Lesson 8 Trading standards
第八課貿(mào)易標(biāo)準(zhǔn)
from The Economist, May 24th, 1997
8-1. Chickens slaughtered in the United States, claim officials in Brussels, are not fit to grace European tables.
【譯文】布魯塞爾的官員說(shuō)，在美國(guó)屠宰的雞不適于裝點(diǎn)歐洲的餐桌。
【講解】slaughtered in the United States為過(guò)去分詞短語(yǔ)，作定語(yǔ)，修飾chickens。此句也可以寫成Officials in Brussels say that chickens slaughtered in the United States are not fit to grace European tables. 原文的寫法是為了凸顯chickens slaughtered in the United States。本句和下句的寫法是新聞?dòng)⒄Z(yǔ)中的常見(jiàn)寫法。
【單詞和短語(yǔ)】
grace:給……增光；使……有榮耀（to make a place or an object look more attractive），
例如：
a meal that is fit to grace any table 上得了任何臺(tái)面的一餐飯
8-2. No, say the American: our fowl are fine, we simply clean them in a different way.
【譯文】不，美國(guó)人說(shuō)：我們的家禽很好，只是我們用了另一種方式清洗。
8-3. These days, it is differences in national regulations, far more than tariffs, that put sand in the wheels of trade between rich countries.
【譯文】今日，正是各國(guó)條例的差異，而非關(guān)稅，阻礙了發(fā)達(dá)國(guó)家間的貿(mào)易。
【講解】此句為強(qiáng)調(diào)句，被強(qiáng)調(diào)的部分是differences in national regulations, far more than tariffs。
【單詞和短語(yǔ)】
put sand in the wheels(machine)：妨礙，阻撓；搗亂。
8-4. It is not just farmers who are complaining.
【譯文】不僅是農(nóng)民在抱怨。
【講解】此句為強(qiáng)調(diào)句，被強(qiáng)調(diào)部分是not just farmers。
【單詞和短語(yǔ)】
complain的名詞形式是complaint。
8-5. An electric razor that meets the European Union's safety standards must be approved by American testers before it can be sold in the United States, and an American-made dialysis machine needs the EU's okay before is hits the market in Europe.
【譯文】一把符合歐盟安全標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的電動(dòng)剃須刀在美國(guó)面市前必須得到美國(guó)檢測(cè)人員的認(rèn)可，而美國(guó)制造的透析儀也要得到歐盟的首肯才能進(jìn)入歐洲市場(chǎng)。
【講解】razor后的that…standards為定語(yǔ)從句，修飾an electric razor。
【單詞和短語(yǔ)】
okay此處作名詞用，意為“批準(zhǔn)，認(rèn)可”。另掌握give (someone) the okay和get the okay。
8-6. As it happens, a razor that is safe in Europe is unlikely to electrocute Americans.
【譯文】碰巧在歐洲使用安全的剃須刀不大可能電死美國(guó)人。
【講解】as it happens為插入語(yǔ)，對(duì)a razor…Americans表示強(qiáng)調(diào)。that is safe in Europe作定語(yǔ)從句，修飾razor。
【單詞和短語(yǔ)】
as it happens/it just so happens：碰巧，偶然（used to tell someone something that is surprising, interesting, or useful），
例如：
As it happens, I have my notebook with me.
碰巧我?guī)еP記本。
8-7. So, ask businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, why have two lots of tests where one would do?
【譯文】因此，大西洋兩岸的企業(yè)都在問(wèn)，當(dāng)一套測(cè)試可以解決問(wèn)題時(shí)，為何用兩套呢？
【講解】where one would do為定語(yǔ)從句，修飾tests。