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TEXT 51

The seven-year itch

七年之癢（陳繼龍編譯）

Jul 27th 2006 | MACAU

From The Economist print edition

THE army of workers operating along what used to be Macau‘s waterfront is conducting “land reclamation[1]”: dumping sand into the water to create more land on which to build ever more casinos, resorts and hotels in the formerly Portuguese playground. Cranes and bulldozers beaver away

[2] throughout the territory, building new high-rises. Like most of China‘s booming conurbations[3], Macau is paying an environmental price; the air is thick with smog and dust, and the Pearl River has transferred some of its p_______① to Macau‘s seas. （1）But the damage pales when set against[4] the promise of growth, and billboards proudly herald the coming of “the Las Vegas of Asia”.

在過去曾是澳門碼頭的沿線地區，成群結隊的工人們正在“填海造田”：把沙子倒進水中以形成更多的陸地，從而在這片曾經是葡萄牙人的一畝三分地上建造更多的賭場、度假村和飯店。起重機和推土機無處不在，全力以赴地建造著新的高樓大廈。同中國大多數飛速發展的大都市一樣，澳門正在為此付出環境上的代價。空氣中彌漫著煙霧和灰塵，一些來自珠江的汙染物也流入了澳門附近海域。但是，展望未來發展，這種損失算不了什麽。一張張廣告牌自豪地昭示著“亞洲的拉斯維加斯”即將來臨。（譯註：pale指“遜色、失色”，此處的when set against可以用“before”或“beside”來代替，意為“相比……”）

Amid all the buzz, the music from a boat docked at the inner harbour sounds a strange note. The red-robed musicians and their audience are Taoists engaged in a religious ceremony. As the musicians play their instruments, the believers on board burn incense and e_______② scraps of food into the water as an offering to the gods. （2）The contrast of ancient ritual with feverish modernisation is the story of modern Macau: the story of development transforming a once-sheltered nook[5].

內港碼頭邊停靠的一艘小船上傳來的音樂夾雜在一切喧囂之中，調子聽上去怪怪的。身著紅袍的樂師及其聽眾們都是一些道教信徒，他們正在舉行一個宗教儀式。樂師們演奏著樂器，船上的信徒們一邊燒香，一邊將供品倒進水中。古老的儀式與狂熱的現代化之間的這種反差訴說著這樣一個關於現代澳門的故事——讓一個曾經偏僻的小地方面貌一新的發展故事。

Macau‘s stunning economic boom—2004 saw its GDP grow by 28%—has been powered by gambling, tourism and the construction necessary to support such endeavours. Since Stanley Ho, Macau‘s most famous casino mogul[6], found his monopoly on the gambling industry broken in 2001, American firms such as Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands Corporation have stepped in to build impressive new f_______③. （3）Visitors include rich and powerful Chinese, wishing to indulge in games of chance illegal on the mainland, as well as tourists from nearby countries like South Korea and Singapore.

賭博、旅遊以及相關的支撐性建設推動澳門經濟發生了令人瞠目結舌的增長——2004年其GDP增長28％。自從澳門最有名的賭場大亨何鴻燊對博采業的壟斷在2001年被打破以來，永利度假村有限公司和拉斯維加斯金沙公司（註：建造了金沙會展中心）之類的美國公司逐步登陸澳門，建造了許多面目一新的設施。參觀者中包括有錢有勢的中國人，他們希望在賭博中碰碰運氣，而賭博在內地是非法的。此外，還有來自鄰近國家如韓國和新加坡的旅遊觀光者。

There has been a price. Construction firms are eager to hire immigrants from Fujian, Guangdong and even Shanghai who are willing to work for lower wages than the local Macanese. （4）The ill-will thus created was evident last May 1st, when locals (quite a few of whom were also illegal immigrants when they first arrived) rioted. They protest that outsiders are finding jobs in the new economy while many middle-aged Macanese remain j_______④.

增長是有代價的。建築公司都迫切希望雇用來自福建、廣東甚至上海的移民，這些人要求的薪水要比澳門本地人少。當地人對外鄉人由此萌生的敵意從去年5月1日當地人（其中相當一部分人初到澳門時也屬於非法移民）發生的騷亂中就可見一斑。他們抗議說，在新經濟形勢下，外鄉人都找到了工作，而許多澳門本地的中年人卻仍然沒有工作。

Ethnic tension is growing too. Macau is thoroughly cosmopolitan[6], with Nepalis, Brazilians and Filipinos working beside Portuguese and Chinese. But the relationship between them and the newly arrived mainlanders is problematic. “The mainland Chinese are rude and look down on us,” says a Nepali security guard, a sentiment echoed by many locals. And though the authorities have failed to keep mainlanders out, foreigners who have worked there since long before the handover are finding it hard to bring their families over. “My daughter won‘t be joining me because it‘s hard to get a work p_______⑤ now,” says one Filipino, who has worked in Macau for 24 years.

