What am I supposed to be doing with my life? -- The QLC Message Boards of this month

拿什么拯救我的人生？——本月QLC问题

QLC, is they so called the "Quarter-life Crisis", technically for twenty and thirty. It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

QLC是“中少年危机”的缩写，主要人群是二十到三十岁的人。如果你是这个群体中一员，你是否有这样的感觉，在人山人海的人潮中，你突然停下来发现自己已经跟不上时代的潮流，那些新事物对你来说是那么的陌生，甚至厌烦。于是你开始紧张自己的未来，你该何去何从，这个问题如同梦魇一直困扰着你。

My life quantity is pretty bad during the past month, even it's Chinese New Year break time. I get up early 6 o'clock every morning and did not go to bed until midnight. And what I have gained, nothing but exhaustion. What worse, I even can not figure out what I've done all through a day, it is just looked like I've been busy, without any practical result.

我的生活质量在过去的一个月中降到了最低点，即使是过年放假期间，我早6点起床晚12点入睡。这样的生活看上去忙碌，但是却实在收获甚微。我只是看上去非常的忙碌，但是忙来忙去，我自己都不知道自己忙了些什么。

I am getting all old, with health problem, lovely handle and eyes problem. I spent RMB688 to attend the gym in the next three months, for the cost, I have to get some really practical result this time.

是的，我也成为了中少年危机中的一员，同时困扰我的还有健康问题，比如由于长时间坐姿引起的腰部游泳圈和视力问题。所以，我花了688元买了张健身房的季卡，看在这卡的价格份上，我想我必须在健康问题上得到实际的收获。

视频地址：http://you.video.sina.com.cn/8etv

受中文同声传译影响，部分英文没有听清，这些部分由蓝色标注。不过这些没听清的部分不是重点。

(sigh...)

Today I've come back to Hong Kong to stand in front of you, and come to myself. I've never escaped from my responsibility. During the past weeks, I've been with my mother, and my family lovers, to show their support care. And I, for all the time, have their support care for me.

I've been known most of the photos been circulating on the Internet were taken by me. But these photos were very private and have not been shown to people and were never intended to be shown to anyone. These photos were stolen illegally, and without my acceptance. There is no doubt that obtaining of these photos, have uploaded mountain to the Internet with malicious intent. This matter is seriously have affected to all the society. And in this regard, I am deeply sad.

I would like now to apologize to all the people for all the suffers it has caused, that has been caused for the reason I have mentioned. I would like to apologize to all the ladys and their families, for any harm or hurt. I am sorry. I am sorry for my mother and father, for all the suffer I've caused. Most importantly, I would like to apologize for all the people in Hong Kong. I give my apology sincerely to you all, split it out, and with my heart.

I know young people in Hong Kong like to admire figures in this society, and in this regard, I have failed, failed as a role model. However, I wish that this matter will teach everyone a lesson. To all the young people in our community, let this be a lesson for you all. This is not an example to be set for you.

During the time I was away, I've made an important decision, I would whole heartly take all the commitment I have made, but after that, I've decided to step away from the Hong Kong entrainment industry. I've decided to do this to give myself an opportunity to heal myself and to search my soul. I would dedicate my time to charity community work within the next few months. I would be away from the Hong Kong entrainment immortally, there is no time limited. I've been assisting the police for the photos published in the Internet from the first day. At this present point, I have the response to help them with the investigation, and hope this case would end soon. 

I'd like to use this opportunity to thank the police, for the help in this case. Thank you. I believe everyone, and myself now, is to stop the suffering from the pain, and not let this situation out of control. We need to protect all the innocence and all the young from matter like this. In this regard, I've asked my lawyer to do everything possible for the victims in this case. I believe the speech has been issued as we speak, as my advice.

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone for coming here today, and listen to what I have to say, I would like also to apologize once again for all the ladys and their family, and everyone in Hong Kong and everyone else. I am deeply sorry about this. And I apologize for everyone who has to go through this. I would like also thank you for giving me this opportunity to say what I am want to say all along in my heart. I hope after today, I can have your forgive for this. In regards to this case with everything and everything did happen, I am deeply sorry. I hope all of you would accept my apology, and give me a chance. Thank you.

以下翻译仅为本人休闲练习英语之用，文章以及照片版权归The Economist所有

MUSIC has the power to delight the listener, improve well-being and uplift the soul. But sounds have more malign uses too. The beauty of the music produced by the Sirens of ancient Greek legend drew unwary sailors to their doom on the rocks. And in Britain calls have been made this week to ban the use of the Mosquito, a high-pitched-noise generator that is used to disperse groups of unruly teenagers from congregating points such as shopping centres and housing estates. Campaigners say that it is unfair to subject the young to a discomforting sound that only they can detect—older ears are no longer sensitive enough to detect the Mosquito’s din.

音乐能使人心情愉悦，净化人的心灵。然而声音有时候也有副作用。比如古希腊传说中妖媚的笛声却也是使水手失去心智从而触礁沉船的“死亡之音”。本周英国下令禁止使用“音频驱蚊器”，这种设备能发出脉冲高频从而驱逐在商店闹区或者居住区的闹事街头少年。有人认为利用只有“年轻的耳朵”听得到，但是“年老的耳朵”听不到声音而做成的“音频驱蚊器”是不公平的。

The aural assault on Britain’s potentially troublesome youth is not the first. Over ten years ago stations on the Tyne and Wear Metro were equipped with speakers that blasted out classical music. Mozart and Beethoven did the job of dispersing or calming hooligans so successfully that London Underground later adopted the idea too. Australian authorities used a similar technique by playing cheesy music, such as Barry Manilow, deemed so “uncool” by suburban teens that it would drive them away from troublespots.

这些由于街头少年搞出来的音乐事件在英国已经不是第一次。十年前在泰恩-威尔郡地铁就曾安排了演奏古典音乐的人，用莫扎特和贝多芬的曲子来驱散和平静那些闹事的街头少年，这种方法十分有效以至于后来伦敦地铁也效仿。澳大利亚当局则采用播放俗气音乐的方法，比如Barry Manilow这种老掉牙的歌从而使街头少年不耐烦的走开。

Few could argue that harnessing classical music to keep the peace is anything but a fine idea. But music (or noise, depending on the age of the definer) has been used for far more sinister purposes too. In the second world war rumours circulated of a giant German sonic device that could be deployed to devastating effect on the battlefield. Fortunately its vast size and almost complete lack of portability reputedly limited its destructive potential. During the cold war similar devices were said to be in development on both sides of the Iron Curtain.

恐怕没有人会否认利用古典音乐来维护和平不是个好主意。但是音乐（不是那种会由于年龄不同而听到或听不到的噪音）却曾被当作恶劣的武器。在二战中曾有谣言德国制造出巨大的可以用在战场上的具有杀伤性功能的声学武器。幸运的是，这种武器那庞大的体积和难以移动性限制了其杀伤能力。冷战期间，类似的声学武器在冷战双方的特种装甲中都有配备。

Even in 1999 Human Rights Watch, a pressure group, fearful of the humanitarian threats posed by acoustic weapons, monitored developments. Since then the group has gone quiet but its concern may not be misplaced. America’s military has shown that it is prepared to deploy sound to its tactical advantage. After America’s invasion of Panama in 1989 its intention to seize Manuel Noriega, the head of state it accused of drug running, was thwarted after he took refuge in Panama City’s Vatican embassy. A siege lasting nearly two weeks was broken only after the forces surrounding the embassy played deafening rock music 24 hours a day (including Van Halen and Guns 'n' Roses), over loudspeakers that ringed the compound.

甚至在1999年，一个叫做“人权观察”的组织，为了防止人类受到这种声学武器的危害，组织了倡议运动。自那以后，这个组织虽然销声匿迹但是其倡议却是没有被人忽视（这里指不好的方面）。美国军方利用声音作为战术优势。在1989年美国入侵巴拿马并试图捉拿毒贩头Manuel Noriega时，Manuel Noriega却躲到巴拿马的梵谛冈大使馆里。于是美军在使馆周围布满了扩音器，连续两周每天24小时不停地放震耳欲聋的摇滚乐（包括范海伦和枪花）。

America’s armed forces are also accused of using loud rap music and television theme tunes to disorient and disturb prisoners both in Iraq and Gunatanamo Bay. Another technique is to impose absolute silence as part of a sensory-deprivation programme. And both American and Israeli armies and some less scrupulous police forces around the world are said to have used a sonic tool, the “long range acoustic device”. It emits unpleasant high-pitched wails that are intended to disperse crowds. In 2005 a cruise ship even reported its use to repel pirates off the coast of Somalia. But the effectiveness of the device is subject to much dispute.

