中英雙語：18世紀，持證上崗，海盜的黃金時代與沒落/音頻

The Golden Age of Piracy

海盜事業的黃金時期

Piracy, or thievery on the high seas, is a problem that has popped up on several different occasions in history, including the present. Certain conditions must be met for piracy to thrive, and these conditions were never more evident than during the so-called &34; of Piracy, which lasted roughly from 1700 to 1725. This era produced many of the most famous pirates of all time, including Blackbeard, &34; Rackham, Edward Low, and Henry Avery.

海盜，即公海上的盜竊行為，在歷史上已經出現過好幾次了，包括現在。海盜事業繁榮的出現需要滿足一定的條件，這些條件在海盜活動所謂的「黃金時代」(大約從1700年持續到1725年)最為明顯。這個時代產生了許多最著名的海盜，包括黑鬍子，「印花布傑克」拉克姆，愛德華·洛和亨利·艾弗裡。

重點詞句：

high seas n. [地理] 公海；遠海

例句：

At present, the vessel is carrying out relevant activities on the high seas.

目前該科學考察船正在公海海域開展相關活動。

pop up v. 突然出現

例句：

A window will pop up that lets you play with the results and see them visually.

彈出的窗口則會讓您處理這些結果並可視地查看它們。

of all time 一直，始終；有史以來

例句：

Many rated him the best singer of all time.

許多人認為他是有史以來最優秀的歌手。

Conditions for Piracy to Thrive

海盜業繁榮的背景

Conditions have to be just right for piracy to boom. First, there must be many able-bodied young men (preferably sailors) out of work and desperate to make a living. There must be shipping and commerce lanes nearby, full of ships that carry either wealthy passengers or valuable cargo. There must be little or no law or government control. The pirates must have access to weapons and ships. If these conditions are met, as they were in 1700 (and as they are in present-day Somalia), piracy may become common.

當各方麵條件恰到好處的時候就能促進海盜事業的繁榮。首先，必須有許多身強力壯的年輕人(最好是水手)失業，拼命謀生。附近一定要有航運和商業航線，滿載著富有的乘客或貴重貨物的船隻。必須缺少或沒有法律或政府控制。海盜必須能輕鬆獲得武器和船隻。如果這些條件得到滿足，就像1700年那樣(以及現在的索馬利亞)，海盜行為可能會變得猖狂起來。

重點詞句：

able-bodied adj. 強壯的，健全的

例句：

The gym can be used by both able-bodied and disabled people.

該健身房既可以讓體格健全的人使用也可以讓殘疾人使用。

I have never really thought of myself as disabled because I grew up in an able-bodied family.

我從來沒有真正將自己作為殘疾人，因為我從小生活在一個健全的家庭。

have access to 使用；接近；可以利用

例句：

Students must have access to good resources.

學生必須可以接觸到好的資源。

We must ensure that all patients have access to high quality care.

我們必須確保所有的病人都能夠得到高質量的護理。

Pirate or Privateer?

海盜與持證海盜

A privateer is a ship or individual who is licensed by a government to attack enemy towns or shipping during times of war as a private enterprise. Perhaps the most famous privateer was Sir Henry Morgan, who was given a royal license to attack Spanish interests in the 1660s and 1670s. There was a great need for privateers from 1701 to 1713 during the War of Spanish Succession when Holland and Britain were at war with Spain and France. After the war, privateering commissions were no longer given out and hundreds of experienced sea rogues were suddenly put out of work. Many of these men turned to piracy as a way of life.

私掠船是指獲得政府許可的船隻或個人，在戰爭時期以私人企業的形式攻擊敵方城鎮或航運。也許最著名的私掠船是亨利·摩根爵士，他在1660 - 70年代獲得了皇家執照去掠奪西班牙的財富。在1701年到1713年西班牙王位繼承戰爭期間，荷蘭和英國與西班牙和法國交戰，對私掠船的需求很大。戰後，私掠船隻不再被委以重任，數百名經驗豐富的海上流氓突然失去了工作。為了謀生，這些人中的許多人轉過身投入了海盜事業。

重點詞句：

as a way of 以一種方式

例句：

The Indian government sees aid as a way of improving miserable ties with neighbours.

印度政府視援助為改善與鄰國糟糕關係的方式。

Merchant and Navy Ships

商船和軍艦

Sailors in the 18th century had a choice: they could join the navy, work on a merchant ship, or become a pirate or privateer. Conditions on board the naval and merchant vessels were abominable. The men were routinely underpaid or even cheated of their wages completely, the officers were strict and harsh, and the ships were often filthy or unsafe. Many served against their will. Navy &34; roamed the streets when sailors were needed, beating able-bodied men into unconsciousness and putting them on board a ship until it sailed.

