2018年经济学人 奥夫拉多尔当选墨西哥总统是福是祸?(2)

 

The charismatic leaders who ride these resentments¹ to power are almost always false prophets,

这群魅力型领导人们通过驾驭仇恨而夺得权力，他们几乎都是些假先知，

promising² security and prosperity even as they erode³ their foundations.

表面承诺实现国家安定、经济繁荣，本人却破坏这两者的基石。

The danger they pose to new democracies is greater than in more deeply rooted ones.

他们对新兴民主国家造成的危害比对那些民主源远根深的国家要更严重。

Mr Trump⁴ is constrained⁵ by Congress, an independent judiciary,

特朗普受到国会、独立司法体系、

a free press and a bureaucracy with a long tradition of following the law.

自由媒体和具有遵纪守法长期传统的官僚机构制约。

Mr López Obrador, by contrast, will govern a country that has been democratic only since 2000,

相较之下，洛佩斯·奥夫拉多尔将治理一个2000年才实现民主的国家，

and where corruption⁶ is widespread and growing worse.

这个国家腐败丑声远播且愈演愈烈。

The next president's main job should be to reinforce the institutions that underpin⁷ a modern economy, democracy and above all the rule of law.

下一任总统的主要工作应该是巩固支撑现代经济、民主和法治的制度。

The risk with Mr López Obrador, who will be the first non-technocratically minded president in 36 years,

选举洛佩斯-奥夫拉多尔的风险在于他的所作所为将与此大相径庭，

is that he will do precisely⁸ the opposite.

他将是墨西哥36年来首位非技术型总统。

Mexican technocracy has had its successes.

墨西哥的技术治国派曾有其成功之处。

Orthodox economic policies have ensured relatively⁹ steady if unspectacular growth since the 1990s.

自20世纪90年代以来，正统经济政策确保经济谈不上耀眼但相对稳定的增长。

Thanks to the North American FreeTrade Agreement (NAFTA) with the United States and Canada, which took effect in 1994,

北美自由贸易协定（NAFTA）是墨西哥与美国、加拿大签署，于1994年生效，

Mexico is the world’s fourth-biggest exporter of motor vehicles.

受益于这份协定，墨西哥成为世界上第四大汽车出口国。

The outgoing president, Enrique Pena Nieto, opened energy and telecoms to competition

即将卸任的总统恩里克·培尼亚·涅托开放能源业和电信业进行市场竞争，

and is trying to impose higher standards on a failing school system.

并尝试对衰败中的教育体系实行更高标准。

Alas¹⁰, progress has been slower than politicians promised and is uneven¹¹.

可惜的是，事情的进展比政治家们承诺的要慢且发展得不平衡。

Mexico's south, where a quarter of the population lives,

墨西哥约有四分之一的人口居住南部，

has ox-drawn ploughs rather than assembly lines.

南部是牛拉犁的农业地区而非布满生产线的工业地区。

By Mexico's own measure, nearly 44% of its citizens are poor.

按照墨西哥本国标准，贫困人口约占总人口的44%。

The main source of Mexicans'discontent is not inequality

墨西哥人的不满主要根源并非不平等，

but crime and corruption, which have run riot under Mr Pena.

而是在培尼亚统治下愈加猖獗的犯罪和腐败。

The murder rate has broken a record set in 2011.

谋杀率已经打破了2011年创下的记录。

The ruling party has seen countless¹² scandals.

执政党闹出数不尽的丑闻。

It emerged that Mr Pena's wife's $7m home had belonged to a government contractor¹³.

培尼亚妻子价值700万美元的房产被揭露曾属于一家政府承包商。

In an ordinary election, Mexicans would ditch Mr Pena's Institutional Revolutionary Party

一场普选本将抛弃培尼亚的革命制度党

and turn back to the conservative National Action Party.

而重新支持保守的国家行动党。

But after its last crime-ridden years in power, from 2006 to 2012, they are fed up with that, too.

但经历了国家行动党2006年到2012年犯罪猖獗的执政时期，墨西哥人对国家行动党也受够了。

They want change, which Mr López Obrador certainly offers.

墨西哥人需要变革，而是洛佩斯·奥夫拉多尔一定能带来变革。

1 resentments   

（因受虐待而）愤恨，不满，怨恨( resentment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He could never transcend his resentments and his complexes. 他从来不能把他的怨恨和感情上的症结置之度外。
• These local resentments burst into open revolt. 地方性反感变成公开暴动。

2 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。

3 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

4 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

5 constrained   

adj.束缚的,节制的

参考例句：

• The evidence was so compelling that he felt constrained to accept it. 证据是那样的令人折服，他觉得不得不接受。
• I feel constrained to write and ask for your forgiveness. 我不得不写信请你原谅。

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 underpin   

v.加固，支撑

参考例句：

• China needs regional stability to underpin its continued economic growth.中国需要地区稳定来巩固其持续的经济增长。
• These developments are underpinned by solid progress in heavy industry.重工业的稳固发展为这些进展打下了基础。

8 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

9 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

10 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。

11 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

12 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

13 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。