新冠沒有成為中國的車諾比，卻成了美國的滑鐵盧
10月14日，美國《紐約時報》刊發了曾3次獲得普立茲獎、《世界是平的》一書作者託馬斯·弗裡德曼（Thomas Friedman）的專欄文章，稱「China Got Better. We Got Sicker. Thanks, Trump」(中國在好轉，美國在惡化，謝謝您，川普)
As I watched the first Trump-Biden debate, a vision popped into my head. I imagined that the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party had also gathered to watch the debate — but its members decided to make it more entertaining by playing a drinking game. Every time Donald Trump said something ridiculous or embarrassing for America, each Politburo member had to down a shot of whiskey. Within a half-hour, all 25 members were stone-cold drunk.How could they not have been? They were watching something they had never seen before — the out-of-control antics of an incoherent American president, a man clearly desperate to stay in office because losing could mean his prosecution, humiliation and liquidation all at the same time.And who can blame the Chinese for gloating? A pandemic that began in Wuhan, and, for now, has been contained in China, is still rampaging through America’s economy and citizenry — even though we saw the whole thing coming. Alas, we aren’t who we think we are.Covid-19 was supposed to be China’s Chernobyl. It’s ended up looking more like the West’s Waterloo. That is the argument that John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge make in their new book, 「The Wake-Up Call: Why the Pandemic Has Exposed the Weakness of the West, and How to Fix It.」According to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker, America has suffered 65.74 Covid deaths per 100,000 people, or about 216,000 total. China has lost 0.34 per 100,000, or about 4,750 people. Maybe China’s fibbing. OK — so quadruple its numbers — China still has been vastly better at protecting its people than the United States.
As I watched the first Trump-Biden debate, a vision popped into my head. I imagined that the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party had also gathered to watch the debate — but its members decided to make it more entertaining by playing a drinking game. Every time Donald Trump said something ridiculous or embarrassing for America, each Politburo member had to down a shot of whiskey. Within a half-hour, all 25 members were stone-cold drunk.
觀看川普和拜登的首場辯論時，一個畫面突然出現在我的腦海。我想像中共的政治局委員們也聚在一起看這場辯論，為了湊趣，他們決定玩個喝酒遊戲。每當唐納·川普說出什麼可笑或者讓美國難堪的話，每位委員就得喝一杯威士忌。不到半小時，25名委員都爛醉如泥。
想像
He had a vision of Cheryl, slumped on a plastic chair in the waiting room.
他想像謝麗爾跌坐在候診室的一把塑料椅子上。
突然想到的，突然出現在某人腦海中
An important question then popped into my head.
這時，我想起了一個重要的問題。
/ˈpɑlɪtˌbjʊro/
名詞，共產黨政治局
In communist countries the Politburo is the chief committee that decides on government policy and makes decisions.
吃下; 喝下
If you say that someone downs food or a drink, you mean that they eat or drink it.
We downed bottles of local wine.
我們喝了好幾瓶本地酒。
酩酊大醉的
絲毫未醉的
If something that should be warm is stone-cold, it is very cold.
冰涼的
Hillsden took a sip of tea, but it was stone cold.
希爾斯登呷了口茶，但茶都涼透了。
How could they not have been? They were watching something they had never seen before — the out-of-control antics of an incoherent American president, a man clearly desperate to stay in office because losing could mean his prosecution, humiliation and liquidation all at the same time.
怎麼可能不是這樣呢？他們看到的是他們以前從未見過的——一個語無倫次的美國總統失控的滑稽行為，一個顯然不顧一切想要繼續留任的人，因為一旦失敗，他將面臨起訴、羞辱和破產。
Antics are funny, silly, or unusual ways of behaving.
滑稽反常的舉止
Elizabeth tolerated Sarah's antics.
伊莉莎白容忍了薩拉的滑稽反常的舉止。
If someone is incoherent, they are talking in a confused and unclear way.
adj語無倫次的
The man was almost incoherent with fear.
那人幾乎害怕得說話語無倫次。
If you are desperate, you are in such a bad situation that you are willing to try anything to change it.
adj不顧一切的
Troops are needed to help get food into Kosovo where people are in desperate need.
需要軍隊協助將食物運進科索沃，那裡的人們迫切需要食物。
Prosecution is the action of charging someone with a crime and putting them on trial.
noun起訴
Yesterday the head of government called for the prosecution of those responsible for the deaths.
政府首腦昨日要求對那些造成死亡的責任人進行起訴。
破產
The company has gone into liquidation.
這家公司已破產。
The company ran into cash-flow problems and faced liquidation.
