经济学人96:中国-三峡大坝

 　　China and opposition¹ to dams

　　三峡大坝

　　Choking on the Three Gorges²

　　阻塞的三峡

　　China’s government at last owns up to problems at its monster dam

　　中国政府最终承认巨型大坝导致的问题

　　RAIN along the middle and lower Yangzi River this week has helped alleviate³ the region’s worst drought in 50 years. But it has not doused⁴ a storm of criticism of the Three Gorges dam upriver, including allegations that it contributed to the disaster. Opponents of the colossal⁵ edifice⁶ have been emboldened⁷ by rare government admissions of environmental and other “urgent” problems caused by the dam.

　　这周在长江中下游沿线的降雨缓解了这一地区近50年来最恶劣的干旱灾害。但这并没有平息对三峡大坝上游潮水般的批评，包括其造成此次干旱的断言。政府罕见地承认三峡大坝诱发了环境和其他“紧急”问题，这使得反对这一巨型工程的人们声势愈烈。

　　In private, officials have worried about the project for some time and occasionally their doubts have surfaced in the official media. But the government itself has refused to acknowledge them. When the project was approved by the rubber-stamp parliament in 1992, debate was stifled⁸ by the oppressive political atmosphere of the time, following the Tiananmen Square massacre⁹ three years earlier. Last July, with the dam facing its biggest flood crest¹⁰ since completion in 2006, officials hinted that they might have overstated its ability to control flooding. On May 18th, with the dam again in the spotlight¹¹ because of the drought, a cabinet meeting chaired by the prime minister, Wen Jiabao, went further in acknowledging drawbacks.

　　在私下里，政府官员们在很长时间里已经对这一工程表示过担心，他们的怀疑偶尔会在官方媒体上抛头露面。但政府自身并没有承认。1992年的国家会议上，当三峡工程未经审核就被批准时，正值3年前天安门事件发生不久，反对声音被当时压抑的政治氛围所笼罩。上个7月，随着大坝面临06年竣工以来的一次最大的洪水，政府官员暗示，他们可能高估了三峡防洪的能力。5月18号，干旱再一次使三峡成为热点，在温家宝主持的政府会议上，进一步承认其存在弊端。

　　Having called the dam “hugely beneficial overall”, the cabinet’s statement said there were problems relating to the resettlement of 1.4m people, to the environment and to the “prevention of geological disasters” that urgently needed addressing. The dam, it said, had had “a certain impact” on navigation, irrigation and water-supply downstream. Some of these problems had been forecast at the design stage or spotted¹² during construction. But they had been “difficult to resolve effectively because of limitations imposed by conditions at the time.” It did not elaborate.

　　曾今一度声称大坝“利益无穷”，小组人员表示有关一千四百万群众的安置、环境和“防止地质灾害”等问题都急需处理。据说大坝必然对航运、灌溉和下游水源补给产生影响。其中一些问题在设计阶段已被暴露或者在施工阶段被警告。但是因为“当时现实条件的限制而很难有效解决”三峡工程并不周密。

　　The confession¹³ has triggered a flurry of articles in official newspapers about the dam’s deficiencies. Some recalled a warning given by one of China’s most famous critics, Huang Wanli, before his death ten years ago that the dam would silt¹⁴ up the reservoir basin and sooner or later have to be blown up. The Oriental Morning Post even filled its front page with a picture of Mr Huang, who was persecuted¹⁵ by Mao Zedong for his criticism of the Sanmenxia dam on the Yellow River. Sanmenxia was the nation’s pride until its reservoir silted¹⁶ up. On June 7th Shanghai Daily, an English-language paper, called the Three Gorges “that monstrous¹⁷ damming project”.

　　政府的承认激发了关于大坝弊端大量官方文章的出现。有一些回忆起中国最出名的反对者——黄万里的警告，在他逝世十年前就指出，大坝因泥沙淤积最终被炸掉。东方晨报甚至将黄的照片刊登在头版上，他曾因为批评黄河上的三门峡水电站而受到毛泽东迫害的。在储水区淤塞之前，三门峡一直都是这个国家的骄傲。在6月7号的上海日报上，一份英文刊上，将三峡叫做“怪兽般的水利工程”。

　　Its effect on the drought is difficult to prove. Officials deny assertions that the dam and its more than 600-km (370-mile) reservoir might have affected¹⁸ the regional climate. But one official, Wang Jingquan of the Yangzi’s Water Resources Committee, conceded that the dam had lowered water levels in two of the country’s biggest freshwater lakes, making the impact worse. The rapid lowering of the reservoir’s level has also raised fears of landslides¹⁹ and earthquakes. Probe International, a Canadian NGO, published a report on June 1st by Chinese government experts saying the dam had caused “significantly increased” seismic²⁰ activity.

　　三峡对干旱的影响很难证实。当局拒绝声明大坝和它超过600千米的储水区会影响区域气候。但有一位官员，长江水力资源委员Wang Jingquan承认三峡降低了国内两大淡水湖泊的水位，导致干旱更加严重。急速下降的库区水位同样增加了滑坡和地震的危险。中国政府专家根据加拿大的NGO国际调查，于7月1日发布一篇报道，表示三峡大坝已经引起了严重的地质活动。

　　This debate has erupted at a time of heightened political uncertainty²¹ as the Communist Party prepares for sweeping²² leadership changes next year. The government’s decision to be open about doubts that had previously²³ been harboured in private could reflect struggles between outgoing leaders and their still-influential predecessors²⁴. The earlier generation had been responsible for getting the project started in the 1990s. But President Hu Jintao and Mr Wen did not attend the dam’s completion ceremony in May 2006.

