2018年双语新闻 今年的年度词“有毒”？

Is our world 'toxic¹'?

今年的年度词“有毒”？

There's only one month left of 2018. If you could pick a single word to describe the year, which would you choose?

2018年只剩下一个月了。如果要选一个词来形容这一年，你会选哪个词呢？

This year the Oxford² Dictionary has gone with "toxic", its "word of the year".

今年，《牛津词典》将“有毒”选为了2018年年度词。

The word toxic has become a "descriptor for 2018's most talked about topics" and it "has been used in an array of contexts, both in its literal and more metaphorical³ senses", according to the Oxford Dictionaries website.

“Toxic”一词成为了“2018年诸多热议话题的形容词”，并且“被用于一系列语境之中，包括字面义及引申义，”《牛津词典》官网如此表示。

Defined as "poisonous" and first appearing in English in the mid-17th century, "toxic" is still often used to describe chemicals and substances like plastics. It has been frequently used in heated discussions on the environment in our communities and society. For example, phrases like "toxicity⁴ of plastics" and "toxicity of air" have been used repeatedly in recent years.

“Toxic”意为“有毒”，17世纪中期首次在英语中出现，如今仍时常被用于形容塑料等化学品。在团体和社会热议的环境问题中，该词被频繁使用。比如，“塑料的毒性”以及“空气的毒性”等说法近年来反复出现。

But now the word is being used metaphorically⁵. Workplaces, schools, cultures, relationships and stress are being called "toxic" today. Used in this way, "toxic" means an invisible detrimental⁶ circumstance. For example, the Me Too Movement, an online campaign that supports women against harassment⁷, puts the spotlight⁸ on "toxic masculinity", which may hurt women physically⁹ or mentally.

而如今，这个词语的意思被引申了。工作场合、学校、文化、人际关系以及压力如今都被称为“有毒”。在这种语境之下，“toxic”指的是隐形且有害的处境。比如，在网络上声援女性抵制骚扰的“Me Too”运动中，“有毒的男子气概”或许会对女性造成生理和心理上的伤害，成为了关注焦点。

So, if there is much that is "toxic" today, what can we do to restore our moral integrity?

既然如今“有毒”的事情这么多，那么我们如何才能保住自己的道德操守呢？

It is difficult to answer this question, but we can find guidance in the example of people from the past. One was the famous Song poet Zhou Dunyi (1017-1073). In his poem Ode to the Lotus Flower, he compared himself to the lotus flower which "grows in mud without being contaminated by it". Here Zhou declared his determination to stay away from evil and corruption¹⁰.

这个问题很难回答，但我们可以从古人身上获得指引。其中之一便是宋朝著名诗人周敦颐。在其所著的《爱莲说》一文中，他将自己比作“出淤泥而不染”的荷花，表明了自己远离奸邪腐败的决心。

But perhaps you can't see yourself as a person like Zhou Dunyi, and are still confused about how to stay free of toxicity. These words of US author Leo Buscaglia (1924-1988) may help: "The easiest thing to be in the world is you, and the most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don't let them put you in that position".

但你或许觉得自己无法成为周敦颐这样的人，并且仍对如何摆脱这些有毒之事感到困惑。美国作家里奥·巴斯卡力的这席话或许会有所帮助：“这个世界上最简单的事是做你自己，最难的事是成为他人眼中的你自己。不要让他人将你置于如此的处境。”

1 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

2 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

3 metaphorical   

a.隐喻的，比喻的

参考例句：

• Here, then, we have a metaphorical substitution on a metonymic axis. 这样，我们在换喻（者翻译为转喻，一种以部分代替整体的修辞方法）上就有了一个隐喻的替代。
• So, in a metaphorical sense, entropy is arrow of time. 所以说，我们可以这样作个比喻：熵像是时间之矢。

4 toxicity   

n.毒性，毒力

参考例句：

• The hoarse grunt or squeal is characteristic of toxicity.嘶哑的哼声和叫声是中毒的特征。
• Dieldrin is related to aldrin,and its toxicity to earthworms is similar.狄氏剂与艾氏剂有关，对蚯蚓的毒性是相似的。

5 metaphorically   

adv. 用比喻地

参考例句：

• It is context and convention that determine whether a term will be interpreted literally or metaphorically. 对一个词的理解是按字面意思还是隐喻的意思要视乎上下文和习惯。
• Metaphorically it implied a sort of admirable energy. 从比喻来讲，它含有一种令人赞许的能量的意思。

6 detrimental   

adj.损害的，造成伤害的

参考例句：

• We know that heat treatment is detrimental to milk.我们知道加热对牛奶是不利的。
• He wouldn't accept that smoking was detrimental to health.他不相信吸烟有害健康。

7 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

8 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。

9 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

10 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。