新奇事件簿 教宗斥责欧洲

Pope Francis delivered a damning message to European leaders on Tuesday when he addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg. He denounced what he saw as Europe's 'throwaway culture' where the elderly, the terminally ill and unborn children are ignored. He said technology and economics were more important to politicians than those suffering. He told his audience: "Men and women risk being reduced to mere¹ cogs in a machine that treats them as items of consumption to be exploited, with the result that whenever a human life no longer proves useful for that machine, it is discarded." He added: "It is the inevitable² consequence ofa throwaway culture, and an uncontrolled consumerism".

周二，新任教宗方济对欧洲领导人进行了一痛训责，这是他在斯特拉斯堡的欧洲议会演讲上所说的。他谴责了欧洲所谓的“一次新文化”在这样的文化中，老人、即将死去的病人以及没有出生的儿童都受到了人们的忽视。他还说对于政治家来说，技术和经济要比这些受苦的人重要的多。他告诉听众：“人类马上要沦落成一个机器的齿轮，他们把人类看成是可以利用的消费品，所以，对于机器来说，人类的生命变得不再有用，他们遭到了抛弃。”他还说：“这是一次性文化所带来的必然后果，这也是失控的消费主义所导致的后果”。

The Pope was very critical of Europe's politicians and systems. He warned that Europe's once dynamic, caring and artistic³ cultures were being eroded⁴ by red tape, saying: "The great ideas which once inspired Europe seem to have lost their attraction, only to be replaced by the bureaucratic⁵ technicalities of its institutions." He said bureaucracy was "perceived as insensitive to individual peoples, if not downright harmful".The Pope said Europe risked losing its sense of community, saying: "One of the most common diseases in Europe today is the loneliness typical of those who have no connection with others. This is especially trueof the elderly, who are often abandoned to their fate, and also in the young."

教宗对欧洲的政治家和系统提出了批评。他警告说欧洲曾经有着辉煌、灿烂的文化，然而这些却遭到了官僚风气的侵袭，他说“曾经灿烂的欧洲思想已经失去了它的吸引力，取而代之的是制度的官僚。”他说官僚之风不会注重个人的价值。”教宗说欧洲正在失去自己的身份，他说“当今欧洲最常见的疾病就是孤独，特别是那些不与人来往的人。这在老人中非常常见，他们甚至在年轻时就过着听天由命的生活。”

1 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

2 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

3 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

4 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。

5 bureaucratic   

adj.官僚的，繁文缛节的

参考例句：

• The sweat of labour washed away his bureaucratic airs.劳动的汗水冲掉了他身上的官气。
• In this company you have to go through complex bureaucratic procedures just to get a new pencil.在这个公司里即使是领一支新铅笔，也必须通过繁琐的手续。