我们甚至连世界上有多少个国家都无法达成共识：英语精读讲义

How many countries are there?

世界上有多少个国家？

Easy, just grab a map and start counting.

很简单，拿张地图数一数就行了。

Yes?

是吗？

No.

不是的。

Not all maps are created equal. 習語

并不是所有的地图都一样。

Borders will differ depending on who you got the map from. 語法

国界线会因地图的来源而有所不同。

So if individuals disagree,

所以，如果个人之间存在分歧，

then surely a committee will save the day. 習語

那么委员会肯定能解决问题。

Go to the United Nations,

去联合国，

find the room where the countries sit,

找到各个国家代表入座的房间，

each with a little name tag,

每个座位都有一个小名牌，

start counting,

开始数，

and get an answer.

就能得到一个答案。

Now, of course,

当然，

countries come and countries go,

国家有诞生也有消亡，

but at the time this video was made,

但在本视频制作时，

the answer is 193.

答案是193个。

Fastest video ever, right?

这是史上最快的视频，对吧？

Except you know this isn't over.

但你知道事情没那么简单。

The United Nations list is less a complete class roster than a club membership that doesn't include everyone. 語法

联合国的名单与其说是完整的全班花名册，不如说是一个并未包含所有人的俱乐部会员名单。

Take Vatican City,

以梵蒂冈为例，

who is a country but is too cool for school when it comes to being a member of the United Nations. 講解

它是一个国家，但对于成为联合国会员国这件事却不屑一顾。

And while Vatican City's exact situation is complicated,

虽然梵蒂冈的具体情况很复杂，

he's straightforward compared to other non-United Nations countries,

但与其他非联合国成员国的国家相比，它还算直截了当，

or places.

或者说地方。

The terminology is going to have to be a bit unclear here. 語法

这里的用词难免会有些模糊。

Take Kosovo,

以科索沃为例，

who wants to join the UN club,

它想加入联合国俱乐部，

but membership requires none of these five countries to reject you. 語法

但成为会员国的前提是这五个国家中没有一个拒绝你。

And while the United States,

虽然美国、

United Kingdom,

英国、

and France think Kosovo is a country,

和法国认为科索沃是一个国家，

Russia and China think she's just a rebellious part of Serbia

但俄罗斯和中国认为它只是塞尔维亚的一个叛乱地区，

and so veto her membership. 用詞

因此否决了它的会员资格。

As for everyone else, 表達脈絡

至于其他国家，

just over half recognize Kosovo as independent, 短語搭配

刚好有一半多一点承认科索沃独立，

and Kosovo adorably has a website where she thanks each one in their own language.

而科索沃也很可爱地建了一个网站，用各种语言向承认它的国家致谢。

But Kosovo is not the only other place that wants to be considered a real country.

但科索沃并不是唯一一个希望被视为真正国家的地区。

There's Transnistria,

还有德涅斯特河沿岸、

the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,

纳戈尔诺-卡拉巴赫共和国、

Abkhazia, and South Ossetia,

阿布哈兹和南奥塞梯，

which might or might not be part of Moldova, 語法

它们可能是也可能不是摩尔多瓦、

Azerbaijan,

阿塞拜疆、

or Georgia,

或格鲁吉亚的一部分，

depending on who you ask.

这取决于你去问谁。

Two of these countries,

这其中的两个国家，

no UN members recognize as countries,

没有一个联合国成员国承认其为国家，

and the other two have only five supporters.

另外两个只有五个支持者。

Though all four of these places recognize each other as countries.

尽管这四个地方都互相承认对方是国家。

There's also the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Northern Cyprus,

此外还有阿拉伯撒哈拉民主共和国和北塞浦路斯，

each with their own supporters.

它们也各有自己的支持者。

At this point,

此时，

you might be thinking,

你可能会想，

okay,

好吧，

seriously,

说真的，

what's the deal? 語氣意圖

到底是怎么回事？

I don't care who these guys think are countries.

