Shark's fin soup

    Yvonne: This is 6 Minute English, I'm Yvonne Archer¹ - and Finn has kindly³ joined mefor today's programme. Hello Finn!
     Finn: Hello Yvonne – how are you?
    Yvonne: Oh, I'm great thanks! Now, 2011 is the year of the Rabbit in the Chinese lunarcalendar - and Finn, your name is a brilliant clue for today's topic.
    Finn: It is.
    Yvonne: We're talking about a traditional dish that many people expect to find on themenu to celebrate the New Year!
    Finn: Yes, so what could it be? My name is Finn and we're talking about the dish'shark’s fin² soup'.
    Yvonne: Excellent! Now, in Taiwan this year, shark's fin soup may be missing fromquite a few menus. But before we find out why – I've a question for you, Finn.
    Are you ready?
    Finn: Okay, I'm ready.
    Yvonne: Good. Which type of shark is the longest fish in the world?
    a) the great white sharkb) the whale shark orc) the hammerhead sharkFinn: Okay, let me see. Well, whales are very big so I think - b) the whale shark.
    Yvonne: Right - and I'll tell you whether you're right or wrong later on! For some timenow, animal rights activists⁴ have been calling for a ban on shark's fin soupbecause of the way the sharks are treated. Finn, explain what 'a ban' is for usplease, because it doesn't mean the same as 'illegal' does it?
    Finn: No, not quite. 'A ban' is an official order or statement saying that somethingisn't allowed anymore, rather than a law saying that something is illegal - orthat it's a crime. For example, in the UK, smoking cigarettes in offices isbanned but it's not against the law to smoke cigarettes.
    Yvonne: Right. Once their fins⁵ are chopped off, many sharks are just thrown back intothe sea to die.
    Finn: Yes, and sadly for the sharks, the simple reason for this is because it savesspace on the fishermen's boats.
    Yvonne: Mm, it is very sad. Now the campaign against shark's fin soup is starting toshow small signs of progress. But the BBC's Cindy Sui was still able to find arestaurant window in Taiwan's capital, Taipei, where a large, dried shark's finwas on display. Here's what the restaurant's manager told Cindy:
    Insert 1: Restaurant owner, TaipeiLook at our restaurant, there's hardly any business. The media coverage⁶ has affected⁷ us,but many of the fish are caught whole, not just for the fins. In Taiwan, we eat all theshark, not just the fin.
    Yvonne: The restaurant owner says that the media coverage about the campaign to banshark's fin soup means he's had fewer customers. As he puts it: "there's hardlyany business". Finn, can you explain what he means by 'the media coverage'
    though?
    Finn: Yes, well it means things like articles in newspapers and online, as well asnews bulletins and programmes on television and radio – all the publicity⁸, allgathered together - that's what we call 'media coverage'.
    Yvonne: Great. Taiwan catches between 40,000 and 60,000 tons of shark meat each yearfor its own use, and the restaurant manager we heard from clearly doesn't agreethat there should be a ban on shark's fin. Now, you lived in Taiwan for a fewyears, didn't you Finn?
    Finn: I did – yes.
    Yvonne: Was this an issue there at the time?
    Finn: Well, I lived there about 10 years ago and I have to say there wasn't a lot ofmedia coverage about banning shark's fin soup at the time.
    Yvonne: So, let's find out who is getting involved in the campaign at this time to helpsave sharks from a cruel death, from the BBC's Cindy Sui:
    Insert 2: Cindy Sui, BBC Correspondent, TaipaiIn recent years, an increasing number of young people in Taiwan are refusing to ordershark's fin or serve it at their wedding banquets, even though it has long beenconsidered a must on banquet menus. Celebrities⁹ have also spoken out against eatingshark's fin.
    Yvonne: So celebrities have spoken out against eating shark's fin?
    Finn: They have. They've made it clear to the public that they support a ban – they'vespoken out against it.
    Yvonne: And young people are refusing to order shark's fin or to serve it at weddingfeasts, even though it's traditional. We could say they're 'boycotting¹⁰' it,couldn't we Finn?
    Finn: We could yes – 'boycotting'.
    Yvonne: So when you were in that part of the world Finn, was it really 'a must' – anessential choice on a good menu for special occasions? And I'm scared to ask,but have you tried shark's fin soup?
    Finn: You know - I have actually. And yes, it was at a special occasion - a weddingin Taiwan, and it did taste very nice. But at the same time, you feel a bit badbecause of the cruelty to the shark. And of course, it's a very prestigious¹¹ dishin Chinese culture.
    Yvonne: But if the whole fish is being eaten, wouldn't that make a difference?
    Finn: I think yes, if you were to eat the whole fish and it wasn't wasted, then thatwould make a big difference. And I think that's really at the core of the issuehere, isn't it?
    Yvonne: I think so. Now, earlier Finn, I asked: Which type of shark is the longest fish inthe world.
    Finn: Mm-hmm. And I said b) the whale shark. Was I right?
    Yvonne: Errr….
    Finn: Was I right?
    Yvonne: Yes!
    Finn: Oh, fantastic!
    Yvonne: Well done Finn! And the longest ever recorded was 13.5 metres.
    Finn: Now that is very long, isn't it.
    Yvonne: Huge – yes.
    Finn: That's a big shark!
    Yvonne: Now, how about a Chinese New Year greeting to say goodbye from today's "6Minute English"?
    Finn: Yes, this is the beginning of the year of the rabbit, so we can say: "Happy NewYear" which is: "Xin nian kuai le". Yvonne?
    Yvonne: Xin nian kuai le.
    Finn: Xin nian kuai le. Happy New Year everyone!
    Yvonne: Happy New Year!
    Finn: Bye for nowYvonne: Goodbye!

1 archer   

n.射手，弓箭手

参考例句：

• The archer strung his bow and aimed an arrow at the target.弓箭手拉紧弓弦将箭瞄准靶子。
• The archer's shot was a perfect bull's-eye.射手的那一箭正中靶心。

2 fin   

n.鳍；(飞机的)安定翼

参考例句：

• They swim using a small fin on their back.它们用背上的小鳍游动。
• The aircraft has a long tail fin.那架飞机有一个长长的尾翼。

3 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

4 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 fins   

[医]散热片；鱼鳍；飞边；鸭掌

参考例句：

• The level of TNF-α positively correlated with BMI,FPG,HbA1C,TG,FINS and IRI,but not with SBP and DBP. TNF-α水平与BMI、FPG、HbA1C、TG、FINS和IRI呈显著正相关，与SBP、DBP无相关。 来自互联网
• Fins are a feature specific to fish. 鱼鳍是鱼类特有的特征。 来自辞典例句

6 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

9 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

10 boycotting   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They're boycotting the shop because the people there are on strike. 他们抵制那家商店，因为那里的店员在罢工。
• The main opposition parties are boycotting the elections. 主要反对党都抵制此次选举。

11 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。