英语听力精选进阶版 6322

What is a fair wage? Why aren't more people in the world offered pay equality? These are some of the questions the United Nations International Labour Organisation¹ (ILO) has recently investigated.

With a global population of over seven billion, is it actually possible to measure an average amount?

The ILO has now tried to work out the sums. Using the total wage bill from over seventy countries, they have multiplied the amounts by the number of earners in each country. The economists² then tallied³ up the results and divided them by the total number across the world. The result was a world average wage equivalent to $1,490 a month. That is approximately $75 a day for a 20-day working month.

This figure might seem very high because they calculated the amount using purchasing power parity⁴ dollars, which takes into account the fact that it is cheaper to live in some countries than others. The data also did not include the huge number of people who appear in poverty statistics or who are self-employed.

Calculating an average sum like this might not be a completely fair representation, but these figures do help us to understand how the world is developing, both economically, in the quality of life people are experiencing and their standard of living.

But the result shows that the average wage is still relatively⁵ low and there remains⁶ a huge difference in levels of affluence⁷ around the world. Some people live on just two dollars a day, whilst others are earning more than a million dollars a year. Is this fair? For many, pay equality still seems very far out of reach.

Quiz 测验

Is this statement true, false or not given? The ILO used statistics from over 70 different countries.

True

The sum the ILO calculated was: a standard wage; an approximate wage; an average wage?

an average wage

When someone works for themselves, what are they called?

self-employed

What data did the ILO not include in the sums?

poverty statistics, people who are self-employed

What is another name used for levels of wealth?

affluence

Glossary 词汇表

a fair wage 公平的工资

pay equality 平等的工资

an average amount 平均数量

sums 总数

the total wage bill (total pay amount) 工资总数

multiplied by 乘以

an earner 赚钱的人

to tally up 加起来

divided by 除以

equivalent to 相对于

figures 数据

to calculate 计算

purchasing power parity 购买力平价

to take into account 考虑到

statistics 统计数据

self-employed 自雇人士

quality of life 生活质量

standard of living 生活水平

affluence 富裕

1 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

2 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》

3 tallied   

v.计算，清点( tally的过去式和过去分词 )；加标签（或标记）于；（使）符合；（使）吻合

参考例句：

• The girl tallied them with her eyes for a moment. 新娘用目光把这些化妆品清点了一下。 来自教父部分
• His account of the accident tallied with hers. 他对事故的陈述和她的相吻合。 来自辞典例句

4 parity   

n.平价，等价，比价，对等

参考例句：

• The two currencies have now reached parity.这两种货币现已达到同等价值。
• Women have yet to achieve wage or occupational parity in many fields.女性在很多领域还没能争取到薪金、职位方面的平等。

5 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。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 affluence   

n.充裕，富足

参考例句：

• Their affluence is more apparent than real.他们的富有是虚有其表。
• There is a lot of affluence in this part of the state because it has many businesses.这个州的这一部分相当富有，因为它有很多商行。