美语习语讲座第034期

Words & Idioms Lesson 34

to put all his eggs in one basket

to eat crow

鸡蛋也是一些美国俗语的组成部份。要是一个人把他所有的钱都当做赌注，想冒险发财，这在中文里是“孤注一掷”，在英文里就是： to put all his eggs in one basket。 Eggs就是鸡蛋，one basket 就是一只篮子。 To put all his eggs in one basket 的意思就是把所有的鸡蛋放在一只篮子里，这样是很冒险的。我们来举个例子:

例句-1: "If you want to play the stockmarket, it's smarter to divide your money and buy three or four different stocks instead of putting the whole amount into just one stock and putting all your eggs in one basket."

这个人说：“要是你想玩股票，你最好是把你的钱分开来买三、四种不同的股票，这是比较聪敏的作法。你千万不要把所有的钱都买一种股票。”

To put all your eggs in one basket 不仅可以用在经济方面，它还可以用在其他方面。下面这句句子就是一个例子：

例句-2: "Going steady in high school with only one member of opposite sex is a mistake. Go out with several people -- don't put all your eggs in one basket."

这是说：“在中学里只交一个男朋友，或一个女朋友，那是错误的。应该多交朋友，而不要把自己局限在一个人身上。” 

乌鸦是人们都讨厌的鸟，它又大又黑，叫的声音既粗又难听。乌鸦的肉也老得没法吃。可是，有一个美国俗语偏偏就是“吃乌鸦”: to eat crow。 Eat 就是吃，crow 就是乌鸦。乌鸦肉根本是没法吃的，因此要一个人吃乌鸦，那肯定是非常难受的。这也正是 to eat crow 这个俗语的意思。 To eat crow 的确切意思是一个人把自己弄得很丢脸，因为他犯了一个很难堪的错误，而又不得不承认。也许举个例子能够更好地说明 to eat crow 的意思：

例句-3: "That man running for mayor went around bragging he'd win the election by a big 50,000 majority. But he had to eat crow when the woman running against him won by more than 60,000 votes."

这句话的意思是：“那个竞选市长的人到处吹嘘说他肯定能得到大多数选民的拥护，以五万张选票当选市长。可是，现在他很丢脸，因为那位和他一起竞选的女候选人最后获得六万多张选票而当选市长。”

可是，爱夸口的人似乎到处都是。下面的一个例子更是可笑:

例句-4: "Our neighbor had to eat crow yesterday. He's been telling us what a good tennis player he is. Well, he took my 12-year-old son out to play and the kid beat him three straight sets."

这个人说：“我们的邻居真是丢了脸。他老是在我们面前吹嘘，说他网球打得多么多么好。他昨天带着我那十二岁的儿子去打网球，结果我儿子以三比零把他打败了。”

现在让我们来复习一下今天讲的两个俗语。我们讲的第一个俗语是：to put all his eggs in one basket。 To put all his eggs in one basket 是指一个人把他所有的一切都当作赌注来冒险，也就是中文里“孤注一掷”的意思。今天我们讲的第二个俗语是：to eat crow。 To eat crow 是指因为自己的错误而丢脸。

美语习语讲座第033期

Words & Idioms Lesson 33

as American as apple pie

hot potato

美国人很喜欢吃 apple pie。 Apple pie是一种用烤箱制作的甜点心，它的外面是一层面粉，里面是用苹果做的馅儿。中文有时把 apple pie翻成“苹果排”。美国人喜爱吃 apple pie 是他们刚从欧洲移居到美洲来以后就开始了。每个家庭主妇都经常做苹果排。为了说明 apple pie 是美国生活的一个特点，人们常说: "As American as apple pie." 这句话的意思是：就像苹果排一样具有美国特色。下面就是一个例子：

例句-1: "So many Asian restaurants have opened up in Washington that a writer on a daily paper here jokes that dim sum, Japanese sushi and Vietnamese spring rolls have become as American as applie pie."

这句话的意思是：“华盛顿开了那末多亚洲饭馆，一家报纸的记者开玩笑地说，广东点心、日本生鱼片加饭团和越南春卷都已经变成像苹果排一样的美国食品了。”

美国人和其他各民族一样具有很多特色。除了爱吃applie pie以外，美国人有一个很突出的特点就是，他们非常喜爱运动，特别是球赛。许多大学都愿意录取好的运动员，给他们奖学金，但是他们得在念书的同时花好多时间练球，参加比赛，为学校争光。美国人喜爱球赛是有历史根源的，因为有些球类运动都是起源于美国。下面这个例子就说明了这一点：

例句-2: "Football and baseball are as American as apple pie as they were invented by Americans and played and watched everywhere in this country. Many people would glue to their TV sets whenever there are major competitions."

