2023考研英語閱讀一個衰落論者的觀點
The future ofEurope;A declinist s case
歐洲的未來;一個衰落論者的觀點
After the Fall: The End of the European Dream andthe Decline of a Continent. By Walter Laqueur.
《衰落之后》：關于歐洲夢的終結和歐洲大陸的衰落, 作者：瓦特拉克爾。
A distinguished European historian who now livesand works in America, Walter Laqueur has turnedinto a leading prophet of European decline. Hisnew book, After the Fall, stands as a summary of many pet themes: that the EuropeanUnion has a weak economy with too lavish a welfare state and little capacity for reform, ashrinking population and, worst of all, too many Muslim immigrants.
瓦特拉克爾是一位杰出的歐洲歷史學家，現居于美國，他已經成為歐洲衰落的主要預言者。他的新作《衰落之后》總結了許多目前備受關注的主題：歐盟的經濟陷入虛弱狀態，主要原因是太慷慨的福利狀況、太少的改革能力，不斷縮小的人口，以及最糟糕的是，太多的穆斯林移民。
Mr Laqueur makes many telling points. The euro crisis has laid bare many of the continent s economic ills. It has confirmed theinsouciance of Mediterranean countries, in particular, over the urgent need to improve theircompetitiveness. Europe s demographic outlook is worrying, with an ageing populationdependent on a shrinking workforcea picture that gets worse as one moves eastward. Andno European country has been a shining success at assimilating immigrants, especially from Muslim countries.
拉克爾先生提出了許多生動的觀點。歐洲危機深刻揭示出歐洲大陸的許多經濟癥結。特別的是，它證實了地中海國家對于提升它們國家的競爭力的緊迫需要的滿不在乎。歐洲的人口年齡分布狀況令人擔憂，老齡化情況嚴重，而老年人賴以撫養的年輕勞動力數量萎縮，這一情況越往歐洲東部方向，就越為嚴重。并且，沒有一個歐洲國家在融合移民方面具有顯著的成功，特別是吸納那些來自穆斯林國家的移民方面。
Yet overall the author s gloom is still excessive. Europe s economic performance over thepast decade has not been appreciably worse than America s, for example. Although it has afew basket-case countries, it also has some of theworld s strongest and most competitive economies. Moreover, the euro crisis is leading tomore extensive reforms to repair battered public finances, increase liberalisation andbolster competition than would have seemed possible a few years ago.
盡管具有以上所有這些不利因素，但是作者的悲觀情緒還是太多了。比如，過去十年歐洲的經濟表現并不會比美國的經濟表現有可察覺到的差距。盡管歐洲存在幾個經濟狀況糟糕無比的國家，然而歐洲也擁有一些世界上最強大和最具競爭力的經濟體。此外，與幾年前所可能采取的措施相比，歐洲危機會導致歐洲國家采取更廣泛的改革來修復重創的公共財政，促進自由化，以及鼓勵競爭。
A bigger objection is the book s repeated and excessive stress on the supposedlydamaging effects of Muslim immigration. Mr Laqueur stops short of subscribing to the worstfears of Eurabia once fashionable in right-wing American circles. But he overstates Islam sspread . And he is surely wrong when he argues that Muslims will not assimilate, that sharialaw may become widespread or that large parts of many European cities will come toresemble north Africa. An ageing continent needs immigrants. Moreover, both Turkey and the Arab spring suggest thatreform and liberal democracy can, albeit with difficulties and arguments along the way,be made compatible with Islam.
