经济学人:一周政治要闻16

 　　The world this week - Politics 本周政治要闻

　　Sunni jihadists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria, who have taken Mosul, Iraq's second city, swept on southwards,  伊拉克和叙利亚的伊斯兰国家的逊尼派圣战者已经占领了伊拉克的第二大城市摩苏尔,并向南方席卷而来,

　　but their advance stalled once they reached the Shia heartland and mixed provinces close to Baghdad.  但是他们的脚步却停滞在什叶派腹地和接近巴格达的省境交界处。

　　The government urged Iraqis to unite and fight the insurgents¹.  政府敦促伊拉克人团结起来,打击叛乱分子。

　　The American administration pondered whether and how much to help Nuri al-Maliki's beleaguered² Iraqi government 而美国政府正在考虑是否应该以及在何种程度上帮助马利基饱受争议的伊拉克政府，

　　and whether to co-operate with Iran, his closest regional ally. 并且是否与他最亲密的地区盟友伊朗合作。

　　Three young Israeli settlers, two of them 16-year-olds, were kidnapped near the West Bank city of Hebron.  三个年轻的以色列居民在希伯仑西岸城市附近被绑架,其中包括两个16岁的孩子。

　　Israel's prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, blamed Hamas, an Islamist movement which, to the chagrin³ of Israel's government,  以色列总理本雅明内塔尼亚胡谴责哈马斯这一让政府头疼的伊斯兰运动,

　　has recently endorsed⁴ a new Palestinian unity⁵ government. Hamas denied the charge.  他们最近还成立了新的巴勒斯坦联合政府。

　　But hundreds of its supporters were rounded up by Israeli security forces. 哈马斯否认了这一指控。但其数百名支持者被以色列安全部队逮捕了。

　　Egypt's prime minister, Ibrahim Mahlab, who was reappointed earlier this month by the country's newly elected president,  易卜拉欣·马哈拉布在本月早些时候被新当选总统塞西再次钦定为埃及总理，

　　Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, kept most ministers in their posts.  他保持多数部长的职位不变,

　　But he put a veteran banker, Ashraf Salman, in charge of foreign investment. 但把一位资深银行家阿什拉夫·萨尔曼,调去负责外国投资。

　　Islamist terrorists belonging to the Shabab, a Somali group, killed at least 65 non-Muslims in villages on the mainland opposite the Kenyan island ofLamu.  伊斯兰恐怖分子属于索马里反政府武装派别"青年党",他们杀死了肯尼亚拉姆岛对面的村子里至少65名的非穆斯林人士。

　　Many of the victims were members of the Kikuyu tribe to whichKenya's president, Uhuru Kenyatta, belongs.  很多的受害者都是基库尤部落的成员。

　　He blamed opposition⁶ politicians inKenya, rather than the Shabab, for fomenting⁷ the attacks.  他将这次的煽动性攻击归责于肯尼亚的反对派政客,而不是激进的伊斯兰组织青年党。

　　Tourism inKenya is likely to plummet⁸. 肯尼亚旅游业可能会一蹶不振。

　　Brought to justice 公证评断

　　In a midnight operation on the outskirts⁹ of Benghazi American special forces captured Ahmed Abu Khattala,  美国特种部队在班加西市郊执勤时抓获了卡达阿拉，

　　the man suspected of organising the attack in the Libyan city in 2012 that killed the American ambassador.  他被怀疑2012年在利比亚市组织袭击并杀害了美国大使。

　　The commandos took Mr Abu Khattala to an American navy ship to prepare him for travel to theUnited States, where he will appear in court. 突击队把他带往美国海军舰艇，准备将其引渡美国,现身法庭。

　　After the shock defeat of Eric Cantor by the Tea Party in a primary election,  继艾瑞克·康托尔在茶党初选中失败后,

　　the Republicans in the House of Representatives moved quickly to choose a new Majority Leader.  众议院中的共和党人迅速行动起来要选举一个新的多数党领袖。

　　Kevin McCarthy, a congressman¹⁰ from centralCalifornia, emerged as the strong favourite, distinguished¹¹ by good looks,  来自加州中部的国会议员凯文·麦卡锡成为大热门,他有着杰出的外表,

　　excellent fundraising skills and a troubled relationship with the English language. 卓越的募集资金能力和稍显蹩脚的英文。

