英语角-圆桌会议 RoundTable1030 - 中国需要国服吗？

 Topic1 Pension replacement¹ rate lowChina is getting older year by year since 2000. As we enter an ageing society, do today's retirees have sufficient income to meet their needs? And will you and I have the appropriate pension to maintain our current lifestyle when we retire? Experts are saying without savings² of at least one million Yuan, don't even think about a comfortable retirement³ life.

How bad is the pension trouble now? Is the pension replacement rate a good indicator⁴ of the situation?

Topic2 Height DiscriminationWhen two security guards in Dalian get their first month's paycheck earlier this year, they question why each receives different amounts for identical work. The company responds by saying that it's because one man was 5cm taller than the other.

This is from an article on Economist⁵, which focuses on the employment discrimination over height in China.

Is it a common problem?

Topic3 China to end salt monopoly in 2016China's top economic planner has mapped out a timetable to phase out the country's ironclad control on the salt market and therefore allowing social capital to enter the market.

China Salt Industry Association has revealed that the National Development and Reform Commission has given the green light to a reform plan to abolish a 2000-year-old system of holding exclusive rights to produce and sell salt.

How big is the change?

Topic4 Affordability⁶ Index of World's Big CitiesShanghai is even more costly⁷ than Paris, New York and London for young people working and living there. This is the finding of an affordability index that ranks 25 of the world's biggest cities in terms of affordability for the youth.

Is the index reliable?

Topic5 National OutfitJapanese have kimono, Indians have sari, but we Chinese don't have anything as an equivalent.

At a symposium⁹ that is recently held in Beijing, experts have a heated debate on whether or not China should have its own national outfit⁸.

Do we need a national outfit?

1 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

2 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

3 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

4 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。

5 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

6 affordability   

可购性

参考例句：

• Performance-Based Logistics Affordability: Can We Afford Categorical Conversion to Performance-Based Acquisition? 基于性能的后期的可承受性：能否担负得起向基于性能的采办的无条件的转变？
• There would be no crisis of affordability, as't for food or clothing. 就想食物与服装一样，因为供给没有危机。

7 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

8 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

9 symposium   

n.讨论会，专题报告会；专题论文集

参考例句：

• What have you learned from the symposium?你参加了这次科学讨论会有什么体会？
• The specialists and scholars present at the symposium come from all corners of the country.出席研讨会的专家学者们来自全国各地。