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　《经济学人》中的文章一直很受考研英语出题人喜欢，频频出现在历年的考研英语阅读理解试题中。文都教育建议2016考研小伙伴们在备考过程中，可以多看看经济学人中的文章。
　　
　　2016考研英语经济学人热点：Justices on the stage
　　
　　Why Americans are increasingly fascinated by their highest court
　　
　　NEAR the start of “TheOriginalist”, a new play about Justice Antonin Scaliaof the Supreme Court, the judge is shown boasting that he could beat anyliberal at poker, not least President Barack Obama. In card games as in life,left-wingers “lack ruthlessness when the stakes arehigh”, the actor playing Mr Scalia explains to Cat, aleft-leaning young woman he has just hired for the nerve-racking post of hislaw clerk (a prestigious job reserved for clever high-flyers)
　　
　　《原旨主义者》是一部关于最高法院法官安东尼•斯卡利亚的舞台新剧。巨幕尚未拉开，这位“法官”便出现在了舞台上，吹嘘着他了得的牌技，说“自由主义者”们无一不是他的手下败将，尤其还谈到了总统巴拉克•奥巴马。
　　
　　担任斯卡利亚的法官助手虽然让人钦羡，但却教你的精神零敲碎受，故非有能大志者所能承受的起。 凯瑟琳是他新雇佣的助手同时也是一位年轻的左翼自由派。在剧中，这位“斯卡利亚”向凯瑟琳解释了他游戏中战无不胜的原因，他说“赌注一旦开高，左派人就统统变得优柔寡断了”。游戏中如此，现实中亦是如此。
　　
　　There is a lot of bombast in the play, which opens in Washington on March 6th.The fictional Mr Scalia—in real life the outspoken,caustic 78-year-old leader of the court’s conservativewing—prowls round his chambers, fists balled like aprizefighter, sparring with Cat about his views on gay marriage (bad), abortion(worse) and the death penalty (a fitting punishment for wickedness). In eachcase he is a swaggering, doubt-free spokesman for “originalism”. According to that doctrine, the constitution keeps the meaning ithad when it was first adopted. Originalists hate it when modern judges treatits text as a “living”document, guaranteeing a panoply of rights that changes with the times.
　　
　　这部满是着虚华言辞的舞台剧将在3月6号于华盛顿开幕。一幕，剧中的斯卡利亚像职业拳击手般攥紧了拳头，在他的办公室里踱来踱去。原来，他是在与凯瑟琳讨论着同性婚姻（他的观点：不道德）、堕胎（他的观点：更不道德）和死刑（他的观点：罪恶的行为就该受到应有的惩罚）的问题。然而，不论是在哪个问题上，他都是“原旨主义”坚定而自信的代言人。这位78岁的高院保守派领导在现实生活中同样也是一个坦率直接，言辞激烈的人。
　　
　　根据“原旨主义”的解释，宪法保有其初始通过时的一切含义。原旨主义者反对新派法官将宪法看做有“生命”的文字记录。因为，宪法一旦有了所谓的“生命”，其中大量的基本权利就一定会随着时间而改变。
　　
　　In final rehearsals at Arena Stage, a large drama centre specialising in newworks, Edward Gero, the actor playing Mr Scalia, is to be seen flatly tellinghis law clerk that Americans will “never” seriously restrict gun ownership, not least because of their deepdistrust of the federal vernment and its own arsenals of weaponry. Momentsearlier Cat (played by Kerry Warren) has told him of a family connection to ashooting massacre that left her a passionate believer in gun control. Her bossis unyielding. The constitution clearly guarantees a right to bear arms, hegrowls, and “passion is no match for the text.”
