英语PK台 第240期:英语新闻轻读汇(1)

 　　Donald Trump¹ suits and ties are made in China

　　Donald Trump blasts companies like Ford² and Apple for manufacturing products outside the United States. He even threatened to stop eating Oreo cookies after he learned some production was moving to Mexico.

　　But Trump does the same thing. Many of his products are made outside the United States. Most Donald J. Trump ties are made in China. Some Donald J. Trump suits are also made in China. Over 800 items in the Ivanka Trump fashion line, there are shoes, dresses, purses and scarves. All are "imported." The top five countries that America imports clothing from are China (by far the leader), India, Vietnam, Pakistan and Mexico.

　　Trump says he will "make the greatest trade deals we've ever made in our country."

　　He wants to put a tax on Chinese and Mexican goods like clothing coming into the United States to level the playing field and bring back middle class jobs. He's said the tax could be as high as 35 or 45%.

　　Economists³ warn this would ignite a trade war and could cause a recession. China and Mexico and possibly other nations would respond by putting taxes on U.S. goods and services. It would also make a lot of everyday items more expensive for Americans.

　　Vocabulary:

　　Blast, ignite, recession

　　More older pregnant women expected

　　Hospitals and health authorities across China are bracing⁴ for an expected surge in older pregnant women this year, after the country adopted a second-child policy. An additional 90 million women in China, roughly equivalent to the total population of Germany, will eligible⁵ to have a second child under the policy, according to estimates by the National Health and Family Planning Commission, China's top health authority.

　　The commission said 60 percent of the 90 million will be 35 years old or older, which will result in increased risk of complications in pregnancy⁶ and pose more challenges to health authorities in ensuring maternal⁷ and child health.

　　The health authorities are planning to improve the hospitals' emergency treatment capabilities⁸ and streamline⁹ procedures so that deliveries with critical complications can be transferred between hospitals in a timely manner, the commission said.

　　To meet the expected rise in the number of pregnant women at higher risks, hospitals will also improve priority services for that group. "We will designate hospitals to specially¹⁰ receive and treat newborn babies with critical diseases" to improve chances of survival, she said.

　　Vocabulary:

　　Surge, pose, streamline, designate

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

3 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

5 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

6 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

7 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

8 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

9 streamline   

vt.使成流线型；使简化；使现代化

参考例句：

• We must streamline our methods.我们必须简化方法。
• Any liquid or gas passing it will have streamline flow.任何通过它的液体或气体将呈流线型的流动。

10 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。