KIM JONG-IL and His Cult of Personality 金正日与其个人崇拜
- 详细资料
- 创建于 2004年6月04日
- 最后更新于 2024年5月25日
- 发布于 2011年7月03日
- 作者：Mike Lee
- 点击数：442
课文朗读
课文讲解
Diplomats and dissidents describe North Korean leader Kim Jong-il as a paranoid, vain, and extravagant playboy. A Russian emissary reported that Kim had live lobsters air-lifted daily to the train on which Kim and his entourage traveled across Russia; champagne and beautiful young women abounded onboard. It is rumored that Kim Jong-il has young women like these kidnapped from Japan to accompany him in his luxurious villa spread across famine-stricken North Korea.
外国使节和异议人士把北韩领导人金正日形容成是一位有偏执狂、虚荣心强、又浪费成性的花花公子。一位俄罗斯使节宣称，金正日在俄罗斯出访时，曾经要求属下每日将活龙虾空运到他和随行人员所乘坐的火车上，而且火车上香槟与美女不虞匮乏。传言还说像这些美女都是金正日派人去日本绑架来的。金正日把这些美女安置在他遍布北韩各地的豪华行馆中，即便北韩正深受饥荒之苦。
Conversely, after her visit, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright commented that Kim was well-informed and not delusional. Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung described Kim as a “man of insight.” With mixed information about Kim Jong-il that extends even to the time and place of his birth, the question is how this jumpsuit-clad and perm-sporting man, standing 159cm, maintains his power.
相反地，前美国国务卿欧布莱特拜访过金正日后，认为金正日知识渊博，并不妄想自大。前南韩总统金大中描述金正日是位「有见识的人」。有关金正日个人的说法众说纷纭，甚至连他的出生时间和地点也说法不一，而真正的问题其实是这位身高159公分，穿着像是跳伞装，而且喜欢烫头发的人，如何来维持他的政权。
Juche, meaning “self-reliance,” is the official ideology of North Korea. Promulgated by Kim’s father Kim Il-sung after the Korea War, Juche’s isolationist foundation dovetails nicely with a vast personality cult that conflates state and leader. With framed pictures “Dear Leader” can simultaneously be everywhere and nowhere, leaving everyone to speculate on his true nature: manipulative genius or delusional tyrant?
「Juche主体」，意思是「自助；自立救济」，是北韩官方的立国精神，由金正日的父亲金日成在韩战之后颁布。主体这种锁国心态的基础正巧与群众将国家和领导人合为一体的个人崇拜心态不谋而合。在北韩，到处都看得到嵌在相框里金正日的照片，这位隐遁的「亲爱领导同志」可以同时无影无踪或者无所不在，而真相则是留待各人自己去臆测：究竟他是政治天才、或是妄自尊大的独裁者？
Vocabulary
单词发音
diplomat [ˋdɪpləmæt] n. 外交官
dissident [ˋdɪsədənt] n. 持不同政见者
paranoid [ˋpærənɔɪd] n. 偏执狂患者; adj. 多疑的 ﹐疑神疑鬼的
vain [ven] adj. 爱虚荣的，自负的，炫耀的
extravagant [ɪkˋstrævəgənt] adj. 奢侈的；浪费的
emissary [ˋɛmɪ͵sɛrɪ] n. 特使；密使
air-lifted 空运的
entourage [͵ɑntuˋrɑʒ] n. 随行人员；随员
villa [ˋvɪlə] n. 别墅
famine [ˋfæmɪn] n. 饥荒
conversely [kənˋvɝslɪ] adv. 相反地
well-informed [ˋwɛl ɪnˋfɔrmd] adj. 见多识广的
delusional [dɪˋluʒənəl] adj. 妄想的
jumpsuit [ˋdʒʌmp͵sjut] n. 跳伞装
clad [klæd] adj. 穿……衣服的
perm [pɝm] n. 烫发
promulgate [ˈprɑməlget] v. 传播〔思想﹑信仰〕; 散布
isolationist [͵aɪslˋeʃənɪst] adj. 孤立主义的
dovetail [ˋdʌv͵tel] v. 吻合; 使〔两个计划﹑观点等〕吻合
personality cult 个人崇拜
conflate [kənˋflet] v.【正式】合并﹐混合
simultaneously [saɪməlˋtenɪəslɪ] adv. 同时地
speculate [ˋspɛkjə͵let] v. 猜测﹐推测
manipulative [məˋnɪpjə͵letɪv] adj. 善于控制[欺骗]他人的
Sentence of the Day
Kim Jong-il spends most of his time out of the public eye.
