2008年5月至6月，伴随四川地震的发生与南方数省大范围的洪涝灾害，中央和地方政府纷纷启动应对预案，积极应付自然灾害，组织力量投入到抢险救灾工作中去，以尽量降低自然灾害导致的损失和影响。国内的应对预案规范从全国范围来讲开始于2003年一度肆虐的非典疫情。2003年7月，国家提出加快突发公共事件应对机制建设的重大课题，国务院办公厅专门成立打造突发公共事件应对预案工作小组。2006年1月8日，国务院发布《国家突发公共事件总体应对预案》，其中又分设国家专项应对预案，国务院部门应对预案和地方应对预案。国家总体应对预案指出：为了提升政府保障公共安全和处置突发公共事件的能力，最大程度地预防和降低突发公共事件及其导致的损害，保障公众的生命财产安全，维护国家安全和社会稳定，促进经济社会全方位、协调、可持续进步，依据宪法及有关法律、行政法规，拟定本预案。本预案所称突发公共事件是指忽然发生，导致或者可能导致重大职员伤亡、财产损失、生态环境破坏和紧急社会风险，危及公共安全的紧急事件。各类突发公共事件根据其性质、紧急程度、可控性和影响范围等原因，一般分为四级：Ⅰ级（特别重大）、Ⅱ级（重大）、Ⅲ级（较大）和Ⅳ级（一般）。本预案适用于涉及跨省级行政区划的，或超出事发地省级人民政府处置能力的特别重大突发公共事件应付工作。本预案指导全国的突发公共事件应付工作。
因为各类自然灾害的不可防止，自从《国家突发公共事件总体应对预案》颁布之后，应对预案就成了大家常常听说的一个新闻词汇，成为了大家日常的一部分。那样，海外是不是也有应对预案，应对预案在英语中是如何表达的呢？
查看有关资料，我发现这里的应对所对应的英语词语是contingency，依据朗文当代高级英语辞典，其解释为（可能发生的）意料之外事件，不测事件（an event or situation that might happen in the future），在该词条的例证中，contingency1 plan赫然在目，其意思正是大家所说的应对预案，英文解释称：a plan that you make in order to deal with a problem that might happen。著名的互联网百科全书维基百科（Wikipedia）对contingency plan则提供了更为全方位详细的讲解如下：A contingency plan is a plan devised for a specific situation when things could go wrong. Contingency plans are often devised by governments or businesses who want to be prepared for anything that could happen. They are sometimes known as Back-up plans, Worst-case scenario2 plans or Plan B.从中大家也可以看出，contingency plan还有另外一些替代表达，而且常常以复数形式出现。
查看到应对预案在英语中对应的表达之后，通过功能强大的搜索引擎GOOGLE，大家非常快就能找到很多有关表达，由此也可以看出，contingency plan乃是一个国际通用的说法，如在http://www.business-continuity-world.com网站上就有关于Business Continuity, Contingency Planning Disaster Recovery的介绍，而英国的一个域名为http://www.contingency-planning-disaster-recovery-guide.co.uk的网站则提供了一个应对预案指南（ConTINGENCY PLANNING AND DISASTER RECOVERY GUIDE），详细介绍了各类突发事件的应付手段及策略。另外，英国的一个名为http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/control/contingency/exotic.htm网站则介绍了怎么样应付来自境外的动物传染病的应对预案（Disease control: Contingency Plan for Exotic Animal Diseases），依据该网站，这类动物传染病包含口蹄疫（Foot and Mouth Disease），禽流感（Avian Influenza3）和狂犬病（Rabies）和蓝舌病（Bluetongue）等。除此之外，contingency plan不只应用于应付自然灾害，而且还用于国际关系范围，如新华网2007年1月5日就发表了一篇新闻报道，就日美应对预案表示了关注：
China says Japan-U.S. contingency plan should adhere to one-China principle
China on Thursday said a contingency plan made by Japan and the United States for a possible military conflict across the Taiwan Strait should follow the one-China principle.
