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每周推荐精读文章：欧洲的未来
2010-07-21 20:00:01
高级口译英译汉话题多围绕当前经济、社会发展而展开，因此与当前美国、欧洲的发展状况相关的文章是要做好精读练习的。下面这篇文章取自http://www.economist.com 谈论的是欧洲的未来。Can anything perk up Europe? Perk up意思是重整旗鼓。
希望同学们做好这篇文章的精读，划线的句子做好笔译练习。
Europe's future
Can anything perk up Europe?
Yes: the European Union will thrive if its leaders seize the moment in the same way they did 20 years ago
WHEN Europeans fear for their jobs and their savings, when their governments and companies cannot easily borrow money, when banks fail and the single currency trembles, then the European Union is facing not just an economic crisis, but a political crisis, as well. And, so far, Europe’s leaders have not been equal to the threat. Over the past 18 months they have mostly taken refuge in denial and bluster, punctuated by bickering and by heaping blame on financial markets. Despite a recent bout of austerity and the 11th-hour launch of a vast bail-out fund for its most fragile economies, Europe seems a diminished force in the world.
In Asia and America it has become fashionable to look upon these failings with disdain. Europe’s time is past, it is said. Its ageing, inward-looking citizens no longer have the resolve to overcome adversity. And yet an ailing Europe benefits nobody. Even now the European Union is the world’s biggest economy. Were it healthy, the worst of the global economic crisis would be over. Politically, everyone has a stake in the fate of Europe’s Big Idea, that rival nation states can do better by pooling some sovereignty instead of going to war. And socially, all democracies eventually have to grapple with Europe’s Big Problem, that governments and social protection tend to grow until they choke the economies that pay for them.
So rather than sneer at Europe’s impotence, the world should be asking whether Europe can rediscover its vigour—and if so how. This newspaper offers an unfashionably optimistic answer. There is nothing ordained about Europe’s failure. Indeed, if EU leaders show a little courage this crisis offers the best chance at revival since the 1980s.
In that decade, when central and eastern Europe were still part of the Soviet block, Europe suffered low growth and high unemployment caused by two oil shocks. “Eurosclerosis”, as it was called, led, under the European Commission presidency of Jacques Delors, a brilliant and irascible French politician, to the single market in 1992 and to a rejuvenation of Europe’s institutions. Those reforms laid the ground for one of the most dynamic periods in EU history. There is a lesson here for leaders today. Unfortunately, they seem to be missing the point.
Inspired by Mr Delors, some in Europe now grappling with the fate of the euro argue that crises always lead to a leap in EU integration. Championed by France, they argue that the chaos that has spread from Greece to southern Europe shows the euro zone needs a core of dirigiste powers to run Europe in a more political and less technocratic way. To limit “unfair” competition, they want things like Europe-wide labour standards and some harmonisation of taxes. They want to oversee transfers of communal cash to the euro’s weakest members.
An interactive guide to the EU's debt, jobs and growth worries. Yet the appetite for this sort of integration is not shared in other countries—not even in Germany which, mindful of its own history, does not trust politicians with monetary policy. Its people were assured that the euro would be run with the same discipline as their beloved Deutschmark and they are sick of paying for all of Europe’s new schemes. Instead Germany wants a harsh system of rules, enshrined by treaty if need be, that would ban countries from spending too much.
If the French idea is unacceptable, the German idea is unworkable. Politics has tended to trump economics right from the start of the euro, when indebted countries like Belgium and Italy were allowed in. You cannot simply decree that every one of 16 countries in the euro zone will always behave responsibly. Someone will break the rules and, as often as not, someone else will have reason to connive with them.
Tidy minds contemplating the contradictions between the euro’s two most important members foresee either integration or collapse. They argue that without a clear political mechanism to cope with wayward countries, the euro is doomed to repeat the sort of crisis it has suffered this year. One day this view may be proved right. But tidy minds underestimate the European art of compromise (see article). And they overlook the determination in Europe to make the euro stick—because to pull it apart would be ruinously costly and threaten the EU’s very existence. For the moment, therefore, the most likely outcome is neither collapse nor a dash towards integration, but for the euro zone to muddle through.
1992 and all that
Muddle avoids problems, it does not solve them. Instead of miring itself in internal mechanics, the EU should embrace the lesson from the other, more radical, half of Mr Delors’s programme—the bit that focused on freeing its economy and setting up the single market. By boosting economic growth the EU could ease its political difficulties and help its citizens. At the moment EU leaders are putting their effort into cutting spending: if only they were to add a dose of 1992-style. reform.
