新西兰英语 445 Job losses

 　　Financial problems in the Yarrows bakery factory mean that 41 workers will lose their jobs and another 192 workers are worried about the future.

　　Yarrows in an unusual factory. It was started by husband and wife, Alf and Grace Yarrows, in 1923 and has stayed a family business for 88 years. It employs about 230 staff, almost a quarter of the people in the small town of Manaia, South Taranaki. It makes bread rolls for Subway in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Taiwan. Every month, the company exports 1 million Subway rolls as frozen¹ dough².

　　The company called in the receivers because of financial problems. Receivers are usually accountants who manage bankrupt³ companies. The receivers hope to continue the business until they can find a buyer for the company.

　　Job losses at KiwiRail workshops in Dunedin and Wellington were also announced today. The KiwiRail workshops wanted the job of making new wagons⁴ for trains but the company decided⁵ it was cheaper and quicker to buy wagons, engines and containers from China.

　　Vocabulary

　　“dough” is bread before it has been cooked.

　　“loss” is a noun – “lose” is the verb.

　　“staff” includes all the workers – factory workers, office workers, bosses, drivers etc.

　　“bankrupt” means the company does not have enough money to pay its debts

　　“manage a company” means control it.

　　Questions

　　Do you think KiwiRail should support New Zealand workers, even if it costs the company more?

　　What are some of the difficulties for an export company in a small town? Are there advantages?

1 frozen   

adj.冻结的，冰冻的

参考例句：

• He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。
• The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。

2 dough   

n.生面团；钱，现款

参考例句：

• She formed the dough into squares.她把生面团捏成四方块。
• The baker is kneading dough.那位面包师在揉面。

3 bankrupt   

n.破产者；adj.破产的；vt.使...破产

参考例句：

• That factory has gone bankrupt.那家工厂倒了。
• The enemy's scheme went bankrupt.敌人的计谋破产了。

4 wagons   

n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车

参考例句：

• The wagons were hauled by horses. 那些货车是马拉的。
• They drew their wagons into a laager and set up camp. 他们把马车围成一圈扎起营地。

5 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。