我們甚至連世界上有多少個國家都無法達成共識：英語精讀講義

How many countries are there?

世界上有多少個國家？

Easy, just grab a map and start counting.

很簡單，拿張地圖數一數就行了。

Yes?

是嗎？

No.

不是的。

Not all maps are created equal. 慣用語

並不是所有的地圖都一樣。

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

國界線會因地圖的來源而有所不同。

So if individuals disagree,

所以，如果個人之間存在分歧，

then surely a committee will save the day. 慣用語

那麼委員會肯定能解決問題。

Go to the United Nations,

去聯合國，

find the room where the countries sit,

找到各個國家代表入座的房間，

each with a little name tag,

每個座位都有一個小名牌，

start counting,

開始數，

and get an answer.

就能得到一個答案。

Now, of course,

當然，

countries come and countries go,

國家有誕生也有消亡，

but at the time this video was made,

但在本影片製作時，

the answer is 193.

答案是193個。

Fastest video ever, right?

這是史上最快的影片，對吧？

Except you know this isn't over.

但你知道事情沒那麼簡單。

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

聯合國的清單與其說是完整的全班點名冊，不如說是一個並未包含所有人的俱樂部會員名單。

Take Vatican City,

以梵蒂岡為例，

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

它是一個國家，但對於成為聯合國會員國這件事卻不屑一顧。

And while Vatican City's exact situation is complicated,

雖然梵蒂岡的具體情況很複雜，

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

但與其他非聯合國成員國的國家相比，它還算直截了當，

or places.

或者說地方。

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

這裡的用詞難免會有些模糊。

Take Kosovo,

以科索沃為例，

who wants to join the UN club,

它想加入聯合國俱樂部，

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

但成為會員國的前提是這五個國家中沒有一個拒絕你。

And while the United States,

雖然美國、

United Kingdom,

英國、

and France think Kosovo is a country,

和法國認為科索沃是一個國家，

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

但俄羅斯和中國認為它只是塞爾維亞的一個叛亂地區，

and so veto her membership. 用詞

因此否決了它的會員資格。

As for everyone else, 表達脈絡

至於其他國家，

just over half recognize Kosovo as independent, 片語搭配

剛好有一半多一點承認科索沃獨立，

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

而科索沃也很可愛地建了一個網站，用各種語言向承認它的國家致謝。

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

但科索沃並不是唯一一個希望被視為真正國家的地區。

There's Transnistria,

還有外涅斯特里亞、

the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,

納哥諾卡拉巴克共和國、

Abkhazia, and South Ossetia,

阿布哈茲和南奧塞梯，

which might or might not be part of Moldova, 文法

它們可能是也可能不是摩爾多瓦、

Azerbaijan,

亞塞拜然、

or Georgia,

或喬治亞的一部分，

depending on who you ask.

這取決於你去問誰。

Two of these countries,

這其中的兩個國家，

no UN members recognize as countries,

沒有一個聯合國成員國承認其為國家，

and the other two have only five supporters.

另外兩個只有五個支持者。

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

儘管這四個地方都互相承認對方是國家。

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

此外還有阿拉伯撒哈拉民主共和國和北賽普勒斯，

each with their own supporters.

它們也各有自己的支持者。

At this point,

此時，

you might be thinking,

你可能會想，

okay,

好吧，

seriously,

說真的，

what's the deal? 語氣意圖

到底是怎麼回事？

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

我不在乎這些人認為誰是國家。

Are these places countries or not?

這些地方到底是不是國家？

If I fly to one for a holiday,

如果我飛去那裡度假，

will it look like a country when I get there?

我到了之後它看起來像個國家嗎？

The answer is maybe.

答案是「可能」。

These countries are all autonomous to some extent, 用詞

這些國家在某種程度上都是自治的，

with governments that issue passports,

有頒發護照的政府，

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

儘管這些護照的用途可能相當有限。

And depending on which ones you're visiting,

而且根據你訪問的地方不同，

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

它們對自己宣稱領土的控制力也有強有弱。

You won't always find a clear border.

你並不總能找到一條清晰的邊界。

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

讓許多這些地方變得模糊的原因是，它們通常是在最近的衝突中誕生的。

That answer is probably less helpful than you want.

這個答案可能沒你希望的那麼有用。

So think of it like this.

所以這樣想吧。

While the United States is clearly a country now,

雖然美國現在顯然是一個國家，

in 1776,

但在1776年，

not so much. 語氣意圖

卻並非如此。

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

那時它只是叛亂分子腦海中的一個想法。

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

它並沒有立刻被承認為一個國家，如果沒有外交努力去改變這一局面，

young America would never have made it on her own. 慣用語

年輕的美國永遠不可能靠自己生存下來。

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

這很像一個世紀後發生的事情，當時美國也有了自己的叛軍，

who,

但是，

unlike elder sister,

與老大哥不同的是，

failed in the diplomacy department.

他們在外交方面失敗了。

So,

所以，

yeah.