我不在乎这些人认为谁是国家。

Are these places countries or not?

这些地方到底是不是国家？

If I fly to one for a holiday,

如果我飞去那里度假，

will it look like a country when I get there?

我到了之后它看起来像个国家吗？

The answer is maybe.

答案是“可能”。

These countries are all autonomous to some extent, 用詞

这些国家在某种程度上都是自治的，

with governments that issue passports,

有颁发护照的政府，

though these may be of rather limited use. 短語搭配

尽管这些护照的用途可能相当有限。

And depending on which ones you're visiting,

而且根据你访问的地方不同，

they may have more or less control of the territory they claim as theirs.

它们对自己宣称领土的控制力也有强有弱。

You won't always find a clear border.

你并不总能找到一条清晰的边界。

What makes many of these places fuzzy is that they're usually born of conflict in the recent-ish past. 講解

让许多这些地方变得模糊的原因是，它们通常是在最近的冲突中诞生的。

That answer is probably less helpful than you want.

这个答案可能没你希望的那么有用。

So think of it like this.

所以这样想吧。

While the United States is clearly a country now,

虽然美国现在显然是一个国家，

in 1776,

但在1776年，

not so much. 語氣意圖

却并非如此。

Then she was just an idea in the minds of rebel scum.

那时它只是叛乱分子脑海中的一个想法。

She wasn't recognized as a country instantly and without diplomatic effort to change that,

它并没有立刻被承认为一个国家，如果没有外交努力去改变这一局面，

young America would never have made it on her own. 習語

年轻的美国永远不可能靠自己生存下来。

Much like what happened a century later when she got her own rebel,

这很像一个世纪后发生的事情，当时美国也有了自己的叛军，

who,

但是，

unlike elder sister,

与老大哥不同的是，

failed in the diplomacy department.

他们在外交方面失败了。

So,

所以，

yeah.

是的。

And so it goes today with many of the maybe countries in the world. 表達脈絡

世界上许多“疑似国家”今天的情况也是如此。

Maybe they're future United States

也许它们是未来的美国，

and maybe they're future Confederacies,

也许它们是未来的邦联，

but in the moment it's hard to say

但目前很难说，

because these things can take decades to settle. 短語搭配

因为这些事情可能需要几十年的时间才能解决。

By the way,

顺便说一句，

these maybe countries are super awkward for countries to deal with.

对于其他国家来说，应对这些疑似国家超级尴尬。

While your tiny island nation might not want to get involved in the affairs of distant lands, 短語搭配

虽然你的弹丸岛国可能不想卷入遥远土地的事务，

you still have to decide to send a diplomat or not,

你仍然需要决定是否派遣外交官，

meaning even inaction forces you to pick a side 短語搭配

这意味着即使是不采取行动，也迫使你站队

in every territorial skirmish in the world.

在世界上的每一次领土争端中。

A notably awkward case being Taiwan,

一个特别尴尬的例子是台湾，

er, 語氣意圖

呃，

sorry,

抱歉，

Chinese Taipei,

中华台北，

which is totally part of China

它完全是中国的一部分，

and no one would ever think otherwise.

而且没有人会认为事实并非如此。

Is China gone?

中国走了吗？

Okay,

好吧，

by any reasonable definition,

按照任何合理的定义，

Taiwan is a separate country and has been for years,

台湾是一个独立的国家，而且多年来一直如此，

but China won't let go 短語動詞

但中国不肯放手，

and insists you call her Chinese Taipei. 語法

并坚持让你称它为中华台北。

And don't forget who makes all your clothing and utensils and phones and computers and everything.

而且别忘了是谁生产了你所有的衣服、餐具、手机、电脑以及一切。

So almost all countries,

所以几乎所有国家，

including the mighty United States,

包括强大的美国，

play along 短語動詞

都在配合演戏，

even though they unofficially acknowledge Taiwan's independence

即使他们非官方地承认台湾的独立，

and do things that wouldn't make sense otherwise, 語法

并做些否则就说不通的事情，

like sending aircraft carriers to protect one part of China

比如派遣航空母舰去保护中国的一部分

from another part of China.

