经济学人:莱克星顿 政治斗争在圣诞前夕暂息

 　　Lexington

　　莱克星顿

　　Still in the trenches¹

　　仍深陷战壕

　　A pre-Christmas lull² in political combat probably means less than meets the eye

　　政治斗争在圣诞前夕暂息，其意义也许低于表面价值

　　THE idea of the Christmas truce³ is a potent⁴ one. A celebrated⁵ example took place in December 1914, when first-world-war troops climbed warily⁷ from trenches at points along the Western Front. As freezing fog swirled⁸, British and allied⁹ soldiers met German foes¹⁰ to barter¹¹ cigarettes, sing carols and kick footballs on no-man's-land. The moment passed into myth, inspiring poems, films and a (pretty terrible) Paul McCartney song. Britain is marking the centenary lavishly¹², with a new monument and memorial football matches around the world. Far-off Washington was not left out, with British and Canadian diplomats¹³ playing a German-embassy team in America's capital on December 14th.

　　圣诞休战的想法很强大，最有名的例子是1914年的12月，在一战西线战场上，战士们疲惫地从战壕中爬出，弥漫的寒雾中，英国及其联盟国的战士和他们的德国对手聚在一起，抽香烟，唱颂歌，在无人区踢足球。这一刻被写成了传说故事与振奋人心的诗歌，还被拍成了电影，编成了一首惹人生厌的保罗·麦卡特尼歌曲，以这些形式流传了下来。值其百年之际，英国对此进行了大肆庆祝，新建了一座纪念碑，还发起了世界范围的纪念足球赛。远方的华盛顿也不甘落后，12月14日，英加外交官在美国首都迎战德国使馆队。

　　莱克星顿.jpg

　　Yet the meaning of Christmas 1914 is in danger of being muddled¹⁴. In too many tellings, the truce is hailed as something between a protest and a premonition: a declaration of shared humanity by ordinary soldiers, before heartless commanders sent them to their deaths. History's record is more complicated. That first December the trenches were newly dug, and both sides could imagine that total victory was at hand. The small-scale Christmas truces¹⁵ of 1914 were as much a display of misplaced confidence as an outbreak of pacifism. The truces' moral is rather bleak¹⁶: those embarking¹⁷ on the first industrial war had little idea of the murderous stalemate that lay ahead. After bitter reality sank in, few called for cheery Christmas games with the enemy.

　　但1914年圣诞背后的含义有被混说之嫌。在许多传说中，那次休战被看做战士们在对命运的不祥预感之下，做出的一种无声抗议，是无情的指挥官把他们送往坟墓之前，寻常战士做出的人性宣言。但它在历史记载中显然更复杂。那是一战经历的第一个12月，战壕刚被挖好，交战双方都以为胜券在握。1914年那场小规模的圣诞休战，若说它代表了反战主义，那它一定也代表着交战双方错寄的信心。休战的意义很模糊，史上首次工业战争的参与者几乎不了解，前方有多少鏖战。当他们意识到苦涩的现实，就少有人有心情呼唤敌军，一起做欢乐的圣诞游戏了。

　　Without stretching the analogy too far, lessons are there for Congress, after members marked the holiday season with a moment of unusual comity¹⁸. After a tense few days, including a Saturday session in the Senate, members of the House of Representatives and senators avoided shutting the government down, crossing party lines to pass a $1.1 trillion spending bill. This marked a win for the Republicans' “governing wing”: party members who believe that voters, having handed them control of both chambers¹⁹ of Congress in November's mid-term elections, expect them to do more than shout “No” during President Barack Obama's final two years in office. Such Republicans formed coalitions²⁰ with moderate Democrats²¹ to push back populists on the right and left who opposed elements of the spending bill with enough fervour to flirt²² with closing down the government. Front-page headlines hailed a “rare bipartisan success”, and Senate veterans used such words as “hope”.

