商业周刊:最后雇佣却先遭解雇(17)

Trump's executive order may keep plants open, but it can't force sick and scared workers back to the line.

特朗普发布的行政命令可能会让工厂继续营业，但不能强迫生病和受惊的工人返回生产线。

The shortfall in output could continue to run as high as 15% even after plants reopen, Perdue, the agriculture secretary, said on April 30.

农业部长珀杜4月30日表示，即使工厂重新开放，产出缺口仍可能高达15%。

Slaughterhouses, after years of lobbying to run their lines faster

屠宰场多年来一直在游说加快生产线，

—resisted by labor¹ advocates as too dangerous and by some food safety experts as likely to allow more unhealthy animals to be processed

但遭到抵制。劳工倡导者说这样做过于危险，而一些食品安全专家认为，屠宰厂这样做可能加工更多不健康的动物，

—may be forced to slow down for months and possibly years to adjust to fewer workers with more space between them.

这也许会迫使屠宰场减速数月甚至数年，以适应工人数量减少、工作空间更大的局面。

Livestock² farmers may have to keep culling³ their herds⁴, prolonging higher meat prices.

牲畜养殖户可能不得不继续宰杀牲畜，延长肉价上涨的时间。

For now, hewing⁵ to enhanced safety standards makes sense for meat companies to keep plants open.

目前，对肉品公司来说，遵守更高的安全标准是有道理的。

But if you're a worker, you have to wonder if the precautions will outlast⁶ the pandemic,

但是，如果你是一名工人，势必想知道，当你的健康不再对更广泛的社区构成威胁时，

when your health is no longer a threat to the broader community. Then what?

预防措施是否能持续到疫情大流行之后。情况会怎样呢？

Maybe robots. Industry experts say meat companies are likely to emerge from this crisis determined⁷ to solve their labor problem once and for all with automation.

也许使用机器人。业内专家表示，肉品企业很可能从这场危机中脱颖而出，决心采用自动化彻底解决他们的劳动力问题。

"The old adage⁸ was that the machine doesn't take a coffee break," says economist⁹ Steve Meyer of Kerns & Associates in Ames, Iowa.

爱荷华州艾姆斯市咨询公司Kerns & Associates的经济学家史蒂夫·迈耶说：“有句老话说，机器不需要茶歇。

"I guess the new adage is that the machine doesn't get coronavirus."

我想新的格言会是，机器不会感染新冠病毒。”

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

3 culling   

n.选择，大批物品中剔出劣质货v.挑选，剔除( cull的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The mathematicians turned to culling periodic solutions. 数学家们转而去挑选周期解。 来自辞典例句
• It took us a week to find you, a week of culling out prejudice and hatred. 我们花了一个星期的时间找到你们，把偏见和憎恨剔除出去。 来自演讲部分

4 herds   

兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众

参考例句：

• Regularly at daybreak they drive their herds to the pasture. 每天天一亮他们就把牲畜赶到草场上去。
• There we saw herds of cows grazing on the pasture. 我们在那里看到一群群的牛在草地上吃草。

5 hewing   

v.（用斧、刀等）砍、劈( hew的现在分词 )；砍成；劈出；开辟

参考例句：

• The farmer spent a day in the woods hewing timber. 这个农夫花了一天时间在森林里砍木材。 来自辞典例句
• He was hewing away at the trunk of the tree. 他不停地照着树干砍去。 来自辞典例句

6 outlast   

v.较…耐久

参考例句：

• The great use of life is to spend it doing something that will outlast it.人生的充分利用就是为争取比人生更长久的东西而度过一生。
• These naturally dried flowers will outlast a bouquet of fresh blooms.这些自然风干的花会比一束鲜花更加持久。

7 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

8 adage   

n.格言，古训

参考例句：

• But the old adage that men grow into office has not proved true in my experience.但是，根据我的经验，人们所谓的工作岗位造就人材这句古话并不正确。
• Her experience lends credence to the adage " We live and learn!"她的经验印证了一句格言: 活到老，学到老！

9 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。