美军还被指责大声播放说唱音乐和电视剧主题曲来干扰和折磨被关在伊拉克和关塔纳摩监狱的囚犯。还有一种技术是把人放在绝对的安静之中，这是“听觉剥夺计划”的一部分。并且美军和以色列部队以及其他名声不好的部队，都曾使用过一种叫做“大范围声学设备”。这种设备可以发射出令人不悦的高频悲叹声用来驱散人群。甚至在2005年有报道索马里海岸边防的巡逻船用这种声学设备来驱逐海盗（或者偷渡者？）。但是这种设备的功效还是有所争议的。

Nevertheless the aggressive use of music and tailor-made sounds is becoming more commonplace. But these weapons, like any others, risk falling into the wrong hands. The simple technologies that are the bad neighbour’s weapon of choice (big speakers, “bad” music) might be turned against their users. Rap and heavy metal music is freely available though more fiendish musical terroriser might even choose experimental jazz or Maltese folk music. Hefty speakers are bought and sold openly too.

不过随着音乐在人们普通生活中的渗透如今它已无处不在。但是作为武器，就像其他任何形式的武器一样，却有着一但落入不法分子手里后果不堪设想的风险。这种简单可以用来抗议你的邻居的方法，也许违背了其产生的本质。说唱和摇滚乐是触手就可以得到的，哪怕更残暴的音乐恐怖分子也许会实验性的选择爵士乐或者马耳他民谣。大音箱也是到处就可以买到的。

British teenagers have already shown how the table can be turned. Using mobile phones to record the silent-to-many output of the Mosquito machines they have used the sound to disrupt classes by irritating fellow students while teachers remain oblivious. And in schoolrooms, where mobiles are banned, the sound is a useful semi-private ringtone. In an already noisy world an arms race of sound is not to be welcomed.

英国青少年已经以其人之道还其人之身。根据声音选择性听到这原理，制作了高频手机，来骚扰那些正常听课的学生而站在讲台上的老师仍然对下面发生的事情一无所知。然而在禁止使用手机的课堂里，这种声音就变成了一种半隐私性的铃声。在这个已经喧闹嘈杂的世界，我们不欢迎这支用声音武装的部队。

LOFTY words are always a hostage to fortune. The Olympic movement boasts that the Games “have always brought people together in peace to respect universal moral principles.” Yet history suggests otherwise. Boycotts marred the jamborees of 1956, 1976, 1980 and 1984. In 1968 two American sprinters gave a Black Power salute on the podium. The 1972 Games were blighted when Palestinian terrorists killed 11 Israeli athletes.

崇高的话语是运气的人质。奥林匹克标榜自己是“在全人类共同的道德准则下，使世界人民团结在一起”的运动。然而历史却告诉我们另一些事实。不和谐的事件就曾经破坏了1956，1976，1980和1984年的奥林匹克盛会。还有，1968年两名美国短跑运动员在领奖台上向“黑人权利”致敬事件。1972年巴勒斯坦恐怖分子刺杀11名以色列运动员事件。

幸儿手记：blight愿意指植物枯萎病，这里做动词讲是阻碍。用词真妙。

LOFTY words are always a hostage to fortune.这句很异译有点难，意思理解了但是没有想到汉语中与其意思大概对应的话语。

Now China, due to host the Games in August, is finding that its Olympic slogan—“One world, one dream”—also rests on hope more than fact. Steven Spielberg, an American film director, has quit as an artistic adviser for the opening and closing ceremonies: China, he said, must do more to stop the bloodshed in Darfur. On February 14th a group of Nobel laureates and athletes said the same in a letter to the Independent, a British daily.

作为八月奥运会的主办方的中国，，也陷入其奥林匹克标语——“同一个世界，同一个梦想”——言而不实的困扰中。美国大牌导演斯蒂芬•斯皮尔伯格(Steven Spielberg)以达尔富尔问题为由辞去了奥运会开幕和闭幕仪式的艺术顾问一职。他说，中国必须在阻止达尔富尔流血暴力事件上做出更大的努力。在2月14日，由诺贝尔文学奖获得者以及运动员组成的团体，（让我们姑且叫他们“达尔富尔队”吧）在接受英国《独立日报》采访时，也表示了同样的看法。

Since Beijing won the right to stage the Games in 2001 China has known that it would have a hard time preventing critics of its human-rights abuses from spoiling the event. In 2006 it was delighted when Mr Spielberg came on board. But to China’s surprise, its behaviour abroad, particularly in Sudan, has been the focus of Hollywood’s ire in the run-up to the Games.

自从2001年北京申办奥运会成功后，中国政府就知道自己的人权问题将面临严峻的挑战，而这与其奥运会形象息息相关。2006年斯皮尔伯格出任艺术顾问本来是个喜事。然而让中国政府意外的是，就在奥运会的开幕式即将临近时，其海外政策，尤其是苏丹，竟然成为了好莱坞不满的焦点。

China has reacted angrily to what it calls attempts to “politicise” the Olympics. But recently it has been stung by the attempts of activists like Mia Farrow, an American actress, to portray the games as a “genocide Olympics” because of the killings in Sudan. China buys most of Sudan’s oil and sells it arms. This, say activists, makes it complicit in the state-orchestrated killing that has devastated Darfur.

中国政府已经对于此事件进行了强烈的回应，并且称之为“试图将体育政治化的奥林匹克精神”。但是讽刺的是，最近美国演员Mia Farrow，借正在苏丹发生的流血暴力事件，将这次奥运会称之为“种族灭绝的奥林匹克精神”。“达尔富尔队”认为中国政府对于发上在达尔富尔的流血事件负有不可推卸的责任。

To deflect such charges, China has shifted a little from its usual refusal to get involved in other countries’ political affairs. Western diplomats credit China with helping to persuade Sudan to accept a UN peacekeeping mission there. But this has not satisfied Mr Spielberg.

为了减少这些负面指责，中国政府稍微转变了其在国际争端中的“中立态度”。西方外交家们称赞中国劝说苏丹政府接受联合国驻兵的做法。但是斯皮尔伯格却仍然觉得不满意。

Even as it rejects their “politicisation”, the Games are of huge political importance to China. The Olympiads of the 1970s and 1980s were an athletic projection of the cold war; now China’s leaders want to show off their country as a respected world power, no longer weighed down by memories of the killings of pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing in 1989. (They want to top the medal table too.) George Bush has said he will be there.

即使中国政府试图摆脱这次奥运会的“政治化”帽子，但是奥运会确实对于中国的政治有很大的影响。如果说1970到1980冷战期间的奥林匹克还仅仅只是参与运动层面上的，那么这次中国政府希望树立其世界大国形象，从而摆脱1989年天安门事件的恶劣形象。（当然他们也想站在奖牌榜上的第一位。）乔治布什曾说他将参加这次奥运会。

But activists may be hard to muzzle. What if one of the guests says something rude? The Olympic movement’s rules bar athletes from making political “demonstrations” at Olympic venues. But this week, after much criticism, the British Olympic Association said it was rethinking a decision to ask its team members to promise not to comment on sensitive issues during the games. Politics will intrude one way or another.

但是这次“达尔富尔”事件的负面影响难以消除。如果参加者出言不逊怎么办？奥林匹克精神是不容许运动员有政治化的“言论”。但是这周，发生了如此多关于北京奥运会的批评后，英国奥林匹克协会表示其将重新考虑关于不容许其运动员在比赛期间对敏感话题发表评论的规定。看来，政治因素总是要被牵扯到这届运动会中。

幸儿手记：继污染，中国商品质量低劣之后，“达尔富尔”问题大概是北京奥运会迄今为止面临的最严重的一次负面新闻。事情既然已经发生，太多评论似乎没有太多实际意义。我觉得我们需要反省的是，奥委会对于处理这些可以在国内不公开，但是对国外必须公开的问题的方法，确实需要改进。要知道，国外的评论家，比起国内的评论家，要更难忽悠，也需要更“精明”的方法。这种企图用“体育政治化”的概念偷换来平息这场风波，显然反而被别人拿来笑话了。也许采取更主动积极的顺水推舟，向外部公布更多的中国政府在为阻止这场流血暴力事件中所作的努力（哪怕不是实质上的），会更好一些。

Thanks GM. Noted here, it's a nice call: the dental health. Meanwhile, it remind me of the eye health. You'd better renew your glasses before going abroad.

谢谢GM。他的建议非常好，出国前提前检查好的：牙齿健康。同时，还要注意你的眼睛健康。最好在临走前配新的眼镜。

Glad to hear that one of my best friends is going to Korea for an exchanging program at the end of this month; much better than me here, life is just round and round till down to the ground. So again, BIG CONGRATULATIONS~~ and I am here to write a list about what you'd better take along with, to be specific, as a girl.