　　Election spoilers 选举中的捣蛋分子

　　Afghanistan held a run-off presidential election to decide who will replace Hamid Karzai.  阿富汗举行第二轮总统选举,来决定谁将取代哈米德·卡尔扎伊。

　　Abdullah Abdullah, who is expected to win, demanded a halt to the count over allegations of widespread fraud.  胜算较大的阿卜杜拉指控存在欺诈要求停止计数。

　　He said that ballot¹² boxes had been stuffed and that the system was working to the benefit of his rival, Ashraf Ghani.  他说投票箱都被投满了,系统也正在统计他的对手阿什拉夫·贾尼的选票结果。

　　The result is expected next month. 结果预计下个月将揭晓。

　　Cambodia blamed Thailand's new military rulers for causing an exodus¹³ of Cambodian migrant workers from the country.  柬埔寨指责泰国的新军事统治者造成大批柬埔寨农民工离去。

　　Around 200,000 Cambodians are thought to have fled across the border amid rumours¹⁴ thatThailand's government was about to crack down on illegal workers.  由于坊间传言称,泰国政府将严厉打击非法工人，大约有20万名柬埔寨人已经逃离边境。

　　The government said the rumours were unwarranted. 政府称谣言是毫无根据的。

　　Japan banned the possession of child sex-abuse images, one of the last developed countries to do so.  日本是最后一个禁止持有性虐待儿童图像的发达国家之一。

　　Its new law states that anyone found with such images can be jailed for up to a year, or fined up to 10,000. The ban does not apply to comics known as manga. 它的新法律规定任何被发现持有上述图像的人可以被判入狱一年,或高达10000美元的罚款。这一禁令并不不适用于漫画。

　　A senior Chinese diplomat¹⁵ visited Vietnam for talks aimed at calming relations between the two neighbours,  中国高级外交官赴越为缓和两方关系参加会谈。

　　but the two sides ended up exchanging sharp views over their dispute in theSouth China Sea. 但关于中国南海争端双方给出不可调和的意见，不欢而散。

　　China handed down lengthy¹⁶ jail sentences to three anti-corruption activists¹⁷.  中国给3名激进分子漫长的监禁处罚。

　　Their crime was asking officials to disclose their wealth. 其犯罪原因是要求其公开财产。

　　Barack Obama proposed using his executive powers to protect a vast area of the central Pacific Ocean from fishing and other industrial activities.  贝拉克·奥巴马利用其行政权为保护太平洋中间广阔区域，禁止捕鱼和其它工业活动。

　　The plan is to expand protected seas around islands and atolls controlled byAmerica. 该计划旨在扩展美国保护下的岛屿和珊瑚礁周围海域。

　　Up in the air 悬而未决

　　The United States Supreme¹⁸ Court refused to hear an appeal by Argentina against a lower-court ruling  美国最高法院驳回了阿根廷上诉。

　　obliging it to pay a small group of creditors¹⁹ who have been chasing payment following its 2001 debt default.  阿根廷对于下级法院判决其必须支付自2001年阿根廷债务违约后一直追债的一小群债权人不满。

　　The Argentine government must now decide whether to pay these “holdout” creditors, sidestep the reach of the American courts or risk another default.  现在阿根廷政府必须决定是否支付这些“持之以恒”讨债者，绕开与美国法院接触或者面临再次债务违约的风险。

　　The Jamaican government announced that it plans to decriminalise possession of small amounts of marijuana.  牙买加政府宣布计划持有少量的大麻合法化。

　　Parliament is expected to approve the changes by the autumn.  议会有望于秋天之前通过该此计划。

　　The Canadian government approved the Northern Gateway²⁰ pipeline²¹ project to bring tar-sands oil fromAlberta to the Pacific coast of British Columbia.  加拿大政府通过了北方门户管道计划，该计划将亚伯达的油砂运往加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省的太平洋港口。

　　But objections from the First Nations mean that it remains²² uncertain whether the pipeline will go ahead.  但是来自第一民族人民的反对意味着管道计划能否进行是个未知数。

　　Juan Manuel Santos won a second term as Colombia's president, taking 51% of the vote in a run-off against óscar Iván Zuluaga.  哥伦比亚总统胡安·曼努埃尔·桑托斯赢得连任机会，在最终选举以51%的选票打败了奥斯卡·伊凡·祖拉戈。

　　Mr Santos's victory means peace talks with the country's leftist guerrillas will continue.  桑托斯的胜利意味着与国家右翼游击队和平会谈将继续举行。

