2024.01.30 外刊双语精读 船运：穷困潦倒(7).docx

【1.30】1.30每日一篇双语精读shipping：Straitened out A blow to global trade is a boon for shipping companies 【1】Until the Suez canal opened in 1869, merchant ships in the Red Sea mostly carried coffee, spices and slaves. The waterway changed everything. So far in 2023 around 24,000 vessels have plied the passage, accounting for some 10% of global seaborne trade by volume, according to Clarksons, a shipbroker. That includes 20% of the worlds container traffic, nearly 10% of seaborne oil and 8% of liquefied natural gas. 【2】So missile and drone attacks by Houthi militants in Yemen on ships passing through the narrow strait of Bab al-Mandab, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, apparently in support of Palestinians in Gaza, look like the latest blow to the shipping industryand to its customers. It has struck just as both groups try to return to normality after the upheavals of the pandemic and, more recently, troubles which include a drought that has restricted large vessels from passing through the Panama canal for several months. 【3】A dozen Houthi attacks in recent weeks and four more on December 18th pose an unacceptable danger to shipping. container firms accounting for some 95% of the capacity that usually crosses Suez, including giants like Swiss-based MSC and Denmarks Maersk, have suspended services in the area. A few energy firms, such as BP and Equinor, have also temporarily stopped their ships from using the canal. As when the route was disrupted in 2021 after Ever Given, a giant container ship, ran aground and blocked the canal for six days, shipping companies are already rerouting vessels around Africa. This will extend journeys from around 31 to 40 days between Asia and Northern Europe, reckons Clarksons. Unless the route can safely reopen, delays and the inevitable disruption at ports as vessels arrive out of schedule will create disorder in the coming months. 【4】Still, this Suez crisis will not “put a cork in global trade”, says Lars Jensen of Vespucci Maritime, a consultancy. The reason for the cautious optimism has to do with shippings remorseless cyclicality. In contrast to the Ever Given fiasco, supply chains are not currently under immense strain. Back then cuts to capacity coupled with a surge in spending by locked-down consumers had sent shipping rates surging to astronomical levels. A global index from Drewry, another consultancy, hit over $10,000 per standard container. On some routes, spot rates surpassed $20,000. That helped push shipping firms combined net profits in 2022 to $215bn, according to the John McCown container Report, an industry compendium, compared with a cumulative loss of $8.5bn in 2016-19. 【5】The shipping firms usual response to such price signals is to order new vessels. Those are starting to arrive. Though demand has remained flat over the past year or two, the global fleets capacity will swell by 9% this year and another 11% in 2024, according to ING, a bank. Already, the industrys profits may have plunged by 80% in 2023. With capacity to spare, running longer routes should not cause the disruption seen at the height of covid-19. By mid-December Drewrys index was becalmed at $1,500 or so. Rates could double as a result of the Red Sea turmoil, reckons Peter Sand at Xeneta, a freight-data firm. But they will probably stay well below their pandemic peaksand so will shipping companies profits.短语1.原文：So far in 2023 around 24,000 vessels have plied the passage, 词典：so far; thus far到目前为止；迄今为止；到这点为止例句：What do you think of the show so far?到目前为止你觉得这场演出怎么样？Detectives are so far at a loss to explain the reason for his death.至今侦探仍茫然无法解释他的死因。2.原文：accounting for some 10% of global seaborne trade by volume词典：account for sth 1.是的说明（或原因） 2.解释；说明 3.（数量上、比例上）占例句：The poor weather may have accounted for the small crowd.天气不好可能是人来得少的原因。How do you account for the show's success?你认为这次演出为何成功？The Japanese market accounts for 35% of the company's revenue.日本市场占该公司收入的35%。3.原文：apparently in support of Palestinians in Gaza, look like the latest blow to the shipping industry词典：a/the blow to sb/sth 打击；挫折例句：Losing his job came as a terrible blow to him.失业给他造成了沉重的打击。It was a shattering blow to her pride.那事彻底摧毁了她的自尊心。4.原文：A dozen Houthi attacks in recent weeks and four more on December 18th pose an unacceptable danger to shipping.词典：sth poses a danger/problem产生（问题）；造成（威胁、危险等）例句：This could pose a threat to jobs in the coal industry.