很高兴得知我的好朋友之一将在这个月底踏上前往韩国的海外交流生生活；比我在这里日复一日的枯燥生活要好很多。所以，在此恭喜她～～而我也将列出一份出国行李清单，主要是为女生。

Stock up on right medicines

OTC medicines like Nyquil, Dyer's woad root, Digestant, Drugs for when you have loose bowels; allergy; sore throat, Woundplast, Drugs for your own case

必备药

感冒药（建议感康+头孢，感康是强力治感冒药，头孢是消炎用的）；

板蓝根（强烈建议，我当时买了几十包，变天的时候就注意喝着，所以一直没有感冒）；

胃药（佛排酸，水土不服时使用）；

治拉肚子的药（韩国Kimuqi辣的出名，小心吃的肠胃不舒服）；

过敏药（皮炎平，用于皮肤过敏/红霉素，用于眼睛过敏）；

咽喉冲剂（才去可能会说很多话，容易造成咽喉肿痛）；

创伤药（创可贴和云南白药之类）；根据自己身体情况所需要配备的特殊药；

 Cosmetics

You'd better take a set of cosmetics for face care and make up, respectively.

For the face care stuff, you can just take a little bit to be enough for the first arriving month use; don't neglect it, believe me that other crucial official documents will take you much effort and time so that you will not have any other energy to shopping for these daily necessaries;

For the make up things, they are prepared for the Orientation and Parties. And yes, the place you're going to is Korea, the world of cosmetics, but sweet, leave that shopping time in the future when you get familiar to.

Lotion, powder, blushes, conclear etc.

洗漱用品和化妆用品各带一套。

洗漱用品可买小盒装先带过去，最起码保证头一个月不需要逛当地超市就可以自给自足；不要小看这些日需品，才到外地其它更重要的文书办理需要花费很多时间和体力，千万不要想着自己还有精力逛超市买这些日需用品。

化妆品也要带一套，为正妆使用；才去会参加很多宴会和Party。至于安顿好以后再慢慢淘好宝贝儿，都是需要时间和精力的。

乳液，隔离霜，粉底，睫毛膏，眼影，眉笔，粉彩，卸妆油；睫毛夹，秀眉笔，排刷；指甲油，香水，除汗滚珠；

Clothing

Up to the whether there, but in my opinion: bigger, better and best. Take as many as you can, you'd better prepare to a fabulous debut.

In my case, I took four sets of clothing for each season and a suit (but never used o_0), surely you'll find much better clothing there and that's why actually it's your suitcase back to China would be overloaded, I didn't bring all of them back even in twice.

Socks and underwear, I took a lot.

决定于那里的天气，我的意见是，多带多拿，初次亮相，好好准备。

我当时为每个季节带了四套衣服还有一套正装（可是从来没有用），当然你会在那里买到更好的衣服，所以其实真正是你回国的行李要超重，我分两次都没有把行李全部带回国。

袜子和内衣裤，我当时带了很多。

Others

Books, Notes book, Pocket guidebook of Korea, Digital dictionary, Pencase etc;

Stamp;

Gifts, for your supervisor (if you have), and friends;

Girl's things (well, you know, better take than never);

Kitchen things;

You'd better check if the electrical socket in Korea is different from ours;

其它

书，记事本，韩国导游口袋书，电子辞典，文具等等；

印章（当然签名也是有效合法的）；

礼物，给你的监管人（如果你有），还有朋友；

女孩的东西（恩那，比较多哈，比如红糖，大枣。。）；

厨房用具（调料，水果刀，衣服架子）；

你最好问问韩国的电器是否和中国是通用的；

                                                                          To be continue

                                                                          未完待续

The French also like jokes about the Corsicans, Corsica is a French island where people have a reputation for being lazy, vengeful and clannish. Then the Corsicans have their own jokes about the "French" meaning the continental ones, from Paris...

科西嘉是法国的一个岛，科西嘉人被认为是懒惰的，记仇的以及排外的，因此法国人喜欢开科西嘉人的玩笑。与此同时，在科西嘉“法国”这个单词也有特殊的含义，是只那些有别于科西嘉人的内陆人，比如巴黎人。。。

The journalist asks the Corsican peasant how they build roads in his mountains. The peasant explains: we take a donkey and where he goes, we build the road. And when you do no have a donkey? We take a French engineer says the peasant.

记者问一位科西嘉农民如何在山上修路。

农民解释道："我们牵一头驴，驴走到哪里，我们就在哪里修路。"

"可是如果你们没有驴呢?"记者问。

农民回答到:"那我们就带一位"法国"工程师。"

幸儿手记：对于科西嘉的了解来自对于某人在那里的实习经历，今日正巧看到此篇笑话，闲中找乐，逗君一笑。倘若今生有幸，希望去那里一游。

以下翻译仅为本人休闲练习英语之用，文章以及照片版权归The Economist所有

THE last time anyone can remember a Chinese leader venturing, megaphone in hand, into a disgruntled crowd to offer an apology was in May 1989 when Zhao Ziyang visited Tiananmen Square to say sorry to students protesting there. The apology neither saved Mr Zhao's career nor prevented the army's advance on the square a few days later. But it seems to have impressed one man, at Mr Zhao's left shoulder in this famous photograph of the incident (see above). This year Wen Jiabao, now China's prime minister, has been mimicking his former boss. He dropped into railway stations where freezing crowds had waited for days to get home for the annual Chinese new year holiday. He used his megaphone to apologise for the disruption caused by the worst winter weather southern and central China have endured in at least five decades.

人们所能记住的最近一次中国领导冒着危险，拿着扩音器站在不满的群众面前道歉，是1989年5月赵紫阳(中共中央总书记)在天安门广场平抚请愿学生的场景。然而这次道歉并没有能阻止事情的进一步恶化，赵紫阳既没有保住自己的官位，也没能阻止军队介入天安门事件。但是这种拿着扩音器走到不满群众面前道歉的做法似乎给某人留下了深刻的印象，这个人就是在照片中站在赵紫阳左肩方向的人(当时温家宝是中共中央办公厅主任)。今年温家宝，也就是中国国务院总理，正在效仿他的前辈。他拜访了因大雪滞留在火车站等待过年回家的旅客。他拿着扩音器，向滞留的群众道歉。中国南部和中部遭受的大雪是中国近五年来最为严重的一次，导致了铁路交通的瘫痪。

In China as anywhere else, when a politician apologises, he is usually saying “it is not my fault.” Everyone loves to blame the government and some Chinese bloggers have been muttering about Hurricane Katrina. But even in China many people will have attributed this disaster to an “act of God” rather than a foul-up by the Politburo.

在中国还有其他地方，当政客道歉的时候，他总是说“这不是我的错”。每个人都喜欢责备政府然而同时有些中国人的博客在责备Katrina飓风。即使这样大多数中国人，当灾害发生的时候，都宁愿选择相信那是天意而不是因为(共产党的)政治局的管理不当。

All the same, in a one-party dictatorship, where power has traditionally meant never having to say you're sorry, Mr Wen's humility is a welcome nod towards accountability. It forms part of a broader awareness on the part of China's leaders of the discontented grumbling of those who feel left behind in the breakneck dash for growth. In speech after speech, Mr Wen and Hu Jintao, the party's boss and China's president, have promised to do more to bridge the widening gap between China's mostly urban rich and its mostly rural poor. That gap is inhabited by people like those suffering in the cramped, icy railway stations. Many have escaped rural penury in China's interior to work as migrants in the booming factories and building sites of the coastal belt. The annual lunar new year holiday represents their one chance to have a few days off, go home and see loved ones. No wonder Mr Wen was worried about their mood.

与此同时，在一党制的体制下，也就是说当政局永远不需要承认是自己犯了错，温总理的谦虚态度是一种值得人民信赖的标志。这形成了一个广泛的群众共识，对于中国领导人的共识，那就是这些在改革大潮中感到自己落后，从而发出的不满的抱怨。在演讲之后，胡锦涛总书记和温家宝总理，在另一次讲话中承诺要尽快缩小中国城市乡村之间的贫富差距。而这些贫富差距的代表者们，就是现在被困在寒冷拥挤车站的人们。大多数是从农村到沿海经济发达地区打工的农民工。这一年一度的春节是他们唯一可以请假过年和家人团聚的机会。难怪温总理如此关怀他们的心情。

Out of control

Despite their professions of concern, however, Mr Wen and Mr Hu have done little in concrete policy terms to make them count. And there are some ways in which policy failures have indeed exacerbated the weather-induced agony. The first is the inadequacy of disaster-response mechanisms, and the poor co-ordination between the various government departments involved. Second is the refusal to tackle a basic structural problem: that China is a country with hundreds of millions of migrant workers, most of whom are separated from their families, who all take their holidays at exactly the same time. A reform to holiday entitlements is belatedly under way. Residency rules that force families apart also need reviewing.

