2020年经济学人 列克星顿专栏--美国回溯20世纪50年代(3)

Unfavourable comparisons between America now and in its golden decade of capitalism¹ are understandable. Yet 1950s nostalgists should find comfort in the decade’s cultural endurance. That goes beyond board games. The warm civic-mindedness Americans exude² in their mid-century pursuits recalls that confident time. When your columnist³’s neighbours at Bengies discovered it was his children’s first trip to a drive-in, they bought them a celebratory ice-cream. That would not happen in a video arcade⁴.

美国的现在与资本主义黄金十年之间的不利比较是可以理解的。然而，20世纪50年代的怀旧主义者应该能够这十年的文化承受力中找到安慰。不仅仅是玩棋盘游戏。美国人在追求中世纪的过程中散发出的热情的公民意识让人回想起那段自信的时代。在Bengies汽车影院，列克星顿专栏作者附近的观影人们发现这是自己的孩子第一次去汽车影院，他们会买一个冰淇淋以示庆祝。这样的情况不会发生在电子游戏机上。

Nostalgists should also consider two cautionary points. First, as per Bengies’ rules, the 1950s was a hectoring time. For all its thrust and novelty, there was usually someone telling you what to do. The suburbs were an experiment in social engineering. Housewives there were bombarded with home economics, their teenagers with “mental-hygiene films”. Americans would not submit to that today because they are freer. (Though it would be good if they would submit to wearing face-masks, as you must at Bengies.)

怀旧主义者们还应该考虑两点注意事项。首先，按照Bengies汽车影院的规则，20世纪50年代是一个威吓的年代。尽管这家影院的主旨和新颖性，通常都会有人告诉你该怎么做。郊区是社会工程的一场实验。那里的家庭妇女们被家政轰炸，青少年们被“心理卫生电影”轰炸。今天的美国人们不会受束于这一点，他们更加自由了。（不过，如果他们愿意戴上口罩就好了，就像在Bengies强制要求的那样。）

Second, many Americans were barred from the 1950s cultural treats because of their skin colour. Cinemas were segregated⁵ in the South until the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. So were many state parks. When Sandy Point, a small beach on Chesapeake Bay, opened in 1952, it was the only one in Maryland available to African- Americans. And they could use only a scruffy⁶ corner of it. When your white columnist and his family visited the teeming⁷ beach this summer, they were in the minority. It is now a magnet for Hispanic families from Prince George’s County and black ones from Baltimore. Hip-hop and salsa fight it out above the multilingual, multiracial throng⁸. All things considered, 1950s America is better now than it was in the original.

第二，许多美国人当时因为肤色而被禁止参加20世纪50年代的文化盛宴。在1964年通过民权法案之前，南方的电影院一直实行种族隔离。许多州立公园也是如此。1952年，切萨皮克湾的一个小海滩Sandy Point开业，它是马里兰州唯一一个对非裔美国人开放的海滩。而他们只能使用这个海滩的一个邋遢的角落。今年夏天，列克星顿的白人专栏作家和他的家人来到了人山人海的海滩，他们是少数人。现在，这个海滩吸引了乔治王子郡的西班牙裔家庭和巴尔的摩的黑人家庭。嘻哈和萨尔萨在多语种、多种族人群中奋力拼搏。综上所述，现在的人们过着20世纪50年代的生活方式要比原来更好了。

1 capitalism   

n.资本主义

参考例句：

• The essence of his argument is that capitalism cannot succeed.他的论点的核心是资本主义不能成功。
• Capitalism began to develop in Russia in the 19th century.十九世纪资本主义在俄国开始发展。

2 exude   

v.(使)流出，(使)渗出

参考例句：

• Some successful men exude self-confidence.有些成功的人流露出自信。
• The sun made him exude sweat.烈日晒得他汗流浃背。

3 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

4 arcade   

n.拱廊；(一侧或两侧有商店的)通道

参考例句：

• At this time of the morning,the arcade was almost empty.在早晨的这个时候，拱廊街上几乎空无一人。
• In our shopping arcade,you can find different kinds of souvenir.在我们的拱廊市场，你可以发现许多的纪念品。

5 segregated   

分开的； 被隔离的

参考例句：

• a culture in which women are segregated from men 妇女受到隔离歧视的文化
• The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. 大夫把患猩红热的孩子隔离起来。

6 scruffy   

adj.肮脏的，不洁的

参考例句：

• Despite her scruffy clothes,there was an air of sophistication about her.尽管她衣衫褴褛，但神态老练世故。
• His scruffy appearance does not reflect his character.他邋遢的外表并不反映他的性格。

7 teeming   

adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注

参考例句：

• The rain was teeming down. 大雨倾盆而下。
• the teeming streets of the city 熙熙攘攘的城市街道

8 throng   

n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集

参考例句：

• A patient throng was waiting in silence.一大群耐心的人在静静地等着。
• The crowds thronged into the mall.人群涌进大厅。