经济学人:南极洲 核心价值

 　　Antarctica

　　南极洲

　　Core values

　　核心价值

　　The southern continent hots up

　　南方大陆热闹起来了

　　ANTARCTICA is 2,700km away. Yet as the brief austral summer fades, for Hobart, the capital of the Australian state of Tasmania, it is big business. The town is home to the Australian government's Antarctic Division and France's Antarctic programme. The two countries' ageing icebreakers are busy supplying their research stations. Australia is trying out a new research and supply vessel¹, which dwarfs² its part of the harbour.

　　远在2700公里的南极洲。随着南半球夏天的离去，澳大利亚塔斯马尼亚岛霍巴特迎来了大生意。澳大利亚政府南极洲研究部与法国南极洲考察项目驻扎在此。两国积极为其研究站提供技术成熟的破冰船。澳大利亚开展一项新的研究，研发供给船，这使其港口相形见绌。

　　南极洲.jpg

　　In early January the Falkor, a research vessel funded by Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google (and a member of The Economist's board), steamed into Hobart. Its research budget would quicken the pulse of any ocean scientist, and the Institute for Marine³ and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania threw a party for the crew. Among other topics, the institute's researchers are studying why the Earth is warming more slowly than models predict. One reason could be the cold Southern Ocean, a powerful climate regulator.

　　早前一月初，谷歌执行总裁埃里克·施密特资（同时也是该杂志董事会一员）助了一艘名为Falkor的研究船驶向霍巴特。该船研究预算让海洋科学者心跳加快，而且塔斯马尼亚大学海洋与南极洲研究中心为船员们开了派对。该中心的研究课题还有为什么地球变暖速度低于先前模型的预测。其中原因之一可能是寒冷的南大洋能有力的调控天气变化。

　　Though there are (disputed) territorial⁴ claims, the 1959 Antarctic Treaty sets Antarctica aside as a scientific reserve. States assert themselves by building bases and planting flagpoles. The dozen original signatories have swelled⁵ to 50, including India and South Korea. China, which signed up in 1983, has the fastest-growing presence. Some 350 features now have Chinese place-names (there is even a Great Wall).

　　虽然领土争端仍然存在，1959年签订的南极条约使其成为了科学保留地。各国通过建立考察站升起国旗展示国家能力。原始缔约国大约十几个，现在升至50个，其中印度，韩国，中国在1983年签署加入，并成为了发展速度最快的国家。350个左右的地点是以中国地名命名的（其中包括长城站）。

　　China's annual Antarctic spending has grown from $20m to $55m in a decade, and it has five bases. Its Ukrainian-built icebreaker, the Xue Long (Snow Dragon), shuttles between the Arctic and Antarctic summers, and will be joined in 2016 by a new vessel. Yet co-operation remains⁶ essential in this remote and hostile environment, and it relies on Russia and Australia for help with logistics and supplies.

　　中国每年在南极洲花费从10年前的2千万美元到5千5百万美元，中国现在有五个科学考察站。乌克兰建造的雪龙号破冰船，在夏天，往返于北极和南极。2016年会配备一艘新船。然而，在如此遥远与恶劣的环境中，合作是极其重要的。雪龙号的后勤和供给都要依靠俄罗斯和澳大利亚。'

　　China's long-term interest may be in resources. But mining has been banned in the Antarctic since 1998, and that would be hard to change if most countries active there resisted it. For now, scientists in Hobart say the Chinese are doing impressive research. Most ambitious is an attempt to drill 2.5km into Antarctica's highest ice dome⁷. Trapped air may reveal the secrets of 1.3m years of climate change. But extracting samples without contaminating them is only one of many challenges. And, whisper Australian scientists gleefully—for co-operation has its limits—the Chinese may not be drilling in the best place.

　　资源是中国长期利益出发点。但是1998年起，南极洲就禁止采矿，如果那里活跃的大多数国家反对开采的话，这个现状很难改变。目前，霍巴特的科学家中国的研究让人吃惊。其中在南极洲最高的冰穹钻入2500米的尝试非常有野心的。收集的空气可能揭示130万年前的气候变化的秘密。但是采集的样本如何不受到污染也是众多挑战之一。其中一位澳大利亚的科学家幸灾乐祸的小声说，合作也意味着限制。中国就无法在最佳的地方钻探。翻译：刘苗苗 校对：于玉涵

　　1.sign up 签订合同； 报名

　　He has posted a sign up that says "No Fishing"

　　他已经张贴了一张“禁止钓鱼”的告示牌。

　　They manage to sign up all the best performers.

　　他们设法跟所有最佳演员签订合同。

　　3.attempt to 尝试，企图

　　These feelings are likely to make people attempt to overthrow⁸ the system.

　　这些情绪有可能促使人们想要推翻现行的体制。

　　The action seemed a clumsy attempt to topple the Janata Dal government.

　　这一试图推翻人民党政府的行动似乎缺乏策略。

1 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

2 dwarfs   

n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Shakespeare dwarfs other dramatists. 莎士比亚使其他剧作家相形见绌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The new building dwarfs all the other buildings in the town. 新大楼使城里所有其他建筑物都显得矮小了。 来自辞典例句

3 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

4 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

5 swelled   

增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情）

参考例句：

• The infection swelled his hand. 由于感染，他的手肿了起来。
• After the heavy rain the river swelled. 大雨过后，河水猛涨。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

8 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。