金正日绝大多数时间都很神秘，一般人无从得知他的情形。
课文讲解
Larry and Beth are software engineers who have just left a company strategy meeting: 赖利和柏丝是软件工程师，两人刚开完公司的策略会议：
B: I think the North Korea investment plan is really solid.
我认为北韩的投资计划很稳当可靠。
L: Solid? You mean like the base of the Juche Tower in Pyongyang? Come on, any guy who would build a monument to himself like that is a power hungry nut. I say avoid Kim Jong-il and his market.
可靠？妳的意思是说它像在平壤的主体思想塔基石？算了吧，任何会替自己盖像那样一座纪念碑的人绝对是追求权力的疯子。我建议避开金正日和北韩市场。
B: But Kim is committed to software development. He loves technology. Regardless of his politics, our company needs to strike while the iron is hot.
但是金正日对于发展软件很尽力。他喜爱科技。不要管他的政治主张，我们公司必须要打铁趁热。
L: I disagree. How can you be so sure about your Kim facts? It’s all propaganda, like the alleged double rainbow that appeared when he was born on Mt. Paektu in 1942. Or was that actuallySiberia in 1941?
我不同意。妳怎能对金正日的事情这样有把握？那些都是宣传资料而已，就像据说他在1942年出生时在白头山出现了双彩虹一样，或者，他其实是1941年在西伯利亚出生的？
B: There’s no proof Kim is delusional. Someone who has penned six operas probably has a sound brain.
并没有证据显示金正日有妄想症，写了六部歌剧的人可能头脑仍然健全。
L: But not a man who blew up a Korean Airlines Jet in 1986.
但是1986年把韩航班机炸掉的人不可能心智健全。
B: That’s alleged.
那只是传闻。
L: The bottom line is: whatever the CEO says, we do.
底线是：不管执行长说什么，我们做就是了。
B: Not again, Larry! Our CEO is not like Kim Jong-il!
赖利，别耍了！我们执行长不是金正日那种人。
L: Why not? With policy emanating from the top, this company relies on unquestioned loyalty.
为什么不是？政策由上而下，这种一条鞭的公司领导方式要仰赖百分之百的忠诚度。
B: Our company is hardly a Stalinist rogue state.
我们公司不是斯大林主义那种流氓国家。
L: Then I guess it’s back to work.
那我想我们该开始工作了。
－by David S. Klein
Vocabulary
单词发音
solid [ˋsɑlɪd] adj.（公司，事业等）牢靠的
Pyongyang [ˋpjʌŋˋjɑŋ] n. 平壤（北韩之首都）
propaganda [prɑpəˋgændə] n. 宣传，宣传活动（或计划，方法）
alleged [əˋlɛdʒd] adj. 声称的，被说成的
Siberia [saɪˋbɪrɪə] n. 西伯利亚
pen [pɛn] v. 写；写作
blow up 爆炸, 炸毁
bottom line 基本意思（或情况）
emanate [ˋɛmə͵net] v. 来自(于); (从…)散发出
unquestioned [ʌnˋkwɛstʃənd] adj. 毫无疑问的
Stalinist [ˋstɑlɪnɪst] adj. 斯大林的；斯大林主义的
rogue [rog] n. 恶棍，流氓
Sentence of the Day
Many believe Kim Jong-li is mad as a hatter.
很多人相信金正日是疯子。
as mad as a hatter: 【口】像三月里(交尾期)野兔般疯狂 crazily eccentric; completely mad