英語閱讀 學(xué)英語,練聽力,上聽力課堂! 注冊 登錄
> 輕松閱讀 > 雙語閱讀 >  內(nèi)容

你準(zhǔn)備好迎接世界末日了嗎?

所屬教程:雙語閱讀

瀏覽:

2017年11月29日

手機(jī)版
掃描二維碼方便學(xué)習(xí)和分享
President Trump threatens to “totally destroy North Korea.” Another hurricane lashes out. A second monster earthquake jolts Mexico. Terrorists strike in London. And that’s just this past week or so.

特朗普總統(tǒng)揚(yáng)言要“徹底摧毀朝鮮”。又一場颶風(fēng)肆虐。墨西哥再次發(fā)生大地震??植婪肿右u擊倫敦。這些,只是過去一周左右發(fā)生的事情。

Yes, the world is clearly coming to an end. But is there anything you can do to prepare?

是的,世界末日顯然要到了。但你能做些什么準(zhǔn)備嗎?

That is not a philosophical question, or a theological one. And if it is a question that seems to beg any explication, you may stop reading now.

這并非一個哲學(xué)或神學(xué)問題。并且,如果這個問題對你來說存在任何費(fèi)解的地方,那你或許應(yīng)該立即停止閱讀本文。

But if you are among the swelling class of weekend paranoiacs of affluent means who are starting to mull fantasies of urban escape following the endless headlines about disasters, both natural and manufactured, you may be starting to see a different image in your mind when think “survivalist.” You may no longer see the wild-eyed cave dweller in camouflage fatigues, hoarding canned goods. You may even see one in the mirror.

但如果你是一個日益壯大的、掌握諸多奇技淫巧的周末妄想一族成員,在看過太多關(guān)于天災(zāi)人禍的頭條新聞以后,開始沉迷于逃離城市的奇思妙想,那么,當(dāng)你想到“生存主義者”這個詞時,腦海中也許會出現(xiàn)不同的圖景。你看到的或許不再是眼神狂野、身穿迷彩服、囤積罐頭食品的穴居人。你甚至可能看到鏡中的自己。

In a world where the bombproof bunker has replaced the Tesla as the hot status symbol for young Silicon Valley plutocrats, everyone, it seems, is a “prepper,” even if the “prep” in question just means he is stashing a well-stocked “bug-out bag” alongside his Louis Vuitton luggage in a Range Rover pointed toward Litchfield County, Conn. Here is a checklist for the neo-survivalist preparing for the apocalypse.

現(xiàn)今,防爆掩體已經(jīng)取代特斯拉(Tesla)成為身份的象征,備受年輕的硅谷新貴追捧。在這樣一個時代,似乎每個人都是“末日準(zhǔn)備者”,即便所謂的“準(zhǔn)備”僅僅意味著,在朝著康涅狄格州利奇菲爾德縣方向的路虎上,他不僅放了LV行李箱,還放了一個配備齊全的“避難背包”。謹(jǐn)以下述清單獻(xiàn)給為末日做準(zhǔn)備的新生存主義者。

1. Satchels for Survival

1. 求生包

The power grid has collapsed. Supermarkets are looted. With the city teetering on the brink of collapse, the first thing you want to reach for — after the Xanax — is a well-stocked “bug out” bag.

電網(wǎng)已經(jīng)崩潰。超市里的東西也被搶光了。當(dāng)整座城市徘徊在崩潰邊緣,這時除了贊安諾(Xanax),你最希望拿到的東西,就是一只配備齊全的“避難”背包。

These suddenly chic survival satchels, also known as go bags, are typically lightweight military-grade backpacks stocked with provisions for at least 72 hours. Ready-made bug-out bags containing staples like water purification tablets, a 20-hour body warmer and a multifunction shovel are available on Amazon for under than $200.

這些忽然時髦起來的求生包,又叫沖鋒包,通常是輕型軍用級背包,塞滿至少能讓人撐過72小時的物資?,F(xiàn)成的求生包主要裝有凈化水的藥片、可供取暖20小時的暖暖包、多功能鏟等等,花不了200美元就能從亞馬遜(Amazon)買到一個。

Hard-core preppers, however, would never leave their survival up to a mouse click, which is why some sites suggest endless creative tweaks to the standard equipment. Graywolf Survival recommends a chain-saw blade stashed in an Altoids tin to harvest firewood. Survival Life touts feminine hygiene products, even for men, to soak up blood from wounds.

