#EZTALK #你不知道的美國大小事
Spring Breakers
美國大學生春假潮vs武漢肺炎
「如果狂歡會讓我得武漢肺炎，那就讓我得吧！」
武漢肺炎疫情持續升溫之際，卻時逢一年一度的美國大學生春假潮（spring break），大家開始擔心，這一波疫情是否會因為這次春假而變得更嚴重？
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Colleges and universities in the U.S. have always given students a short vacation in March or April, but the tradition of spring break as a time to party at the beach started in the Florida city of Ft. Lauderdale in 1938. An event for college swimmers was held there, and it ended up turning into a party.
美國的大專院校在3月或4月會給學生放個短期假期，不過，這個春假去海邊玩的傳統，始於佛羅里達州羅德岱堡。1938年，一群大學游泳隊選手在這裡舉辦活動，結果變成派對。
The party got bigger every year, and soon the event was more about drinking than swimming. People even began calling the city “Ft. Liquordale.” In 1959, Time magazine published an article about the phenomenon titled, “Beer and the Beach.” By 1985, over 370,000 students were traveling to Ft. Lauderdale for spring break, and things started to get out of control. After 2,500 students were arrested for rowdy behavior that year, the local authorities banned drinking at the beach, and the mayor went on Good Morning America to announce that spring breakers weren’t welcome anymore.
這個派對規模一年比一年大，很快地，與其說大家是來這裡游泳，更多是來喝酒的。人們甚至開始戲稱這個城市為「酒谷堡」。1959年，時代雜誌專文敘述這個現象，標題取做〈啤酒與海灘〉。到了1985年，有超過37萬名學生到羅德岱堡過春假，接著事情就開始失去控制。這一年有多達兩千五百名學生因行為失序被逮捕，自此之後，當地政府便禁止在海灘喝酒，市長更是在早安美國節目上宣佈，不歡迎大學生來這裡過春假。
But when it comes to American college students, there’s no stopping the drinking and debauchery. They just found new beach locations for spring break—like Panama City, Florida, South Padre Island, Texas, and even Cancun, Mexico. In Florida and Texas alone, spring breakers spend over a billion dollars each year, giving a big boost to local economies.
不過對美國大學生來說，根本沒有東西可以阻止他們喝酒開趴。他們大不了找個新海灘過春假就好——像是佛羅里達州巴拿馬市、德州南帕得雷島，甚至是到墨西哥的坎昆。光是在佛羅里達州與德州，每年春假人潮所帶來的消費就超過十億美金，大大振興了當地經濟。
But has the recent coronavirus outbreak put a halt to the festivities this year? Not really. Although President Trump made an announcement urging people to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, spring breakers still flocked to beaches all over Florida and the Gulf Coast. “If I get corona, I get corona,” said one student. “At the end of the day, I’m not going to let it stop me from partying.”
那最近武漢肺炎疫情爆發，有讓今年的春假潮喊咔嗎？其實也沒有。即使川普公開呼籲，不宜進行10人以上的群聚活動，春假人潮仍然湧進了佛羅里達州與墨西哥灣沿岸的各處海灘。「如果我真的得了武漢肺炎，那就讓我得。」有名學生表示，「無論如何，我不會讓病毒阻止我狂歡。」
【✍關鍵單字】
1. authority「當局」
2. ban「禁止」：後方需接動名詞Ving
3. boost「提高，增強，改善」
4. put a halt to「喊卡，中止」
5. flock「蜂擁，聚集」：在這裡當動時使用，當名詞時指「鳥群、羊群、人群」。
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