　　如果进行有限的类比，美国国会的确可以从中学到一些东西，其成员为了庆祝这一节日，正展现出难得的礼让。此前，他们经历了一段时间的剑拔弩张—包括参议院在周六的会议—两会议员努力避免政府被关闭，相互合作通过了一个1.1万亿美元的支出方案，这标志着共和党“执政派系”想法的胜利，即，共和党人相信，在11月的中期选举中，选民将两会的控制权赋予他们，并不只是为了让他们在奥巴马任期的最后两年中拒不合作的。抱着相同想法的共和党人与民主党中的温和派联手，逼退了左右派中的民粹主义者—他们反对开支议案中的内容，还充满狂热地想轻率的关闭政府。报纸头版用“罕见的跨党派成功”，参议院中的老练议员更是用上了“希望”这样的词语。

　　In a striking display of establishment confidence, Republican senators publicly berated²³ their colleague Ted⁶ Cruz of Texas, a darling of the grassroots, putative²⁴ presidential contender and the man chiefly responsible for forcing the Senate back into session over the weekend. Mr Cruz had held up the spending bill to demand a show-vote on whether the constitution allows Mr Obama to shield millions of migrants from deportation—a ploy²⁵ that had no chance of stopping the president but did delight Cruz supporters (and inadvertently allowed Democrats extra time to confirm some contested presidential nominees²⁶ before ceding²⁷ control of the Senate). Though 21 colleagues felt it prudent²⁸ to join Mr Cruz in a symbolic²⁹ vote condemning³⁰ Mr Obama's immigration policy, many more opposed him.

　　在一片前景光明的言论中，共和党参议员公开斥责他们的同事、德州议员特德·克鲁兹，他出身草根，是潜在的总统候选人，主要负责在周末期间，斡旋让参议院恢复开会。他曾经阻拦开支议案，以此要求对奥巴马庇护千万非法移民的问题进行投票（因此无意中，让民主党人有更多的时间，在失去参议院控制权前，确认以后会与他们敌对的总统提名候选人）。尽管当时有21名同事参加了克鲁兹象征性的投票，谴责奥巴马的移民政策，但真正反对奥巴马的人，可能更多。

　　A rebellion on the Democratic left was also seen off. Its leader, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, vocally³¹ opposed a provision in the spending bill which, at Wall Street's behest, weakens a part of the Dodd-Frank financial-reform law that forces banks to shift some derivatives³² away from government safety nets. Like Mr Cruz, Ms Warren has a talent for reducing complex policy to stirring battle-cries, calling the spending bill—an unlovely collection of gifts to special interests, with goodies for Democrats and Republicans, but few big policy shifts—“a vote for future taxpayer³³ bail-outs of Wall Street” which, if repeated, might leave America with “no financial regulations at all”.

　　民主左派中的反叛也初见苗头，其领袖，马萨诸塞州参议员伊丽莎白·沃伦，公开反对开支议案中的一项条款，这一由华尔街促成的议案会削弱多德弗兰克法案，迫使银行将其一些附属机构移出政府的安全网。和克鲁兹一样，沃伦擅长将复杂的政策变为足以撩拨起战争的口号，她把这项开支议案称为送给特殊利益阶层的大礼，十分不讨喜，尽管这对两党都有利，但大的方针政策几乎没变，“这是投票决定纳税人以后是否要出资让华尔街拜托困境”，而这种事情如果一再发生，美国会“毫无金融秩序可言”。

　　Other Democrats saw a larger interest in taking the best deal they could get, in the last days before Republicans assume control of both the House and the Senate in the new year. During their Saturday session such pragmatic Democrats joined a bipartisan group of senators singing carols around a piano just off the Senate floor, and crooning “I'll Be Home for Christmas”.

　　至于其他民主党人，他们在共和党新年掌控两院之前，从他们能够得到的最好交易中看到了更大的利益。在周六的会议中，这样的务实民主党与一群两党参议员一起，在参议院的钢琴旁唱着颂歌，并低声吟唱着“我要回家过圣诞”。

　　Alas³⁴, the signs are that powerful forces in both parties saw the spending deal as a momentary³⁵, tactical ceasefire. Detached observers may see American democracy as increasingly locked in a 50-50 stalemate, in which Democrats dominate urban areas and enjoy a slight majority among the overall population, while Republicans have the edge among those citizens (notably older, whiter and richer folk) who reliably vote. Both parties may have fought each other to a draw in a technological³⁶ arms race, perfecting gerrymandering, data-mining, and voter-targeting tools which allow core supporters to be fired up and turned out to vote with unprecedented³⁷ efficiency. But—like massed armies in 1914—partisans³⁸ still dream that sweeping³⁹ victories are within grasp.