在18世紀，水手們可以自由選擇:他們可以加入海軍，或在商船上工作，或者成為一名海盜或在掠奪船工作。海軍和商船上的情況非常惡劣。船員們的工資一直很低，甚至薪水被剋扣，軍官們嚴厲而苛刻，船隻經常骯髒而不安全。許多人是被迫去服役的。當水手需要的時候，海軍的「強徵隊」就會在街上遊蕩，把強壯的人打昏，然後把他們扣押到船上，直到船隻啟航。

重點詞句：

abominable

adj. 討厭的；令人憎惡的；糟透的

例句：

We were served the most abominable coffee

給我們喝的是最劣質的咖啡。

The judge described the attack as an abominable crime.

法官稱那次襲擊為令人髮指的罪行。

Comparatively, life on board a pirate ship was more democratic and often more profitable. Pirates were extremely diligent about sharing the loot fairly, and although punishments could be severe, they were rarely needless or capricious.

相比之下，海盜船上的生活更民主，通常也更有利可圖。海盜們非常熱衷於公平地分享戰利品，雖然也存在嚴厲的懲處規定，但都是有理有據的。

&39;s fun and easy and we are free and powerful. Who, when presented with this choice, would not choose piracy? The worst that can happen is you can be hanged. No, a merry life and a short one shall be my motto."——Blackbeard

「正規工作，食物差，工資低，勞動強度大。在海盜事業中，有大量的戰利品，我們的生活簡單有趣，我們自由而強大。當面臨這種選擇時，誰不會選擇海盜呢?最壞的結果就是你會被絞死。不，快樂而短暫的人生將是我的座右銘」——黑鬍子語錄

Safe Havens for Pirates

海盜的避風港

For pirates to prosper there must be a safe haven where they can go to restock, sell their loot, repair their ships and recruit more men. In the early 1700s, the British Caribbean was just such a place. Towns like Port Royal and Nassau thrived as pirates brought in stolen goods to sell. There was no royal presence, in the form of governors or Royal Navy ships in the area. The pirates, possessed of weapons and men, essentially ruled the towns. Even on those occasions when the towns were off-limits to them, there are enough secluded bays and harbors in the Caribbean that finding a pirate who did not want to be found was nearly impossible.

海盜業要想繁榮，就必須有一個安全的避風港，在那裡他們可以重新進貨，出售他們的戰利品，修理他們的船隻和招募更多的人。在18世紀早期，英屬加勒比海就是這樣一個地方。像皇家港和拿騷這樣的城鎮因海盜走私贓物而繁榮起來。該地區沒有皇家管理的存在，也沒有總督或皇家海軍船隻的存在。海盜擁有武器和人力，基本上統治著城鎮。即使是在城鎮禁止他們進入的情況下，在加勒比地區也找得到足夠多隱蔽的海灣和港口，所以在加勒比地區想找一個不願露面的海盜幾乎是不可能的。

重點詞句：

possess of 擁有；佔有

例句：

It is vital for soldiers to possess of morale; the weapon is comparatively secondary.

士兵上戰場打仗時，士氣最為重要，武器的精良與否都還是次要的。

Some animals possess the characteristic of humans.

有些動物具有人類的特徵。

off-limits

adj. 禁止進入的，禁區的

例句：

The subject was ruled off-limits.

規定禁止談論這個話題。

The site is off-limits to the general public.

這個場所不對公眾開放。

The End of the Golden Age

海盜事業黃金時代的結束

Around 1717 or so, England decided to put an end to the pirate plague. More Royal Navy ships were sent and pirate hunters commissioned. Woodes Rogers, a tough former privateer, was made governor of Jamaica. The most effective weapon, however, was the pardon. A royal pardon was offered for pirates who wanted out of the life, and many pirates took it. Some, like Benjamin Hornigold, stayed legit, while others who took the pardon, like Blackbeard or Charles Vane, soon returned to piracy. Although piracy would continue, it was not nearly as bad a problem by 1725 or so.

大約在1717年左右，英國決定終結海盜這顆毒瘤。越來越多的皇家海軍艦艇被派遣，越來越多的海盜獵人被委任。強硬的前私掠船船長伍德·羅傑斯被任命為牙買加總督。然而，最有效的武器是赦免。皇家赦免了那些願意金盆洗手的海盜，於是許多海盜都做了這樣的選擇。有些人，如班傑明·霍利格爾德，轉行做著合法的事，而另一些獲得赦免的人，如黑鬍子和查爾斯·文，很快又回到了海盜的行列。儘管海盜行為仍在繼續，但到1725年左右，這個問題已經不那麼嚴重了。

重點詞句：

put an end to 結束；終結

例句：

I flatter myself that this campaign will put an end to the war.

我自以為這次戰役將結束這場戰爭。

There have been continual demands to put an end to this situation.

我自以為這次戰役將結束這場戰爭。