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当下不少国家正在面临墓地爆满的危机，“死不起”正成为各国的普遍问题。调查显示，英国的“墓地危机”已经严重到政府必须干预的地步。早在2007年，伦敦的墓地就获准改建“双层墓穴”（上下铺），将入土75年以上的棺材挖出来，将墓穴加深后再放回去，然后把上层的空间作为新的墓穴。但直至今日，“双层墓穴”的规定只有伦敦在执行。今天让我们跟随贸学长，看看英国议会为了解决墓穴问题，还做出了哪些努力，同时学习相关的知识。
原文导读 A grave shortage
This spring, an act of Parliament, rich in phrases about “human remains”, was passed that allows Highgate to reuse graves. Other London graveyards have been doing this for a few years. The stipulations are numerous. To be reused, a grave’s last burial must have been at least 75 years before; advance warning of each potential reuse must be given to the public on cemetery notices and in newspapers. Previous inhabitants are either left where they are, interred deeper or moved elsewhere. But for many, the prospect of shared accommodation is worth it. A fresh burial plot in the capital might cost you ￡10,000-23,000 ($12,040- 27,700). A “heritage” grave can be had for thousands of pounds less.
Reusing graves is not merely economical but essential. London’s living residents grumble that there is not enough space for them in the city. It is far worse for the dead ones. Part-metropolis, part-necropolis, London is well-known for having been built on bones (and squashier things). Victorian parish graveyards oozed“human putrescence”; mourners at funerals stood on boards to protect their feet from decomposing body parts.
A shortage of grave space is a nationwide problem, but it is particularly acute in the capital. A 2011 audit found that, although some London boroughs had enough capacity for 20 more years of burials, others were already full.
Other solutions to underground congestion exist. Large suburban cemeteries have been built. Cremation has been championed, successfully: 78% of Britons now choose this option. But even suburban cemeteries are now filling up, and many have profound religious objections to cremation.
Grave reuse might sound startling, but it revives a long tradition. Few British bodies have rested in as much peace as sentimental grave inscriptions might imply; for centuries, many graves have been less freehold than leasehold properties. When Samuel Pepys, a 17th-century diarist, went to choose a grave for his brother, the gravedigger offered, for sixpence, to “jostle” along other corpses “that are not quite rotten, to make room for him”. It is better to think of churchyards less as elegiac dormitories for the dead (if they had been, they would have had to be much bigger) than as a sort of subterranean bone broth that was occasionally stirred, and then garnished with gravestones.
Reuse fell out of fashion after a series of crises (notably cholera) led to a change in the law in 1832 that was designed to prevent overcrowding. London’s “magnificent seven” private cemeteries, Highgate among them, appeared. The great Victorian graveyard boom began; a market for meticulously numbered plots started up. Soon the invisible hand put paid to the presence of visible ones in London cemeteries.
As soon as next year, however, some Highgate graves will start to be reused. A premium will be probably paid for prime spots. It’s enough to make Marx turn in his grave. Though not literally. If there is one thing the bourgeoisie understands, it’s the importance of heritage. Graves of historical significance such as Marx’s, says Mr Dungavell, will not be disturbed.
第一段：This spring, an act of Parliament, rich in phrases about “human remains”, was passed that allows Highgate to reuse graves. Other London graveyards have been doing this for a few years. The stipulations are numerous. To be reused, a grave’s last burial must have been at least 75 years before; advance warning of each potential reuse must be given to the public on cemetery notices and in newspapers. Previous inhabitants are either left where they are, interred deeper or moved elsewhere. But for many, the prospect of shared accommodation is worth it. A fresh burial plot in the capital might cost you ￡10,000-23,000 ($12,040- 27,700). A “heritage” grave can be had for thousands of pounds less.
