现代都市淘金人:纽约街头遍地黄金(双语)

英语自学网

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        　　Modern-Day Prospector: Man Digs for Gold and Diamonds in Manhattan
        　　现代淘金人：曼哈顿街道上淘黄金钻石
        　　The California gold rush that ignited in 1848 saw fortune-seekers poring over hundreds of miles of northern California for tiny bits of bling. One modern-day panner finds his fortune on the 0.2-mile stretch of 47th Street in midtown Manhattan.
        　　还记得始自1848年的加利福尼亚淘金潮吗?怀揣发财梦的寻金者把加州北部数百英里的河道翻了个遍，只为找寻那些金光闪闪的小颗粒。在纽约曼哈顿0.2英里(约321米)长的第47街上，一位现代淘金者发现了属于他的金矿。
        　　As an urban panner, Raffi Stepanian hangs around the glitziest part of the city: the Diamond District. But he’s not dabbling in the trade in the shops and boutiques – he’s digging around in the sidewalk cracks for fractures and splinters of the precious metals and gems.
        　　城市淘金者拉菲・斯捷潘尼扬(Raffi Stepanian)的身影活跃在纽约城最繁华的地段：钻石区。可他的工作不在商铺和精品店里——从人行道的缝隙里找寻贵金属和宝石碎屑才是他的致富之道。
        　　So it’s not a historic fortune, but Stepanian has made up to $300 a day with his urban panning technique. His materials are simple: a butter knife, a dustpan and a coffee can. Scouring the streets on his hands and knees, he collects gold dust and flakes buried in dirt and pavement. Tiny gold links, rubies and even diamonds are embedded in the mud packed into the sidewalk cracks. Most bits, he says, have been inadvertently dropped by sellers or buyers and are too small to see by the average pedestrian – which helps Stepanian bring in profits. A diamond mere millimeters in diameter can fetch up to $30 when he sells it back, due largely to the fact that the stone is already cut and polished.
        　　这称不上巨额的财富，但凭借自己的城市淘金术，斯捷潘尼扬每天能有300美元的收入。他的工具非常简单：一把餐刀，一张畚箕，还有一个咖啡罐。斯捷潘尼扬要做的就是匍匐着搜寻整条街面，把埋在人行道尘土里的金粉和宝石碎片收集起来。人行道砖缝的泥土里可能埋着小段的金链，红宝石甚至钻石。他说这些大都是卖家和买主在无意中掉落的，碎片实在太小，寻常路人很难发现——这就成了斯捷潘尼扬赚钱的门路。因为这些钻石已经经过了切割和抛光，一粒直径只有几毫米的钻石就能卖到30美元。
       
            
            

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        　　As for the gold, this modern-day prospector pans it like it’s 1848. With a filter, he strains out the dirt and crud that takes up much of his take-away. Then he pans it, just like the old days, shaking the tub of dirt so that the gold sinks to the bottom. What’s left looks like tiny specks, but when added together can be sold for big bucks. Stepanian has become a viral celebrity for his innovative but primitive work. Don’t believe it? He was featured on the skepticism-based show Penn and Teller Tell a Lie, and his story checked out as verifiable fact.
        　　至于黄金，这位现代探矿者淘金的法子还和1848年时相差无几。他先用滤器把收集物里的泥土和污物过滤掉。接下来，他会像过去的淘金者一样，用筛分法拣出沉在底部的金粒。这些金粒看起来很小，但积少成多，加在一起就能卖个大价钱。这也算是淘金这项老行当里的新创意了，正因如此，斯捷潘尼扬已经成了一个名人。他还参加了一档辨别真假的电视节目(Penn & Teller Tell a Lie)的录制，当然，他的故事被证实是真的。
        　　While it might not be the most stable income, Stepanian claims he makes enough to live off of. And he gets to bring truth to the old saying that the streets of New York City are paved with gold. You might laugh this off as an unrealistic proverb. But Stepanian is laughing too – all the way to the bank.
        　　虽然淘金的收入并不稳定，但斯捷潘尼扬说他完全能够以此过活。他的经历证明了一句老话：纽约的街道是黄金铺就的。你可能把这句话当做不实的谚语一笑置之。而斯捷潘尼扬也在开心的笑着——走在去往银行的路上。