The single market remains half-built. Mario Monti, an Italian economist and a former commissioner, has recently set out just how much more is left to do. The EU is 30% less productive than America in services. Because European services companies operate behind national barriers they innovate less and they tend not to gain the full economies of scale. Whole areas, such as health care, are exempted from EU-wide competition. Likewise some high-tech industries, such as telecoms, have been protected and others, such as e-commerce, barely existed in 1992. A single digital market could be worth 4% of EU GDP by 2020. The EU has a costly, fragmented patent system, so products (like far too many workers) cannot cross borders easily; energy supply has not been properly liberalised; debts are hard to collect across borders. And so it goes on. National to-do lists are just as long. In Spain and Italy privileged workers are protected, discouraging new permanent jobs. German entrepreneurs are immediately taxed on equity they put into a start-up. Europeans retire too early everywhere.
The barrier to reform. has always been political, not economic. Jean-Claude Juncker, prime minister of Luxembourg, put it best in 2007: “We all know what to do, but we don’t know how to get re-elected once we have done it.”
But does that excuse still hold? The crisis has shifted the political landscape in Europe. The euro was supposed to spur reform. by preventing governments from restoring competitiveness by devaluing their currencies. And it did. Not at first, when Greece, Spain and the others used the euro’s low interest rates as an excuse to party. But now they have woken up hung-over, to find that reform. can be put off no longer.
There are signs that Europeans understand this better than their timid leaders. Asked if they were better off in a free-market economy, 73% of Germans and 67% of French said yes, according to a survey released in June by Pew Research Centre. That compares with 65% and 56% respectively at the height of the boom in 2007 and it rivals America, with 68%, and eclipses Britain, with 64%, where support for free markets has fallen.
The moral case for reform. has never been clearer. The European “solidarity” that protects jobs for life in Spain for the lucky few is hard to defend when it means that young people, who could only ever get work on temporary contracts, have been thrown onto the dole. In France it is irksome to see your taxes paying healthy people to retire at 60 when schools and hospitals need the money more. Cash-strapped households in Belgium might rather like the idea that competition can lower their bills. Were he speaking in 2010, a European leader seeking re-election as well as reform. might just fancy his chances.
Listen to the people
In the past couple of decades Europe’s privileged “insiders” have blocked change. Mr Delors managed to take them on by building a coalition of the free-market liberals and believers in European integration. Today the crisis has given Europe’s leaders the chance to create their own coalition for reform, focused again on the single market. They should seize it.
参考译文：
欧洲的未来
欧洲能重整旗鼓吗？能：如果其领导人能像他们20年前所采取的方法一样抓住时机，欧盟就会蒸蒸日上。
当欧洲人担心他们的工作和储蓄，当他们的政府和企业无法轻易借贷时，当银行崩溃和单一货币受到威胁时， 欧盟面临的就不仅仅是一场经济危机，而且也是一场政治危机。可是到目前为止，欧洲领导人还无法应对这种威胁。在过去18个月，他们大多数都以否认和夸夸其 谈置身事外，不时争吵不休，对金融市场横加指责。尽管最近推出了紧缩计划并在危急时刻推出了为其最不堪一击的经济体提供救助的巨额基金，但是欧洲在世界上 的影响力似乎日渐式微。
