外刊精讀(十)：CouldaLackofWaterCauseWars

1、考研VIP 只為更出眾Could a Lack of Water Cause Wars?缺水會導致戰(zhàn)爭嗎？By Pola LemWater scarcity poses a greater risk of turmoil under global warming, the World Bank argues【生詞】turmoil 混亂【翻譯】世界銀行認為，在全球變暖下，水資源匱乏會加大混戰(zhàn)的風險。Water scarcity is expected to increase globally as populations boom and climate change sharpens unce

2、rtainty around the resource's availability, according to a report by the World Bank.【生詞】scarcity 短缺【翻譯】據(jù)世界銀行的報道，隨著人口激增與環(huán)境變化使資源使用的不確定性尖銳化，全球水資源匱乏問題有望加劇。The conclusion adds to a growing body of research, and it comes days before this year's Climate Action 2016 summit in Washington, D.C. The re

3、port, titled “High and Dry: Climate Change, Water, and the Economy,” highlights the importance of water to human health, agriculture and geopolitical stability.【生詞】summit峰會 agriculture農(nóng)業(yè) geopolitical地理政治學的【分析】句子的主干是The report highlights the importance of water to human health, agriculture and geopol

4、itical stability. titled “High and Dry: Climate Change, Water, and the Economy,”是后置定語修飾report?！痉g】這一結論是基于越來越多的研究，是在今年在華盛頓舉行的2016年環(huán)境行動峰會的前幾天提出的。這份的報告的主題是：“面臨困境：氣候變化，水資源和經(jīng)濟”強調(diào)了水對人類健康，農(nóng)業(yè)和地理政治學的穩(wěn)定。Water scarcity is expected to cost a swath of countries in regions such as sub-Saharan and northern Africa,

5、 the Middle East, and large parts of Asia roughly 6 percent of their gross domestic product, the report found. That's under a scenario in which emissions continue to be released as they are today.【生詞】scenario 設想，預測 release釋放【分析】句子的主干是Water scarcity is expected to cost a swath of countries in reg

6、ions and large parts of Asia roughly 6 percent of their gross domestic product?！痉g】報告發(fā)現(xiàn)，水資源匱乏有可能使一些在撒哈拉以南的非洲和北非，中東以及亞洲大部分的國家的國內(nèi)生產(chǎn)總值大約下降6%。這一發(fā)現(xiàn)是基于廢氣排放與現(xiàn)在一樣沒有什么改變的設想。It's a stubborn problem, the report found. Even in a scenario where nations increase their water efficiency, northern Africa and the

7、 Middle East would still see 6 percent losses to their economy.【生詞】stubborn 頑固的 efficiency效率【分析】句子的主干是：northern Africa and the Middle East would still see 6 percent losses to their economy.where nations increase their water efficiency,是定語從句修飾 a scenario ?！痉g】報告發(fā)現(xiàn)這是一個頑固的問題。即使各國提高它們的水資源利用率，北非和中東的經(jīng)濟也會下

8、降6%?！癢ater is to adaptation what energy is to mitigation, and the challenges the world will face in adapting to water issues are enormous,” the report said.【生詞】adaptation適應 mitigation緩解【分析】這一句子由and連接的兩個句子構成。第一個句子是句型A is to B what C is to D.表示“A之于B，就像C之于D”。 第二個句子主干是the challenges are enormous。 the wo

9、rld will face in adapting to water issues是定語從句修飾 challenges。【翻譯】“改變之于適應與能量之于緩解是一樣的，世界各國在適應水資源問題上面臨的挑戰(zhàn)是巨大的?！眻蟾娣Q。Richard Damania, a lead economist at the World Bank and an author of the report, told reporters, “Climate change is really about hydrological change, and it's really about water change.

10、”【生詞】hydrological 水文學【翻譯】理查德·德瑪尼爾是世界銀行杰出的經(jīng)濟學家和報告的作者，他對報告員說，“環(huán)境變化真的是水文學的變化，確實有關水變化?！盜t's a lot easier for governments to pull more water from the ground than to fix big infrastructure problems like leaky pipes, said Damania.【生詞】infrastructure基礎設施【翻譯】德瑪尼爾說，對政府而言，從地下開采水資源確實比維修破裂水管這樣的嚴重 的基礎設施問題

11、容易得多?！癘f course the easy thing to do is to increase supply. The much harder stuff is the softer stuffincreasing efficiency, trying to reallocate water,” he added.【生詞】reallocate 重新分配【翻譯】他補充說：“當然增加供應量也是件容易的事。提高效率，試著重新分配水資源等軟問題處理起來更加困難?！盬ater impacts reverberate far beyond the economy. Water shocks oft

12、en emerge as a threat multiplier, the report finds. Drought is often associated with migration and regime change, said Carl Bruch, an attorney and director of international programs at the Environmental Law Institute.【生詞】reverberate產(chǎn)生廣泛影響 regime 政權【翻譯】由水資源引起的動蕩遠遠超出了經(jīng)濟經(jīng)濟領域。報告發(fā)現(xiàn)，水問題往往會成為威脅產(chǎn)生的源頭。環(huán)境法學院國

