经济学人22:德国,明天会更绿？

 　　Germany's victorious¹ Greens A greener future?明天会更绿？

　　Two state elections have upturned German politics两个州的选举反转德国政局

　　THE Greens are the “against party”. They are against a flashy rail project in Stuttgart, against nuclear power and, say their critics, against progress and growth. Yet on March 27th the party’s defiance² paid off in stunning³ fashion. German angst over the nuclear disaster in Japan crested⁴ just as two south-western states held elections. In Rhineland-Palatinate the Green vote tripled, vaulting⁵ the party into government as junior partner of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), which had previously⁶ ruled alone. In Baden-Württemberg 58 years of government by the Christian⁷ Democratic Union (CDU) came to an end. The Greens will now take control of a state government for the first time.

　　德国的绿党是个“反对党”。他们反对斯图加特花哨的铁路工程，反对核能，而且据他们批评者称，他们反对发展进步。然而，就在3月27号这一天，他们的反抗获得了惊人的回报。西南部两个州举行选举之时，正值德国民众因日本核危机而担忧，在莱茵兰—普法尔茨州，绿党的得票数增至原来的三倍，使其成为该州原本唯一的执政党——社会民主党新的联合执政党。在巴登—符腾堡州，执政长达58年的基民盟（CDU）面临下台。绿党将首次成为该州的执政党。

　　This almost-unthinkable result is a big blow to Angela Merkel, the chancellor⁸ and CDU leader, who has lost the party’s crown jewel. Her pre-election decision to shut down seven nuclear-power plants looked panicky rather than principled, and may have made matters worse for the CDU. The elections were an even bigger setback⁹ for her coalition¹⁰ partner, the Free Democrats¹¹ (FDP).But the SPD also has little to cheer about: its share of the vote was the lowest in half a century in Rhineland-Palatinate and the lowest ever in Baden-Württemberg, where it will become the junior coalition partner. Only the Greens have reason to celebrate.

　　这个意想不到的结果对安吉拉??默克尔是一个巨大的打击。作为德国总理和基民盟领袖，她失去了基民盟执政的一个传统重镇。她在选举前决定关闭七座核电站。这个决定更像是仓促之举而不是坚持原则，并使得基民盟的情势更糟。选举结果对她的执政伙伴自民党是个更大的挫折。然而社民党也没有什么值得庆贺的：他们在莱茵兰—普法尔茨州的得票率降至半个世纪以来的最低点；在巴符州的得票率则是有史以来的最低点。这使得社民党成为巴符州绿党的联合执政党。只有绿党有欢庆的理由。

　　The party’s offices in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg’s capital, look readier for protests and demonstrations¹² than for the assumption of government responsibility. Yellow drums done up to look like nuclear-waste containers are stacked by the door. Bamboo poles for hoisting¹³ banners rest against them. Yet the ready-to-rally impression is somewhat misleading. Baden-Württemberg’s Greens are on the party’s “extreme realist” wing, says Dieter Fuchs of the University of Stuttgart.The incoming premier¹⁴, Winfried Kretschmann, belongs to the Central Committee of German Catholics and to a traditional shooting club. His down-to-earth Swabian manner matches the state’s spirit better than did the conservative pugnacity¹⁵ of Stefan Mappus, the premier he defeated. The export-oriented Mittelstand has nothing to fear, he suggests. “You can be in the black with green ideas,” he said in an interview shortly before the election.

　　位于巴符州省会斯图加特市的绿党办公部门，看起来更像是在为抗议和示威作准备，而不是承担政府责任。做成核废料集装箱样子的黄色大鼓堆放在门口，对面放着举旗的竹竿。这种即将举行集会的印象多少会让人产生误解。斯图加特大学的迪特尔??福克斯说，巴符州的绿党属于该党中的“极端现实主义”派系。即将上台的总理温弗里德??科瑞奇曼是德国天主教徒中央委员会成员，并加入了一个传统射击俱乐部。他的斯瓦比亚现实主义做派，与败北的前总理史蒂芬??马普斯的保守好战相比，更契合该州的精神。他暗示出口导向型的中小企业无需恐慌。“你可以做一个持绿色观点的黑党。”他在选举即将开始前的采访中说道。

　　That is what he must now prove if the Greens are to be more than a one-term wonder. Voters rewarded them for their stance on nuclear power. But on issues that usually matter more, like jobs, economic policy and education, they rate the Greens below the CDU and even the SPD.