鄙视这些失败在亚洲和美洲已经成为一种时尚。据说，欧洲的时代已经终结。其老龄化、不问世事的人民 不再有决心克服困境。不过，没有人会从奄奄一息的欧洲中收益。即便是现在，欧盟仍然是世界上最大的经济体。如果它能够健康，最糟糕的全球经济危机将结束。 政治上来说，每个成员国与欧洲大理念的命运是休戚与共的。欧洲大理念是竞争国家会因注入一些主权取代参战而做得更好。从社会的角度来说，所有民主国家最终 都不得不努力解决欧洲大难题。欧洲大难题是政府和社会保护愈演愈烈直到他们使为其买单的经济体窒息。
因此，世界不应该对欧洲的无能嗤之以鼻，而是应该问一下欧洲是否能够重现生机——如果能，该怎么办?本刊给出了一个不受推崇的乐观回答。欧洲失败并不是命 中注定。实际上，如果欧盟领导人拿出一点勇气，那么自上世纪80年代以来，这次危机为复兴提供了绝佳机会。
雅克这家伙在那个十年，当时欧洲中部和东部还是苏联的一部分。由于两次石油的冲击，欧洲增长低迷、失业率高企。1992年，在 以法国睿智且暴躁的政治家雅克德洛尔为首的欧洲委员会的领导下，当时所谓的“欧洲硬化症”催生了欧洲单一市场，并促成了欧洲机构的振兴。这 些改革为欧盟历史上最活跃的时期之一奠定了基础。这一经验教训值得如今的领导人借鉴。不幸的是，他们似乎并没有对这一点心领神会。
受到德洛尔的鼓舞，目前正与欧元命运抗争的一些欧洲国家争辩说，危机常常会使欧盟一体化实现飞跃。它们以法国为领导称，混乱由希腊蔓延到欧洲南部表明欧元 区需要一个统治力量的核心以一种政治性较强、技术性较弱的方式管理欧洲。为了限制“不公平”竞争，它们希望采取措施如泛欧洲劳动标准和一些协调税。它们希 望监管向最弱欧元成员国转移的公共现金。
然而其他国家并没有这种一体化的渴望——甚至连德国也是如此，德国不会忘记自己的历史，也不愿将货币政策交给政治 家全权负责。它向其人民保证，欧元的运作方式与其喜爱的德国马克一样，他们讨厌为所有欧洲的新计划埋单。相反，德国想要一个严厉的法律体 系，如有需要的话通过条约进行约束，从而禁止各国过度支出。
如果法国的想法无法接受，那么德国的想法无法操作。从使用欧元那一刻起，政治已经倾向于牺牲经济，当时批准了负债累累的比利时和意大利等国加入欧元区。你 无法简单地规定欧元区16个国家中的每个国家将总是负责任地行事。通常，总会有某个国家违反规定，也总会有某个国 家找借口同流合污。
对欧元区两大重要成员国之间矛盾进行有条不紊思考过的人预测要么一体化，要么崩溃。他们称，没有明确的政治机制就无法处理一意孤行的国家，欧元注定要重蹈 今年这次危机的覆辙。有一天，这种观点或许能被证明是正确的。但是这些智囊们低估了欧洲妥协的艺术。此外，他们忽视了欧洲让欧元屹立不倒的决心——因为欧 元分崩离析的代价是毁灭性的，还会威胁欧盟的生存。因此，当前，最可能的结果是既不崩溃也不向一体化冒进，而是欧 元区先蒙混过关。
1992年和这一切
应付回避了问题，但并没有解决它们。欧盟必须吸取德洛尔计划的另一半更加激进的经验教训——全力以 赴实现自由经济和建立单一的市场，而不是将自己陷在内部机制的泥潭中。通过促进经济增长，欧盟可以缓和其政治困难和帮助其居民。目前欧盟领导人正致力于削 减赤字：他们再进行一些1992年式的改革就好了。
这个单一的市场才建成一半。意大利经济学家前特使马里奥•蒙蒂最近阐明了需要完成的未竟之业。欧盟在服务业的产量比美国低30%。这是因为欧洲服务企业都 在各国壁垒之后运营，创新较少，也没有涵盖整个经济领域的雄心壮志。医疗等整个领域都免除了泛欧洲的竞争。同理，一些高科技工业如电信业也受到保护，其他 行业如电子商务在1992年时几乎还未出现。到2020年，单单是一个数字市场就可以达到欧盟国内生产总值的4%。欧盟的专利体系成本高又四分五裂，因此 产品（像要多得多的工人一样）无法轻而易举地跨过边界；还没有让能源供应适度自由化；很难跨境收集债务。还有很多，不胜枚举。国家需要做的事情也有这么 多。在西班牙和意大利，优待的工人受到保护，导致新固定工作的减少。德国立即向企业家们投资创业公司的股票征税。欧洲人过早退休随处可见。
改革的障碍常常是政治上的，而不是经济上的。2007年，卢森堡首相让•克洛德•容克一语中的：“我们都知道要做什么，但是一旦我们这样做了，不知道如何 才能连任。”
但是，这个借口还适用吗？这次危机改变了欧洲的政治格局。欧元本是为了防止各政府通过自身货币贬值来重建竞争力，从而促进改革。它也确实做到了。但是起初并不是这样的，当时希腊、西班牙和其他国家把欧元的低利率当作寻欢作乐的借口。但是现在他们已经从宿醉中醒来，发现改革已经刻不容缓。
有迹象表明欧洲人对这点的理解比他们胆小的领导人更透彻。6月，皮尤研究中心公布的一项调查指出，当被问道他们的生活在自由市场经济中是否会更好 时，73%的德国人和67%的法国人的回答是“会”。这与2007年经济最繁荣的时候德国和法国的比例分别为65%和56%形成对比。它能与美国的68% 匹敌，让英国的64%相形见绌。英国对自由市场的支持率有所下降。
改革的道德依据再清楚不过了。当保护一小撮幸运人士在西班牙能拥有终身工作的“欧洲团结”意味着年轻人只能获得临 时工作要靠救济为生的时候，它就很难站得住脚了。在法国，当看到你交的税收没有用到学校和医院更需要钱的地方反而为60岁就退休的健康人支 付退休金时，甚是苦恼。比利时拮据的家庭或许更加喜欢这种想法即竞争能够降低其生活费用。假如他是在2010年发表看法的话，一位争取连任又谋求改革的欧 洲领导人会很自信自己能成功。
倾听民声
在过去几十年，欧洲拥有特权的“内部人士”阻碍了变革。德洛尔先生通过组建一个由自由市场的自由人士和欧洲一体化的信任者组成的联盟成功地战胜了他们。如 今，这次危机给欧洲领导人组建自己再次致力于单一市场改革联盟提供了机会。他们应该抓住这次机会. -
2010秋季口译考试热点话题整理（5）世博成功举办
2010-07-18 18:00:25
世博会成功举办的意义是秋季口译考试的热点，大家需要格外关注。特别是世博会带来的经济效益和文化影响力。下面的段落希望大家熟读、其中的长句希望大家熟记。
Duration： May 1 to Oct 31, 2010
Theme：Better City, Better Life
Sub-themes: Blending of diverse cultures in the city, Economic prosperity in the city, Innovation of science and technology in the city, Remodeling of communities in the city, Rural-urban Interaction
Goal: To attract the participation of 200 countries and international organizations and 70 million visitorsSignificance of hosting an Expo
Everything begins with the World Expo. As a top event of mankind at a peaceful time, it records the contemporary civilization and looks to future development. Through the inclusive World Expo, new technologies, products, ideas, knowledge and cultures can be exchanged among different countries.