他说：“橄榄球和棒球是美国式的运动，因为它们是美国人发明的，全国各地都有人打这种球或看这类球赛。每当有重大比赛时，许多人就坐在电视机前不肯动了。”

美国人也很喜欢吃土豆，特别是刚从烤箱里拿出来的一个个热气腾腾的土豆。下面我们要介绍的一个俗语是: hot potato。大家都知道 hot 的意思是热或烫。 Potato就是土豆。热的土豆固然好吃，但是它会烫你的手，你会想法马上甩掉的。 Hot potato作为俗语，它的意思就是一个争论很激烈的问题，没有一个人愿意为它承担责任。例如：

例句-3: "The question of whether to raise taxes to cut the budget deficit is a real hot potato for a lot of politicians."

这个人说：“是否用增加税收的方法来减少预算赤字的问题对于许多政客来说是一个棘手的问题。”

下面这个例子是一位律师在给另一位律师提供建议：

例句-4: "If I were you, I'd drop that client like a hot potato; he's always suing somebody for something, but he usually loses and he doesn't pay his lawyer's bills."

这个律师说：“要是我是你的话，我就把你那个顾客马上甩掉。他老是为了什么事去告别人，可是他总是输给别人，他还往往不付律师费。”

今天我们讲了两个和美国人的特色有关的俗语。第一个是 as American as apple pie，这个俗语的意思是：和苹果排一样具有美国特色。我们讲的第二个俗语是 hot potato，hot potato是指难解决的问题。

看新闻，学英语： 20060523

China,中国：

China, Germany sign 19 cooperation documents
中德之间签署19项合作协议

China and Germany inked 19 documents of bilateral cooperation in Beijing Monday, with Premier Wen Jiabao and visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel attending the signing ceremony.
星期一，中国与德国在北京签署了19项双边合作协议。国家总理温家宝和来访的德国官员Angela Merkel参加了签署仪式。

These documents mainly cover such fields as railway technology, financial cooperation, high tech dialogue, telecommunications, energy, culture and sports. The two sides also signed a memorandum of understanding on the protection of intellectual property in textile industry.

这些文件主要包含了如铁路科技、金融合作、高科技对话、电信业、能源、文化和体育等领域。双方还在纺织业方面签署了一份保护知识产权的谅解备忘录。

Key words,关键词:

Cooperation – 合作项目；bilateral – 双边；

 

One in seven Chinese living on under US$1 daily

每七个中国人中有一个生活在每日收入一美元以下

There are now at least 200 million Chinese living below the United Nations definition of the poverty line. In other words, nearly one in seven Chinese nationals live in extremely reduced circumstances, earning less than US$1 per person daily.

现在至少有两亿中国人生活在联合国定义的贫困线以下。换句话说，每七个中国人中将仅有一人生活在极其简单的环境里，每天每人收入低于一美元。

This figure is ten times worse than the current Chinese official estimate of 20 million people earning subsistence level incomes of below 683 yuan yearly.

这个数据比目前官方估算的约有两亿人每年生活费收入低于683元的补助水平，要糟糕的多。

The current subsistence level income standard is now only 20 per cent of the rural population's average yearly income of 3,255 yuan.

目前的收入补助水平线仅仅是农村人口平均年收入3225元的百分之二十。

Most impoverished people are scattered in regions with largely underdeveloped production capabilities, harsh natural environments, and a low quality labor force. They are economically marginalized and highly vulnerable to any possible misfortune.

多数的贫困人口分散在广大的劳动力低下、自然环境恶劣和劳动人口素质低下的区域。他们被社会经济排挤到了社会的边缘，而对任何灾难都缺乏抵抗力。

Key words,关键词:

Poverty – 贫困；subsistence – 补助；

 

China to set up special fund for poverty reduction
中国将会设立特别基金来降低贫困

China is expected to set up a special industrial fund to boost its poverty reduction efforts, according to sources attending a symposium on the sustained development in the country's poverty-stricken areas.