免受中国另一部分的攻击。

Thus the innocent question,

因此，这个天真的问题：

how many countries,

有多少个国家，

has led us straight to a big World War III press here to start button, 講解

直接把我们引向了一个巨大的写着“按此开始第三次世界大战”的按钮，

which is getting depressing.

这让人感到沮丧。

So let's move on to

所以让我们继续谈

oh,

哦，

right.

对了。

No more politics.

不谈政治了。

On to higher ideals.

谈点更高尚的理想。

The Olympics.

奥运会。

Surely from their perch among the gods, 習語

当然，他们像神明一样高高在上，

they have a disinterested view of the countries below. 用詞

对下面的国家抱着超然的态度。

How many are there,

到底有多少个，

Olympics?

奥运会？

204.

204个。

Huh.

哈。

So Olympics is a bit special.

所以奥运会有点特别。

She defines Puerto Rico as a country

它将波多黎各定义为一个国家，

even though it's unambiguously part of the United States,

尽管它毫无疑问是美国的一部分，

as well as Bermuda and Aruba,

百慕大和阿鲁巴也是如此，

which are connected to the UK and the Netherlands,

它们分别与英国和荷兰相关联，

along with a bunch of other places

还有其他一堆地方，

that are happy to play in her Olympic games as nations,

它们很乐意作为国家参加奥运会，

but make no claims to independence.

但并未要求独立。

Presumably Olympics includes these to bump up the number so she can say more than 200 countries compete, 短語動詞

大概奥运会把这些包括在内是为了凑数，这样它就能宣称有超过200个国家参赛，

though even her inflated list doesn't include Vatican City,

不过，即便是这份水分很大的名单，也没有包括梵蒂冈，

because given his demographics,

因为考虑到它的人口构成，

divine intervention would be required to take home a gold. 短語搭配

想要拿走一块金牌恐怕需要神仙显灵。

And Vatican City brings us right back to the core of the difficulty with this question.

而梵蒂冈又把我们带回了这个问题的核心难点。

A consistent definition of country is impossible

对国家进行统一的定义是不可能的，

because your checklist needs to include both Vatican City,

因为你的清单既需要包括梵蒂冈，

the least country-like country that's still a country, 表達脈絡

这个最不像国家却仍然是国家的地方，

and also exclude the anti-Vatican City,

还要排除反向的梵蒂冈——

Hong Kong,

香港，

the most country-like country that isn't.

这个最像国家但却不是国家的地方。

Also,

此外，

don't forget from previous episodes the seemingly endless territories,

别忘了我们之前节目里提到的那些没完没了的领土，

which look and act like independent countries

它们看起来和运作起来都像独立国家，

but just sort of aren't.

但在某种程度上又不是。

And this isn't even bringing up the various nutters who plant a flag on an island or an oil rig, 短語動詞

这甚至还没提到那些在岛屿或石油钻井平台上插面旗帜的各种奇葩，

start printing currency on their fancy inkjet,

他们用高级喷墨打印机开始印钞票，

and declare Deludtopia a new nation.

然后宣布‘妄想国’为一个新国家。

So with no checklist to follow,

既然没有清单可以遵循，

where does that leave us? 表達脈絡

那我们该怎么办？

The best answer to the question,

关于这个问题的最佳答案，

how many countries,

有多少个国家，

for the foreseeable future 短語搭配

在可预见的未来，

is probably to say around 200 and leave it at that. 習語

或许可以说大约200个，然后就到此为止。

An answer with more significant figures implies more agreement than there really is 講解

任何带有更多有效数字的答案，都暗示着一种其实并不存在的共识，

because ultimately,

因为归根结底，

what makes a country a country is 語法

让一个国家成为国家的条件是：

if other countries think that country is a country.

其他国家是否认为该国是一个国家。