作为一种自然的生理现象，月经关乎到人类的生存及后代的繁衍，它是女性拥有生育能力的象征。然而，这种代表着生命力的自然现象却一直是“肮脏”、“羞耻”、“禁忌”的代名词。在尼泊尔，月经甚至是一种“诅咒”。在那里，生理期的女人就像邪灵附体的恶魔，被所有人歧视并被赶出家门。为何当地女性惨遭如此对待？尼泊尔这种月经“诅咒”又带来了怎样的后果？
Nepal's grim superstition, known to lead to a death by shame
尼泊尔残忍的迷信通过羞辱害人致死
Not long ago, in rural western Nepal, Gauri Kumari Bayak was the spark of her village. But last January, her lifeless body was carried up the hill. The little hut where she was pressured to sequester herself during her menstrual period—and where she died—was smashed apart, erasing the last mark of another young life lost（lose的过去式） to a deadly superstition.
就在不久前，高里·库马里·巴亚克还在给尼泊尔西部的村庄带去活力。但是去年 1 月，她的尸体被抬到山上，她死在月经期间被迫将自己隔离的简陋小屋里，那座小屋现已被拆除。又一个年轻生命死于致命的迷信，她人生最后的痕迹也被抹去。
注：spark：火花，抽象为活力。lifeless：没有生命迹象的。menstrual：月经的。the menstrual period：经期。I am on my period：我来月经了。mark：记号，评分。lose：失去，败给。
In this corner of Nepal, deep in the Himalayas, women are banished from their homes every month when they get their period. They are considered polluted, and an oppressive regime has evolved around this taboo, including the construction of a separate hut for menstruating women to sleep in. Each year, at least one woman or girl—often more—dies in these huts, from exposure to the cold, smoke inhalation or attacks by animals.
在尼泊尔这个深处喜马拉雅山脉中的偏僻地区，女人每到生理期时都会被赶出家园。她们被认为是不洁的，而围绕这个禁忌也衍生出了一整套压迫体制，包括建造一个单独的小屋，让正值经期的女人在那里过夜。每年，至少有一个女人或女孩（通常不止一个）在这些小屋中因寒冷、呛烟或遭动物袭击死亡。
注：banish：放逐，流放。banish sb to somewhere：把某人流放到某地。banish sb from somewhere：从某地把某人流放走，禁止某人待在某地。get one’s period：来月经了。inhalation：吸入;吸入剂，吸入物。
But now, the Nepali government and advocates for women are trying to end it. Starting in August, for the first time, it will be a crime to force a menstruating woman into seclusion, punishable by up to three months in jail, though it’s not clear if that’s going to make a dent in the tradition.
但现在，尼泊尔政府和妇女权益倡导者们正在努力结束这种状况。从 8 月份开始，尼泊尔将首次把迫使经期妇女隔离的行为定为犯罪，最高可判处 3 个月的监禁，尽管尚不清楚这是否会动摇这一传统。
“We are trying to convince people that times are changing, but superstition is still strong,” said Pashupati Kunwar, who runs a small aid group to help women.
帕舒帕蒂·孔瓦尔领导着一个帮助女性的小型援助组织，她说：“我们试图说服人们时代在变，但迷信的力量依然强大。”
Many religions observe rules around menstruation, and Hinduism places a special emphasis on purity and pollution. Still, scholars are not sure why the menstruation taboo is so strong in western Nepal, where countless villages still practice it.
许多宗教都遵守跟月经有关的规定。其中，印度教特别强调纯洁和玷污。但对于无数村庄依然奉行这一传统的尼泊尔西部，学者们仍不确定为什么当地的月经禁忌如此根深蒂固。
注：places an emphasis on：强调。。。，看重。。。。 practice：实践，实行。
————— 文章来源 / 纽约时报 
重点词汇
grim /ɡrɪm/ adj. 严厉的，令人不快的；让人沮丧的 e.g. a grim face：阴冷的面庞
superstition /ˌsuːpərˈstɪʃn/ n. 迷信
hut /hʌt/ n. 简陋的小房子（或棚、舍）
sequester /sɪˈkwestər/ v. 使隔离，使分开 e.g. He sequestered himself in his room for two years.
smash /smæʃ/ v. 打碎，打破，破碎
erase /ɪˈreɪs/ v. 清除，消除；抹掉 e.g. The landscape erased all else from her mind. landscape：风景
oppressive /əˈpresɪv/ adj. 压迫的，压制的
regime /reɪˈʒiːm/ n. 统治制度，体制
evolve /iˈvɑːlv/ v. （使）逐渐形成，逐步发展，演变；进化 e.g. The company has evolved into a multi-million dollar organization.
taboo /təˈbuː/ n. （文化或宗教习俗方面的）禁忌，忌讳
menstruate /ˈmenstrueɪt/ v. 行经，来月经
inhalation /ˌɪnhəˈleɪʃn/ n. 吸入，吸气（inhale v.） e.g. inhale deeply：深深吸气
seclusion /sɪˈkluːʒn/ n. 隔绝，隔离
observe /əbˈzɜːrv/ v. 遵守，遵循；噶、观察。 e.g. The crowd observed a minute's silence in memory of those who had died.
purity /ˈpjʊrəti/ n. 纯洁，纯净（pure adj.）
menstrual period （生理）月经期 e.g. I'm on my period.
banish from 从...驱逐出去，放逐 e.g. The landscape banished all other thoughts from her mind.==he landscape erased all else from her mind.
make a dent in sth 减少，削弱 e.g. That will make a dent in our finances.
dent：凹痕，削减，削弱。
拓展内容
生理期的相关英文表达
月经：menstruation，来源于mensis，moon（学名）
月经周期：menstrual cycle（简称MC)；或者menstrual period，日常生活中常用period
月经失调：irregular menstruation/cycles/periods
痛经：dysmenorrhea，又称阵痛期（painful periods）、月经绞痛（menstrual cramps）
其他关于“月经”的委婉表达
that time of the month/that time：每个月的那些天，例假
Aunt Flo：美式英语多用，顾名思义，就是“Flo 阿姨 ”，也就是“大姨妈”的意思
lady time/days：女士时间
monthly visitor：一月一会
shark week：艰难的一周
riding the cotton pony：骑着棉花小马，这里暗指卫生棉条 tampon
serving box wine：献上盒装红酒，box wine 是便宜的红酒；box 在英式俚语里也是 vagina 的意思