埃及公布建设新首都计划

 　　Forget the pyramids, Tahrir Square and the Nile. Egypt is ready to ditch Cairo and build a shiny new capital if the government has its way.

　　先别想金字塔、解放广场还有尼罗河了。埃及准备抛弃开罗，建造一个闪亮新首都，如果埃及政府这一想法能顺利实施的话。

　　Fed up with pollution, traffic gridlock, a packed population with soaring rents and creaking infrastructure¹, Egypt is teaming up with a developer in the United Arab Emirates to build a city in what could be one of the world's most ambitious infrastructure programs.

　　由于原首都污染严重，交通拥堵，人口大爆炸，房屋租金高涨，以及跟不上时代的基础设施等诸多压力，埃及计划与阿拉伯联合酋长国的一个开发商合作，建设一个新首都。这个首都建设计划可能是世界上最宏伟的公共建设项目之一。

　　The yet-to-be-named city will spread out over 150 square miles, or roughly the size of Denver, and could eventually be home to 7 million people, the developers and government announced Friday.

　　开发商和政府周五（3月13日）宣布，这个尚未被命名的城市将占地150平方英里（388平方公里），大概就是丹佛市（美国科罗拉多州最大的城市）的大小，大概能容纳700万名居民。

　　埃及公布建设新首都计划

　　The current capital of Cairo, while full of history and vibrant² charm, is home to more than 18 million people, and living in and getting around the city can be maddening and frustrating³. The government says the idea is to reduce congestion⁴ in Cairo, which is projected to double in population in the coming decades.

　　现在的首都开罗，是一座既有历史底蕴，又富有勃勃生机的城市。开罗市里常住人口超过1800万，不管是住在城市里还是在城市中穿行，都会让人感到烦闷不适。政府称，考虑到开罗在未来十年里可能会增加一倍的人口，此举是为了改善开罗市内的拥堵情况。

　　An exact location was not announced, but the city is expected to be built east of Cairo. It will be closer to the Red Sea -- between two major highways -- the Suez and the Ain Sokhna roads.

　　新首都的具体地址尚未公布，但是应该是建在开罗的东边。新首都会位于两条主要交通干道——苏因士和艾因城市公路——中间，比开罗更靠近红海。

　　The ambitions are big. In addition to the new embassies and government buildings, it plans to have an international airport bigger than Heathrow, solar energy farms, 40,000 hotel rooms, nearly 2,000 schools and 18 hospitals -- all linked together by over 6,000 miles of new roads.

　　这项工程非常宏伟。除了新大使馆和政府大楼以外，还会在新首都建设一个比希斯罗机场（位于英国伦敦）更加大型的国际机场，还有太阳能农场，4万多间酒店住房，将近2000所学校和18所医院，这些建筑会由6000多英里的新公路连接起来。

　　But if the dream is big, the bill will be bigger.

　　但是，梦想如果很宏伟，实现梦想的账单数额，就会更加“宏伟”。

　　The total cost is estimated at U.S. $45 billion, Minister of Housing Mostafa Madbouly announced at an economic development conference in Sharm el-Sheikh.

　　住房部长莫斯达?玛德布理在沙姆沙伊赫（的一个经济发展会议上声称，建设新首都的总造价预计将达到450亿美元。

　　The unveiling of the new capital was paired with a glitzy website with renderings⁵ showing a lush and technological⁶ urban scape of glass towers and pools.

　　新首都的揭幕是通过眩目的网站展现的，网站展现了一片既有城市绿化又有高科技设施的城市景观，有玻璃楼塔，还有游泳池。

　　The plan is backed by a group that describes itself as "a private real estate investment fund by global investors⁷ focused on investment and development partnerships⁸" led by Emirati developer Mohamed Alabbar.

　　这项建设新首都计划的幕后支持者是一个自称“专注于全球投资和发展的私人房地产投资基金会”的组织，该组织的领导者是阿联酋的地产开发商穆罕默德?阿拉巴。

　　Alabbar made his name as the founder⁹ of Dubai's Emaar Properties, primarily known for developing the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

　　阿拉巴是迪拜的艾玛哈集团的创始人，他最著名的项目就是建造了世界上最高的建筑——迪拜塔。

　　Egypt is not the first country to plan on moving its capital from established big cities to rural greener pastures. Myanmar has only recently completed its move from crumbling¹⁰ Yangon to the new city of Naypyidaw. Nigeria moved to Abuja in the 1990's, and Brazil carved its capital Brasilia out of the wilderness¹¹ over 50 years ago.

　　埃及并不是世界上第一个想把首都从成熟的大都市搬迁至乡村绿地的国家。缅甸最近才完成把旧首都从衰败的仰光到新城市内比都的大迁移，尼日利亚在19世纪90年代把首都搬到阿布贾，巴西也在50年前在一片荒蛮之地上建起了首都巴西利亚。

　　And then there was another crazy idea of building a capital on a square of swampland that seemed mainly to be a boondoggle for wealthy land speculators at the time.

　　此外，还有一个疯狂的搬迁首都例子，就是在一片沼泽地上建立一个都城，这在当时看来简直就是有钱的土地投机商的异想天开。

　　That city? Washington, D.C.

　　这是哪个城市？美国首都，华盛顿。

　　Vocabulary

　　ditch:抛弃

　　rendering：描绘，效果图

　　pasture：草地

　　boondoggle：浪费时间金钱做的（无意义的）事

1 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

2 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

3 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 congestion   

n.阻塞，消化不良

参考例句：

• The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
• Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。

5 renderings   

n.（戏剧或乐曲的）演奏( rendering的名词复数 )；扮演；表演；翻译作品

参考例句：

• Research about the usability of architectural renderings supports this notion. 关于建筑渲染的可用性研究支持上面提到的这种观点。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Note: Attached Bugatti renderings are for illustrative purposes only. 注：附加布加迪渲染是仅用于说明的目的。 来自互联网

6 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

7 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

8 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

9 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

10 crumbling   

adj.摇摇欲坠的

参考例句：

• an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof 一所灰泥剥落、屋顶漏水的老房子
• The boat was tied up alongside a crumbling limestone jetty. 这条船停泊在一个摇摇欲坠的石灰岩码头边。

11 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。