经济学人508:洪水泛滥大不列颠

 　　Leaders-Britain

　　社论

　　Britain's floods

　　洪水泛滥大不列颠

　　Canute Cameron

　　卡梅伦祸从口出

　　The prime minister's response to the floods has been patchy; but it is wrong to blame him for them

　　首相治洪引发质疑，归咎于他有失公允

　　BIBLICAL—that is how David Cameron described the floods spreading misery¹ through southern England.

　　过去几周，英格兰南部洪灾泛滥，数千公顷农场一片汪洋，

　　Thousands of hectares of farmland have been under water for weeks and over 5,000 houses abandoned.

　　五千家庭流离失所，无奈之际首相卡梅伦称之为上帝的旨意。

　　Local railways are damaged and their services in chaos². Soldiers have been deployed³ to leafy Thames-side suburbs, where looters were rumoured⁴ to be splashing through abandoned stckbrokers' palaces.

　　如今，洪灾区铁路中断，公共服务陷入混乱。政府已经调遣军队维持泰晤士河沿岸洪水侵蚀地区的治安，据称大量歹徒已经将被富人遗弃的豪宅洗劫一空。

　　The prime minister was scarcely exaggerating;

　　对于此次洪水的破坏力，卡梅伦丝毫没有夸大其词。

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　　yet his recourse to scripture⁵ also invited the uncomfortable question of who, exactly, is to blame.

　　然而，首相引经据典的说辞却引发了一个尴尬的问题，即谁该对此次洪水负责。

　　The question matters to Mr Cameron.

　　对于卡梅伦来说，这个问题至关重要。

　　His reputation for competence⁶ underpins⁷ his party's electoral chances.

　　是否具备应对危机的能力，关系着其党内选举成败。

　　He may be able to brush off the councillor from the UK Independence Party who saw the floods as divine retribution for the prime minister's successful campaign to legalise gay marriage.

　　卡梅伦此前顺利通过同性恋婚姻合法化提案，英国独立党议员认为这是上帝对他的惩罚，对此卡梅伦或许可以选择漠视。

　　But British newspapers are full of semi-submerged people blaming his government for their plight⁸:

　　然而，英国报纸上充斥着灾区人民将自己现在的困境归咎于政府：

　　73% of Britons support a Daily Mail campaign to divert money to flood victims from Mr Cameron's unloved foreign-aid budget.

　　据《每日镜报》发起一项调查表明，73%的英国国民希望将卡梅伦不受国人待见的国外援助预算用于此次洪水受灾群众。

　　There is even an echo of the opprobrium⁹ thrown at George Bush for his useless response to Hurricane Katrina.

　　甚至有人旧事重提，将席卷美国的飓风卡特里娜造成的严重灾害归责与小布什的应对不力，以此含沙射影指责卡梅伦。

　　Some of these recriminations are justified¹⁰.

　　上述部分指责并非毫无根据。

　　In 2009 the Environment Agency, which is charged with keeping water in its proper place,requested an annual increase in spending on flood defences.

　　2009年，负责治理河道的英国环境局，曾提出增加年度防洪预算。

　　This was not unreasonable¹¹: more people are living in flood-prone areas, and global warming is likely to lead to more extreme weather.

　　这也是现实所需，很多人居住在易发洪涝区，全球气候变暖很有可能会导致更多极端天气。

　　The agency's budget for capital expenditure¹² has instead been cut by 28%.

　　然而，防洪预算不但未增加，反而减少了28%。

　　The extra cash now promised must be spent on repairing damaged defences, not investing in new ones.

　　现今政府许诺增加的预算势必会用于修复损毁防御设施，而无法投资新建。

　　It was a failure characteristic of a government that has too often sacrificed long-term spending on infrastructure¹³ to the exigencies¹⁴ of short-term belt-tightening.

　　政府常常会牺牲掉用于基础设施的长期预算，弥补短期节省开支造成的经济状况，这是政府失职的表现之一。

　　The government's initial response to the disaster was also poor.

　　对于英国国内的洪灾，政府最初的反应同样令人不敢恭维。

　　Mr Cameron implied the flooding on the Somerset Levels, an area of land below sea-level, had been exacerbated¹⁵ by a decision to stop dredging the man-made rivers that drain it.