(I) Relevance to science and technology: driving scientific and technological innovation
As a result of the progressing science and technology driven by the Industrial Revolution, the World Expo has become a trend-setter for contemporary technologies and promotes the application of modern science and technology into everyday life. Many new technologies and products made their debut in the World Expo before going public: it was through the World Expo that people got to know steam engine, sewing machine, rubber, submarine cable, telephone, TV and automobile and got familiar with computer science, public network and digitalized economy, human genome research, modern biotechnology, life science, nanometer technology and modern digital image technology etc. For example, the Eiffel Tower constructed for the 1889 Paris Expo became a world famous landmark, and the stone taken from the moon by American astronauts became an appealing exhibit in the 1970 Osaka Expo. The World Expo is a combination of scientific spirit, ideas, achievements, power and wisdom. Seeking truth, facts and laws can help get mankind closer to the objectivity and law of nature.
(II) Relevance to economy: promoting the industrial upgrade of the host city
Holding a World Expo can bring together all kinds of production factors in one area and at a certain time to optimize the allocation of economic resources and speed up the long-term development of the area. That has been the basic motivation for most of the World Expos staged. The phenomenon of "Expo Economy" is divided into three parts: firstly, economic activities directly caused by the Expo; secondly, economic activities centering on the use of Expo resources; thirdly, as a result of the Expo, the developmental environment of the surrounding areas of the host city can be improved, and related economy-boosting activities can be promoted.
The World Expo in 1933 transformed Chicago into one of the centers of American cities. Urban decision makers and planners in every city in the world came to know: the World Expo is a rare opportunity to transform. a city, namely to incorporate World Expo design into the master plan for the city and take the cultural and trade exchanges at the World Expo as a necessary step toward a transformed city.（略读）
The Osaka World Expo 1970 made a wonderful facelift to the local transportation, high-end residential communities, business facilities, tourism and cultural exchange facilities. With the Expo as a beginning, a Kansai city cluster with Osaka at the heart began to take shape along the Pacific Coast, which later became one of the top six city clusters in the world. （略读）
The Seville World Expo 1992 in Spain pushed forward the development of the under-developed southern region of the country, narrowing the north-south gap and ensuring a balanced development of its national economy. Meanwhile, the establishment of a high-tech industrial cluster in Andalucia has lifted the local comprehensive strength and high-tech industry to a new height. （略读）
Hanover World Expo in Germany in 2000 caused a loss to the operator, but brought a big profit for the whole country: it created 100,000 jobs for Germany, marked up German international reputation, improved the investment environment in Germany, expanded domestic consumption demand and earned extra tax revenue. （略读）
(III) Relevance to politics: building up national image of the host country
As a global event, the World Expo is inclusive both geographically and in terms of contents. Because there are no limits for polity, region, ethnicity, religion and cultural and economic level, the participating countries can be from any part of the world, thus giving the host country an opportunity to communicate itself and make new friends at home. In the meantime, the participating countries present colorful and varied products that are the most distinctive and latest in their own countries, thus enabling the host country to see and learn about a lot of new things at a lower cost. What’s more, the World Expo stands for a rare occasion for the host city to upgrade its municipal construction. Apart from a gathering of friends and guests from around the world, the World Expo also means numerous business opportunities, giving a new shot to the tertiary industry of the host city. More importantly, the World Expo is a window for the host country to communicate and promote itself and display its comprehensive national strength. It is never a surprise that every World Expo attracts so many candidates for bidding.
Fundamentally, the first modern World Expo held in the UK in 1851 was to show its achievements in the Industrial Revolution and its overriding position among all the powers.
America’s attitude toward the World Expo deserves research. In the mid-19th century, America was eager to project itself as a rising young nation. So in 1853, New York hosted the second World Expo. From then to the 1980s, America hosted 10 World Expos, the most among all countries. However, America quitted BIE in April 2002. （略读）
Germany and Japan are a different story. The two countries are bound up in hosting the World Expo in the hope of going out of the shadow as defeated countries. Thus their Expos are very political. Japan held its first World Expo in 1970 in Osaka, where people, societies and companies gathered together to put on a very orderly World Expo that ignited their pride and confidence as a major power in the world. The visitors to that Expo reached a record high. After its successful bidding for the 2000 World Expo, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder made it clear that Germany must take its first World Expo as an opportunity to show the world a unified Germany, an open culture and its modern economic zones. （略读）
(IV) Relevance to culture: facilitating the fusion of cultures in the world
The World Expo is an event for peace, friendship and harmony. It binds people together, regardless of their ethnicities, religions and nationalities. It is deeply rooted in the idea of “Comprehension, Communication, Congregation and Cooperation”. The most important mission of the World Expo is to bring together contemporary civilizations; put together those singular, dispersed and rough produces in the same category under a selected theme and give them an improved, systemic and even artistic expression; bridge common concerns of people around the world and their solutions and then display them so as to provide food for thought.
