今日分享的文章来自经济学人11月刊：The Nuclear Option，这篇文章也是英语共学社11月群的第一周练习。为保护社群成员利益，只挑选文章第一段精读笔记来分享。
虽然只有短短的一段话，但是我们从生词、生词拓展、背景资料、翻译思路、文章逻辑等各个方面做了深入剖析。英语共学社每日练习都是这样抠细节的，这就是我们对待外刊的小小态度，掰碎了一点点吃。如果读外刊只是查单词，那真是大大的浪费呢~~
WARS are fought with weapons, but also with money.To understand the global balance of power in the coming decades, it helps to pay attention to the commercial subplot of the North Korean crisis.For the first time, America is attempting to use its full legal and financial might to change the behaviour of Chinese companies and banks, which it believes are propping up North Korea by breaking UN and American sanctions. Some American politicians have concluded that, as China’s firms have integrated with the global economy, they have become more vulnerable to Uncle Sam’s wrath. America has potent weapons, but the trouble is that China can retaliate in devastating fashion.
官方译文
打仗需要武器，也要烧钱。要了解未来几十年全球力量的格局，关注朝鲜危机的商业支线剧情会有帮助。美国首次试图利用自身全部的法律和金融实力来改变中国企业和银行的行为，因为它认为中国公司和银行为了支持朝鲜，违反了联合国和美国的制裁决议。一些美国政界人士认为，随着中国企业融入全球经济，它们变得更容易受到山姆大叔怒火的冲击。美国有强大的武器，但麻烦的是，中国可以用破坏性的方式展开报复。
笔记
1、WARS are fought with weapons, but also with money.
这句翻译也可以是：战争是武器之间的较量，也是资金之间的较量，这个思路蛮好的。战争需要武器，也是经济上的较量。
2、To understand the global balance of power in the coming decades, it helps to pay attention to the commercial subplot of the North Korean crisis.
句子意群划分一下：
To understand the global balance of power in the coming decades,（目的状语） it （形式主语）helps （谓语）to pay attention to the commercial subplot of the North Korean crisis. （这其实是真正的主语）
形式主语it 作为形式主语的it并无实际语义，只是为满足语法上的需要，避免句子头重脚轻，它代替的是句子的逻辑主语，概括起来会有如下情况:
（1）不定式作逻辑主语:
It is very kind of you to give me a hand in time.
It is my pleasure to address the meeting.
It was pretty hard for him to bring up the child on his own.
（2）从句作逻辑主语:
It is extremely obvious that she has been lying about her identity.
（3）动名词短语作逻辑主语：
这类句子远不如前面两种出现率高，主要在(no good,waste,useless,no use,dangerous)等词语的后面用如:
It is no use reasoning with him.
It is no good reading in dim light.
这句话的逻辑主语就是后面的to pay attention，所以，句子原本是：to pay attention to... helps to understand... 关注……有助于理解……。
Global balance of power全球力量的平衡，平衡是一个结果，一个局面，在达到这个结果局面的过程中，各方是在互相角力的，所以也可以说全球力量的格局，各国角力的局势/格局。
Subplot:The subplot in a play, movie, or novel is a story that is separate from and less important than the main story. 陪衬情节
...a fascinating subplot to the main drama.
...一段主剧情之外引人入胜的陪衬故事。
Commercial subplot，这里也比较考验翻译思路。先看下整句话要表达什么：it helps to pay attention to the commercial subplot of the North Korean crisis.
第一个思路可以是把subplot的sub拎出来，翻译成限定词，比如：朝鲜危机中不那麽引人注目的商业问题。
第二个思路是把这个commercial subplot单独拎出来成句子：朝核危机引发的商战作为插曲，可帮助人们……，这种方法需要增词才能使句子通顺，比如增补引发，商战的战，这个增补主要是因为前面补了动词，后面需要增补与这个动词相搭配的名词。
3、For the first time, America is attempting to use its full legal and financial might to change the behaviour of Chinese companies and banks, which it believes are propping up North Korea by breaking UN and American sanctions.