不過,真正的末日準(zhǔn)備者絕不會以為只點(diǎn)一下鼠標(biāo)就能解決這生死攸關(guān)的大事,因此一些網(wǎng)站針對這種標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化裝備給出了大量頗具創(chuàng)意的變通之道。Graywolf Survival(灰狐求生)建議用裝在歐托滋薄荷糖(Altoids)錫盒里的鋸鏈刀片來割柴火。Survival Life(幸存生活)建議用女性衛(wèi)生用品去吸收從傷口里流出來的血——男性也可以用。

“As long as the gear gets the job done, that’s what matters,” said Andrew Pontius, a marketing consultant and disaster preparedness instructor in Kansas City, Mo., who helps run a site called Bug Out Bag Academy.

“工具只要管用就行,那才是最重要的,”密蘇里州堪薩斯城的營銷顧問及防災(zāi)教練安德魯·龐修斯(Andrew Pontius)說。龐修斯參與運(yùn)營著一個名叫Bug Out Bag Academy(避難包學(xué)院)的網(wǎng)站。

2. Go for the Silver

2. 準(zhǔn)備些銀子

Two years ago, Greece was forced to shutter banks and limit A.T.M. withdrawals to 60 euros a day during a debt crisis that threatened to shatter Europe’s currency union. In the United States, prominent authors like James Rickards, a hedge fund veteran, and David Stockman, once the budget director for the Reagan administration, insist that an even bigger crisis will soon tank Wall Street and torpedo the dollar.

兩年前,在一場可能令歐元區(qū)分崩離析的債務(wù)危機(jī)肆虐期間,希臘被迫關(guān)閉了銀行,并設(shè)定了每天60歐元的ATM取款限額。在美國,一些知名作者,比如資深對沖基金從業(yè)者詹姆斯?瑞卡茲(James Rickards)和曾在里根政府中當(dāng)過預(yù)算主管的戴維·斯托克曼(David Stockman),堅(jiān)持認(rèn)為一場更大的危機(jī)很快就會摧毀華爾街,搞垮美元。

No wonder so many preppers, some of them wearing pinstriped suits, consider gold and silver to be a crucial hedge against a crisis.

難怪有那么多末日準(zhǔn)備者——其中一些人身上穿著細(xì)條紋西裝——會把金銀視為用以對抗危機(jī)的必備之物。

While Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies make news, many preppers are quietly packing their bug-out bags with rolls of pre-1965 American dimes, quarters or half-dollars, which are 90 percent silver and available from coin dealers and precious-metals websites (silver is currently about $17 an ounce). “My preferred form of precious metal post-financial collapse, that is, besides high-speed lead,” wrote one prepper on SurvivalistBoards.com.

雖然比特幣等加密貨幣不斷登上報端,但很多末日準(zhǔn)備者正悄悄地把一卷又一卷1965年以前的面值為10美分、25美分或50美分的硬幣塞進(jìn)避難包——它們的含銀量為90%,你可以在錢幣經(jīng)銷商和貴金屬網(wǎng)站上買到(當(dāng)前的銀價約為每盎司17美元)。“除了子彈,這會是金融系統(tǒng)崩潰后我最青睞的貴金屬類型,”一名末日準(zhǔn)備者在SurvivalistBoards.com(生存主義者論壇)上寫道。

Unlike gold, which is hovering around $1,300 an ounce, these old silver coins come in small enough denominations to barter for a loaf of bread or a socket wrench in an economic “Mad Max” scenario. Even so, some survivalists remain silver skeptics. “For $100, let’s say you get five silver coins,” said an urban preparedness expert who goes by the nom de guerre Selco. “Why not buy 100 cans of soup?”

