经济学人189:政府审查开采石油计划面临冻结

 　　Facing a freeze

　　面临冻结

　　Governments are reviewing plans to open Arctic waters to oilmen

　　政府正审查在北极开采石油的计划

　　WHEN BP's Macondo well began spewing oil into the Gulf¹ of Mexico,

　　当英国石油公司的麦肯多油井开始向墨西哥湾喷出石油的时候，

　　the firm was in the midst of an effort to persuade Canada's energy regulator that safety standards

　　英国石油公司正致力于劝说加拿大的能源监管机构，

　　for offshore² drilling in the Canadian Arctic were expensive, impractical³ and should be relaxed.

　　称在加拿大的北极地区进行海底钻探的安全标准非常昂贵，不切实际，而且应该放弃。

　　Hearings on the subject were promptly⁴ suspended and the regulator declared that no new drilling permits would be issued pending⁵ a review of existing rules.

　　关于海底钻探的听证会立即停止，监管机构称在审查现存规则的时候，不许可任何新的钻探。

　　We have a duty to pause, to take stock of the incident, says Gaétan Caron, head of the National Energy Board.

　　国家能源委员会主席扎艾当凯伦说，我们有义务停止，需要评估一下这次事件。

　　For a time it looked as though the Arctic would be the next frontier for Western oil firms, which have only limited access to the most promising⁶ prospects⁷ in sunnier climes.

　　一段时间以来，北极似乎会成为西方石油公司的下一个目标，这些石油公司在晴朗的气候要进入最富前景的区域是有限得。

　　The retreat of the polar ice cap is making the region easier to work in, and there is thought to be lots of oil and gas to tap.

　　北极冰盖的消融使得该区域更容易进入，人们认为那儿蕴藏着丰富的石油和天然气。

　　But Canada is not the only country now thinking twice:

　　但是加拿大不是唯一三思而行的国家：

　　America, Norway and even Russia are all contemplating⁸ tighter rules for drilling.

　　美国，挪威，甚至俄国都在考虑对钻探实施更严格的规则。

　　Canada's stay on drilling, like a similar one imposed in America, is temporary.

　　同美国的钻探情况一样，加拿大的钻探是临时的。

　　But environmental groups and some indigenous⁹ people advocate more lasting¹⁰ restrictions¹¹,

　　但是环境组织和一些本地居民提倡实施更持久的限制，

　　on the ground that the Arctic is particularly ecologically fragile, far from clean-up crews and blanketed for much of the year in oil-trapping ice.

　　理由是北极的生态尤其脆弱，这儿远离清理团队，钻取石油的冰面常年是草木不生。

　　A vigorous argument about whether to open pristine¹² bits of coastline to drilling had already been under way in Norway.

　　关于是否要开放原始的海岸线进行钻探，一直以来在挪威引起激烈的辩论。

　　The spill has made a big impression in the country, says Kristin Halvorsen, who leads one of the parties in the governing coalition¹³ and opposes the expansion,

　　执政联盟领导人之一，反对扩大钻探规模的克里斯蒂哈尔芙森称，墨西哥湾漏油事件在全国引起很大反响，

　　because it shows that even with a lot of security measures and top modern technology, you can't insure against accidents when you are working with oil.

　　因为这表明，即使有很多的安全措施和先进的现代技术，当你跟石油共事时，是无法保证没有事故得。

　　The row is threatening to undermine the coalition, with the prime minister refusing to rule out further drilling.

　　由于总理拒绝排除未来钻探的可能性，关于钻探的争论威胁要损害执政联盟。

　　Russia's parliament, too, has begun debating updated environmental laws to address offshore spills—a move the government supports.

　　俄国的议会同样已经开始就应付近海石油泄漏制定最新的环境法律展开辩论-政府支持这一举动。

　　Only Greenland, an autonomous¹⁴ Danish territory with high hopes for an oil-fuelled bonanza¹⁵, is pressing ahead undaunted with plans to expand oil exploration.

　　只有丹麦的海外郡格林兰岛，义无反顾地推行扩大石油开采计划。

　　Its government has approved drilling this summer in Baffin Bay, close to its maritime¹⁶ boundary with Canada.

　　这个小岛上有着丰富的石油矿藏。政府已经同意今年夏天在巴芬海湾进行开采活动，这个海湾与加拿大的海上国界离得很近。

　　That decision has alarmed Jim Prentice, Canada's environment minister, who wants the highest environmental standards to be applied¹⁷.

　　这个决定让加拿大的环境部长吉姆普兰提斯大为震惊，他希望实行最高层次的环境标准。

　　Mr Prentice and his counterparts from other Arctic states met in Greenland this week, to discuss offshore drilling among other topics.

　　普兰提斯先生和来自其他北极国家的同行们本周在格林兰岛开会，讨论近海钻探和其他话题。

　　The oil industry is relatively¹⁸ confident that their response to events farther south will not be too restrictive.

　　石油工业对此相对有信心，他们对往更南方开采的反应不会太限制。

　　After all, if the Arctic does not provide new supplies of oil, they will have to be obtained somewhere else.

　　毕竟，如果北极不能提供新的石油，就肯定要从其他地方获取。

　　As Benoit Beauchamp of the Arctic Institute of North America, a Canadian research outfit¹⁹, notes:

　　北美北极研究所是加拿大的一个研究机构，他的领导人贝诺伊特比查姆普称：

　　That somewhere else might be the oil sands, which have their own environmental problems,

　　有些地方也许有油砂，这些地方有自己的环境问题；

　　or it could be coming from places where you have to deal with warlords and terrorists, like Africa, or the Middle East, where we pretty much have to send armies to protect the oil and gas.

　　或者这些油砂的产地有军国主义和恐怖分子，例如非洲或是中东，我们肯定要派军队去保护石油和天然气。

　　1.persuade v.说服；劝说

　　How can I persuade you of my sincerity²⁰?

　　我如何能够让你相信我的诚意？

　　2.impractical a.不切实际的；不实用的

　　He ruled out the impractical option.

　　他拒绝考虑不切实际的选择。

　　3.suspend v.暂停；悬浮；中止

　　As the workers went on strike, the company was obliged to suspend its operations.

　　由于工人罢工,该公司被迫暂停营运。

　　4.incident n.事变；事件

　　The serious incident along the border increased our fears of the war.

　　边境上的紧张局势加重了我们对战争的忧虑。

　　5.frontier n.边界；边境；尖端

　　We were turned back at the frontier.

　　我们在边界那儿被赶了回来。

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

3 impractical   

adj.不现实的，不实用的，不切实际的

参考例句：

• He was hopelessly impractical when it came to planning new projects.一到规划新项目，他就完全没有了实际操作的能力。
• An entirely rigid system is impractical.一套完全死板的体制是不实际的。

4 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

5 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

6 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

7 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

8 contemplating   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。
• She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。

9 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

10 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

11 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

12 pristine   

adj.原来的，古时的，原始的，纯净的，无垢的

参考例句：

• He wiped his fingers on his pristine handkerchief.他用他那块洁净的手帕擦手指。
• He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。

13 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

14 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

15 bonanza   

n.富矿带，幸运，带来好运的事

参考例句：

• Bargain hunters enjoyed a real bonanza today.到处买便宜货的人今天真是交了好运。
• What a bonanza for the winning ticket holders!对于手持胜券的人来说，这是多好的运气啊。

16 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

17 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

18 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

19 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

20 sincerity   

n.真诚，诚意；真实

参考例句：

• His sincerity added much more authority to the story.他的真诚更增加了故事的说服力。
• He tried hard to satisfy me of his sincerity.他竭力让我了解他的诚意。