it believes，插入语。这里讲一个语法点：主谓结构的插入语。
主谓结构作插入结构通常放在句子中间或者结尾；如果放在句首，就不应该是插入结构，而是一个主谓句后面跟宾语的英语句型了。翻译成汉语译文的时候，这种插入结构却应该放在句子最前面翻译。这种作插入结构的主谓结构通常是：I think（我认为），I hope（我希望），I guess（我想），I’m afraid（恐怕），I believe（我认为，我相信），I suppose（我想，我认为），I wonder（我想知道），you see（你应该明白），you know（你知道），don’t you think（难道你不认为），don’t you know（难道你不知道），I tell you（我告诉你），it seems（似乎），it seems to me（在我看来，这似乎），it is said（据说），it is suggested（有人认为）等等。
在英语的议论文中，常常有what we call这样的句型，通常可以看作插入结构，因为把这样的结构去掉之后句子仍然完整。类似的句型还有：what we used to call, what is called, what they described as, what can be called, what they regarded as, as we call it, as we know it等。通常翻译为“所谓的…”，可以按照英语原文顺序直接翻译。
Prop up: To prop up something means to support it or help it to survive. 支撑; 维持
Investments in the U.S. money market have propped up the American dollar.
对美国货币市场的投资一直在支撑着美元。
它有一个近义词perpetuate:to make a situation, attitude etc, especially a bad one, continue to exist for a long time使持续，使长久〔尤指不好的事物〕
an education system that perpetuates the divisions in our society 使我们的社会持续分裂的一种教育制度
这个词经常和inequality, myth, stereotype, system类似的宾语搭配。
Sanction: official orders or laws stopping trade, communication etc with another country, as a way of forcing its leaders to make political changes〔对某国的〕制裁，通常用复数哦~~
a resolution to impose sanctions (= start using sanctions ) on DPRK 对朝鲜实施制裁的决议
the threat of trade sanctions 贸易制裁的威胁
The UN security council may impose economic sanctions . 联合国安理会可能会实施经济制裁。
Any talk about lifting sanctions (= ending them ) is premature. 现时就谈取消制裁为时过早。
[+ against]
US sanctions against Cuba 美国对古巴的制裁
还有一个词根它很像，embargo，不过这个词更多是贸易上的制裁，贸易上禁止往来。
[+ on/against]
an embargo on wheat exports 小麦出口禁令
an embargo against the country 对该国的贸易禁令
impose/lift an embargo (=start or end one)实行/取消贸易禁令
Many allies are pushing to lift the embargo. 许多盟国在努力推进取消贸易禁令。
trade/arms/oil etc embargo 贸易/武器/石油等禁运
full，很多人翻译成完善的，其实是表示毫无保留的，全部的might。
the greatest amount or highest level of something that is possible最大量的；最高级的
rising prosperity and full employment 日益繁荣以及充分就业
The charity helps disabled children reach their full potential . 该慈善机构帮助残障儿童充分发挥自身潜力。
Few customers take full advantage of off-peak fares. 很少有顾客充分利用淡季票价。
Parker was driving at full speed when he hit the wall. 帕克全速行驶时撞到了墙上。
in full leaf/bloom
The roses were now in full bloom. 玫瑰现已盛开。
Might: great strength and power力量；威力；权力
two individuals who took on the might of the English legal system 挑战英国法律制度权威的两个人
He swung the axe again with all his might . 他用尽全力再一次抡起斧头。
我们中文里常说，拳头就是道理，拳头就可以用might表示：might makes right. Might is right.不过这句话捎带贬义。
4、Some American politicians have concluded that, as China’s firms have integrated with the global economy, they have become more vulnerable to Uncle Sam’s wrath.
Conclude: If you conclude that something is true, you decide that it is true using the facts you know as a basis. 断定
Larry had concluded that he had no choice but to accept Paul's words as the truth.
拉里断定他别无选择，只能相信保罗所说为实。
So what can we conclude from this debate?