The World Expo is a symbol of cultural diversity and cultural convergence. When a city, standing for a nation and country, solemnly hosts a World Expo and engage in spiritual pursuit, civil aspirations, cultural thinking and pledge fulfillment, it need a renewed city spirit; when a city, with its advanced productive forces and culture, urban history, urban will and common wisdom, makes great efforts in preparing for a World Expo, it often extends the city spirit to the future; when a city receives tens of millions of people to have an interactive inspection of world economy, society and culture and when the it intensively displays economic ideas, scientific and technological innovations, humanistic considerations, cultural creativity, social trends and renewed time and space, the city spirit is often lifted to a new height.
场馆 Pavilion
重点单词和表述
Shanghai Expo/ The World Exposition Shanghai China 2010上海世博会
expo garden 世博园
China pavilion 中国馆
theme pavilion 主题馆
foreign national pavilion 外国馆
stand-alone pavilion 独立展馆
corporate joint pavilion 企业联合馆
African Joint Pavilion 非洲联合馆
trial opening/operation/run 试运行
exhibition hall 展台
booth 展会上隔开的小间
four pavilions along the central axis 一轴四馆
emblem and mascot 会徽与吉祥物
official mascot 官方吉祥物
Expo centre 世博中心
Expo performance centre 世博演艺中心
Expo Shanghai online 网上世博会
门票与交通 Ticket&Transportation
designated day 指定日
Peak Day ticket 指定日门票
standard day 平日
standard day ticket 平日门票
designated/peak day special ticket 指定日优惠票
standard day special ticket 平日优惠票
universal ticket system 一票通用制度
reservation service 预约服务
one-day travel card/one-day ticket 一日票
multi-day travel card 多日门票
multiple-use travel card 多次门票
airport terminal 航站楼
expo host 世博会主办方
expo-themed souvenir 世博会纪念品
franchised/licensed product 特许商品
Miss Etiquette 礼仪小姐
mobile toilet 移动厕所
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推荐精读文章：online gambling
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中高级口译考试的阅读文章全部选自外刊，文章的时代性和思辨性很强，所谓时代性是指文章话题和当下实事密切相关，比如某一产业的兴起与衰败或者某一社会现象的凸显与变化等等。所谓思辨性是指文章在分析问题的时候往往从多角度入手，层层分析、丝丝入扣，作者的观点不是挑明矛头指向哪一方向，而是涉及多方利益进行分析。鉴于口译考试阅读文章的这种特点，读外刊，做精读是提高阅读质量的关键。
下面的这篇文章取自Economist，题目为《Online gambling：You bet》，围绕网上赌博展开讨论。文章开篇指出“Attempts to ban online gaming are doomed to fail. Better to legalise, tax and regulate the habit”禁止网上赌博的努力注定要失败。与其禁止，不如将其合法化，对其征税并加以管理，为网上博彩业的发展指明了出路。请大家做好精读练习。
Online gambling网上赌博
You bet肯定赢
Attempts to ban online gaming are doomed to fail. Better to legalise, tax and regulate the habit
禁止网上赌博的努力注定要失败。与其禁止，不如将其合法化，对其征税并加以管理。
Jul 8th 2010 from http://www.economist.com
PROHIBITION destroyed America’s once-robust brewing industry, made smugglers rich and did nothing to curb drinking. Outlawing drugs has been a similarly spectacular failure. There is little reason to suppose that the latest line in American prohibition—an effort to ban online gambling—will fare any better.
文章开篇引入例子，美国曾经蓬勃发展的啤酒工业由于实行的禁酒令被扼杀了其发展，导致了走私分子大发横财，最终却没能制止人们继续饮酒。无独有偶的是宣布毒品非法化也是败得一塌糊涂。之后给出结论：所以我们有理由相信最近美国禁止网上博彩的做法也不会取得多大成效。
In 2006 Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act, which made it illegal for financial institutions to transfer funds between punters and online-gambling sites. Some companies promptly pulled out of the American market. But others stepped in, and the opportunities to bet online have expanded elsewhere in the world. So, after a brief dip, Americans are now betting online about as much as they did four years ago. The Justice Department still maintains that online gambling is illegal, yet large numbers of Americans carry on regardless. The reason is simple: anyone who wants to gamble and has an internet connection can do so.
