VOA标准英语2010年-QA: Why Are Some Chinese Afraid of the

If asked which country has the highest population in the world, most people would say China. But if asked exactly how many people live there, even the Chinese government couldn't give a specific answer. At the last count, which took place 10 years ago, China had just under 1.3 billion people. For the next two weeks, 6 million census¹ workers are fanning across the country to update that tally². It won't be easy. The census has raised privacy concerns for some citizens who don't want the government to know their family details. But the most difficult challenge will be counting China's migrant workers, whose numbers range from 140 million to 200 million. VOA's Kate Woodsome spoke³ with Sophie Richardson of Human Rights Watch in Washington about what China's census means for communities hoping to go unnoticed. In the past, China's census counted people based on their hukou status, that is to say, their household registration⁴ at birth. This year, people will be counted based on where they live, not where they were born. This won't change their hukou status, but why is this system important?
"It is one's hukou status, meaning if you have an urban or a rural hukou, that really dictates⁵ what kind of services that you have access to. And lots of people want an urban hukou because that's where the better schools, the better hospitals, the better public services are. And what migrant workers give up when they leave rural areas to go mostly to coastal⁶ cities to work is access to those benefits because their rural hukous will not be given any standing⁷ in urban areas."It sounds like some migrants might want to be counted, but is there a reason for them to hide?
"It's true that sometimes migrant workers will avoid forms of officialdom because technically⁸ they don't really have the right to be residing and working in cities. They're supposed to be in their places of birth. In a perfect world, according to the Chinese government, you have to get permission to transfer your hukou from a rural area to an urban area before you move. But huge numbers of people now move anyway in hopes either that they can live without their services or that they can find some way around it or that they will be given an urban hukou by virtue⁹ of living in the cities."The Chinese government has said that all the census information would be used for research and destroyed after statistics are compiled and released. But even China's state media have said that people are skeptical¹⁰ of this. One of the groups that is skeptical is families that have violated the one-child policy. What are they worried about?
"It's still the case, particularly in urban areas, that population control restrictions¹¹ are still imposed and that if you are found to have had more than one child, you can be fined. And so there is an incentive¹² for some people to hide additional children they may have had, which is a tricky¹³ business.  But there are also problems, I think, with respect to other aspects of people's privacy. We've seen government agencies reveal to employers or the press or the police certain kinds of information about people that should be kept private. And that includes information, for example, about someone's health status, whether they're HIV or Hepatitis B positive. That leads to job discrimination. And even though there are laws and regulations on the books in China that should either prevent these things or provide redress¹⁴ for people who've had their right to privacy violated, they're very rarely acted upon as one might hope."The government's reach into the lives of Chinese citizens is nothing new, but it seems like this awareness¹⁵ of one's right to privacy is something new. How has that evolved?
"It's difficult to make any generalization¹⁶ about 1.3 billion people. But I think it's true that between now and when the last census was taken in 2000, people do have a somewhat greater awareness of their rights. And I think what may be new and interesting is not the frustration¹⁷ with the government or skepticism about this exercises, but actually articulating an objection to it."

1 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

2 tally   

n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致

参考例句：

• Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
• The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

5 dictates   

n.命令，规定，要求( dictate的名词复数 )v.大声讲或读( dictate的第三人称单数 )；口授；支配；摆布

参考例句：

• Convention dictates that a minister should resign in such a situation. 依照常规部长在这种情况下应该辞职。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He always follows the dictates of common sense. 他总是按常识行事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

9 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

10 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

11 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

12 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

13 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

14 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。

15 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

16 generalization   

n.普遍性，一般性，概括

参考例句：

• This sweeping generalization is the law of conservation of energy.这一透彻的概括就是能量守恒定律。
• The evaluation of conduct involves some amount of generalization.对操行的评价会含有一些泛泛之论。

17 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。