❶ 經濟學人精讀 The Economist [05] | Lifelong learning 終身學習 Part 4
The Economist [05] | Lifelong learning 終身學習 Part 4
If new ways of learning are to help those who need them most, policymakers should be aiming for something far more radical. Because ecation is a public good whose benefits spill over to all of society, governments have a vital role to play—not just by spending more, but also by spending wisely.
Lifelong learning starts at school. As a rule, ecation should not be narrowly vocational. The curriculum needs to teach children how to study and think. A focus on 「metacognition」 will make them better at picking up skills later in life.
But the biggest change is to make alt learning routinely accessible to all. One way is for citizens to receive vouchers that they can use to pay for training. Singapore has such 「indivial learning accounts」; it has given money to everyone over 25 to spend on any of 500 approved courses. So far each citizen has only a few hundred dollars, but it is early days.
Courses paid for by taxpayers risk being wasteful. But instry can help by steering people towards the skills it wants and by working with MOOCs and colleges to design courses that are relevant. Companies can also encourage their staff to learn. AT&T, a telecoms firm which wants to equip its workforce with digital skills, spends $30m a year on reimbursing employees』 tuition costs. Trade unions can play a useful role as organisers of lifelong learning, particularly for those—workers in small firms or the self-employed—for whom company-provided training is unlikely. A union-run training programme in Britain has support from political parties on the right and left.
To make all this training worthwhile, governments need to slash the licensing requirements and other barriers that make it hard for newcomers to enter occupations. Rather than asking for 300 hours』 practice to qualify to wash hair, for instance, the state of Tennessee should let hairdressers decide for themselves who is the best person to hire.
Not everyone will successfully navigate the shifting jobs market. Those most at risk of technological disruption are men in blue-collar jobs, many of whom reject taking less 「masculine」 roles in fast-growing areas such as health care. But to keep the numbers of those left behind to a minimum, all alts must have access to flexible, affordable training. The 19th and 20th centuries saw stunning advances in ecation. That should be the scale of the ambition today.
If new ways of learning are to help those who need them most, policymakers should be aiming for something far more radical[根本性的]. 如果新的學習方式是要幫助那些最需要幫助的人，那麼政策制定者應該尋求遠為根本性的舉措。
【radical】
relating to the most important parts of something or someone; complete or extreme根本的；徹底的，完全的
We need to make some radical changes to our operating proceres.我們需要對操作規程進行一些根本性的變革。
I'm just having my hair trimmed - nothing radical.我只是修剪了一下頭發，沒有什麼大的改變。
Because ecation is a public good[公益事業] whose benefits spill over to[延及] all of society, governments have a vital role to play[發揮重要作用]—not just by spending more, but also by spending wisely[花得明智]. 因為教育是一種公益事業，其益處會延及整個社會，各國政府要發揮重要作用——不僅要增加投入，還得把錢花得明智。
【spill over】
If an activity or situation spills over, it begins to affect another situation or group of people, especially in an unpleasant or unwanted way. （尤指令人不快地）波及，擴散，影響
I try not to let my work spill over into my life outside the office.我努力不讓我的工作影響到辦公室之外的生活。
The conflict threatens to spill over into neighbouring regions.沖突可能會波及到鄰近地區。
Lifelong learning starts at school. 終身學習始於學校。
As a rule, ecation should not be narrowly vocational[職業的]. 一般來說，教育不應該有狹隘的職業性。
The curriculum needs to teach children how to study and think. 學生需要從課程中學會如何學習和思考。
A focus on[注重] 「metacognition」 will make them better at picking up skills[學習技能] later in life. 注重「元認知」將幫助學生日後更好地學習技能。
But the biggest change is to make alt learning routinely[常態化地] accessible to all. 但最大的改變是讓所有人都能常態化地進行成人學習。
One way is for citizens to receive vouchers[抵用券] that they can use to pay for training. 一個方法是向國民發放抵用券，可用於支付培訓費用。
Singapore has such 「indivial learning accounts」; 新加坡就有這樣的「個人學習賬戶」。
it has given money to everyone over 25 to spend on any of 500 approved courses. 該國向所有25歲以上的國民提供資金，可用來選擇學習500種經認可的課程。
So far each citizen has only a few hundred dollars, but it is early days. 到目前為止，每個國民只領取了幾百美元，但這才剛剛開始。
【it is early days】
said when you think it is too soon to make a judgment about the likely result of something because a lot might still happen or change 言之過早；為時尚早
Our progress has been fairly slow so far, but it's early days.到目前為止我們的進度很緩慢，但來日方長，現在還不能說以後會怎麼樣。
Courses paid for by taxpayers risk being wasteful. 由納稅人付費的課程有可能被浪費。
But instry can help by steering[引導] people towards the skills it wants and by working with MOOCs and colleges to design courses that are relevant. 但企業界可以提供幫助，引導人們學習業界所需的技能，並和MOOC及大學院校合作設計有用的課程。
【steer】
to take someone or something or make someone or something go in the direction in which you want him, her, or it引導，帶領
She steered her guests into the dining room.她把客人們領到餐廳。