種族之間的關系也日益緊張。澳門完全是一個“世界性的大家庭”，在這裏工作的除了葡萄牙人和中國人之外，還有尼泊爾人、巴西人和菲律賓人。不過他們與最近到來的內地人之間的關系出現了問題。一名尼泊爾保安說：“內地人很粗野，還瞧不起我們。”這一觀點引起了許多本地人的共鳴。還有，當局不禁止內地人進入澳門，可移交之前很早就在這裏工作的外國人卻發覺難以將其家人接過來。一名在澳門已經工作了24年的菲律賓人說：“由於現在很難拿到工作許可證，我的女兒不能來到我身邊了。”

It is not only racial harmony that is under threat. Under Portugal Macau escaped many of the depredations of the Cultural Revolution, and it remains one of the last r_______⑥ of traditional Chinese culture. Figurines[7] depicting the god of wealth sit outside most doors, attended by burning sticks of incense. The temples of Tin Hau, Kum Iam and Pak Tai continue to draw the faithful, who take pride in pointing out that their religion has survived both the rule of Portuguese Christians and the handover to atheist China. （5）Such piety[8], however, sits uncomfortably with the gambling, the neon lights and prostitution that are forever gaining ground.

面臨威脅的不僅僅是種族和睦。在葡萄牙的管轄下，澳門避免了文化大革命的破壞，它現在仍舊是傳統中國文化最後的寶庫之一。大多數人家門口都坐立著財神像，守護它的是一根根燃燒的焚香。天後廟（媽祖閣）、觀音堂（普濟禪院）和菩提禪院一如既往地吸引著虔誠的信徒，他們自豪地說，無論是在葡萄牙基督教的統治下，還是在移交給信奉無神論的中國之後，他們始終都能堅持自己的宗教信仰。然而，這種虔誠卻艱難地與沒完沒了的賭博、霓虹燈以及賣淫共存著。

（6）The old order, at least, is not particularly pleased by the prospect.“It used to be just a sleepy fishing village when I was a child,” recalls a middle-aged resident. “We used to pump water up from hand-wells.” He sighs. “I have no idea what it‘s going to look like a year from now.”

至少可以講，未來的發展與舊的生活秩序有一點格格不入。（譯註：直譯可為“至少可以說，未來的希望並沒有讓舊的生活秩序感到特別滿意。”）一位中年居民回憶說：“在我還是一個孩子的時候，這裏只是一個靜寂的漁村。”他嘆了口氣說道：“過去我們常常從自己打的水井中舀水，不知道再過一年會是什麽樣。”

[QUIZ]

1. 根據上下文及英文解釋，完成單詞：

①p_______（n. substances that make air, water, soil etc dangerously dirty）

②e________（v. to remove everything that is inside something）

③f________（n. [often pl.] rooms, equipment, or services that are provided for a particular purpose）

④j________（adj. unemployed）

⑤p_______（n. an official written statement giving you the right to do something）

⑥r________（n. a place or container in which large quantities of something are stored）

2. 英譯漢（將劃線部分英文翻譯成中文）：

3．漢譯英（根據譯文提示和上下文，在空白處填入相應英文）：

[NOTES](LONGMAN)

1. reclamation n.開墾；改造（v. reclaim）

2. beaver (away) v. 努力工作 n.海貍（毛皮）

3. conurbation n. 有衛星城的大都市（adj. conurban大都市的；城市圈的；衛星城的）

4. nook n. 僻靜處；隱蔽處；犄角旮旯

5. mogul n.顯要人物；大家；有權勢之人

6. cosmopolitan adj.世界性的；全球的 n.四海為家之人

7. figurine n.小雕像；小塑像

8. piety n.虔誠；孝行

[KEY TO QUIZ]

1. ①pollution 汙染物

〔附註〕

a.表示“good for the environment”:environmentally friendly環境友好的；不妨害環境的, eco-friendly生態友好的, sustainable可持續的, recyclable可回收的，可重復利用的, biodegradable生物可降解的, renewable能再生的, organic有機的

b.表示“people who want to protect the environment”: greens綠色和平主義者, eco-warriors生態保護鬥士

c.表示“things that cause harm to the environment”: pollution汙染物, greenhouse gases溫室氣體, global warming全球變暖, acid rain酸雨, deforestation森林采伐

②empty 倒

③facilities 設施

④jobless 失業的；無業的（表示“to not have a job”：not have a job/be without a job • be out of work • unemployed • jobless • be on the dole領取固定救濟金的）

⑤permit 許可證（warrant，license）

⑥repositories 倉庫；寶庫

2.（見譯文，僅供參考，歡迎指正）

6.25我要移民！