英语角-圆桌会议 RoundTable0916 - 要不要买个虚拟女友？

 Topic1 How to Avoid Being Duped in Broken Vase ScamsPeople in China who attempt to profit through "Peng Ci," or extorting¹ money from a driver through creating a traffic accident, may now find the practice more difficult.

A court in the eastern city of Ningbo has recently reversed a verdict by local traffic police and exempted² a driver from paying more than 1.2 million yuan in compensation, or about 200 thousand US dollars, to a man severely³ injured in a road accident in October last year.

What has possibly happened?

Topic2 Crappy Car Insurance in ChinaReports say the premium⁴ rate of automobile⁵ insurance in China is higher than that in the US and Europe, but the service car owners enjoy here is much worse.

Is there a problem?

Topic3 Sky-high luxury authentication⁶ course runs in BeijingA series of courses on luxury goods authentication in Beijing have attracted attention for their hefty fees. The beginner course which only lasts for 10-days already cost 32,800 yuan ($5,364 dollars), according to Beijing Youth Daily.

What exactly does this sky-high course teach?

Topic4 Teacher Insults Students for Not Bringing Her PresentsA 10th grade teacher was suspended in Harbin, Heilongjiang province when a recording⁷ revealed her hurling⁸ insults at students for not bringing her a gift on Teachers' Day. The education department said she called students a "bunch of bums⁹" for not getting her a present on the holiday.

What kind of problem does that reveal?

Topic5 Making the will at 30sRecently, Chen Kai, director of China Will Registration¹⁰ Center, said to the media that Chinese should make a will at their 30s, which aroused heated discussion on the Internet. However, according to a survey, only 25% senior citizens have already made a will when they die of natural causes.

Should people make a will? And when is the best time to make a will?

Topic6 Virtual Boyfriends and Girlfriends on TaobaoVirtual boyfriends and girlfriends are now available for purchase online, where operators simulate relationships through phone calls and text messages for a daily fee.

Would you like to pay for such a service?

1 extorting   

v.敲诈( extort的现在分词 )；曲解

参考例句：

• Corrupt government officials were extorting money from him. 腐败的政府官员向他敲诈钱财。 来自辞典例句
• He's been charged with extorting protection money from the shopkeepers. 他被指控对店主敲诈勒索保护费。 来自互联网

2 exempted   

使免除[豁免]( exempt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His bad eyesight exempted him from military service. 他因视力不好而免服兵役。
• Her illness exempted her from the examination. 她因病而免试。

3 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

4 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

5 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

6 authentication   

鉴定，认证

参考例句：

• Computer security technology includes mainly:Authentication,Encryption,Access Control,Auditing and so on.计算机网络安全技术主要有: 认证授权、数据加密、访问控制、安全审计等。

7 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

8 hurling   

n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• The boat rocked wildly, hurling him into the water. 这艘船剧烈地晃动，把他甩到水中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Fancy hurling away a good chance like that, the silly girl! 想想她竟然把这样一个好机会白白丢掉了，真是个傻姑娘！ 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 bums   

n. 游荡者，流浪汉，懒鬼，闹饮，屁股 adj. 没有价值的，不灵光的，不合理的 vt. 令人失望，乞讨 vi. 混日子，以乞讨为生

参考例句：

• The other guys are considered'sick" or "bums". 其他的人则被看成是“病态”或“废物”。
• You'll never amount to anything, you good-for-nothing bums! 这班没出息的东西，一辈子也不会成器。

10 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？