I'd like to steer our discussion back to our original topic.我想請大家重新回到我們原來討論的話題。
The main task of the new government will be to steer the country towards democracy.新政府的主要任務是將國家引向民主。
Companies can also encourage their staff to learn. 企業還可以鼓勵員工學習。
AT&T, a telecoms firm which wants to equip its workforce with digital skills, spends $30m a year on reimbursing employees』 tuition costs. 電信公司AT&T希望員工具備數字技能，它每年支出3000萬美元報銷員工的學費。
【reimburse】
to pay back money to someone who has spent it for you or lost it because of you償還；付還；補償
The airline reimbursed me for the amount they had overcharged me.航空公司多收了我錢，他們後來退還給我了。
She was reimbursed by the gas company for the damage to her house.煤氣公司對她房屋遭受的損失進行了賠償。
Trade unions can play a useful role as[發揮作用] organisers of lifelong learning, particularly for those—workers in small firms or the self-employed—for whom company-provided training is unlikely. 工會也可以發揮作用，組織終身學習，尤其是幫助那些小公司的員工或自僱人士，因為這些人不大可能有公費培訓的機會。
A union-run training programme in Britain has support from political parties on the right and left. 在英國，一個工會組織的培訓項目同時得到了左右兩派政黨的支持。
To make all this training worthwhile[值得的], governments need to slash the licensing requirements and other barriers that make it hard for newcomers to enter occupations. 要讓所有這些培訓有價值，政府需要大力降低執業資格要求以及其他阻礙新人入行的門檻。
【slash】
to very much rece something, such as money or jobs大幅削減，大幅減少（金錢、工作等）
Prices have been slashed by 50 percent!價格直降50%！
Rather than asking for 300 hours』 practice to qualify to wash hair, for instance, the state of Tennessee should let hairdressers decide for themselves who is the best person to hire.例如，與其要求有300小時的實習來獲得做洗發工的資格，田納西州應該讓理發店自行決定雇誰最好。
Not everyone will successfully navigate the shifting[不斷變化的] jobs market. 並非每個人都能成功應付正在變化的就業市場。
【navigate】
to direct the way that a ship, aircraft, etc. will travel, or to find a direction across, along, or over an areaof water or land, often by using a map（常指藉助地圖）導航，確定…的方向
Sailors have special equipment to help them navigate.船員們藉助專門的儀器確定航向。
Even ancient ships were able to navigate large stretches of openwater.即便是古老的船隻也能在寬闊的大片水域中航行。
Some migrating birds can navigate by the moon (= using the moon as a guide).有些遷徙的鳥類可以藉助月亮確定方向。
There weren't any road signs to help us navigate through the maze of one-way streets.沒有任何路標可以指引我們穿過像迷宮似的單行街道。
We had to navigate several flights of stairs to find his office.我們不得不攀上好幾層樓梯才找到他的辦公室。
Those most at risk of[受威脅] technological disruption[技術顛覆] are men in blue-collar jobs, many of whom reject taking less 「masculine[男子漢的]」 roles in fast-growing areas such as health care. 受技術顛覆威脅最大的是那些藍領工人，其中很多人拒絕在醫療護理等快速發展的領域里承擔不那麼「男子漢」的工作。
【masculine】
adjective UK /ˈmæs.kjə.lɪn/ US /ˈmæs.kjə.lɪn/
having characteristics that are traditionally thought to be typical of or suitable for men男性的，男子氣概的；適於男子的
a masculine appearance/voice男性外表／嗓音
But to keep the numbers of those left behind to a minimum, all alts must have access to flexible, affordable training. 但是，若要盡量減少因時代改變而落伍的人數，那麼所有成年人都必須能夠獲得靈活而又實惠的培訓。
The 19th and 20th centuries saw stunning[令人震驚的] advances in ecation. That should be the scale of the ambition today.在19和20世紀，教育有了令人震驚的進步。今天的抱負應當不遜當年。
If new ways of learning are to help those who need them most, policymakers should be aiming for something far more radical[根本性的]. Because ecation is a public good[公益事業] whose benefits spill over to[延及] all of society, governments have a vital role to play[發揮重要作用]—not just by spending more, but also by spending wisely[花得明智].
如果新的學習方式是要幫助那些最需要幫助的人，那麼政策制定者應該尋求遠為根本性的舉措。因為教育是一種公益事業，其益處會延及整個社會，各國政府要發揮重要作用——不僅要增加投入，還得把錢花得明智。
Lifelong learning starts at school. As a rule, ecation should not be narrowly vocational[職業的]. The curriculum needs to teach children how to study and think. A focus on[注重] 「metacognition」 will make them better at picking up skills[學習技能] later in life.
終身學習始於學校。一般來說，教育不應該有狹隘的職業性。學生需要從課程中學會如何學習和思考。注重「元認知」將幫助學生日後更好地學習技能。
But the biggest change is to make alt learning routinely[常態化地] accessible to all. One way is for citizens to receive vouchers[抵用券] that they can use to pay for training. Singapore has such 「indivial learning accounts」; it has given money to everyone over 25 to spend on any of 500 approved courses. So far each citizen has only a few hundred dollars, but it is early days.
但最大的改變是讓所有人都能常態化地進行成人學習。一個方法是向國民發放抵用券，可用於支付培訓費用。新加坡就有這樣的「個人學習賬戶」。該國向所有25歲以上的國民提供資金，可用來選擇學習500種經認可的課程。到目前為止，每個國民只領取了幾百美元，但這才剛剛開始。
Courses paid for by taxpayers risk being wasteful. But instry can help by steering[引導] people towards the skills it wants and by working with MOOCs and colleges to design courses that are relevant. Companies can also encourage their staff to learn. AT&T, a telecoms firm which wants to equip its workforce with digital skills, spends $30m a year on reimbursing employees』 tuition costs. Trade unions can play a useful role as[發揮作用] organisers of lifelong learning, particularly for those—workers in small firms or the self-employed—for whom company-provided training is unlikely. A union-run training programme in Britain has support from political parties on the right and left.
