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Blackout Reflects New York’s Changing Attitude 大停电反映纽约人改变生活态度

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

The New York attitude is world-famous – or notorious – depending on who you ask. New York native and pop singer Billy Joel even crooned about a “New York State of Mind”. September 11, however, changed everything: Complaining and being rude were out; bonding and being helpful were in. But had New Yorkers really changed or was their post-September 11 considerateness and neighborliness merely a passing fad?

纽约佬的态度不善全球闻名──或者可说是恶名昭彰，端视被问的人是谁而定。纽约本地人兼流行歌手比利乔尔甚至低声唱出一首所谓的「纽约心态」。不过911事件以后有了重大转变：抱怨和无礼消失了；取而代之的是团结与合作。不过究竟纽约人是真正改变了，还是这种体贴睦邻只是911事件之后短暂的流行？

The answer came on August 14, 2003, when New York City experienced its first blackoutin twenty-six years. New Yorkers initially braced themselves for another terrorist attack. After learning it was solely a power outage, many feared a repeat of the infamous 1977 blackout, when the city was plunged into chaos due to extensive looting.

这个答案在2003年8月14日纽约历经26年来最严重的大停电时反映了出来。纽约人原本以为面临了另一回的恐怖攻击事件。但是后来晓得只是一场停电，很多人相当担心会像是1977年那场声名狼藉的停电一样糟糕，那次停电时因为整个城市被大肆掠夺而陷入全面混乱的状态。

But this time was different. Relieved to learn that terrorists weren’t responsible, New Yorkers simply relaxed and took it in their stride. People barbecued, drank beer, and sang songs. Citizens watched for looters and police patrolled throughout the city.

但是这一回的情况不同。纽约人了解原来并非遭到恐怖攻击而放下了心，所以就能轻易从容地面对其他的事情。纽约民众或烤肉、或喝啤酒和唱歌。市民自行警戒防卫掠夺者，而警察在全市各处巡逻。

New Yorkers, it seems really do have a new attitude. If September 11, 2001 was the declaration of a “New” New York, then August 14, 2003 was the affirmation. Maybe now they’ll need a new song from Billy Joel to go with their newfound state of mind!

纽约民众似乎真的有种崭新的态度了。假定2001年911事件是纽约「重生」的宣言，那么2003年的814大停电就是对自我的肯定。也许现在纽约人需要比利乔尔一首新歌以配合他们现在的新心态！

Vocabulary

单词发音

blackout [ˋblæk͵aʊt] n. 停电; 灯暗；熄灯

notorious [noˋtorɪəs] adj. 恶名昭彰的，声名狼藉的[（+for）]

croon [krun] v. 低声唱，轻哼

considerateness 体贴；体谅；考虑周到

considerate [kənˋsɪdərɪt] adj. 体贴的；体谅的；考虑周到的

neighborliness 亲切，友善

passing fad 短暂的热潮

brace [bres] v. 做好准备[（+for/against）]

outage [ˋaʊtɪdʒ] n.（水、电等的）中断供应

loot [lut] v. 抢劫，洗劫；强夺

relieved [rɪˋlivd] adj. 宽慰的﹐ 不再忧虑的

take (something) in one’s stride  从容对付某事 to cope with calmly, without interrupting one's normal routine

watch for 密切注意;戒备;提防

looter [ˋlutɚ] n. 打劫者，抢劫者

affirmation [͵æfɚˋmeʃən] n. 证实；批准

Sentence of the Day

Learning that the power outage was not the work of terrorists certainly took a load off most people's minds.

知道原来停电并非遭到恐怖攻击，大多数人都放下了心头重担。

take a load off one's mind 解除思想负担, 使宽心

课文讲解

Marie and Chris are on the MRT. Chris is reading a newspaper. 玛莉和克里斯坐在捷运车上。克里斯正在看报纸。

C: This story about the way New Yorkers reacted to the blackout is amazing

这篇报导讲纽约人对大停电的反应实在令人吃惊。

M: Oh, I saw something about that on TV. It said there was hardly any looting or criminal activity at all.

我也在电视上看过相关的报导。新闻说几乎没有发生什么掠夺或犯罪的行为。

C: Apparently, the main reason is September 11: It brought New Yorkers together, and they continue to feel a sense of responsibility to one another.

很明显，主要是因为911事件的关系：这件事把纽约人团结起来了，他们持续地感觉到要对彼此负责。

M: The people interviewed on TV said that compared to a terrorist attack, a power outage – even a massive one – isn’t much of a big deal.

电视上被访问的人说，和恐怖攻击比较起来，停电──即使是大停电──也不是什么大问题。

C: I also liked reading about the last big blackout New York experienced in 1977, when looting started only minutes after power was lost.

我也喜欢看前一次纽约1977年大停电的新闻，当时停电才几分钟掠夺行为就开始了。

M: And then the whole city quickly spiraled out of control. Almost 4,000 people were arrested in a twenty-five hour period.

然后很快地就整个城市秩序逐渐失控。25个小时内就逮捕了将近四千人。

C: New York had a lot more social and economic problems then, and that fueled people’s desperation.

那时候纽约的社会和经济问题比较大，更会逼人铤而走险。

M: That’s right. Now, New York’s economy is stronger, and both crime and drug use are down. People are simply better-off now than they were in 1977.

没错。现在的纽约经济状况比较好，犯罪和贩毒比率都下降了。比起1977年时，现在大家的日子真的比较好过。

C: Looks like New York has a new reputation. It’s not just “The Big Apple” anymore, it’s “The Big Friendly Apple”!

看来纽约有新招牌了。不仅只是个「大苹果」，而且还是「友善的大苹果」！

－by Alex Adair

Vocabulary

单词发音

a big deal 重要的事；大事

spiral [ˋspaɪrəl] v. 断加剧地增加（或减少）

desperation [͵dɛspəˋreʃən] n. 绝望；不顾一切

better-off 境况较好的

Sentence of the Day

Just because you discovered one rotten apple doesn't mean that the whole barrel is bad.

在一个团体里发现害群之马，并不表示整个团体都不是好人。

rotten [ˋrɑtn] adj. 腐烂的

Billy Joel "New York State Of Mind"

"New York State Of Mind"

Some folks like to get away
Take a holiday from the neighborhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach
Or to Hollywood
But I'm taking a Greyhound
On the Hudson River Line
I'm in a New York state of mind
I've seen all the movie stars
In their fancy cars and their limousines
Been high in the Rockies under the evergreens
But I know what I'm needing
And I don't want to waste more time
I'm in a New York state of mind
It was so easy living day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, The Daily News
It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
Don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons
I've left them all behind
I'm in a New York state of mind
It was so easy living day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, The Daily News
It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
Don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons
I've left them all behind
I'm in a New York state of mind
I'm just taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River Line
'Cause I'm in a New York state of mind