失去控制

虽然他们的关怀是真诚的，但是胡书记和温总理都没有想过从政策上解决这个问题。确实有几点政策上的失误导致了这次由于恶劣天气引起的恐慌更加严重。第一点是不准确的自然灾害预报系统，和各省政府之间的相互合作。第二点是拒绝从根本上解决这个问题：这个问题就是中国目前有成千上万的农民工，大多数人因为和家庭分离，并且在别人休假的时候还得工作。所以与此相关的休假制度需要改革。同时那些导致家庭分离的大城市户口法规也需要重新调整。

Thirdly, at least one aspect of the latest crisis was both foreseeable and in part a direct result of government policy: the electricity shortages, which afflicted tens of millions and worsened the transport bottlenecks. A flawed reform had freed fuel prices but left power-producers unable to pass on the rising cost of coal to consumers, because electricity prices are fixed. Many producers responded by letting their stocks fall to dangerously low levels, in the hope prices would fall when the weather warms up in the spring.

第三点，至少还有一方面的危机多少是有政府政策导致的：发电力，折磨了成千上万人并且是致使这次灾害恶化的瓶颈。错误的电力系统重组政策，促成了煤价自由交易却是各大发电厂陷入了发电成本提高而电费不得提高的两难处境中。很多发电厂因此任其股票下降到哪怕十分危险的价格，通过这种手段来希望开春后煤价能够也因此而下降。

Little scares China's leaders as much as high rates of price inflation. And with food production and distribution both affected by the bad weather, they are likely to be tempted by further administrative price controls. But the lesson of the recent crisis is not that they are needed; it is that they do not work.

中国领导人似乎根本不担心货币膨胀。那些由于恶劣天气造成的对食物供应的影响，中国领导人似乎想通过进一步的价格管制来解决。他们并不需要从这次灾害中吸取教训，因为那不是他们的错。

幸儿手记：撇开这篇社评所用的对中国政府的贬义用词不说，最后提到的几点建议倒是值得思考。尤其是电力系统在这次灾害中，据我所知已经有4名职工因抢险线路而殉职，大过年的，这些家庭却要承受失去家人的痛苦；而历时一年的电力系统改革，也就是发电和电网分家的改革，到现在为止似乎收益甚少。真是又赔钱又赔命。

I've decided to break my silence today and make this statement to the media to all people involved in this stranger deal.

Recent documents being posted online, have been intentionally hurt maliciously not only to victims but to our whole community. I have already handed this matter over to the police, and have been assisting them with this case from the first day onwards. Due to on going investigations, I am not unable to come over any further police cases.

The lives of many innocent people have been affected by this malicious and criminal conduct, and in this regard, I feel with pain, hurt and frustration. I'm here by this opportunity to apologize to anyone who has been affected by this strange stranger deal.

I now applaud to anyone to help victims in this case. If you have ever downloaded any of these images, please do not forward them to anyone; please do not send them to anyone. If you are still in possession of these images, I urge you to please destroy them immediately. Let's help the wounded, heal their wounds. I urge you to help the victims and not make anything worse.

To Be or Not to Be 生存还是毁灭

                                                    William Lyon Phelps

“To be or not to be.” Outside the Bible, these six words are the most famous in all the literature of the world. They were spoken by Hamlet when he was thinking aloud, and they are the most famous words in Shakespeare because Hamlet was speaking not only for himself but also for every thinking man and woman. To be or not to be --- to live or not to live; to live richly and abundantly and eagerly, or to live dully and meanly and scarcely. A philosopher once wanted to know whether he was alive or not, which is a good question for everyone to put to himself occasionally. He answered it by saying: "I think, therefore am."

“生存还是毁灭。”除《圣经》以外，这六个字是整个世界文学中最有名的六个字。这六个字是哈姆雷特一次喃喃自语时说的，而这六个字也就成了莎士比亚作品中最有名的几个字了，因为这里哈姆雷特不仅道出了他自己的心声，同时也代表了一切有思想的男男女女。是活还是不活——是要生活还是不要生活，是要生活得丰满充实，兴致勃勃，还是只是活得枯燥委琐，贫乏无味。一位哲人一次曾想弄清他自己是否是在活着，这个问题我们每个人也大可不时地问问我们自己。这位哲学家对此的答案是： “我思故我在。”

But the best definition of existence ever saw did another philosopher who said: "To be is to be in relations." If this true, then the more relations a living thing has, the more it is alive. To live abundantly means simply to increase the range and intensity of our relations. Unfortunately we are so constituted that we get to love our routine. But apart from our regular occupation how much are we alive? If you are interested only in your regular occupation, you are alive only to that extent. So far as other things are concerned--poetry and prose, music, pictures, sports, unselfish friendships, politics, international affairs--you are dead.

但是我所见过的关于生存一条最好的定义却是另一位哲学家下的：“生活即是联系。”如果这话不假的话，那么一个有生命者的联系越多，它也就越有生气。所谓要活得丰富充实也即是要扩大和加强我们的各种联系。不幸的是，我们往往会因为天性不够丰厚而容易陷入自己的陈规旧套。试问除去我们的日常工作，我们的真正生活又有多少?如果你只是对你的日常工作才有兴趣，那你的生趣也就很有限了。至于在其它事物方面，比如诗歌、散文、音乐、美术、体育、无私的友谊、政治与国际事务，等等——你只是死人一个。

Contrariwise, it is true that every time you acquire a new interest--even more, a new accomplishment--you increase your power of life. No one who is deeply interested in a large variety of subjects can remain unhappy; the real pessimist is the person who has lost interest.

但反过来说，每当你获得一种新的兴趣——甚至一项新的造诣——你就增长了你的生活本领。一个能对许许多多事物都深感兴趣的人是不可能总不愉快的，真正的悲观者只能是那些丧失兴趣的人。

Bacon said that a man dies as often as he loses a friend. But we gain new life by contacts, new friends. What is supremely true of living objects is only less true of ideas, which are also alive. Where your thoughts are, there will your live be also. If your thoughts are confined only to your business, only to your physical welfare, only to the narrow circle of the town in which you live, then you live in a narrow cir-conscribed life. But if you are interested in what is going on in China, then you are living in China~ if you’re interested in the characters of a good novel, then you are living with those highly interesting people, if you listen intently to fine music, you are away from your immediate surroundings and living in a world of passion and imagination.

培根曾讲过，一个人失去朋友即是死亡。但是凭着交往，凭着新朋，我们就能获得再生。这条对于活人可谓千真万确的道理在一定程度上也完全适用于人的思想，它们也都是活的。你的思想所在，你的生命便也在那里。如果你的思想不出你的业务范围，不出你的物质利益，不出你所在城镇的狭隘圈子，那么你的一生便也只是多方受着局限的狭隘的一生。但是如果你对当前中国那里所发生的种种感到兴趣，那么你便可说也活在中国；如果你对一本佳妙小说中的人物感到兴趣，你便是活在一批极有趣的人们中间；如果你能全神贯注地听点好的音乐，你就会超脱出你的周围环境而活在一个充满激情与想象的神奇世界之中。

To be or not to be--to live intensely and richly, merely to exist, that depends on ourselves. Let widen and intensify our relations. While we live, let live!

生存还是毁灭——活得热烈活得丰富，还是活得像行尸走肉，这取决于我们自己。但愿我们都能不断扩展和增强各种联系。活着就要精彩。

幸儿手记：在朋友推荐下看了The Shawshank Redemption，Andy Dufresne最后那句"It comes down a simple choice, really. Either get busy living, or get busy dying."，让我回味很久。又想起Fall Out Boy的Get Busy Living Or Get Busy Dying (do Your Part To Save The Scene And Stop Going To Shows)，是首歌。确实，人生短短数载，要么疲于奔波，要么累于等死。做一个选择，活着需要精彩。

以下翻译仅为本人休闲练习英语之用，文章版权归The Economist所有

THE bearded British billionaire, Richard Branson, who has dabbled in the music industry, airlines, trains and more, has said that his Virgin group will bid, on Monday February 4th, for the troubled British mortgage lender, Northern Rock. Mr Branson is optimistic that the bank could yet become “very strong”. The British government—and the taxpayers who have seen £25 billion ($50 billion) go to support the bank after it made reckless loans and was unable to raise funds itself—merely hopes to get the bank on its feet again.

