Unit Eight

Economic Growth is a Path toPerdition, Not Prosperity

Period 5-6: Detailed Study of theText

1. EconomicGrowth Is a Path to Perdition, Not Prosperity.

Alliteration:the repetition of an initial consonant sound

More examples：

safe and sound   平平安安                            part and parcel   主要部分

hide and hair     连皮带毛                           scrape and screw 省吃俭用

clear and clean   干净澄澈                             busyas a bee    忙得不可开交

cool as a cucumber冷静镇定                           green as grass    幼稚无知

clear ascrystal    水晶般清澈                      rightas rain      丝毫不错

Spare the rod,spoil the child.孩子不打不成器。

No cross, no crown.不劳动，不得食。

Timeand tide waitfor no man. 岁月不待人。

 

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by S.T. Colerigy:

The fair breezeblew, the white foam flew; 和风吹荡，水花四溅，

The furrow followedfree, 船儿破浪前进，

We were the firstthat ever burst 闯入那沉寂的海洋领域，

into that silentsea. 我们是第一群人。

 

Today alliteration is used widely, not only in poetry and prose and proverbs and idioms,but also in journalism, especially in the title of a book and headline of newsand advertising. As a figure of speech, it is good for sound rhyme, musicaleffect and significant emphasis.

   Prideand prejudice 《傲慢与偏见》

   Senseand Sensibility 《理智与情感》

   Coco-cola;Clean-clear; Rolls Royce

   Sea,sun, sand, seclusion and Spain. 旅馆广告：“海滨，阳光，沙滩，幽静——更具西班牙风情。”

   Starlighton Skyline, Galaxy of Glamour 高楼摩天，星光灿烂；火树银花，瑰丽绝伦（一则新闻报导的标题）

   Pei’sPyramids Puzzle Paris 贝氏的金字塔使巴黎困惑

这是《时代》周刊报道巴黎的著名艺术宫殿——罗浮宫的扩建和改建的一篇文章的标题。此项工程选择了著名建筑师、美籍华人贝聿铭的设计方案，其中有一组构思奇特、匠心独运的金字塔。

 

   We willdiscuss it further tomorrow.

   Furtherdevelopment of our economy will strain our resources too.

2. We,too, are trapped in the same sort of false iIIusion that stymied criticalthought... (para. 4)

—We arealso fooled by the same kind of myth that made us unable to think critically.

3. ...Gross Domestic Product (GDP), is what drives government policy worldwide. (para.5)

gross: used here as anadjective before a noun, meaning including everything, used esp. to describe atotal amount of money that exists before taxes or other expenses as opposed tonet, e.g.

gross income 毛收入; gross profits 毛利; grossweight 毛重

Note:

1) The word"gross" can be used as a verb or noun or adverb:

   Ourcornpany grossed nearly 15 million dollars last year. (as a verb)

   Ourcompany earned nearly 15 million dollars gross last year. (as an adverb)

   Ourcompany pays 15 percent of our gross as tax annually. (as a noun)

2) The word"gross" can be used to mean the following when used as adjectives:

a) very obvious or noticeable, e.g.

a gross error (a glaring mistake); a grossexaggeration

b) rude, offensive (= vulgar, coarse), verydisgusting, e.g

a gross habit; using gross language; (sth) lookinggross

4. Theequation has been drummed into us for so long that it's received wisdom. Growthequals prosperity and jobs. Growth equals progress. (para. 6)

5. We're chewing through massivequantities of both renewable and non-renewable resources at a breakneck speed.(para. 14 )

chewing through: Normally we may say "a mouse chewed througb a cord." Here,"chewing through" implies that we human beings are consuming—actually wasting and destroyinglarge quantities of resources.

