经济学人42:阿根廷的科研 炼金术士克里斯蒂娜

 　　Science and Technolgy

　　科技

　　Science in Argentina

　　阿根廷的科研

　　Cristina the alchemist

　　炼金术士克里斯蒂娜

　　Argentina is trying to build a scientific establishment

　　阿根廷努力打造一个科研机构

　　SOUTH AFRICA is not the only middle-income country which aspires¹ to join the world's scientific powers (see article).

　　和南非一样， 阿根廷不仅是一个中等收入国家同时也寻求在世界科学研究领域的地垃。

　　Argentina would like to as well. The place is proud of its three Nobel science prizes-the largest haul of any Latin American nation-even if the most recent was awarded in 1984.

　　这里的人们都以曾获3次诺贝尔奖为殊荣- 这是拉美国家里所获该奖最多的- 即便最近的1次是在1984年。

　　But many researchers fled in the 1990s, when budgets were slashed².

　　可是在90年代，因为预算削减，很多科研人员都流失了。

　　Now the government is trying to attract them back, and to encourage younger talent to consider a scientific career.

　　现在阿根廷政府正试图吸引人才回归，同时鼓励那些有天赋的年轻人投入科研生涯。

　　When Néstor Kirchner, the predecessor³ and late husband of the current president, Cristina Fernández,

　　克里斯蒂娜.费尔南德兹是现任总统; 她的亡夫同时也是前任总统内斯托?基什内尔，

　　took office in 2003, Argentina was spending just 0.41% of its GDP on research and development (R&D). Now, that figure is 0.64%. (Brazil, by comparison, spent 0.95% in 2003 and 1.18% in 2009.)

　　在2003年就任的时候，阿根廷的科研费用只占了总GDP的0.41%， 而现在则是0.64%.(以巴西为比照，2003年是0.95%，而2009年是1.18%)

　　Kirchner raised researchers' salaries, launched a scheme to repatriate⁴ departed scientists and gave tax breaks to software companies.

　　基什内尔提高了科研人员的工资，还启动了一个旅外科学家回归计划，同时减免了软件公司税收。

　　Ms Fernández followed suit by creating a science ministry⁵ and putting a biologist, Lino Bara?ao, in charge of it.

　　费尔南德斯夫人延续了该政策并建立了科技部还委任了一位生物学家利诺?巴拉尼奥为部长。

　　She also increased grants to firms that try to develop new products.

　　同时对于研发新产品的公司，她还增加了相应的政府补贴。

　　Many of the Kirchners' critics were sceptical, seeing the ministry either as a political marketing⁶ ploy⁷ or as a soft touch for lobbyists seeking unjustified subsidies⁸.

　　许多基什内尔的政治评论家对此政策持怀疑态度，认为这个部门不是个政治秀就是政客们捞取黑钱的把戏。

　　But the strategy seems to be working.

　　但是实际上这个策略似乎行之有效。

　　With help from the Inter-American Development Bank the government has, since 2004, lured⁹ back 854 expatriate scientists.It has done so by providing new laboratories and equipment for them, moving their families, and forking out extra money for their salaries.

　　自2004年开始，在泛美银行的帮助下，通过提供新实验室和设备，帮助家庭落户，支付额外的工资补贴等方式，吸引了854名旅外科学家回国。

　　As a consequence, according to Dr Bara?ao, Argentine researchers have published 179 articles in leading journals in the past decade, compared with just 30 in the 1990s.

　　据巴拉尼奥博士称，在去年10年中，阿根廷科研人员在学术期刊上发布的论文达到了179篇, 而在90年代仅有30篇。

　　Most of the returners are academics. But commercial science has benefited, too.

　　虽然大多数回归的都是理论研究学者，但是应用科学也同样受益。

　　Indear, a joint¹⁰ public-private biotechnology-research centre based in Santa Fe, recently worked out how to transfer a gene¹¹ for drought resistance from sunflowers to crops such as maize¹², soyabeans and wheat. That can increase yields in droughts by up to 40%.

　　一所位于圣达菲的公私合营的生物科技研究所Indear,最近提出了通过转基因技术把向日葵的抗旱性移稙到玉米，大豆和小麦上，这样在旱季可以增产40%。

　　And the government has also doled¹³ out $54m in grants for the development of products that include coagulant¹⁴ factors to treat haemophilia, transgenic cattle which secrete¹⁵ valuable hormones¹⁶ in their milk, and better ways of probing for oil deposits.

　　同时政府已投入5.4亿美元在诸多产品研发领域，包括治疗血友病的凝血剂，产奶里富含荷尔蒙的转基因牛，还有油床勘探技术等。

　　Help for high-tech¹⁷ innovation comes in other forms, too.

　　对于科技创新，科技部给予多种多样的扶持形式。

　　The state offers, for example, to pay the cost of patenting inventions in foreign jurisdictions¹⁸ and of hiring lawyers to defend those patents.

　　比如，对于在国外的专利发明的成本费用以及雇佣律师保护专利的费用，都予以国家补助。

　　It also acts as a headhunter for information-technology firms seeking employees with PhDs, and will pay part of the salaries of such recruits.

　　科技部也扮演猎头角色并为那些信息科技公司寻找拥有博士头衔的雇员，同时为这些雇员支付部分薪水。

　　None of these programmes has faced allegations of corruption¹⁹.

