2020年经济学人 家庭娱乐专栏--回到水中(2)

In Amity¹, those in charge see the danger but fail to act swiftly. Brody, the local police chief (played by Roy Scheider), is wellmeaning but unprepared. After the first shark attack the self-important Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) persuades him to keep the beaches open to save the tourist economy; the men lock down only when three more people are killed. (Boris Johnson, Britain’s prime minister, once cited the mayor as a political hero for his boldness in weighing death against commerce.)

在艾米蒂，负责人们看到了危险，却没有迅速采取行动。当地的警察局长布罗迪（由罗伊·施奈德饰演）心存善意，但是没做准备。在第一鲨鱼袭击后，自命不凡的沃恩市长（莫瑞·汉密尔顿）劝说警长继续开放沙滩，以挽救旅游经济。又有三个人被杀害后，这些人才关闭海滩。（英国首相鲍里斯·约翰逊曾经提到这位市长，认为他是政治英雄，因为他敢于权衡死亡与商业之间的关系。）

Experts disagree on how to overcome the danger. Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), a wisecracking academic, prefers brainy methods; Quint (Robert Shaw), a heavydrinking shark hunter, opts² for brawn³. Even in a film packed with memorable⁴ dialogue, Quint’s description of being torpedoed⁵ during the second world war, with its grim mortality statistics, stands out: “So, 1,100 men went into the water; 316 men come out. The sharks took the rest.”

专家们对于如何战胜危机，众议纷纭。胡珀（理查德·德莱弗斯）是一名风趣的学者，他更喜欢靠脑力的办法；昆特（罗伯特·肖）是一名酗酒的猎鲨者，偏爱武力解决。即使是在一部充满难忘对话的电影中，昆特利用惨淡的死亡率统计数据，对二战期间被鱼雷袭击的描述也很突出：“所以，1100人下水，316人出水。剩下的都被鲨鱼吃掉了。”

Sadly, it will take more than three misfits in a ramshackle vessel⁶ to beat the virus. Metaphorically⁷ speaking, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Still, quarantine is another chance to enjoy Mr Spielberg’s yarn⁸, albeit⁹ with an after-bite. For many, its legacy¹⁰ was a lifelong fear of the sea; for some, covid-19 may bequeath a lingering queasiness¹¹ about the world outside.

可悲的是，在一艘摇摇欲坠的船上，要想战胜病毒，还需要三个以上的错配。打个比方说，“你需要一艘更大的船。”尽管如此，隔离给我们提供了一个机会让可以享受斯皮尔伯格的故事，尽管会有后劲。对许多人来说，这部电影遗留给他们的是一辈子对海洋的恐惧；对一些人来说，新冠肺炎里留给他们的可能会是挥之不去的对外界的不安感。

1 amity   

n.友好关系

参考例句：

• He lives in amity with his neighbours.他和他的邻居相处得很和睦。
• They parted in amity.他们很友好地分别了。

2 opts   

v.选择，挑选( opt的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• One player hoping to get another chance to shine if Mourinho opts to rest Cole backBridge. 假如穆里尼奥安排阿。科尔轮休，那么同一位置上的将会得到一个上场的机会来证实自己。 来自互联网
• If he opts out this summer, he d sign a five year deal. 如果今夏跳出，他估计会签五年。 来自互联网

3 brawn   

n.体力

参考例句：

• In this job you need both brains and brawn.做这份工作既劳神又费力。
• They relied on brains rather than brawn.他们靠的是脑力，而不是体力。

4 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

5 torpedoed   

用鱼雷袭击（torpedo的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Her comments had torpedoed the deal. 她的一番话使得那笔交易彻底告吹。
• The battle ship was torpedoed. 该战列舰遭到了鱼雷的袭击。

6 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

7 metaphorically   

adv. 用比喻地

参考例句：

• It is context and convention that determine whether a term will be interpreted literally or metaphorically. 对一个词的理解是按字面意思还是隐喻的意思要视乎上下文和习惯。
• Metaphorically it implied a sort of admirable energy. 从比喻来讲，它含有一种令人赞许的能量的意思。

8 yarn   

n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事

参考例句：

• I stopped to have a yarn with him.我停下来跟他聊天。
• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。

9 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

10 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

11 queasiness   

n.恶心

参考例句：

• This medicine will counteract the queasiness caused by the antibiotics. 这种药会抑制抗生素引起的反胃。 来自辞典例句
• Perhaps his queasiness is just a sign's coming down with bird flu. 它确定不了，也许，感觉恶心只是得了禽流感的征兆。 来自互联网