大家好！David老师上个月底应邀至台湾最大的一家石油公司授课，来的学员程度都很好，有一半拥有硕士学位。课后我们有一个新闻翻译作业，取材自华尔街日报（The Wall Street Journal）。学员们也都作的很认真，David老师亲自批改后，发现有些地方学员们容易误解。读者们也可能犯这些错误，因此我们这一期就拿这篇美联社的新闻来作讲解。
【原文】
Crude oil exports to N.Korea surge 70% in October: customs
The Associated Press Published: November 27, 2006
SHANGHAI, China: China’s crude oil exports to impoverished North Korea surged nearly 70 percent in October over a year earlier, according to customs data reported Monday.
China, North Korea’s largest oil supplier, shipped 58,685 metric tons of crude oil to its isolated neighbor in October, a 68 percent increase over the same month in 2005, the General Administration of Customs reported.
China’s crude oil shipments tend to fluctuate significantly from month to month. So far this year, its exports of crude oil to North Korea have edged down 0.8 percent year-on-year to 428,328 tons, the data showed.
The data were released as top nuclear negotiators from the United States, Japan and South Korea met in Beijing Monday hoping to set a date for resuming
six-nation talks aimed at persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program. Pyongyang recently agreed to return to the talks after boycotting them for more than a year.
The talks include China, North Korea, Japan, the U.S., South Korea and Russia.
【中译】
Crude oil exports to N.Korea surge 70% in October: customs
关税总局说：十月份出口至北韩的石油增加了70%
The Associated Press Published: November 27, 2006
美联社2006年11月27日报导）
SHANGHAI, China: China’s crude oil exports to impoverished North Korea surged nearly 70 percent in October over a year earlier, according to customs data reported Monday.
根据周一报导的关税资料，十月份中国原油出口至贫穷的北韩，较去年同期增加了近70%。
China, North Korea’s largest oil supplier, shipped 58,685 metric tons of crude oil to its isolated neighbor in October, a 68 percent increase over the same month in 2005, the General Administration of Customs reported.
中国是北韩最大的石油供应商，关税总局报导，中国在十月份运载了58,685吨原油至这个与世隔绝的邻国，较2005年同期增加了68%。
China’s crude oil shipments tend to fluctuate significantly from month to month. So far this year, its exports of crude oil to North Korea have edged down 0.8 percent year-on-year to 428,328 tons, the data showed.
中国原油载运量每月都有显着的波动。资料显示，今年到目前为止，中国出口至北韩的原油已经较去年同期些微下降了0.8个百分点，达到428,328公吨。
The data were released as top nuclear negotiators from the United States, Japan and South Korea met in Beijing Monday hoping to set a date for resuming six-nation talks aimed at persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program. Pyongyang recently agreed to return to the talks after boycotting them for more than a year.
这项资料是当来自美、日、南韩的高阶核武谈判人员周一齐聚北京、希望能重启六国谈判时公布的，六国谈判的目标在于说服北韩放弃核武计划。北韩在抵制他们一年多后，最近同意回到谈判桌上。
The talks include China, North Korea, Japan, the U.S., South Korea and Russia.
这项谈判包括了中国、北韩、日本、美国、南韩与俄罗斯。
【讲解】
一是impoverish就是贫穷之意，poverty-stricken，并没有缺油的意思。over a year earlier也不是今年稍早，而是早先的一年，也就是去年同期之意。财经新闻的叙述，一定是以“同期”作比较。
its isolated neighbor：isolated不必然是“被孤立的”，也可以就是孤立的、隔离的。remote and separate physically or socially。北韩不是被孤立，而是自己选择隔离于现代世界之外，是领导者主动采取锁国政策。如果用来形容台湾，就真的是因中共的施压而被国际社会孤立的一个岛国。
edged down 0.8 percent是些微下降0.8个百分点，to approach by slow degrees，如同slightly move down, marginally move down。
year-on-year不是逐年的意思，而是今年同期对去年同期，如一对一教学很多人会说成one by one，其实one on one才是对的。One by one才是一个接着一个的意思。
The data were released as top nuclear negotiators from the United States, Japan and South Korea met in Beijing Monday —–有些同学误解，翻成这些资料是由高阶谈判者所公布的。资料其实是上述的中国关税总局所公布的，时机则是在美、日、南韩谈判者齐聚北京的同时公布的。
Pyongyang recently agreed to return to the talks after boycotting them for more than a year. 这一句有些同学看成是平壤被制裁一年多，不是的。是平壤抵制其他五国一年多。Boycott是杯葛、抵制，制裁则是sanctions（n）。@*
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