雅思哥经济学人精读
原 文 译 文
Who do they think they are?
他们以为自己是谁？
1. The eyes Japan next summer when Tokyo of the world will be upon hosts the Olympics. Of that, the country is acutely aware. Barely a week goes by without mention of the attention that the games will bring. This has been used to argue for everything from curbs on single-use plastic to changes in the way Japanese names are written in English.
明年夏天，全世界的目光都将聚焦在主办奥运会的日本身上。对此，日本非常清楚。几乎每个星期日本都会提到奥运会将带来的关注。从限制一次性塑料的使用，到改变日文名字的英文书写方式，这一切都在日本进行讨论。
2. The countryis not accustomed tobeing centre stage. Its response betrays its insecurities,not leastbecause Japan is no longer the leader in technology it was when it last hosted the summer Olympics, in 1964. All countries ponder their identity but Japan does so more than many. An entire genre of literature, Nihonjinron—“theories about the Japanese”—is dedicated tothe question of what defines the country and what it means to be Japanese. Both locals and foreigners havegamelytried to come up with answers.
这个国家还不习惯成为中心。日本的反应暴露了它的不安全感，尤其是因为日本不再像上次1964年举办夏季奥运会时那样是科技领域的技术领先者。所有国家都在思考自己的身份，但日本做得有点太过了。一个整个文学流派，日本人论——“关于日本人的理论”——致力于定义这个国家以及作为一个日本人意味着什么。无论是本地人还是外国人都试图给出答案。
3. Historically, Japan’s identity is particularlyfraughtthanks to apoisonousstrain of thought about the uniqueness andsuperiorityof the Japanese race. Traditionalists once saw the Japanese as a chosen people (some still do). By their account, the emperor is descended directly from the sun goddess (even if the post-war order stripped him of his divinity). This idea fed Japan’scolonizationof parts of Asia and inspired its troops in the Second World War.
从历史上看，由于对日本种族的独特性和优越性的一种有害思考，日本的身份尤其令人担忧。传统主义者曾将日本人视为一个被选中的民族（有些人现在仍然这样认为）。按照他们的说法，天皇是天照大神的直接后裔（即使战后的秩序剥夺了他的神性）。这一想法助长了日本对亚洲部分地区的殖民统治，并在第二次世界大战中激励了日本军队。
4. Its defeat in that war, and America’ssubsequent occupationandcastrationof Japan militarily, destroyed the power of that identity—and the country’s self-esteem. In its place Japan sought, and found, a new narrative: since 1945, goes the tale, the collective effort of its people has transformed the country into a developed nation with a powerful economy that is—crucially—pacifist.
日本在二战中的失败，以及美国随后在军事上对日本的占领和阉割，摧毁了这种身份的力量，也摧毁了日本的自尊。取而代之的是，日本找到了一种新的故事：自1945年以来，日本人民的集体努力已将该国变成了一个拥有强大经济的发达国家，这是一个至关重要的和平主义者。
5. That idea was shaken in the early 1990s when its economic bubble burst and it lost two decades tosluggishgrowth. Japan sought comfort in a new version of the post-war narrative: its ability to overcomeadversityandrebound, epitomizedby itsresilienceafter the Fukushima disaster of 2011. Today Japan sees its ability to bounce back after crises as central to what it means to be Japanese, argues David Leheny of Waseda University in Tokyo.
上世纪90年代初，日本经济泡沫破裂，20年来由于经济增长乏力而失去了这种自信。日本从战后故事的一个新版本中寻求安慰：它克服逆境和反弹的能力。2011年福岛灾难后日本的恢复能力就是一个缩影。东京早稻田大学的戴维•莱尼认为，如今，日本将其在危机后的恢复能力视为日本的核心。
6. But thecontradictionswithin Japan’s sense of identitycompoundits insecurity. It wants both to stand out and to fit in. It strives to be a nation that is advanced and respected globally, but not feared. It is influenced by Asia and America in equal measure. Japan commands respect from other rich nations, but is an uneasy member of their clubs. Unlike Germany, it has never fully reckoned with its wartime past.
但日本认同感的矛盾加剧了其不安全感。它既想脱颖而出，又想融入。它努力成为一个先进的国家，在全球范围内受到尊重，但并不令人畏惧。它受到亚洲和美国同等程度的影响。日本赢得了其他富裕国家的尊重，但在他们的俱乐部里却是一个不安的成员。与德国不同的是，它从未充分考虑过自己的战时历史。
7. That Japan is rapidly becoming less sociallyhomogenousthreatens its understanding of itself, too. The model of the salaryman who enjoys a job for life has broken down. Families, the building block of society, come in many more forms. Foreigners now live and work in Japan in record numbers. Such changes are exposing howoverblownthe claims of thehomogeneityandtogethernessof the Japanese were in the first place, reckons Akiko Hashimoto, a sociologist at the University of pittsburgh.