由納稅人付費的課程有可能被浪費。但企業界可以提供幫助，引導人們學習業界所需的技能，並和MOOC及大學院校合作設計有用的課程。企業還可以鼓勵員工學習。電信公司AT&T希望員工具備數字技能，它每年支出3000萬美元報銷員工的學費。工會也可以發揮作用，組織終身學習，尤其是幫助那些小公司的員工或自僱人士，因為這些人不大可能有公費培訓的機會。在英國，一個工會組織的培訓項目同時得到了左右兩派政黨的支持。
To make all this training worthwhile[值得的], governments need to slash the licensing requirements and other barriers that make it hard for newcomers to enter occupations. Rather than asking for 300 hours』 practice to qualify to wash hair, for instance, the state of Tennessee should let hairdressers decide for themselves who is the best person to hire.
要讓所有這些培訓有價值，政府需要大力降低執業資格要求以及其他阻礙新人入行的門檻。例如，與其要求有300小時的實習來獲得做洗發工的資格，田納西州應該讓理發店自行決定雇誰最好。
Not everyone will successfully navigate the shifting[不斷變化的] jobs market. Those most at risk of[受威脅] technological disruption[技術顛覆] are men in blue-collar jobs, many of whom reject taking less 「masculine[男子漢的]」 roles in fast-growing areas such as health care. But to keep the numbers of those left behind to a minimum, all alts must have access to flexible, affordable training. The 19th and 20th centuries saw stunning[令人震驚的] advances in ecation. That should be the scale of the ambition today.
並非每個人都能成功應付正在變化的就業市場。受技術顛覆威脅最大的是那些藍領工人，其中很多人拒絕在醫療護理等快速發展的領域里承擔不那麼「男子漢」的工作。但是，若要盡量減少因時代改變而落伍的人數，那麼所有成年人都必須能夠獲得靈活而又實惠的培訓。在19和20世紀，教育有了令人震驚的進步。今天的抱負應當不遜當年。
【radical】根本的；徹底的，完全的
【spill over】波及，擴散，影響
【it is early days】言之過早；為時尚早
【steer】引導，帶領
【reimburse】償還；付還；補償
【slash】大幅削減，大幅減少（金錢、工作等）
【navigate】導航，確定…的方向
【masculine】男性的，男子氣概的；適於男子的
public good[公益事業]
have a vital role to play[發揮重要作用]
spending wisely[花得明智]
vocational[職業的]
picking up skills[學習技能]
routinely[常態化地]
vouchers[抵用券]
play a useful role[發揮作用]
at risk of[受威脅]
technological disruption[技術顛覆]
stunning[令人震驚的]
原文選自《經濟學人》 2017年1月14日 Technology and ecation版塊 Lifelong Learning文章
原文鏈接：https://gbr.economist.com/articles/view/5878aaadffe2d6434a24290c/en_GB/zh_CN
翻譯鏈接：https://gbr.economist.com/articles/view/5878aaadffe2d6434a24290c/zh_CN/en_GB
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❷ 2019-5-8經濟學人精讀
原文：
1.(It』s) not surprising/no / little / small wonder that...
No / Little / Small wonder that there is a surge in "English-medium" ecation all over the world.
Small wonder, then, that pulses quickened on both sides of the Pacific when Donald Trump, as president-elect, questioned the policy.
2.surge
突然的、大幅的增加
a surge in inflation 通貨膨脹劇增
a surge in smartphone sales智能手機銷量劇增
a surge in "English-medium" ecation
英文授課熱潮
🥕fashion是最簡單的一個詞，潮流
a fashion for English-medium ecation
🥕vogue和fashion的意思一樣，但聽上去猜肢更正式一些
a vogue for Xiao Guan Tea 小罐茶熱潮
🥕fever本義是高燒，引申為熱潮、狂熱
Soccer fever has been sweeping the nation ring the World Cup.
🥕craze和fever類似，表示狂熱
a craze for shared bicycles 共享單車熱潮
🥕fad常指短暫的潮流，介詞用for
a fad for organic food 有機食品熱潮
🥕trend本義是趨則昌勢，有兩種用法
a growing trend in English-medium ecation
a trend towards English-medium ecation
🥕Sth is all the rage就是sth is fashionable的意思
PUBG-like games are all the rage among the young.
3.all over the world
across the world
around the world
globally
4.grip
抓住、控制、影響
The government keeps a tight grip on social media.
The country was gripped/plagued by economic problems.
Soccer fever has gripped the nation ring the World Cup.
Soccer fever has been sweeping the nation ring the World Cup.
A surge in "English-medium" ecation gripped the whole world.
5.spur
促進(v.)、穗盯世「刺激(v.)=encourage
Depreciating the yuan would spur China』s exports to the U.S.
Shooting games encourage violent behaviour.
6.In the hope that...
希望...
I came to the island in the hope of finding a simpler way of life.
hoping=in the hope of / that...：
I came to the island hoping to find a simpler way of life.
7.obtain good/well-paid/lucrative jobs
8.glitter
閃光
I wish you would have a glittering career ahead of you.
