 放大圖片
■意大利威尼斯面臨嚴重財赤，市長打算賣館藏「救市」。資料圖片
下文節錄自香港《文匯報》報道：「意大利『水都』威尼斯去年錄得高達6,000萬歐元（約5.05億港元）財赤，上任半年的市長布魯尼亞羅為盡快滅赤，不惜推行具爭議政策。
意大利近年經濟不景，連帶地方政府的撥款一同縮水，加上威尼斯海水倒灌情況嚴重，建築維修及基本服務成本遠較其他地區為高。以清潔街道為例，威尼斯聘請了300名工人乘船掃街，相反鄰近地區梅斯特雷只需聘用50名垃圾車司機。
威尼斯每年接待多達2,300萬名旅客，配套設施等開支沉重，加上網上賭博盛行，威尼斯賭場收入自2008年起大減80%，亦對當地財政構成重大打擊。
布魯尼亞羅計劃拍賣市內博物館館藏，引起藝術愛好者及政客不滿，但他強調寧願賣走名畫，也不願看到學校滲水或公共圖書館欠廁紙的情況。
布魯尼亞羅亦考慮為著名景點聖馬可廣場設置入場費，向旅遊旺季到訪的旅客收取5歐元（約42港元），使用公共廁所時也須收費。 」
各位會如何把這段文字翻譯成英文？
「意大利『水都』威尼斯去年錄得高達6,000萬歐元（約5.05億港元）財赤，上任半年的市長布魯尼亞羅為盡快滅赤，不惜推行具爭議政策。意大利近年經濟不景，連帶地方政府的撥款一同縮水，加上威尼斯海水倒灌情況嚴重，建築維修及基本服務成本遠較其他地區為高。以清潔街道為例，威尼斯聘請了300名工人乘船掃街，相反鄰近地區梅斯特雷只需聘用50名垃圾車司機」：「水都」可表達為aquatic city；「威尼斯」是Venice；「財赤」可用financial deficit/ shortfall；「市長」是mayor；「具爭議」可用controversial；「經濟不景」可表達為economic downturn；「海水倒灌」可以seawater intrusion表示；「建築」可用infrastructure / building；「維修」可用maintenance / repair；「梅斯特雷」是Mestre。
「威尼斯每年接待多達2,300萬名旅客，配套設施等開支沉重，加上網上賭博盛行，威尼斯賭場收入自2008年起大減80%，亦對當地財政構成重大打擊」：「配套設施」可以ancillary facility表示；「網上賭博」可用online gambling；「賭場」是casino。
「布魯尼亞羅計劃拍賣市內博物館館藏，引起藝術愛好者及政客不滿，但他強調寧願賣走名畫，也不願看到學校滲水或公共圖書館欠廁紙的情況。布魯尼亞羅亦考慮為著名景點聖馬可廣場設置入場費，向旅遊旺季到訪的旅客收取5歐元（約42港元），使用公共廁所時也須收費 」：「博物館」是museum；「館藏」可表達為museum collections；「滲水」可用seep/ leak；「聖馬可廣場」是St. Mark's Square；「旺季」可以peak season/ period表示。
Venice mayor to sell paintings to plug financial hole
因此全段可英譯如下：Venice, Italy's aquatic city, saw a financial deficit up to ��60 million (approximately HK$505 million) last year. City mayor Brugnaro, who took office six months ago, has been forced to launch controversial proposals aimming to cut the financial shortfall.
The country has experienced economic downturn in recent years, and municipal finances are being slashed by the national government while seawater intrusion in Venice becomes alarming, vastly increasing the cost to maintain infrastructure and basic services compared with other regions. Take street cleaning. Venice has hired 300 workers to clean the streets by boat, while it took only 50 garbage truck drivers in nearby Mestre, the mainland section of the city.
Venice receives up to 23 million tourists every year, which incurs heavy expenditures on ancillary facilities. Together with the popularity of online gambling, which reduces 80% of the proceeds of the local casinos, the finance of Venice is greatly harmed.
Brugnaro planned to sell some of the precious museum collections, but this agitated art lovers and politicians. However, Brugnaro stressed he would rather sell the paintings than let water seep into schools or have public libraries with no toilet paper.
He also considered charging day-trippers ��5 at the renowned St. Mark' Square during peak season, which would cover access to public toilets.■龐嘉儀
Learning Point
1. Deficit的相反是「盈餘」，它的英文是？
2. 威尼斯主街道「大運河」的英文是？
3. 意大利主要信奉什麽宗教？
Answer
1. Surplus
2. The Grand Canal
3. Catholicism（天主教）
隔星期三見報
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