　　可悲的是，这种信号太过强大，两党都把开支议案看做了一次短暂的战略性停火。冷眼旁观的观察员则认为，美国民主越来越陷入势均力敌的僵局中—民主党主导城镇地区，在大众中开始占据微弱的多数优势，共和党则在市民（即更年长、更富有的白人）中占有优势，而这类人是实实在在的选民。两党在高科技战中也许战平了，完善了选区划分、数据挖掘和选民定制工具，让主要支持者能被煽动、以前所未有的效率投票。但就像1914年的大军一样，党派人士仍幻想着压倒性胜利是垂手可得的。

　　One more heave, and on to victory

　　向着胜利再进一步

　　Many on the right think that Republicans have a simple mandate⁴⁰ once they fully⁴¹ control Congress: to thwart⁴² Mr Obama on every front until a proper conservative takes the White House in 2016 (two-thirds of Republicans told a recent Pew Research Centre poll that their party leaders should “stand up” to Mr Obama, even if less gets done in Washington as a result). Many on the left are sure that a majority of Americans loathe⁴³ Wall Street and believe that the middle classes have been stiffed, giving a fiery⁴⁴ economic populist like Ms Warren a clear path to power (on December 13th more than 300 former Obama campaign staff signed a letter calling on the Massachusetts senator to run for president).

　　许多右派人士认为，共和党控制议会后有一个简单的使命，即在所有问题上都一一瓦解奥巴马，直到保守党能够在2016年入主白宫。（2/3的共和党人在近日的一次皮尤调查中都表示，他们的党派领袖应该站出来反对奥巴马，即使政府因此会耽误一些事务）。而许多左派人士则确信，多数美国人仍憎恶华尔街，并相信中产阶级仍在受压迫，这让沃伦等极端的经济民粹主义者有了一条清晰无比的争权之路（12月13日，300名奥巴马竞选团队的前成员签署了一封信，呼吁这位马萨诸塞州议员竞选总统）。

　　In short, too many partisans on left and right look at an unhappy electorate⁴⁵ and see woes⁴⁶ that can be harnessed to bring them victory without the need to compromise. It is a relief that America's government was not shut down this Christmas. But do not mistake a lull in combat for lasting⁴⁷ peace.

　　简而言之，左右两派中的许多人都在盯着不开心的选民，在不妥协的前提下，将这种不满为自己所用以带来胜利。让人松一口气的是，美国政府在这个圣诞节没有停摆。但不要把暂时的平静误认做永久的和平。

1 trenches   

深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕

参考例句：

• life in the trenches 第一次世界大战期间的战壕生活
• The troops stormed the enemy's trenches and fanned out across the fields. 部队猛攻敌人的战壕，并在田野上呈扇形散开。

2 lull   

v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇

参考例句：

• The drug put Simpson in a lull for thirty minutes.药物使辛普森安静了30分钟。
• Ground fighting flared up again after a two-week lull.经过两个星期的平静之后，地面战又突然爆发了。

3 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

4 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

5 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

6 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

7 warily   

adv.留心地

参考例句：

• He looked warily around him,pretending to look after Carrie.他小心地看了一下四周，假装是在照顾嘉莉。
• They were heading warily to a point in the enemy line.他们正小心翼翼地向着敌人封锁线的某一处前进。

8 swirled   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The waves swirled and eddied around the rocks. 波浪翻滚着在岩石周围打旋。
• The water swirled down the drain. 水打着旋流进了下水道。

9 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

10 foes   

敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They steadily pushed their foes before them. 他们不停地追击敌人。
• She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战，挫败过很多对手。

11 barter   

n.物物交换，以货易货，实物交易

参考例句：

• Chickens,goats and rabbits were offered for barter at the bazaar.在集市上，鸡、山羊和兔子被摆出来作物物交换之用。
• They have arranged food imports on a barter basis.他们以易货贸易的方式安排食品进口。

12 lavishly   

adv.慷慨地，大方地

参考例句：

• His house was lavishly adorned.他的屋子装饰得很华丽。
• The book is lavishly illustrated in full colour.这本书里有大量全彩插图。

13 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 muddled   

adj.混乱的；糊涂的；头脑昏昏然的v.弄乱，弄糟( muddle的过去式)；使糊涂；对付，混日子

参考例句：

• He gets muddled when the teacher starts shouting. 老师一喊叫他就心烦意乱。
• I got muddled up and took the wrong turning. 我稀里糊涂地拐错了弯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 truces   

