又中又英——To strike with a vengeance
Michael Chugani 褚简宁
2021-08-17 04:17 HKT
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Former US President Donald Trump liked to call the coronavirus the invisible enemy. He was right. The coronavirus is invisible to the naked eye. It has killed more than 600,000 Americans and infected over 36 million. It has also killed and infected large numbers around the world. If something is invisible to the naked eye, it means people cannot see it. They will need equipment, such as a microscope. The virus outbreak in the US became a pandemic on Trump’s watch. If something happened on a person’s watch, it means it happened while that person was in charge.
It was also on Trump’s watch that the US developed life-saving vaccines. Trump pressured pharmaceutical companies to quickly develop vaccines. He called it Operation Warp Speed. The expression “warp speed” means extremely fast. Vaccines have stabilized the pandemic but another enemy is threatening the world. This enemy is very visible. It’s called climate change, which has been visible to the naked eye for many years. The world needed to fight this visible enemy together but many world leaders were tardy. The word “tardy” means being late in doing something, such as replying to an email. But used this way, it means slow in taking action.
The tardy response by some countries has enabled climate change to worsen. When scientists first warned of climate change many people, including some world leaders, believed it was not an immediate problem. That explains the tardiness (noun) in dealing with it. But in the past year or two, climate change has struck with a vengeance. The word “vengeance” means to take revenge or to punish someone you believe has done you wrong. To strike with a vengeance means to take action with great force or energy. In the past few years the world has seen wildfires in many countries, snow in places that usually don't snow, flooding in many countries, and drought in others. Is Mother Nature striking back with a vengeance to punish us for being tardy in reducing carbon emissions?
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前美国总统特朗普，喜欢叫新冠病毒为隐形敌人。他是对的。新冠病毒确实是肉眼（naked eye）看不见的，它杀了超过六十万名美国人，感染逾三千六百万人；它也杀死和感染全球大量的人。若某物是invisible to the naked eye，意即它是肉眼看不见的，需要特别仪器如显微镜，才能看得见。美国是在特朗普的治下（on Trump’s watch）爆发新冠肺炎疫情。若某事发生时是on a person’s watch，意即该事情是在那人负责或看管期间发生的。
同样，美国研发出救人的疫苗，亦是在特朗普的治下（on Trump’s watch）。特朗普向药厂施压，要从速研发出疫苗。他称之为「曲速行动」（Operation Warp Speed）——习语“warp speed”是指极速的。疫苗令疫情稳定下来，但亦有另一个敌人正在威胁全世界，而这个敌人是明显看得见的，那就是气候变化，已是多年来肉眼（naked eye）可见的。世界需要一同抵抗这个可见的敌人，但世界各国许多领袖都相当tardy——tardy是指迟延的，例如迟了回复一个电邮；但在这里，它是指行动缓慢、拖拖拉拉的。
一些国家应对气候变化的缓慢（tardy）反应，促使情况恶化。当科学家们率先警告有气候变化时，许多人，包括一些国家领袖，都认为它并非那么刻不容缓的问题。这就解释了他们处理气候变化时的拖延态度（tardiness，名词）。然而，在过去一两年，气候变化已经struck with a vengeance。Vengeance是指报仇、复仇，或就着某人对你做的错事令其承受应得的惩罚。To strike with a vengeance即凶狠、猛烈地攻击。在过去几年，世界许多国家出现大规模山火，平时不会下雪的地方也下起雪来，还有许多国家遭逢严重水灾，而另一些国家则经历旱灾⋯⋯大自然是否在猛烈反击（with a vengeance）我们，惩罚我们在减低碳排放量之上行动缓慢、拖拖拉拉（tardy）？
[email protected]
中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁
It was also on Trump’s watch that the US developed life-saving vaccines. Trump pressured pharmaceutical companies to quickly develop vaccines. He called it Operation Warp Speed. The expression “warp speed” means extremely fast. Vaccines have stabilized the pandemic but another enemy is threatening the world. This enemy is very visible. It’s called climate change, which has been visible to the naked eye for many years. The world needed to fight this visible enemy together but many world leaders were tardy. The word “tardy” means being late in doing something, such as replying to an email. But used this way, it means slow in taking action.
The tardy response by some countries has enabled climate change to worsen. When scientists first warned of climate change many people, including some world leaders, believed it was not an immediate problem. That explains the tardiness (noun) in dealing with it. But in the past year or two, climate change has struck with a vengeance. The word “vengeance” means to take revenge or to punish someone you believe has done you wrong. To strike with a vengeance means to take action with great force or energy. In the past few years the world has seen wildfires in many countries, snow in places that usually don't snow, flooding in many countries, and drought in others. Is Mother Nature striking back with a vengeance to punish us for being tardy in reducing carbon emissions?
＊＊＊＊＊
前美国总统特朗普，喜欢叫新冠病毒为隐形敌人。他是对的。新冠病毒确实是肉眼（naked eye）看不见的，它杀了超过六十万名美国人，感染逾三千六百万人；它也杀死和感染全球大量的人。若某物是invisible to the naked eye，意即它是肉眼看不见的，需要特别仪器如显微镜，才能看得见。美国是在特朗普的治下（on Trump’s watch）爆发新冠肺炎疫情。若某事发生时是on a person’s watch，意即该事情是在那人负责或看管期间发生的。
同样，美国研发出救人的疫苗，亦是在特朗普的治下（on Trump’s watch）。特朗普向药厂施压，要从速研发出疫苗。他称之为「曲速行动」（Operation Warp Speed）——习语“warp speed”是指极速的。疫苗令疫情稳定下来，但亦有另一个敌人正在威胁全世界，而这个敌人是明显看得见的，那就是气候变化，已是多年来肉眼（naked eye）可见的。世界需要一同抵抗这个可见的敌人，但世界各国许多领袖都相当tardy——tardy是指迟延的，例如迟了回复一个电邮；但在这里，它是指行动缓慢、拖拖拉拉的。
一些国家应对气候变化的缓慢（tardy）反应，促使情况恶化。当科学家们率先警告有气候变化时，许多人，包括一些国家领袖，都认为它并非那么刻不容缓的问题。这就解释了他们处理气候变化时的拖延态度（tardiness，名词）。然而，在过去一两年，气候变化已经struck with a vengeance。Vengeance是指报仇、复仇，或就着某人对你做的错事令其承受应得的惩罚。To strike with a vengeance即凶狠、猛烈地攻击。在过去几年，世界许多国家出现大规模山火，平时不会下雪的地方也下起雪来，还有许多国家遭逢严重水灾，而另一些国家则经历旱灾⋯⋯大自然是否在猛烈反击（with a vengeance）我们，惩罚我们在减低碳排放量之上行动缓慢、拖拖拉拉（tardy）？
[email protected]
中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁
最Hit
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