是的。

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

世界上許多「疑似國家」今天的情況也是如此。

Maybe they're future United States

也許它們是未來的美國，

and maybe they're future Confederacies,

也許它們是未來的邦聯，

but in the moment it's hard to say

但目前很難說，

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

因為這些事情可能需要幾十年的時間才能解決。

By the way,

順便說一句，

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

對於其他國家來說，應對這些疑似國家超級尷尬。

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

雖然你的彈丸島國可能不想捲入遙遠土地的事務，

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

你仍然需要決定是否派遣外交官，

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

這意味著即使是不採取行動，也迫使你站隊

in every territorial skirmish in the world.

在世界上的每一次領土爭端中。

A notably awkward case being Taiwan,

一個特別尷尬的例子是台灣，

er, 語氣意圖

呃，

sorry,

抱歉，

Chinese Taipei,

中華台北，

which is totally part of China

它完全是中國的一部分，

and no one would ever think otherwise.

而且沒有人會認為事實並非如此。

Is China gone?

中國走了嗎？

Okay,

好吧，

by any reasonable definition,

按照任何合理的定義，

Taiwan is a separate country and has been for years,

台灣是一個獨立的國家，而且多年來一直如此，

but China won't let go 片語動詞

但中國不肯放手，

and insists you call her Chinese Taipei. 文法

並堅持讓你稱它為中華台北。

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

而且別忘了是誰生產了你所有的衣服、餐具、手機、電腦以及一切。

So almost all countries,

所以幾乎所有國家，

including the mighty United States,

包括強大的美國，

play along 片語動詞

都在配合演戲，

even though they unofficially acknowledge Taiwan's independence

即使他們非官方地承認台灣的獨立，

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

並做些否則就說不通的事情，

like sending aircraft carriers to protect one part of China

比如派遣航空母艦去保護中國的一部分

from another part of China.

免受中國另一部分的攻擊。

Thus the innocent question,

因此，這個天真的問題：

how many countries,

有多少個國家，

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

直接把我們引向了一個巨大的寫著「按此開始第三次世界大戰」的按鈕，

which is getting depressing.

這讓人感到沮喪。

So let's move on to

所以讓我們繼續談

oh,

哦，

right.

對了。

No more politics.

不談政治了。

On to higher ideals.

談點更高尚的理想。

The Olympics.

奧運會。

Surely from their perch among the gods, 慣用語

當然，他們像神明一樣高高在上，

they have a disinterested view of the countries below. 用詞

對下面的國家抱著超然的態度。

How many are there,

到底有多少個，

Olympics?

奧運會？

204.

204個。

Huh.

哈。

So Olympics is a bit special.

所以奧運會有點特別。

She defines Puerto Rico as a country

它將波多黎各定義為一個國家，

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

儘管它毫無疑問是美國的一部分，

as well as Bermuda and Aruba,

百慕達和阿魯巴也是如此，

which are connected to the UK and the Netherlands,

它們分別與英國和荷蘭相關聯，

along with a bunch of other places

還有其他一堆地方，

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

它們很樂意作為國家參加奧運會，

but make no claims to independence.

但並未要求獨立。

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

大概奧運會把這些包括在內是為了湊數，這樣它就能宣稱有超過200個國家參賽，

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

不過，即便是這份水分很大的名單，也沒有包括梵蒂岡，

because given his demographics,

因為考慮到它的人口構成，

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

想要拿走一塊金牌恐怕需要神仙顯靈。

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

而梵蒂岡又把我們帶回了這個問題的核心難點。

A consistent definition of country is impossible

對國家進行統一的定義是不可能的，

because your checklist needs to include both Vatican City,

因為你的清單既需要包括梵蒂岡，

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

這個最不像國家卻仍然是國家的地方，

and also exclude the anti-Vatican City,

還要排除反向的梵蒂岡——

Hong Kong,

香港，

the most country-like country that isn't.

這個最像國家但卻不是國家的地方。

Also,

此外，

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

別忘了我們之前節目裡提到的那些沒完沒了的領土，

which look and act like independent countries

它們看起來和運作起來都像獨立國家，

but just sort of aren't.

但在某種程度上又不是。

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

這甚至還沒提到那些在島嶼或石油鑽井平台上插面旗幟的各種怪咖，

start printing currency on their fancy inkjet,

他們用高級噴墨印表機開始印鈔票，

and declare Deludtopia a new nation.

然後宣布「妄想國」為一個新國家。

So with no checklist to follow,

既然沒有清單可以遵循，

where does that leave us? 表達脈絡

那我們該怎麼辦？

The best answer to the question,

關於這個問題的最佳答案，

how many countries,

有多少個國家，

for the foreseeable future 片語搭配

在可預見的未來，

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

或許可以說大約200個，然後就到此為止。

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

任何帶有更多有效數字的答案，都暗示著一種其實並不存在的共識，

because ultimately,

因為歸根結底，

what makes a country a country is 文法

讓一個國家成為國家的條件是：

if other countries think that country is a country.

其他國家是否認為該國是一個國家。