英语听力精选进阶版 13630

Ai Weiwei's tax bill

7 November 2011

Thousands of people have donated money to Chinese artist Ai Weiwei to help him pay a tax bill of $2.4 million. Many, including the artist himself, believe he's been served with the bill because of his outspoken¹ criticism of the government rather than his financial affairs.

Reporter

Michael Bristow

Ai Weiwei

Artist and architect Ai Weiwei.

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Nearly 20,000 people have donated. They've used bank transfers, sent postal² orders or simply handed over cash in person. Some have folded money into paper planes and flown them over the wall of the artist's Beijing compound.

Ai Weiwei says the campaign to help him isn't just about the money. He says it's an expression of people's feelings about the way he's been treated.

The authorities accuse him of tax evasion³ and want him to pay $2.4 million. But many believe this is just a cover to punish a fierce government critic.

Officials, they say, don't like his dogged pursuit of controversial issues.

Ai Weiwei says he hasn't decided⁴ whether to pay the tax bill. If he does, and uses this donated money, there could still be problems. One newspaper suggested it amounted to illegal fundraising.

More evidence, his supporters might say, that the authorities are simply trying to get at the artist any way they can.

Michael Bristow, BBC News

1 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。

2 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

3 evasion   

n.逃避，偷漏(税)

参考例句：

• The movie star is in prison for tax evasion.那位影星因为逃税而坐牢。
• The act was passed as a safeguard against tax evasion.这项法案旨在防止逃税行为。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。