Silicon rally
硅集
As San Francisco builds the future of technology, can it rebuild itself?
打造明日科技的旧金山能否重建自身？
People feared a doom loop. Reality has been more surprising
人们曾担心它深陷厄运循环。现实却更出人意料
SAN FRANCISCO has long been a byword for municipal failure. Even as its techies minted money and transformed the world, its government was incapable of providing residents with basic shelter and security. Homelessness, drug overdoses and property crime were rife. Then covid-19 struck. The rise of remote work threatened to sound the city’s death knell, as the tech industry took to its heels. As things have turned out, however, San Francisco has become host to an artificial-intelligence boom. Having been granted this piece of good fortune, the city must seize the opportunity to reform. This might be the best chance it gets.
长期以来，旧金山就是市政失败的代名词。这里的科技狂人创造财富、改变世界，而政府这一边却无力为居民提供基本的安身之处和安全保障。无家可归、吸毒过量和财产犯罪很常见。接着，新冠来了。远程工作兴起，科技产业随之撤退，这座城市的丧钟仿佛就要敲响。然而，结果却是旧金山迎来了一波人工智能热潮。既然交上了如此好运，旧金山必须抓住机遇进行改革。这可能是它最好的机会了。
- byword （某种品质或特征的）代表人，代表事物，典范；谚语、俗语
- rife 主要表示“盛行的、普遍的”，通常用于形容坏事或不良事物普遍流行，强调传播迅速或数量急剧增大（参见：小词详解 | rife）
- death knell 丧钟；死亡的征兆；预示毁灭的事件
Only a few years ago social disorder, toxic politics, eye-watering housing costs and the pandemic were driving people away. Venture capitalists (VCs) were splashing more of their cash beyond the Bay Area. Tech workers abandoned their offices, and sometimes the city entirely. As the downtown streets emptied of workers, homelessness and public drug use became more conspicuous and intrusive. “Retail for lease” signs covered the city like wallpaper.
仅仅几年前，社会失序、有毒政治、令人瞠目的房价和疫情促使人们纷纷逃离。风险资本家（VC）将更多现金投向了湾区以外的地方。科技工作者放弃了他们的办公室，有时甚至干脆放弃了这座城市。随着市中心街道上的上班族越来越少，无家可归和公共场所吸毒越发惹眼和猖獗。“商铺出租”的招贴像墙纸一样糊满了整个城市。
- toxic 喻指“恶毒的、造成危害的、极其令人不快的”，也就是形容像人体组织中存在的毒素那样，以一种长期隐伏或到处渗透的方式给人带来很多伤害或不快（参见：小词详解 | toxic）
- conspicuous 表示“易见的、显眼的、明显的、显著的”以及“惹人注目的、值得注意的”，主要适用于对眼睛或大脑显而易见且不可避免的东西，特别是因其独特性而在视觉上或脑海里留下深刻印象的事物（参见：小词详解 | conspicuous）
- intrusive 侵入的；闯入的；侵扰的；烦扰的
