新奇事件簿 印度废除过时的法律

The Indian government will scrap¹ 287 obsolete² laws that date back to the 19th century, when India was under British rule. India's Law Minister Ravi Prasad is overseeing a "clean-up" of India's legal system. He has been instructed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to streamline³ the statute⁴ book and make India an easier place in which to live and do business. India's legislature is mired⁵ in hundreds of arcane⁶ laws introduced in the times of the British Empire. Mr Prasad called some of the laws "laughable" and had "no place in a modern and democratic India". Prasad has a tough task ahead of him. Even after this initial cull⁷, the country will still have thousands of regulations that are obstacles to business.

印度政府将取消287部过时法律,这些法律可以追溯到19世纪,当时印度是英属殖民地。印度法律部长拉维普拉萨德负责“清理”印度的法律体系。莫迪总理指示他精简法令全书,使印度成为生活更方便，商业更便利的国家。印度立法机构被大英帝国时代颁布的数以百计晦涩难懂的法律难住了。普拉萨德先生称一些法律很“可笑”,而且在现代民主的印度根本没用。普拉萨德有一个艰巨的任务。即使在最初的筛选之后,该国仍有成千上万的法规阻碍商业的发展。

The repeal⁸ of the laws will take effect from November. After then, it will no longer be illegal to fly a kite without police permission. A 1934 law classified a kite as an aircraft. A law that is a constant source of irritation⁹ to factory owners is one that requires them to have red buckets full of water and sand, even if their buildings are equipped with state-of-the-art sprinkler systems. Another oddity to go is the Motor Vehicles Act, that says a car safety inspector¹⁰ must have clean teeth. Also going is the Registration¹¹ of Foreigners' Act, 1939, which requires foreigners staying in India for more than 180 days to report his/her movements. This should give a boost to India's tourism industry.

法律的废除将从11月起生效。之后,在没有警局许可的情况下放风筝，将不再是违法行为。1934年的一项法律把风筝列为一架飞机。法律,一直以来都令工厂老板感到生气，因为法律要求他们要用红桶装满水和沙子。即使他们的建筑物都配备了最先进的自动喷水灭火系统。另一个奇怪之处是机动车法案,规定汽车安全检查员必须牙齿很干净。1939年的外国人登记法案规定，在印度居住超过180天的外国人需要报告他/她的行踪。这一举措将推动印度旅游业的振兴。

1 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

2 obsolete   

adj.已废弃的，过时的

参考例句：

• These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了，在市场上卖不了高价。
• They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。

3 streamline   

vt.使成流线型；使简化；使现代化

参考例句：

• We must streamline our methods.我们必须简化方法。
• Any liquid or gas passing it will have streamline flow.任何通过它的液体或气体将呈流线型的流动。

4 statute   

n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例

参考例句：

• Protection for the consumer is laid down by statute.保障消费者利益已在法令里作了规定。
• The next section will consider this environmental statute in detail.下一部分将详细论述环境法令的问题。

5 mired   

abbr.microreciprocal degree 迈尔德（色温单位）v.深陷( mire的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country was mired in recession. 这个国家陷入了经济衰退的困境。
• The most brilliant leadership can be mired in detail. 最有才干的领导也会陷于拘泥琐事的困境中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 arcane   

adj.神秘的，秘密的

参考例句：

• The technique at one time was arcane in the minds of most chemists.这种技术在大多数化学家心目中一度是神秘的。
• Until a few months ago few people outside the arcane world of contemporary music had heard of Gorecki.直至几个月前，在现代音乐神秘殿堂之外很少有人听说了戈莱斯基。

7 cull   

v.拣选；剔除；n.拣出的东西；剔除

参考例句：

• It is usually good practice to cull the poorest prior to field planting.通常在实践上的好方法是在出圃栽植前挑出最弱的苗木。
• Laura was passing around photographs she'd culled from the albums at home.劳拉正在分发她从家里相册中挑选出的相片。

8 repeal   

n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消

参考例句：

• He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
• He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由，赞成废除该法令。

9 irritation   

n.激怒，恼怒，生气

参考例句：

• He could not hide his irritation that he had not been invited.他无法掩饰因未被邀请而生的气恼。
• Barbicane said nothing,but his silence covered serious irritation.巴比康什么也不说，但是他的沉默里潜伏着阴郁的怒火。

10 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

11 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？