2018年经济学人 奥夫拉多尔当选墨西哥总统是福是祸?(3)

 

What sort of change remainsto be seen.

奥夫拉多尔将带来何种变革仍有待观察。

The biography that beguiles¹ his supporters is replete² with danger signals.

其履历令支持者着迷，但却充满危险的信号。

Time and again he has shown contempt for the law.

他屡次显示出对法律的轻蔑。

He has urged people not to pay their electricity bills.

还敦促民众不要支付他们的电费。

After he lost in 2006 his supporters proclaimed him the "legitimate³ president"

2006年竞选失败之后，他的支持者声称他才是“合法总统”，

and blocked Mexico City's main street for weeks.

并封堵了墨西哥城主要街道长达数周。

He has said that the courts should be an instrument of "popular sentiment".

他曾表示法庭应该是“民意”的工具。

His supporters say he has matured,

支持者声称奥夫拉多尔已经成熟，

and that his record as Mexico City's well-liked mayor from 2000 to 2005 shows that he was always pragmatic.

并且他在2000年至2005年担任墨西哥城市长期间深受爱戴，这样的记录说明他一直是个实效派。

He has made his peace with NAFTA and no longer talks of reversing the energy reform.

他已与北美自由贸易协定（NAFTA）讲和，亦不再谈论要推翻能源改革。

He promises to run a disciplined budget, to respect the independence of the central bank and not to raise taxes.

他还承诺要严格实行预算方案、尊重央行的独立性，以及不会提高税收。

Some of his ideas, like a nationwide apprenticeship⁴ programme, make sense.

他的某些想法，例如全国范围实行学徒制，有其合理性在。

But he seems to have little idea how a modern economy or democracy works.

但奥夫拉多尔似乎对现代经济或民主是如何运行甚无概念。

He disparages⁵ independent institutions, such as the supreme⁶ court.

他蔑视最高法院之类的独立机构。

He talks of making Mexico self-sufficient in food and of building oil refineries⁷, which are unlikely to make business sense.

他谈论墨西哥粮食自给和建炼油厂，但这些措施不具经济合理性。

His ideas are simplistic.

他的想法过分简单化。

He wants to halve⁸ the salaries of senior officials, including the president,

他想要把包括总统在内的高级官员薪水减半，

and to subject himself to a recall referendum every two years.

自己接受每两年一次的罢免公投。

Though personally clean, he has formed alliances with politicians who are anything but.

尽管他个人是清廉的，但与之结盟的政客却完全不是。

He denounces Mr Pena's education reform, which offers poor children a chance of a brighter future.

他公开批评皮亚诺的教育改革，而改革其实为贫困儿童提供了迈向更光明前途的机会。

Yes, Mr López Obrador has reinvented himself, but as a bundle of contradictions.

是的，洛佩斯·奥布拉多尔的确已经改头换面了，但却成为了一堆矛盾的集合体。

That makes his presidency⁹ a risky¹⁰ experiment.

上述因素使得奥夫拉多尔当选总统将成为一个高风险的实验。

The financial markets might tame a López Obrador government.

金融市场或会抑制洛佩斯·奥夫拉多尔领导的政府.

But a congressional majority for his party might equally encourage radicalism¹¹.

但其党派在议会占多数同样可鼓动激进主义。

It might go well if, say, he curbs¹² corruption¹³ or stands up to America over trade.

事情也许能进展顺利，如果他能控制住贪腐，或是在贸易问题上顶住美国的压力。

More likely, progress will remain elusive¹⁴.

但更可能，前行举步维艰。

Mexico cannot stop graft¹⁵ without the institutions Mr López Obrador scorns.

墨西哥如果没有洛佩斯·奥夫拉多尔嗤之以鼻的各项机构，将无法阻止贪污腐败行为。

And with protectionists at the helm in its two biggest member-states, NAFTA could well collapse¹⁶.

而随着北美自由贸易协定两个最大成员国都由贸易保护主义者掌权，北美自由贸易协定也很有可能崩溃。

That would further poison relations with the United States,

这将进一步恶化墨西哥与美国的关系，

possibly imperilling co-operation overdrugs and immigration.

有可能危及双方在打击毒品犯罪和非法移民方面的合作。

We worry about Mr López Obrador's presidency,

我们对洛佩斯·奥夫拉多尔的总统任期感到担忧，

but wish him luck. If he fails, worse may follow.

但也祝他好运。如果他竞选失败，更糟糕的事情或会接踵而至。

1 beguiles   

v.欺骗( beguile的第三人称单数 )；使陶醉；使高兴；消磨（时间等）

参考例句：

• There are far subtler ways that sight bewitches and beguiles. 运用视觉引诱蛊惑人有很多技巧。 来自互联网
• Heaven and Earth of peace beguiles. 欺骗着平安的天堂和人世。 来自互联网

2 replete   

adj.饱满的，塞满的；n.贮蜜蚁

参考例句：

• He was replete with food and drink.他吃喝得饱饱的。
• This immense space may be replete with happiness and glory.这巨大的空间可能充满了幸福和光荣。

3 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

4 apprenticeship   

n.学徒身份；学徒期

参考例句：

• She was in the second year of her apprenticeship as a carpenter. 她当木工学徒已是第二年了。
• He served his apprenticeship with Bob. 他跟鲍勃当学徒。

5 disparages   

v.轻视( disparage的第三人称单数 )；贬低；批评；非难

参考例句：

• A prudent traveller never disparages his own country. 聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She often aggrandises herself and disparages her colleagues. 她经常吹嘘自己而贬低同事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

7 refineries   

精炼厂( refinery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The efforts on closedown and suspension of small sugar refineries, small saccharin refineries and small paper mills are also being carried out in steps. 关停小糖厂、小糖精厂、小造纸厂的工作也已逐步展开。
• Hence the sitting of refineries is at a distance from population centres. 所以，炼油厂的厂址总在远离人口集中的地方。

8 halve   

vt.分成两半，平分；减少到一半

参考例句：

• Let's halve the project between our two teams.让我们两个队平均分担这项工程吧。
• I'll halve expenses with you.我要跟你平均分摊费用。

9 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

10 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

11 radicalism   

n. 急进主义, 根本的改革主义

参考例句：

• His radicalism and refusal to compromise isolated him. 他的激进主义与拒绝妥协使他受到孤立。
• Education produced intellectual ferment and the temptations of radicalism. 教育带来知识界的骚动，促使激进主义具有了吸引力。

12 curbs   

v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• In executing his functions he is not bound by any legal curbs on his power. 在他履行职务时，他的权力是不受任何法律约束的。 来自辞典例句
• Curbs on air travel were being worked out and would shortly be announced. 限制航空旅行的有关规定正在拟定中，不久即将公布。 来自辞典例句

13 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。

14 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

15 graft   

n.移植，嫁接，艰苦工作，贪污；v.移植，嫁接

参考例句：

• I am having a skin graft on my arm soon.我马上就要接受手臂的皮肤移植手术。
• The minister became rich through graft.这位部长透过贪污受贿致富。

16 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。