研究生英語泛讀翻譯第十二單元

1、 Unhappy AmericaIf America can learn from its problems, instead of blaming others, it will come back stronger.如果HYPERLINK http:/2014./teams/usa.html美國能夠從自身的問題中汲取教訓(xùn)，而不是責(zé)備他人，將會變得更加強(qiáng)大。NATIONS, like people, occasionally get the blues郁郁不樂; and right now the United States, normally the worlds most self-co

2、nfident place, is glum陰沉的. Eight out of ten Americans think their country is heading in the wrong direction. The hapless不幸的 George Bush is partly to blame (be to blame應(yīng)承擔(dān)責(zé)任)for this: his approval ratings are now sub-Nixonian. But many are concerned not so much about a failed president as about a fla

3、iling nation.國家，就像人一樣， 有時(shí)也會郁郁不樂；而此時(shí)的美國，原本是世界上最自信的國家，如今也陷入陰沉。超過80%的美國人認(rèn)為他們的國家正朝一個(gè)錯(cuò)誤的方向發(fā)展。不幸的G.布什 也對此遭受幾分指責(zé)：他如今的支持率已不如尼克松。但是人們更加關(guān)心一個(gè)動(dòng)蕩的國家而不是一個(gè)失敗的總統(tǒng)。One source of angst擔(dān)心 is the sorry state of American capitalism資本主義. The “Washington consensus” told the world that open markets and deregulation would so

4、lve its problems. Yet American house prices are falling faster than during the Depression, petrol is more expensive than in the 1970s, banks are collapsing破壞, the euro is kicking sand in the dollars face, credit is scarce, recession and inflation both threaten the economy, consumer confidence is an

5、oxymoron and BelgiansHYPERLINK http:/2014./teams/belgium.html比利時(shí)人 have just bought Budweiser, “Americas beer”.擔(dān)心的一個(gè)來源是美 國資本主義的可憐處境?！叭A盛頓共識”告訴世界開放市場以及放松管制會解決問題。但是，美國房價(jià)正以比大蕭條時(shí)期更快的速度下跌，石油比20世紀(jì)70年代 更加昂貴，銀行倒閉，歐元在美元面前飛揚(yáng)跋扈，信用缺失，衰退和通脹都威脅著經(jīng)濟(jì)。比利時(shí)人剛收購了被稱為“美國的啤酒”的百威啤酒，這與消費(fèi)者信心形成 矛盾。And its not just the downturn低迷

6、時(shí)期 that has caused this discontent不滿. Many Americans feel as if they missed the boom. Between 2002 and 2006 the incomes of 99% rose by an average of 1% a year in real terms, while those of the top 1% rose by 11% a year; three-quarters of the economic gains during Mr Bushs presidency went to that top

7、 1%. Economic envy, once seen as a European vice惡習(xí), is now rife普遍的. The rich appear in Barack Obamas speeches not as entrepreneurial企業(yè)家 role models but as modern versions of the “malefactors犯罪分子 of great wealth” denounced譴責(zé) by Teddy Roosevelt a century ago: this lot, rather than building trusts, avo

8、id taxes and ship jobs to Mexico. Globalisation is under fire: free trade is less popular in the United States than in any other developed country, and a nation built on immigrants is building a fence to keep them out. People mutter about nation-building beginning at home: why, many wonder, should A

9、merican children do worse at reading than Polish ones and at maths than Lithuanians?這種不滿并不僅僅由 這種下降趨勢引起的。許多美國人感覺他們仿佛錯(cuò)過了繁榮。在2002年到2006年間，99%的個(gè)人收入平均每年實(shí)際上漲了1%，但那些收入最高的1%人 群的收入每年卻上漲了11%，占到布什執(zhí)政時(shí)期經(jīng)濟(jì)收入的四分之三。曾經(jīng)被看做歐式惡習(xí)的經(jīng)濟(jì)嫉妒，如今卻很盛行。在巴拉克.奧巴馬的演講中，財(cái)富并不是 出現(xiàn)在企業(yè)家模范們的身上，而是出現(xiàn)在一個(gè)世紀(jì)以前特迪.羅斯?？偨y(tǒng)所譴責(zé)的“巨額財(cái)富的罪人”：這種份額，勝于建立信任，逃稅