根据来自在贫困地区进行可持续性发展的研讨会的消息，中国将会建立一个特别的产业基金来大力降低贫困度。

The poverty reduction fund was proposed by the China Association for Poverty Alleviation and Development, but there's no timetable yet as to when it will be launched。

这笔贫困基金是由中国贫困缓解与发展协会提出的，目前还没有明确的启动的时间表。

China has made great achievements in poverty reduction but the biggest obstacle in this endeavor is lack of fund. Between 2001 and 2005, China's central coffer arranged 57.2 billion yuan (7.15 billion U.S. dollars) of poverty relief fund, with an annual increase of 6.45 percent.

中国已在降低贫困方面取得了巨大的进展，但目前该项目的最大的障碍是缺乏资金。2001年至2005年中国央行已经组织了572亿元的扶贫资金，而每年的增长率在百分之6.45。

An industrial fund for poverty reduction purposes would therefore be an effective way to raise funds for the benefits of the poverty-stricken population and the investors alike, as it is expected to yield higher returns.

而一个以降低贫困为目的的产业基金可以成为使贫困人口和投资者都受益的有效方式，因为预计的回报率将会比较高。

Key words,关键词:

Poverty reduction – 减少贫困；industry fund – 产业基金；

 

1 in 136 US residents behind bars

每136个美国人中就有一个在监狱服刑

US prisons and jails added more than 1,000 inmates each week for a year, putting almost 2.2 million people, or one in every 136 US residents, behind bars by last summer.

到去年夏天为止，美国的监狱每周会有超过一千名的入狱者，而每年可以达到将近220万人，或者说，每136人中就有一人。

The total on June 30, 2005, was 56,428 more than at the same time in 2004, the government reported Sunday. That 2.6 percent increase from mid-2004 to mid-2005 translates into a weekly rise of 1,085 inmates.

美国政府星期天发表报告说，2005年六月30日的在狱总数为56428人，比2004年同期来得多。而2005年中期比2004年中期上升百分之2.6的问题，说明美洲的入狱人数上升了1085人。

Beck, the bureau's chief of corrections statistics, said the increase in the number of people in the 3,365 local jails is due partly to their changing role. Jails often hold inmates for state or federal systems, as well as people who have yet to begin serving a sentence.

官方统计主管Beck说，3365所地方监狱的人数增长的部分原因是监狱职能的改变。地方监狱通常为洲及联邦看押犯人，以及关押尚未开始服刑的人。

"The jail population is increasingly unconvicted," Beck said. "Judges are perhaps more reluctant to release people pretrial."

Beck说：“狱中未判刑的人口越来越多了，法官们可能越来越不愿意在审讯前假释犯人了。”

The report by the Justice Department agency found that 62 percent of people in jails have not been convicted, meaning many of them are awaiting trial.

来自法律部门的报告说，百分之六十二的在押人口还未被判决，说明还有很多人在等待审讯。

Overall, 738 people were locked up for every 100,000 residents, compared with a rate of 725 at mid-2004. The states with the highest rates were Louisiana and Georgia, with more than 1 percent of their populations in prison or jail. Rounding out the top five were Texas, Mississippi and Oklahoma.

总的来说，每十万个居民中就有738人在狱中，相比之下，2004年中期的比率为725。比率最高的洲是路易斯安娜洲和佐治亚洲，有超过百分之一的人口在狱中。其他入围前五名的还有德克萨斯、密西西比和奥克拉哈马洲。

Men were 10 times to 11 times more likely than women to be in prison or jail, but the number of women behind bars was growing at a faster rate.

比起女人，男人有十倍至十一倍的更高的可能性入狱，但女性入狱的增长率比较高。

The racial makeup of inmates changed little in recent years, Beck said. In the 25-29 age group, an estimated 11.9 percent of black men were in prison or jails, compared with 3.9 percent of Hispanic males and 1.7 percent of white males.

近年来，种族方面的入狱人口构成并没有大的改变。在25岁至29岁的黑人中，约有百分之11.9的人口在狱，相比之下，西班牙裔为百分之三点九，白人为百分之一点七。

 

注：英文原文来源于China Daily，Starglancier翻译，用以教学辅助以及与同好探讨。有不同意见,欢迎评论。

看新闻，学英语： 20060512

China,中国：

Yangtze River Delta uses nearly half of China's foreign capital

长三角地区使用了近半数的中国海外资本投资

Urban centers along the Yangtze River Delta, one of China's three major city clusters, has absorbed nearly half of the country's total foreign capital

中国最大的三个城市聚集区之一，滨邻长江三角洲的城市已经吸引了本国近半数的海外资本。

The region has used 47.8 percent of the total foreign capital in China, according to officials and experts at an ongoing forum on economic development along Yangtze River in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. Statistics show that more than 400 of the world's top 500 companies have established a foothold in the delta.

