英语角-圆桌会议 RoundTable0116 - 犯罪之乡地图

 Topic1 Second Thoughts about Property TaxReal estate tycoon¹ Ren Zhiqiang, an influential² microblogger with more than 16 million Weibo followers³ says China shouldn't levy⁴ property tax now.

The reason, according to Ren while responding to netizens' questions on Weibo, is that urban home buyers don't have land ownership and there are already a multitude of fees and taxes they have to pay while purchasing a property.

The outspoken⁵ blogger says the country should reform the current real-estate taxation⁶ system before introducing any property tax.

His speech obvious runs against the tide, as a few Chinese cities have already begun levying⁷ property tax, and more are thinking about doing so. Does he make sense?

Topic2 Advisor⁸ Suggests Welfare-based Housing AllocationProfessor Xu Yan of Guangdong University of Finance says in order to ease traffic jam, the government should resume welfare-oriented distribution of public housing that had been widely adopted for 40 years but ceased since 1998.

Xu Yan explains that now many people buy apartments that are far from work places because of the relatively⁹ lower price. This increases the use of private cars and worsens traffic. If employers can offer cheap apartments around workplaces, 40% of private car use will be reduced.

Does he have a point?

Topic3 Highways Will Charge Toll¹⁰ Fee on Spring Festival EveAfter being criticized for "knowing nothing about politics", the officials in Heilongjiang transport department claimed that they will continue charging tolls¹¹ on their highways this Chinese New Year's Eve because the day is not an official public holiday.

Why does this decision have to do with politics?

Topic4 China Has Many Patents, But Not Many Profitable OnesBack in October, 2010, The Economist¹² carried an article examining innovation in China, titled "Patents, yes; ideas, maybe?" It says "Patents are easy to file, but gems¹³ are hard to find in a mountain of junk."That comment still describes the reality in China when it comes to patents that are abundant in number but are probably less valuable than those in America or Europe.

It's estimated that Chinese companies are still 20 years lagging behind their US or Japanese counterparts in terms of profits made from patent filing, litigation and monetization.

What's the current situation with patents in China? Why do China have so many patents?

Topic5 Crime Map of ChinaRecently a crime map becomes very popular on the internet. On the map, several places in China are highlighted and annotated¹⁴ with criminal behaviors such as pick-locking safe, stealing cars or sms fraud. It illustrates¹⁵ the most popular crimes people from different places tend to commit.

Is there any science to it?

Topic6 Wuhan Fires Worst-Performing Chengguan10 out of 8,000 chengguan have recently failed to reach the professional standards in the city of Wuhan. The result of the evaluation¹⁶ means they will lose their job.

The city's initiative, which came into form in 2013, is the first official evaluation system in China. Chengguan will be evaluated regularly based on their performance.

According to the official statistics, these 10 people are temporarily registered as Chengguan.

Stories of chengguan are much in the news these days, usually as sources of conflicts, rather than making the city better, which should be their duty. In some extreme cases, chengguan have even become killers¹⁷ in clashes. Is it good to know that the worst performing ones can be fired?

1 tycoon   

n.有钱有势的企业家，大亨

参考例句：

• The tycoon is on the verge of bankruptcy.那名大亨濒临破产的边缘。
• The tycoon has many servants to minister to his needs.那位大亨有很多人服侍他。

2 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

3 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

4 levy   

n.征收税或其他款项，征收额

参考例句：

• They levy a tax on him.他们向他征税。
• A direct food levy was imposed by the local government.地方政府征收了食品税。

5 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

6 taxation   

n.征税，税收，税金

参考例句：

• He made a number of simplifications in the taxation system.他在税制上作了一些简化。
• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。

7 levying   

征（兵）( levy的现在分词 )； 索取； 发动（战争）； 征税

参考例句：

• The high tax will be given levying to the foreign country car. 对外国汽车要予以征收高税。
• Levying estate income tax are considered to be goods tax. 遗产税是在财产所有者死亡后所征收的税。

8 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

9 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

10 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

11 tolls   

（缓慢而有规律的）钟声( toll的名词复数 )； 通行费； 损耗； （战争、灾难等造成的）毁坏

参考例句：

• A man collected tolls at the gateway. 一个人在大门口收通行费。
• The long-distance call tolls amount to quite a sum. 长途电话费数目相当可观。

12 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

13 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

14 annotated   

v.注解，注释( annotate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Thematic maps should always be annotated with the source and date of the topical information. 各类专题地图，均应注明专题资料来源和日期。 来自辞典例句
• And this is the version annotated by Umberto de Bologna. 并且这是有安博多-德-波罗格那注释的版本。 来自电影对白

15 illustrates   

给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明

参考例句：

• This historical novel illustrates the breaking up of feudal society in microcosm. 这部历史小说是走向崩溃的封建社会的缩影。
• Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. 阿尔弗莱德 - 阿德勒是一位著名的医生，他有过可以说明这点的经历。 来自中级百科部分

16 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

17 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。