英国人亿万富翁Richard Branson，他的投资涉足音乐，航空，运输等，同时是Virgin group的掌控人，于2月4日星期一证实了其收购身陷困境的英国抵押贷款发放商诺森罗克银行(Northern Rock PLC)的提议。Branson对商诺森罗克银行走出困境充满信心。英国政府和人民，在目睹商诺森罗克银行得到500亿美元赞助后仍然无法自行筹到基金(解决恐慌性挤兑问题)后，只是希望它能早日渡过这个难关。

The electorates in more than 20 states will have their say in America's presidential nominating process on Tuesday February 5th. Super Tuesday is now so big it is considered to be a sort of national primary election, which may seal the nomination for a candidate in either party. The states with the most delegates up for grabs are California, Illinois, New Jersey and New York. Other interesting results will come from states with proportionally large black electorates (Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee) and many conservative voters (ditto, plus Utah).

超过20多个州的选民将在2月5日星期二进行不记名投票。超级星期二发展到现在已经变的在美国总统大选中如此重要，以致于任何一个政党的候选人都有可能借助群众的力量而确定其提名。加州，伊利诺斯，新西兰和纽约的竞争将尤为激烈因为大多数委员会聚集在这些州。当然也许其他州的力量也有可能使大选出现戏剧性的逆转，这些州主要是黑人选民集中州(阿拉巴马州,乔治亚州和田纳西州)，还有传统选民的集中州(同上，外加犹他州).

BHP Billiton, a huge Anglo-Australian mining company, faces a deadline of Wednesday February 3rd set by British regulators to make a formal offer for Rio Tinto, another mining titan. Rio has so far resisted the all-share offer, valued at $140 billion when BHP first made its approach in November. BHP's plans were thrown into dissarray at the end of last week, however, after Chinalco, an aluminium firm backed by the Chinese government, took a 9% stake in Rio, with some assistance from Alcoa, an American aluminium-maker. Meanwhile Vale, a Brazilian mining giant, is rumoured to be mulling an offer for Xstrata, a smaller Anglo-Swiss miner. Anglo American, another vast mining firm, is said to be eyeing Xstrata too.

由澳洲的英国侨民创办的BHP Billiton矿业公司，面临着2月3日星期三到期的收购Rio Tinto矿业公司的提议。目前Rio公司拒绝了所有了收购提议，在此之前的去年11月，BHP第一次提出议案时报出的收购价是1400亿美元。BHP对Rio的收购案一直波澜不惊，直到上周末，Chinalco（中铝）携Alcoa（美铝）参股Rio矿业公司，也参与到了收购之中。Chinalco的这次收购行为被认为在是中国政府参与支持下进行的。同时有传言说，非洲矿业老大Vale打算低价收购澳洲的瑞士侨民创办的Xstrata，同时看上Xstrata还有矿业巨头Anglo American。

BALKAN watchers expect Kosovo, at last, to declare independence at some time this week. With the presidential election in Serbia out of the way, the leaders of the mostly Albanian breakaway province are expected to make a unilateral declaration that is likely to have the support, at least tacit, of many Western countries. How Serbia reacts, and then its ally Russia, is the big next question.

关注巴尔干半岛问题的人们希望科索沃，至少能在本周宣布其独立。在认为塞尔维亚大选和自己的独立无关的背景下，阿尔巴尼亚人和西方国家似乎有一种心照不宣，那就是确保科索沃的独立会得到西方国家的支持。塞尔维亚将如何应对，以及其同盟俄国的反应，将是下一个问题。

幸儿手记：今天的翻译有些地方的英文需要得到进一步的确认

seal the nomination是否应该翻译为获得提名

black electorates是否应该翻译为黑人选民

中铝搅和BHP和Rio的收购案是我个人非常关注的问题，毕竟如果中铝收购不成功，将给国内钢铁业带来不少负面影响。铁皮在过去的一年里价格疯涨，造成生产成本狂飙，利润下降。第一次意识到政府行为对自己这么平凡老百姓的生活影响如此大。

以下翻译仅为本人休闲练习英语之用，文章版权归The Economist所有

MUST try a lot harder. That is the message of a UN report on the elimination of discrimination against women in Saudi Arabia, published on Friday February 1st. The authors spent three weeks reviewing restrictions on women’s life in the kingdom, and in seven other countries in the region. Although the picture remains bleak in many places, there is some evidence that the position of Saudi women is getting a little better, just as it is for women in most Arab countries.

2月1日星期五联合国发表的调查报告指出，沙特阿拉伯国家消除妇女歧视的力度需要加强。报告的作者不仅仅花了三个星期在沙特对妇女生活做了调查，还在周边七个国家做了同样的调查。虽然沙特地区妇女的权利地位仍不高，但是有证据显示她们的环境在慢慢转变。

The UN found plenty to condemn in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom has its own understanding of sex equality as women having “similar” (meaning fewer) rights rather than equal rights with men. The practice of male guardianship continues, whereby male relatives are able to decide on many aspects of women’s daily life, from whether they may travel to deciding on whether marriage is permitted. Although tentative steps have been taken towards democracy, with municipal elections implemented, women are unable to vote or to stand for office. The legal situation is particularly grim: laws do not exist, for example, specifically forbidding violence against women. Last year a Saudi court sentenced the victim of a gang rape, who had violated laws on segregation of the sexes, to six months in prison and 200 lashes—King Abdullah eventually pardoned her after tumultuous international criticism.

联合国发现沙特阿拉伯地区妇女权利地位有很多需要谴责的地方。这个国度对于男女平等的理解是基于其自定的，其实妇女的权利远远不如男子。在这些男尊女卑的国家，一个家族的男人们可以决定女人很多日常生活中的大小事务，从是否外出家门到婚嫁。虽然阿拉伯国家在走向男女平等的道路上做出了很多试验性尝试，但是妇女在全民公决中仍然不具有选举权，甚至连站在投选办公室的门口的权利都没有。这些国家在处理妇女问题上还存在法律漏洞，比如没有任何法律可以保护妇女暴力侵犯。去年沙特法院对一宗强奸案的宣判，惩罚那位妇女6个月的监禁和200鞭子。后来迫于国际舆论压力，Abdullah最终免除了对那位妇女的不公正惩罚。

But there are signs that things may be getting a little better for the kingdom’s women. Laws forbidding violence against women are now being drafted. Women are now allowed to stay in hotels unaccompanied. The government has given initial approval for the establishment of the first Saudi women’s rights body. And the first women’s football match was played in the eastern province earlier this month, with men excluded from the stadium entirely. There are even suggestions that an infamous ban on women drivers may be lifted later this year. Such improvements are slight, but welcome. And they reflect marginal improvements elsewhere in the Middle East.

然而沙特妇女的问题还是在向好的方向发展。针对反对妇女暴力的法案正在起草。妇女现在容许独自在酒店停留。政府已经许诺建立第一个维护沙特妇女权益的体系。并且在这个月前期，在东部举行了妇女足球赛，在这个比赛中男子完全不让参与。虽然这些都只是小的改善，但是方向是好的。

In education, especially, women are taking large strides. Over half of Saudi Arabia’s university students are female. In Kuwait and Qatar the share is even higher. Although Arab girls still only receive on average three-quarters of the schooling that boys get, female education is improving fast in Arab countries.

尤其在妇女教育方面，取得了很大进展。现在一半以上的沙特大学是由女性组成。Kuwait和Qatar地区的比例更高。虽然从总体上说沙特妇女平均接受教育水平只有男子的四分之三，但是教育方面是妇女问题得到提高的最快的方面。

Women are now allowed to vote, at least in some sort of poll, in all Arab countries except Saudi Arabia. Quotas for female representatives in parliament have helped to lift their numbers throughout the region. And although still rare, there are a few women in significant ministerial positions in some countries, such as Sheikha Lubna al-Qasimi, the economy minister in the United Arab Emirates.

除了沙特，阿拉伯妇女现在也具有了选举权，至少在某些选举方面。妇女在国会上占有的席位有所提高。虽然这样的妇女很少，但是在还是有部分妇女担当国际重要执政席位，比如阿拉伯联合酋长国经纪大臣Sheikha Lubna al-Qasimi。

What explains these improvements? Pressure from Western governments and from institutions such as the UN probably helps. Local and international women’s groups are also pushing governments to respond, taking advantage of the fact that some rulers are eager to project a more progressive image to the West. The presence of powerful businesswomen—still a rare breed—in some of these groups helps get them heard.