10、和向HYPERLINK http:/2014./teams/mexico.html墨西哥輸出勞務(wù)。全球化正處于水深火熱之中：自由貿(mào)易在美國比在任何其他發(fā)達(dá)國家都不流行，并且一個(gè)由移民組成的國家也建立了一個(gè)阻止他們進(jìn)入的壁壘。人們開始在家中抱怨國家建設(shè)：很多人想知道，為什么美國小孩的閱讀水平不如波蘭小孩，而且數(shù)學(xué)成績不如立陶宛小孩？The dragons breath on your shoulder巨龍?jiān)谏磉叴broad, America has spent vast amounts of blood and treasure, to little purpose. In Iraq, fi

11、nding an acceptable exit will look like success; Afghanistan is slipping漸漸松弛. Americas claim to be a beacon燈塔 of freedom in a dark world has been dimmed暗淡的 by Guantnamo, Abu Ghraib and the flouting of the Geneva Conventions amid the panicky “unipolar單極的” posturing in the aftermath of September 11th.

12、在國外，美國花費(fèi)了 大量的心血和財(cái)富只為了很小的目的。在伊拉克，尋求一種體面的退出方式似乎是一種成功；在阿富汗方面卻漸漸松弛。美國要在一個(gè)黑暗的世界里成為自由之光的 聲明因關(guān)塔那摩監(jiān)獄、阿布加里卜監(jiān)獄以及在911之后對于單極世界故作姿態(tài)的恐慌中對日內(nèi)瓦公約的蔑視而黯然失色，Now the world seems very multipolar多極的. Europeans no longer worry about American ascendancy優(yōu)勢. The French, some say, understood the Arab world rather better than t

13、he neoconservatives新保守派 did. Russia, the Gulf Arabs and the rising powers of Asia scoff openly at the Washington consensus. China in particular spooks驚嚇 Americaand may do so even more over the next few weeks of Olympic medal-gathering. Americans are discussing the rise of China and their consequent隨

14、之發(fā)生的 relative decline; measuring when Chinas economy will be bigger and counting its missiles導(dǎo)彈 and submarines潛水艇 has become a popular pastime in Washington. A few years ago, no politician would have been seen with a book called “The Post-American World”. Mr Obama has been conspicuously顯著的 reading F

15、areed Zakarias recent volume.現(xiàn)在的世界更加多極化。歐洲人不再憂慮美國的霸主地位。有人說HYPERLINK http:/2014./teams/france.html法國人比新保守主義者更加了解阿拉伯世界。HYPERLINK http:/2014./teams/russia.html俄羅斯， 海灣地區(qū)和正在崛起的亞洲國家公開嘲笑華盛頓共識。中國特別讓美國大跌眼鏡而且會在接下來幾周中在對奧運(yùn)金牌的追逐中更加如此。美國人正在討論中國崛 起和其自身隨之發(fā)生的相關(guān)衰退，估算中國經(jīng)濟(jì)何時(shí)將會變得更加強(qiáng)大以及計(jì)算其擁有的導(dǎo)彈和潛水艇，這在華盛頓已成為一種流行的消遣。幾年前，沒有

16、一個(gè)政客 會看一本叫做“后美國時(shí)代”的書，但是顯然，奧巴馬先生正在讀Fareed Zakaria的新書。America has got into funks before now. In the 1950s it went into a Sputnik-driven spin about Soviet power; in the 1970s there was Watergate, Vietnam and the oil shocks; in the late 1980s Japan seemed to be buying up America. Each time, the United S

17、tates rebounded回彈, because the country is good at fixing itself. Just as American capitalism allows companies to die, and to be created, quickly, so its political system reacts fast. In Europe, political leaders emerge slowly, through party hierarchies層級; in America, the primaries permit inspiration