　　卡梅伦暗示称由于此前政府终止了用于排涝的人工河疏浚工程，低于海平面的Somerset Levels地区的洪灾影响加重。

　　That suggested the last, Labour, government was to blame.

　　这表明上届政府，工党政府需要对此负责。

　　Yet dredging would at best have mitigated¹⁶ the flooding only a bit.

　　然而，即便是用于排涝的人工河得以疏浚，也只是稍微减小此次洪水的危害。

　　The Environment Agency is right to give low priority to protecting farmland. Towns are more valuable.

　　英国环境局不优先考虑保护农场的决定是正确的，城镇更为重要。

　　Torn between conflicting desires to appear in control of the calamity¹⁷ and blameless for the suffering, other ministers blathered.

　　在治理洪灾过程中，不同利益群体的矛盾开始显现，英国其他部长开始喋喋不休，互相推诿责任。

　　Eric Pickles¹⁸, the communities secretary, sniped at the Environment Agency—which is led, not coincidentally, by Lord Smith, a Labour Party grandee¹⁹.

　　社区大臣埃里克?皮克斯抨击由工党要员史密斯勋爵领导的环境局，绝非偶然。

　　Other Tories unconvincingly blamed their usual bogeys²⁰:

　　难以置信的是其他托利党成员谴责一贯被英国妖魔化的对象：

　　the European Union, on the basis of one directive or other, and the Liberal Democrats²¹, their main rival in the south-west.

　　欧盟，理由是其指挥不力，他们还谴责国内西南地区的主要竞选对手自由民主党。

　　For a government that takes pride in its efficiency, this was a shambles—and one seized on not just by Labour but by Mr Cameron's many enemies in the press and his own party.

　　对于一个向来以高效引以为豪的政府来说，这简直是倒退。这一点不仅会被工党，而且会被卡梅伦的敌对媒体及自身保守党内，都会借题发挥。

　　It never rains but it pours

　　不鸣则已，一鸣惊人

　　How much this will hurt Mr Cameron electorally is unclear: most of the flooded areas are safe Tory seats.

　　这会对卡梅伦的连任选举造成多达影响尚不得而知：大部分被淹地区都是可靠的保守党议员。

　　But the scale of the opprobrium is wildly unfair.

　　但是，对卡梅伦的广泛指责有失公允。

　　That is partly because Mr Cameron has got his act together, promising²² the acceleration²³ of insurance payouts, giving affected²⁴ companies more time to meet tax obligations and stopping the ministerial blather.

　　原因之一是卡梅伦已经开始有条不紊的采取相应措施，承诺加快各项保险赔付，允许受灾地区公司延后纳税，勒令停止部门之间的口水战。

　　But the bigger reason is simple: in this instance virtually all the blame should fall not on the government but on that other British bugbear, the weather.

　　但是，引发洪灾的主要原因不言而喻：事实上这次洪水灾害不应全部归责于政府，而是归咎于英国恶劣的天气，

　　Recent weeks have been the wettest in a century.

　　近几周的降雨量创英国过去一个世纪历史新高。

　　A giant storm surge and some of the biggest waves on record have contributed to a triple whammy of flash floods, waterlogging and burst riverbanks.

　　暴风雨激增，有史以来最大的波浪都助涨了此次迅猛的洪流、积水，这些都对河岸形成了强烈的冲击。

　　Even if Mr Cameron had the wisdom of Solomon and the wealth of Croesus, he could not have prevented the flooding.

　　即便卡梅伦有所罗门的智慧、克里萨斯王的财富，也无法阻止此次洪水。

　　With climate science indicating that future inundations are more likely, Britons will therefore have to assume more responsibility for their own property.

　　气候科学表明英国未来或许会遭遇更多洪水，

　　Anyone tempted²⁵ to build or buy a house on a flood-plain or low-lying sea front should think again.

　　任何打算在冲积平原或者海平面以下地区建造或购买房屋的人都需要三思而后行。

　　And on this subject, at least, they should stop blaming Mr Cameron.