日本社会的同质化程度正在迅速下降，这也威胁到日本对自身的理解。享受终生工作的上班族模式已经崩溃。家庭是社会的基石，但如今它有多种形式。外国人现在在日本生活和工作的人数达到了创纪录的水平。匹兹堡大学的社会学家桥本明子认为，这种变化首先暴露了日本人的同质性和团结的说法是多么夸张。
8. This strikes fear into some. The response ofdiehardrevisionists, including a few close to the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, is to look backwards. They talk of making Japan great again, inspired by a glorious, if oftenfictionalized, past.Some are pushing to change the constitution, written by the United States in 1947, in particular to make Japan a normal military power. Others focus on putting a divine emperor and the Shinto religion back at the heart of Japan’s identity, even if that was largely devised in the Meiji restoration of 1868, reinventing traditionfor the purposes ofthe creation of a modern constitutional state.
这让一些人感到恐惧。顽固的修正主义者，包括一些与首相安倍晋三关系密切的人，对此的反应是向后看。他们谈到要让日本再次伟大起来，灵感来自于一段辉煌的(如果常常是虚构的)过去。一些人正在推动修改1947年由美国起草的宪法，为了使日本成为一个正常的军事强国。其他人则专注于将神圣的天皇和神道教重新置于日本身份的核心，尽管这主要是在1868年明治维新时期提出来的的，目的是为了创建一个现代宪政国家而重塑传统。
9. Since that moment Japan has in fact been remarkablyadept atchanging. It took on Western forms of economic, military and governmental organization in order tofight offWesternimperialism. After Japan’s defeat in the second world war, itstransformationfrom a country in ruins to the world’s third-largest economy, from wa-rmaker to peaceable nation—it has not fired a single bullet in anger since the end of the second world war—is extraordinary.
从那一刻起，日本实际上就已经非常善于改变。为了反抗西方帝国主义，它采取了西方的经济、军事和政府组织形式。日本在第二次世界大战中战败后，从废墟中将国家建设为世界第三大经济体，从一个好战的国家转变为一个爱好和平的国家——自第二次世界大战结束以来，日本从未愤怒地开过一枪，这是非同寻常的。
10. Thedichotomiesof its identity today make itintriguing, as evidenced by the ever-rising numbers of foreign visitors. Other countries dream of having Japan’s problems. Its worries aboutdemographicchange, an economy that no longer fizzes and a relatively less visible role in the world are nothing compared with its earlier challenges. Japan remains impressive in its own right.
如今，它身份的两面性使其很有吸引力，不断增长的外国游客数量就是明证。其他国家也梦想着能够走日本一样的路。与早些时候的挑战相比，日本如今对人口结构变化、经济不再萎靡不振、在世界上扮演的角色相对不那么明显的担忧不值一提。日本凭借自己的实力仍然令人印象深刻。
精 读 解 析
篇章结构：
p1—p2：日本对自己民族身份的思考。
p3—p5：日本民族身份的历史：二战中的日本种族的独特性和优越性；二战后和平主义者身份；90年代之后其强大的克服逆境和反弹的能力；
p6—p7：日本身份认同面临的危机：日本身份认同的矛盾加剧其不安全感；日本社会同质化程度下降。
p8—p9：日本如何面对身份认同危机：修正主义者致力于将神圣的天皇和神道教重新置于日本身份的核心；善于改变；
p10：日本身份的两面性具有强大吸引力。
重点词汇：
•be dedicated to奉献；从事于；献身于
【例句】
And the forum's 48th yearly meeting is dedicated to creating what it calls a shared narrative to improve the state of the world.
第48届年度会议将致力于共同商讨如何提高世界发展水平的议题。
•be accustomed to习惯于
【例句】
Frequently, American bars and cocktail lounges are darker (have less lighting) than what you may be accustomed to.
美国的酒吧间和鸡尾酒座通常比你所习惯的光线要暗些。
•not least尤其；相当重要地
【例句】
Not least because my husband's mood is intolerable.
特别是因为我丈夫心情特别糟糕。
•gamely\/'ɡeɪmlɪ\/ adv. 不屈地；勇敢地
【例句】
He was seen by a shepherd, gamely negotiating a particularly tricky section of the mountain road to San Doloroso.