9.world
領域、圈子:circle, field
the business world 商業圈
the academic world 學術圈
10.lead
🥕lead the world in...在某方面走在世界前面
China leads the world in 5G technology.
🥕blazed a trail
Where tech companies have blazed a trail , others have followed.
Where Starbucks once blazed a trail , chocolatiers are following.
11.expedient
The disease was controlled by the simple expedient of not allowing anyone to leave the city.
12.contentious
It was also a reminder of how contentious and how unpredictable China』s expanding censorship has become.
13.switch
By this logic, Donald Trump should stop using the phone or switch to Huawei instead.
14.In part
in part to stem the outflow of children into the private sector.
15.stem
stem the tide of illegal immigration 遏制非法移民潮
16.outflow
the outflow of capital資本外流
17.that has happened in / to / at+名詞
Being persistent is an entry ticket to success. That has happened to Forrest Gump, who, despite his low IQ, created a wonderful life with his strenuous effort.
❸ 在大陸有什麼好的方法可以訂閱每期的The Economist
可以訂閱經濟學人商論APP，付費之後可以學習裡面的雙語文章，一年500元。
也可以看一些平台的學習筆記更新，比如高齋外刊雙語精讀，定期也可以經濟學人原文和筆記。比如這種：
經濟學人18年2月期
No ordinary Zhou
非凡人物周小川
China』s formative central banker is about to retire, but his influence will live on.
為中國央行奠基立業的行長即將退休，但他的影響將一直持續
原文：WHEN Zhou Xiaochuan took the helm of China』s central bank 15 years ago, the world was very different. China had just joined the World Trade Organisation and its economy was still smaller than Britain』s. Foreign investors paid little heed to the new governor of the People』s Bank of China. He seemed safe to ignore: another black-haired, bespectacled official whose talk was littered with socialist bromides.
官方譯文：周小川15年前執掌中國央行時，世界與現今迥然不同。當時中國剛剛加入世貿組織，經濟總量仍低於英國。外國投資者沒把中國人民銀行的這位新行長當回事。看起來，忽視他也沒什麼風險：這不過是又一位黑頭發、戴眼鏡的官員，一張嘴便是社會主義慣用的陳詞濫調。
第一句：WHEN Zhou Xiaochuan took the helm of China』s central bank 15 years ago, the world was very different.
周小川15年前執掌中國央行時，世界與現今迥然不同。
一、《經濟學人》中是如何介紹人物的？
the world was very different：
《經濟學人》在介紹人物時，前半句一般是「介紹人物+所做重要事件+時間」，後半句用「the world was very different」、「the world was a different place」等類似表達。在平常的英語寫作中，可以借鑒類似表達，提升語言張力。比如在介紹馬斯克的時候這樣說：
WHEN Elon Musk started Tesla in 2003 the world was a different place.
伊隆馬斯克2003年創辦特斯拉時，世界與現在大不同。
二、「執掌...」英語怎麼說？
take the helm of：比如金融時報這樣說：
Guo Shuqing, who took the helm of the CSRC in late October, said in a first public address this month that he wanted to clean up markets.
10月末開始執掌中國證監會的郭樹清，本月在第一次公開講話中表示，他要清理市場。
第二句：China had just joined the World Trade Organisation and its economy was still smaller than Britain』s.
當時中國剛剛加入世貿組織，經濟總量仍低於英國。
一、「經濟總量」怎麼說？
在經濟學人中，表達「經濟總量時」，往往直接使用「economy」即可，而不使用「the amount of economy」、「economy aggregate」等。
二、過去完成時的結構以及用法
過去完成時表示過去某一時間之前完成的動作或發生的情況，句子謂語形式由had+動詞的過去分詞構成，通常表述為「過去的過去」。也可以跟有一定的時間狀語，如by, before等介詞或連詞。
「had just joined」：文章中第一句第二句所表達的思想為「周小川15年前執掌中國央行時，當時中國剛剛加入世貿組織......」。第一句中所使用的時態為一般過去時，表示過去發生的動作。
從第二句「當時中國剛剛加入」這一動詞我們可以判斷出「加入世貿組織」是先於「周小川15年前執掌中國央行」的時間，因此本句中的時態應為「過去的過去」，因此採用了過去完成時這一語法結構。
三、「所有格所修飾的名詞」在什麼情況下可以省略？
its economy was still smaller than Britain』s（economy):
所有格修飾的名詞有時可以省略，這主要見於以下情形:
(1) 、承前省略：即根據前文語境省略後文中所含的不言而喻的名詞。
Lily』s book is more interesting than Lucy』s (book).
莉莉的書比露西的書更有趣。
(2) 、習慣性省略：當所有格所修飾的名詞表示教堂、商店、診所、某人家、某人辦公室等時，所有格後的名詞有時可以省略。如：
I've got an appointment at the dentist's（dental clinic）at 11:15.
我已預約11時15分到牙醫診所看病。
第三句：Foreign investors paid little heed to the new governor of the People』s Bank of China.
外國投資者沒把中國人民銀行的這位新行長當回事。
一、「沒當回事」怎麼說？
pay little heed to: 比如金融時報這樣說：
For its first eight years in India, M& S, the mainstay of the British high street, paid little heed to this.
在印度的頭8年，作為英國大眾消費市場支柱的瑪莎百貨幾乎沒有留意這一點。
二、「行長」怎麼說？
Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, recently called for a "public and informed debate" on the issue.