6. In 2005, the UN MillenniumEcosystem Assessment, a collaborative work of more than 10, 000 scientists,found that 60% of “ecosystem services" 一 things like climate regulation,the water cycle, pollination, global fisheries, natural waste treatment一were being degraded or used unsustainably. (para. 15)

the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: It refers to the report made by the UnitedNationsto assess the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being. From 2001to 2005, the assessment involved the work of more than 1, 360 expertsworldwide. Their findings provide a state-of-the-art appraisal of the conditionand trends in the world's ecosystem and the services they provide, as well asthe scientific basis for action to conserve and use themsustainably.

ecosystem services: Humankind benefits from a multitude of resources and processes suppliedby natural ecosystems. Collectively, these benefits are known as ecosystemservices and include products like clean drinking water and processes such asthe decomposition of wastes. These services were popularized and theirdefinitions were formalized by UN in 2004 in its Millenniurn EcosystemAssessment.

the water cycle: It describes the continuous movement of water on, above and below thesurface of Earth. Water can change states among Iiquid, vapor, and solid atvarious places in the water cycle. Although the balance of water on Earthremains fairly constant over time, individual water molecules can come and go,in and out of the atmosphere.

were being degraded: were being made worse

7. Human activity is putting such aheavy strain on earth’s natural functions that the ability of the planet’secosystems to sustain human endeavor can no longer be taken for granted. (para. 15)

8. EcologicalFootprint model

 

9. Itdeals in averages so the rich/poor divide is blurred. (para. 16)

—It usesaverages in its discussion. Therefore the gap between the rich and the poor isnot very clear.

10. we'vebeen drawing down the biosphere's principal rather than living off its annualinterest . (para. 18)

—We nolonger just live on our products, we are destroying nature itself, which isbeginning to use up our principal.

 

Notice themetaphorical use of "principal" and "interest" which referto natural resources such as land, water, air, etc. and what human beingsproduce by using those natural resources. The former are usually renewablewhereas the latter are for human beings' consumption. But now we no longer justlive on our products, we are destroying nature itself, which is beginning to useup our principal.

draw down: We say "drawmoney" meaning "taking out money." "Draw down" is nota common verb phrase. lt is coined by the author to make an antithesis with"live o ff" which means "depend on sth for the money youneed."

biosphere: the parts of theworld where animals, plants, etc. can live 生物圈

Compare:

sphere 球体，领域，范围        private sphere 私人领域

sphere of influence势力范围   atmosphere 气层

hemisphere 半球                          stratosphere 同温层

11. Napoleonsaid that an army marches on its stomach; our modern globalized economy marcheson oil. But it’s aFaustian bargain. (para . 20)

Faust or Faustus (Latin for “auspicious” or“lucky”) is the protagonistof a classic German legend. Though a highly successful scholar,he is dissatisfied, and makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul forunlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Faust’s tale is the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical works.

An important version of the legend is theplay Faustby the German author JohannWolfgang von Goethe.

Goethe’s Faust complicates the simple Christian moral of theoriginal legend. A hybrid between a play and an extended poem, Goethe’stwo-part “closet drama“is epic in scope. It gathers together references from Christian, medieval, Roman,eastern and Hellenicpoetry, philosophy and literature.

The composition and refinement of Goethe’sown version of the legend occupied him for over 60 years (though not continuously).The final version, published after his death, is recognized as a great work ofGerman literature.

The story concerns the fate of Faust in hisquest for the true essence of life (“was die Welt im Innersten zusammenhält”).Frustrated with learning and the limits to his knowledge, power, and enjoymentof life, he attracts the attention of the devil (represented byMephistopheles), who agrees to serve Faust until the moment he attains thezenith of human happiness -- at which point Mephistopheles may take his soul.Faust is pleased with the deal, as he believes this happy zenith will nevercome.

In the first part, Mephistopheles leads Faustthrough experiences that culminate in a lustful relationship with Gretchen, aninnocent young woman. Gretchen and her family are destroyed by Mephistopheles’deceptions and Faust’s desires. Part one of the story ends in tragedy forFaust, as Gretchen is saved but Faust is left to grieve in shame.

The second part begins with the spirits ofthe earth forgiving Faust (and the rest of mankind) and progresses into allegoricalpoetry. Faust and his devil pass through and manipulate the world of politicsand the world of the classical gods, and meet with Helen of Troy(the personification of beauty). Finally, having succeeded in taming the veryforces of war and nature, Faust experiences a singular moment of happiness.