根据正在中国江苏省省会南京进行的长三角经济发展论坛的官员和专家说，该地区已经使用了中国百分之47.8的海外资本投资。统计数据显示，世界500强的公司中已有超过400家在该三角洲地区建立了立足点。

Experts say the Yangtze River economic belt has become a high-tech base in China, and expect to play a crucial role in the country's development.

专家们说长三角经济带已经成为中国的高科技基地，预计会在中国的发展中扮演至关重要的角色。

Key words,关键词:

Foreign capital – 海外资本；Yangtze River delta – 长江三角洲；high-tech base – 高科技基地

 

China to restrict college enrollments

中国将会限制大学登记入学

 

The Chinese government has agreed proposals to restrict the growth of college enrollments so as to improve teaching conditions and ease graduate employment pressures.

中国政府已经同意限制大学登记入学的增长以改善教学条件，并缓解毕业生就业压力。

Last year, colleges and universities enrolled 5.04 million students, 4.7 times more than in 1998.

去年，专科院校和综合大学的登记入学人数达到504万，是1998年的4.7倍。

However, they still faced problems of out-dated teaching methods, insufficient funding and a surplus number of graduates looking for jobs.

然而，他们仍然面临教学手段落后，资金不足，以及毕业生过剩，难以找到工作的问题。

State councilors agreed it was necessary to control the increase of enrollment so that adequate funds could be allocated, teaching conditions improved, subjects and majors adjusted, and skills training reformed among other measures.

国务院成员同意应该控制入学注册增长的说法，这样资金才能被合理分配，教学条件才能得到改善，科目和专业才能得到调整，技能培训才能参照其他的标准进行改革。

The scale of enrollment should be fixed in accordance with local conditions and controlled at a stable level, while education of high school graduates and occupational training should be strengthened.

登记注册的规模应当根据地方的条件来决定，并控制在稳定的水平。而高中毕业生的教育和职业培训应当得到加强。

In addition, occupational and adult education needed to be boosted to ensure more access to higher education.

另外，需要推进职业教育和成人教育来保障更多的达到高等教育的途径。

China will face serious difficulties during the next two quarters with 60 percent of new graduates facing unemployment, according to a report published by the National Development and Reform Commission.

根据国家发改委发布的一份报告，在未来的两个季度里，中国将会面临百分之六十的毕业生得不到就业的严重困难。

The number of graduates will increase by 22 percent over the previous year to 4.13 million while the job market can only soak up 1.66 million, down 22 percent on the previous year.

毕业生数量将会比去年增加百分之二十二，达到四百一十三万，而就业市场仅能吸纳最多一百六十六万，比去年下降了百分之二十二。

 

Key words,关键词:

Enrollment – 注册、登记入学；employment pressure – 就业压力；higher education – 高等教育；

 

Telecom regulators must do more

电信的规范者应当做得更多
 

China Mobile began formally implementing its new pricing initiative in Beijing yesterday, providing lower-price charging packages for local users.

中国移动于昨天开始正式实施它在北京的新价格措施，为该地区的用户提供更低价格的整体销售计划。

Many people are not satisfied, however, because they can choose only one of the two pricing packages for making and receiving calls. Many also maintain that the reduction is a promotional gimmick rather than a real price cut; if the carrier is sincere to cut the expensive communications fees, they argue, it is better to adopt a one-way charging regime, instead of the current two-way one.

然而，很多人却并不满意，因为他们只能在两个拨打与接受电话的价格销售计划中选择其一。很多人还认为这与其说是一次真正意义上的降价，不如说是一个销售陷阱。他们争辩说，如果执行者真的想降低昂贵的通信费用的话，还不如采取一个单向收费的政策来取代现今的双向政策。

An online survey by Sina.com.cn, one of the nation's top portals, shows nearly 80 per cent of more than 60,000 respondents were not satisfied with the move, and 96 per cent believe there is still room for further adjustment, as of yesterday morning.