英國央行行長默文-金（MervynKing）近日呼籲就此問題展開「開誠布公的討論」.
取自經濟學人18.2.1的文章：
No ordinary Zhou非凡人物周小川
第四句：He seemed safe to ignore: another black-haired, bespectacled official whose talk was littered with socialist bromides.
看起來，忽視他也沒什麼風險：這不過是又一位黑頭發、戴眼鏡的官員，一張嘴便是社會主義慣用的陳詞濫調。
一、「s+v+adj.+to do」結構中，如何用 「不定式的主動形式表示被動含義」？
seemed safe to ignore：忽視他也沒什麼風險
其中需要滿足兩種條件：（1）表語是性質形容詞；（2）主語是to do 的邏輯賓語。
拓展：The book is interesting to read. 這本書讀起來很有趣。
二、「：」的解釋說明作用
在本句中，「：」前後是兩個獨立的句子，「：」前的句子表達了作者的情感態度，即周小川很容易受到忽略。而在「；」的後面進一步對於周小川的形象做出了描寫，具體解釋說明其容易受到忽視的理由。
三、「，」在並列句中表示強調
在英語句子中，通常用and連接兩個並列成分，在此句中「black-haired」,和「bespectacled」之間用 「,」代替了「and」，起到了一種強調的作用。
四、「官員」怎麼說？
"Our general objective is going to be what is good for the system, " the seniorofficial said. "We want the system to have enough capital. "
「我們的大目標將是什麼對整個系統有利，」這位高層官員表示。「我們希望整個系統有充足的資本金。」
五、「充斥」、「比比皆是」怎麼說」？
be littered with:比如金融時報這樣說：
Furthermore, luxury remains an unpredictable instry at the best of times, littered with monster egos and family feuds.
此外，即使在形勢最好的時候，奢侈品也是個難以預測的行業，充斥著極度膨脹的自我意識和家族紛爭。
History is littered with conflicts that, in retrospect, look inexplicable but at the time seemed unavoidable.
各種看上去無法解釋，但當時似乎不可避免的沖突，在歷史上比比皆是。
六、「陳詞濫調」怎麼說？
比如金融時報這樣說：
What replaces it, apart from feel-good bromides and political stitch-ups?
那麼，在泡沫破裂後，除了聊以自慰的陳詞濫調以及政治撮合，取而代之的是什麼呢？
七、「whose」引導的定語從句
whose 是定語從句中一個常用的關系代詞， 它是關系代詞who的所有格，在從句中作定語，也就是說當先行詞與從句中某個名詞有所屬關系，表達「……的」意思時，用關系代詞whose 引導定語從句，它既可以指代人，也可以指代物，既可引導限制性定語從句，也可以引導非限制性定語從句。
比如金融時報這樣說：
In the court next to me was a man whose business collapsed not long ago, after it had borrowed billions of pounds.
隔壁球場有一位男士在打球，前不久他的企業由於數十億英鎊的貸款剛剛倒閉。
It would only shift the surplus to the commodity exporters, whose propensity to consume out of additional export revenues may be very low.
這將只是把盈餘轉移給大宗商品出口國，而這些國家將額外出口收入用於消費的傾向可能非常低。
❹ 《經濟學人》精讀文章——Natural Genius
這篇文章有幾個非常有意思的句子和表達，我貼出來，大家一起賞析一下：
佳句篇：
Sentence 1.
He helped popularise the idea that some diseases not previously thought to have a bacterial cause were actually infections, which ruffled many scientific feathers when it was first suggested.
解析：
Ruffle弄皺的衡滾意思
Ruffle one』s feathers惹怒（想想逆毛流擼貓）
The idea that ...用的是同位語從句，不太多，常用搭配是the evidence that，the concept that 等。That後從句解釋idea, concept或evidence等。
Which的指代問題。Which指代的不是上文任何一個出現的單詞或片語，咐山余而是Dr. Cochran的這波操作。
Sentence 2.
Ashkenazim generally do well in IQ tests, scoring 12-15 points above the mean value of 100, and have contributed disproportionately to the intellectual and cultural life of the West, as the careers of Freud, Einstein and Mahler, pictured above, affirm.
disproportionately不成比例地
主幹and復合句+非謂語動詞唯侍scoring+as引導的從句（插入後置定語）
每個部分都不難，集合到一起就對理解產生障礙了。
Sentence 3.
But in the Middle Ages, success in Christian society tended to be violently aristocratic (warfare and land), rather than peacefully meritocratic (banking and trade).
這個句子不難，為什麼拿出來是因為這個violently的用法。簡單來講，這一個單詞乍一看是作aristocratic的副詞，實則在翻譯（以及理解）當中，我們必須單獨翻譯成一個實意的成分，而且作副詞處理。
Aristocratic貴族統治
Meritocratic德治
Sentence 4.
That small, reproctively isolated groups of people are susceptible to genetic disease is well known.
主語從句，注意that.
Sentence 5.
Most of the dozen or so disease genes that are common in them belong to one of two types: they are involved either in the storage in nerve cells of special fats called sphingolipids, which form part of the insulating outer sheaths that allow nerve cells to transmit electrical signals, or in DNA repair.
典型長句，如何解析？
Most of the dozen or so disease genes that are common in them belong to one of two types:
Or so大約
斜體作的是disease genes
they are involved either in the storage in nerve cells of special fats called sphingolipids, which form part of the insulating outer sheaths that allow nerve cells to transmit electrical signals, or in DNA repair.
either or後面是兩個in...
