新奇事件簿 日本恢复商业捕鲸

Japan has resumed commercial whaling after a hiatus of over three decades. Commercial whaling was banned in 1986 by an International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium¹. However, Japan withdrew from the IWC in December. Japan's government has promised all whalers will stay within 320 kilometers from its coast. The Japanese fisheries agency set a quota² for killing³ 227 whales every six months. In the first days of resumed whaling, whalers caught two minke whales, which were taken to the northern port of Kushiro. The whale meat was auctioned⁴ in Tokyo and sold for record prices. Eager restaurant owners snapped up the meat at prices of up to $140 per kilo.

时隔三十多年后，日本恢复商业捕鲸。1986年，国际捕鲸委员会（IWC）禁止商业捕鲸。但在12月，日本退出IWC。日本政府承诺所有捕鲸船将停留在距离海岸320公里以内。日本设定了每六个月捕杀227头鲸鱼的配额。在恢复捕鲸的头几天里，捕鲸船捕获了两头小须鲸，并将它们带往钏路北部港口。鲸鱼肉在东京拍卖，并以创纪录的价格售出。热切的餐馆老板们以每公斤高达140美元的价格抢购这些肉。

Japan has engaged in the practice of whaling for centuries. Whale restaurant chef Mitsuo Tani summed up why he thought the return of commercial whaling was important. He said: "A country that does not preserve its food culture has no future." He also promoted the health benefits of whale meat. He said: "It is five times lower in calories than beef, 10 times lower in cholesterol⁵, two times less fat than chicken and it's packed with iron. But abroad, people do not know this." However, Japan's return to whaling has brought international outcry. The Humane⁶ Society accused Japan of starting a "new and shocking era of pirate whaling". It added: "This is a sad day for whale protection globally."

日本从事捕鲸已经有几个世纪了。鲸鱼餐厅的主厨Mitsuo Tani总结了为什么他认为恢复商业捕鲸是重要的。他称：“一个不保护饮食文化的国家是没有未来的。”他还宣传了鲸鱼肉对健康的好处。他表示：“鲸鱼肉的卡路里比牛肉的低5倍，胆固醇低10倍，脂肪比鸡肉低2倍，肉中还含铁。但国外的人不知道这一点。”但日本恢复捕鲸引起了国际社会的强烈抗议。人道协会指责日本开始了一个“令人震惊的海盗捕鲸新时代”。其还补充道：“对全球的鲸鱼保护来说，这是悲伤的一天。”

1 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

2 quota   

n.（生产、进出口等的）配额，（移民的）限额

参考例句：

• A restricted import quota was set for meat products.肉类产品设定了进口配额。
• He overfulfilled his production quota for two months running.他一连两个月超额完成生产指标。

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 auctioned   

v.拍卖( auction的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was sad to see all grandmother's lovely things being auctioned off. 眼看着祖母那些可爱的东西全都被拍卖掉，心里真不好受。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder. 电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 cholesterol   

n.（U）胆固醇

参考例句：

• There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
• They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。

6 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。