昨天上午，来自中国最大的网站之一的新浪网的一份问卷显示，在超过六万名的回应者中，近百分之八十的人表示对这样的举动不满意，百分之九十六的人相信还有进一步调整的空间。

Business,商业：

Exporters face curbs on dumping

出口商在倾销问题上将受到限制

The government plans to use stronger regulation to prevent enterprises from exporting at "unreasonably low prices," in a bid to ensure the growth of export.
China's Ministry of Commerce released yesterday a draft provisional regulation on investigation and penalties of unreasonably low-priced export.

为了保证出口的增长，政府计划采用更有力的政策来防止企业在出口时使用“不合理的低价格”。中国商业部昨天颁布了一份关于调查和处罚不合理低价出口的临时政策草案。

The ministry said the move aimed to "safeguard the normal order of foreign trade, protect the rights of enterprises and avoid the bad practices of unreasonably low-priced export."

商业部说，其目的是为了“维护正常的对外贸易秩序，保护企业的权利和避免不利的不合理低价出口。”

The regulation stipulates that any person, enterprise and association in China could file complaints with the Ministry of Commerce against others for low-priced exports.

该政策规定中国的任何个人、企业和行会都可以通过商业部对他人的低价出口提出备案投诉。

Products will be regarded as "unreasonably low-priced export" if they are sold at prices 2 per cent lower than their average costs during the investigation. The costs refer to the total payout for production, management and sales.

在调查中如发现产品低于其平均成本百分之二销售的将会被认定为“不合理的低价格出口”。该成本指生产、管理和销售的总支出。

An enterprise charged with exporting such goods could be fined up to 30,000 yuan (US$3,750), or prohibited from exporting anything for up to 12 months.

被指控出口类似的产品的企业将被罚最多三万元人民币，或12个月内禁止从事任何出口贸易。

Key words,关键词:

Dumping – 倾销；export—出口；payout – 支出；prohibit—禁止；

 

Police crack down on pyramid selling

警方捣毁传销

Chinese authorities have uncovered more than 1 billion yuan (US$127 million) of illegal pyramid sales in the last 12 months, it was revealed yesterday.

根据昨天的报道，中国官方在过去12个月内，共揭露了超过十亿元的非法传销买卖。

Figures disclosed by the Ministry of Public Security showed that 516 cases have been uncovered involving 1147 direct selling organizations. A total of 3,408 suspects were arrested.

公安部披露的数据显示，有516宗案件涉及到了1147个直销机构，共有3408人被捕。

Gao Feng, deputy director of the Economic Crime Investigation Bureau of the ministry, said that pyramid selling had become "a serious economic crime in China."

经济犯罪调查局副主任高峰说，传销在中国已经成为一种严重的经济犯罪。

He warned that special attention would be paid to pyramid selling on university campuses,

他警告说，对于校园内的传销将特别得到重视。

China issued a blanket ban on all varieties of direct and pyramid selling in 1998 due to widespread pyramid schemes. During the ban, door-to-door sellers were restricted to selling in retail stores.

由于广泛的传销问题，中国于1998年对各式各样的直销与传销实行了统一的禁令。在此期间，上门销售者被限制在了零售店里。

However, the State Council issued a regulation late last year to distinguish direct selling from pyramid selling, which opened the door to legitimate direct selling companies.

然而，去年国务院颁布了一项区分直销与传销的规则，对合法的直销公司开放了大门。

The only company to have acquired a license was Avon China in February.

唯一获得（直销）许可的公司是二月份的雅芳中国。

A pyramid sales organization requires every member to fork out a non-refundable registration fee, and then they have to coax other people to join the multi-level network and earn commission based on the number of new members they entice.

传销公司会要求所有成员缴纳一笔不可退还的登记费用，然后他们就得哄骗其他人加入这样的多层组织，并根据他们诱骗到的新成员数量提成。

Gao reiterated that the public should not believe organizers' deceptive stories about getting rich overnight, and advised that anyone could dial 010-65204333 to report pyramid selling activities.

‘高’一再说，公众不应当相信那些组织者的一夜致富的谎言，并称任何人都可以拨打010-65204333反映传销活动。

Key words,关键词:

Crack down – 捣毁；pyramid selling – 传销；legitimate direct selling – 合法直销；commission – 提成；佣金；

注：英文原文来源于China Daily，Starglancier翻译，用以教学辅助以及与同好探讨。有不同意见,欢迎评论。