牧羊人看见他勇敢地越过了通往圣多鲁鲁的一段崎岖难走的山路。
•fraught\/frɔːt\/ adj. 担心的，忧虑的；充满…的
【例句】
The job is fraught with difficulties.
工作充满艰辛。
•poisonous\/'pɒɪzənəs\/ adj. 有毒的；引起中毒的, 有害的
【例句】
Some plants have poisonous roots or fruits.
有一些植物的根或果实有毒。
•superiority\/suː,pɪərɪ'ɒrɪtɪ\/ n. 优越(性), 优等
【短语】
overwhelming superiority绝对优势
superiority complexn. 至尊情结,优越感,过于自尊心
superiority feeling
优越感；自尊感
【例句】
Eventually Soviet numerical superiority and resource superiority wore the brave Finns out.
最终，苏联的人数优势以及资源优势就击垮了勇敢的芬兰人。
•colonization\/ˌkɔlənɪˈzeɪʃən\/ n. 殖民地的开拓,殖民;殖民地化
【同根】
colonize vt. 开拓殖民地, 移民于殖民地
【例句】
Japan and South Korea have several unresolved issues, including Japan's refusal to apologize again for crimes committed during its colonization of Korea.
与此同时，日韩之间也有一些尚未解决的问题，包括日本拒绝就二战期间所犯下的罪行向韩国再次道歉。
•subsequent\/'sʌbsɪkw(ə)nt\/ adj. 随后的, 继…之后的
【短语】
subsequent to
继…之后
【例句】
This will be discussed in subsequent chapters.
这个问题将在后面几章详细讨论。
•occupation\/ɒkjʊ'peɪʃ(ə)n\/ n. 工作; 职业；消遣；占领
【例句】
Teaching or counseling is an intellectual occupation.
教书或咨询服务是须运用智力的职业。
•castration\/kæs'treiʃən\/ n. 阉割
【例句】
But the Council of Europe questioned the statistics on repeat offenses and said even if they were correct, castration was not an appropriate way to reduce recidivism.
但是这个欧洲委员会对重新犯罪的统计数字表示疑问，说即使这些数据是正确的，阉割也不是减少重犯的合适的措施。
•sluggish\/'slʌgɪʃ\/ adj. 萧条的；迟钝的；懒惰的；行动迟缓的n. 市况呆滞；市势疲弱
【短语】
sluggish economy
萧条的经济
sluggish market
呆滞的市面
【例句】
The snake was sluggish because of the cold weather.
由于天气寒冷，蛇行动迟缓。
•adversity\/əd'vɜːsɪtɪ\/ n. 逆境;厄运;(经济方面的)窘境
【例句】
adversity leads to prosperity
逆境是通向成功之路；穷则思变
The adversity of losing one's job is difficult to bear.
失去工作的不幸是难以忍受的。
•rebound\/rɪ'baʊnd\/ v. 弹回;反弹；产生反作用;未能奏效；(尤指关系破裂以后)处于伤心困惑的状态，心灰意懒之余
【短语】
rebound on
得到意想不到的影响；使得到报应
【例句】
I was on the rebound when I met Jack.
正当我因失恋而心灰意懒之时认识了杰克。
•epitomize\/ɪ'pɪtəmaɪz\/ vt. 成为(某事物)的缩影
【例句】
The terror is incomprehensible to most of us, because blindness is thought to epitomize ignorance and unawareness, hapless exposure to the ravages of the dark unknown.
对于我们大多数人来说， 这都是难以想象的恐怖，因为失明被认为是无知无觉的缩影，不幸地暴露在未知黑暗的残迹之中。
•resilience\/rɪ'zɪlɪəns\/ n. 弹回;弹性；恢复力；适应力
【例句】
Finding gratitude and appreciation is key to resilience.
常怀感激之情是走出悲伤的关键。
•contradiction\/kɒntrə'dɪkʃ(ə)n\/ n. 矛盾；否认, 反驳
【短语】
contradiction between
矛盾，不一致
in contradiction to反之,与…相反,同…矛盾
in contradiction with
与…相抵触；与…矛盾着
【例句】
It has been proved beyond contradiction.
这已得到无可辩驳地证明。
•compound\/'kɒmpaʊnd\/ v. 混合；合成；和解妥协；搀合n. 化合物；复合词；混合物adj. 复合的；混合的
【例句】
Chemists combine different elements to form new compounds.
化学家将不同的元素化合成化合物。
He compounded various substances into an effective medicine.
