得益于现代科技以及当地向导帮助，攀登珠峰已经变得越来越容易，仅在2013年就有665人次成功登顶。由于每年登山人数过多，珠峰上一度出现了拥堵现象。目前比较成熟的两条商业攀登线路分别是从珠峰的南坡和北坡出发，这两条线路分别由尼泊尔和我国相关机构负责管理。南坡相对平缓，更适合攀登，是多数登山者的选择。为了保证登山者安全，最近尼泊尔政府正在考虑减少珠峰南侧的登山许可证发放以及提高登山费用。珠峰商业攀登每年为尼泊尔带来了可观的现金收入，很多当地的夏尔巴人也依靠为登山者提供向导而谋生，因此这一新政如果实施可能会对当地经济造成影响。

这篇文章篇幅不长，用词也不难，但其中有不少值得学习的语言点，我在下文做了分析：

首段介绍了珠峰“人满为患”的问题以及攀登珠峰存在的危险。

Like beads on a slender string, a long queue of mountaineers clings to a single safety rope. They are waiting to ascend to the icy peak of the world’s tallest mountain: Everest.

一长队登山者紧紧抓住一根安全绳，就像一粒粒珠子串在一根细线上一样。他们正等着登顶全球最高峰——珠穆朗玛峰。珠峰的峰顶被冰川覆盖。

The climbers and their guides have braved sheer rock, avalanches and wild winds.

这些登山者和他们的向导在攀登过程中要面对陡岩、雪崩和狂风的威胁。

Brave在这里是作为动词使用，它的意思是“勇敢面对，冒风险”（to deal with an unpleasant or difficult situation），比如：More than 100 people braved the elements and attended the rally. 有一百多人不顾天气恶劣参加了集会。

But the crowds that await interludes of good weather to rush for the summit can be just as deadly. Climbers jostle and bicker; long delays deplete supplies of oxygen.

但是，那些等待天气好转就去冲顶的登山者可能会带来同样致命的威胁。登山者熙熙攘攘，争吵不休，他们导致的长时间等待会耗尽氧气供应。

Interlude意思是“（两个事件之间的）间歇”（a period of time between two events during which something different happens），例如：Apart from a brief interlude of peace, the war lasted nine years. 除了一段短暂的和平，那场战争持续了九年。

Just as…(as)通常用来强调事物跟之前提到的其他事物一样好或者一样差，这里…just as deadly 呼应了上一句的内容：The climbers and their guides have braved sheer rock, avalanches and wild winds. 强调除了自然环境带来的危险之外，这些排队登顶的人本身也会给其他人带来危险。第二句接下来进行了解释：排队登顶的人会造成延迟，消耗氧气供应。

Last year four of the 11 deaths on the mountain during the spring climbing season were blamed on overcrowding.

去年春季攀登季在珠峰上的11例死亡案例中，有4例归咎于登山人数过多。

Something is blamed on something/something 意思是“某事归咎于某人/某物”，例如：The crash was blamed on pilot error. 这次空难是飞行员的失误。

另一个同义表达是 somebody/something is to blame for something，例如：This driver was to blame for the accident. 这名司机是事故的肇事者。

第二段介绍了尼泊尔政府对此的应对措施。

“It is quite a commotion up there,” says Jeremy Tong of JTRACE, a trekking firm, who had to queue to reach the summit last year.

徒步旅行公司JTRACE的唐杰瑞说：“珠峰上真是熙熙攘攘”。他去年不得不排队才能登上峰顶。

The Nepalese government had promised new rules to thin out the mob.

尼泊尔政府之前已承诺采取新法规来减少登山者的人数。

如果让我们来写这句话我们可能会写成The Nepalese government had promised new rules to reduce the number of climbers. 但作者用的表达是thin out the mob，它的意思是“使登山人群变得稀少”，这样写句子更有画面感。

It came up with a series of new requirements to obtain a permit to make an attempt on the peak. Applicants should have successfully climbed another Nepalese mountain of at least 6,500 metres (Everest is 8,848 metres).

