英语角-圆桌会议 RoundTable0217 - 中外联姻数量10年间下降

 Topic1 Labor¹ Camp in New DisguiseOver the weekend, a 70-year-old woman who has been detained at a so-called reprimand center in Henan Province is released following a public outcry.

The local authorities now are investigating such centers in the province, which according to media reports, are actually continuing the abolished system of reeducation through labor.

Are they just a disguise for labor camps?

Topic2 China Unlikely to Reduce Coal Use in the Next DecadeChina has vowed² to reduce the use of coal to less than 65% of the country's total energy consumption in 2014. But experts say it is an arduous³ task, and the country is unlikely to cut coal consumption to less than 60% of total during the next decade. Currently, coal accounts for 70% of China's total energy consumption.

Really? What are the forecasts?

Topic3 Judges on the runMost people would assume that being a judge trumps⁴ being a lawyer. It is assumed that judges get more pay, more respect and better career prospects⁵.

But often, this could not be further from the truth, in China.

As a result of the low pay and intense workloads⁶, grass-roots courts nationwide are faced with an exodus⁷ of judges.

How serious is the problem?

Topic4 China the leading place for counterfeit⁸ goods?

The United States has named China the leading place for physical markets selling counterfeit goods, while websites in Europe, South America and Canada led in online sales of fakes.

US Trade Representative Michael Froman said the Notorious Markets List for 2013 was aimed at helping⁹ the United States and foreign governments prioritize enforcement of intellectual property rights.

Is there a crisis in China?

Topic5 Fewer Chinese marrying foreignersThere has been a rather steep decline in the number of Chinese-foreign marriages in China in recent years.

The number of Chinese marrying foreigners reached its peak at the turn of the century.

There were 79,000 Chinese-foreign marriages in 2001.

53,000 such couples tied the knot in 2012.

You would assume with China opening up to the world, more international marriages will take place. Why is there a decline?

Topic6 Getting Reward for Returning MoneyRecently, an elder man in Wuhan goes to the bank to withdraw 3,000 yuan. The teller¹⁰ makes a mistake and gives him 30,000 yuan. The elder returns the extra money right away. However, when he tells his friend about it, many call him stupid for not asking for any reward.

So the next day, the elder go to the bank again, demanding a reward. He gets a mug which is about 6.5 yuan.

As a result, a good deed that is supposed to make both sides happy leads to an awkward ending.

Whose fault is that? The bank's or the old man's?

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

3 arduous   

adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的

参考例句：

• We must have patience in doing arduous work.我们做艰苦的工作要有耐性。
• The task was more arduous than he had calculated.这项任务比他所估计的要艰巨得多。

4 trumps   

abbr.trumpets 喇叭；小号；喇叭形状的东西；喇叭筒v.（牌戏）出王牌赢（一牌或一墩）( trump的过去式 )；吹号公告，吹号庆祝；吹喇叭；捏造

参考例句：

• On the day of the match the team turned up trumps. 比赛那天该队出乎意料地获得胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Every time John is late getting home he trumps up some new excuse. 每次约翰晚回家都会编造个新借口。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

6 workloads   

（某一人或组织）工作量，工作负担( workload的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Project management software can provide such visibility into everyone's skills and workloads. 项目管理软件可以提供这样的能见度到每个人的技能和工作量。
• Doctors have complained of heavy workloads. 医生投诉工作越来越繁重。

7 exodus   

v.大批离去，成群外出

参考例句：

• The medical system is facing collapse because of an exodus of doctors.由于医生大批离去，医疗系统面临崩溃。
• Man's great challenge at this moment is to prevent his exodus from this planet.人在当前所遇到的最大挑战，就是要防止人从这个星球上消失。

8 counterfeit   

vt.伪造，仿造；adj.伪造的，假冒的

参考例句：

• It is a crime to counterfeit money.伪造货币是犯罪行为。
• The painting looked old but was a recent counterfeit.这幅画看上去年代久远，实际是最近的一幅赝品。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 teller   

n.银行出纳员；(选举)计票员

参考例句：

• The bank started her as a teller.银行起用她当出纳员。
• The teller tried to remain aloof and calm.出纳员力图保持冷漠和镇静。