　　目前在这些项目里还没发现有贪污现象。

　　Whether all this activity will have the effect of stimulating²⁰ high-tech industry, as Ms Fernández hopes, remains²¹ to be seen.

　　这些措施能否如费尔南德兹夫人所期望那样促进高科技行业的发展，还有待观察。

　　Argentine scientists are happy to take taxpayers²²' money but according to Luis Dambra, a professor at the IAE business school in Buenos Aires, they look down their noses at the idea of actually getting their hands dirty by going into industry.

　　但据一位来自布宜诺斯艾利斯商业管理学院的教授刘易斯.邓波拉称，阿根廷的科研人员都心安理德地拿纳税人的钱，却又自命清高不愿意真正进入产业领域。

　　Mr Dambra, though, says industry is equally to blame.

　　然而邓波拉也声称产业界同样也担负责任。

　　In 2009 (the latest year for which data are available), only 21% of Argentine R&D was paid for by the private sector²³, compared with 44% of Brazil's. Firms that might recruit academic scientists often do not see the point. Even those that do may struggle to accommodate people with a non-commercial background into the business world.

　　在2009年（最新可用数据）阿根廷的研发支出只有21%是来自于私人资本，而巴西则是44%. 但那些可能雇佣理论科研人员的企业总是忽略这些，即使那些想把非商业背景人才引入商业领域的企业也为此犹豫不决。

　　Attitudes can change, of course.

　　当然，态度总是可以改变的。

　　In the 1980s many British academics were as snobbish²⁴ about commerce as Argentina's are now.

　　在90世纪80年代许多英国研究学者和现在的阿根廷一样都自命不凡。

　　These days, Britain's top universities are gung-ho for spin-outs and the revenue they can provide.

　　而现在，英国的顶尖学府都热衷于分拆和赚钱。

　　But it takes time and consistent policy to make such changes and Argentina is notorious for sudden alterations²⁵ in the political weather.

　　但这些改变都是需要时间和政策的持续性，而阿根廷最让人诟病的就是政策的摇摆不定。

　　That makes the country a perilous²⁶ place to invest, whatever the current climate.

　　无论现在的情况是怎样，这些因素将恶化阿根廷的投资环境.

1 aspires   

v.渴望，追求( aspire的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The fame to which he aspires was beyond his reach. 他追求的名誉乃是他所不能及的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• An old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop a thousand li. 老骥伏枥，志在千里。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 slashed   

v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
• He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

4 repatriate   

v.遣返；返回；n.被遣返回国者

参考例句：

• The government safely repatriates victims.政府安全遣返了受害者。
• In this part,you need to formulate in detail repatriate the plan.在这一部分，你需要制定详细的归国计划。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

7 ploy   

n.花招，手段

参考例句：

• I think this is just a government ploy to deceive the public.我认为这只是政府欺骗公众的手段。
• Christmas should be a time of excitement and wonder,not a cynical marketing ploy.圣诞节应该是兴奋和美妙的时刻，而不该是一种肆无忌惮的营销策略。

8 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 lured   

吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The child was lured into a car but managed to escape. 那小孩被诱骗上了车，但又设法逃掉了。
• Lured by the lust of gold,the pioneers pushed onward. 开拓者在黄金的诱惑下，继续奋力向前。

10 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

11 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

12 maize   

n.玉米

参考例句：

• There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。

13 doled   

救济物( dole的过去式和过去分词 )； 失业救济金

参考例句：

• The food was doled out to the poor. 食品分发给了穷人。
• Sisco briskly doled out the United States positions on the key issues. 西斯科轻快地把美国在重大问题上的立场放了出去。

14 coagulant   

n.凝结剂；凝血剂

参考例句：

• Increased coagulant dosage results in greater sludge yield for ultimate disposal.增加凝聚剂用量会增大最后处理的污泥量。
• The ice cream of this brand has too much coagulant.这个牌子的冰淇淋添加了过多的凝固剂。

15 secrete   

vt.分泌；隐匿，使隐秘

参考例句：

• The pores of your body secrete sweat.身上的毛孔分泌汗液。
• Squirrels secrete a supply of nuts for winter.松鼠为准备过冬而藏坚果。

16 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

17 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

18 jurisdictions   

司法权( jurisdiction的名词复数 )； 裁判权； 管辖区域； 管辖范围

参考例句：

• Butler entreated him to remember the act abolishing the heritable jurisdictions. 巴特勒提醒他注意废除世袭审判权的国会法令。
• James I personally adjudicated between the two jurisdictions. 詹姆士一世亲自裁定双方纠纷。

19 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。

20 stimulating   

adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的

参考例句：

• shower gel containing plant extracts that have a stimulating effect on the skin 含有对皮肤有益的植物精华的沐浴凝胶
• This is a drug for stimulating nerves. 这是一种兴奋剂。

21 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。

22 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

23 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

24 snobbish   

adj.势利的，谄上欺下的

参考例句：

• She's much too snobbish to stay at that plain hotel.她很势利，不愿住在那个普通旅馆。
• I'd expected her to be snobbish but she was warm and friendly.我原以为她会非常势利，但她却非常热情和友好。

25 alterations   

n.改动( alteration的名词复数 )；更改；变化；改变

参考例句：

• Any alterations should be written in neatly to the left side. 改动部分应书写清晰，插在正文的左侧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code. 基因突变是指DNA 密码的改变。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 perilous   

adj.危险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
• We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。