英语角-圆桌会议 RoundTable0619 - 办公室里的外籍员工

 Topic1 Pilot Projects of Judicial¹ ReformChina will launch pilot programs to overhaul² its judicial system and curb³ abuses of power by local governments. The pilot programs will run in six places, including Shanghai, Guangdong and Qinghai.

How big of a change will it bring?

Topic2 Foreigners Find it Hard to Adapt to Chinese Work CultureMore Chinese companies are hiring foreigners as part of their workforce⁴. Decades ago only a handful of companies and public institutions had the need and permission to hire "foreign experts", but now overseas talents can be seen in private enterprises, SOEs, and even government offices.

But surviving in a Chinese workplace may not be easy, as some complain that they're treated politely but not seriously.

How big of a problem is it? What are the difficulties they encounter?

Topic3 How Eating Broccoli⁵ Can Help Your Body Cope With Air Pollution?

According to a study published this week by the journal Cancer Prevention Research, eating broccoli is good for you. More specifically—and not incidentally if you live in China—it can apparently⁶ help your body better deal with air pollution.

Can a different diet really help us better cope with air pollution?

Topic4 Is Cable TV DyingRecently, Beijing Gehua CATV Network signs an agreement with China Mobile on 4G development. This is the first time in the country that a cable TV company cooperates with a telecom provider in such a way. Some people say this demonstrates cable TV is dieing.

Is it true? Is cable TV in such a desperate situation now?

Topic5 Dog meat festival controversyA local Chinese government has denied involvement in organizing a dog meat festival amid an increasing chorus of protests from animal rights activists⁷, legal professionals, celebrities⁸ and safety experts.

However, the festival, starting every year June 21 on the summer solstice Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous⁹ Region, will seemingly still go ahead, though perhaps a little bit quietly this year.

Why is dog meat festival a problem?

Topic6 World Cup MadnessThe 2014 FIFA World Cup has kicked off, making soccer-crazy China even crazier.

Despite the national team failing to qualify, Chinese are pumped up for soccer.

How crazy can they be?

1 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

2 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

3 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

4 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

5 broccoli   

n.绿菜花，花椰菜

参考例句：

• She grew all the broccoli plants from seed.这些花椰菜都是她用种子培育出来的。
• They think broccoli is only green and cauliflower is only white.他们认为西兰花只有绿色的，而菜花都是白色的。

6 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

7 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

9 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。