不同于黃金——其價格徘徊在每盎司1300美元左右——這些老銀幣面額足夠小,一旦經(jīng)濟(jì)陷入“瘋狂的麥克斯”(Mad Max)式的場面,可以用來換取一塊面包,或一把套筒扳手。盡管如此,一些生存主義者還是對銀存有疑慮。“假設(shè)100美元能換5枚銀幣吧,”一個自稱“de guerre Selco”的城市避難準(zhǔn)備專家說。“那你為什么不買100罐湯?”

3. Alt-Currencies for the Apocalypse

3. 為世界末日準(zhǔn)備替代貨幣

Imagine a true economic apocalypse, one that makes the German hyperinflation of the 1920s, with its wheelbarrows of near-worthless paper currency, look like a hiccup. To prepare for the worst worst-case scenario, some doomers prefer daily staples like tampons, vegetable seeds and cigarettes (that timeless prison medium of exchange) to silver or gold as an alt-currency.

想象一下真正的經(jīng)濟(jì)災(zāi)難,會讓德國1920年代的惡性通貨膨脹——當(dāng)時的人們要用手推車來運(yùn)載幾近毫無價值的紙幣——相形見絀的那種。為了迎接最最糟糕的情況,一些末日論者更愿意把日常物資,比如衛(wèi)生棉條、蔬菜種子和香煙(監(jiān)獄中永恒的硬通貨),當(dāng)成貨幣來囤積,而不是囤積金銀。

Liquor, too — particularly in easy-to-swap airline bottles — would likely prove a hot commodity, since it not only deadens the pain of surviving in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, but, as a blogger named Survival Mom points out, also provides useful off-label functions as a disinfectant or an ingredient in herbal remedy tinctures.

酒——尤其是適合以物易物的小包裝酒——最終也有可能成為一種搶手的商品,因?yàn)樗粌H能緩解生活在后末日時代的荒原上的痛苦,而且就像一個名為Survival Mom(幸存媽咪)的博客作者所指出的,還能派上一些標(biāo)簽上未標(biāo)明的用場,充當(dāng)消毒劑或制備草藥酊劑的原料。

Visions of a barter economy are not necessarily the stuff of doomer fever dreams, said Xavier Thomas, who runs the British site MoreThanJustSurviving.com with his wife, Elise.

和妻子埃莉斯(Elise)一同運(yùn)營英國網(wǎng)站MoreThanJustSurviving.com(不僅僅是生存)的澤維爾·托馬斯(Xavier Thomas)說,易貨經(jīng)濟(jì)不一定是末日論者的瘋狂夢境中才有的東西。

“If we look at examples of systematic social breakdowns, like Argentina in 2001, or the war in the Balkans, goods that people understood on an intrinsic level clearly carried the most value when trading — cans of food, gas, batteries, cheap Bic lighters,” he said. “A good rule of thumb: If you’d find it useful in an emergency, you’ll be able to find someone who will trade for it in an emergency.”

“研究一下系統(tǒng)性社會崩潰的案例,比如2001年的阿根廷,或者巴爾干地區(qū)的戰(zhàn)爭,我們會看到,在交換中最具價值的是那些人憑直覺就能意識到的東西——罐頭食品、汽油、電池、廉價的Bic打火機(jī),”他說。“一條非常有用的法則是:如果你發(fā)現(xiàn)它在緊急情況下有用,那你就能找到會在緊急情況下用別的東西換它的人。”

4. Beyond “Duck and Cover”

4. 不僅僅是“臥倒、隱蔽”

When President Trump issued his threat to North Korea at the United Nations, many preppers had an almost Pavlovian response: to check their nuclear survival kit. Ever since the backyard bomb shelter went the way of tail fins, survival in the face of mushroom clouds has seemed highly relative.

當(dāng)特朗普總統(tǒng)在聯(lián)合國大會上對朝鮮發(fā)出威脅的時候,很多末日準(zhǔn)備者做出了近乎巴甫洛夫式的反應(yīng):檢查它們的核生存工具包。自從后院的防空洞消亡以來,蘑菇云之下的生存似乎一直是值得考慮的事。

Some preppers place their faith in unproven home remedies, like bedsheets dusted with baby powder, which they hope will block X-rays, or generous helpings of turmeric mixed with black pepper, to inhibit tumor formation. Others turn to basics, like Geiger counters, wallet-size RAD badges, potassium iodide tablets or a Seychelle radiological family water pitcher, which the manufacturer claims will filter out “99.99 percent of the major contaminants that can be found after a nuclear event.”

