2020年经济学人 榕树专栏--风暴不歇的日本和韩国(1)

Asia

亚洲板块

Banyan¹

榕树专栏

The new weather gods

新的气象神

Floods and storms force Japan and South Korea to think harder about climate change

洪水和风暴肆虐，日本和韩国被迫更加认真地思考气候变化问题

Senso-ji in Tokyo, dedicated² to the boddhisattva of compassion³, is Earth’s most visited sacred site. Some 30m people a year pass through the temple’s imposing⁴ entrance, known as Kaminarimon, or Thunder Gate, flanked by Fujin, the god of wind, and his even fiercer brother, Raijin, the god of storms and rain. They are just one of countless⁵ reminders⁶ across North-East Asia that the natural calamities⁷ of downpours and floods (not to mention earthquakes and tsunamis) are deeply enshrined in the region’s collective psyche⁸.

位于东京的浅草寺寺庙中供奉着大慈大悲观世音菩萨，浅草寺是地球上游客最多的圣地。每年约有3000万人从这座宏伟的庙宇入口经过，这个寺院的大门被称为“雷门”，大门旁边镇守着司管风的风神，和更加凶猛的司管暴风雨的雷神。东南亚地区供奉着无数给人们以警醒的神明，他们只是其中之一，这些神明提醒着生活在东南亚地区的人们要共同将暴雨和洪水（更不用说地震和海啸）的自然灾害深切铭记在心。

Yet some recent meteorological punishment looks less divine than manmade. Two years ago Japan’s summer monsoon⁹ season was the wettest on record. In their usual iteration, the lifegiving rains are welcome. In excess, they sweep away roads and houses: 225 people died across 15 prefectures in 2018. The rains of 2019 set a new record as, in turn, did this summer’s deluge¹⁰.

然而，近些年发生的一些气象灾害不太像是神明制造的，更像是人为导致的。两年前，日本遭遇了有史以来最湿润的夏季季风季节。在惯常的迭代中，人们会欣然迎接赋予生命的雨水。但是2018年的日本遭遇了过量的雨水，道路受损，房屋坍塌，15个县的225人丧生。2019年的降雨创造了一个新纪录，继而是今年夏季的洪水泛滥。

In South Korea, too, the 54 days of rain this summer marked the longest monsoon on record. The Han river, which runs through Seoul, the capital, burst its banks. The heavy rains threatened North Korea’s already meagre food supply.

韩国也同样暴雨滂沱，韩国在今年夏季有54天降雨，这是有史以来最长的雨季。流经韩国首都首尔的汉江决堤。暴雨致使朝鲜本已微薄的粮食供应雪上加霜。

No sooner did the monsoon end than the typhoon season began. The Korean peninsula typically gets one direct hit from a typhoon a year. Over the past two weeks it got three in succession, another record.

季风一结束，台风季节就开始了。朝鲜半岛通常每年会遭受一次台风的直接侵袭。但在过去的两个星期里，朝鲜半岛相继遭遇三次台风袭击，这创下了又一项记录。

1 banyan   

n.菩提树，榕树

参考例句：

• This huge banyan tree has a history of more than 400 years.这棵大榕树已经有四百多年的历史了。
• A large banyan tree may look like a forest.大型的榕树看起来象一片树林。

2 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

3 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

4 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

5 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。

6 reminders   

n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 )；提醒…的东西；（告知该做某事的）通知单；提示信

参考例句：

• The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
• The strike has delayed the mailing of tax reminders. 罢工耽搁了催税单的投寄。

7 calamities   

n.灾祸，灾难( calamity的名词复数 )；不幸之事

参考例句：

• They will only triumph by persevering in their struggle against natural calamities. 他们只有坚持与自然灾害搏斗，才能取得胜利。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• One moment's false security can bring a century of calamities. 图一时之苟安，贻百年之大患。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 psyche   

n.精神；灵魂

参考例句：

• His exploration of the myth brings insight into the American psyche.他对这个神话的探讨揭示了美国人的心理。
• She spent her life plumbing the mysteries of the human psyche.她毕生探索人类心灵的奥秘。

9 monsoon   

n.季雨，季风，大雨

参考例句：

• The monsoon rains started early this year.今年季雨降雨开始得早。
• The main climate type in that region is monsoon.那个地区主要以季风气候为主要气候类型。

10 deluge   

n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥

参考例句：

• This little stream can become a deluge when it rains heavily.雨大的时候，这条小溪能变作洪流。
• I got caught in the deluge on the way home.我在回家的路上遇到倾盆大雨。