第一個in後面的which form part of the insulating outer sheaths解釋的是Sphingolipids
that allow nerve cells to transmit electrical signals解釋的是sheaths。
也就是說，（非限制性）定語從句後面緊接另一個定語從句。
第二個in後面很簡單，但！！！文章最後一段有解釋，對於 文章結構 至關重要。
Sentence 6&7.
Thus, the theory goes, the pressure to keep the sickle-cell gene in the population because of its malaria-protective effects balances the pressure to drive it out because of its anaemia-causing effects.
It therefore persists without becoming ubiquitous.
兩句話放一起。
主幹已加黑。很有意思的句子，工整、對仗，而又解釋非常清楚。
下一句，persist和ubiquitous用詞極其精準，整句話像外科手術般，精準簡練。作者還是怕讀者一下子沒讀懂，用簡單而又高效的句子總結下。寫作手法很老練高超，字字璣珠，像極了寶馬M3。
Sentence 8.
Genes that promote intelligence in an indivial when present as a single create disease when present as a double .
乍一看沒什麼稀奇，再一看，把一個comparison分別放在了主語和謂語的修飾成分中，可謂老辣。
作何解？
That promote intelligence對genes做了一個限定，指的是genes的其中一種特徵，然後用when說明了適用情況。
Create謂語的主語也是genes，但這時候是沒有限定的genes。Create disease做的是限定，其實對應的是promote intelligence。後面同樣用一個when來說明範圍。
簡單來講，genes的含義做了一個縮小和限定，又在create的時候恢復了genes的雙重功能含義。
Promote intelligence和create diseases一個對應，盡管成分差別很大。
兩個when的對比。
可謂神句。
Sentence 9.
An Israeli clinic devoted to treating people with Gaucher's has vastly more engineers, scientists, accountants and lawyers on its books than would be expected by chance.
Than (what) would be expected by chance.
省略了what。。。你能理解嗎？
還有這個books，這個同語境關聯強烈。
好的表達：
1. ruffle one』s feather
2. Tremble at the thought
3. Affirm作不及物動詞（Ashkenazim generally do well in IQ tests, scoring 12-15 points above the mean value of 100, and have contributed disproportionately to the intellectual and cultural life of the West, as the careers of Freud, Einstein and Mahler, pictured above, affirm. ）
4. aristocratic v.s. meritocratic
5. Exact a price類似用法 exert influence
附原文及翻譯：
Natural genius? 天生我才？
The high intelligence of Ashkenazi Jews may be a result of their persecuted past
德系猶太人的高智商或許是因為曾經遭受迫害的後果
THE idea that some ethnic groups may, on average, be more intelligent than others is one of those hypotheses that dare not speak its name. But Gregory Cochran, a noted scientific iconoclast, is prepared to say it anyway. He is that rare bird, a scientist who works independently of any institution. He helped popularise the idea that some diseases not previously thought to have a bacterial cause were actually infections, which ruffled many scientific feathers when it was first suggested. And more controversially still, he has suggested that homosexuality is caused by an infection.
某些少數民族的平均智商高於其他民族這一說法，是很多不敢公開的假設之一。不過著名的科學狂人Gregory Cochran 決意要做第一個吃螃蟹的人。他很特別，總是獨立工作而不屬於任何機構。某些曾被診斷並非病菌引起的疾病，其實病源來自傳染病。這一觀點因他的推動受到了關注。此觀點一經提出，就受到了許多科學家的反對。這還不算，更具爭議的是，他認為同性戀也是由傳染病引起的。
Even he, however, might tremble at the thought of what he is about to do. Together with Jason Hardy and Henry Harpending, of the University of Utah, he is publishing, in a forthcoming edition of the Journal of Biosocial Science, a paper which not only suggests that one group of humanity is more intelligent than the others, but explains the process that has brought this about. The group in question are Ashkenazi Jews. The process is natural selection.
然而就算是Cochran，也為自己接下來要做的事捏了一把汗。他准備同Utah大學的Jason Hardy與Henry Harpending一同，在最新一期的《生物社會科學雜志》發表一篇論文，文中不僅提出了某一少數民族比其他民族更聰明這一觀點，還解釋了這一結果產生的過程。文中兩大主角就是德系猶太人和自然選擇。
History before science
不管是否科學，先來看看歷史
Ashkenazim generally do well in IQ tests, scoring 12-15 points above the mean value of 100, and have contributed disproportionately to the intellectual and cultural life of the West, as the careers of Freud, Einstein and Mahler, pictured above, affirm. They also suffer more often than most people from a number of nasty genetic diseases, such as Tay-Sachs and breast cancer. These facts, however, have previously been thought unrelated. The former has been put down to social effects, such as a strong tradition of valuing ecation. The latter was seen as a consequence of genetic isolation. Even now, Ashkenazim tend to marry among themselves. In the past they did so almost exclusively.