一個更大的異議是關于這本書對于臆測的穆斯林移民的災難性影響的重復和過度的強調。拉克爾先生沒有采用曾經在右翼美國群體當中盛極一時的阿拉伯化的歐洲大陸的最深的恐懼。但是他過分夸大了伊斯蘭教的發展。可以確定的是，他有許多錯誤的地方，比如他認為穆斯林教眾將不會融入歐洲大眾，伊斯蘭教法也許會在歐洲廣泛傳播，或者許多歐洲城市的大部分將變得和北非一樣。一個不斷老齡化的大陸需要移民。此外，土耳其和阿拉伯之春運動都表明，盡管在整個過程中具有重重困難和爭議，但是改革和自由民主能夠與伊斯蘭教和諧相處。
The author s harangues against Muslim immigration disfigure what is otherwise an interestingand provocative book. So do several small errors that should have been picked up by amore careful publisher. The siloviki are not the political class in Russia, but a specific grouplinked to its security services; Greece joined the EU in 1981, not 2000, and Croatia will joinin 2023, not 2011; the former mayor of London is called Ken not Neil Livingstone and themayor of Amsterdam is Job not Jeff Cohen.
作者對于穆斯林移民的長篇大論毀掉了原本會是一本具有趣味和引起爭議的書。更仔細的出版商原本應該找出一些小錯誤。西羅維基不是俄羅斯的政治階級，而是與俄羅斯的安全部門有關聯的特殊組織;希臘是在1981年加入歐盟，而不是2000年，克羅地亞將在2023年加入歐盟，而不是2011年;倫敦的前任市長名叫肯而不是內爾利文斯通，阿姆斯特丹的市長是喬而不是杰夫科恩。
In his conclusion Mr Laqueur concedes that the prophets of declinism have been frequentlywrong. Nothing daunted, he goes on cheerily to assert that the EU may break up. Yetthough his predictions may be dubious, his analysis is worth reading and pondering,especially by those who before the euro crisis were fond of declaring that Europe was showingthe world a way to a better future.
在他的書的結尾拉克爾先生承認預言衰退的預言家經常都被證明是錯的。但他毫無畏懼，他還是繼續篤定的宣稱歐盟或許會解體。盡管他的預言或許是值得懷疑的，但他的分析值得研讀和深思，特別是對于那些在歐洲危機之前熱衷于宣稱歐洲向世界展示了一條通向更美好未來的道路的人。
The future ofEurope;A declinist s case
歐洲的未來;一個衰落論者的觀點
After the Fall: The End of the European Dream andthe Decline of a Continent. By Walter Laqueur.
《衰落之后》：關于歐洲夢的終結和歐洲大陸的衰落, 作者：瓦特拉克爾。
A distinguished European historian who now livesand works in America, Walter Laqueur has turnedinto a leading prophet of European decline. Hisnew book, After the Fall, stands as a summary of many pet themes: that the EuropeanUnion has a weak economy with too lavish a welfare state and little capacity for reform, ashrinking population and, worst of all, too many Muslim immigrants.
瓦特拉克爾是一位杰出的歐洲歷史學家，現居于美國，他已經成為歐洲衰落的主要預言者。他的新作《衰落之后》總結了許多目前備受關注的主題：歐盟的經濟陷入虛弱狀態，主要原因是太慷慨的福利狀況、太少的改革能力，不斷縮小的人口，以及最糟糕的是，太多的穆斯林移民。
Mr Laqueur makes many telling points. The euro crisis has laid bare many of the continent s economic ills. It has confirmed theinsouciance of Mediterranean countries, in particular, over the urgent need to improve theircompetitiveness. Europe s demographic outlook is worrying, with an ageing populationdependent on a shrinking workforcea picture that gets worse as one moves eastward. Andno European country has been a shining success at assimilating immigrants, especially from Muslim countries.
拉克爾先生提出了許多生動的觀點。歐洲危機深刻揭示出歐洲大陸的許多經濟癥結。特別的是，它證實了地中海國家對于提升它們國家的競爭力的緊迫需要的滿不在乎。歐洲的人口年齡分布狀況令人擔憂，老齡化情況嚴重，而老年人賴以撫養的年輕勞動力數量萎縮，這一情況越往歐洲東部方向，就越為嚴重。并且，沒有一個歐洲國家在融合移民方面具有顯著的成功，特別是吸納那些來自穆斯林國家的移民方面。
Yet overall the author s gloom is still excessive. Europe s economic performance over thepast decade has not been appreciably worse than America s, for example. Although it has afew basket-case countries, it also has some of theworld s strongest and most competitive economies. Moreover, the euro crisis is leading tomore extensive reforms to repair battered public finances, increase liberalisation andbolster competition than would have seemed possible a few years ago.