一些末日準(zhǔn)備者將希望寄托在效果未經(jīng)證實(shí)的家居補(bǔ)救措施上,比如往床單上灑嬰兒爽身粉,希望以此阻擋X射線,或者把大量姜黃粉和黑胡椒粉混合,希望以此阻止腫瘤的生成。另外一些人把目光投向基本的東西,比如蓋革計(jì)數(shù)器、錢包大小的輻射探測器、碘化鉀片或者Seychelle牌家用輻射過濾水壺——其生產(chǎn)商稱,它“能濾除核爆發(fā)生后出現(xiàn)的99.99%的主要污染物。”

Or people may just want to stock up on Snuggies, chocolate Easter bunnies, Hummel figurines or vintage Backstreet Boys paraphernalia, which will do about as much good in the event of a direct strike.

或者人們可能只是儲備袖毯、復(fù)活節(jié)巧克力兔子,胡美爾(Hummel)小擺件或者有年頭的“后街男孩”(Backstreet Boys)周邊產(chǎn)品,它們在遭受直接打擊的情況下具有同樣效用。

5. The Other Bug-Out Bag

5. 另一種逃生包

In the event of apocalypse, bring condoms. This may sound like a slogan from a fraternity party T-shirt, but survivalists absolutely adore condoms. Featherweight, ultracompact and durable, condoms (nonlubricated, please) can be used as a makeshift canteen to store water, a fire starter or as elastic bands for an improvised slingshot to hunt small game, according to Creek Stewart, a survival instructor and television host.

末日災(zāi)難降臨時,帶上避孕套。這看上去可能像是兄弟會派對T恤上的口號,但是末日幸存者對避孕套絕對鐘愛有加。求生指導(dǎo)者、電視臺節(jié)目主持人克里克·斯圖爾特(Creek Stewart)說,它又輕又小,而且非常耐用。避孕套(請使用非潤滑型)可用作儲水的臨時容器;還可以用來生火;或是當(dāng)做橡皮筋,制作狩獵小型動物的簡易彈弓。

When inflated, they can also be used as fishing bobbers or signaling devices for semaphore, according to SensiblePrepper. Oh, and they’re also great for the obvious use, too.

根據(jù)“理性準(zhǔn)備者”(SensiblePrepper)視頻節(jié)目所說,充氣之后,它們還可以在釣魚時當(dāng)浮標(biāo)用,或者在打旗語時用作信號裝置。哦,還有,它們原本的用處也挺好的。

6. Armed to the Teeth, but With What?

6. 武裝到牙齒,但是用什么武裝?

Should law and order on the streets break down after, say, a massive hurricane or nuclear-reactor meltdown, that condom slingshot might come in handy in New York, where possession of the most fundamental survivalist self-defense staple — the gun — is highly restricted by law. (The same goes for brass knuckles, nunchucks, ninja stars, switchblade knives, wrist-brace slingshots and, that D.I.Y. prepper favorite, a paint ball pistol loaded with ghost-chili-powder balls.)

如果發(fā)生大規(guī)模的颶風(fēng)或核反應(yīng)堆崩潰,街頭的法律和秩序就會崩潰,在紐約,避孕套做成的彈弓可能會派上用場,因?yàn)樵谀抢铮┤丈嬲哂脕碜孕l(wèi)的最重要的武器——槍支——受到法律的嚴(yán)格限制(同樣受限的還有手指虎、雙節(jié)棍、忍者鏢、開刃刀、腕帶彈弓,以及熱衷自己動手的末日準(zhǔn)備者們的最愛——裝有鬼辣椒粉球的彩球手槍。)

So what is a defenseless, law-abiding survivalist to do? Prepper bibles like “100 Deadly Skills,” by Clint Emerson, a former Navy SEAL, are filled with improvised alternative weapons, like a collapsible umbrella lined with wrenches, which is “not illegal to possess,” a New York City Police Department spokesman said, but “would be considered a weapon if you used it on someone.”