这可能会给煤炭产业的就业造成威胁。5.原文：delays and the inevitable disruption at ports as vessels arrive out of schedule will create disorder in the coming months.词典：ahead of schedule 提前 out of schedule 延迟例句：The jet arrived in Johannesburg two minutes ahead of schedule.喷气式飞机提前两分钟到达了约翰内斯堡。6.原文：The reason for the cautious optimism has to do with shippings remorseless cyclicality词典：be/have to do with sb/sth 关于；与有关系（或有联系）例句：What do you want to see me about? It's to do with that letter you sent me.“你想见我有什么事？” “是关于你写给我的那封信。”7.原文：In contrast to the Ever Given fiasco, supply chains are not currently under immense strain.词典：In contrast to /with sb/sth明显的差异；对比；对照例句：The poverty of her childhood stands in total contrast to her life in Hollywood.她孩提时的贫困处境与她在好莱坞的生活有着天壤之别。The situation when we arrived was in marked contrast to the news reports.我们到达时的局势与新闻报道的截然不同。8.原文：In contrast to the Ever Given fiasco, supply chains are not currently under immense strain.词典：be under strain 承受压力、重负、重压之下出现的问题（或担忧等）例句：Their marriage is under great strain at the moment.眼下他们的婚姻关系非常紧张。9.原文：Back then cuts to capacity coupled with a surge in spending by locked-down consumers had sent shipping rates surging to astronomical levels.词典：couple sb/sth with sb/sth 把与连接起来例句：Overproduction, coupled with falling sales, has led to huge losses for the company.生产过剩加上销售下降使这家公司遭受巨大损失。10.原文：As when the route was disrupted in 2021 after Ever Given, a giant container ship, ran aground and blocked the canal for six days词典：run aground （船只）搁浅例句：The ship ran aground where there should have been a depth of 35ft.船搁浅在水深本应为35英尺的地方。11.原文：Rates could double as a result of the Red Sea turmoil, reckons Peter Sand at Xeneta, a freight-data firm.词典：as a result of sth 作为的结果，后果例句：These data show that most cancers are detected as a result of clinical follow-up. 这些数据表明多数癌症是由临床随访查出的。Millions will face starvation next year as a result of the drought. 由于发生旱灾，明年将有数百万人面临饥饿的威胁。12.原文：By mid-December Drewrys index was becalmed at $1,500 or so.词典： or so 左右；上下例句：There were twenty or so people there.那儿有差不多二十个人。We stayed for an hour or so.我们待了一个小时左右。长难句1.原文：So missile and drone attacks by Houthi militants in Yemen on ships passing through the narrow strait of Bab al-Mandab, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, apparently in support of Palestinians in Gaza, look like the latest blow to the shipping industryand to its customers.2.分析：整个句子是So引导的原因状语从句。句中主句是主系表结构missile and drone attacks（主语）look like（系动词）the latest blowto the shipping industry and to its customers（表语）。by Houthi militants in Yemen on ships是方式状语，passing through the narrow strait of Bab al-Mandab为现在分词作伴随状语修饰ships。which引导非限制性定语从句，修饰Bab al-Mandab。in support of是介词短语。3.译文：因此，也门胡塞武装在狭窄水道曼德海峡（Bab al-Mandab）处对过往商船实施导弹及无人机袭击，这可能成为对船运行业及其客户的最新打击。曼德海峡连接着红海（the Red Sea）与亚丁湾（the Gulf of Aden），胡塞武装的举动显然是在表达对加沙地带巴勒斯坦人的支持。1.原文：It has struck just as both groups try to return to normality after the upheavals of the pandemic and, more recently, troubles which include a drought that has restricted large vessels from passing through the Panama Canal for several months.2.分析：主句是主谓结构It（主语）has struck（谓语动词）。just as和after引导时间状语，which引导定语从句，修饰troubles。that引导定语从句，修饰drought。本课程出自微信公众号：双语精读训练营，制作不易，尊重原创，愿诸君上岸！for several months是时间状语。3.译文：船运方与客户方经历疫情动荡以及近期干旱导致大型商船几个月内无法通过巴拿马海峡等各种问题，双方都试图重回常态，袭击正发生在这一节点。写作技巧:But they will probably stay well below their pandemic peaksand so will shipping companies profits.但数值大概率低于疫情前的峰值水平，船运公司的利润亦是如此。表达：在表示“A如此”,“B也如此”时用so+助动词+主语，即“A dose sth, so does B”这一结构，可以用来表述某物做了/经历了某事后，另一物也和其类似。例句：Every time the political complexion of the government changed, so did the defence policy 每当政府的政治性质发生变化，国防政策也会随之变化。Bad weather will pass sooner or later, so will the negative things. 坏天气迟早会过去的,消极的事情也会过去的。As smartphones have multiplied, so have questions about their impact on how we live and how we work. 随着智能手机大量增加，关于它们如何影响我们生活和工作的问题也在大量增加。背景知识：苏伊士运河：1869年修筑通航，是一条海平面的水道，在埃及贯通苏伊士地峡，沟通地中海与红海，提供从欧洲至印度洋和西太平洋附近土地的最近航线。它是世界使用最频繁的航线之一，也是亚洲与非洲的交界线，是亚洲与非洲、欧洲人民来往的主要通道。运河北起塞得港南至苏伊士城，在塞得港北面掘道入地中海至苏伊士的南面。苏伊士运河的建成使得非洲大半岛变成非洲大陆，埃及横跨亚非，西南亚、东北非以及南欧的贸易更繁忙。2015年7月29日，新苏伊士运河疏浚工作已正式完成，2015年8月6日正式开通。 12021年3月23日，一艘悬挂巴拿马国旗的重型货船当日在苏伊士运河新航道搁浅，造成航道拥堵。当地时间25日，埃及苏伊士运河管理局表示，已暂时中止苏伊士运河的交通。 8当地时间3月29日，埃及总统塞西在社交平台上宣布，该国已终结苏伊士运河上搁浅货轮“长赐”号所带来的危机。德国保险公司安联最新研究显示，搁浅导致的苏伊士运河封锁或使全球贸易每天损失60亿至100亿美元。段落大意：【1】苏伊士运河堪称全球海运的命脉【2】胡塞武装在关键节点对过往商船进行袭击【3】绕道航行会引发大量混乱【4】全球航运业并不会因此次危机而停滞【5】船运业的利润上升，但难以恢复到疫情前水平