18、al unknowns to burst into the public consciousness意識 from nowhere.美國之前一度陷入低谷。20世紀(jì)50年代陷入了與蘇聯(lián)較勁人造衛(wèi)星的漩渦中；70年代發(fā)生了水門事件，越戰(zhàn)和石油沖擊；在80年代末，HYPERLINK http:/2014./teams/japan.html日本似乎可以將美國收購。美國每一次都能起死回生正因?yàn)槠渖瞄L自我修復(fù)。正像美國資本主義允許公司破產(chǎn)、并且很快被重組，它的政治體系反應(yīng)很快。在歐洲，政治領(lǐng)袖通過黨內(nèi)層級形成緩慢，但在美國，初選卻允許無名之輩從不名之地涌入公眾視野。Still, countries, li

19、ke people, behave dangerously when their mood turns dark. If America fails to distinguish between what it needs to change and what it needs to accept, it risks hurting not just allies聯(lián)盟者 and trading partners, but also itself.國家就像人一樣，情緒惡劣時(shí)行為表現(xiàn)也很危險(xiǎn)。如果美國分不清什么需要改變和什么需要接受，它將冒不僅傷害同盟者和貿(mào)易伙伴，也會傷害自身的危險(xiǎn)。The As

20、ian scapegoat亞洲的替罪羊There are certainly areas where change is needed. The credit crunch is in part the consequence結(jié)果 of a flawed regulatory system. Lax松弛的 monetary policy allowed Americans to build up debts and fuelled a housing bubble that had to burst eventually. Lessons need to be learnt from both

21、 of those mistakes; as they do from widespread concerns about the state of education and health care. Over-unionised and unaccountable, Americas school system needs the same sort of competition that makes its universities the envy of the world. American health care, which manages to be the most expe

22、nsive on the planet even though it fails properly to care for the tens of millions of people, badly needs reform.當(dāng)然有地區(qū)需要改 變。信貸緊縮是一個(gè)有缺陷的監(jiān)管體系的部分結(jié)果。松弛的貨幣政策允許美國人負(fù)債以及催生的房產(chǎn)泡沫必將最終爆發(fā)。從這些錯(cuò)誤中必須學(xué)會教訓(xùn)，就像他們 對國家的教育和醫(yī)療保障的廣泛關(guān)注一樣。無法解釋的是，美國的教育體系同樣需要幾分競爭，這使其大學(xué)備世界羨慕。美國人的醫(yī)療保健是這個(gè)世界上最昂貴的， 急需改革，即使數(shù)百萬的人未能完全的得到關(guān)照。There have b

23、een plenty of mistakes abroad, too. Waging發(fā)動(dòng) a war on terror was always going to be like pinning jelly to a wall. As for Guantnamo Bay, it is the most profoundly un-American place on the planet: rejoice when it is shut.美國在海外也有很多錯(cuò)誤。發(fā)動(dòng)以反恐為借口的戰(zhàn)爭總像往墻壁上放果凍一樣站不住腳。至于關(guān)塔那摩海灣，是世界上最不像美國的地方：當(dāng)其被關(guān)閉時(shí)人們會歡欣鼓舞。In suc

24、h areas America is already showing its genius for reinvention. Both the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates promise to close Guantnamo. As his second term ticks down, even Mr Bush has begun to see the limits of unilateralism. Instead of just denouncing and threatening the “axis of evil

25、” he is working more closely with allies (and non-allies) in Asia to calm down North Korea. For the first time he has just let American officials join in the negotiations with Iran about its fishy nuclear programme.在這些區(qū)域美國依然 展現(xiàn)了其再造的天才。無論是共和黨還是民主黨的總統(tǒng)候選人都許諾關(guān)閉關(guān)塔那摩監(jiān)獄。甚至小布什也在其第二任期將要結(jié)束的時(shí)候，開始看到片面限制武器論的局 限性

26、。他正在跟亞洲的同盟國（以及非同盟國）緊密合作，而不僅僅是譴責(zé)和威脅“邪惡軸心“來安撫朝鮮。他也剛剛第一次讓美國官員參與關(guān)于HYPERLINK http:/2014./teams/iran.html伊朗核問題的談判。That America is beginning to correct its mistakes is good; and theres plenty more of that to be done. But one source of angst demands a change in attitude rather than a drive to restore恢復(fù) the

