经济学人:朝鲜 又一个受害者(2)

 　　Although 18 American citizens have been detained by North Korea over the past two decades  尽管在过去的二十年里，有18名美国公民被朝鲜扣留

　　(and ten since Kim Jong Un, its leader, took power five-and-a-half years ago), they have rarely been hurt. （自朝鲜领导人金正恩在5年半前掌权以来，10人被拘留），但他们很少受到伤害。

　　Foreign travellers are typically held either on espionage¹ charges or for “hostile acts” against the North Korean state—bilingual Bibles left in bathrooms, for example. 例如，外国游客通常会被指控以间谍行为或针对朝鲜境内的敌对行为，例如，被遗留在洗漱间的双语版《圣经》。

　　These prisoners are mainly kept as bargaining chips in the hope of negotiations². 这些囚犯主要当做谈判的筹码。

　　Mr Warmbier's case will fuel growing calls in America for a ban on travel to North Korea. 瓦姆比尔的案例将会加快美国禁止去朝鲜旅游。

　　About 1,000 Americans visit each year, roughly one-fifth of all tourists to North Korea. 每年大概有1000名美国人前往朝鲜，约占朝鲜境内游客的五分之一。

　　Backers of a ban say that such tours do “nothing but provide funds to a tyrannical regime”. 禁令的支持者认为，这样的旅游除了给专横政权提供基金外没什么意义。

　　Yet revenue from tourism, estimated at $30m-40m a year, is only a small sliver³ of even the North's backward economy. 而且来自旅游业的收入，一年的估计值为3至4亿，仅仅是朝鲜后退经济中的一小部分。

　　Opponents of a ban say it would simply help North Korea shut out the outside world. 而禁令的反对者认为它会简单地帮助朝鲜把世界排除在外。

　　Even if travel restrictions⁴ are put in place, talks like those that secured Mr Warmbier's release may still continue, says Scott Snyder of the Council on Foreign Relations, an American think-tank. 美国智库外交关系委员会的斯科特·斯奈德表示，即使旅行限制措施有序进行，但类似那些确保瓦姆比尔安全释放的谈判仍可能继续。

　　China, with which America held security talks this week, is keen to promote dialogue over North Korea's quest to build nuclear missiles capable of hitting America. 本周,美国与中国举行了安全论谈，中国希望就朝鲜寻求制造可袭击美国的核导弹进行对话。

　　Indeed, it will argue that growing tensions make talks more necessary than ever. 事实上，它还主张，不断加剧的紧张局势导致谈判比以往任何时候都更加必要。

1 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

2 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

3 sliver   

n.裂片，细片，梳毛；v.纵切，切成长片，剖开

参考例句：

• There was only one sliver of light in the darkness.黑暗中只有一点零星的光亮。
• Then,one night,Monica saw a thin sliver of the moon reappear.之后的一天晚上，莫尼卡看到了一个月牙。

4 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制