2017考研英語《經濟學人》閱讀：加拿大門把手之戰

考研英語來源：新東方網整理 2016-01-16　

Canada's war on doorknobs

加拿大門把手之戰

Knobless oblige

非旋不可

New building rules will help old folks—who now riskbeing eaten by bears

新建筑規定能幫上老家伙們—他們面臨著葬身熊腹的危險

IT IS rare for changes to a municipal building code to become headline news. But Vancouver'sban on doorknobs in all new buildings, which went into effect last month, is an exception. Ithas provoked a strong reaction from the door-opening public and set off a chain reactionacross the country as other jurisdictions ponder whether to follow Vancouver's lead. Thecountry is on tenterhooks.

市政建筑規章的修改很少能登上頭條。可是上個月在溫哥華生效的禁令卻是個例外。這一事件引發了開門群眾的強烈反應，全國各地也發生了連鎖反應，大家都開始仔細思考著要不要跟著溫哥華走。這個國家陷入了糾結的狀態。

The war on doorknobs is part of a broader campaign to make buildings more accessible to theelderly and disabled, many of whom find levered doorhandles easier to operate than fiddlyknobs. Vancouver's code adds private homes to rules already in place in most of Canada forlarge buildings, stipulating wider entry doors, lower thresholds and lever-operated taps inbathrooms and kitchens.

在許多老殘人士看來，杠桿式的門把手比小破旋鈕好用得多;為了方便他們出入各式建筑物，一場大戰已經打響，而門把手之仗正是其中一役。溫哥華法令在加拿大廣義上的大型建筑物條例中添加了私人住宅一條，對寬門廳的門、低門檻、杠桿操作的廚浴水龍頭都作出了規定。

1.instead of 而不是

例句:But instead of ending in agreement, the talksbroke up in acrimony at the end of the week.

但是到這個周末，談判非但沒有達成協議反而在唇槍舌劍中不歡而散。

2.ask for 要求

例句:Student leaders appeared on television to ask for calm.

學生領袖出現在電視上請求大家保持冷靜。

3.in comparison to 與…相比

例句:In most cases, the refactoring efforts pale in comparison to the risks and costsassociated with bad data.

在大多數情況下，與損壞數據招致的風險和成本相比，重構工作并不算什么。

4.point out 指出

例句:However, social experts point out that many migrant workers often find it hard to adaptto urban life.

然而，一些社會學者指出，很多外來務工人員發現自己很難適應城市生活。

The rules have provoked grumbling about the nanny state, much of it from doorknobmanufacturers. The Canadian Home Builders' Association (CHBA) complains that Vancouver, theonly city in Canada with the power to determine its own building code (elsewhere it falls toprovincial governments), changed the rules on its own, instead of asking for a revision of thenational regulations, which would have triggered more detailed cost studies.

隨規章而至的是人們對于保姆政府的抱怨，而旋鈕制造商方面怨聲尤重。加拿大住宅建筑商協會( CHBA )埋怨說，溫哥華是加拿大唯一座有建筑物條例決定權的城市，現在它不去改國家規章，而是自改條例，這就需要再研究一番具體成本。

These complaints pale in comparison to a more sinister worry. True, elderly and disabledpeople find it easier to operate doors with handles. But so do bears. In British Columbia, bearshave been known to scavenge for food inside cars—whose doors have handles, knob advocatespoint out. Pitkin County, Colorado, in the United States, has banned door levers on buildingsfor this very reason. One newspaper columnist in the pro-knob camp has noted that thevelociraptors in “Jurassic Park” were able to open doors by their handles.

這些怨言在一份不祥的擔心前未免相形見絀。確實，老殘人士用起門把手來要方便得多。但熊也會方便。人們已經知道熊會進車覓食—車上是有把手的，旋鈕擁護者提出了這一點。美國科羅拉多州的皮特金縣因此禁止建筑物使用杠桿門。一位旋鈕派的報社專欄作家提到，《侏羅紀公園》里的伶盜龍就能扣動門把手開門。

Canadians are undeterred. Members of the municipal council in Halifax are considering askingtheir provincial government to follow Vancouver's example. So too are councillors in Pickering,east of Toronto. The provincial government in Manitoba is examining how the new rules willwork in Vancouver. Philip Rizcallah, who manages the federal body responsible for the nationalcode, says he would be open to considering the measure. So far no one has asked.

加拿大人并未氣餒。哈利法克斯市市政委員會正考慮倡議省政府效仿溫哥華市。多倫多東面的皮克靈市市政委員會也是這么想的。曼尼托巴省省政府有意觀察溫哥華新規的落實情況。負責的菲利普·瑞茲卡拉稱他愿意將該舉措納入考慮范疇。目前還沒有人提議。

It seems only a matter of time before someone steps forward. Much publicity has been givento the ban, which plays to Vancouver's offbeat reputation. “What are they smoking outthere?” asks Gary Sharp of the CHBA. If further bans do go ahead, those living near the woodswould be wise to invest in some sturdy locks before installing doorhandles.

看來向前邁步只是過一段時間的事了。溫哥華市利用自身不同尋常的聲譽，使這項禁令得到了廣泛宣傳。“他們在那兒耍什么把戲吶?”CHBA的加里·夏普問到。如果后續禁令出臺，住在森林附近的人們最好還是在裝門把手之前搞上幾把堅固的大鎖頭吧。