13、際項目的律師和國際計劃部主任布魯赫說，干旱經(jīng)常伴隨著移民和政權更迭的變化。“One thing we've found in context of water security and climate changeit really comes down to institutions and governance,” said Bruch. “Changes in water availability, timing, temperaturethese are stresses. And how well a country or community copes with those

14、 stresses depends substantially on governance.”【生詞】temperature 氣溫 governance治理【翻譯】布魯赫說：“我們在水安全和氣候變化的背景下發(fā)現(xiàn)的一件事，它確實歸結于機構和治理方面，”?！八目捎眯?，時間，溫度，這些都是重點。以及一個國家或社區(qū)如何應對這些壓力很大程度上取決于治理的穩(wěn)定性?！?In broad terms, a country's ability to equitably allocate water and resolve disputes peacefully can mean survival an

15、d peace for its people, he said. On the flip side, if individuals use water scarcity as an opportunity to consolidate political power, or accuse others of stealing water, the result can be war.【生詞】allocate分配 resolve dispute解決爭端【翻譯】從廣義上講，一個國家的公平分配水并和平解決爭端可能意味著人們的生存和和平的能力，他說。另一方面，如果個人將水資源短缺作為一個鞏固政治權力的

16、機會，或是指責別人的偷竊水，結果可能是戰(zhàn)爭。 “This is why you see in the Sahel region different responses to long-term drought. Some countries, like Sudan, undergo brutal civil war, while others have escaped it,” he said.【生詞】undergo經(jīng)歷 brutal殘酷的【翻譯】“這就是為什么你看到在薩赫勒區(qū)域應對長期干旱的不同反應。一些國家，如蘇丹，經(jīng)歷了殘酷的內(nèi)戰(zhàn)，而其他國家卻逃脫了，“他說。 EFFICIENCY CA

17、N SPARK FIGHTS效率可能導致戰(zhàn)爭In places like Sudan, where refugee camps have sprung up and morphed into populous, semi-permanent cities housing thousands of people, water is being drained at an unsustainable rate. Many of those encampments rely on limited sources like fossil aquifers, bringing their long-te

18、rm viability into question, Bruch said.【生詞】morph變化 populous 稠密的 aquifer含水層【分析】句子的主干是water is being drained at an unsustainable rate.where refugee camps have sprung up and morphed into populous, semi-permanent cities housing thousands of people, 是定語修飾Sudan。【翻譯】在蘇丹，那里的難民營如雨后春筍般涌現(xiàn)，演變成稠密的、半永久性的城市擁有上千人，水

19、以不可持續(xù)的速度枯竭。許多營地依靠有限的資源如化石含水層，導致了對其長期生存能力的質(zhì)疑，布魯赫說。 Water poses big questions in established population centers, too. Many governments are unprepared for future water shortages.【生詞】population人口【翻譯】水在建立的人口中心構成了大問題。許多政府對未來的水資源短缺是毫無準備的?！癈ountries like Pakistan can only store about 30 daysworth of waterth

20、at's hugely inadequate when you look at climate change,” said David Michel, a nonresident fellow of the Environmental Security program at the Stimson Center, a nonprofit organization that works on U.S. security challenges.【生詞】inadequate 不充足的【翻譯】像巴基斯坦這樣的國家只能儲存約夠30天用的水當發(fā)生氣候變化是，這是遠遠不夠的，”戴維·米歇爾

21、說，一位史汀生中心環(huán)境安全項目非常住工作人員，史汀生中心是一個非盈利性組織負責處理美國安全挑戰(zhàn)。 Still, if countries manage to increase water efficiency and ease climate variability with increased storage, their action may also have negative consequences, said Michel. Any action on water may spark political friction, he said.【生詞】variability變化 pol

22、itical friction政治摩擦【翻譯】然而，如果國家設法提高水的效率和通過水的儲存，緩解氣候變化，他們的行動也可能會帶來負面的后果，米歇爾說。他說，任何有關水資源的行動都可能引發(fā)政治摩擦。 Take the example of two farmers. One of them pumps his water from an underground aquifer next to an irrigation canal, and another draws his water from the canal. If you line the canal, increasing its e

23、fficiency and cutting down on leakage, you may be helping the second farmer to the detriment of the first.【生詞】aquifer 蓄水層 leakage滲漏 detriment傷害【翻譯】以兩個農(nóng)民為例。其中一人從灌溉渠旁邊的地下蓄水層打水，另一個來從運河中打水。如果你連接運河，增加它的效率，減少滲漏，你可能會幫助了第二個農(nóng)民卻不利于第一個人。 “Because leakage from the canal might have been an important source of re

24、plenishing groundwater where it was leaking,” said Michel.【生詞】replenish 補充，重新裝滿【翻譯】“因為運河滲漏的水可能是補充地下水的一個重要來源，”米歇爾說。 That same principle can be applied on the scale of communities, and even countries.【翻譯】同樣的原則也適用于社區(qū)、甚至國家。 By increasing an upstream user's ability to store water, you potentially lessen water security for people downstream. If you have two water-scarce neighbors like India and P