盡管具有以上所有這些不利因素，但是作者的悲觀情緒還是太多了。比如，過去十年歐洲的經濟表現并不會比美國的經濟表現有可察覺到的差距。盡管歐洲存在幾個經濟狀況糟糕無比的國家，然而歐洲也擁有一些世界上最強大和最具競爭力的經濟體。此外，與幾年前所可能采取的措施相比，歐洲危機會導致歐洲國家采取更廣泛的改革來修復重創的公共財政，促進自由化，以及鼓勵競爭。
A bigger objection is the book s repeated and excessive stress on the supposedlydamaging effects of Muslim immigration. Mr Laqueur stops short of subscribing to the worstfears of Eurabia once fashionable in right-wing American circles. But he overstates Islam sspread . And he is surely wrong when he argues that Muslims will not assimilate, that sharialaw may become widespread or that large parts of many European cities will come toresemble north Africa. An ageing continent needs immigrants. Moreover, both Turkey and the Arab spring suggest thatreform and liberal democracy can, albeit with difficulties and arguments along the way,be made compatible with Islam.
一個更大的異議是關于這本書對于臆測的穆斯林移民的災難性影響的重復和過度的強調。拉克爾先生沒有采用曾經在右翼美國群體當中盛極一時的阿拉伯化的歐洲大陸的最深的恐懼。但是他過分夸大了伊斯蘭教的發展。可以確定的是，他有許多錯誤的地方，比如他認為穆斯林教眾將不會融入歐洲大眾，伊斯蘭教法也許會在歐洲廣泛傳播，或者許多歐洲城市的大部分將變得和北非一樣。一個不斷老齡化的大陸需要移民。此外，土耳其和阿拉伯之春運動都表明，盡管在整個過程中具有重重困難和爭議，但是改革和自由民主能夠與伊斯蘭教和諧相處。
The author s harangues against Muslim immigration disfigure what is otherwise an interestingand provocative book. So do several small errors that should have been picked up by amore careful publisher. The siloviki are not the political class in Russia, but a specific grouplinked to its security services; Greece joined the EU in 1981, not 2000, and Croatia will joinin 2023, not 2011; the former mayor of London is called Ken not Neil Livingstone and themayor of Amsterdam is Job not Jeff Cohen.
作者對于穆斯林移民的長篇大論毀掉了原本會是一本具有趣味和引起爭議的書。更仔細的出版商原本應該找出一些小錯誤。西羅維基不是俄羅斯的政治階級，而是與俄羅斯的安全部門有關聯的特殊組織;希臘是在1981年加入歐盟，而不是2000年，克羅地亞將在2023年加入歐盟，而不是2011年;倫敦的前任市長名叫肯而不是內爾利文斯通，阿姆斯特丹的市長是喬而不是杰夫科恩。
In his conclusion Mr Laqueur concedes that the prophets of declinism have been frequentlywrong. Nothing daunted, he goes on cheerily to assert that the EU may break up. Yetthough his predictions may be dubious, his analysis is worth reading and pondering,especially by those who before the euro crisis were fond of declaring that Europe was showingthe world a way to a better future.
在他的書的結尾拉克爾先生承認預言衰退的預言家經常都被證明是錯的。但他毫無畏懼，他還是繼續篤定的宣稱歐盟或許會解體。盡管他的預言或許是值得懷疑的，但他的分析值得研讀和深思，特別是對于那些在歐洲危機之前熱衷于宣稱歐洲向世界展示了一條通向更美好未來的道路的人。
