[뉴욕타임즈읽기] American exceptionalism 미국 예외주의

뉴욕타임즈사설 2020.04.22. : 원문

 

요점 : 본 사설은 'American exceptionalism'(미국 예외주의)라는 제목의 글로서, 코로나19확산억제를 위해 최선을 방안을 찾아 시행하지 않는 트럼프 정부에 대한 비판이 담겨있다. "maybe we should’t be surprised that the United States isn’t reducing the spread of the virus"(아마도 미국이 바이러스 확산을 억제하지 못하고 있다는 것이 새삼 놀랍지도 않습니다.)라는 문장에서 자조섞인 한탄마져 느껴집니다. 

---

01#

 

If you’ve been following the charts showing the number of new coronavirus cases in the United States each day, you may have noticed a worrisome pattern in the last few days.

 

The number of new cases appears to have peaked about a week and a half ago. But the decline since then has been very modest. There are still about 30,000 Americans being diagnosed each day. The seven-day moving average of new cases — a measure that smooths out daily fluctuations — has declined only 2 percent since it peaked 11 days ago.

 

As you can see in the chart above, that’s not typical. In other countries, the number of new cases has usually declined much more sharply after peaking.

 

Why? It’s impossible to know for certain with a virus as complex and unknown as this one. But there is an obvious potential cause: Many political leaders in the United States, including President Trump, are not following the advice of public health experts.

 

02#

 

Those experts have urged a range of measures: continued social distancing until the number of cases falls further; a rapid expansion of virus testing; and planning an extensive program of “contact tracing” and quarantining, to allow for gradual reopening. The United States is taking some of these steps, but only some.

 

- urge (전문가 등이) 권고하다. 

(*관련분야 전문가 등이 전문적 지식을 활용해 정책 등을 제안, 권고하다는 의미로 urge가 자주 사용됨.)

 

03#

 

In the meantime, Trump is also encouraging protests that defy social distancing, which will only spread the virus. And he is calling for an across-the-board reduction in immigration, which will do little if anything to reduce the virus’s spread.

 

- defy : 항거하다.

- across-the-board : 전반적인

- little if anything : 비록 있다고 해도 거의 없는

- do little if anything : 거의 아무것도 하지 않다.

 

04#

 

Some states are also taking counterproductive steps. Wisconsin’s insistence on holding an election in the midst of a pandemic has evidently led to some additional cases, as Alison Dirr of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

 

- counterproductive : 역효과의(*counter- 접미사는 '반대방향의, 역방향의'라는 의미를 가짐)

- in the midst of = in the middle of : ...하는 중에

- insistence : 주장

- evidently : 분명하게

- A lead to B : A가 B로 이어지다. = A result in B

 

05#

 

So maybe we should’t be surprised that the United States isn’t reducing the spread of the virus as well as many other countries. We don’t seem to be trying as hard.

 

- We shouldn’t be supprised that ... : ...라도 놀랍지 않다.(자명하다는 의미)