文本选自：The Economist（经济学人）
作者：Unknown
原文标题：Mexico’s gangs are becoming criminal conglomerates
原文发布时间：15 May 2023
Mexico's gangs are becoming criminal conglomerates
On May 3rd Mexico introduced a law applying strict controls on the import of chemicals used by Mexico's gangs to make synthetic drugs. The law is backed by harsh criminal penalties. This is a striking move by Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico's populist president, who has shied away from tackling the country's gangs, preferring to blame drugs and disorder on family breakdown over the border and poverty at home. In truth, under his tenure gangs are increasingly powerful and diversified.
Mexico's cartels have always been adaptable. In the 1980s they trafficked marijuana and then cocaine from Colombia to the United States. But in the past decade they have mutated into a much wider array of groups, with their tentacles reaching beyond the drugs trade into extortion, people-smuggling, arms-selling and illegal mining. "We look at organised crime trends through a drug-cartel lens, when today in Mexico we have a mafia-like criminal landscape, " says Romain Le Cour Grandmaison of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, an NGO based in Switzerland.
However, the government response continues to be shaped by a focus on narcotics, not least because of the United States and its war on drugs. The pressure has increased with the recent crisis surrounding fentanyl. The head of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) last month described the Sinaloa cartel and the Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG), Mexico's two biggest groups, as the "greatest drug threat our nation has ever faced".
墨西哥的帮派正在成为犯罪集团
精听党背景导读
墨西哥挥之不去的毒品阴霾始于上世纪90年代。那时，在哥伦比亚政府打击下，国内的毒品集团不得不通过墨西哥走私组织将毒品运送至美国市场，开启了墨西哥犯罪组织大规模进入毒品生意，控制毒品供应链的潘多拉魔盒。美国全球风险评估企业卡罗尔公司专家托马斯·凯勒告诉本刊记者，没有精确的数字能够描述毒品生意的规模。
文本选自：The Economist（经济学人）作者：Unknown原文标题：Mexico’s gangs are becoming criminal conglomerates原文发布时间：15 May 2023关键词：美国 墨西哥 毒品
精听党带着问题听
1.“贩卖大麻”用英语可以怎么表达？2. 如何理解第二段中的“shy away”？3. 在1980年代，他们将大麻和可卡因从哪个地方贩运到美国？
精听党选段赏析
标题解读
Mexico's gangs are becoming criminal conglomerates
墨西哥的帮派正在成为犯罪集团
gang n. 帮派，团伙；一帮，一伙（罪犯）；
conglomerate n. 联合大公司；企业集团；1. Samsung is a conglomerate. 三星是一个大型企业。
段一
On May 3rd Mexico introduced a law applying strict controls on the import of chemicals used by Mexico's gangs to make synthetic drugs. The law is backed by harsh criminal penalties. This is a striking move by Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico's populist president, who has shied away from tackling the country's gangs, preferring to blame drugs and disorder on family breakdown over the border and poverty at home. In truth, under his tenure gangs are increasingly powerful and diversified.
