新奇事件簿 法国黄背心运动继续上演

France is experiencing social unrest it has not experienced for generations. The country famous for its revolutions and protests has been rocked by a serious of nationwide, violent demonstrations¹. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets for the past four weekends and have brought chaos² to businesses, transport and the French economy. The protests are being led by the Yellow Vests Movement, so called because protestors don high-visibility yellow jackets usually worn by the emergency services. The protests are motivated by rising fuel prices, the high cost of living, and claims that an unequal burden of new tax reforms were falling on the working and middle classes.

法国正在遭遇几世纪未见的社会动荡。这个以革命和抗议而闻名的国家因波及全国的暴力示威游行而动荡。在过去四周里，成千上万人来到街上，给商业、交通和法国经济造成混乱。这些抗议由黄背心运动领导，这么叫是因为抗议者们穿着紧急服务人员常穿的高能见度黄背心。抗议的原因是因为油价上涨、生活成本高以及新税收政策压在工人和中产阶级身上的不平等负担。

France's President Emmanuel Macron has declared "a state of social and economic emergency". The violence has caused over a billion dollars in damages so far. This figure is set to rise as more demos are planned. Paris has suffered the brunt of the protests and authorities are closing famous sites like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. To quell³ public anger, Mr Macron has promised to cancel his proposed rise in fuel prices, deliver tax relief for the poor and cancel a tax on retired⁴ people. He called for the havoc⁵ and mayhem to end and for calm and order to return. He said: "No anger justifies⁶ attacking a police officer...or damaging a shop or public building. When violence is unleashed⁷, freedom ends."

法国总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙已经宣布国家进入“社会经济紧急状态”。到目前为止这场暴力已经造成了十亿美元损失。预计随着游行越演越烈这个数字还会增长。巴黎遭到了抗议的冲击，官方关闭了著名景点，比如埃菲尔铁塔和卢浮宫。为了平息民愤，马克龙承诺取消拟定的油价上涨。给穷人减税并取消针对退休人员的税收。他呼吁停止破坏和故意伤害，让法国重新恢复平静和秩序。他表示：“愤怒不是袭击警察的理由，也不是破坏商店或公共建筑的借口。当暴力释放，自由将终结。”

1 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。

2 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

3 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

4 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

5 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

6 justifies   

证明…有理( justify的第三人称单数 )； 为…辩护； 对…作出解释； 为…辩解（或辩护）

参考例句：

• Their frequency of use both justifies and requires the memorization. 频繁的使用需要记忆，也促进了记忆。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• In my judgement the present end justifies the means. 照我的意见，只要目的正当，手段是可以不计较的。

7 unleashed   

v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The government's proposals unleashed a storm of protest in the press. 政府的提案引发了新闻界的抗议浪潮。
• The full force of his rage was unleashed against me. 他把所有的怒气都发泄在我身上。 来自《简明英汉词典》