英语角-圆桌会议 RoundTable0410 - 各省战斗力排行榜

 Topic1 Beijing To Install Condom Machines on College CampusAll Beijing universities are expected to install condom vending¹ machines this year, a move to curb² the increase of sexually-transmitted diseases among college students.

How big of an effect can we expect from this move?

Topic2 Zhuhai legislators put dog owners on a leashZhuhai in South China's Gunagdong province is the latest city to put dog raising on a leash³: setting a limit of one dog per family.

Approved by the city's Standing⁴ Committee of the People's Congress, the policy will come into effect on June 1.

Is there a dog crisis? Why should we care?

Topic3 Fighting Capacity RankingIn China, people seem keen on ranking different regions in all kinds of weird⁵ categories. For example, there are several versions of regional rankings of Chinese people's fighting capacities, which share similar results that northerners are better fighters than southerners. Is it really the truth?

How do the rankings define fighting capacity?

Topic4 Can birth order REALLY dictate⁶ your personality?

Believe it or not, birth order really affects your personality. First-borns are ambitious, middle children are social butterflies, and the youngest are charming but less responsible.

According to Canadian duo Mitchell Moffit and Greg Brown, from Toronto, who present an online science show, several theories suggest that where you are in your family determines who you are.

Does it hold any truth?

Topic5 How Long is the Appropriate Gap Period Between RelationshipsAfter breaking up with a girl for a month, a guy in Hangzhou calls his ex in midnight and finds out she is seeing another man. Then the guy calls the police and falsely accuses his ex of being a prostitute. He later explains that he hopes the police can stop whatever is going on between the girl and the new guy.

The guy has been detained for filing a false police report.

1 vending   

v.出售（尤指土地等财产）( vend的现在分词 )；（尤指在公共场所）贩卖；发表（意见，言论）；声明

参考例句：

• Why Are You Banging on the Vending Machine? 你为什么敲打这台自动售货机？ 来自朗文快捷英语教程 2
• Coca-Cola had to adapt almost 300,000 vending machines to accept the new coins. 可口可乐公司必须使将近三十万台自动贩卖机接受新货币。 来自超越目标英语 第5册

2 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。

3 leash   

n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住

参考例句：

• I reached for the leash,but the dog got in between.我伸手去拿系狗绳，但被狗挡住了路。
• The dog strains at the leash,eager to be off.狗拼命地扯拉皮带，想挣脱开去。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

6 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？