introduce vt. 推行；实施；采用；
apply vt. 施加；使用；应用；1. to apply economic sanctions/political pressure 采用经济制裁/施加政治压力；
synthetic adj. 合成的，人造的；1. synthetic fiber 人造纤维；2. synthetic fuel 合成燃料；3. synthetically adv. 综合地；合成地；
Today rubies are also created synthetically in the lab. 现如今，红宝石也可在实验室被人工合成。
back vt. 帮助；支持；
harsh adj. 严厉的，严酷的，艰苦的，刺耳的；1. harsh criticism 严厉的批评；2. harsh times 非常时期；非常时刻；3. harsh chemicals 刺激性化学物质；4. harshly adv. 严厉地；刺耳地；粗糙地；5. harshness n. 严肃；刺耳；粗糙的事物；6. harshen v. 使粗糙；使荒凉；
penalty n. 处罚，罚款；1. There are tough penalties for drinking and driving. 酒后开车处罚很重。2. penalty for 罚金；对…的处罚；3. death penalty 死刑；4. penalty kick 罚点球，罚球；
striking adj. 惊人的，异常的；1. Those findings are still striking. 这些发现仍然很惊人。
populist n. 平民主义者，平民论者；平民党党员；
shy away 回避，避开；1. He never shied away from his responsibilities. 该自己承担的责任，他从不回避。2. shy away from 羞于；避开公众；
disorder n. 混乱，杂乱；1. eating disorder 饮食紊乱症；2. v. 打乱，使紊乱；
He disordered my tidy room. 他打乱了我整洁的房间。
breakdown n.（关系的）破裂；（机器的）故障，瘫痪，精神衰竭等；1. She's still recovering from her breakdown. 她精神崩溃后还在恢复中。
tenure n. 任期；任职，（尤其指大学教师的）终身职位，长期聘用；1. It's still extremely difficult to get tenure. 要取得终身职位仍然极其困难。
diversified adj. 多样化的，各种的；1. It is diversified and colorful! 它是多样化和丰富多彩的！2. diversify v. 使…多样化；
More recently, it has also diversified into cruise ships. 而最近，它还扩展了游船的业务。
参考译文
5 月 3 日，墨西哥出台了一项法律，严格控制墨西哥帮派用来制造合成毒品的化学品的进口。该法律有着严厉的刑事处罚支持。这是墨西哥民粹主义总统安德烈斯·曼努埃尔·洛佩斯·奥夫拉多尔 (Andrés Manuel López Obrador) 的一个引人注目的举动，他一直回避打击该国的帮派，更愿意将边境家庭破裂和国内贫困归咎于毒品和混乱。事实上，在他的任期内，帮派越来越强大和多样化。
段二
Mexico's cartels have always been adaptable. In the 1980s they trafficked marijuana and then cocaine from Colombia to the United States. But in the past decade they have mutated into a much wider array of groups, with their tentacles reaching beyond the drugs trade into extortion, people-smuggling, arms-selling and illegal mining. "We look at organised crime trends through a drug-cartel lens, when today in Mexico we have a mafia-like criminal landscape," says Romain Le Cour Grandmaison of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, an NGO based in Switzerland.
cartel n. 联合企业，贩毒集团；1. The few jobs that exist are mostly offered by cartels. 为数不多的工作机会大部分都是由联合企业提供的。
traffick marijuana 贩卖大麻；1. traffick v.（尤指非法物品的）交易；2. marijuana n. 大麻，大麻毒品；
mutate vi. 变异，突变；1. The virus did not mutate to a more virulent form. 病毒没有变异为致命性更强的形态。2. mutate into 变成；
tentacle n. 触角，触须；1. Its tentacles extend worldwide. 它的触角伸向全世界。
extortion n. 勒索，敲诈；1. He was arrested and charged with extortion. 他因敲诈勒索罪被拘捕和控告。2. extort v. 敲诈，勒索；
They both extort large sums of money from mines they control. 他们都从他们控制的矿山那里敲诈了很多钱。
people-smuggling 人口走私；1. smuggling n. 走私；
arms-selling 武器贩卖；1. arms n. 兵器；武器；
They might also be concerned with other kinds of issues, for example, whether the company is involved in selling arms. 他们还可能关心其他类型的问题，例如，该公司是否涉及出售武器。
lens n. 镜头；
initiative n. 活动；倡议；
参考译文
墨西哥的贩毒集团一直具有适应性。在 1980 年代，他们将大麻和可卡因从哥伦比亚贩运到美国。但在过去十年中，他们已经演变为范围更广的团体，他们的触角已从毒品交易延伸到敲诈勒索、人口走私、军火销售和非法采矿。“我们通过贩毒集团的视角来看待有组织的犯罪趋势，而今天在墨西哥我们有一个类似黑手党的犯罪环境，”总部设在瑞士的非政府组织打击跨国有组织犯罪全球倡议的Romain Le Cour Grandmaison说。
段三
However, the government response continues to be shaped by a focus on narcotics, not least because of the United States and its war on drugs. The pressure has increased with the recent crisis surrounding fentanyl. The head of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) last month described the Sinaloa cartel and the Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG), Mexico's two biggest groups, as the "greatest drug threat our nation has ever faced".
