2017考博英语阅读题源经济学人文章每日精析（五十九）

　　Have it easy [俚语] 过得舒服、处境很好

　　After so long in charge, liberals, of all people, should have seen the backlash coming. As a set of beliefs that emerged at the start of the 19th century to oppose both the despotism of absolute monarchy and the terror of revolution, liberalism warns that uninterrupted power corrupts. Privilege becomes self-perpetuating. Consensus stifles creativity and initiative. In an ever-shifting world, dispute and argument are not just inevitable; they are welcome because they lead to renewal.

　　长期占主导地位的自由主义者们早应注意到强烈消极反应的存在。作为产生于19世纪初期的、既反对绝对君主专制又抵制革命带来的恐惧的一系列信仰，自由主义对不间断的权力腐败发出了警告。特权自行延续，共识扼杀了创造力和进取心。在不断变化的世界里，争论和异议不仅无可避免还受到欢迎，因为它们引导着革新的步伐。

　　What is more, liberals have something to offer societies struggling with change. In the 19th century, as today, old ways were being upended by relentless technological, economic, social and political forces. People yearned for order. The illiberal solution was to install someone with sufficient power to dictate what was best—by slowing change if they were conservative, or smashing authority if they were revolutionary. You can hear echoes of that in calls to “take back control”, as well as in the mouths of autocrats who, summoning an angry nationalism, promise to hold back the cosmopolitan tide.

　　此外，对于众多深陷变革之中的社会来说，自由主义是有可取之处的。和今天一样，19世纪的生产生活方式为不断改进的技术、经济、社会和政治力量所颠覆。人们渴望秩序。而那时，狭隘的解决办法就是让某些人拥有足够权力去决定最可行之道——这些人如果属于保守派就会放慢改革的步伐，如果他们属于改革派就会勇于打破权威。你听到改革者“夺回控制权”的口号的同时也会听到独裁者们利用激愤民族主义阻挡世界一体化的承诺。

　　Liberals came up with a different answer. Rather than being concentrated, power should be dispersed, using the rule of law, political parties and competitive markets. Rather than putting citizens at the service of a mighty, protecting state, liberalism sees individuals as uniquely able to choose what is best for themselves. Rather than running the world through warfare and strife, countries should embrace trade and treaties.

　　然而自由主义者对此给出了不同的答案。相对于集权，自由主义者更倾向于利用法律、政党和竞争型市场来分散权力。相对于要求公民服从于强势的国家，自由主义者更愿意把公民看作是独特个体并且有权利为自己作出最好的选择。相对于给世界带来战争和冲突，自由主义者主张国家们更应该互通贸易，互相协商。

　　Strife：n.冲突;斗争;争吵;[古]奋斗

　　Dispersed：adj.分散的;被驱散的

　　Warfare：n.战争，战争状态;斗争，冲突;军事行为;兵火

　　Such ideas have imprinted themselves on the West—and, despite Mr Trump’s flirtation with protectionism, they will probably endure. But only if liberalism can deal with its other problem: the loss of faith in progress. Liberals believe that change is welcome because, on the whole, it is for the better. Sure enough, they can point to how global poverty, life expectancy, opportunity and peace are all improving, even allowing for strife in the Middle East. Indeed, for most people on Earth there has never been a better time to be alive.

　　这些自由主义观点深深地刻印在西方人民的心中——尽管特朗普挑逗性地拥护保护主义，但是这些自由主义观点依旧会存在。但自由主义需要处理好自身问题：对发展丧失信心。自由主义者们认为变革是受欢迎的，因为从整体上看，它会带来更好的结果。他们确实可以说变革改善了全球贫困、提高了寿命、增多了机会与和平，甚至也可以将中东冲突囊括其中。的确，对世界上大部分人而言，这是前所未有的最好时代。

　　Imprint：n.痕迹;盖印;特征;版权标记v.盖(印);刻上(记号);使铭记

　　Flirtation：n.调情，调戏，挑逗

　　Large parts of the West, however, do not see it that way. For them, progress happens mainly to other people. Wealth does not spread itself, new technologies destroy jobs that never come back, an underclass is beyond help or redemption, and other cultures pose a threat—sometimes a violent one.