　　这场争论在政治高度不确定的时期爆发，因为共产党正准备明年的领导权的交接。政府公开这一曾被私下隐瞒的质疑的决定，能够反映出即将离职领导人同他们仍然有影响力的前辈们之间的斗争。上一代领导人已于1990年对三峡工程的实施做出担保。但是胡锦涛主席和温家宝总理并没有参加2006年三峡工程的竣工庆典。

　　For liberal intellectuals, the furore has provided an opportunity to push back against hardliners (who tend to favour grandiose²⁵ displays of state power). One liberal newspaper published an interview with Mao Yushi, a prominent economist²⁶ who has been fiercely denounced recently by hardliners because of an article he wrote attacking Mao Zedong. Mr Mao (the economist rather than the Helmsman) contributed to a book criticising the Three Gorges dam which was published in 1989, shortly before the Tiananmen protests. It was later banned.

　　对于自由知识分子，这一热议为反对政策制定者（热衷于浮夸地展示国家力量的人）提供了机会。一家自由报刊发表了采访Mao Yushi的报道，他是一位杰出的经济学家，最近由于写了一篇文章批判毛泽东，受到领导层激烈抨击。毛先生（是经济学家而非伟大的舵手）在天安门事件发生不久前，于1989年发表的著述中批判了三峡大坝。随后就被封杀了。

　　In the interview Mr Mao accused the government of shuffling²⁷ off responsibility for the dam 20 years ago by ignoring anti-dam experts and then getting the legislature to approve the project. “If there are any problems in future, you won’t be able to find anyone. There is nobody taking real responsibility,” he said.

　　在采访中，毛先生控诉政府20年前通过无视反对修建三峡的专家的意见然后赞成实施取得合法性的方式推卸责任。“如果将来会出现什么问题，你将找不到任何负责人。没有人会真正负责，”他说到。

1 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。

2 gorges   

n.山峡，峡谷( gorge的名词复数 )；咽喉v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的第三人称单数 )；作呕

参考例句：

• The explorers were confronted with gorges(that were)almost impassable and rivers(that were)often unfordable. 探险人员面临着几乎是无路可通的峡谷和常常是无法渡过的河流。 来自辞典例句
• We visited the Yangtse Gorges last summer. 去年夏天我们游历了长江三峡。 来自辞典例句

3 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

4 doused   

v.浇水在…上( douse的过去式和过去分词 )；熄灯[火]

参考例句：

• The car was doused in petrol and set alight. 这辆汽车被浇上汽油点燃了。
• He doused the lamp,and we made our way back to the house. 他把灯熄掉，我们就回到屋子里去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 colossal   

adj.异常的，庞大的

参考例句：

• There has been a colossal waste of public money.一直存在巨大的公款浪费。
• Some of the tall buildings in that city are colossal.那座城市里的一些高层建筑很庞大。

6 edifice   

n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室)

参考例句：

• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。
• There is a huge Victorian edifice in the area.该地区有一幢维多利亚式的庞大建筑物。

7 emboldened   

v.鼓励，使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Emboldened by the wine, he went over to introduce himself to her. 他借酒壮胆，走上前去向她作自我介绍。
• His success emboldened him to expand his business. 他有了成就因而激发他进一步扩展业务。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 stifled   

（使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵

参考例句：

• The gas stifled them. 煤气使他们窒息。
• The rebellion was stifled. 叛乱被镇压了。

9 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

10 crest   

n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖

参考例句：

• The rooster bristled his crest.公鸡竖起了鸡冠。
• He reached the crest of the hill before dawn.他于黎明前到达山顶。

11 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

12 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

13 confession   

n.自白，供认，承认

参考例句：

• Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。
• The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。

14 silt   

n.淤泥，淤沙，粉砂层，泥沙层；vt.使淤塞；vi.被淤塞

参考例句：

• The lake was almost solid with silt and vegetation.湖里几乎快被淤泥和植物填满了。
• During the annual floods the river deposits its silt on the fields.每年河水泛滥时都会在田野上沉积一层淤泥。

15 persecuted   

（尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人

参考例句：

• Throughout history, people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs. 人们因宗教信仰而受迫害的情况贯穿了整个历史。
• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。

16 silted   

v.（河流等）为淤泥淤塞( silt的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）淤塞

参考例句：

• The riverbed is silted up, so there's no outlet for the floodwater. 河道淤塞，水无出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The river is silted up and the water flows sluggishly. 河道淤塞，水流迟滞。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 monstrous   

adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的

参考例句：

• The smoke began to whirl and grew into a monstrous column.浓烟开始盘旋上升，形成了一个巨大的烟柱。
• Your behaviour in class is monstrous!你在课堂上的行为真是丢人！

18 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

19 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

20 seismic   

a.地震的，地震强度的

参考例句：

• Earthquakes produce two types of seismic waves.地震产生两种地震波。
• The latest seismic activity was also felt in northern Kenya.肯尼亚北部也感觉到了最近的地震活动。

21 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

22 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

23 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。

24 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 grandiose   

adj.宏伟的，宏大的，堂皇的，铺张的

参考例句：

• His grandiose manner impressed those who met him for the first time.他那种夸大的举止给第一次遇见他的人留下了深刻的印象。
• As the fog vanished,a grandiose landscape unfolded before the tourists.雾气散去之后，一幅壮丽的景观展现在游客面前。

26 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

27 shuffling   

adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• Don't go shuffling along as if you were dead. 别像个死人似地拖着脚走。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some one was shuffling by on the sidewalk. 外面的人行道上有人拖着脚走过。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