2006年，美国国会通过禁止互联网博彩法案 (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act)法令，规定金融机构帮助赌家和网上博彩站点转移赌资的行为是违法的。一些公司迅速撤离美国市场，而另一些公司则趁机涉足，并且网上赌博的机会在世界的其他一些地方有所增加。经过短时间的低迷后，目前美国网上赌客的数量同四年前相比已不分上下。虽然美国司法部仍表示网上博彩是非法的，但大量的美国人对此视而不见，照赌不误。理由很简单：只要想赌博并且能上网，就可以这样做。
And plainly many people do want to gamble. In 2009 the legal gambling market totalled $335 billion globally. Nearly two-thirds of that came from lotteries and casinos. Gambling in casinos is growing fast in East Asia, particularly Macau, the world’s biggest market. As our special report explains, online gambling remains relatively small (just over $25 billion in 2009), but, as with so many online industries, it is hugely disruptive to both business and policy. Horseracing is one likely casualty. It will not disappear entirely—it still accounts for over 7% of the global gambling market, and attendance at marquee events like the Grand National and the Kentucky Derby remains strong—but it boomed when it was virtually the only legal form. of gambling available, and a cut of the bets went to sustain the industry. Now that other forms of betting abound, racing inevitably suffers.
Disruptive破坏性的
Casualty受害者
Marquee大帐篷
the Grand National这里指越野障碍赛马
the Kentucky Derby肯塔基赛马会
说白了，很多人的确想赌博。2009年，全球合法博彩市场的赌资金额高达3350亿美元，其中将近2/3来自彩票和赌场。东亚地区的赌场赌博发展势头突飞猛进，尤其是在号称世界最大赌场的澳门更是如此。正像在我们特别报道中解释的那样，网上赌博金额只占较小的份额（2009的博彩金额为250亿美元）。不过，与其他很多网上行业一样，网上赌博对现有的商业模式和商业政策都会产生巨大的破坏作用。赛马行业就可能成为受害者。赛马博彩业不会完全消失，它仍占据全球博彩市场7%的份额。每逢诸如越野障碍赛马（Grand National）及肯塔基赛马会（Kentucky Derby）这样的世界大赛，下赌的人数还是维持很高的水平。实际上赛马博彩业之所以能够繁荣主要原因在于那时它是唯一合法的赌博方式，一部分赌资也会流入，维持着这个行业的运行。目前博彩的种类丰富多样，赛马博彩业就会不可避免地受到冲击。
Letpeoplegamble.com
A desire to protect existing businesses from such disruption is one motive for banning online betting: Vegas knows how to protect its turf. Another motive is more high-minded: the urge, as with drink and drugs, to protect humans from their own nature, by outlawing a potentially addictive activity. But is regulated gambling really worse than forcing it underground?
Turf地盘、势力范围
High-minded高尚的
addictive activity上瘾的活动
保护现有商业不被破坏的欲望是人们禁止网上赌博的动机之一：拉斯维加斯清楚如何保护自己的地盘。另外一个动机则高尚的多：像禁酒和禁毒一样，通过将能会使人上瘾的活动非法化来保护人类远离自己的本性。然而，一个规范化的赌博行业真的逊于任其地下经营吗？
Online gambling is legal, taxed and regulated in Britain. Whereas American punters must rely on arcane payment systems and companies located offshore, British punters are safer. Companies have an incentive to keep minors from betting and to operate transparently. Elsewhere in Europe there are signs of market-opening—even in France, which has long protected its national racing and lottery monopolies.
Arcane秘密的
Offshore境外的
在英国，网上赌博是合法的，经营网上赌博的公司要向政府交税并受政府的监管。与那些靠秘密支付系统和境外公司的美国赌客相比，英国赌客要安全的多。这些公司愿意采取措施禁止未成人年参与赌博，并采取透明的市场操作方式。欧洲每个国家在博彩业都有市场准入制度（法国也不例外），这些制度长期保护着本国的赛马及彩票专营机构。
As for the disruption from online gambling, it can prove highly creative. Since online poker debuted in the late 1990s, poker has grown from a niche game with a rather louche reputation to a booming one, rightfully respected for the mental agility and improvisation it requires. Businesses such as Playtech create gambling software that other firms can then brand and operate. Betting exchanges operate somewhat like an eBay for betting, allowing punters to offer odds and then matching them with takers. Even slot machines, the least clever form. of gambling, increasingly rely on new software.
Niche本意是指微生态环境。在这里专指蕴含丰富市场机会但规模不大，别人不做的产品或服务市场。那就是相对于大众市场来说,在这里翻译成小众市场.Wiki的翻译是By definition, then, a business that focuses on a niche market is addressing a need for a product or service that is not being addressed by mainstream providers. A niche market may be thought of as a narrowly defined group of potential customers.