政府提出了一系列新的要求，登山者只有满足这些要求才能获准攀登珠峰。申请者之前必须成功登顶过尼泊尔境内其他任意一座海拔超过6500米的高山（珠峰高度是8848米）。

The authorities are also considering raising the cost of a permit from $11,000 to $35,000. Yet this week they announced that they would not put these changes into effect this year, since there had not been sufficient consultation on them within the government.

当局还考虑将攀登许可证的费用从11000美元提高到35000美元。然而，他们本周宣布，由于政府内部尚未就这些变更进行充分磋商，因此今年不会实施这些新规。

Consultation在这里是指“商量，磋商”，例如：The decision was reached after consultation with parents and teachers. 这个决定是经过和家长、老师磋商之后作出的。

第三段对比了过去和现在珠峰攀登的情况。

Mountaineers are far less likely to die on Everest than they were just a few decades ago.

与几十年前相比，登山者在珠峰丧生的可能性要小得多。

这个比较句出现了省略现象，补充完整是：Mountaineers are far less likely to die on Everest than they were (likely to die on Everest) just a few decades ago.

Rescue teams and helicopters stand ready to help those in need, which is not always the case with other Himalayan peaks. But there are many more climbers than there used to be.

救援队和直升机随时准备为有需要的人提供帮助，而这种情况在其他喜马拉雅山峰上并不常见。但是今天的登山者人数比以前要多。

stand prepared/ready to do something是一个固定搭配，意思是“准备好做某事”，例如：We should stand ready to do what is necessary to guarantee the peace. 我们应该时刻准备着采取一切必要手段确保和平。

Something stands + adj. 也是一个常见搭配，通常用来形容某事处于某种状态，比如：The house stood empty for years. 这栋房子空置多年了。

结尾段介绍了珠峰产业对尼泊尔的重要性。

The Nepalese authorities handed out 381 permits to teams of mountaineers last year, generating a welcome dollop of cash. They are presumably keen to ensure that stricter rules do not shrink revenues.

尼泊尔当局去年向登山队发放了381份许可证，这产生了可观的现金收入。他们可能倾向于确保更严格的安全法规不会造成现金收入减少。

Welcome在这里的意思比较微妙，类似于“受欢迎的，令人感到愉悦的”（giving someone happiness or pleasure），比如：This new funding will come as a welcome boost for the industry.这笔新的资金对该行业将是积极的促进。

Even if the government comes out ahead, with extra income from higher fees offsetting any decrease in the number of permits issued, an entire industry depends on Everest.

即使政府最终推行计划，通过更高的登山费用产生的额外收入来抵扣许可证数量减少造成的损失，整个行业仍然依赖着珠穆朗玛峰。

Come out ahead是一个在金融领域中比较常见的术语，意思是“获利出局”（To make a profit or to succeed in a financial event in which most people lost money, such as gambling.）这里可以理解为政府通过提高登山费用来获利。

Nepal is among Asia’s poorest places: about half of its 30m peoplesubsist on less than $3.20 a day, according to the World Bank. Guides risk their lives because they can earn perhaps $5,000 a season working at the highest altitudes, more than seven times the average annual wage.

尼泊尔是亚洲最贫穷的地方之一：根据世界银行的数据，尼泊尔三千万人口中约有一半人每天的生活费不足3.2美元。登山向导们（甘愿）冒着生命危险，因为他们在最高海拔处工作每个登山季大约能赚取5000美元，这是当地平均年薪的七倍多。

Subsist on XX a day/a month/a year 意思是“每天/每月/每年依靠XX维持生活”，比如要表达“年轻人在大城市每月2000元很难维持生活”，可以说：It is difficult for young people to subsist on 2,000 yuan a month in big cities.

With last year’s bad publicity and the impending tightening of the rules, their earnings may have peaked.

由于去年的负面宣传以及登山法规即将收紧，向导们的收入可能要开始下降了。

With的用法比较灵活，它在这里的意思是“由于，因为”（You use with to introduce a current situation that is a factor affecting another situation.）

their earnings may have peaked这一用法很巧妙，句子字面意思是“他们的收入可能已经过了高峰阶段了”，收入过了高峰阶意味着接下来会开始下降。其中peak作为动词使用，含义是“达到顶峰，达到最高水平”，这一用词也与文章主题密切相关。