世界节假日博览 第50期:世界消费者权益日

 　　World Consumer Rights Day is an annual day for consumers to get together and know they have rights, even in today’s world of multinational¹ corporations. It started in 1983 and has grown ever since. It also aims to promote consumers’ rights and demand that the law and companies protect these rights. Also on this day, campaigns take place to highlight the social injustices² that abuse consumers’ rights. These can include unethical marketing³, the use of hazardous⁴ technologies and production processes, and the sale of harmful products. Previous campaigns have focused on junk food and children, unethical drug promotion⁵, access for all to energy, and corporate⁶ control of the food chain.

　　每年的国际消费者权益日是为了让消费者聚集在一起，了解自己的权利，就算在当今的跨国企业中这些权利也同样适用。该节日开始于1983年，此后一直不断发展壮大。该节日的目的是为了促进消费者权益，并要求企业和法律进行保护。同样在这一天，人们会开展许多宣扬违背消费者权益的社会不公正活动。包括不道德营销，使用有害技术和有毒生产流程，销售有害产品。之前的活动将重心放在了垃圾食品、儿童、不道德药品宣传、企业控制食品链上。

　　The website Consumers International.org states World Consumer Rights Day has its origins in the 1960s. Former US President John F. Kennedy created four basic consumer rights: The right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose, and the right to be heard. The website has added another four to these: The right to satisfaction of basic needs, the right to redress⁷, the right to education, and the right to a healthy environment. Kennedy also defined who consumers are: “Consumers, by definition, include us all….They are the largest economic group, affecting and affected⁸ by almost every public and private economic decision. Yet they are the only important group... whose views are often not heard.” Be heard today.

　　国际消费者权益日官网称该节日的历史能够追溯到20世纪60年代。美国前总统约翰·肯尼迪设立了四项消费者基本权益：安全消费的权利、消费时被告知基本事实的权利、选择的权利和呼吁的权利。官网又增加了四项权益：满足基本需求的权利、公正解决纠纷的权利、掌握消费基本知识的权利和在健康环境下的权力。肯尼迪还指出了消费者的定义：“我们都是消费者，他们是最大的经济群体，他们与几乎所有的公共和个人经济决策相互影响。但是，他们也是唯一一个不受重视的重要群体。”让我们重视起来吧。

　　1.basic need 基本需求

　　例句：Even as the man expressed his desire for such a basic need, Go could hear the roar of the mighty⁹ Victoria Falls just a few kilometers away.

　　即便在这位老人表示他的这一基本需求能得到满足的同时，高也能听见仅仅几公里之外的维多利亚瀑布发出的轰鸣。

　　2.food chain 食物链

　　例句：And one way to help, they say, would be to shift from eating predators¹⁰ to species lower on the food chain.

　　他们说，一个可行的办法是将人们的饮食习惯从大型鱼类转向食物链次级的中中小型鱼类。

　　3.consumer right 消费者权益

　　例句：Consumer right is always the of a public attention.

　　消费者权利一直都是公众关注的焦点。

　　4.multinational corporation 跨国公司

　　例句：To serve as sales promoter in a multinational corporation with an aim for promotion and assignment in parent company's branch abroad.

　　担任跨国公司的推销员，期望在职位上能有晋升并能分派到母公司的海外分公司去工作。

1 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

2 injustices   

不公平( injustice的名词复数 )； 非正义； 待…不公正； 冤枉

参考例句：

• One who committed many injustices is doomed to failure. 多行不义必自毙。
• He felt confident that his injustices would be righted. 他相信他的冤屈会受到昭雪的。

3 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

4 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

5 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

6 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

7 redress   

n.赔偿，救济，矫正；v.纠正，匡正，革除

参考例句：

• He did all that he possibly could to redress the wrongs.他尽了一切努力革除弊端。
• Any man deserves redress if he has been injured unfairly.任何人若蒙受不公平的损害都应获得赔偿。

8 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。

9 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

10 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》