Louche声名狼藉的
Agility敏捷的
Improvisation即兴创作，在这里理解为临时判断力
slot machines老虎机
至于出现的网上博彩业，事实证明其手法高明。网上扑克自从20世纪90年代末期面世以来，其已经由一个声名狼藉的小众游戏进入“当红明星”的行列，由于玩这种游戏需要敏捷的思维和临时决断的能力，这也是人们不得不为之称道的一点。像Playtech这样的公司生产博彩软件供其他公司运营。赌博交易的运营和eBay有些相似，允许赌客下注赔率，然而与其他投注者进行对比。即使最低级的赌博方式——老虎机也越来越依靠新的赌博软件。
Many still dislike the idea of governments encouraging citizens to gamble. Yet regulating something is not the same as encouraging it. Better to treat gambling in the same way as smoking: legalise it but make the casinos display the often-dismal odds of success (one in 176m, if you hope to win America’s richest lottery) in the same way that cigarette packets warn you about cancer. That would favour games of skill over the mindlessness of slot machines. People always will bet. Better that they do so in a legal market—and know the form.
Dismal惨淡的
文章的最后一段给出了解决办法，最后一句话Better that they do so in a legal market—and know the form.的意思是使网上博彩变为合法的市场，了解游戏的规则。
很多人仍然不认可政府鼓励市民进行赌博的想法。但是，规范某样事物与助长该事物还是有区别的。应对赌博最好的方法就是像对待吸烟一样：烟盒上都写有“吸烟可能致癌”的警示；虽然使博彩合法化，但是要让赌场播放赌博胜率极低的告示（比如，赢取美国巨额彩票的概率是1/1.76亿）。这样以来获益的就会使那些依靠技巧取胜的游戏，而不是一时逞能的老虎机。人们总会下注，与其禁止不如让他们在一个合法的市场游戏，了解游戏的规则。
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世界杯的预言家：章鱼保罗！
2010-07-08 09:38:38
谁是2010年南非世界杯预测最准的“专家”？不是克鲁伊夫，不是萨基，更不是贝利，而是德国奥博豪森水族馆的那只“神奇章鱼”。北京时间7月8日凌晨2点30分，西班牙在半决赛中1-0击败德国，历史上首次打进世界杯决赛，而这和章鱼保罗赛前的预测完全一样。从2008年欧洲杯起，章鱼保罗预测对了12场比赛中的11场，绝对堪称神奇！下面是《卫报》关于章鱼保罗octopus Paul的报道。
From http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Sucker for soccer: octopus predicts World Cup finalist
‘Psychic' octopus Paul predicts Spain's victory over Germany which sees them through to the World Cup final
Paul swims in his tank at Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany.
Spain's victory over Germany in the World Cup last night will come have no surprise to those following one of the competition's most successful pundits(权威人士) – for the result had already been foretold by Paul the Octopus, a creature that has achieved celebrity status with the accuracy of its predictions.
Dubbed（授予称号）the psychic(通灵的，有特异功能的) octopus, the English-born Paul (hatched at the Sea Life Park in Weymouth) has correctly predicted all of Germany's World Cup results including the 1-0 defeat last night. He predicted Germany's wins against England and Argentina, and even Serbia's defeat of Germany in the group stage.
Such is the popularity of his selections that, on the eve of last night's game, the German news channel n-tv broadcast Paul's prediction live.
Paul's handlers at Aquarium Sea Life in the western city of Oberhausen have turned him into a betting phenomenon by putting mussels into two glass boxes, with one box having Germany's flag while the other carries the flag of their opponents. Paul is then left to choose one box to open to retrieve the mussel.
On Tuesday night, he at first crept towards the container bearing the Spanish flag before moving around the tank and hovering（悬停） over the German cube. But the two-year-old cephalopod（头足纲动物，如章鱼） eventually returned to his first choice.
Not everyone is a fan of Paul, however. After Argentina lost to Germany in the quarter-final, Argentines threatened to kill the octopus and put him in a paella（肉菜饭）. The newspaper El Dia even gave a recipe for anyone daring to capture Paul: "All you need is four normal potatoes, olive oil for taste and a little pepper."
Bookmaker William Hill is so impressed by Paul's predictive powers that it was offering even odds that he will pick the winner of the final on Sunday, between Spain and Holland.
"Punters（下赌注者）are keen to keep on the right side of Paul's tips, so we are giving them the chance to bet that he'll pick the winner before they even know which side he has opted for," said William Hill's spokesman Graham Sharpe.
At least one punter was kicking himself for not paying attention to Paul. A man who staked a record �500,000 (£415,000) on Germany winning last night lost his wager – the largest World Cup bet ever, according to William Hill.
Paul has erred in his predictions, although not often. His most famous mistake was when he wrongly picked Germany over Spain in the 2008 European Championship. Spain won 1-0. So at least he learns from his mistakes.
阿根廷在哭泣
2010-07-04 12:17:18
Argentina 0 Germany 4: Diego Maradona's dreams destroyed as Joachim Low hails 'performance of champions
So Germany march on, having dismantled (铲除) yet another major footballing nation. Yesterday, on a glorious winter’s evening in Cape Town as the sun set behind Table Mountain, they produced the requisite（必要的）magnificence to match the location with the definitive performance of this World Cup so far.