那么,一個手無寸鐵、遵紀(jì)守法的末日生存者該怎么辦呢?前海豹突擊隊(duì)員克林特·埃默森(Clint Emerson)的《致命技能一百種》(100 Deadly Skills)是末日準(zhǔn)備者們的圣經(jīng),里面寫了各種可以臨時制作的另類武器,比如內(nèi)裝扳手的折疊傘,一個紐約警察局的發(fā)言人說,“持有這種東西不算非法”,但是“如果你把它用到某人身上,它就會被視為武器。”

Sure, you could master jiu-jitsu. “But if it’s really on, hand-to-hand self-defense will only take you so far,” said Jason Charles, a firefighter and organizer of the New York City Prepper’s Network. To balance legality with lethality in a bug-out bag, he said, “you have to go simpler — hammers, hatchets, certain heavy tools.” That roll of old silver quarters might come in handy, too.

當(dāng)然,你也可以學(xué)習(xí)巴西柔術(shù)。“但是到實(shí)戰(zhàn)的時候,徒手自衛(wèi)效果不過如此,”消防員及紐約市末日準(zhǔn)備者網(wǎng)絡(luò)(New York City Prepper’s Network)的組織者杰森·查爾斯(Jason Charles)說。求生包中的物品必須兼顧合法性與殺傷力,他說,“工具必須簡單一點(diǎn)——錘子、小斧頭、某些重型工具”。用紙卷起來的舊銀幣也可能派上用場。

7. Paddling to Safety

7. 安全涉水

Manhattanites face challenges unknown to their Western counterparts hunkering in remote desert bunkers. Their home turf, after all, is not only a prime target, but an island. In the event of a cataclysmic emergency, bridges and tunnels may be closed, or choked off by marauding mobs, forcing survivors to consider waterborne escape.

曼哈頓人面臨著那些藏在偏僻沙漠掩體中的西部人所不了解的挑戰(zhàn)。畢竟,他們的家園所在的地方不僅是一個首要打擊目標(biāo),而且是一個島嶼。在發(fā)生災(zāi)難性的緊急情況時,橋梁和隧道可能會被關(guān)閉,或者被搶劫的暴徒阻斷,幸存者只能考慮通過水上逃生。

A lightweight, folding kayak like the Oru Beach LT is a savvy, albeit expensive option ($1,299), since it weighs 30 pounds (easy enough to tote to the Hudson River if Lyft is offline) and collapses to the size of a suitcase — perfect for those tiny Upper West Side closets.

類似Oru Beach LT的折疊式輕便皮劃艇是個明智而昂貴的選擇(1299美元),它只有30磅重(如果叫車軟件Lyft崩潰了的話,你能輕松地背著它走到哈德遜河),它能折疊成手提箱大小,非常適合上西區(qū)的小櫥柜。

Sure, kayak pros counsel against newbies attempting a Hudson crossing. “There are strong tidal currents, few places to safely launch or land, and an abundance of commercial and ferry transit traffic,” said Randall Henriksen of the New York Kayak Company. But if the choice is armed mobs or choppy waters, many New Yorkers may reach for a paddle.

當(dāng)然,皮劃艇專業(yè)人士不建議新手嘗試橫渡哈德遜河。“河水湍急,幾乎沒有可以安全下河或上岸的地方,還有大量商業(yè)船只和渡輪經(jīng)過,”紐約皮劃艇公司(New York Kayak Company)的蘭德爾·亨里克森(Randall Henriksen)說。但是如果要在武裝暴徒和洶涌的河水之間做選擇,估計(jì)很多紐約人會伸手去拿船槳。

8. Deliverance From Above

8. 從天而降

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, many cubicle dwellers have been haunted by fears of being stuck in a skyscraper when disaster strikes. In fact, tragic images from the World Trade Center inspired a micro-industry of high-rise-escape options. There are now escape chutes (basically, giant collapsible fabric tubes for shinnying down) and small parachutes.

