中文導讀
近期，洪水肆虐多省，數百萬人為此流離失所，造成國家經濟損失近千億。雖然中國對抗洪災已有上千年歷史，也修建了大量的水壩、堤壩，其中三峽大壩就是一個代表性工程，但專家推測或許是氣候變化的原因，這種極端天氣帶來的降雨量超過了水利工程的可承載範圍，導致了這場大洪災。
（公眾號：趣讀經濟學人）
雙語閱讀
1
On a recent rainy afternoon the owner of a small riverfront fish restaurant onsleepyKaisha island, in the middle of the Yangzi river, was worried andbemusedby the steadily rising waters.On a spit ofland near the riverbank stood a cluster of trees, their trunks half-submerged. A wooden boardwalkleading out toa fishing pier remained only just above the murky water. 「There is usually a metre of clearance under the walkway,」 she said. 「Yes, I have seen the water this high before, but never this early in the rainy season.」
在近期一個下著雨的下午，位於長江中段寂靜的凱沙島上，一家河邊魚鮮餐館的老闆正對不斷上漲的水位感到擔憂和困惑。在河岸附近一小塊土地上，有一叢樹，樹幹被半淹著。一條通往釣魚碼頭的木板路僅僅位於渾濁水面之上。她說：「通常該人行道下會留有一米的空間。我以前確實見到過這麼高的水位，但從未在這麼早的雨季見到過。」
sleepy 寂靜的；無生氣的
bemused 困惑的
on a spit of 一小塊
lead out to 直通
2
Residents of the island, 160km upstream from Shanghai, where the river pours into the sea, worry about possible disaster. Upstream and along dozens of other river systems across central and southern China trouble has already come. In the face of the worst flooding in decades, China raised the national-emergency response to its second-highest level on July 12th. Two days it later issued an alert after forecasts of 200mm of rainfall a day (nearly eight inches) in many areas and, in some spots, as much as 60mm an hour.
長江在上海上遊160公裡處匯入大海，島上居民擔心可能會發生災難。然而，麻煩已經抵達橫跨中國中部和南部的其他數十條河流水系的上遊和沿岸。面對數十年來最猛烈的洪水，中國於7月12日將國家防汛應急響應提升至二級。兩天後，中國發布預警，預計多個地區的日降雨量為200毫米（接近8英寸），一些地區每小時降雨量甚至能達到60毫米。
3
Flooding in dozens of provinces has already caused the death or disappearance of 141 people, the displacement of millions, the loss of 28,000 homes and 82bn yuan ($11.7bn) in damage.Soldiers have been dispatched to help with relief. President Xi Jinping said China had entered 「a crucial period of flood control」.
多省出現的洪災已經造成141人死亡或失蹤，數百萬人流離失所，2.8萬所房屋被毀，造成經濟損失820億元（約合117億美元）。士兵已被派去抗洪救災。主席表示中國已經進入「防洪的關鍵時期」。
cause 82bn yuan in damage 造成經濟損失820億
劃線句值得回譯、背誦
4
Kaisha island sitsin the shadow ofthe Yangzi’s latest engineering marvel, agleaming newrail-and-road suspension bridge linking the cities of Suzhou, Nantong and other parts of Greater Shanghai. There are no reports of risk to it, but six days after it came into service on July 1st, an ancient bridge 300km away was washed away by a roaring river flood. The seven-arched structure was a cherished landmark in the city of Huangshan.
凱沙島位於長江最新建築奇蹟工程附近，一座嶄新的鐵路和公路懸索橋將蘇州、南通和大上海的其他地區相連。雖然沒有任何關於它的風險報告，但是在7月1日投入使用6天後，300公裡外的一座古橋被洶湧的河水衝走了,這座七拱結構的橋曾是黃山市珍貴的地標。
in the shadow of 在...附近
gleaming new 嶄新的
5
But the fate of the nearly 500m people of the Yangzi basin ultimately depends on another engineering marvel far upstream, the massive Three Gorges Dam. Completed in 2006 at vast expense (and in the face of fervid opposition), it was touted as a multi-function boon. It would generate power, boost irrigation, improve river navigability and, perhaps most important, give Chinathe upper handin its millennia-old struggle against devastating floods. But its failure to do so this year is proof, say the dam’s critics, that its merits were oversold. Some even question the dam’s durability, and warn of a possible calamity—a risk that Chinese officials angrily dismiss.
但長江流域將近5億人口的命運最後還是還是要取決於遠在上遊的另一個奇蹟工程，三峽大壩。三峽大壩於2006年完工，耗資巨大（構築過程中不乏反對聲音），是一座多功能建築。它能夠借水力發電，促進灌溉，改善河流通航能力，還有最重要的一點是，令中國能夠在長達千年的抗洪鬥爭中處於主動地位。三峽大壩的批評者則認為今年它沒有成功幫助抗洪就是它的好處被過分吹捧的證據。有人甚至質疑大壩的耐久性，並警告可能會發生災害——中國官員憤怒地否認了這種風險。
the upper hand優勢；佔上風
6
Climate change may have caused extreme weather unusually early in the year, producing more rain than hydro-engineering can handle. Zhang Junjie of Duke Kunshan University says most Chinese experts agree that climate change is making the region’s weather more volatile and will reduce farming and industrial output. 「In the past, China focused on the engineering approach, building more dams, more dykes and higher banks. But the government has realised this is like an arms race with nature that we can’t really win,」 he says. In December, legislators began deliberating a new draft law on protecting the entire Yangzi river basin, including the restoration of riverside ecosystems that may help to reduce flooding. This, says Mr Zhang hopefully, is 「giant progress」.
氣候變化或許引起了今年不尋常、過早的極端天氣，這種天氣產生的降雨量超出了超級工程可以應付的範圍。杜克崑山大學的張俊傑（音譯）說，大多數中國專家一致認為，氣候變化令該地區的天氣變得更加不穩定，將會損害農業和工業的產出。他說：「在以往，中國把重點放在工程上，修建更多的水壩、堤壩和更高的堤岸。但是政府已經意識到這就像一場與自然的軍備競賽，我們不可能贏。」去年12月，立法者開始審議一項保護整個長江流域的新法律草案，其中包括可能有助於減少洪水的河畔生態系統恢復計劃。張俊傑滿懷期待地說：這是一個「巨大的進步」。