　　
　　在阿瑞納剧场（专供上演新剧的大戏剧中心）的最后几次排演中，爱德华•杰罗所扮演的斯卡利亚语气平淡地告诉他的助手，美国人的枪支所有权“永远永远”都不会得到严格的限制，主要原因是他们对联邦政府及其军事实力的极度怀疑。之前，凯莉•沃伦所扮演的凯瑟琳告诉斯卡利亚，牵涉到她家人的一次枪击案使她坚信必须对枪支进行控制。斯卡利亚显得十分顽固，他怒气冲冲地说道，宪法明确保证了个人持有枪支的权利，对枪击案的激愤决不能超越对宪法的尊重。
　　
　　In short, there is much to provoke theatreers in a capital city whereDemocratic voters (and federal bureaucrats) greatly outnumber fire-breathingconservatives. Yet in the Washington of 2015, staging a play about Mr Scaliamakes perfect sense. Indeed, “The Originalist” will be followed this July by the premiere of “Scalia/Ginsburg”, a comic opera about theconservative judge and his deep-if-improbable friendship with Justice RuthBader Ginsburg, the 81-year-old leader of the court’sliberal wing. The two justices, both opera buffs, praised extracts from thework after they were performed in a recital at the court. Drawing freely on theplots of “Don Giovanni”, “The Magic Flute” and other classics, theopera shows them imprisoned by a talking statue and forced to work together onthree tests to gain their freedom.
　　
　　总之，在华盛顿这座民主党选民（还有民主党联邦官员）远超激进保守派的首都城市，这部剧还是有很多吸引剧迷的看点的。在2015年的华盛顿上演一部关于斯卡利亚的戏剧却是完全符合情理的，在《原旨主义者》之后，一部名叫《斯卡利亚/金斯伯格》歌剧也将确定在7月首演。这部歌剧讲述了最高法保守派领导人斯卡利亚与81岁的自由派领导人鲁斯•巴德•金斯伯格之间的诤友/莫逆之情。当这两位剧迷法官在法庭上看完这部歌剧的选段表演后，都对此称赞不已。这部剧还选取了《唐璜》、《神笛》以及其他经典作品的桥段。在剧中，两位法官被一个会说话的雕像囚禁，为了获得自由他们被迫联合，共同完成三项考验。
　　
　　There are several reasons why it makes sense to put a judge like Mr Scalia onstage. For one thing, the Supreme Court often finds itself pondering knottyproblems which other countries ask parliaments to resolve. In just the next fewmonths the court’s nine justices could issue rulingsthat preserve or dismantle a big plank of the Obamacare health law and make gaymarriage legal in all 50 states.
　　
　　人们有充分的理由将一位像斯卡利亚这样的法官搬上舞台。首先，在美国的最高法院必须要研究解决的一些问题，在其他国家都是他们各自的议会在解决。而可能再过几个月，最高法的九位法官就会对奥巴马医改法案的核心内容以及全美同性婚姻的合法化做出保留或是废除的裁决。
　　
　　For another thing, in the space of a generation or two, originalism has movedfrom the fringes of legal scholarship to being a mainstream conservativebelief. Pugnacious, eloquent Mr Scalia can take much of the credit for that. Hedoes not win all his fights—indeed, when the courtfinds that the constitution protects the right of gays to marry, as seemslikely, it will be a clear defeat for originalists. But even when he loses, MrScalia’s blistering written dissents are headline news.In 2013 he accused his fellow justices of plotting a “black-robedsupremacy” when they struck down a law passed byCongress in the 1990s that attempted to grant primacy to heterosexual marriage.In other dissents he has accused his unelected colleagues of “tsarist arrogance” and “preposterous” reasoning. Derrick Wang, thecomposer of “Scalia/Ginsburg”,was studying Scalia opinions at law school when he decided that the stormy,raging words before him deserved to be an operatic aria. John Strand, theWashington-based author of “The Originalist”, declares Mr Scalia a natural showman. Both justices have sizeablestudent followings on college campuses and in law schools; the best knownGinsburg fan blog is called “Notorious RBG”, in a play on the name of the late rapper, “The Notorious BIG”.
