时代周刊:缅因州龙虾产业陷入疫情危机(2)

But this year national politics has come to Maine,

然而今年，缅因州登上了国家政治的舞台，

where one of Congress's toughest races is playing out ahead of Nov. 3.

11月3日之前，国会最艰难的竞选活动之一就将在这里上演。

Republican Senator Susan Collins is locked in a tight contest with her opponent, Democrat¹ Sara Gideon.

共和党参议员苏珊·柯林斯与她的对手、民主党人萨拉·吉迪恩展开了激烈的竞争。

With control of the Senate at stake,

参议院的控制权岌岌可危，

one of the nation's least populous² states has assumed outsize political importance—and so have its lobsters⁴.

（缅因州）这个全国人口最少的州之一便承担着超乎寻常的政治重要性——其龙虾也是如此。

On June 5, Trump⁵ visited the city of Bangor and threatened to slap a new tariff⁶ on European cars

6月5日，特朗普访问了班戈市，并威胁称，他将对欧洲汽车加征新的关税，

if the Europeans didn't immediately eliminate theirs on U.S. lobsters.

如若欧洲人不立即取消对美国龙虾的关税的话。

On June 24, he ordered the Agriculture Department to offer the lobster³ industry a bailout like those given to farmers caught in his trade war with China.

6月24日，他命令农业部像救助陷入他与中国的贸易战的农民一样向龙虾行业提供救助。

So far, those efforts only appear to have validated⁷ decades of local skepticism about Washington.

到目前为止，这些努力似乎恰好佐证了当地对华盛顿长达数十年的怀疑。

Not only have Maine's lobster sales plummeted⁸,

伍德曼表示，不仅缅因州的龙虾销量已经直线下降，

keeping a lobster business running has become harder as Trump's tariff wars have escalated⁹, says Woodman.

随着特朗普关税战升级，维持龙虾业务的运营也已变得更加困难。

Bait and fuel have become more expensive, he says,

他表示，和数字水温计和卫星技术一样，

as have digital water thermometers and satellite technology.

饵料和燃料的费用也已上涨。

Lobster pots, now made of steel instead of wood, cost $70 to $90 each,

捕龙虾的网，如今已经从木网变成了钢网，单价已经上涨至70~90美元，

thanks in part to Trump's tariffs¹⁰ on Canadian steel, he says.

这在一定程度上要归结于特朗普对加拿大征收钢铁关税的举措。

The influx¹¹ of PPP loans has helped some.

PPP贷款的注入只帮助到了一部分人。

According to the Small Business Administration,

美国小企业管理局数据显示，

about 1,360 Maine lobstermen—about 1 in 3— have received loans of less than $150,000.

缅因州约有1360名龙虾渔民——约该州总渔民人数的1/3——只拿到了不到15万美元的贷款。

But as in other industries, the biggest players got more from the federal trough.

但与其他行业一样，获得帮助最大的依然是该行业最大的参与者。

Four of the state's largest lobster companies hauled in $350,000 to $1 million, according to the SBA.

SBA数据显示，该州规模最大的四家龙虾公司就拿到了35~100万美元的贷款。

Everyone else, including Woodman, is learning to adapt.

剩下的所有人，包括伍德曼在内，仍在学着适应新形势。

He now ships his catch over the border to Canada,

如今，伍德曼已经开始将捕到的鱼运到美加边境销售，

which then sells them, tariff-free, to China and Europe.

加拿大随后则将其免关税出售给中国和欧洲。

He is also capitalizing on the market for frozen lobster, usually tail and claw meat, but now also entire crustaceans¹².

此外，他还将目光投向了冷冻龙虾市场，通常都是虾尾和虾钳，但如今也开始整只冷冻售卖了。

"Everybody," Woodman says, "is trying to think outside the box."

“所有人，”伍德曼说，“都在尝试跳脱惯性思维寻找新的出路。”

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。

3 lobster   

n.龙虾，龙虾肉

参考例句：

• The lobster is a shellfish.龙虾是水生贝壳动物。
• I like lobster but it does not like me.我喜欢吃龙虾，但它不适宜于我的健康。

4 lobsters   

龙虾( lobster的名词复数 )； 龙虾肉

参考例句：

• I have no idea about how to prepare those cuttlefish and lobsters. 我对如何烹调那些乌贼和龙虾毫无概念。
• She sold me a couple of live lobsters. 她卖了几只活龙虾给我。

5 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

6 tariff   

n.关税，税率；(旅馆、饭店等)价目表，收费表

参考例句：

• There is a very high tariff on jewelry.宝石类的关税率很高。
• The government is going to lower the tariff on importing cars.政府打算降低进口汽车的关税。

7 validated   

v.证实( validate的过去式和过去分词 )；确证；使生效；使有法律效力

参考例句：

• Time validated our suspicion. 时间证实了我们的怀疑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The decade of history since 1927 had richly validated their thesis. 1927年以来的十年的历史，充分证明了他们的论点。 来自辞典例句

8 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

10 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

11 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

12 crustaceans   

n.甲壳纲动物（如蟹、龙虾）( crustacean的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These crustaceans provide a valuable food source for some fish. 这些甲壳纲动物是某些鱼类重要的食物来源。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• When the tide ebbs it's a rock pool inhabited by crustaceans. 退潮时，它便成为甲壳动物居住的岩石区潮水潭。 来自辞典例句