德系猶太人不僅在IQ測試上表現不俗，正常人一般在100分左右，而他們大多都能得個112-115分，而且雖然人數不多，但他們在歐洲知識、文化生活中的地位卻舉足輕重。想想弗洛伊德、愛因斯坦、馬勒，我們就會點頭稱是了。但同時，他們中患有如泰-薩克斯病、乳腺癌這類嚴重的遺傳疾病的比率明顯高於其他種族。這些事實，最初被人們認為是毫無聯系的。前者被說成是社會原因引起的，如濃烈的價值觀教育的傳統；後者則被說成是基因隔離的結果，不過即使是現在，德系猶太人還是願意同本族人結婚，在過去，就更是如此了。
Dr Cochran, however, suspects that the intelligence and the diseases are intimately linked. His argument is that the unusual history of the Ashkenazim has subjected them to unique evolutionary pressures that have resulted in this paradoxical state of affairs.
但Cochran博士對以上兩點表示質疑，並認為德系猶太人的天賦異稟與痛病纏身聯系密切。他認為正是異常的歷史環境強加給了德系猶太人獨有的進化壓力，才導致了這些看似奇怪的現象。
Ashkenazi history begins with the Jewish rebellion against Roman rule in the first century AD. When this was crushed, Jewish refugees fled in all directions. The descendants of those who fled to Europe became known as Ashkenazim.
德系猶太人的歷史源於公元1世紀。猶太人在反對羅馬人的統治失敗後，猶太難民四散而逃，逃亡歐洲的猶太後裔就是如今的德系猶太人。
In the Middle Ages, European Jews were subjected to legal discrimination, one effect of which was to drive them into money-related professions such as banking and tax farming which were often disdained by, or forbidden to, Christians. This, along with the low level of intermarriage with their gentile neighbours (which modern genetic analysis confirms was the case), is Dr Cochran's starting point.
在中世紀，歐洲的猶太人在法律上地位很不平等，結果之一就是他們不得不從事與金錢相關的職業，如被人看不起或不準基督徒涉足的銀行或征稅工作，此外，他們只能與鄰居中社會地位較低的非猶太人通婚（這種狀況通過現代基因學分析得到了證實）。上述就是Cochran 博士論文的起點。
He argues that the professions occupied by European Jews were all ones that put a premium on intelligence. Of course, it is hard to prove that this intelligence premium existed in the Middle Ages, but it is certainly true that it exists in the modern versions of those occupations. Several studies have shown that intelligence, as measured by IQ tests, is highly correlated with income in jobs such as banking.
他認為歐洲猶太人從事的職業都是些需要一定智商的職業，雖不能證明這些職業在中世紀時就是這樣了，但在當代它們確實如此。一些研究表明，智力水平（按智力測試的標准來算）與工資水平（如那些從事銀行工作的人）聯系密切。
What can, however, be shown from the historical records is that European Jews at the top of their professions in the Middle Ages raised more children to althood than those at the bottom. Of course, that was true of successful gentiles as well. But in the Middle Ages, success in Christian society tended to be violently aristocratic (warfare and land), rather than peacefully meritocratic (banking and trade).
這些歷史記錄證明了，那些在歐洲工作地位較高的猶太家庭子女存活率要高於那些地位較低的猶太家庭。情況對於那些其他種族的也是一樣的。但在中世紀，基督教社會中所謂的成功多是貴族通過戰爭與土地強爭豪取，而非通過量才而用（如從事銀行或貿易工作）和平地獲得。
Put these two things together—a correlation of intelligence and success, and a correlation of success and fecundity—and you have circumstances that favour the spread of genes that enhance intelligence. The questions are, do such genes exist, and what are they if they do? Dr Cochran thinks they do exist, and that they are exactly the genes that cause the inherited diseases which afflict Ashkenazi society.
把智力與成功的關聯以及成功與生殖力的關系合二為一，你就具備了有利於智商提高的基因傳播的條件。問題是這種智商基因確實存在嗎？假如它果真存在的話，那究竟是什麼呢？科克倫博士認為它們的確存在，而且正是那種引起折磨德系猶太人遺傳疾病的基因。
That small, reproctively isolated groups of people are susceptible to genetic disease is well known. Constant mating with even distant relatives reces genetic diversity, and some disease genes will thus, randomly, become more common. But the very randomness of this process means there should be no discernible pattern about which disease genes increase in frequency. In the case of Ashkenazim, Dr Cochran argues, this is not the case. Most of the dozen or so disease genes that are common in them belong to one of two types: they are involved either in the storage in nerve cells of special fats called sphingolipids, which form part of the insulating outer sheaths that allow nerve cells to transmit electrical signals, or in DNA repair. The former genes cause neurological diseases, such as Tay- Sachs, Gaucher's and Niemann-Pick. The latter cause cancer.
眾所周知，越是人口稀少並且生育范圍狹小的種族就越易患遺傳疾病。總是於同族人通婚，就算不是近親，也會較少遺傳的多樣性，同時也會使某些致病基因沒有規律地在該種族內部泛濫起來。而這種無規律性意味著人們不知道何類致病基因會被大量傳播。但對德系猶太人來說，Cochran 醫生指出，情況卻並非如此。他們當中最常見的十幾種疾病基因基本上可以歸結於兩類：一類參與神經細胞中鞘脂類特殊脂肪）的儲存。鞘脂組成一部分絕緣外層鞘，允許神經細胞發射電子信號。另一類參與DNA 的修復。前者基因會引發神經性疾病，如泰薩二氏病、腦苷脂沉積病和神經鞘磷脂沉積病；而後者會導致癌症。
That does not look random. And what is even less random is that in several cases the genes for particular diseases come in different varieties, each the result of an independent original mutation. This really does suggest the mutated genes are being preserved by natural selection. But it does not answer the question of how evolution can favour genetic diseases. However, in certain circumstances, evolution can.