自9·11恐怖襲擊以來,很多在小隔間里工作的人時常擔(dān)心,災(zāi)難發(fā)生時,自己會被困在摩天大樓里。事實(shí)上,世界貿(mào)易中心(World Trade Center)的悲慘照片衍生出了一個提供高樓逃生方式的微型產(chǎn)業(yè)。現(xiàn)在有了逃生槽(基本上就是巨大的可折疊織物管道,用來往下滑)和小型降落傘。

The SOS Parachute (about $2,400) is compact enough to store in a cubicle, opens in about two seconds and is designed to work for the 11th floor and higher. Granted, the parachute is exactly not 82nd Airborne-grade, and a 200-pound man might find the landing a little rough. “You may twist an ankle,” said Nicolas Havett, a company executive. But in a situation serious enough to warrant a parachute, that’s a deal that many would take.

SOS降落傘(約2400美元)體積很小,可以放在小隔間里,大約只需兩秒鐘就能打開,可在11層及以上使用。當(dāng)然,它不是第82空降師使用的那種降落傘,200磅重的人著陸時可能會比較難受。“你可能會扭傷腳踝,”該公司的高管尼古拉斯·哈維特(Nicolas Havett)說。但在需要使用降落傘的緊急情況下,很多人愿意付出這樣的代價。

9. Who Are You Calling “Rocket Man”?

9. 你說誰是“火箭人”?

They were a science-fiction fantasy in the Bond movie “Thunderball,” a space-age gag in “Gilligan’s Island.” But a half-century later, jet packs actually exist. A California company called JetPack Aviation unveiled a functioning turbojet version two years ago, capable of staying aloft for 10 minutes, traveling at speeds up to 100 miles per hour. Current models are available only to the military, but David Mayman, the company’s founder, said he plans to introduce a commercial version within 18 months.

他們是007電影《霹靂彈》(Thunderball)中的科幻想像,是《蓋里甘的島》(Gilligan’s Island)的太空時代惡作劇。但半個世紀(jì)后,噴氣背包真的問世了。兩年前,加州的JetPack Aviation公司推出了一款功能強(qiáng)大的渦輪噴氣式背包,它能在空中停留10分鐘,速度可達(dá)每小時100英里。目前的款式僅供軍隊(duì)使用,但該公司的創(chuàng)始人戴維·梅曼(David Mayman)表示,他計(jì)劃在18個月內(nèi)推出一個民用版。

Hard-core doomers need not drain their airplane-liquor-bottle stash to envision the potential: Imagine New York after, say, an electromagnetic pulse attack that wipes out the power grid (like the kind North Korea recently threatened). The bridges and streets resemble a scene from the old John Carpenter movie “Escape From New York,” but the privileged few can soar across the Hudson to safety (or at least New Jersey). “From the time you push the button, you could be in the air in less than 30 seconds,” Mr. Mayman said.

對于堅(jiān)定的末日論者來說,以下的場景用不著喝光自己儲藏的民航小瓶酒就能想象得到:比如紐約在遭到電磁脈沖攻擊后全城斷電的情景(就像朝鮮前不久威脅的那樣)。橋梁和街道上的情況會像約翰·卡彭特(John Carpenter)的老片《紐約大逃亡》(Escape from New York)中的場景,但少數(shù)特權(quán)人士可以快速飛越哈德遜河,到達(dá)安全地帶(或者至少到達(dá)新澤西州)。“從按下按鈕時起,你可以在不到30秒內(nèi)升到空中,”梅曼說。

Sure, there is the cost — about $250,000, which the company is hoping to bring down “to the price of a luxury car.” For now, just think of it as the survivalists’ Maybach.

當(dāng)然,這是要付出代價的——大約25萬美元,該公司希望能把價格降到“豪華轎車的水平”。至于現(xiàn)在,你就權(quán)當(dāng)它是生存主義者的邁巴赫(Maybach)超豪華車。

10. No Place Like Dome

10. 沒什么地方能比得上圓頂建筑

Sandy was not the first hurricane to devastate entire sections of New York. In 1893, a hurricane blew through the city with such force that it wiped an entire island — Hog Island, a glittering resort near the Rockaways — off the map. In the event of a megadisaster that leaves parts of the city uninhabitable, survivors might require cheap, stormproof shelter to start a new life.