如何解释这些妇女权利地位得到提高的现象？也许是因为来自西方世界和联合国的压力。阿拉伯本地妇女权利保护团体也是一个原因，尤其一些积极的法律亟待实施。于是在这种背景下，商界女强人就产生了。

Businesswomen are often from privileged backgrounds and rise through family businesses. But their emergence reflects a broader trend of growing participation by women in the formal economy over the past 15 years. It is clear why that makes sense. At a conference in Dubai, in December, on the role of Arab women in the economy, a representative from PepsiCo pointed out that developing the role of women “is not just a moral position, it is a smart business proposition.” In a region desperately short of well-educated native talent, tapping the other half of the local population is evidently a smart thing to do.

这些商界女强人多半有强硬的背景或者是出生家族经营。然而她们的出现预示着在正常运行了15年的传统经济体制会向更加宽广的方向发展。在去年12月迪拜举行的会议上，来自阿拉伯妇女团体的代表PepsiCo就说：“阿拉伯妇女所争取的不仅仅只是一个道义上的名分，更是一个英明商业团体”。在一个分离的，缺乏良好教育体制的区域，促使这另一半人口去受更好的教育，确实是一件英明的决策。

IT IS a potential deal that has been talked about for years, but has suddenly become a real possibility. On Friday February 1st Microsoft, the world’s biggest software company, made a $44.6 billion offer for Yahoo!, an ailing internet giant. The proposed deal, which would transform the software and internet-services industries, values Yahoo! at $31 a share, a 62% premium over the closing price on Thursday.

(微软收购雅虎这件事情)在人们讨论这种可能性多年后，突然取得实质性进展从而使其变得极为可能。2月1日星期五，全球最大的软件公司微软，提出要以446亿美元现金收购网络巨头雅虎。这项收购提议，约合雅虎每股31美元，高于其星期四闭市前股价的62%，旨在整合软件和因特网服务产业。

In a letter to the board of Yahoo!, Microsoft’s chief executive, Steve Ballmer, referred to previous discussions between the two companies in 2006 and 2007 about a possible partnership or merger. At the time, Yahoo! was hopeful that Panama, a new system it had developed to place advertisements next to the results of internet searches, would improve its fortunes and help it to catch up with Google, the leader in both internet search and advertising. Panama failed to live up to expectations, however, prompting Yahoo!’s chief executive, Terry Semel, to resign in June 2007.

微软CEO史蒂夫·鲍尔默(Steve Ballmer)在致雅虎董事会的信中，提到了早在2006和2007年期间两家公司就展开过关于可能的合作和合并的讨论。而在这个时候，雅虎则希望其通过研发能实现在网络搜索加入广告业务的Panama新系统，加速其收益增长以追赶Google，(要知道)Google是在网络搜索和广告业务两方面的行业领头。Panama新系统却没有达到预期的目的，相反，却加速了雅虎CEO，Terry Semel的离职。

His place was taken by Jerry Yang, one of Yahoo!’s co-founders, who promised to put things right at the sprawling internet conglomerate. But Yahoo!’s latest results, released on January 30th, were disappointing, and its share price fell to a four-year low. Mr Yang said that the company faced “headwinds”, as Yahoo! announced plans to cut 1,000 jobs, some 7% of its workforce. Microsoft saw its chance. “While a commercial partnership may have made sense at one time, Microsoft believes that the only alternative now is the combination of Microsoft and Yahoo! that we are proposing,” wrote Mr Ballmer.

雅虎前创立人杨致远随后接替了Terry Semel的职位出任CEO，他曾承诺会使混乱的局面得到控制。然而雅虎1月30日发布的最新财务结果确实令人失望的，其股票市值下降到了四年来的最低点。杨致远在这个时候宣布公司面临“逆境”，同时裁员1000人，这相当于其7%的人力资源。微软认为这是一个很好的契机，鲍尔默在信中这样写道“当一个商业伙伴面临困难时，微软相信微软和雅虎的合并是不二之选”。

Google is not mentioned anywhere in Mr Ballmer’s letter, but its increasing clout in the online-advertising market, as a result of its leadership in search, is what has motivated the deal. “Today, the market is increasingly dominated by one player who is consolidating its dominance through acquisition,” he wrote. Combining Yahoo!, the number two in search and advertising, with Microsoft, the number three, would provide a stronger competitor in an industry where scale provides a huge advantage.

鲍尔默的信中并没有提到Google，但是就Google在网络广告业务日益增长的收益，从而坐到网络搜索业的头把交椅，显然也是微软雅虎合并提议的促使原因。鲍尔默在信中提到“现在，(网络搜索)市场正被一个公司统治者，这且这家公司正在其现有优势之下不断将市场份额扩大”。作为占这个行业市场份额第二的雅虎和第三的微软，这样的合并，也许会形成一个更加强大的(足以和Google)抗争的有利形势。

Google currently handles 66% of searches on the internet in America, compared with 21% for Yahoo and a mere 7% for Microsoft (through MSN and its new search engine, live.com). Strikingly, over the past year both Microsoft and Yahoo have seen their share of searches decline while Google's has gained.

Google现在在美国网名访问量的66%，于此同时雅虎12%而微软仅有7%(通过MSN和其新开发的搜索平台Live.com)。显而易见的，在过去的一年中微软和雅虎都意识到了其在网络访问量上的人数流失，而与此同时Google则不段增长。

The more people use your search engine, the more advertisers you can attract; and the more advertisers you can attract, the more likely you are to be able to serve up relevant advertisements that people will actually click on. As Mr Ballmer puts it: “While online advertising growth continues, there are significant benefits of scale in advertising platform economics, in capital costs for search index build-out, and in research and development, making this a time of industry consolidation and convergence.”

越多的访问量，意味着可以吸引越多的广告业务；越多的广告业务，意味着人们越有可能通过点击广告来访问网页。就像鲍尔默所说的：“网络广告业务增长的同时，意味着广告业务平台的巨大收益，两家在这些方面的研发和合作，将是一件意义深远的事情”。

Microsoft is desperate to grab a bigger share of the online-advertising market because many of its software products are being challenged by free, advertising-supported services offered by Google. The company is also worried that Google’s dominance in search and advertising allows it to dictate terms to advertisers, and gives it an unfair advantage over its smaller rivals. This is a bit rich coming from Microsoft, a convicted monopolist in operating-system software, which has also been known to squeeze out smaller competitors, but its anger that it has had to endure years of scrutiny by regulators, while Google has been left alone, is genuine.

微软急于在网络广告业务占取更多的市场份额，因为微软的软件产品已经越来越受到免费软件还有来自Google广告业务的挑战。微软同时还担心Google在网络搜索和广告业务的领先业务会使其更容易控制广告商，从而在小竞争上使微软陷入不利地位。这部分业务只是微软来自其垄断的操作系统业务收入的一点点，也就是众所周知的排挤小公司的手段，其实最让微软气愤的是由于之前轻视Google(轻视网络广告业)，而导致以后的多年来和Google相竞争只能甘拜下风。

As well as creating a stronger rival to Google, the deal would also have other merits, Microsoft claims. The two companies could combine their research-and-development efforts into search, advertising and other areas; they could save money by consolidating the huge warehouses full of computers, known as “server farms”, that both firms operate; and they would be better placed to compete in new areas such as online video, social networking and online commerce. But it is clear that the real prize is greater clout in search and advertising.

除了合并联手对抗共同的竞争者Google，微软声称这项合并提议还会带来其他好处。两家公司可以共同投入在网络广告和其他领域的研发；两家公司整合其服务器资源，从而减少支出；而且两家公司可以在其他新兴领域如网络视频，办公和电子商务领域合作。但是显然这些领域的真正开支比网络搜索和广告要大的多。

背景：微软收购雅虎将引四大领域协同效应(没有找到这篇文章的原文，估计是作者YY了很多，但是一看还挺有道理的)

Whatever Yahoo!’s management makes of the offer, the firm’s shareholders will be delighted at the news. Microsoft shareholders are likely to be less enthusiastic: integrating the two companies would be a mammoth task, and Microsoft has never made an acquisition on anything approaching this scale before. Some sceptics say that this is too much to pay for a troubled company, even if it is, by some measures, the world’s biggest internet firm. Microsoft says it is confident that regulators will approve the deal, which could be completed by the end of the year.

无论雅虎的管理层对于微软的收购提议做出怎样的反映，雅虎的股东们对于这个提议本身都会感到不高兴。微软的股东同样也许不会感到兴奋：这将是一件工程浩大的并购，而且微软之前从来没有处理过牵扯数额这么大的合并案。一些评论家认为即使合并带来的结果是一家全世界网络领域最大的公司，但是代价太大了。微软则表示对这项收购案充满信心，并且期望在年底可以完成收购。

以下翻译仅为本人休闲练习英语之用，文章版权归The Economist所有

“FREE goods are worth what you pay for them” is the cynic’s approach to the world, shared by hard-headed poverty-busters. Charging even a nominal price for things such as mosquito nets and condoms makes people take them more seriously, it is argued. Given away free, the nets may end up being used to catch fish rather than protecting sleeping people.