　　无论如何，至少对于此次洪灾，他们不应在谴责卡梅伦。

1 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

2 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

3 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

4 rumoured   

adj.谣传的；传说的；风

参考例句：

• It has been so rumoured here. 此间已有传闻。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• It began to be rumoured that the jury would be out a long while. 有人传说陪审团要退场很久。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

5 scripture   

n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段

参考例句：

• The scripture states that God did not want us to be alone.圣经指出上帝并不是想让我们独身一人生活。
• They invoked Hindu scripture to justify their position.他们援引印度教的经文为他们的立场辩护。

6 competence   

n.能力，胜任，称职

参考例句：

• This mess is a poor reflection on his competence.这种混乱情况说明他难当此任。
• These are matters within the competence of the court.这些是法院权限以内的事。

7 underpins   

n.基础材料( underpin的名词复数 )；基础结构；（学说、理论等的）基础；（人的）腿v.用砖石结构等从下面支撑（墙等）( underpin的第三人称单数 )；加固（墙等）的基础；为（论据、主张等）打下基础；加强

参考例句：

• A powerful sense of mission underpins everything he does. 一种强烈的使命感支撑他所做的一切。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His presence at the crime underpins the case against him. 案子发生时他在场对他更不利。 来自辞典例句

8 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

9 opprobrium   

n.耻辱，责难

参考例句：

• The opprobrium and enmity he incurred were caused by his outspoken brashness.他招致的轻蔑和敌意是由于他出言过于粗率而造成的。
• That drunkard was the opprobrium of our community.那个酒鬼是我们社区里可耻的人物。

10 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

11 unreasonable   

adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的

参考例句：

• I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
• They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。

12 expenditure   

n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗

参考例句：

• The entry of all expenditure is necessary.有必要把一切开支入账。
• The monthly expenditure of our family is four hundred dollars altogether.我们一家的开销每月共计四百元。

13 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

14 exigencies   

n.急切需要

参考例句：

• Many people are forced by exigencies of circumstance to take some part in them. 许多人由于境况所逼又不得不在某种程度上参与这种活动。
• The people had to accept the harsh exigencies of war. 人们要承受战乱的严酷现实。

15 exacerbated   

v.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The symptoms may be exacerbated by certain drugs. 这些症状可能会因为某些药物而加重。
• The drugs they gave her only exacerbated the pain. 他们给她吃的药只是加重了她的痛楚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 mitigated   

v.减轻，缓和( mitigate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The cost of getting there is mitigated by Sydney's offer of a subsidy. 由于悉尼提供补助金，所以到那里的花费就减少了。 来自辞典例句
• The living conditions were slightly mitigated. 居住条件稍有缓解。 来自辞典例句

17 calamity   

n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件

参考例句：

• Even a greater natural calamity cannot daunt us. 再大的自然灾害也压不垮我们。
• The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity.偷袭珍珠港(对美军来说)是一场毁灭性的灾难。

18 pickles   

n.腌菜( pickle的名词复数 )；处于困境；遇到麻烦；菜酱

参考例句：

• Most people eat pickles at breakfast. 大多数人早餐吃腌菜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I want their pickles and wines, and that.' 我要他们的泡菜、美酒和所有其他东西。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛

19 grandee   

n.贵族；大公

参考例句：

• He is a former defence secretary of the United States and a grandee of the Democratic Party.他是美国前国防部长，也是民主党的显要人物。
• The highest-ranking member of the spanish aristocracy is the grandee.西班牙贵族中爵位最高的成员乃是大公。

20 bogeys   

n.妖怪，可怕的人（物）( bogey的名词复数 )v.妖怪，可怕的人（物）( bogey的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Bogeys appear to be heading directly at us. 我们现在左转，面向150，偏离敌机30度。 来自互联网
• Movement is powered by hidden electric motors on 'bogeys' integrated into the wall thickness. 运动是由电动机的隐藏'忌'融入壁厚。 来自互联网

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 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。

23 acceleration   

n.加速，加速度

参考例句：

• All spacemen must be able to bear acceleration.所有太空人都应能承受加速度。
• He has also called for an acceleration of political reforms.他同时呼吁加快政治改革的步伐。

24 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

25 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。