颶風(fēng)“桑迪”(Sandy)不是第一個徹底摧毀紐約一個城區(qū)的颶風(fēng)。1893年,一場威力巨大的颶風(fēng)席卷了該市,把一整個島嶼從地圖上抹去了,那就是霍格島(Hog Island),它曾是羅卡韋灣附近的一個富有的度假勝地。如果發(fā)生特大災(zāi)難,致使該市的某些地區(qū)完全無法居住,那么幸存者可能需要能抵擋暴風(fēng)雨的廉價住處,開始新生活。

In the best of times, prefabricated dome shelters receive high marks from environmentalists and penny pinchers alike because of their low cost and minimal environmental impact.

在理想情況下,由于成本低,對環(huán)境的影響很小,用預(yù)制構(gòu)件組裝的圓頂小屋得到了環(huán)保主義者和節(jié)儉人士的好評。

A company called Intershelter sells igloo-shape pleasure domes that call to mind Luke Skywalker’s old pad on Tatooine, but cost only $12,000 for one big enough to include a kitchen; it can be thrown together in a few hours, to make an instant hunting or fishing lodge. But in the worst of times, this dome, “built to sustain hurricane strength winds or earthquakes,” makes great relief housing for disaster victims and, in theory, would make great bug-out bunkers for urbanites looking to build a survivalist compound on the fly.

一家名為Intershelter的公司銷售一種圓頂玩樂小屋,它有點(diǎn)像天行者盧克(Luke Skywalker)在塔圖因上住的老房子,售價僅為1.2萬美元,而且足夠大,包含一個廚房;只需幾個小時就能搭成一個簡易狩獵或釣魚小屋。但在最壞的情況下,這種“為抵抗颶風(fēng)或地震而建”的圓形小屋是災(zāi)民的理想避難所,理論上,對那些在匆忙撤退時尋找生存居所的城里人來說,它也會是理想的掩體。

The dome houses are so rugged, according the company’s founder, Don Kubley, “you could buy one today and your grandkids will be playing in it.” One can only hope.

據(jù)該公司創(chuàng)始人唐·庫布利(Don Kubley)稱,這種圓頂小屋非常結(jié)實(shí),“現(xiàn)在買一個,將來你的孫子們還可以在里面玩。”希望如此。

Should disaster not strike? They make a great man cave or backyard cabana.

要是沒發(fā)生災(zāi)難呢?你可以把它當(dāng)成自己的宅男天地或后院小屋。

11. Pets or Meat

11. 是寵物還是肉

In the event of a breakdown of the food supply that leaves the shelves of Fairway bare and Le Coucou a ghost town on a Saturday night, you will still have to eat. Often.

一旦食物供應(yīng)中斷,導(dǎo)致在周六的晚上,富威超市(Fairway)的貨架空空如也,Le Coucou餐廳空無一人,但你還是得吃東西。一天得吃好幾頓。

That is why many survivalists are placing their hopes of sustenance in rabbit, a high-protein, low-fat meat that is also being embraced as “the new chicken” by sustainable food types including Michael Pollan. “Raising meat rabbits is one of the most space-efficient means of growing livestock for meat,” according to the site Survivalist 101.

所以,很多生存主義者把希望寄托在了兔子身上。兔肉是一種高蛋白、低脂肪的肉類,被邁克爾·波倫(Michael Pollan)等可持續(xù)食物倡導(dǎo)者稱為“新雞肉”。“飼養(yǎng)肉兔是最節(jié)省空間的一種通過飼養(yǎng)家畜獲取肉類的方法,”Survivalist 101網(wǎng)站稱。

By livestock standards, rabbits are relatively clean and quiet, too. They can survive on table-scrap vegetables or even grass, and as a bonus, yield valuable fur for improvised winter clothing. And boy do they breed. A doe can produce up to 50 kits a year, yielding 250 pounds of meat, according to researchers at the Penn State Extension.

