[E337]Deep in the woods|经济学人
本文音频及原文摘自杂志The Economist《经济学人》2016年第5期，Business版块。
Suicide in Japan
Fewer Japanese are killing themselves
Jan 30th 2016 | AOKIGAHARA
IT WORRIES the volunteer patroller[巡逻员] at one of the entrances to Aokigahara forest[青木原树海] that the white car with the Osaka number plates[大阪车牌号码] has now been there, empty, for five days. This forest of moss-clad trees covers 30 square kilometres (12 square miles) of a lava plateau[熔岩台地;溶岩高原] near the foot of Mount Fuji. As a place to commit suicide, it is said to be second in popularity only to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge[旧金山的金门大桥]. The car’s owner, the patroller says, is probably already dead somewhere deep inside the forest. His job is to try to spot and turn back those who may be contemplating suicide.
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▷ moss-clad
【释义】
Clad or covered with moss
1)moss
【释义】
a very small green or yellow plant that grows especially in wet earth or on rocks, walls and tree trunks
n. 苔藓;泥沼
2)clad
【释义】
(of people) dressed, or (of things) covered
adj. 穿衣的;覆盖的
▷ contemplate ['kɒntempleɪt; -təm-]
【释义】
a) to spend time considering a possible future action, or to consider one particular thing for a long time in a serious and quiet way
b) Before you accept a job offer, or a college's offer of admission, you should take time to contemplate the pros and cons of your decision. If you contemplate something, you think about it carefully.
vt. 沉思;注视;思忖;预期;盘算
vi. 冥思苦想;深思熟虑
He is contemplating buying a new car.
他打算买一辆新汽车。
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Folklore holds that the forest was once a site for ubasute, the (possibly apocryphal[ə'pɒkrɪf(ə)l][伪的;可疑的;杜撰的]) practice of carrying the old or infirm[衰弱的;意志薄弱的;不坚固的] to a remote place and leaving them to die, so that they would not be a burden to their families. A 1960 novel by Seicho Matsumoto[松本清张] popularised Aokigahara as a site for suicides, after the heroine['herəʊɪn][女主角;女英雄;女杰出人物] took her own life there. When suicides in Japan rose steeply[扶摇直上;大幅上升/增长] as the country’s financial bubble burst[经济泡沫破裂] after 1989, several dozen people a year were killing themselves in Aokigahara, mainly by hanging. Signs stand next to the paths, telling passers-by[过路人;行人] that their lives are precious, a gift from their parents. The number of a suicide hotline is displayed below. Yet much internet chatter talks of the forest as a site for suicides, and its vastness is a lure to many contemplating death. Mobile-phone reception is poor. The volcanic deposits[火山堆积/沉积物] also wreak havoc[肆虐;造成严重破坏] with compasses[罗盘;指南针][移动电话接收信号比较弱，火山沉积物也对指南针的使用造成破坏]; those with second thoughts might struggle to retrace their steps[顺原路返回;折回;重做;变挂;比喻顺原路倒退回去].
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▷ Folklore ['fəʊklɔː]
【释义】
a) the traditional stories and culture of a group of people
b) Stories, customs, and beliefs that are passed from one generation to the next are called folklore. According to folklore, you shouldn't take rocks from the volcanoes in Hawaii because Pele, the volcano goddess, will be angry and curse you.
n. 民俗学;民间传说;民间风俗
Her books are often based on folklore and fairy-tales.
她的书常常以民间传说和神话故事为创作基础。
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Last year over 23,000 people ended their own lives in Japan. The good news is that the number has fallen for six years in a row[连续六年都在下降]—a trend elsewhere, too. Part of the reason for the decline of Japanese suicides is economic: with business and personal insolvencies at a relative low, fewer people are losing their jobs[失业] or going bankrupt[行将破产]—a common motivation for Japanese suicides, along with worries about health. But prevention has also improved. Nearly a decade ago the government adopted policies to stop suicides. They include classes at schools, extra municipal staff[市政工作人员] trained in suicide-prevention, and better training in mental health among medical staff[医务人员]. Those expressing suicidal urges[自杀冲动] are now more likely to receive attention—though mental illness[精神病] still has a powerful stigma attached to it in Japan.