“免费的物品是值得人们掏钱的”，这是西尼克人(Cynic，实际意义指犬儒主义) 的处事方式，这种方式同时获得那些致力于消除贫困的头脑冷静的人的赞同。这种名义上收费发放蚊帐和避孕套的做法是值得争议的，争议的焦点集中在这种做法是否会更好的提高人们对疟疾的警惕意识。也许真真正正的免费发放蚊帐和避孕套，才能更好的保护人们，而不是造成有些人用这些买来的蚊帐去撒网捕鱼。

背景：什么叫犬儒主义

That does happen. Even so, a recent study in Kenya suggested providing malarial areas with large numbers of free bed nets brought better results than selling them. Now a new survey carried out by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on behalf of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, which is to be published on Friday February 1st, has shown that the approach works well in other countries, too.

以上人们用买来的蚊帐去撒网捕鱼的事情是发生了的。在这种情况下，最近在肯尼亚疟疾传染区的调查显示，真正免费发放蚊帐的方法比名义上收费发放蚊帐的方法在抑制疟疾方面要有效的多。最新的联合国卫生组织(以下简称WHO)在其他国家的调查结果也得到了同样的结论，这项调查得到全球抵制艾滋，疟疾和肺结核基金(以下简称全球基金)的赞助，其调查结果将于2月1日星期五发表，

Unlike most big do-gooding outfits, the Global Fund is flexible and iconoclastic. It was one of the first international aid organisations to come up with the radical idea of seeing whether its interventions actually work. Since it consists of a small secretariat in Geneva and a few local offices, it lacks the scientific and managerial infrastructure to do this itself. So it subcontracts the job—in this case to Arata Kochi, the head of WHO’s anti-malaria operation.

全球基金在处理抵制这些疾病的方法上，灵活善变且不循传统，这种做法不像其它的大慈善机构。它是第一次试图用这种真正免费发放救助物品来彻底解决困扰人类这三大疾病问题的国际助援组织之一。然而由于全球基金组织只在日内瓦有个小办事处和为数不多的本土办公所，换句话说，它自己本身缺少科学的合理的管理机构，所以全球基金组织委托WHO来协助其工作，就像下面介绍的Arata Kochi的例子一样。

Dr Kochi and his team reviewed antimalaria operations in Ethiopia, Ghana, Rwanda and Zambia, looking mainly at under-fives, who are most threatened by the disease. WHO says that over 1m people die each year of malaria, mostly in Africa. In Ethiopia, the amount of childhood malaria reported at clinics fell by 60% and the death rate halved within two years of the beginning of the mass-distribution programme. In Rwanda, things were even more spectacular: both cases and deaths dropped by two-thirds within a single year. In Zambia the fall in both was around a third. Only in Ghana were the data equivocal. Cases fell by an eighth and deaths by a third, but that was against a background of generally improving health in which the amelioration rates for malaria were worse than those for non-malarial illness and death. In other countries, the rate of malaria tracked the general disease rate until the programmes began, and then fell suddenly (see chart).

Kochi医生和他的团队在最受疟疾危害的区域，Ethiopia, Ghana, Rwanda 和Zambia, 展开了抵制疟疾调查。基于他们的调查结果，WHO称每年超过一百万的人死于疟疾，主要集中在非洲。在Ethiopia，由于实行了真正免费发放抵制疟疾物品计划，青少年感染疟疾比例和死亡比例比两年前数据分别下降了60%和减少了50%。在Rwanda，上面所说的两项比例更是在同一年中下降了三分之二。Zambia的这两项比例下降了三分之一。只有在Ghana数据显得难以解释。两项数据分别下降了八分之一和三分之一，但是这却于在整体改善医疗环境的背景下，疟疾主发区的改善度应当不如非疟疾主发区的假设相反(其实这个例子是正话反说，意思即Ghana的数据更是有力的支持了真正免费发放抵制疟疾物品计划)。在其它国家，也是真正免费发放抵制疟疾物品计划执行后，由于疟疾带来的死亡率很快就会下降。

Giving away insecticide-impregnated nets free to anyone visiting a clinic (the nets stay potent for about five years) was not the only new thing about the operations. In all cases, the countries rolled out nationwide campaigns instead of relying on local ones. In many cases, they also gave away drugs based on artemisinin, a substance to which the malarial parasite has yet to develop widespread resistance.

真正免费发放抵制疟疾的蚊帐(这些蚊帐可以安全使用5年)并不是这个全球基金项目的唯一亮点。在所有参与项目的国家，这些蚊帐都是全国性投放的而不是仅仅限于某些地区。在大多数地区和国家，项目组织者根据情况发放药物artemisinin，以抵制疟疾进一步扩散。

Nets and artemisinin are two planks of malaria control. The third is to spray the inside of people’s houses with DDT, to kill female mosquitoes when they settle to digest their blood meals. The objective is to achieve 80% take-up in each village. At that point, the cycle of transmission from mosquito to human to mosquito is broken in a way similar to the action of a vaccine; this stops the spread of the disease, and thus protects everyone.

蚊帐和药物artemisinin是已经介绍的两种措施。第三种措施是在人们的房屋里喷洒DDT，这样可以杀死吸人血为生的母蚊子。这个措施的目标是每一个村庄都要达到80%的药物喷洒覆盖率。这样，疟疾通过蚊子-人-蚊子的传染链就被打断；这样就可以达到掐断疟疾传染，随后达到保护每个人。

Based on the new results, Dr Kochi reckons that a five-year campaign costing about $10 billion would be enough to bring malaria under control in most of Africa, reducing the death rate to a matter of thousands a year.

基于以上的新结果，Kochi医生认为如果五年投入100亿美元来做这件事，非洲的疟疾肆虐问题将得到控制，甚至一劳永逸地解决由疟疾带来的死亡问题。

Eliminating malaria altogether, though, would be a far harder task, involving destroying mosquitoes in the remaining pockets of infection. That is controversial: some—not least Dr Kochi—see it as a dangerous distraction until the easier job of bringing the disease under control is completed. Others want to aim straight away for elimination. In the long run, that should surely be the objective. But, as the old saying has it, the best can often turn out to be the enemy of the good. And the good now looks to be in sight.

然而彻底的解决疟疾将是一件更加棘手的问题，这牵扯到消灭那些残余的带来疟疾传染的蚊子。这是一个受争议话题，不仅仅Kochi医生，其它专业人士也预料到当成功疟疾的传染后，人们面临的是更加危险的工作。同时有些人则认为应当直接把消除所有带来疟疾传染的蚊子作为直接目标。从长远的角度来说，这当然最终目标。但是，就像古训所说，物极必反(暗含的意思是，如果人们破坏了这层生物链，将会有怎么样的事情发生，是难以预料的)。

幸儿手记：1月30日和31日没有做翻译，纯粹因为网络原因。也没有找到备份。今天翻译加了很多自己意译的东西，而不是像以前那样直接翻译。主要感觉英文定妆补结构的后置给文章的翻译带来很大困难，因为当把这些结构按照汉语意思全部前置时，句子就变得修饰成分很长而且难懂。同时英语中成分的省略也给翻译带大困难，有时候翻着翻着连动词的主语都找不到了。我想，这些问题的解决需要通过大量的经验来累积。

以下翻译仅为本人休闲练习英语之用，文章版权归The Economist所有

THE final skirmish before the big battle that is Super Tuesday will be played out in Florida on Tuesday January 29th. The main story will almost certainly revolve around Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York who has run what the history books will surely describe as one of the oddest primary campaigns in recent presidential history.

“超级星期二”大战之前的最后一场竞选大战在1月29日星期二于佛罗里达州结束。这场竞选大战当然主要围绕朱利安尼(Rudy Giuliani)展开，这位曾经缔造历史的前纽约市长将以其最大胆的总统竞选策略而被载入当代总统竞选史。

Mr Giuliani long ago took the odd decision to ignore the contests in Iowa, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Michigan, Nevada and South Carolina, and instead stake everything on a big win in Florida which would, he hoped spring-board him to crushing victory in the Super Tuesday states on February 5th. Those include large states like California, New York and New Jersey, where he expected to dominate. But it hasn't worked out quite like that. The early primaries have given vast amounts of free publicity to his rivals, John McCain, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, and have allowed Mr McCain to supplant him as front-runner in the national polls. Now Mr Giuliani finds himself a poor third in the Florida polls, and behind to Mr McCain even in his home state of New York. Some national polls show him coming fourth overall, a remarkable come-down after months of leading the pack.

