2020年经济学人 未上锁的世界(1)

Books & arts

文艺板块

Globalisation

全球化

Ports in a storm

风暴中的港口

Unlocking the World. By John Darwin.

《打开世界》。作者：约翰·达尔文。

In liverpool, a French observer marvelled¹ in 1907, “one feels one is in contact with America, Australia, west Africa, the Far East, at the same time as with Germany and France. There one is at the commercial centre of the world.”

1907年，一位法国观察家在利物浦惊叹道；“一个人感觉自己在与美国、澳大利亚、西非、远东地区接触，同时也与德国和法国有联系。这个人所在之处就是世界商业中心。”

This remark neatly² captures the subject of John Darwin’s new book. He tracks a century of what he calls “steam globalisation”, when steamships³ and railways drove a dramatic acceleration⁴ in the exchange of goods, people, ideas and money across the world. Faster and cheaper transport seemed to shrink the globe; the volume of world trade and foreign investment soared. Mr Darwin shows how major port cities were both products of these transformations⁵ and agents of change. In the great opening up of the world that is his subject, the port cities were the hinges.

这句话巧妙地抓住了约翰·达尔文新书的主题。他追踪了长达一个世纪的所谓的“蒸汽全球化”，当时蒸汽船和铁路加剧推动了世界范围内货物、人员、思想和金钱的快速流动。更快、更便宜的交通运输似乎拉近了世界的距离；世界贸易和外国投资额猛增。达尔文先生展示了主要港口城市如何既是这些变革的产物，又是变革的推动者。在他所研究的世界大开放中，港口城市是枢纽。

The current era of globalisation, the author notes, is not unique but the latest in a series that have built on each other in a cumulative⁶, though not neatly linear, fashion. In the mercantile system that sprang up in the wake of the voyages of Ibn Battuta, Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama, Asia was the world’s workshop and Europe relatively⁷ peripheral⁸.

作者指出，当前的全球化时代并不是独一无二的，而是一系列曾经的全球化变革在彼此的基础上相互累加（尽管不是恰好的线性累加）而形成的最新时代。在伊本·巴图塔、克里斯托弗·哥伦布和瓦斯科·达伽马航海后兴起的商业体系中，亚洲是世界工厂，而欧洲则相对处于外围。

Then coal, readily available in Europe, fuelled what historians have called the “Great Divergence” of the 18th century, whereby Europe (and later North America) came to dominate. By describing the evolution and sometimes decline of a number of major port cities, most compellingly London, Bombay, Singapore and New York, Mr Darwin shows how this process worked.

当时，欧洲随处可见的煤炭，助长了历史学家所说的18世纪的“大分流”，欧洲（以及后来的北美）在这一时期占据了主导地位。通过描述一些主要港口城市的演变和有时的衰落，包括最具竞争力的是伦敦、孟买、新加坡和纽约，达尔文展示了这一过程是如何运作的。

1 marvelled   

v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I marvelled that he suddenly left college. 我对他突然离开大学感到惊奇。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I marvelled at your boldness. 我对你的大胆感到惊奇。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

3 steamships   

n.汽船，大轮船( steamship的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Berths on steamships can be booked a long while in advance. 轮船上的床位可以提前多日预订。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The sailing ships were superseded by the steamships. 帆船已被汽船所取代。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 acceleration   

n.加速，加速度

参考例句：

• All spacemen must be able to bear acceleration.所有太空人都应能承受加速度。
• He has also called for an acceleration of political reforms.他同时呼吁加快政治改革的步伐。

5 transformations   

n.变化( transformation的名词复数 )；转换；转换；变换

参考例句：

• Energy transformations go on constantly, all about us. 在我们周围，能量始终在不停地转换着。 来自辞典例句
• On the average, such transformations balance out. 平均起来，这种转化可以互相抵消。 来自辞典例句

6 cumulative   

adj.累积的，渐增的

参考例句：

• This drug has a cumulative effect.这种药有渐增的效力。
• The benefits from eating fish are cumulative.吃鱼的好处要长期才能显现。

7 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

8 peripheral   

adj.周边的，外围的

参考例句：

• We dealt with the peripheral aspects of a cost reduction program.我们谈到了降低成本计划的一些外围问题。
• The hotel provides the clerk the service and the peripheral traveling consultation.旅舍提供票务服务和周边旅游咨询。