作者：Alice的学习笔记

原文

Just two weeks ago, I was a proponent (supporter) of coronavirus vaccines. In my previous column, I urged Hong Kong people to get vaccinated. I am no longer a vaccine proponent. It’s not because I mistrust the vaccines. It’s because there is no government quid pro quo for vaccinated people. The government appealed to people to vaccinate but there was no trade-off. Why should people get vaccinated if those who do are treated no differently from those who don’t? The expression “quid pro quo” means something you receive in return for something you have done. The expression “trade-off” means you do something you don’t like or want in return for something you want.

In countries such as Israel, the fully-vaccinated have a green pass that allows them to attend sports and other events. This is quid pro quo. But until last week, even fully-vaccinated Hong Kong people had to quarantine at a government centre for 21 days if just one mutant coronavirus case is found in the building where they live. This is ridiculous. The government quarantine centres have tiny rooms that lack bare essentials such as Wi-Fi or freshly-cooked hot meals. Even children must quarantine for 21 days. Hundreds of people, including children and fully-vaccinated people, were quarantined for 21 days in the past two weeks after just a single case of a mutant virus infection was found in a building.

The expressions “bare essentials” or “bare necessities” mean things that are absolutely necessary such as fresh air. In today’s world, Wi-Fi is a bare essential. Last week the government relaxed its rules after quarantined people, including vaccinated ones, complained. Most experts agree vaccinated people should be treated differently. But so-called expert Leung Chi-chiu insisted even vaccinated people must quarantine for 21 days. He is a showboat. A “showboat” is a person who likes to attract attention or admiration. The government last week relaxed rules for the fully-vaccinated but they must still quarantine for a shorter period. Why? The fully-vaccinated deserve a trade-off.

单词、短语

• proponent
  支持人，拥护者，辩护者

• appeal to
  1）呼吁，恳请，恳求
      If you appeal to someone to do something, you make a serious and urgent request to them.
        The Prime Minister appealed to young people to use their vote...
        首相呼吁年轻人行使他们的投票权。
  2）上诉，申诉
      If you appeal to someone in authority against a decision, you formally ask them to change it. In British English, you appeal against something. In American English, you appeal something.
        He said they would appeal against the decision...
        他说他们将对该裁决提出申诉。
        We intend to appeal the verdict...
        我们打算对裁决提出上诉。
  3）对……有吸引力，使感兴趣
      If something appeals to you, you find it attractive or interesting.
        The range has long appealed to all tastes.
        该系列长期受到各类人士的欢迎。

• trade-off
  权衡，协调，交易，交换，英文解释会比较清楚一些：A trade-off is a situation where you make a compromise between two things, or where you exchange all or part of one thing for another.

• quid pro quo
  回报，交换物，报酬，来自拉丁语，英文解释为：The Latin phrase quid pro quo means making a certain kind of deal: you do this for me, and I'll do that for you。它与trade-off的区别在于它是主动的交换，而trade-off更倾向于因为客观环境而不得已做出的妥协。

• vaccinate
  动词，给……接种疫苗。
     Dogs must be vaccinated against distemper...
     狗必须接种犬瘟热疫苗。

• quarantine
  检疫，隔离，可作名词也可作动词。
     She was sent home to Oxford and put in quarantine...
     她被送回牛津的家中隔离起来。
     The workers were not quarantined, but their temperatures were taken each day.
     工人们没有被隔离，但是他们每天都会被量体温。

• mutant
  变种，突变体，突变型。
     a mutant gene
     变异基因

• bare essentials
  bare原本有赤裸的，光秃秃的，寸草不生的意思，如：
     She had bare arms and a bare neck.
     她的胳臂和脖子都露在外面。
     the bare branches of winter trees
     冬天树木光秃秃的枝桠
  在本文中，它表示基本的，最低限度的，最少的，bare essentials固定搭配表示基本需求，基础物资。
  有一个很有意思的短语：

   bare在这里作动词，表示袒露，敞开，整个短语的意思是：

      We don't know each other that well. I certainly wouldn't bare my soul to her.
      我们之间并不是那么熟悉，我自然不会向她坦露心扉。

• relax
  常见的relax多表示放松，放开，在本文它表示放宽，削弱(规定或控制)，英文解释为：If you relax a rule or your control over something, or if it relaxes, it becomes less firm or strong.
     How much can the President relax his grip over the nation?...
     总统可以对国家的控制放松到什么样的程度？

• showboat
  在俚语中表示爱卖弄的人、通过卖弄的行为以寻求注意力的人、爱炫耀的人。
  可作为名词，或者动词使用。
     What did he ever do other than showboat around the pitch, beat five players, and end up losing the ball to the sixth?
     他除了在球场上炫耀技巧、过了五个球员手、结果被第六个球员断了球之外，还干了什么？

翻译

才不过两个星期之前，我是新冠肺炎疫苗的拥护者（proponent）。在我前一个专栏中，我力劝香港人接种疫苗。我现在不再是疫苗的拥护者（proponent）了，并不因为我不信任那些疫苗，而是因为政府对于接种疫苗人士并没有quid pro quo。政府呼吁市民接种疫苗，却没有任何trade-off。若然那些接种人士跟其他没有接种人士的待遇毫无差别，那人们又为何要接种疫苗呢？习语“quid pro quo”即你因为做某事而得到的报酬或回报；习语“trade-off”即指你权衡过后，为了抵换一样你想要的东西，去做某些你不喜欢或不想要的事。

在一些国家如以色列，全剂量接种疫苗者可得到绿色通行证，获许出席赛事及其他活动——这就是等价交换的回报（quid pro quo）。然而，直至上星期，就连已接种两剂疫苗的香港人，要是所住的大厦有一宗新冠变种病毒的确诊个案，仍然要在政府的检疫中心接受二十一天隔离。这真是荒谬至极。政府的隔离检疫中心房间狭小，缺乏基本必需品（bare essentials），例如Wi-Fi或新鲜烹调的热食。就连小童亦须隔离二十一天。在过去两周，数以百计的人，包括小童与已打了两针疫苗的人，只要所住的大厦仅发现一宗变种病毒感染，就得隔离二十一天。

习语“bare essentials”或“bare necessities”都解作最基本的必需品，例如新鲜空气。在今时今日的社会，Wi-Fi已是生活必需品（bare essential）。上星期，当那些接受隔离检疫，包括已打针的市民投诉过后，政府终于放宽措施。大部份专家都认同，接种疫苗人士应享有不同的待遇。但那个所谓的专家梁子超，却坚持相关人士即使已接种疫苗，仍必须隔离二十一天。他是个showboat。A “showboat”是指爱出风头、爱卖弄来吸引注意的人。政府上星期就已接种两剂疫苗人士放宽措施，但他们仍须隔离检疫，只是为期较短。为何是这样呢？那些全剂量接种疫苗者好应得到一个相称的回报（trade-off）。

原文作者：Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
中文翻译：七刻

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