地，只是由一個(gè)半度的變化引起的。(9) But how credible are current projections? The computer models used to project greenhouse effects far into the future are still being improvedto accommodate a rapidly growing font of knowledge. And it is remarkably difficult to detect a definitive signature of human activity in the worlds widely fluctuating climate record.（9）但目前的預(yù)測(cè)有多可信？用于預(yù)測(cè)遙遠(yuǎn)將來(lái)溫室效應(yīng)的計(jì)算機(jī)模型仍在改進(jìn)，以適應(yīng)快速增長(zhǎng)的知識(shí)。而且世界上廣泛波動(dòng)的氣候記錄很難檢測(cè)到一個(gè)明確的人類(lèi)活動(dòng)的“簽名”。Toyotas Story in Europe豐田汽車(chē)在歐洲(1) Its Monday afternoon inside Toyota Motor Corp.s Valenciennes plant northern France, where workers turn and bend over the assembly line to meet demanding hourly production target. Red neon numbers mounted high above the river of moving cars blink steadily, comparing the rate of completed autos with the companys goal. Demand for the Yairs subcompacts this pristine plant cranks out is outstripping the 920-per-day output. So Valenciennes has hired 500 more workers and this month is adding a third shift foR round-the-clock productiona first in Toyota manufacturing history. “We produce a car every minute. Thats the maximum. The solution is to try three shifts,” says Didier Leory, seniorvice-president of Toyota MotoR Manufacturing, France.”（1）一個(gè)周一的下午，豐田汽車(chē)制造公司旗下位于法國(guó)北部的瓦朗西安工廠內(nèi)，工人們?yōu)檫_(dá)到每小時(shí)的生產(chǎn)目標(biāo)，熟練且有條不紊的在裝配線上忙碌著。在汽車(chē)生產(chǎn)流水線上方，紅色霓虹燈數(shù)字持續(xù)地閃爍著，表示與公司目標(biāo)對(duì)比下的汽車(chē)生產(chǎn)率穩(wěn)步增長(zhǎng)。對(duì)于這個(gè)新工廠迅速出產(chǎn)的豐田威姿微型汽車(chē)，公司要求日產(chǎn)量超過(guò)920輛。因此，瓦朗西安工廠雇傭了500多個(gè)工人，并且這個(gè)月實(shí)行三輪班制度不分晝夜地生產(chǎn)，這在豐田汽車(chē)制造史上尚屬首次。法國(guó)豐田制造公司的高級(jí)副總裁Didier Leroy說(shuō)“我們每一分鐘就能生產(chǎn)出一輛汽車(chē)，這已經(jīng)是最大限度了，相應(yīng)的解決方案就是嘗試三輪班制度。”(2)Toyota, a marginal player in Europe, is becoming a fearsome market force as it applies itself to winning a bigger share of the Old Worlds roadways. Sales in Europe rose 20.6% in the first four months of this year, following a 10.4 % leap in 2003, to 835,000 cars. Those gains, fueled partly by the redesigned Yaris, pushed Toyotas market share in Western Europe to 5.3% in April, up from 4.5% a year ago, overtaking Mercedes and Audi and ending close to Italys Fiat. “Every point Toyota gains is hurting th