2012年考研英语一阅读 Text 2 原文翻译及答案解析

A deal is a deal - except, apparently, when Entergy is involved. The company, a major energy supplier in New England, provoked justified outrage in Vermont last week when it announced it was reneging on a longstanding commitment to abide by the state's strict nuclear regulations.

协议就是协议——但显然，当Entergy牵涉其中时，情况就不同了。这家公司是新英格兰地区的主要能源供应商，上周在佛蒙特州宣布背弃其长期以来遵守该州严格核法规的承诺，引发了正当的愤怒。

Instead, the company has done precisely what it had long promised it would not: challenge the constitutionality of Vermont's rules in the federal court, as part of a desperate effort to keep its Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant running. It's a stunning move.

相反，该公司恰恰做了它长期以来承诺不会做的事情：在联邦法院质疑佛蒙特州规则的合宪性，作为其为维持佛蒙特洋基核电站运行而孤注一掷的努力的一部分。这是一个令人震惊的举动。

The conflict has been surfacing since 2002, when the corporation bought Vermont's only nuclear power plant, an aging reactor in Vernon. As a condition of receiving state approval for the sale, the company agreed to seek permission from state regulators to operate past 2012. In 2006, the state went a step further, requiring that any extension of the plant's license be subject to the Vermont legislature's approval. Then, too, the company went along.

自2002年该公司购买佛蒙特州唯一的核电站——位于弗农的老化反应堆——以来，冲突就已浮出水面。作为获得州政府批准收购的条件，该公司同意向州监管机构申请在2012年后继续运营的许可。2006年，州政府更进一步，要求核电站许可证的任何延期都必须经佛蒙特州立法机构批准。当时，该公司也表示同意。

Either Entergy never really intended to live by those commitments, or it simply didn't foresee what would happen next. A string of accidents, including the partial collapse of a cooling tower in 2007 and the discovery of an underground pipe system leakage, raised serious questions about both Vermont Yankee's safety and Entergy's management - especially after the company made misleading statements about the pipe. Enraged by Entergy's behavior, the Vermont Senate voted 26 to 4 last year against allowing an extension.

要么Entergy从未真正打算遵守那些承诺，要么它根本没预料到接下来会发生什么。一系列事故，包括2007年一座冷却塔的部分坍塌和地下管道系统泄漏的发现，引发了关于佛蒙特洋基安全性和Entergy管理能力的严重质疑——尤其是在该公司对管道问题做出误导性陈述之后。被Entergy的行为激怒，佛蒙特州参议院去年以26比4的投票反对允许延期。

Now the company is suddenly claiming that the 2002 agreement is invalid because of the 2006 legislation, and that only the federal government has regulatory power over nuclear issues. The legal issues in the case are obscure: whereas the Supreme Court has ruled that states do have some regulatory authority over nuclear power, legal scholars say that Vermont case will offer a precedent-setting test of how far those powers extend. Certainly, there are valid concerns about the patchwork regulations that could result if every state sets its own rules. But had Entergy kept its word, that debate would be beside the point.

现在，该公司突然声称2002年的协议因2006年的立法而无效，并声称只有联邦政府对核问题拥有监管权。此案的法律问题模糊不清：虽然最高法院已裁定各州对核电拥有一定的监管权，但法律学者表示，佛蒙特州案将为这些权力的范围提供一个具有先例意义的测试。当然，如果每个州都制定自己的规则，可能会导致拼凑的法规，这确实令人担忧。但如果Entergy信守承诺，这场争论就无关紧要了。

The company seems to have concluded that its reputation in Vermont is already so damaged that it has nothing left to lose by going to war with the state. But there should be consequences. Permission to run a nuclear plant is a public trust. Entergy runs 11 other reactors in the United States, including Pilgrim Nuclear station in Plymouth. Pledging to run Pilgrim safely, the company has applied for federal permission to keep it open for another 20 years. But as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviews the company's application, it should keep in mind what promises from Entergy are worth.

该公司似乎已得出结论，其在佛蒙特州的声誉已受损严重，以至于与州政府开战已无所损失。但应该有后果。运营核电站的许可是一种公共信托。Entergy在美国运营着其他11座反应堆，包括位于普利茅斯的朝圣者核电站。承诺安全运营朝圣者核电站，该公司已申请联邦许可，以再开放20年。但当核管理委员会（NRC）审查该公司的申请时，应记住Entergy的承诺价值几何。

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