上述看起來並非毫無規律。而且更趨於規律的表現就是，在一些病例中，特殊疾病的致病基因來自於不同的變體，而每個變體都是獨立的原基因變異的結果。這就印證了變異基因是自然選擇保留下來的結果，可它卻不能回答自然選擇為什麼會成了遺傳疾病的幫凶，但在一些特殊的條件下，進化能夠產生這樣的結果。
West Africans, and people of West African descent, are susceptible to a disease called sickle-cell anaemia that is virtually unknown elsewhere. The anaemia develops in those whose red blood cells contain a particular type of haemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen. But the disease occurs only in those who have two copies of the gene for the disease-causing haemoglobin (one from each parent). Those who have only one have no symptoms. They are, however, protected against malaria, one of the biggest killers in that part of the world. Thus, the theory goes, the pressure to keep the sickle-cell gene in the population because of its malaria-protective effects balances the pressure to drive it out because of its anaemia-causing effects. It therefore persists without becoming ubiquitous.
如西非人以及他們的後代易患一種叫做鐮狀細胞性貧血的疾病，這種病在西非之外幾乎都沒人聽說過。貧血症發於那些紅血球中含有一種特殊的血紅蛋白，其蛋白質中含有氧氣的人。但這種鐮狀細胞性貧血症只會發生在同時有兩組這種致病的血紅蛋白（父母都有這種血紅蛋白）的人身上。而那些只有一組的人不但不會患這種貧血症，也不會患瘧疾，該病被稱為非洲的頭號殺手。因此，我們可以這樣說，抵禦瘧疾的特性使得鐮狀細胞在得以人體中存活下來，同時這種細胞導致貧血症的特性也會被人體排斥，只有在為保持這兩種狀態而產生的壓力達到平衡時，才不會有任何一個特性占據上風。
Dr Cochran argues that something similar happened to the Ashkenazim. Genes that promote intelligence in an indivial when present as a single create disease when present as a double . His thesis is not as strong as the sickle-cell/malaria theory, because he has not proved that any of his disease genes do actually affect intelligence. But the area of operation of some of them suggests that they might.
Cochran博士認為，德系猶太人也面臨著同樣的情況，他們的某些基因如果以單組出現就可以提高智力，一旦以雙組出現就會引起疾病。顯然，該理論並不如他的鐮狀細胞/瘧疾理論那樣具有說服力，因為他尚未證明任何一種致病基因確實能夠影響智力，但是某些基因的活動區域顯示它們或許真能影響智力。
The sphingolipid-storage diseases, Tay-Sachs, Gaucher's and Niemann-Pick, all involve extra growth and branching of the protuberances that connect nerve cells together. Too much of this (as caused in those with double copies) is clearly pathological. But it may be that those with single copies experience a more limited, but still enhanced, protuberance growth. That would yield better linkage between brain cells, and might thus lead to increased intelligence. Indeed, in the case of Gaucher's disease, the only one of the three in which people routinely live to althood, there is evidence that those with full symptoms are more intelligent than the average. An Israeli clinic devoted to treating people with Gaucher's has vastly more engineers, scientists, accountants and lawyers on its books than would be expected by chance.
鞘脂儲存類疾病，如泰薩二氏病、腦苷脂沉積病和神經鞘磷脂沉積病，都涉及到連接神經細胞的凸起的多餘生長和分叉。顯然，這種生長和分叉太多的話就會引起疾病。但是，也有可能，僅有單份致病基因的人會出現比較有限的、但仍然加強了的凸起生長。這將有助於加強腦細胞之間的連接，或許因此導致智力提高。實際上，在腦苷脂沉積病的例子中，在三分之一能夠活到成年的患者中，確實有證據表明完全發病的人擁有高於平均值的智商。根據一家專門治療腦苷脂沉積病的以色列診所的醫療記錄，患者中的工程師、科學家、會計和律師的比例多於常人。
Why a failure of the DNA-repair system should boost intelligence is unclear—and is, perhaps, the weakest part of the thesis, although evidence is emerging that one of the genes in question is involved in regulating the early growth of the brain. But the thesis also has a strong point: it makes a clear and testable prediction. This is that people with a single of the gene for Tay-Sachs, or that for Gaucher's, or that for Niemann-Pick should be more intelligent than average. Dr Cochran and his colleagues predict they will be so by about five IQ points. If that turns out to be the case, it will strengthen the idea that, albeit unwillingly, Ashkenazi Jews have been part of an accidental experiment in eugenics. It has brought them some advantages. But, like the deliberate eugenics experiments of the 20th century, it has also exacted a terrible price.
為什麼基因修復系統失靈會提高智力，現在還不清楚原因何在。雖然，陸續有證據表明產生問題的基因之一參與了調節大腦的早期發育，但是這仍是該論題最薄弱的環節。不過，該理論也有令人信服的地方：它對於擁有單份泰薩二氏病或腦苷脂沉積病或神經鞘磷脂沉積病基因的人會比普通人更聰明做出了明確而可檢驗的預測。Cochran 博士和他的同事認為，這些人的智商因此會比平均水平高出5 個點。盡管有人不願接受，假如確實如此的話，它將有力地證明，德系猶太人在不經意間經歷了優生實驗，而這為他們帶來了智商上的優勢。但是，如同發生在20 世紀的人為的優生實驗一樣，它同樣讓他們付出了可怕的代價。