参考译文：今年春天，英国议会通过了一项法案，法案中提到了大量关于“人类尸骸”的短语，并允许海格特公墓循环使用墓穴。伦敦的其他墓地已经这样做好几年了。规定有很多：为了重复使用，墓穴的最后一次埋葬必须至少在75年前；必须在公墓公告和报纸上向公众发出每次潜在再利用的预先警告。之前的尸骸要么在原处埋深点，要么移到别处。但对许多人来说，共享墓穴的前景是值得的。在首都新建一块墓地可能需要花费10000-23000英镑（12040-27700美元）。一座“遗产”墓穴的价格可以少几千英镑。
知识点解读：
1.Parliament：英国议会（包括下议院和上议院），关于政治制度，我们还需要多学几个常考的官方表达：
constitutional monarchy：君主立宪 National People's Congress (NPC)：全国人民代表大会 State Council：国务院 Supreme People's Procuratorate：最高人民检察院 Supreme People's Court：最高人民法院 Ministry of Education：教育部 Chinese Academy of Social Sciences：中国社会科学院
2.Remains：“remain”作名词时用复数形式（固定表达，此用法没有单数形式），一般表示“遗迹；遗体”，例如，“We did the last honors to his remains.我们向他的遗体告别。”做“遗迹”时等同于“relics”，例如，“historical relics/ remains 历史文物”。
3.Highgate：海格特公墓，因世界名人（包括伟大的马克思、英国物理学家和化学家法拉第、小说家乔治·艾略特在内）长眠于此而闻名遐迩。
Grave：作名词时表示“墓地”，如本文。作形容词时表示“严重的、严肃的、重要的”，含令人担忧意味。例如，“This heavy rain could have grave consequences.这场大雨会造成严重后果。”同样表示“严重的、严肃的、重要的”还有以下的词汇，但是彼此略有不同，大家要注意区分：
earnest 指严肃的，认真，含诚恳和热意味，常见的表达有“in earnest 认真；诚挚地；正经”。例如，“In the two years since the housing bust started in earnest, the contraction in homebuilding has taken around one percentage point a year of GDP growth.在房市泡沫破裂正式开始以来两年中，住房建筑业衰退使GDP年增长率每年大约减少一个百分点。”
serious 指具有关键、严肃严重意义事。常见的表达有“serious crime 罪行”、“serious illness 大疾病”和“serious damage 损害”。
severe 指面孔严肃，法律严厉，伤病严重。常见的表达有“severe cold严寒”、“severe weather 恶劣天气”、“severe environment 恶劣环境”和“severe pain剧痛”。
solemn 指人和场景气氛严肃。例如，“He wore an extraordinarily solemn expression.他脸上带着异常严肃的表情。”和“His laughter was not becoming on that solemn occasion.他在那种严肃场合笑是不适宜的。”
sober 侧重因控制抑制自己感而现出庄重。例如，“The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来”
4.Stipulation：契约；规；条款。同样能表达此类意思的还有“rule”、“provision”和“set”。
5.Cemetery：墓地，公墓，尤指不靠近教堂的。西方墓地文化科普：受基督教的宗教影响，西方的墓地常常是与教堂相结合，紧密联系在一起，教堂建筑在墓地中处于中心的位置，这从根本上也体现了基督教徒对复活的信念，墓地围绕教堂的布置也使对于死者的祷告等宗教活动更便于开展。这从源头上与我们中国的墓地文化和死亡文化相区别，因为在中国传统文化里，墓地历来被视为“不吉祥”的代名词。
6.Worth：这个词是个重点词汇，有多重词性，作名词时表示“价值”，强调事物本身的，例如，“The intrinsic worth of the pen is 30 yuan.这支钢笔本身是30元。”此时“worth”和“value”等同，但是“value” 侧重指使用，着重人、物或事所具有的重要性、用途或优秀品质等。作形容词时，表示“有价值的”，常见的表达有“well worth”和、“be worth doing”（此时相当于“deserve to do”）和“it is worth doing sth”等。
区分worth, worthy, worthwhile：
worth 通常只用作表语，不用于名词前作定语；worthy 和 worthwhile 可用作表语和定语。常见的搭配如下：
worthy：be worthy of，例如，“Their efforts are worthy of your support. 他们的努力应得到你的支持。”以及“be worthy to do sth”，例如，“He is worthy to receive such honor. 他应该得到这种荣誉。”
worthwhile：后接动名词或不定式均可，例如“It is worthwhile buying the dictionary. 这本词典值得买。”和“It is worthwhile to discuss the plan again. 这个计划值得再讨论一次。”
第二段：Reusing graves is not merely economical but essential. London’s living residents grumble that there is not enough space for them in the city. It is far worse for the dead ones. Part-metropolis, part-necropolis, London is well-known for having been built on bones (and squashier things). Victorian parish graveyards oozed“human putrescence”; mourners at funerals stood on boards to protect their feet from decomposing body parts.
