034《经济学家》读译参考之三十四关于坏蛋的坏消息-美国犯罪率上升.docVIP

TEXT 34 Bad news about bad guys 关于坏蛋的坏消息（陈继龙 编译） Jun 15th 2006 | WASHINGTON, DC From The Economist print edition AMERICANS worry about crime. In a big country with hyperactive media, any sensational horror is quickly broadcast from coast to coast, making many people n______①. Last year, for example, after a teenager shot dead ten people in and around a Minnesota high school, pollsters asked a sample of Americans how likely it was that a similar massacre might occur in their own town._________________________. （近四分之三的人说“很有可能”或“大概会”。） 美国人为犯罪发愁。在一个媒体极为活跃的大国，任何骇人听闻的恐怖事件很快就能广为人知，让许多人紧张不安。比如说，去年一位少年在明尼苏达一所中学里及其周边地区开枪打死10人之后，民调者对美国人进行了随机抽样调查，询问类似的杀人案件在他们当地发生的可能性有多大，近四分之三的人说“很有可能”或“大概会”。 The FBIs announcement this week that violent crime rose by 2.5% between 2004 and 2005 will soothe[1] no nerves. Nor will the news that murders jumped by 5%—the biggest spike[2] in 15 years. The new numbers should be treated with c______②; they do not yet take account of population growth, which is about 1% a year. （1）But still, some experts worry that Americas long run of success in reducing crime may be over. FBI本周宣布，暴力犯罪活动在2004年到2005年间增加了2.5％，这令所有人都感到坐立不安。同样令人不安的还有，有消息称谋杀犯罪发生率上升了5%，为15年来之最。应该谨慎对待这些数字——它们未将每年大约1％的人口增长因素纳入考虑范围。不过，有些专家仍然担心，美国长期以来在减少犯罪方面取得的成就可能就到此为止了。 Why did it fall? Some credit “zero-tolerance” policing. （2）Some think long jail terms keep the worst offenders out of circulation. Others look at d_______③ factors, such as the legalisation of abortion in 1973, which some argue, controversially, prevented many potential criminals from being born. Now their number is rising again. 为什么以前犯罪率会下降呢？有的人把它归因于“毫不留情”的执法，有的人认为是长期关押让那些坏透了的罪犯无法到处流窜，还有人则考虑到人口统计因素，比如1973年饱受争议的流产合法化让许多潜在的犯罪分子无法降临人世。现如今，这些数字又增加了。 The sharpest increases in murders last year occurred in the Midwest, in cities such as Omaha and Milwaukee. （3）Granted, a 55% increase in Omaha is only 11 more murders. But the numbers highlight a trend for the big gangs of New York and Los Angeles to spread into heartland towns. “A sm