休战( truce的名词复数 )； 停战（协定）； 停止争辩（的协议）； 中止

参考例句：

• Previous military operations have ended in truces. 以往的军事行动都以停火而告终。
• Many blamed it on the army, which had made several truces with the militants in Malakand. 许多人把责任推给军队，这迫使巴军与马拉坎地区武装分子进行了好几次停战。

16 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

17 embarking   

乘船( embark的现在分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• He's embarking on a new career as a writer. 他即将开始新的职业生涯——当一名作家。
• The campaign on which were embarking was backed up by such intricate and detailed maintenance arrangemets. 我们实施的战争，须要如此复杂及详细的维护准备。

18 comity   

n.礼让，礼仪；团结，联合

参考例句：

• Sometimes comity is regarded as a stimulus to the pattern of behaviour.礼让有时被视作行为模式的一个促进因素。
• The basic feature of positive comity is its voluntariness.积极礼让的基本特征是它的自愿性。

19 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

20 coalitions   

结合体，同盟( coalition的名词复数 )； （两党或多党）联合政府

参考例句：

• History testifies to the ineptitude of coalitions in waging war. 历史昭示我们，多数国家联合作战，其进行甚为困难。
• All the coalitions in history have disintegrated sooner or later. 历史上任何联盟迟早都垮台了。

21 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 flirt   

v.调情，挑逗，调戏；n.调情者，卖俏者

参考例句：

• He used to flirt with every girl he met.过去他总是看到一个姑娘便跟她调情。
• He watched the stranger flirt with his girlfriend and got fighting mad.看着那个陌生人和他女朋友调情，他都要抓狂了。

23 berated   

v.严厉责备，痛斥( berate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Marion berated Joe for the noise he made. 玛丽昂严厉斥责乔吵吵闹闹。 来自辞典例句
• It berated Mussolini for selling out to Berlin. 它严厉谴责了墨索里尼背叛、投靠柏林的行径。 来自辞典例句

24 putative   

adj.假定的

参考例句：

• There have been many attempts to track down the putative Loch Ness monster.人们为追踪假定存在的尼斯湖水怪做了许多努力。
• He is the putative father of this child.他是这孩子的推定的父亲。

25 ploy   

n.花招，手段

参考例句：

• I think this is just a government ploy to deceive the public.我认为这只是政府欺骗公众的手段。
• Christmas should be a time of excitement and wonder,not a cynical marketing ploy.圣诞节应该是兴奋和美妙的时刻，而不该是一种肆无忌惮的营销策略。

26 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

27 ceding   

v.让给，割让，放弃( cede的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was ceding line but more slowly all the time. 他正在放出钓索，然而越来越慢了。 来自英汉文学 - 老人与海
• Settlement would require ceding some Egyptian territory. 解决办法将要求埃及让出一些领土。 来自辞典例句

28 prudent   

adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的

参考例句：

• A prudent traveller never disparages his own country.聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。
• You must school yourself to be modest and prudent.你要学会谦虚谨慎。

29 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

30 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

31 vocally   

adv. 用声音, 用口头, 藉著声音

参考例句：

• She is not SCREAMER or MOANER - She is VOCALLY APPRECIATIVE. 她并不乱叫或发牢骚，只是用声音表示喜怒。
• The left has been vocally against. 左派力量一直竭力声讨。

32 derivatives   

n.衍生性金融商品；派生物，引出物( derivative的名词复数 )；导数

参考例句：

• Many English words are derivatives of Latin words. 许多英语词来自拉丁语。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These compounds are nitrosohydroxylamine derivatives. 这类合成物是亚硝基羟胺衍生物。 来自辞典例句

33 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

34 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

35 momentary   

adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的

参考例句：

• We are in momentary expectation of the arrival of you.我们无时无刻不在盼望你的到来。
• I caught a momentary glimpse of them.我瞥了他们一眼。

36 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

37 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

38 partisans   

游击队员( partisan的名词复数 )； 党人； 党羽； 帮伙

参考例句：

• Every movement has its partisans. 每一运动都有热情的支持者。
• He was rescued by some Italian partisans. 他被几名意大利游击队员所救。

39 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

40 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

41 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

42 thwart   

v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的)

参考例句：

• We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。
• I don't think that will thwart our purposes.我认为那不会使我们的目的受到挫折。

43 loathe   

v.厌恶，嫌恶

参考例句：

• I loathe the smell of burning rubber.我厌恶燃着的橡胶散发的气味。
• You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时，你会厌恶油腻的气味。

44 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

45 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

46 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

47 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。