英语角-圆桌会议 RoundTable1128 - 北京地铁告别2元时代

 Topic1 Beijing hikes public transit¹ faresBeijing citizens will say goodbye to the city's low price transportation system next month with the municipal government announcing subway and bus fare hikes.

The new fares, which formally take hold on December 28, put bus fares starting at two yuan (32 cents) and subway fares at three yuan.

The new fares would double the current prices on average, but will include some discount schemes.

Does the new plan make more sense?

How is the pricing plan going to affect everybody?

Topic2 Are Northeasterners a problem in Sanya?

Soon, more seniors from China's northeast, an area known for bitter cold and prolonged winter days, will join in the yearly migration² to escape a life largely restricted to the indoors due to chilly³ weather.

Statistics show the number of migratory⁴ seniors in Sanya is approaching 400,000, about half of whom are from northeastern China's Harbin city.

There is perhaps too many northeasterners in Sanya that the city is dubbed⁵ as the Sanya city of Heilongjiang Province.

Is there a conflict of interests between northeastern people and Sanya locals?

Topic3 Profile of Chinese luxury car ownersHurun Research Institute recently released a report of the profile of Chinese luxury car owners.

According to the report, Chinese luxury car owners are, on average, 33.5 years old, and they choose selective car brands as status symbols to support their image.

Do you care? Does such a report have any relevance⁶?

Topic4 China's Wealthy Attend Etiquette⁷ ClassesA CNN report says that the wealthy Chinese are no longer satisfied with looking the part. They're now paying big bucks⁸ to learn how to act the part too. Increased global travel, business expansions and mounting interest in Western education has led China's middle and upper classes to seek out etiquette professionals to expand their lifestyle repertoire⁹.

Is there a market?

Topic5 The World's Most Fun CitiesA recent study came up with a list of "the World's Most Fun Cities" and Berlin, London, and Paris are ranked as the top 3. Widely-agreed "Party Cities" such as Amsterdam, Las Vegas, and Rio de Janeiro don't rank high surprisingly. And unexpectedly, none Chinese cities are listed.

Is the list surprising to you? What's the standard?

1 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

2 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

3 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

4 migratory   

n.候鸟，迁移

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• This does not negate the idea of migratory aptitude.这并没有否定迁移能力这一概念。

5 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 relevance   

n.中肯，适当，关联，相关性

参考例句：

• Politicians' private lives have no relevance to their public roles.政治家的私生活与他们的公众角色不相关。
• Her ideas have lost all relevance to the modern world.她的想法与现代社会完全脱节。

7 etiquette   

n.礼仪，礼节；规矩

参考例句：

• The rules of etiquette are not so strict nowadays.如今的礼仪规则已不那么严格了。
• According to etiquette,you should stand up to meet a guest.按照礼节你应该站起来接待客人。

8 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 repertoire   

n.(准备好演出的)节目，保留剧目；(计算机的)指令表，指令系统， <美>(某个人的)全部技能；清单，指令表

参考例句：

• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。
• He has added considerably to his piano repertoire.他的钢琴演奏曲目大大增加了。