2016考研英語經濟學人：豪豬自由節和自由州項目

考研英語來源：經濟學人 2015-07-23　

PorcFest and the Free State Project

豪豬自由節和自由州項目

Anarchists get organised

無政府主義者組織起來了

The plot to liberate New Hampshire

策劃解放新罕布什爾州

A YOUNG man in a leather loincloth saunters past awoman dressed like Alice in Wonderland. The tang ofpot wafts through the air, and a small remote-operated drone buzzes overhead (“Bought it inChina,” says the proud owner; “I'd use it to follow chicks,” marvels one chap). Guns areeverywhere; Bitcoin is the currency of choice. The Porcupine Freedom Festival, which ended onJune 29th, saw more than 1,500 libertarians and anarchists descend on Lancaster, NewHampshire. The event's mascot is a porcupine, which, though well-armed, only causes painwhen attacked.

一名身著皮革遮羞布的年輕男人漫步走過一個打扮得像夢游仙境的愛麗絲一樣的女人。大煙的味道飄在風中，一家小型遠程操控無人機在頭頂嗡嗡作響(其所有者驕傲地說，“這是從中國帶回來的，我用它來追蹤我的小雞們”，這讓小伙子大感驚異)。在這里，槍支無處不在，比特幣是一種貨幣選擇。于6月29日結束的豪豬自由節(Porcupine Freedom Festival)期間，有1500名自由主義者和無政府主義者屈尊來到了新罕布什爾州的蘭卡斯特。節日的吉祥物是一只豪豬，盡管全副武裝，但遇襲時仍會疼痛。

New Hampshire is a natural stamping-ground for freedom-lovers. It has low taxes, leanbureaucracy and some of the loosest gun laws in America. Grown-ups can ride around withoutseat-belts or motorcycle helmets. The right to rebel when public liberty is “manifestlyendangered” is enshrined in the state constitution.

新罕布什爾州是自由愛好者的天然寶地。這里有著低廉的稅收，稀薄的官僚意識和全美幾乎最為寬松的槍支管制。成年人可以不系安全帶或不帶頭盔地兜風。在州立憲法中，當公共自由“明顯岌岌可危時”反抗的權利被奉若神明。

This is why it was chosen as the site for the Free State Project (FSP), which aims to lure at least20,000 like-minded people to this small state (population 1.3m) and make it even more“liberty-loving”. Since 2002 nearly 16,000 have pledged to come and help slash state and localbudgets, limit government meddling and legalise choices that do not harm others, such asdrugs, gay marriage and maybe prostitution. It will be a “Yankee Hong Kong”, says CarlaGericke, FSP's president. “The one place in America that is economically free, like a beacon tothe rest of the country—or even the world.”

這也就是為什么，這里會被選作自由州項目(FSP)的地點，這個項目匯集了至少20,000名志同道合的人，他們來到了這個(人口僅有130萬的)小州，使這里變得更加“熱愛自由”。自2002年起，約16,000人承諾來到這里，幫助大幅度削減州和地區的預算，限制政府干預以及使不妨害他人的選擇合法化，比如毒品、同性戀婚姻甚至性行業。FSP項目主席卡拉·格里克評價道，這里就像一個“美國版的香港”。她說：“這是全美唯一一個經濟自由的地方，對于整個國家——甚至整個世界來說，這里就像一塊熏肉一樣誘人。”

More than 1,600 “Free Staters” have already made New Hampshire their home. They arebeginning to have an effect. In 2012 the Granite State became the first to allow lawyers to telljuries they may acquit a defendant if they believe the law is unfair. In 2011 the state strippedaway much of the red tape that kept home brewers from selling their wares, spawning a boomof “nanobreweries”. And in January the state House was the first legislative body in thecountry to vote to legalise marijuana for recreational use, although lawmakers backed downwhen Governor Maggie Hassan, a Democrat, proved reluctant.

超過16,00名“自由州人”已經把新罕布什爾州看做自己的家。并且他們開始有影響力。2012年，花崗巖州成為首個允許律師在認為法律不公的情況下，告知陪審團他們已經宣判被告無罪的州。2011年，該州廢除了禁止家庭釀酒者出售自家商品的大部分規定，帶來了一批“納米釀酒廠”的成長繁榮。1月份，州議會成為全國首個投票通過大麻娛樂用途合法化的法律機構，盡管當民主黨州長瑪吉·哈桑對此表示不情愿時，州議會又退縮了。

Some locals feel that the anti-government agitators have gone too far. A group in the smalltown of Keene tops up parking meters that have run out to stop traffic officers from issuingpenalty tickets. The traffic officers complain that activists sometimes harass them; a chargethe activists deny. Other protesters are accused of provoking cops into arresting them sothey can film the resulting altercation. An anti-libertarian group called “Stop Free Keene”grumbles about the public pot-smoking and rude street art that the newcomers bring.

然而，一些當地人覺得，反政府煽動者也許過火了。小鎮基恩中的一個團體重新啟動了廢棄的停車收費器，來阻止交警開罰單。交警抱怨道，這些激進分子不時騷擾他們，而激進分子則否認這一指控。其他的抗議者則被責備激怒警察逮捕他們，以錄下隨之而來的爭執過程。一個叫做“停止解放基恩”的反自由主義團體則對這些新來者帶來的公眾吸大麻行為和粗魯的街道文化怨聲不迭。

In the jovial atmosphere of PorcFest, where idealists bond over their shared mistrust of rulesand big institutions, the prospect of a future New Hampshire that can do without such thingsseems far-fetched. Tech geeks (who still dominate the Free State movement) enjoy home-made “bananarchy” ice cream while prattling on about the power of crypto-currencies. “Bitcoincan topple governments and end war,” gushes one fan.

在節日的歡快氛圍中，理想主義者因他們對規則和大機構的不信任感而團結，而沒有這些內涵的新罕布什爾州未來似乎遙不可及。電腦怪客(仍主導著自由州運動的人們)一邊閑扯著神秘貨幣的力量，一邊享受著家庭自制的“香蕉自由”冰激凌。一名狂熱粉夸張地贊美著：“比特幣能夠推翻政府，結束戰爭!”

Others are more realistic. “I'm an incrementalist,” explains Jason Sorens, the subduedintellectual who dreamed up the Free State Project while he was getting his PhD from Yale.Now a lecturer at Dartmouth College in Hanover, he is eager to use New Hampshire to testlibertarian theories about enlightened self-interest and reciprocal altruism, small governmentand large networks of voluntary institutions. “We don't have all the answers,” he says, “butit's worth the experiment.”

但其他人則更為現實。在耶魯大學讀博士時設想出自由州項目、如今因擔心而日漸沉默寡言的學者杰森索朗解釋道：“我是一名漸進主義者”。如今在漢諾威市達特茅斯學院任講師的他，急切地想用新罕布什爾州測試自由主義中，關于開明利己主義、互利主義、小型政府和龐大志愿組織網絡等理論。他說：“我們沒有得到所有的答案，但這次試驗做得很值得。”

【重點解析】

1.more than 超過;多于

例句:Their replies were no more than grunts ofacknowledgement.

他們所謂的回答不過是表示承認的咕噥罷了。

2.pledge to 承諾

例句:In the treaty both sides pledge to respecthuman rights.

雙方在條約中都承諾將尊重人權。

3.such as 例如;諸如

例句:Issues such as these were not really his concern.

他其實并不關心諸如此類的問題。

4.allow to 允許

例句:Add a little of the warmed milk and allow to froth a little.