27、status quo現(xiàn)狀: Americas relative decline, especially compared with Asia in general and China in particular.美國正開始改正自己的錯(cuò)誤是好的，而且還有更多要去做。但是焦慮的來源與其說需要對修復(fù)現(xiàn)狀的驅(qū)動(dòng)，不如說更需要態(tài)度的轉(zhuǎn)變：美國相關(guān)的衰退，特別是相對亞洲而言，更特別地是相對于中國。The economic gap between America and a rising Asia has certainly narrowed; but worrying about it is wrong

28、for two reasons. First, even at its present growth rate, Chinas GDP will take a quarter of a century to catch up with Americas; and the internal tensions that Chinas rapidly changing economy has caused may well lead it to stumble絆倒 before then. Second, even if Asias rise continues unabated不衰退, it is

29、 wrongand profoundly深深地 unAmericanto regard this as a problem. Economic growth, like trade, is not a zero-sum game. The faster China and India grow, the more American goods they buy. And they are booming largely because they have adopted Americas ideas. America should regard their success as a tribu

30、te, not a threat, and celebrate in it.當(dāng)然，美國和崛起的 亞洲之間的經(jīng)濟(jì)差距已經(jīng)縮小。但是憂慮這一點(diǎn)是錯(cuò)誤的，原因有兩點(diǎn)：第一，即使以現(xiàn)狀的速率增長，中國的GDP也要四分之一個(gè)世紀(jì)才能趕上美國；而且中國 快速增長的經(jīng)濟(jì)引發(fā)的內(nèi)部壓力會導(dǎo)致經(jīng)濟(jì)放緩；第二，即使亞洲的崛起不被削弱，把這個(gè)看做一個(gè)問題也是錯(cuò)誤的這非常不美國。經(jīng)濟(jì)增長就像貿(mào)易一樣，并 不是一個(gè)零和游戲。中國和印度增長地越快，他們購買的美國商品越多。而且由于他們適應(yīng)了美國的思維，所以變得更加繁榮。美國應(yīng)該把他們的成功看做是一種貢 獻(xiàn)，而非威脅，并要為之慶祝。Many Americans, unfor

31、tunately, are unwilling to do so. Politicians seeking a scapegoat for Americas self-made problems too often point the finger at the growing power of once-poor countries, accusing them of stealing American jobs and objecting when they try to buy American companies. But if America reacts by turning in

32、 on itselfraising trade barriers貿(mào)易壁壘 and rejecting foreign investorsit risks exacerbating加劇 the economic troubles that lie behind its current funk.很不幸的是，很多美 國人不想這樣做。政客們頻繁地為美國自己制造的問題尋求替罪羔羊，他們將矛頭指向曾經(jīng)貧窮卻正在發(fā)展中的國家，指責(zé)它們搶奪了美國人的工作，并且在這些國 家購買美國公司時(shí)針鋒相對。但是如果美國轉(zhuǎn)身針對自己提高貿(mào)易壁壘，拒絕外國投資者它將冒著加劇存在于其當(dāng)前恐慌背后的經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)惡化的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。Ever

33、ybody goes through經(jīng)歷 bad times. Some learn from the problems they have caused themselves, and come back stronger. Some blame others, lash out 沖擊and damage themselves further. America has had the wisdom to take the first course many times before. Lets hope it does so again.每個(gè)人都會經(jīng)歷艱難時(shí)期。有些人從他們自己引起的問題中汲

34、取教訓(xùn)，并且變得更為強(qiáng)大。有些人卻歸咎于別人，對自己造成更深的沖擊與傷害。曾在之前很多次，美國很明智地第一個(gè)吃了螃蟹，希望它再接再厲。The Baby Formula Barometer嬰兒奶粉擋住中國強(qiáng)國之路Edward Wongs terrific frontarticle in HYPERLINK /2013/07/26/world/asia/chinas-search-for-infant-formula-goes-global.htmlThe New York Times on Friday is as good an encapsulation of the issues curr