他把不同的物质调配成特效药。
•homogenous\/hə'mɒdʒɪnəs\/ adj. 同质的,纯系的
【同根】
homogeneity n. 同种,同质,同次性
【例句】
North Korea prides itself on being racially pure, homogenous.
朝鲜以其种族纯正、同质性而自豪。
•togetherness\/tə'geðənɪs\/ n. 亲密无间;和睦;患难与共；团结,友爱情谊,亲如一家的感觉
【例句】
Ironically, that same family togetherness is thought to be the reason that depression rates actually do spikeat the holidays.
很讽刺的是 同样是家庭团聚竟然是在节日里的郁闷情绪急剧升高的主要原因。
•overblow\/ˌəʊvə'bləʊ\/ n. (风等)吹散;吹倒[落,过],狂吹,(管乐器)吹得过响；夸张
【例句】
\"There is no need for anxiety or for hype, \" he said. \"We should not overblow the death of one. \"
他说：“愤怒或者大肆宣扬都是没有必要的。我们不该过分渲染一个人的死。”
•diehard\/'daɪhɑːd\/ n. 顽固分子；死不屈从者；倔强的人
【例句】
Diehard fans of anime with pipe dreams of making their own in turn, perhaps he's on to something.
动画死忠粉们幻想着有朝一日自己也能做出好的动画，宫老头子说的或许有些道理。
•revisionist\/rɪˈvɪ ʒənɪst\/ n. 修正主义者;修正的社会主义者
【例句】
Revisionist historians have questioned the accepted version of events.
修正主义历史学家对这些事件公认的说法提出了质疑。
•fictionalize\/'fɪkʃənəlaɪz\/ v. 把(历史事件等)编成小说,使小说化
【例句】
The former head of the International Monetary Fund Dominique Strauss Kahn has failed in his attempt to halt the publication of a book written by a former lover outlining a fictionalized account of their affair.
国际货币基金组织前主席多米尼克·斯特劳斯·卡恩未能阻止前恋人将两人恋情写成小说并出版成书。
•for the purposes of为了…目的
【例句】
For the purposes of these exercises, there is no difference between them.
因为这些练习的目的，就是要你看出他们之间毫无差别。
•adept at擅长
【例句】
Mary is very adept at playing pianos.
玛丽非常擅长弹钢琴。
•fight offvt. 击退；排斥；竭力避免
【例句】
In their ongoing efforts to fight off their enemy they managed to destroy their planet.
在他们进行与敌人战斗的努力中，他们设法破坏了他们的行星。
•imperialism\/ɪm'pɪərɪəlɪz(ə)m\/ n. 帝国主义,帝国主义政策
【例句】
The dark days when imperialism could carve up the world at will are gone for ever.
帝国主义可以任意瓜分世界的黑暗时代一去不复返了。
•transformation\/trænsfə'meɪʃ(ə)n\/ n. 变化, 弯形, 变质, 转变
【例句】
So we are speaking about transformation, transformation in rural areas.
我们专注的是变革，农村地区的变革。
•dichotomy\/daɪˈkɔtəmɪ\/ n. 一分成二,对分
【例句】
The dichotomy of old and new was not lost on art critics.
而这样的新老结合也引起艺术评论家的注意。
•intriguing\/ɪnˈtri:gɪŋ\/ adj. 引起好奇心的;令人感兴趣的;有迷惑力的
【例句】
It all sounds very intriguing.
这些听起来都很有趣。
•demographic\/ˌdeməˈgræfɪk\/ adj. 人口统计学的
【例句】
The demographics of the Southwest indicate a growing population of older consumers.
西南部的人口统计状况显示了老年消费者数量的增长。
重点句子：
Some are pushing to change the constitution, written by the United States in 1947, in particular to make Japan a normal military power.
这个句子，中间的written by the United States in 1947是一个插入语，说明the constitution是哪一年起草的，最后的in particular to make Japan a normal military power. 说明in particular to make Japan a normal military power. 起草的目的。
Others focus on putting a divine emperor and the Shinto religion back at the heart of Japan’s identity, even if that was largely devised in the Meiji restoration of 1868, reinventing tradition for the purposes of the creation of a modern constitutional state.
这个句子，其实是一个even if引起的让步状语从句，句子最后的reinventing tradition for the purposes of the creation of a modern constitutional state.部分，是一个动词现在分词形式引起的目的状语从句，说明明治维新中将神圣的天皇和神道教重新置于日本身份的核心的目的。
- THE END -
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