新奇事件簿 埃及建新苏伊士运河

Egypt's President Abdelfattah el-Sisi attended a ceremony yesterday to unveil a major extension of the Suez Canal. The original canal was completed in 1869 and took 10 years to build. The new, $8.5 billion canal was constructed in just under 12 months, beating all predictions by industry experts that it would take five years. The canal provides a passageway between the Mediterranean¹ and Red seas. President Sisi sailed up the canal in his presidential yacht, the El Mahrousa, wearing military fatigues² to attend the inauguration³. The El Mahrousa was the first ship to officially sail through the original canal nearly a century-and-a-half ago. President Sisi described the new canal as Egypt's "gift to the world".

昨天，埃及总统阿卜杜勒·法塔赫·塞西参加了拓宽苏伊士运河的开幕仪式。最初的苏伊士运河于1869年完工，总建造时间长达10年。新苏伊士运河耗资85亿美元，并于一年内完成，这也打破了行内专家预计在5年内完成的预测。新运河将连通地中海和红海。总统塞西当天身穿军装，乘坐总统游艇El Mahrousa号通过新运河，参加开幕仪式。将近150年前，El Mahrousa号是第一艘行驶在老苏伊士运河上的官方游艇。塞西总统认为这条新运河是埃及赐给世界的礼物。

Egypt's government hopes the new canal will provide a much-needed boost for the country's economy. The head of the Suez Canal Authority, Mohab Mamish, said the new canal was important to ensure Egypt earns revenues from its waterways in the future. He told reporters: "If I can't handle this and turn it into revenue for the Egyptian treasury⁴, alternative routes will emerge." He hopes revenues will increase from the current annual $5.3 billion to $13.2 billion by 2023. That means shipping⁵ traffic would need to grow from 49 per day at present to 97 by 2023. This would entail⁶ a nine per cent increase in global trade. Some economists⁷ have cast doubt on whether these figures can be met.

埃及政府希望这条新运河能够为埃及经济添油助力。苏伊士运河走廊项目委员会负责人马米什称新运河至关重要，因为它能够保证埃及通过水运来增加财政收入。他对记者说：“如果我无法将运河收入转化为国家财政收入，那么其他路线也将应运而生。”他希望到2030年之前，年收入能够从53亿美金增长到132亿美元。这就意味着到2030年之前，每天通过苏伊士运河的船只数量将从如今的49艘增至97艘。这将为全球贸易增加9个百分点。许多经济学家对是否能够达到这一目标而表示怀疑。

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 fatigues   

n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服

参考例句：

• The patient fatigues easily. 病人容易疲劳。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Instead of training the men were put on fatigues/fatigue duty. 那些士兵没有接受训练，而是派去做杂务。 来自辞典例句

3 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

4 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

5 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

6 entail   

vt.使承担，使成为必要，需要

参考例句：

• Such a decision would entail a huge political risk.这样的决定势必带来巨大的政治风险。
• This job would entail your learning how to use a computer.这工作将需要你学会怎样用计算机。

7 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》