Their achievement was a deal more significant than the 4-1 victory over England, despite the revisionist theories which are likely to abound back home, justifying the failings of Fabio Capello’s team in the light of this result.
Argentina, despite clear defensive failings, were genuine contenders（竞争者） for these finals, unlike England, but even their extraordinary attacking force of Leo Messi, Gonzalo Higuain and Carlos Tevez could muster（召集）almost nothing against this rampant（猖獗的）German side.
High riser: Thomas Muller (bottom right) beats Nicolas Otamendi to Bastian Schweinsteiger's free kick
The dream of Diego Maradona was not to be. It always seemed an unlikely fantasy that the world’s greatest player could coax（哄劝） his nation to their first World Cup win since 1986, and at the final whistle he could only embrace his broken players in the centre circle. Messi, his heir apparent, was equally disconsolate（孤独的）, his talent snuffed（扼杀） out of this game.
And so for the third time since Maradona inspired victory in Mexico ’86 over Germany in the final, the Germans have ended Argentina’s World Cup.
There were heroes everywhere. Bastian Schweinsteiger was masterful in holding midfield, an object lesson for scores of aspiring English footballers. Sami Khedira, alongside him, was not far behind.
Destroyer of England Thomas Muller was again superb, so the disappointment was even deeper when he picked up a needless booking for a soft hand-ball on 35 minutes, meaning he will miss Wednesday’s semi-final.
Tap in: With the Argentine defence at sixes and sevens, Miroslav Klose pounces on Lukas Podolski's pass to fire his first of the game
Miroslav Klose, who has now scored more goals in these finals than he managed in the entire Bundesliga season, took his tally of World Cup strikes to 14 on his 100th appearance for his nation, equalling Gerd Muller’s German record and leaving him just one behind Ronaldo’s all-time record of 15.
‘It wasn’t just a top-class international performance but it was the performance of champions,’ said their understandably delighted coach Joachim Löw. ‘We showed lots of ambition and lots of will to win. It was really impressive.’
Germany are quick starters and were out of their blocks even more smartly than in previous games.
Three minutes had elapsed when Schweinsteiger delivered a delightful inswinging free-kick. Nicolas Otamendi, who had a miserable afternoon, had conceded the foul in the first place and then compounded his error, allowing Muller space to connect with a glancing header.
With the aid of a dreadful fumble from goalkeeper Sergio Romero, Muller opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the tournament.
Three and easy: Arne Friedrich hit the third - his first in a German shirt - as Joachim Low's side ran riot in Cape Town, scoring their third four-goal haul of the tournament
Thereafter, Germany were simply irresistible. The angles of their movement and the speed of passing bewitched some of the world’s greatest players. For 20 minutes, attacking in packs, they swarmed over the Argentines, led by Muller, but ably assisted by Lukas Podolski, Mesut Ozil, Schweinsteiger and Khedira.
Argentina, one of the tournament’s best passing sides, could not settle on the ball as Germany grabbed the initiative and refused to let go.
The Germans should have gone further ahead on 24 minutes, when a mistake by Gabriel Heinze allowed Muller to charge down the right and pull the ball back for Klose. Despite being just 12 yards out and with a clear sight of goal, he lifted his strike over the crossbar.
That said, Argentina had shown just prior to Klose’s glaring miss signs that they could work their way back into the game.
Penny for your thoughts: Diego Maradona saw his attack-minded tactics ruthlessly dismantled by a rapacious（夺掠的）German side
Messi, largely shackled and especially awry（歪）with his free-kicks, skipped past three German players on one delightful run and when he received a pass from Carlos Tevez and slotted a delightful through-ball, only Manuel Neuer’s smart reaction prevented an equaliser.
Higuain did have the ball in the net on 35 minutes but his effort was rightly ruled out for offside.
Argentina regathered their forces at half-time and enjoyed a brief revival. But thanks to the vigilance of Schweinsteiger and Khedira, they were restricted to long-range strikes from Angel Di Maria and Tevez.
Higuain was denied by Neuer on another occasion, yet had he elected to pull the ball back to Tevez, rather than shoot, Argentina would surely have been on level terms.
In the wilderness: Like so many of his contemporaries, Lionel Messi failed to set the World Cup alight in South Africa
It was to prove crucial. Five minutes later, the grounded Muller somehow swung a leg to play in Podolski down the left. His cross was perfectly met by Klose, who tapped in for Germany’s second.
Argentina had nothing by way of response and, like England, capitulated.
Schweinsteiger capped his extraordinary display on 75 minutes with a delightful run past Di Maria, Javier Pastore and Higuain to pull the ball back for Arne Freidrich, who, from three yards out, scored his first goal for his nation.
Only the finale remained when Ozil, dashing down the left, chipped a beautiful cross into Klose who volleyed home.
Argentina had been overwhelmed and all Englishmen knew how they felt.
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2010-06-30 21:30:49