经济学人135:麦田怪圈意外的收获

 　　Crop circles

　　麦田怪圈

　　Strange fruit

　　意外的收获

　　The costs and benefits of rural mysticism

　　乡村神秘主义的收入与支出

　　Jul 7th 2011 | HONEYSTREET, WILTSHIRE | from the print edition

　　Farm life, but not as we know it

　　不为人所知的农村生活

　　WHETHER extraterrestrials or pranksters are to blame, in the Wiltshire countryside crop circles are costly¹: around ?1,000 each, says Tim Carson, a farmer in the village of Alton Barnes, whose land has been dotted by 125 circles since 1991. Lost crops have become part of his annual routine, because his corner of the county is the global centre for crop circles. Fifty or more formations appear in Britain’s fields each year, usually between May and August; around three-quarters are in Wiltshire.

　　不论外星人还是某人恶作剧，Tim Carson这个生活在Alton Barnes的农民正因Wiltshire郊外的麦田怪圈每年承受着1000英镑的损失。自1991年起，他的田地里至今已有125个怪圈错落其中。因为他所在的乡村一角正是全球怪圈的集中地，损失农田对他来说已是家常便饭。每年英国都会出现至少50个怪圈 ，通常这类事发生在5到8月，而其中约有三分之二在Wiltshire。

　　They are likely to make farmers especially cross in what has already been a tricky² year. Fuel and fertiliser prices have risen; a dry spring means yields are expected to be down 25-30% on last year in the south-west. Now Wiltshire is being trampled³ by summer tourists, many of them mystically inclined. Some circular formations are visited by thousands of these enthusiasts⁴, causing further damage to crops and sometimes property.

　　看来，今年他们的出现使得本已艰难度日的农民日子更加不好过。原油、肥料价格上涨，加上一个干燥的春季——这意味着西南部农田的收获预计会比去年少25－30％。而如今Wiltshire还正遭受着游人的蹂躏，他们中的许多有神秘主义思想倾向。有时数千狂热分子涌向某个怪圈，造成了更多作物甚至财物损失。

　　Occasionally, there is an upside for farmers. In 1998 commercial circle-makers acting⁵ for Mitsubishi, a Japanese carmaker, paid Mr Carson for the right to cut an outline of a new model named the Space Star in his fields. The commission “more than compensated⁶ for the loss of crop”, he says. Shredded⁷ Wheat, a breakfast cereal, once had its logo carved in a wheat field. Some landowners charge for entry or solicit⁸ donations, though the tale of the farmer who made ?30,000 from tourists is exceptional.

　　偶尔地，也有对农民来说积极的一面。1998年，三菱（日本汽车制造商）为了打造商务麦田怪圈，付给Carson先生一笔费用以求取他的田地里一个叫星空的新怪圈中的一块。Carson称补偿的酬金“比单单损失田地要来的丰厚”。小麦片，一种早餐谷物，曾把他的商标刻在麦田。一些土地所有人收取准入费或征求捐赠，尽管农民以旅游创收3万英镑的故事非常罕见。

　　But while farmers tend to suffer, others gain. The circles augment⁹ a mystical aura that emanates¹⁰ from Stonehenge, and that contributes hugely to Wiltshire’s ?850m tourism industry. Visitor shops are stuffed with crop-circle memorabilia; coach tours frequent them. At the Barge¹¹ Inn, a community-owned pub in Honeystreet, drinkers enjoy tipples¹² named Croppie, Alien Abduction and Away With The Fairies. The pub has customers from all over the world, even out of season, and the nearby formations have “no doubt benefited the business”, says Terry Kemp, who works there.

　　但就在农民遭殃的时候，另一些人确从中获利。这些怪圈提高了源自史前巨石柱的神秘氛围，为Wiltshire8.5亿磅的旅游业作出了巨大贡献。商铺里满满当当地都是麦田怪圈的纪念品，一车车的游客已司空见惯。在Barge Inn，Honeystreet上的一家社区酒馆里，人们乐衷于品尝名为“谷物”，“外星人的祝福”及“远离小精灵”的烈酒。即使在不当季的时候，酒馆里也有来自全世界各地的顾客，在那里工作的Terry Kemp认为附近的那些怪圈“毫无疑问帮了大忙”。

　　The exact value of crop circles to the broader economy is unclear. Visit Wiltshire, the county’s tourism agency, is understandably reluctant to comment, given that acts of trespass¹³ and criminal damage are involved. But perhaps if the upside were better understood, the benefits might be more fairly shared.

　　对整体经济来说这些麦田怪圈的具体价值还不明朗。鉴于涉及未经许可擅入私人土地及刑事损害类行为，可以理解Wiltshire这个乡村旅游部不愿就此多谈。不过假如人们能更理解好的一面，那也许就能被更公平地享有其中的利润。

1 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

2 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

3 trampled   

踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯

参考例句：

• He gripped his brother's arm lest he be trampled by the mob. 他紧抓着他兄弟的胳膊，怕他让暴民踩着。
• People were trampled underfoot in the rush for the exit. 有人在拼命涌向出口时被踩在脚下。

4 enthusiasts   

n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册

5 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

6 compensated   

补偿，报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款）

参考例句：

• The marvelous acting compensated for the play's weak script. 本剧的精彩表演弥补了剧本的不足。
• I compensated his loss with money. 我赔偿他经济损失。

7 shredded   

shred的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Serve the fish on a bed of shredded lettuce. 先铺一层碎生菜叶，再把鱼放上，就可以上桌了。
• I think Mapo beancurd and shredded meat in chilli sauce are quite special. 我觉得麻婆豆腐和鱼香肉丝味道不错。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 solicit   

vi.勾引；乞求；vt.请求，乞求；招揽(生意)

参考例句：

• Beggars are not allowed to solicit in public places.乞丐不得在公共场所乞讨。
• We should often solicit opinions from the masses.我们应该经常征求群众意见。

9 augment   

vt.(使)增大，增加，增长，扩张

参考例句：

• They hit upon another idea to augment their income.他们又想出一个增加收入的办法。
• The government's first concern was to augment the army and auxiliary forces.政府首先关心的是增强军队和辅助的力量。

10 emanates   

v.从…处传出，传出( emanate的第三人称单数 )；产生，表现，显示

参考例句：

• He emanates power and confidence. 他表现出力量和信心。
• He emanates sympathy. 他流露出同情。 来自辞典例句

11 barge   

n.平底载货船，驳船

参考例句：

• The barge was loaded up with coal.那艘驳船装上了煤。
• Carrying goods by train costs nearly three times more than carrying them by barge.通过铁路运货的成本比驳船运货成本高出近3倍。

12 tipples   

n.致醉的饮料，烈酒( tipple的名词复数 )

参考例句：

13 trespass   

n./v.侵犯，闯入私人领地

参考例句：

• The fishing boat was seized for its trespass into restricted waters.渔船因非法侵入受限制水域而被扣押。
• The court sentenced him to a fine for trespass.法庭以侵害罪对他判以罚款。