　　然而，西方有很大一部分人并不这样认为。在他们看来，发展主要对其他人有益。财富本身不会自行扩散，新技术促使有些工作消失殆尽，底层阶级没有回旋余地，其他国家的文化还会对他们造成了威胁——有时威胁所带来的影响很剧烈。

　　Redemption：n.赎回;偿还;补救

　　If it is to thrive, liberalism must have an answer for the pessimists, too. Yet, during those decades in power, liberals’ solutions have been underwhelming. In the 19th century liberal reformers met change with universal education, a vast programme of public works and the first employment rights. Later, citizens got the vote, health care and a safety net. After the second world war, America built a global liberal order, using bodies such as the UN and the IMF to give form to its vision.

　　如要蓬勃发展，自由主义必须对悲观主义者有个交代。然而在当权的这几十年间，自由党的解决措施一直受到冷遇。19世纪，自由派改革者经历了全民教育变革，这项改革是一项大型公共建设项目，还经历了首次就业权利变革。之后，公民们获得了选举权、医疗卫生服务和安全保障权利。二战后，美国建立了一套全球自由秩序，通过联合国(the UN)和国际货币基金组织(the IMF)等机构来为其设想赋予实体。

　　Underwhelming：adj.(响应或回应)不热烈的

　　Pessimists：n.悲观主义者

　　Nothing half so ambitious is coming from the West today. That must change. Liberals must explore the avenues that technology and social needs will open up. Power could be devolved from the state to cities, which act as laboratories for fresh policies. Politics might escape sterile partisanship using new forms of local democracy. The labyrinth of taxation and regulation could be rebuilt rationally. Society could transform education and work so that “college” is something you return to over several careers in brand new industries. The possibilities are as yet unimagined, but a liberal system, in which individual creativity, preferences and enterprise have full expression, is more likely to seize them than any other.

　　如今，这类雄心勃勃的设想再也不是来自西方。这种情况必须改变。自由党必须根据技术和社会需求探索新路径。权力可以由国家下放至各个城市，以此来实验新政策。政治主张也许可以以地方民主的新形式来摆脱无效的党派分歧。错综复杂的税收和规章制度可以得以合理重建。社会可以对教育系统和工作体系进行改革，使“大学”成为职业人回炉再造的、进入其他全新行业的地方。虽然这些可能美好到难以想象，而一个能使个体创造性、偏好和事业心得到充分表达的自由主义体系，比其他任何体系更能使这些可能得以实现。

　　Partisanship：n.党派性，党派偏见

　　Unimagined: (来自朗文字典第5版) so good, large, great etc that it is hard to imagine.

　　Sterile：adj.无菌的;不毛的，贫瘠的;不生育的;无效果的

　　The dream of reason

　　理性的梦想

　　After 2016, is that dream still possible? Some perspective is in order. This newspaper believes that Brexit and a Trump presidency are likely to prove costly and harmful. We are worried about today’s mix of nationalism, corporatism and popular discontent. However, 2016 also represented a demand for change. Never forget liberals’ capacity for reinvention. Do not underestimate the scope for people, including even a Trump administration and post-Brexit Britain, to think and innovate their way out of trouble. The task is to harness that restless urge, while defending the tolerance and open-mindedness that are the foundation stones of a decent, liberal world.

　　2016年后，那样的梦想还有可能实现吗?有一些观点是很合理的。本报认为，英国脱欧和特朗普当选美国总统所带来的代价高且有害的。我们担心如今民族主义、社团主义和民怨交织在一起会产生什么后果。然而，2016年也是诉求变革的一年。不要忘记自由党重塑自我的能力。不要低估人们，包括特朗普执政的美国人和脱欧后的英国人，探索走出困境的能力。在维护自由世界的基石：包容和开明的同时，我们的任务是处理好不断涌动的冲动力量。

　　to harness：治理

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