35、ently facing China and its economy as anything youre likely to read on the subject. As it tries to move from a fast-growing, export-oriented, developing economy to a more mature economy, it keeps bumping up against problems that could prevent it from becoming the kind of economic power it so clearly

36、 longs to be. These problems are almost entirely self-inflicted.HYPERLINK /china/20130726/c26babypowder/紐約時(shí)報(bào)上周五的頭版發(fā)表了一篇由黃安偉(Edward Wong)撰寫的精彩文章，與許多大家可能讀到的任何同主題文章一樣，它很好地概括了中國及其經(jīng)濟(jì)目前面臨的問題。中國正努力從一個(gè)高速增長的出口導(dǎo)向型的發(fā)展中國家，轉(zhuǎn)型為更成熟的經(jīng)濟(jì)體，期間問題不斷，而這些問題可能阻撓它成為自身夢寐以求的那種經(jīng)濟(jì)強(qiáng)國，而且，它們幾乎全部屬于自食其果。Wongs article was about, of al

37、l things, infant formula. Specifically, it was about how Chinese parents with connections and money scramble to buy formula abroad, even though there is plenty available in China. They hire people who will go into stores in Britain and elsewhere and buy formula for them. Or they buy formula that has

38、 been smuggled in from Hong Kong where smuggling infant formula is now a serious crime. Mainly, Chinese parents want to ensure that the formula they are feeding their babies has never been touched by a Chinese company.黃安偉的文章單單寫的是嬰幼兒配方奶粉。更具體地說，是有關(guān)系和財(cái)力的中國家長撇下國內(nèi)供應(yīng)充足的奶粉，競相購買外國奶粉的故事。他們請人到英國等地的商店代購，或者是購買從

39、香港走私過來的產(chǎn)品。在香港，走私嬰幼兒配方奶粉如今已成為一種嚴(yán)重罪行。中國的家長主要是想要確保，喂給孩子的奶粉未經(jīng)任何中國企業(yè)染指。The reason is obvious. In 2008, six babies died and some 300,000 became ill after their mothers fed them HYPERLINK /2008/10/17/world/asia/17milk.htmlbaby milk products that were tainted with the chemical melamine. Ever since, Chinese

40、mothers havent trusted domestically made baby milk products starting with formula.理由再明顯不過。2008年，一些母親喂她們的孩子吃了HYPERLINK /2008/10/17/world/asia/17milk.html被化學(xué)物質(zhì)三聚氰胺污染HYPERLINK /2008/10/17/world/asia/17milk.html的HYPERLINK /2008/10/17/world/asia/17milk.html嬰幼兒奶制品，導(dǎo)致6名嬰兒死亡，約30萬患病。自那以后，中國媽媽們不再信任國產(chǎn)嬰幼兒奶制品，首當(dāng)

41、其沖的就是配方奶粉。In fact, as I learned during my recent visit to China, Chinese consumers dont trust a lot of Chinese-made goods. In recent years, there have been food scandals surrounding HYPERLINK /2010/04/01/world/asia/01shanghai.htmlcooking oil, HYPERLINK /2008/10/27/world/asia/27china.htmleggs and mea

42、t, for starters. A few months ago, HYPERLINK /2013/05/06/40-tons-of-tainted-pork-allegedly-sold-in-china/according to Time magazine, three people were caught processing pigs that had died of infectious diseases. A few years ago, contamination of Chinese-produced heparin, the blood-thinner, HYPERLINK

43、 /2008/04/22/health/policy/22fda.htmlwas linked to 81 deaths. Chinese consumers dont even favor Chinese cars foreign models dominate the market because they fear that someone may have taken a shortcut (or worse) that will cause the car to die.實(shí)際上，不久前的中國之行讓我知道，中國消費(fèi)者不信任的國產(chǎn)商品為數(shù)眾多。近年來，HYPERLINK /2010/04