朱利安尼之前所作的大胆决定是，放弃爱荷华,怀俄明,新罕布什尔,密西根,内华达和南卡这几个州的竞选，全力以赴经营其在佛州竞选，从而希望获得在2月5日进行的“超级星期二”的压倒性胜利。同时还包括之前像加州，纽约和新泽西州这样大洲的竞选，然而事与愿违，他希望能获得主导得票率的愿望都落空了。这美国总统大选共和党候选人提名初选的结果却是使朱利安尼的对手们，麦凯恩(John McCain), Mike Huckabee和罗姆尼(Mitt Romney)获得大量的选票，尤其是麦凯恩成为这场全国初选的领先者。现在朱利安尼在佛州的得票率仅仅是第三，落后于麦凯恩，这种情况甚至在他之前从政的纽约市也如出一辙。有些大选得票率显示他在总体上排名第四，这是在其领先数月后明显的支持率下降。

A miracle could, of course happen: the pollsters' record in these primaries has been pretty dismal, notably in New Hampshire where to a man they predicted a win for Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton. More likely, though, is that Florida will mark the death-knell for Mr Giuliani, prior to a black Tuesday that will in effect put him out of the race.

然而奇迹是可能发生的：比如民意调查的结果是前途不明朗的，尤其是在新罕布什尔州的调查显示人们希望奥巴马(Barack Obama)能够赢过希拉里(Hillary Clinton)。然而无需置疑的是，佛州提名初选的结果给朱利安尼出线“超级星期二”提前敲起丧钟。也许对于他来说，“超级星期二”将变成“黑色星期二”。

Who will win in Florida, and what effect will that have? The polls, for what they are worth, are tight, showing Mr McCain in a tie with Mr Romney. But Mr McCain has a couple of big things going for him: over the weekend he secured the endorsement of the state's governor, Charlie Crist (who boasts a remarkable approval rating of 60% or more) and of Mel Martinez, Florida's Republican senator. As a Cuban-American, Mr Martinez's endorsement could help swing a powerful block of Republican voters Mr McCain's way.

谁将赢得佛州，而这又会带来怎样的后果？民意调查，也是其价值该得到体现的时候，显示麦凯恩是罗姆尼的主要竞争对手。然而对麦凯恩获胜至关重要的是：上个周末他获得了佛州州长查理·克里斯特(Charlie Crist)（为麦凯恩获取60%支持率甚至更多的重要源泉）和佛州共和党议员马丁尼兹(Mel Martinez)的支持。作为具有古巴血源的美国人，马丁尼兹的支持将会为麦凯恩带来强有保障的共和党支持票。

Mr McCain and Mr Romney are running campaigns that are mirror images of each other: Mr McCain stressing his impeccable credentials on security issues, and Mr Romney relying on his command of economic issues. Voters generally now put the economy at the head of their list of concerns, which ought to favour Mr Romney—as, too, should the fact that Florida's is a closed primary. Mr McCain has so far won only in states (New Hampshire and South Carolina) where independents are allowed to chose which primary to compete in, allowing him to pick up a good number of centrists.

麦凯恩和罗姆尼目前展开的激烈竞争也是其各自代表执政政策的竞争：麦凯恩重点放在其构造更加无暇的安全体系，而罗姆尼则重点放在经济政策的改革。大多数选民现在更加关注经济方面的政策，这无疑为罗姆尼增添了几分胜算——刚刚结束的佛州初选也多多少少证实了这一点。麦凯恩至今只是在那些容许自由人参加初选的州（新罕布什尔和南卡）中获胜，这样的政策是他获得较多的票数的基础。

And what of the Democrats? Officially, the candidates have agreed not to campaign in Florida—although that did not stop Mrs Clinton appearing there on Sunday, ostensibly on a fund-raising trip during which she was conveniently photographed by some palm trees. The self-imposed ban comes because the state, by moving its primary up ahead of Super Tuesday, has fallen foul of the national party authorities, who have declared that Florida's delegates will not be seated at the party convention in August. In practice, though, the result will be keenly watched. Florida is too big and important a state for the result even of a straw poll there to be ignored.

那么民主党的情形呢？官方来说，候选者放弃了佛州的竞选——尽管这样仍然不能阻挡希拉里于星期天出现在佛州，这是一次表面上为了基金赞助而进行的旅程然后就像惯例一样留下她在棕榈树旁的倩影。佛州不参与民主党选举的禁令提出是因为“超级星期二”的到来是对国家政党的权威性挑战，佛州立委会已经声称不参加八月的民主党传统例会。然而实际的结果将被高度关注。佛州是一个非常重要的竞选州以至于每一个选票都不能忽略。

背景：美国民主党全国委员会和佛州的尴尬境遇

And because winning Florida is so crucial to Democratic hopes for the presidential election in November, many observers reckon that the party will find a way to avoid alienating Democratic-leaning Floridians by seating the delegates after all.

由于佛州竞选的胜利对于民主党赢得十一月的大选具有重要意义，很多观察家预计民主党会通过与立委会达成共识来找到避开分化佛州民主党力量的方法。

All the polls favour a win for Mrs Clinton, especially after she scored so highly among Hispanics in Nevada (Cuban-origin Hispanics tend to vote in the Republican primary, but there is a fast-growing number of other Hispanics in Florida who are quite likely to show up for the Democrats). That would enable her to claim an advantage in the early states as America heads into February 5th, when 22 states are to vote.

那些支持希拉里的选民们，尤其是那些为她在内华达西班牙人中获得高选票的支持者(具有最初古巴血缘的西班牙人趋于支持共和党，然而在佛州快速增长的其他西班牙人群却趋于支持民主党)。这些将对她在22州同时选举的日子的2月5日获取领先地位具有重要意义。

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以下翻译仅为本人休闲练习英语之用，文章版权归The Economist所有

GEORGE BUSH delivers his final state-of-the-union address on Monday January 28th. However, most eyes will be on the state of the Republican race to select a candidate to replace him. Florida holds its big primary election on Tuesday: Rudy Giuliani is hoping that the Sunshine State will throw a ray of light on to his flagging campaign. Polls suggest that Florida's Republicans are at least as hot for John McCain and Mitt Romney as they are for New York's former mayor.

乔治布什将在1月28日星期一面向全国发表演说。然而，人们更加关注的是谁将是下一届替换布什的民主党的候选人。在即将到来的在佛罗里达州的初选中：朱利亚尼(Rudy Giuliani)希望这个称做“阳光之州”的人们会给他所带领的阵营带来一些希望。民意调查显示佛罗里达的民主党至少是支持罗姆尼(Mitt Romney)和麦凯恩(John McCain)就像他们也支持纽约前市长一样（指朱利亚尼）。  

AFTER last week's surprise rate cut of three-quarters of a percentage point by the Federal Reserve, it is unclear how the Fed will act at its scheduled meeting to discuss monetary policy on Tuesday January 29th and Wednesday January 30th. Some expect a further rate cut to be announced.

于上周美国联邦储蓄令人意外的下调三个季度的利率后，将于1月29日星期二和1月30日星期三召开的货币政策讨论会会带来怎样的制度调整尚不清楚。有些人期望宣布进一步的利率下调。

AFRICA'S heads of state gather in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, for their annual summit. The three-day meeting opens on January 31st and will be addressed by the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon. Attention is likely to be directed to the post-electoral violence in neighbouring Kenya and the ongoing killings in Darfur, a part of neighbouring Sudan.

非洲首脑聚集埃塞俄比亚(Ethiopia)首都亚的斯亚贝巴(Addis Ababa)召开一年一度的非洲首脑会议。为期3天的会议将于1月31日开始，联合国秘书长潘基文(Ban Ki-moon)将会宣布开始。会议将在邻邦肯尼亚(Kenya)大选后暴力事件和又一邻邦苏丹(Sudan)达尔福尔(Darfur)发生的流血冲突事件氛围中开始。

SERBIANS are set to choose a new president in a run-off election on Sunday February 3rd. Tomislav Nikolic, a pro-Russian nationalist got some 39% of votes in the first round. His opponent, Boris Tadic, the current president, came second with 35%. Mr Tadic is strongly pro-Western and wants Serbia to join the European Union. The winner is likely to face a declaration of independence by the province of Kosovo soon.

塞尔维亚人民已经准备好了在2月3日星期三的最后一轮大选中选举出一名新总统。Tomislav Nikolic，这位亲俄派在第一轮大选中获得了39%的选票。他的对手，现任总统Boris Tadic，紧随其后获得了35%的选票。Tadic是一位强硬的亲西派并且鼓励塞尔维亚加入欧盟。在不久的将来大选的获胜方将宣布科索沃(Kosovo)的独立。