　　Deadly force 致命的力量

　　Petro Poroshenko, Ukraine's new president, announced a unilateral ceasefire in the fighting with pro-Russian rebels in easternUkraine.  乌克兰新总统彼得·波罗申科单方面宣布与乌克兰东部亲俄叛乱者停火。

　　This came after the separatists shot down a military transport jet killing²³ 49 people, the deadliest incident so far in the fighting. 此前分裂者击落了一架军用运输喷气式飞机，导致49人死亡，这是这场冲突死伤人数最多的一次。

　　Russia meanwhile cut off gas supplies to Ukraine in a dispute over payments, and a big gas pipeline in the country was bombed.  同时，俄罗斯由于在天然气价格上达不成统一意见，已切断对乌克兰天然气的供应。而乌克兰一条大型天然气管道也被轰炸。

　　Marek Belka, the governor of Poland's central bank, kept his job, despite calls for his and the entire government's resignation.  马雷克·贝尔卡，波兰中央银行行长克服了各种让他和整个政府辞职的呼声，保住了他的职位。

　　In an obscenity-laced recording²⁴ leaked by Wprost, a news weekly,  波兰一家新闻周刊杂志Wprost公布了一段夹杂下流言语的录音，

　　Mr Belka appears to be striking a deal last July to support the government of Donald Tusk²⁵ by propping²⁶ up the economy,  其中贝尔卡在去年七月签订了一项协议表明通过支持经济方式来帮助唐纳德·图斯克政府，

　　in return for the sacking of the then finance minister, Jacek Rostowski.  条件是解雇时任财政大臣罗斯托斯基。

　　A rail strike in France prompted outrage²⁷ when it disrupted the first day of the all-important baccalaureat, the school-leaving test.  法国铁路罢工引发众怒。而此时正值非常重要的毕业考试第一天，

　　Rail workers walked off the job as French teenagers struggled with exam questions about epistemology and what it means to be human.  当时法国青年们正在参与讨论认识论以及认识论对人类价值的考试斗争，而铁路工人却擅自离开工作岗位。

1 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

2 beleaguered   

adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰

参考例句：

• The beleaguered party leader was forced to resign. 那位饱受指责的政党领导人被迫辞职。
• We are beleaguered by problems. 我们被许多困难所困扰。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 chagrin   

n.懊恼；气愤；委屈

参考例句：

• His increasingly visible chagrin sets up a vicious circle.他的明显的不满引起了一种恶性循环。
• Much to his chagrin,he did not win the race.使他大为懊恼的是他赛跑没获胜。

4 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 fomenting   

v.激起，煽动（麻烦等）( foment的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They accused him of fomenting political unrest. 他们指控他煽动政治动乱。
• Three sailors were fomenting a mutiny on the ship. 三个水手正在船上煽动叛变。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 plummet   

vi.(价格、水平等)骤然下跌；n.铅坠；重压物

参考例句：

• Mengniu and Yili have seen their shares plummet since the incident broke.自事件发生以来，蒙牛和伊利的股票大幅下跌。
• Even if rice prices were to plummet,other brakes on poverty alleviation remain.就算大米价格下跌，其它阻止导致贫困的因素仍然存在。

9 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

10 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

11 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

12 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

13 exodus   

v.大批离去，成群外出

参考例句：

• The medical system is facing collapse because of an exodus of doctors.由于医生大批离去，医疗系统面临崩溃。
• Man's great challenge at this moment is to prevent his exodus from this planet.人在当前所遇到的最大挑战，就是要防止人从这个星球上消失。

14 rumours   

n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传

参考例句：

• The rumours were completely baseless. 那些谣传毫无根据。
• Rumours of job losses were later confirmed. 裁员的传言后来得到了证实。

15 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

16 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

17 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

19 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

21 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

22 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。

23 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

24 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

25 tusk   

n.獠牙，长牙，象牙

参考例句：

• The wild boar had its tusk sunk deeply into a tree and howled desperately.野猪的獠牙陷在了树里，绝望地嗥叫着。
• A huge tusk decorated the wall of his study.他书房的墙上装饰着一支巨大的象牙。

26 propping   

支撑

参考例句：

• You can usually find Jack propping up the bar at his local. 你常常可以看见杰克频繁出没于他居住的那家酒店。
• The government was accused of propping up declining industries. 政府被指责支持日益衰败的产业。

27 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。