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▷ insolvency [ɪn'sɒlv(ə)nsɪ]
a) a situation in which a person or company does not have enough money to pay debts, buy goods, etc.:
b) Insolvency is when someone is completely out of money. A company's insolvency means that it isn't able to pay its workers and may have to go out of business.
n. 破产,无力偿还;倒闭
The company is on the verge of insolvency.
该公司快要破产了。
▷ stigma ['stɪgmə]
【释义】
a) when people disapprove of something, especially when this is unfair
b) If something has a negative association attached to it, call this a stigma. Bed-wetting can lead to a social stigma for a six year old, while chewing tobacco might have the same effect for a sixty year old.
n. 耻辱;(尤指不公正的)恶名;烙印;特征;[植]柱头
There is no longer any stigma to being divorced.
离婚不再是什么耻辱的事了。
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Most preventive measures[预防措施;防护措施] are directed at middle-aged men, who are most at risk. Yet the rate at which younger adults kill themselves has not fallen by as much as for older folk—indeed, suicide is the leading cause of death for 15- to 40-year-olds. It is harder to deal with a pervading dejection about the future that prompts many young Japanese to kill themselves than with the practical issues—eg, financial straits[财政困难;财务困境;融资难]—that can push middle-aged people over the edge[疯狂,精神错乱], says Yasuyuki Shimizu of Life Link, an NGO.
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▷ pervade [pə'veɪd]
【释义】
a) When qualities, characteristics or smells pervade a place or thing, they spread through it and are present in every part of it
b) To pervade means to be present throughout, to exist in every part of. If you have too many cats, the horrible smell of cat pee will pervade your house.
v. (特性或气味)渗透,弥漫,充满
The film is a reflection of the violence that pervades American culture.
这部电影反映了充斥于美国文化中的暴力。
▷ dejection [dɪ'dʒekʃ(ə)n]
【释义】
a) unhappy, disappointed or without hope
b) Someone overcoming the loss of a loved one might be in a state of dejection or depression for some time. It's all part of the grieving process.
adj. 沮丧的;失意的;失望的
She looked a bit dejected when she was told that she hadn't got the job.
当被告知没有得到那份工作时，她脸上露出一丝失望的表情。
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Meanwhile, Aokigahara continues to swallow its victims. That takes a mental toll on locals too. Recently, the same patrolman wrestled a young man to the ground[将一年轻人按倒在地/摔倒在地] to stop him vanishing inside. Such incidents haunt[常出没于…;萦绕于…;经常去…] him, and he wants talk about them. But the police have told him not to, for fear of bringing more people looking for a stillness deeper even than the silence of the forest[怕更多的人会去找个比寂静的森林更加沉静的地方(自杀)].
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▷ take its toll
【释义】
a) (idiomatic) To affect, especially negatively; to damage or degrade; to cause destruction.
造成损失,造成伤亡;损害
Time had taken its toll on the old bridge, and it was no longer sound.
随着时间的流逝，那座古桥已经不再那么稳固了。
Heavy smoking and drinking will take its toll on a person's health.
过度吸烟、饮酒会对人的健康产生危害。
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【相关参考】
日本自杀森林指青木原树海，是日本富士山下的一个著名景区。青木原林海因两点而在日本闻名遐迩：一是从那可以看到的富士山景色美得令人窒息；二就是自杀。这里的森林是如此茂密，以致于在自杀行为结束之后，尸体可能再也不会被任何人发现。由于人们常常到这儿来结束自己的生命，所以日本的青木原森林亦被称作“自杀森林”。
——百度百科
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以上言论不代表本人立场，摘自《经济学人》杂志，仅外语学习之用。查看来源请点击下方的“阅读原文”。