Contingency plan用于国际关系范围的其他例证还有不少，如：（标题）Gulf4 countries adopt oil export contingency plan（导语）DUB人工智能: Faced with the standoff between the United States and Iran, the six Gulf countries have adopted a contingency plan to make up for the possible closure of two exit points from where most of their oil supplies pass. 又如：（标题）U.S. developing contingency plan to bomb Iran，（正文）Still, the Pentagon is continuing intensive planning for a possible bombing attack on Iran, a process that began last year, at the direction of the President. In recent months, the former intelligence official told me, a special planning group has been established in the offices of the Joint5 Chiefs of Staff, charged with creating a contingency bombing plan for Iran that can be implemented6, upon orders from the President, within twenty-four hours.
在国内官方英文媒体中，contingency plan也常常会被用到，如新华网（Xinhuanet）2005年9月28日刊发了一篇关于启动预防全国时尚性感冒应对预案的报道，其标题和导语如下：
China launches flu pandemic contingency plan
BEIJING, Sept. 28 -- China's Ministry7 of Health on Wednesday launched a contingency plan for enhancing national readiness against a possible outbreak of pandemic influenza.
2008年5月23日，在四川大地震搜救工作基本结束之后，国家有关部门指出，为了确保灾区饮水安全，政府已启动应对预案，该新闻报道的标题和导语分别如下：
Water Security Contingency Plan made
Beijing, May 23 --Wu Xiaoqing, vice8 minister of the PRC Ministry of Environment Protection said at todays press conference that the next main task facing them is to ensure the water security in quake-hit areas, including disposal of livestock9 and poultry10 corpse11, and that a water security contingency plan has been made by MEP, China News Agency reported.
又如，为了确保2008北京奥运会顺利进行，中国政府提前拟定了各类应对预案，其中包含应付可能发生的恶劣天气的应对预案，新华网为此在2007年11月8日有报道如下：
Official: contingency plans in place for bad weather
BEIJING, Nov. 7 -- Organizers of next year's Olympic Games have worked out contingency plans to deal with possible bad weather during the world's prime sporting event, an official said.
一篇关于国际奥委会官员在对北京奥运会筹备工作考察之后表示认可的新闻报道（IOC satisfied with renewed assurances from Beijing organizers）中则提到了国际奥委会官员对于环境应对预案的认可：Commenting at the conclusion of the meetings, Coordination12 Commission Chairman Hein Verbruggen said: BOCOG is progressing well with all of its operations and we are confident that our Chinese friends will put on great Games for the athletes of the world. The IOC noted13 an increased level of support from the government authorities for the Organising Committee, which will undoubtedly14 help reinforce BOCOG's excellent work. We were satisfied by the assurances we received across a number of areas -- media service levels, including internet access, brand protection, environmental contingency plans for improved air quality, and the live broadcast feed.
因为应对预案就是专门针对各类自然灾害的，而自然灾害的多种多样，因此，contingency plan又会出目前不一样的组合之中，地震应对预案就是contingency plan for earthquake,通过GOOGLE搜索发现，国内香港特别行政区政府的一个网站http://www.hko.gov.hk/gts/equake/contingency_e.htm就专门谈到了地震应对预案，明确指出The Government's Contingency Plan for Natural Disasters would be able to cope with major natural disasters including earthquakes. 防汛应对预案就叫做flood contingency plan,消防应对预案就是fire fighting contingency plans，安全应对预案就是security contingency plan，依此类推，失火应对预案就是fire contingency plan，重大突发实践应对预案就是contingency plan for major emergencies，自然灾害应对预案就是contingency plan for natural disasters。
另外，从上述多个例证来看，contingency plan的动词性搭配词汇常见的为launch, adopt, make, create, prepare, work out等等。学会正确的词汇搭配是提升语言表达能力的一个有效渠道，在国内的英语学习中，不少学习者的英语语言能力欠佳，其中的一个原因就是不会词汇之间存在着固定搭配，违背如此的搭配原则，由此而来的问题不止是语法错误，表达不够地道，而且还紧急妨碍了交际的达成，从而使得外语学习失去了其实质的目的。