　　这正是他现在必须向大家证明的一点——如果绿党不想让自己的胜利只是昙花一现。选民因为他们在核能上的立场而支持他们。然而在更重要的问题——例如工作、经济政策和教育上，他们认为绿党的能力不如基民盟，甚至是社民党。

　　Mr Kretschmann cannot do much on nuclear power, because it is a federal domain¹⁶.Two of Baden-Württemberg’s four nuclear reactors¹⁷ were turned off after the Japanese disaster, which is both a curse and a blessing¹⁸ for the new government. Mr Mappus recently paid 5 billion ($7 billion) for a 45% stake in their operator. The Greens’ contribution is a planned “energy transformation”, to be achieved partly by speeding up approvals for wind turbines. The state CDU had resisted wind farms, which it derided¹⁹ for producing the Verspargelung (“asparagusing”) of the countryside, the sort of gibe²⁰ that one hears more often from Green protesters. Now the Greens must promote progress that others recognise as such.

　　科瑞奇曼很难在核能问题上有所作为，因为这属于联邦的负责领域。巴符州四座核反应堆中，有两个在日本核危机发生后被关闭。这对于新的政府来说喜忧参半。马普斯最近拨款50亿马克（70亿美元）作为他们经营者45%的股份。绿党的贡献则是一个“能量转换”计划。该计划部分通过加快批准风力涡轮机而实现。该州的基民盟曾反对风力发电厂，并嘲笑它们是乡下生产Verspargelung （一种芦笋）的。这种讥讽的话经常可以从绿党抗议者那里听到。现在，绿党必须取得能为其他政党所认可的进步。

　　The problem, Mr Kretschmann and his party think, is that the government is too bossy²¹. He proposes a “citizen society” that would recruit ordinary people to collaborate²² on big projects. He wants to lower hurdles²³ for initiating²⁴ referendums, to bring people into the early stages of project planning and to strengthen the legislature, which under the CDU was subservient²⁵ to the executive. The big test is Stuttgart 21, a rail project that provoked months of mass protests that the Greens joined but the SPD did not. After a “stress test” to see if Stuttgart 21 can do what it promises, both parties want a referendum. Any outcome may discomfit²⁶ Mr Kretschmann. If the project is stopped, Baden-Württemberg will be forced to pay contractors²⁷ hundreds of millions in fees that it can ill afford. If not, the new premier may find himself boring tunnels while his former comrades march in protest overhead.

　　科瑞奇曼和他的政党认为，问题在于政府过于专制。他认为，一个“公民社会”应该允许普通公民参与协作重大项目。他希望能降低初选投票的门槛，从而让更多人参与到项目计划的早期阶段。他还希望加强立法机构的职能。他指出，基民盟执政时期，立法机构只是执行部门的附庸。一个铁路工程——“斯图加特21”是对政党的一个重大考验。绿党参加了由该工程引发的持续数月的群众抗议，而社民党没有。在对斯图加特21是否能履行承诺进行了一个“压力测试”后，两个政党都希望进行全民公投。无论结果如何都会使科瑞奇曼为难。如果项目被中止，巴符州需要向承包商偿付数亿费用，而这对它难以承受。如果项目不中止，新总理则不得不继续一项他的同僚曾游行抗议的项目。

　　In government the Greens will inevitably²⁸ suffer wear and tear. Relations with the SPD, happy to be in power but shocked not to be in charge, may be tricky²⁹. Some of the Greens’ goals, like scrapping³⁰ university-tuition fees, clash with others, such as narrowing the budget deficit³¹. But the opportunity is great. The party has been trying to escape from its environmental ghetto³². If Mr Kretschmann manages Germany’s showcase economy well, it will help.