　　
　　还有，在短短的一代到两代的时间里，原旨主义从法律学术界的边缘学说一跃成为主流的保守派信条，这其中，善辩好斗的斯卡利亚可谓是劳苦功高。实际上，他也并非战无不胜——当最高法发现宪法似乎是在保护同性婚姻权利时，原旨主义者显然是败了。但即便是失败了，斯卡利亚所写出的（对同性婚姻的）激烈抗议还是登上了新闻头条。在2013年，他控告其他法官蓄谋“黑袍至上主义”（即法官至上主义），因为他们废除了国会于上世纪九十年通过的，旨在赋予异性婚姻至高地位的法律。在其他的异议中，他指责他的那些落选同事“傲慢如沙皇”、“推理至荒谬”。德里克•王是《斯卡利亚/金斯伯格》的剧作者，他曾在法学院研究斯卡利亚的观点。在那时，他便决定将斯卡利亚搬上舞台，并认为斯卡利亚那如暴风骤雨般激烈的言辞值得接受歌剧式的咏叹。居于华盛顿的约翰•司传德是《原旨主义者》的作者，他称斯卡利亚是“天生的演技派”。
　　
　　不论是斯卡利亚还是金斯伯格，他们在大学校园尤其是在法学院中都有大批的学生拥泵。金斯伯格最知名的粉丝博客被称之为“臭名的鲁巴金”，这个名字也是对已故说唱歌手“臭名的大人物”的某种戏谑。
　　
　　The odd couple
　　
　　奇怪的二人组
　　
　　But something else explains the flurry of interest in them, and it is linked todisgust with contemporary politics. Too often, folk on right and left refuse toconcede that some problems are hard, so that reasonable people disagree abouthow to solve them. Partisans even refuse to admit that they are partisans, withbiases and preferences born of character, upbringing and experience. Instead,politicians pose as objective seekers after truth, the better to portray theiropponents as fools, knaves or dupes (or all three), whose facts cannot betrusted and whose motives are suspect.
　　
　　人们之所以对他二人如此饶有兴趣，多少也是与对当代政治的厌恶有关。左右两派常常不愿承认，有些问题是难以轻易解决的，理智的人会选择搁置争议而非执意寻求所谓的解决之道。死硬派甚至拒绝承认自己是“死硬派”，然而他们忘了，人们对事物的偏爱是其性格，家庭环境和人生经历共同决定的。政治家们极力粉饰自己客观追求真理的形象，粉饰的越好越能使他们的对手显得欺瞒狡诈和愚蠢无知，如此这般，对手的观点就变得不足为信，其动机也变得让人怀疑。
　　
　　The Supreme Court may have clear conservative and liberal camps. Its justicesattack one another in ferocious written opinions. But even such polar oppositesas Justices Scalia and Ginsburg do not think that the other is stupid. Insteadthey acknowledge that they simply see the world differently. “What’s not to like—excepther views on the law?” Mr Scalia asked at a recentjoint appearance.
　　
　　也许，最高法院保守派阵营和自由派阵营间的界限十分清晰，这反映在了其不同观点间猛烈的文字对峙。然而，观点即便如此相左，斯卡利亚和金斯伯格二人都不认为对方是愚蠢的，相反却承认，只是各自看待世界的眼光不同罢了。最近，两人同时露面时斯卡利亚疑问地说道：“除了法律观，她还有什么让人讨厌的吗？”。
　　
　　In real life Mr Scalia has hired several liberal law clerks over the years.Researching “The Originalist”,Mr Strand interviewed ex-clerks who disagreed with almost every judgment madeby the conservative justice, yet called him witty, erudite and affable. “One liberal clerk said, he’s the best bosshe will ever have,” says Mr Strand. His play presentsthe old justice as a gruff but ultimately kindly mentor. It does not show Catconverting Mr Scalia: it is a work of fiction, not an outright fantasy. But itdoes show two clever people listening to each other, even as they argue. Intoday’s Washington, too often filled with dialogues ofthe deaf, that makes it a timely, almost revolutionary work.
　　
　　实际生活中，斯卡利亚多年来也雇佣了一些自由派的法官助手。在研究如何创作《原旨主义者》时，司传德采访了斯卡利亚的几位前任助手，他们虽然对这位保守派法官所做的几乎每一项裁决都持有异议，但却承认他是一个智慧博学，和蔼可亲的人。司传德说，曾有一位自由派助手认为斯卡利亚是他所遇见的最棒的上司。然而，他所要最终呈现的斯卡利亚并不是一个脾气暴躁的老人而是一位善良可亲的导师。剧中虽然并没有上演凯瑟琳改变斯卡利亚观点的一幕，因为即便是在杜撰的舞台剧中，这也是不可能有的幻想！但是却出现了这两位聪明人愿意互相倾听的场景，即使他们在争论中也是如此。如今的华盛顿却充斥着毕耳塞听之人间所谓的“对话”，而这部适时而现的《原旨主义者》在此时便显得意义非凡。