Mephistopheles tries to seize Faust’s soulwhen he dies after this moment of happiness, but is frustrated and enraged whenangels intervene due to God’s grace. Though this grace is truly ‘gratuitous’and does not condone Faust’s frequent errors perpetrated with Mephistopheles,the angels state that this grace can only occur because of Faust’s unendingstriving and due to the intercession of the forgiving Gretchen. The final scenehas Faust’s soul carried to heaven in the presence of God as the “Holy Virgin,Mother, Queen, Goddess...The Eternal Feminine”. The Goddess is thus victoriousover Mephistopheles, who had insisted at Faust’s death that he would beconsigned to “The Eternal Empty”.

 

sell one’s soul/sell-out:betrayal (who is said to sell his soul in exchange for wealth and position). Thisis etymologically related to Faust, a character in a German legend who entersinto a compact with a devil in exchange for knowledge and skills.

12. Thistranslates into an average increase in global temperature of about 4°C. If this projection plays out, we're in big trouble. (para. 21)

—这意味着全球气温将平均上升4°C。如果这种预计的情况真的发生了，那我们就有大麻烦了。

translate into: to change sthinto a different form or to express sth in a different way, e.g.

   Thetotal cost would translate into US dollars in the amount of 10 million.

   Scientificand technological development wiII eventually translate into economic growth.

play out: to develop or endin a particular way; to happen or occur usu. in a gradual way, e.g.

   Bepatient. Let's see how things play out.

13. Evenon its own terms, growth isn’t working. We avoid talking about the skeweddistribution of the planet’s wealth and income, dreaming instead that we cangrow our way out of the problem. (para. 22)

—We darenot face the fact that around the world a particular group of people isenjoying the wealth and income in an unfair way. Still, we are hoping that wecan solve the problem through economic growth. It is totally unrealistic. 增长本身也已陷入困境。我们总是避而不谈财富和收入分配的不平均、不合理，一味梦想着能够通过经济增长来解决问题。

on one's own terms: inone's own way; according to one's own conditions; by one's own definition ,e.g.

   Sheconsidered herself quite successful on her own term s.

skewed distribution: distributionthat favors a particular group of people in a way that is unfair

grow our way out of the problem: solvethe problem through economic growth

Compare:

   Someeconomists believe that we can invest our way out of a slump.

   At firstthey succeeded in exporting their way out of economic stagnation, but this policyaroused a strong upsurge of protectionism in many countries.

   Thisbrave army finally fought its way out of the enemy encirclement.

14. Weplace growth above equality and pay a price in what's called "the hidden injuriesof class." Shorter, unhealthier, and unhappier lives addicted to amindless consumerism that is depleting the planet resources. (para. 23)

the hidden injuries of class: themore subtle harm done to people by a class society

addicted to a mindless consumerism: hookedto a stupid belief that it is good for a country if people buy and use a lot ofgoods and services

Mindless people are people who donot think about what they are doing. Here it refers to those people's behavior.

—我们置增长于平等之上，结果付出了所谓的“隐性等级伤害”。人们的生命更短，生活更不健康，更不幸福。盲目消费正耗尽地球的资源而不能自拔。

15. This is whistlingin the dark. ( para. 24)

whistle in the dark: to actor taLk as if you are relaxed and unafraid when you are actually very nervousand in terrible fear; to pretend to have great confidence that you do not fear 给自己壮胆

16. In the North wehave been living beyond our ecological means for decades, … (para. 26)

  livebeyond/ within one's means: to have a way of life in which you spend more/ lessmoney than you earn

means: here, the amount of money, property, income,etc. that sb has , e.g.

   He lookslike a man of means.

   Educationshould be within everyone's means.

   Creditcards might encourage some people to live beyond tbeir means.

   I don'tthink it is a good idea to launch this project even if we have the means to doit.

17. Justice demands that we in the rich countries ratchet back our growthand clear some space for those who need it.

—公平的原则要求我们这些生活在富裕国家的人反哺我们的增长，留出一点空间给那些需要的人。