公司的現金流通出現了問題，面臨清算。
And who can blame the Chinese for gloating? A pandemic that began in Wuhan, and, for now, has been contained in China, is still rampaging through America’s economy and citizenry — even though we saw the whole thing coming. Alas, we aren’t who we think we are.
誰又能責怪中國人幸災樂禍呢？一場始於武漢、目前已在中國得到控制的大流行，卻仍在摧殘著美國的經濟和國民——儘管這一切都是我們早就能預見到的。哎，我們已經和自己心中的形象相去甚遠了。
If someone is gloating, they are showing pleasure at their own success or at other people's failure in an arrogant and unpleasant way.
(對自己的成功) 洋洋得意; (對別人的失敗) 幸災樂禍 [表不滿]
Anti-abortionists are gloating over the court's decision.
反墮胎主義者對法庭的裁決沾沾自喜。
目前，暫時
That's all the news there is for now.
目前新聞就這麼多。
That's all for now.
暫時就這些。
If you contain something, you control it and prevent it from spreading or increasing.
verb 控制; 阻止
More than a hundred firemen are still trying to contain the fire at the plant.
一百多名消防隊員仍在努力控制工廠火勢。
When people or animals rampage through a place, they rush around there in a wild or violent way, causing damage or destruction.
橫衝直撞
Hundreds of youths rampaged through the town, smashing shop windows and overturning cars.
數百名年輕人在鎮上橫衝直撞，搗毀商店的櫥窗，掀翻汽車。
If you see something happening in the future, you imagine it, or predict that it will happen.
想像; 預測
A good idea, but can you see Taylor trying it?
主意很好，但是你能想像泰勒試著做嗎?
You use alas to say that you think that the facts you are talking about are sad or unfortunate.
唉 (表示難過或不幸的驚嘆聲) [正式]
Such scandals have not, alas, been absent.
唉，這樣的醜聞也不是沒有。
Covid-19 was supposed to be China’s Chernobyl. It’s ended up looking more like the West’s Waterloo. That is the argument that John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge make in their new book, 「The Wake-Up Call: Why the Pandemic Has Exposed the Weakness of the West, and How to Fix It.」
新冠病毒曾被視為中國的車諾比，結果看上去更像是西方的滑鐵盧。這就是約翰·米克爾思韋特(John Micklethwait)和阿德裡安·伍爾德裡奇(Adrian Wooldridge)在他們的新書《警鐘——大流行何以暴露西方的弱點，以及如何解決》(The Wake-Up Call: Why the Pandemic Has Exposed the Weakness of the West, and How to Fix It)中提出的觀點。
/tʃɚˈnobəl/
車諾比
這裡指車諾比核事故，是1986年4月26日蘇聯烏克蘭普裡皮亞季市車諾比核電站發生的核子反應爐事故。
If you end up doing something or end up in a particular state, you do that thing or get into that state even though you did not originally intend to.
到頭來
If you don't know what you want, you might end up getting something you don't want.
如果你不知道自己想要什麼，你可能會到頭來得到自己不想要的東西。
Every time they went dancing they ended up in a bad mood.
每次他們去跳舞，到頭來總是掃興而歸。
叫醒電話，警告，提醒信號
I remember a shallow little wake up call I got one time while we were living in Florida.
我記起我們住在佛羅裡達時發生的一件讓我幡然醒悟的事。
In a sense, 'Voices of the Poor' is a wake up call for all people and organizations concerned with poverty.
在某種意義上，《窮人的呼聲》是喚醒所有關心貧困問題的人們和組織的呼聲。
According to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker, America has suffered 65.74 Covid deaths per 100,000 people, or about 216,000 total. China has lost 0.34 per 100,000, or about 4,750 people. Maybe China’s fibbing. OK — so quadruple its numbers — China still has been vastly better at protecting its people than the United States.
根據約翰·霍普金斯大學(Johns Hopkins)的新冠病毒跟蹤調查，美國每10萬人中有65.74人死於新冠病毒，總人數約為21.6萬人。中國每10萬人中有0.34人死於新冠病毒，總人數約4750人。也許中國撒謊了。好吧，把它的數字乘以四——就算這樣，中國在保護其人民方面仍然比美國要好得多。
If someone is fibbing, they are telling lies.
撒謊
He laughs loudly when I accuse him of fibbing.
我指控他撒謊時，他笑得很大聲。
If someone quadruples an amount or if it quadruples, it becomes four times bigger.
使成4倍; 成為4倍
China seeks to quadruple its income in twenty years.
中國力求在20年內將其收入翻兩番。
Vastly means to an extremely great degree or extent.
極其
The jury has heard two vastly different accounts.
陪審團聽到了兩種極為不同的陳述。
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