narcotic n. 麻醉剂；麻醉毒品；1. He was indicted for dealing in narcotics. 他因贩卖毒品而受到起诉。
not least 尤其，相当重要地；1. The documentary caused a lot of bad feelings, not least among the workers. 那部纪录片引起了许多人的反感，尤其工人。2. especially adv. 尤其，特别；
fentanyl n. 芬太尼（主要用作止痛剂）；
参考译文
然而，政府的反应继续受到对毒品的关注的影响，尤其是因为美国及其反毒品斗争。随着最近围绕芬太尼的危机，压力有所增加。美国缉毒局 (DEA) 负责人上个月将墨西哥最大的两个集团锡那罗亚贩毒集团和哈利斯科新一代贩毒集团 (CJNG) 描述为“我们国家有史以来面临的最大毒品威胁”。
精听党每日单词
gang
/ɡæŋ/ n. 帮派，团伙；一帮，一伙（罪犯）；
conglomerate
/kənˈɡlɑːmərət/ n. 联合大公司；企业集团；
introduce
/ˌɪntrəˈduːs/ vt. 推行；实施；采用；
apply
/əˈplaɪ/ vt. 施加；使用；应用；
synthetic
/sɪnˈθetɪk/ adj. 合成的，人造的；
back
/bæk/ vt. 帮助；支持；
harsh
/hɑːrʃ/ adj. 严厉的，严酷的，艰苦的，刺耳的；
penalty
/ˈpenəlti/ n. 处罚，罚款；
striking
/ˈstraɪkɪŋ/ adj. 惊人的，异常的；
populist
/ˈpɑːpjəlɪst/ n. 平民主义者，平民论者；平民党党员；
shy away
回避，避开；
disorder
/dɪsˈɔːrdər/ n. 混乱，杂乱；
breakdown
/ˈbreɪkdaʊn/ n.（关系的）破裂；（机器的）故障，瘫痪，精神衰竭等；
tenure
/ˈtenjər/ n. 任期；任职，（尤其指大学教师的）终身职位，长期聘用；
diversified
/dɪˈvɜːrsɪfaɪd/ adj. 多样化的，各种的；
cartel
/kɑːrˈtel/ n. 联合企业，贩毒集团；
traffick marijuana
贩卖大麻；
mutate
/ˈmjuːteɪt/ vi. 变异，突变；
tentacle
/ˈtentək(ə)l/ n. 触角，触须；
extortion
/ɪkˈstɔːrʃ(ə)n/ n. 勒索，敲诈；
people-smuggling
人口走私；
arms-selling
武器贩卖；
lens
/lenz/ n. 镜头；
initiative
/ɪˈnɪʃətɪv/ n. 活动；倡议；
narcotic
/nɑːrˈkɑːtɪk/ n. 麻醉剂；麻醉毒品；
not least
尤其，相当重要地；
fentanyl
/ˈfentənɪl/ n. 芬太尼（主要用作止痛剂）；
精听党文化拓展
2018年1月是《绝命毒师》首季开播十周年。估计所有观众都注意到，戏里会说西班牙语的反派毒枭们都是“卡特尔”的成员或附庸。
《绝命毒师》的中国粉丝们在看剧时心中都有个疑问：戏里反复出现的“卡特尔”究竟是什么？为何有这么重的戏份？
“卡特尔”在拉美毒品业有着和经济史上相同的形态。经济史上的“卡特尔”，是业内原本互相独立的各个产供销企业结成的联合体，意在扼杀竞争者和绑定产品价格。拉美毒品业中的“卡特尔”，是业内各有地盘和专长的黑道大哥们组成的联合体，目的也是讲价和打压对手。
毒品“卡特尔”的基层是黑帮，但比帮派更强横；业务是做买卖，但行使的权力、主宰的领域远不止地下商业；在新闻中常因烧杀出现，但比起黑道火拼，“卡特尔”的暴行更像是叛乱与内战。在20世纪末，如此剽悍的毒品“卡特尔”是哥伦比亚特产。在21世纪初，这是《绝命毒师》中的那些墨西哥大哥们的专利。而这两国两代“卡特尔”在业务上有直接的传承关系。
精听党每日美句
What is defeat? Nothing but the first step to something better.
失败是什么？失败不过是走向较佳境地的第一步。