從家畜的角度講,兔子也比較干凈、安靜。它可以依靠廚余菜葉甚至青草為生,它的一個額外益處是,能為臨時拼湊的冬裝提供珍貴的皮毛。而且,兔子的繁殖力真的很強(qiáng)。據(jù)賓夕法尼亞州立大學(xué)進(jìn)修部(Penn State Extension)的研究人員稱,一只雌兔每年能生多達(dá)50只幼兔,產(chǎn)出250磅肉。

12. Beyond Medieval Times

12. 超越中世紀(jì)

To master archery and broadsword combat; to learn to manufacture fabric, bread, ceramic cookware and wood furniture by hand; to perfect the preindustrial arts of iron craft and tanning: Yes, there are worse things to carry into a post-apocalyptic world than a membership card to the Society for Creative Anachronism.

學(xué)習(xí)射箭和大刀格斗;學(xué)習(xí)手工制作織物、面包、陶瓷廚具和木制家具;改進(jìn)前工業(yè)化時代的鑄鐵和制革工藝:是的,末日世界的可怕,僅靠一張復(fù)古協(xié)會(Society for Creative Anachronism)會員卡是不夠應(yīng)付的。

In normal times, this international historical-re-enactment organization seems like little more than a harmless bunch of Renaissance Faire types playing dress up on weekends and celebrating the arts, skills and costumes of pre-17th-century Europe.

在正常情況下,這個國際歷史重現(xiàn)組織似乎只不過是一群喜歡文藝復(fù)興集會的人在周末穿著盛裝,慶祝17世紀(jì)前歐洲的藝術(shù)、技能和服裝。

But should Armageddon arrive — say, in the form of a limited nuclear exchange, global pandemic or cyber mega-attack — these hobbies could mean your survival. In other words, chivalry may not be dead after all. 但是,如果世界末日到來——比如,局部核武交火、全球瘟疫或超級網(wǎng)絡(luò)襲擊——那么這些愛好可能意味著你能活下去。換句話說,騎士精神不會完全消亡。

13. The Final Frontier

13. 最后的邊疆

There is bugging out, and then there is really bugging out. In a scorched-earth scenario where even a jet pack is not enough to escape harm’s way, preppers with deep pockets and a taste for Arthur C. Clarke might consider the ultimate escape: launching their DNA into space.

有的逃亡那才叫真正的逃亡。在地球滿目瘡痍的情況下,在噴氣背包也不足以逃離傷害時,那些財(cái)力雄厚、喜歡阿瑟·C·克拉克(Arthur C. Clarke)的人可能會考慮終極逃亡:將自己的DNA發(fā)射到太空中。

Celestis, a company specializing in “memorial spaceflights” (sending cremated remains into space), recently introduced “genetic spaceflight.” For $12,500, for example, the cosmologically minded can send their DNA (a mouth swab or hair sample) into space on a “true mission of exploration,” aboard a spacecraft on a “permanent celestial journey well beyond the moon.”

前不久,一家名叫Celestis的專門從事“太空飛行悼念”(將骨灰送入太空)的公司推出了“基因太空飛行”。例如,那些放眼宇宙的人可以以12500美元的價格,將自己的DNA(口腔拭子或頭發(fā)樣本)送入太空,執(zhí)行一次“真正的探索任務(wù)”,乘坐宇宙飛船,在“比月球還要遙遠(yuǎn)的太空進(jìn)行一次永久的旅行”。

Who knows — some ultra-intelligent alien being may discover it in the future, and use your genetic code to reanimate a race of humans on a distant planet. Let’s just hope those humans don’t choose to blow themselves up.

誰知道呢——將來,一些超級聰明的外星生物可能會發(fā)現(xiàn)它,利用你的基因密碼,讓人類的一個種族在遙遠(yuǎn)的星球上復(fù)活。但愿那些人類別再把自己炸個粉碎了。
 


用戶搜索

瘋狂英語 英語語法 新概念英語 走遍美國 四級聽力 英語音標(biāo) 英語入門 發(fā)音 美語 四級 新東方 七年級 賴世雄 zero是什么意思清遠(yuǎn)市君玉苑英語學(xué)習(xí)交流群

網(wǎng)站推薦

英語翻譯英語應(yīng)急口語8000句聽歌學(xué)英語英語學(xué)習(xí)方法

  • 頻道推薦
  • |
  • 全站推薦
  • 推薦下載
  • 網(wǎng)站推薦