　　在政府中，绿党不可避免的遭遇摩擦。和社民党的关系以及兴奋过后发现竟然不能掌权，这些都是棘手的问题。绿党的一些目标（如废除大学学费）会与其他政党产生冲突（如缩减预算赤字）。然而机遇还是一片大好。绿党正在努力跳出其环保主义的狭隘圈子。如果科瑞奇曼能够搞定德国表面上的经济问题，将对此大有裨益。

　　Nuclear panic alone does not explain the Greens’ success. The party appeals most to groups whose share of the electorate³³ is growing: relatively³⁴ young, middle-class urbanites with a good education. Its leadership is a harmonious³⁵ quartet, two men and two women who appeal to different groups of voters, notes Oskar Niedermayer of Berlin’s Free University. It has shed its radicalism³⁶ and, at least in theory, now embraces economic growth. It is now “clearly in double-digit territory,” says Mr Niedermayer. It is far from being a broad-based Volkspartei like the CDU and SPD, but it is happy in its expanding niche³⁷.

　　对核能的恐慌并不能解释绿党全部的胜利原因。该政党对日益庞大的相对年轻、受过良好教育的城市中产阶级选民群体最具吸引力。他的领导班子是一个和谐的四重奏：两男两女。他们各自吸引着不同的选民群体。而奥斯卡??内德梅耶则来自柏林自由大学。他们已经流露出自己的激进主义，并至少在理论上承诺经济增长，并将其 “明确在两位数的范围”，内德梅耶说。它与经验老道的基民盟以及社民党相比尚有很大差距，然而他们在自己扩张的领域中自得其乐。

　　As for Mrs Merkel, she is bruised³⁸ but not broken. The CDU remains³⁹ the largest party in Baden-Württemberg and it almost beat the SPD in Rhineland-Palatinate. “There are not that many countries where a party in government is stable at 35-37% nationwide,” says Peter Altmaier, a CDU leader in the Bundestag. “The chancellor’s rivals within the CDU have either resigned or lost elections. “For the first time she no longer has natural enemies in the party,” says Mr Altmaier. Now she is “free to develop her own project a little bit more clearly than in the past.

　　对于默克尔而言，她大受挫折但还不至于一败涂地。基民盟仍是巴符州最大的政党，而且，在莱茵兰—普法尔茨州，他们差一点就可以击败社民党。联邦议院的一位基民盟领导人彼得??奥特梅尔说：“一个政党可以在国家35-37%范围内保持稳定执政，这在其他国家并不多见。”默克尔在基民盟内部的竞争对手或是辞职或是在选举中落败。“她第一次在党内没了对手。”奥特梅尔说。现在，她正在“比以往略显清晰地自由发展她的计划。”

　　It may sound eerily⁴⁰ like the Greens’ idea: marrying the market economy to “sustainability”. Mrs Merkel’s hasty abandonment of her government’s first energy policy, which was to squeeze more power out of ageing nuclear plants, hurt her credibility. Its successor, she thinks, may find new supporters. With the FDP likely to become a more awkward partner (see box), Mrs Merkel may need an alternative after the federal election in 2013. The Greens, seasoned by government in Baden-Württemberg, might just fit the bill.

　　将市场经济与可持续发展相结合——这听起来有些像绿党的想法。默克尔轻率地抛弃了她起初的能源政策，即利用老化的核工场生产出更多的能源。这使得默克尔信誉受损。她认为，接下来的政策会得到新的合作者的支持。随着与民主自由党执政联盟伙伴关系的恶化，默克尔在联邦选举后需要新的合作伙伴。被巴符州政府调教过的绿党，可能刚好符合要求。

1 victorious   

adj.胜利的，得胜的

参考例句：

• We are certain to be victorious.我们定会胜利。
• The victorious army returned in triumph.获胜的部队凯旋而归。

2 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

3 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

4 crested   

adj.有顶饰的，有纹章的，有冠毛的v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的过去式和过去分词 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点

参考例句：

• a great crested grebe 凤头䴙䴘
• The stately mansion crested the hill. 庄严的大厦位于山顶。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 vaulting   

n.（天花板或屋顶的）拱形结构

参考例句：

• The vaulting horse is a difficult piece of apparatus to master. 鞍马是很难掌握的器械。
• Sallie won the pole vaulting. 莎莉撑杆跳获胜。

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

8 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

9 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

10 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

11 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》

12 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

13 hoisting   

起重，提升

参考例句：

• The hoisting capacity of that gin pole (girder pole, guy derrick) is sixty tons. 那个起重抱杆（格状抱杆、转盘抱杆）的起重能力为60吨。 来自口语例句
• We must use mechanical hoisting to load the goods. 我们必须用起重机来装载货物。