参考译文：重复使用墓穴不仅省钱而且很有必要。伦敦的居民抱怨说，城市里没有足够的空间容纳他们。对死者来说，情况要糟糕得多。伦敦向来以“建造在骨头上的城市”而闻名，城市里部分是都市，部分是墓地。维多利亚教区的墓地充斥着“腐烂的尸骸”；葬礼上的哀悼者站在木板上，以保护他们的脚不受尸骸腐烂的影响。
知识点解读：
1.not merely…but…：相当于not only…but also…，只不过是把“only”换成了“merely”。
2.grumble：发牢骚；咕哝；嘟囔，例如，“But investors grumble that the company's share price underperforms those of its European rivals by a large margin.但是投资者抱怨说公司的股价表现不佳，大幅低于欧洲的对手。”
ooze：本意是“浓液体）渗出，慢慢流出”，在这里延伸意思为“洋溢着，充满（特质、气质等）”，例如，“Your career will absolutely ooze with your own creative self-expression.你的职业生涯将完全取决于你创造性的自我表现。”
第三段：A shortage of grave space is a nationwide problem, but it is particularly acute in the capital. A 2011 audit found that, although some London boroughs had enough capacity for 20 more years of burials, others were already full.
参考译文：墓地面积不足是一个全国性的问题，但在首都尤为严重。2011年的一项审计发现，尽管伦敦的一些行政区有足够的容量容纳未来20年的尸骸，但其他行政区已经满了。
知识点解读：
acute：有很多个意思，一是“十分严重的”，如“acute malnutrition 严重营养不良”；二是“急性的”，如“acute injury 机型损伤”；三是“尖锐的”，如“acute angle锐角”。
第四段：Other solutions to underground congestion exist. Large suburban cemeteries have been built. Cremation has been championed, successfully: 78% of Britons now choose this option. But even suburban cemeteries are now filling up, and many have profound religious objections to cremation.
参考译文：还有其他解决地下拥堵的方法。郊区的大型墓地已经建成。火葬已经得到了成功的支持：78%的英国人现在选择火葬。但是，即使是郊区的公墓现在也人满为患，许多人由于宗教原因，强烈反对火葬。
知识点解读：
1.congestion：主要用作两个意思，一是医学上的“淤血”，例如，“Her lung sounds were a bit quieter than normal but I did not detect any congestion.她的肺部听起来较正常呼吸音低，但是我没有发现淤血症状。”二是“堵车、堵塞”，例如，“These, the bank thinks, are the real problems of urbanisation, not the multiplication of slums or congestion. 世行认为这是城市化的真正问题，而不是贫民区成倍增加，抑或人口拥挤。”
2.cremation：火葬，例如，“Before burial or cremation, bodies must be identified and, if possible, the cause of death recorded. 在土葬或者火葬之前，死者的身份必须得到确认，如果可能的话，也应该记录死亡原因。”（burial是指土葬）
第五段：Grave reuse might sound startling, but it revives a long tradition. Few British bodies have rested in as much peace as sentimental grave inscriptions might imply; for centuries, many graves have been less freehold than leasehold properties. When Samuel Pepys, a 17th-century diarist, went to choose a grave for his brother, the gravedigger offered, for sixpence, to “jostle” along other corpses “that are not quite rotten, to make room for him”. It is better to think of churchyards less as elegiac dormitories for the dead (if they had been, they would have had to be much bigger) than as a sort of subterranean bone broth that was occasionally stirred, and then garnished with gravestones.
