下載pdf資料： GitHub - zhbink/LiuLiYueDu: 流利閱讀pdf彙總

Why are the ‘yellow vests’ still protesting in France? His name is Macron
法國“黃馬甲”為何仍在抗議？答案直指總統馬克龍

Act Four in the weekly “yellow vest” protests unfolded Saturday in Paris amid a now-familiar backdrop of tear gas and chants, but also brought further clarity on where the rage is headed: directly at President Emmanuel Macron.
週六，在一片熟悉的催淚瓦斯和呼喊聲的背景下，第四波“黃馬甲”抗議活動在巴黎拉開序幕（這一示威行動每週舉行），但也讓這些民憤的指向更為清晰了——怒火直指總統埃馬紐埃爾·馬克龍。

What began as opposition against a carbon tax designed to curb climate change has morphed into a working-class revolt against Macron, who now faces the first major test of his presidency and whose approval ratings have plummeted to personal all-time lows.
這場抗議本來是因為反對碳稅而開始的，而收取碳稅是為了控制氣候變化；後來抗議轉變為一場工人階級針對馬克龍的起義。馬克龍現在面臨著他總統任期內第一個重大考驗，他的支援率也跌到個人歷史新低。

Chants of “Macron resign!” echoed along the grand Champs Élysées on Saturday as protesters decried him as the “president of the rich” who has ignored struggling regions around the country.
週六，“馬克龍辭職！”這一口號迴盪在壯麗的香榭麗舍大街上。抗議者譴責馬克龍是“有錢人的總統”，指責他忽視了這個國家還在掙扎謀生的那些地區。

Remarkably, some of those in the crowd had backed Macron’s improbable campaign in 2017. But they now say they feel betrayed by an agenda they see as merely concerned with protecting the economic interests of the elite.
值得注意的一點是，部分抗議者在 2017 年那場出乎預料的選舉中曾支援過馬克龍。但現在，他們認為自己被他的政治議程所背叛。在他們看來，這個議程旨在保護上層階級的經濟利益。

The movement—whose name is taken from the trademark high-visibility yellow vests—has since come to represent a deeply rooted social anger that has more to do with the personality of Macron than it does with any particular policy.
這場運動的名字來自於黃色馬甲這個標誌性的顯眼形象。事件發生後，它開始代表一種根深蒂固的社會層面的憤怒，而這種憤怒更多是關於馬克龍的人格而不是其他任何具體的政策。

Most protesters tend to be white and many from the provinces—sharing anxiety over dwindling purchasing power and what they see as Macron’s aloof style.
大多數抗議者是白人，且很多人來自外省。他們共同的焦慮在於下降的購買力，和他們眼中馬克龍冷漠的作風。

Catherine Van Mikel, 66, a retired clerk at the Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris, noted that she had proudly voted for Macron in 2017. “I feel genuinely deceived,” she said, standing toward the back, far from the jeering crowds.
66 歲的凱瑟琳·凡·米克爾是巴黎老佛爺百貨公司的退休櫃員，她表示自己曾在 2017 年驕傲地給馬克龍投過票。她遠遠站在起鬨的人群后面，說道：“我真的感覺被騙了。”

“There’s a real arrogance to him,” she said of Macron. “I have never seen a president like that.”
她評價馬克龍說：“他真的很傲慢，我從沒見過這樣的總統。”

—————文章來源 / 華盛頓郵報

重點詞彙
backdrop/ˈbækdrɑːp/
n. 背景

• a love story set against a backdrop of war

chant/tʃænt/
n. （尤指眾人齊喊或合唱的）反覆而有節奏的短句

• football chants

curb/kɜːrb/
v. 控制，約束，抑制

• to curb my temper
• to curb inflation

morph into
v. 變為；變形為

• If you take the polyjuice potion, you can morph into another person.

revolt/rɪˈvoʊlt/
n. 起義

plummet/ˈplʌmɪt/
v. 暴跌，驟然減少

• House prices have plummeted down.

echo/ˈekoʊ/
v. 迴盪，迴響

• Her words found an echo in the hearts of many of the audience. (n.)

decry/dɪˈkraɪ/
v. （公開）譴責，批評

• The measures were decried as useless.

improbable/ɪmˈprɑːbəbl/
adj. 始料未及的

agenda/əˈdʒendə/
n. 議程

• For the government, education is now at the top of the agenda.

trademark/ˈtreɪdmɑːrk/

• n. 特徵，標記

high-visibility/ˌhaɪ vɪzəˈbɪləti/
n. 高可見度（high-vis、hi-vis）

the provinces
外省，地方（指首都以外的地區）

• Madame Bovary: provincial customs(adj.)

dwindle/ˈdwɪndl/
v. （逐漸）減少

• Support for Macron has dwindled away to nothing.

aloof/əˈluːf/
adj. 冷漠的，冷淡的

jeer/dʒɪr/
v. 嘲笑 （jeering adj.）