经济学人:种族隔离 被阻断的高速公路(1)

 　　Middle East and Africa 中东与非洲

　　South Africa: Highway interrupted 南非：被阻断的高速公路

　　A road to nowhere may finally reach an end. 无尽之路终有尽头。

　　Between the ocean and the mountain, there's the unfinished highway. 在海洋与山之间，有一条未完成的高速公路。

　　It is an odd-looking landmark¹ in a beautiful city: sections of elevated road left suspended in mid-air when construction stopped in the 1970s. 这条公路是这座美丽城市的奇特地标：在20世纪70年代，几段蜿蜒向上的道路修筑工程半途停止了。

　　Four decades later, the hulking slabs² of concrete still end in precipitous drops. 数十年之后，这些钢筋混凝土依然停留在这些险峻的落石之处。

　　A glossy³ brochure of Cape⁴ Town film locations proclaims the cut-off highway “truly special”, with “great city views”. 有一本光鲜亮丽的宣传开普敦电影拍摄地的小册子在其中提到了这条尚未完工的高速公路“着实特殊”以及“往城市看视野很好”。

　　It makes an edgy⁵ backdrop for TV commercials and fashion shoots, and looms⁶ over an episode of the science-fiction series “Black Mirror”. 这一切为商业电视剧，时尚镜头以及科幻剧集“黑镜”中若隐若现的场面提供了紧张刺激的背景地点。

　　This may soon come to an end. 而这一切即将迎来终结。

　　The unfinished highway could become part of a plan to help overcome a legacy⁷ of apartheid—while also easing traffic jams. 这条尚未完工的高速公路将成为解决种族隔离遗留问题计划之一——同时还能缓解当地的交通堵塞。

　　Like other South African cities, Cape Town remains⁸ largely segregated⁹, despite the advent¹⁰ of democracy in 1994. 像其他南非的城市一样，虽然早在1994年就实行了民主制度，但开普敦的种族隔离仍然很严重。

　　Under apartheid, black and mixed-race people were forced to live in the worst areas, far away from the whites and from work. 由于种族隔离，黑人和混血人种的人们被迫生活在糟乱的环境里，他们远离白人、远离工作。

　　Today they are free to live where they choose, but mostly cannot afford to live in the old “white” areas. 如今他们可以自由地选择居住在什么地方，但他们大部分人依然住不起原“白人”居住地。

1 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

2 slabs   

n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片

参考例句：

• The patio was made of stone slabs. 这天井是用石板铺砌而成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The slabs of standing stone point roughly toward the invisible notch. 这些矗立的石块，大致指向那个看不见的缺口。 来自辞典例句

3 glossy   

adj.平滑的；有光泽的

参考例句：

• I like these glossy spots.我喜欢这些闪闪发光的花点。
• She had glossy black hair.她长着乌黑发亮的头发。

4 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

5 edgy   

adj.不安的；易怒的

参考例句：

• She's been a bit edgy lately,waiting for the exam results.她正在等待考试结果，所以最近有些焦躁不安。
• He was nervous and edgy, still chain-smoking.他紧张不安，还在一根接一根地抽着烟。

6 looms   

n.织布机( loom的名词复数 )v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的第三人称单数 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• All were busily engaged,men at their ploughs,women at their looms. 大家都很忙，男的耕田，女的织布。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The factory has twenty-five looms. 那家工厂有25台织布机。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

8 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。

9 segregated   

分开的； 被隔离的

参考例句：

• a culture in which women are segregated from men 妇女受到隔离歧视的文化
• The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. 大夫把患猩红热的孩子隔离起来。

10 advent   

n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临

参考例句：

• Swallows come by groups at the advent of spring. 春天来临时燕子成群飞来。
• The advent of the Euro will redefine Europe.欧元的出现将重新定义欧洲。