44、/01/world/asia/01shanghai.html食用油、HYPERLINK /2008/10/27/world/asia/27china.html蛋和肉類等各種食品安全丑聞層出不窮，這還只是個(gè)開始。幾個(gè)月前，時(shí)代周刊(HYPERLINK /2013/05/06/40-tons-of-tainted-pork-allegedly-sold-in-china/Time)報(bào)道，三人因加工病死豬肉而遭曝光。幾年前，中國生產(chǎn)的血液稀釋劑“肝素”被認(rèn)為HYPERLINK /2008/04/22/health/policy/22fda.html與81宗死亡有關(guān)。就連國產(chǎn)車也不受中國消費(fèi)者的青睞，

45、外國車型占領(lǐng)了中國市場，因?yàn)橄M(fèi)者擔(dān)心有人偷工減料（或者更糟糕），可能導(dǎo)致車輛無法使用。So problem No. 1: At a time when China is trying to build a domestic economy to match its export economy, there is a complete lack of faith in Chinese companies. “It is not about branding,” an American businessman living in Shanghai told me (he feared cons

46、equences to his business if he let me use his name). Rather, he said, there is a sense among consumers that no matter what the industry, too many Chinese businesspeople are willing to scam their own customers to make a buck.問題一：中國正努力打造與其出口經(jīng)濟(jì)相當(dāng)?shù)膰鴥?nèi)經(jīng)濟(jì)之時(shí)，人們對中國企業(yè)卻完全沒有信心。在上海生活的一名美國商人告訴我（由于擔(dān)心生意受影響，他要求匿名），“

47、這不是打造品牌的問題”。他說，而是消費(fèi)者感覺，無論是哪個(gè)行業(yè)，都有太多的中國商人為了賺錢而不惜欺騙消費(fèi)者。With corner-cutting deeply ingrained as a Chinese business practice, its really up to the government to change that ethos through regulation and enforcement. But while the central government is more than happy to pass nice-sounding laws, there is

48、virtually no enforcement, and no real culture of regulation either. Thats problem No. 2. Provincial governments that are supposed to oversee, say, the food supply, are often either in on the scam, or look the other way because they fear that a crackdown might impede economic growth. And officials ar

49、e evaluated almost exclusively on the basis of growth. Problem No. 3: bad incentives.由于中國商界偷工減料成性，的確需要政府通過監(jiān)管和執(zhí)法來改變這種風(fēng)氣。但是，盡管中央政府極其樂于通過看上去很美的法規(guī)，但基本不執(zhí)行，也不存在真正的監(jiān)管文化。此為問題二。省級政府本應(yīng)對食品供應(yīng)等問題進(jìn)行監(jiān)管，卻往往不是成為幫兇，就是視而不見，因?yàn)樗麄兒ε?，重拳出擊可能會影響?jīng)濟(jì)增長。而官員考核幾乎只注重經(jīng)濟(jì)增長。此為問題三：糟糕的激勵(lì)機(jī)制。And if your car does break down in six months

50、because a supplier sold faulty parts or your child dies from tainted infant formula? Theres not a thing you can do. Yes, when a big scandal breaks, HYPERLINK /2009/WORLD/asiapcf/01/22/k/some crooks go to prison, but even the biggest scandals dont lead to systematic change. Nor is there any way to se

51、ek recompense in the courts; in the West, that has long served to help keep companies on the straight and narrow. The lack of a real rule of law is problem No. 4.假如你的汽車因供應(yīng)商出售的問題配件6個(gè)月就報(bào)廢，亦或你的孩子因受污染的奶粉而死亡，又會如何？答案是你什么都做不了。的確，每當(dāng)大丑聞爆發(fā)，HYPERLINK /2009/WORLD/asiapcf/01/22/k/都有些壞蛋進(jìn)監(jiān)獄，但是，就算是最大的丑聞也沒有帶來系統(tǒng)性的改變。

52、也沒有任何途徑可以在法庭上尋求賠償，而在西方，這一直是讓企業(yè)遵紀(jì)守法的一個(gè)原因。此為問題四：缺乏真正的法治。As Wong notes in his article, the government is now investigating foreign companies selling infant formula in China for price-fixing. (Since the scandal, the price of a can of foreign formula has risen by 30 percent.) Whether there is price-fixing or not market forces are a more likely culprit this response is exactly the problem: instead of enforcing regulations that would give consumers confidence in their own countrys products, the government instead