那么从这场辩论中我们能推断出什么呢
Vulnerable: a place, thing, or idea that is vulnerable is easy to attack or criticize易受攻击的；易受责难的
[+ to]
The fort was vulnerable to attack from the north. 这个堡垒的北面易受进攻。
Their theories were badly thought out and very vulnerable to ridicule. 他们的理论不够缜密，非常容易遭人取笑。
上个月的共学社练习出现了一个exposed，跟这个词非常像：not protected from attack无保护的，易受攻击的
The old fort was very exposed. 这座古堡很容易受到攻击。
These developments leave the British government in an exposed position.
事态的这些新发展使英国政府易受诟病。
还有一些近义词组，比如be subject to: To be subject to something means to be affected by it or to be likely to be affected by it. (可能) 受…影响的
Prices may be subject to alteration.
价格可能会受变更影响。
还有比如说open to也可以表示遭受……，有个词组lay sb. Open to就是把谁暴露在某种情况下，而且通常是不好的情况，比如：
He has laid himself open to political attack.
这里有人说越发没有招架之力，我认为理解有点偏差，以前中国没开放的时候，美国这些经济制裁是触及不到中国的，而现在中国生意遍布全球，用到美元的都要忌惮美国制裁，所以是会更易受美国的影响，是一个“从无到有”的转变，不是招架能力“从强变弱了”。
Wrath: extreme anger愤怒，狂怒
He was scared of incurring his father’s wrath . 他害怕惹他父亲大发脾气。
有一部电影，诸神之怒， Wrath of the Titans
还有一些词也可以表示这种级别的愤怒，rage, fury。搭配上有一点点区别吧，rage可以和hot, cold, red, white搭配，比如His face was red/white with rage.气得脸发白，气得满脸通红。Fury一般就和cold, white搭配。
这句比较难翻译的是be more vulnerable to... “更容易被美国的雷霆之怒所伤”，这个比较形象具体，也可以说：更加脆弱/更易处于劣势/更容易遭受损失。
还有integrate with，也可以说渐成一体，或者逐渐融入，成为世界经济的一部分。
山姆大叔（Uncle Sam）
山姆大叔（英文：Uncle Sam）是美国的绰号和拟人化形象，一般被描绘成为穿着星条旗纹样的礼服，头戴星条旗纹样的高礼帽，身材高瘦，留着山羊胡子，鹰勾鼻，精神矍铄的老人形象。此漫画形象由著名画家詹姆斯•蒙哥马利•弗拉格（James Montgomery Flagg）依照自己的长相为公共资讯委员会而绘画。
一般认为，“山姆大叔”一名源于1812年美英战争时期，一位名叫撒米尔•威尔逊（Samuel Wilson，1766年-1854年）的美国人，他在战争中向美国军队供应牛肉，桶上的牌子写的是EA-US。EA为公司名，US为生产地美国，而Uncle Samuel（山姆大叔）的缩写恰好也是U.S.，于是在一次玩笑中，山姆大叔的说法很快传开，其后成为了美国的绰号。美国人将“山姆大叔”诚实可靠、吃苦耐劳及爱国主义精神视为自己公民的骄傲和共有的品性。
5、America has potent weapons, but the trouble is that China can retaliate in devastating fashion.
Potent: powerful and effective强有力的，有威力的
The treaty requires them to get rid of their most potent weapons.
条约要求他们销毁威力最强大的武器。
In a ... fashion: in a particular way以…方式
Please leave the building in an orderly fashion. 请大家有秩序地离开大楼。
Perhaps they could sit down and discuss things in a civilised fashion.
也许他们可以坐下来心平气和地商量事情。
She will be working out her problems in her own fashion (= in the way that she usually does this ) . 她会以自己的方式来解决她的问题。
不加a也是可以。
Retaliate反击，这里也可以翻译成以牙还牙。同义词有个strike back回击。这两个词的意思都差不多，但是使用语境稍微有点不同。后者更加感情化。
还有两个词组可能大家没怎么注意，get even:
How long will it be before I have a chance to get even?
要多久我才会有机会报复呢?
有点口语，还有一个：settle a score，比如我们说“公报私仇”就可以用这个：use official regulations as pretext to settle a score