2021年经济学人 黑暗冬季惨剧--“美国能源之都”瘫痪(1)

United States

美国版块

A perfect storm

屋漏偏逢连夜雨

Light a candle for the kids

为孩子们点一支蜡烛

The freeze in Texas exposes America’s infrastructural¹ failings

得州的冻结暴露了美国基础设施的缺陷

When it rains, it pours, and when it snows, the lights turn off. Or so it goes in Texas. After a winter storm pummelled the Lone² Star State with record snowfall and the lowest temperatures in more than 30 years, millions were left without electricity and heat. At the worst moment on February 16th, 4.5m Texan households were cut off from power, as providers were overloaded³ with demand and tried to shuffle⁴ access to electricity so the entire grid⁵ did not collapse⁶.

不雨则已, 一雨倾盆；不雪则已，一雪灯灭。得克萨斯州也是这样。在一场冬季暴风雪以创纪录的降雪量和30多年来最低的气温袭击了孤星州（得州别名）之后，数百万人失去了电和热。在2月16日最糟糕的时刻，450万得州家庭被切断了电力供应，因为供电商的电力需求超负荷，并试图改变供电方式，以免整个电网崩溃。

Whole skylines, including Dallas’s, went dark to conserve⁷ power. Some Texans braved the snowy roads to check into the few hotels with remaining rooms, only for the hotels’ power to go off as they arrived. Others donned skiwear and remained inside, hoping the lights and heat would come back on. Across the state, what were supposed to be “rolling” blackouts lasted for days. It is still too soon to quantify the devastation⁸. More than 20 people have died in motor accidents, from fires lit for warmth and from carbon-monoxide poisoning after using cars to get warm. The storm has also halted deliveries of covid-19 vaccines⁹ and may prevent around 1m vaccinations¹⁰ from happening this week. Several retail¹¹ electricity providers are likely to go bankrupt, after being hit with surging wholesale¹² power prices.

所有的高楼大厦全部变暗以节省电力，达拉斯地区也未能幸免于难。一些得州人冒着雪路，住进了几家还有剩余房间的旅馆，结果旅馆的电源在他们到达时就断了。其他得州人则穿上滑雪服呆在家里，盼望着灯光和暖气能恢复。本应实行轮流停电的得州各地区停电数日。现在量化此次灾难的破坏程度还为时过早。超过20人死于交通事故、取暖引起的火灾以及用汽车取暖后的一氧化碳中毒。这场暴风雪还中断了新冠疫苗的运送，并可能阻止本周约100万人接种疫苗。在受到批发电价飙升的冲击后，几家零售电力供应商可能会破产。

Other states, including Tennessee, were also covered in snow, but Texas got the lion’s share and ground to a halt. Texans are rightly furious that residents of America’s energy capital cannot count on reliable power. Everyone is asking why.

包括田纳西州在内的美国其他州也被雪覆盖，但得州遭遇了最大的积雪覆盖和城市瘫痪。得州人感到愤怒是理所当然的，毕竟他们身为美国能源之都的居民，却无法指望可靠的电力。每个人都在问为什么。

1 infrastructural   

adj.基础结构的基础设施的

参考例句：

• Must increase the investment dynamics unceasingly, strengthens the countryside infrastructural facilities. 要不断加大投入力度，加强农村基础设施建设。 来自互联网
• In the 1980s, India started with some infrastructural advantages over China. 1980年代，印度在某些基础设施方面优于中国。 来自互联网

2 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

3 overloaded   

a.超载的，超负荷的

参考例句：

• He's overloaded with responsibilities. 他担负的责任过多。
• She has overloaded her schedule with work, study, and family responsibilities. 她的日程表上排满了工作、学习、家务等，使自己负担过重。

4 shuffle   

n.拖著脚走，洗纸牌；v.拖曳，慢吞吞地走

参考例句：

• I wish you'd remember to shuffle before you deal.我希望在你发牌前记得洗牌。
• Don't shuffle your feet along.别拖着脚步走。

5 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

6 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

7 conserve   

vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭

参考例句：

• He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
• Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力，你会用得着的！

8 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

10 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

12 wholesale   

n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售

参考例句：

• The retail dealer buys at wholesale and sells at retail.零售商批发购进货物，以零售价卖出。
• Such shoes usually wholesale for much less.这种鞋批发出售通常要便宜得多。