参考译文：墓穴的再利用听起来可能令人吃惊，但它恢复了悠久的传统。很少有英国人能像墓志铭所暗示的那样平静；几个世纪以来，许多坟墓都不是永久所有权，而是租赁财产。当17世纪的日记作家塞缪尔·佩皮斯（Samuel Pepys）去为他的兄弟选择一座坟墓时，掘墓人以六便士的价格，提出与其他“尚未完全腐烂”的尸体“推搡”，为他腾出空间。最好不要把教堂墓地想成是死者的挽歌式宿舍（如果是的话，它们肯定要大得多），而要想成是一种地下的骨头汤，偶尔被搅拌一下，然后用墓碑来调味。
知识点解读：
1.revive a long tradition：使传统文化焕发生机。
2.sentimental：伤感的，例如，“Nostalgia is a kind of farewell. Getting sentimental means she's ready to tell the truth and move on with her life.回顾就是为了告别。说得伤感是因为她要坦白掀开人生新的一页。”
第六段：Reuse fell out of fashion after a series of crises (notably cholera) led to a change in the law in 1832 that was designed to prevent overcrowding. London’s “magnificent seven” private cemeteries, Highgate among them, appeared. The great Victorian graveyard boom began; a market for meticulously numbered plots started up. Soon the invisible hand put paid to the presence of visible ones in London cemeteries.
参考译文：在一系列危机（特别是霍乱）导致1832年法律发生变化，旨在防止过度拥挤之后，再利用不再流行。伦敦“宏伟的七座”私人公墓出现了，海格特公墓就是其中之一。维多利亚时代的墓地繁荣开始了；一个精心编号的地块市场启动了。很快，看不见的手使看得见的手在伦敦公墓中成为泡影。
知识点解读：
1.out of fashion：过时，其反义“流行”有以下常见的表达：
be in vogue：“When to Western Han Dynasty, the hollow brick can be in vogue, still used in building the grave, in which part is printed with the image.至西汉时，空心砖得以盛行，仍多用于筑墓，其中部分印有图像。”
be in fashion：“This style of dress used to be in fashion.这种式样的衣服过去很流行。”
be prevalent with: “The story tells of a time prevalent with war, where it's a matter of to kill or to be killed on battlefields for soldiers.电影讲述了一段盛行战争的岁月，那时候的士兵要么浴血奋战，要么战死沙场。”
2.meticulously：细心的、无微不至的，例如，“Everybody has authority to pursue style, the problem that how much is beautiful money, and depend on holding whether meticulously .每个人都有权追求时尚，不是花钱多少的问题，而在于是否精心把握。”
put paid to：摧毁、结束，例如，“The series of terrible blind dates put paid to her dream of an ideal marriage.一系列可怕的相亲断送了她对理想婚姻的梦想。”
第七段：As soon as next year, however, some Highgate graves will start to be reused. A premium will be probably paid for prime spots. It’s enough to make Marx turn in his grave. Though not literally. If there is one thing the bourgeoisie understands, it’s the importance of heritage. Graves of historical significance such as Marx’s, says Mr Dungavell, will not be disturbed.
参考译文：然而，最快明年，一些海格特公墓将开始重新使用。黄金时段可能会支付溢价。这足以让马克思在坟墓里翻身，虽然不是字面上的意思。如果说资产阶级懂得什么，那就是遗产的重要性。邓加维尔表示，像马克思这样具有历史意义的坟墓不会受到干扰。
知识点解读：
1.premium：保险费，溢价，例如，“What was an acceptable premium when the deal was hatched turned into a gaping discount as Chinese stocks surged.由于中国股市飙升，此笔交易酝酿时令人满意的溢价变成了明显的折让。”
2.prime spot：黄金地段，例如，“The old houses in prime spot are going to be removed. The dwellers are busy with moving their home.黄金地段的老房子即将拆除，居民忙着搬迁。”对应的“黄金时段”的表达为“prime time”。
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