14 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

15 pugnacity   

n.好斗，好战

参考例句：

• The United States approves of Mr Museveni's pugnacity and will coverextra cost of the AU mission. 美国不但赞同穆塞韦尼的粗暴政策，而且将为非盟任务的超支项目买单。 来自互联网

16 domain   

n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围

参考例句：

• This information should be in the public domain.这一消息应该为公众所知。
• This question comes into the domain of philosophy.这一问题属于哲学范畴。

17 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。

18 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

19 derided   

v.取笑，嘲笑( deride的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His views were derided as old-fashioned. 他的观点被当作旧思想受到嘲弄。
• Gazing up to the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity. 我抬头疑视着黑暗，感到自己是一个被虚荣心驱使和拨弄的可怜虫。 来自辞典例句

20 gibe   

n.讥笑；嘲弄

参考例句：

• I felt sure he was seeking for some gibe. 我敢说他正在寻找一句什么挖苦话。
• It's impolite to gibe at a foreign student's English. 嘲笑外国学生的英语是不礼貌的。

21 bossy   

adj.爱发号施令的，作威作福的

参考例句：

• She turned me off with her bossy manner.她态度专橫很讨我嫌。
• She moved out because her mother-in-law is too bossy.她的婆婆爱指使人,所以她搬出去住了。

22 collaborate   

vi.协作，合作；协调

参考例句：

• The work gets done more quickly when we collaborate.我们一旦合作，工作做起来就更快了。
• I would ask you to collaborate with us in this work.我们愿意请你们在这项工作中和我们合作。

23 hurdles   

n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛

参考例句：

• In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时，必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句

24 initiating   

v.开始( initiate的现在分词 )；传授；发起；接纳新成员

参考例句：

• He is good at initiating projects but rarely follows through with anything. 他善于创建项目，但难得坚持完成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Only the perchlorate shows marked sensitiveness and possibly initiating properties. 只有高氯酸盐表现有显著的感度和可能具有起爆性能。 来自辞典例句

25 subservient   

adj.卑屈的，阿谀的

参考例句：

• He was subservient and servile.他低声下气、卑躬屈膝。
• It was horrible to have to be affable and subservient.不得不强作欢颜卖弄风骚，真是太可怕了。

26 discomfit   

v.使困惑，使尴尬

参考例句：

• He will be particularly discomfited by the minister's dismissal of his plan.部长对他计划的不理会将使他特别尴尬。
• The opposition leader has regularly discomfited him in parliament.反对派领导人常搞得他在国会中下不来台。

27 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

29 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

30 scrapping   

刮，切除坯体余泥

参考例句：

• He was always scrapping at school. 他在学校总打架。
• These two dogs are always scrapping. 这两条狗总是打架。

31 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

32 ghetto   

n.少数民族聚居区，贫民区

参考例句：

• Racism and crime still flourish in the ghetto.城市贫民区的种族主义和犯罪仍然十分猖獗。
• I saw that achievement as a possible pattern for the entire ghetto.我把获得的成就看作整个黑人区可以仿效的榜样。

33 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

34 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。

35 harmonious   

adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的

参考例句：

• Their harmonious relationship resulted in part from their similar goals.他们关系融洽的部分原因是他们有着相似的目标。
• The room was painted in harmonious colors.房间油漆得色彩调和。

36 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。

37 niche   

n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等)

参考例句：

• Madeleine placed it carefully in the rocky niche. 玛德琳小心翼翼地把它放在岩石壁龛里。
• The really talented among women would always make their own niche.妇女中真正有才能的人总是各得其所。

38 bruised   

[医]青肿的，瘀紫的

参考例句：

• his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
• She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤，摔得鼻青脸肿。

39 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。

40 eerily   

adv.引起神秘感或害怕地

参考例句：

• It was nearly mid-night and eerily dark all around her. 夜深了，到处是一片黑黝黝的怪影。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
• The vast volcanic slope was eerily reminiscent of a lunar landscape. 开阔的火山坡让人心生怪异地联想起月球的地貌。 来自辞典例句