听考研真题|2023年英二阅读2:把外卖送到国家公园里面,这对吗?

It's easy to dismiss as absurd the federal government's ideas for plugging the chronic funding gap of our national parks. 

【生词】dismiss v.不考虑, 解雇，解散, 不予受理

chronic  adj.慢性的，长期的

【翻译】人们很容易将联邦政府为弥补国家公园长期资金缺口而提出的方案视为荒谬之举。

Can anyone really think it's a good idea to allow Amazon deliveries to your tent in Yosemite or food trucks to line up under the redwood trees at Sequoia National Park? 

【生词】truck n.货车, （铁路的）无盖货车

But the government is right about one thing: U.S. national parks are in crisis. 

    【翻译】但政府在一点上是对的：美国的国家公园正面临危机。

Collectively, they have a maintenance backlog of more than $12 billion. Roads, trails, restrooms, visitor centers and other infrastructure are crumbling. 

【生词】maintenance n.维持，保持, 保养，保管, 维护, 维修

backlog n.积压未办之事, 没交付的订货, 存货，储备

infrastructure n.基础设施, 基础建设

crumble v.（使）破碎, 坍塌, 崩溃, 无力应付

【翻译】总体而言，这些设施的维护积压资金已超过120亿美元。道路、步道、洗手间、游客中心及其他基础设施均已出现老化损毁。

But privatizing and commercializing the campgrounds would not be a cure-all. 

    【翻译】但将露营地私有化并商业化，并不能成为万灵药。

Campgrounds are a tiny portion of the overall infrastructure backlog, and businesses in the parks hand over, on average, only about 5% of their revenues to the National Park Service. 

【生词】revenue n.收入

【翻译】露营地仅占整体基础设施积压项目中的极小一部分，而国家公园内的企业平均仅将约5% 的收入上缴给美国国家公园管理局。

Moreover, increased privatization would certainly undercut one of the major reasons why 300 million visitors come to the parks each year: to enjoy nature and get a break from the commercial drumbeat that overwhelms daily life.

【生词】undercut v. 削弱

drumbeat n.鼓声，打鼓

overwhelm v.淹没, 压倒, 覆盖, 压垮

【翻译】此外，推进更多私有化举措，势必会削弱每年吸引3亿游客前来公园的主要原因之一——即享受自然之美，并从充斥日常生活的商业喧嚣中暂得喘息之机。

The real problem is that the parks have been chronically starved of funding. 

An economic survey of 700 U.S .taxpayers found that people would be willing to pay a significant amount of money to make sure the parks and their programs are kept intact. 

【生词】intact adj.完整无缺的，未经触动的

【翻译】一项针对700 名美国纳税人的经济调查显示，民众愿意支付可观费用，以确保公园及其相关项目得以完好保存。

Some 81% of respondents said they would be willing to pay additional taxes for the next 10 years to avoid any cuts to the national parks. 

【翻译】约81% 的受访者表示，他们愿意在未来 10 年内额外缴纳税款，以避免国家公园遭受任何缩减。

The national parks provide great value to U.S. residents both as places to escape and as symbols of nature. 

【翻译】国家公园既为美国居民提供了远离喧嚣的避世之所，也作为自然之象征，为其带来了巨大价值。

On top of this, they produce value from their extensive educational programs, their positive impact on the climate through carbon sequestration, their contribution to our cultural and artistic life, and of course through tourism. 

【生词】on top of this 除此以外

sequestration n.扣押，没收，封存

【翻译】除此之外，他们还通过其丰富的教育项目、通过碳封存对气候产生的积极影响、对文化与艺术生活的贡献，以及当然还有旅游业，创造着价值。

The parks also help keep America's past alive, working with thousands of local jurisdictions around the country to protect historical sites and to bring the stories of these places to life. 

【生词】jurisdiction n.司法权, 裁判权, 管辖区域, 管辖范围

【翻译】这些公园还助力延续美国的历史记忆，与全美数千个地方辖区携手保护历史遗址，并将这些地方的故事生动地呈现出来。

The parks do all this on a shoestring. Congress allocates only $3billion a year to the national park system-- an amount that has been flat since 2001 (in inflation-adjusted dollars) with the exception of a onetime boost in 2009.

【生词】shoestring adj.<非正>用钱极少的，小本经营的

onetime 一次性的

【翻译】这些国家公园在极其有限的预算下仍承担着所有这些职能。美国国会每年仅向国家公园系统拨款30亿美元——按经通胀调整后的美元价值计算，这一数额自2001年以来一直保持稳定，唯2009年曾有一次临时性增加。

Meanwhile, the number of annual visitors has increased by more than 50% since 1980,and now stands a 330 million visitors per year.

【翻译】与此同时，自1980年以来，年游客人数已增长逾50%，目前每年游客量已达3.3亿人次。