Unit 7 Dialogue A: 你听说过一个词叫做“蚁族”吗？
B: Of course.As a matter of fact, I am one of the ants.A: 是真的吗？太凑巧了。我觉得“蚁族”这个词很有趣，但是我不太明白它到底是什么 意思。
B: “Ant tribe”, a term coined by China’s sociologists is to describe the struggling young migrants like me, who, armed with our diplomas, scramble to big cities in hope of a better life only to find low-paying jobs and awful living conditions A: 明白了。这么说“蚁族”主要生活中国大城市里。请原谅我这样称呼你。不过你知道 “蚁族”这个人群的具体数量吗？
B: According to a survey in the Blue Book About the Country’s Talents, which was released by the Social Sciences Academy Pre, more than 1 million such “ants” live in the big cities of China.The survey said more than 100,000 low-income college graduates live in Beijing, and such groups also exist in large scales in cities like Guangzhou, Xi’an, Chongqing, Taiyuan, Zhengzhou and Nanjing.A: 所以在中国一个严峻的现实是有庞大数量的高校毕业生。毫无疑问这对你们是不小的 挑战。
B: Quite right.The number of college graduates, aged 22 to 29, has been growing since China greatly expanded its university enrollment over the past decade.According to statistics from the Ministry of Education, the number of college graduates has jumped from 1.07 million in 2000 to 6.11 million in 2009.A: 李，原谅我的好奇心。不过我很想知道你的生活究竟是什么样的？
B: I don’t have a stable job and my average salary is around 2,000 yuan per month.I live far away from the city.I rent an 8-square-meter room that costs 500 yuan a month, a quarter of my salary.Many people like me living in clusters, and we are the so called “ant tribe”.The shabby houses where we live usually have many tiny restaurants, Internet bars, hair salons and clinics around.A: 现在我知道了“蚁族”每天要面对比较糟糕的生活条件。你们和蚂蚁有着许多类似特
点：群居在狭小的空间中；高智商，勤劳肯干，但却默默无闻，收入微薄。
B: My story is similar to that of many low-income graduates who have moved into the fringes of China’s wealthiest cities like Beijing and Shanghai to squeeze out a living.A: 那么，李，你的生活梦想是什么呢？你不是北京人，对吧？
B: No, I’m not.I’m a 27-year-old native of Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province.My dream of life is trying to save every penny I can to buy an apartment in the national capital.A: 拥有属于自己的房子。不错。北京的确是一个令人惊叹的城市，不是吗？瞧那些欧式 别墅、豪华汽车以及灯火通明的购物中心。这一切都非常吸引人。
B: My dream is to own an apartment.To be frank with you, my determination to one day become a homeowner has become even stronger after my fiancee dumped me last month when I refused to buy a second-hand car and an engagement ring for her.A: 哦，太遗憾了。我为你感到难过。
B: She hated the fact that I used to bring my drinking water from home and only bought her a cup of coffee when we went out.My monthly salary is only 2,000 yuan.So you calculate how many cups of coffee I can afford.A: 从一方面讲，在大城市里生活是不错的。可另一方面，人们感到孤独，压力过大。这 种不幸福感可能来自多种原因：有些人对自己的居住状况感到不满，有些人不满意自 己的收入以及存款，还有的人觉得购房按揭是他们最大的负担。
B: The reasons you listed can all be counted as economic factors.But besides this, I believe people are under preure due to work and relationship problems as well.A: 我完全同意你的看法。都市的生活压力会影响人们的睡眠质量。有些人受挫时找不到 发泄途径。李，你面对瞬时压力时会怎么做呢？
B: I choose to take a nap or stay silent, or consult my families and friends and sometimes “go out and have some fun”.
A: 随着人均GDP 达到3000 美元，中国已步入后工业时代社会。在一个后工业社会中， 人们容易感到孤独，压力过大。大多数人将金钱作为衡量幸福与否的重要标准。 B: But that is only part of the reality.Sometimes the problem is that people tend to remember unpleasant experiences more vividly.That’s why there are the ones who have high income, yet still are not happy.Paage 1 联合国秘书长潘基文在联合国大会关于两性平等和增强妇女能力的非正式辩论中的发言
我荣幸地在国际妇女节前两天与你们一起参加关于这个至关重要主题的辩论。
实现两性平等和增强妇女能力既是一项目标，也是建设更加健康、有更高教育程度、更加和平和更加繁荣社会的一个条件。
如果充分增强妇女能力，实现妇女充分参与，那么，全社会都将受益。唯有如此，我 们才能成功地应对当前世界面临的各项巨大挑战，从解决冲突、建设和平到防治艾滋病和 实现所有其他千年发展目标，无一例外。
这是我们从无数研究中得出的结论。出席2005 年世界首脑会议的领袖们宣布，两性平等和人人享有人权是促进发展、和平和安全的关键。
在两性平等和增强妇女能力方面，我们制订了全球目标，并且作出了承诺，但要充分 实现这些目标和承诺，我们依然任重而道远，无论是入学率，还是妇女经济独立，抑或妇 女在决策机构中的代表性，在所有这些方面都是如此。
在几乎所有国家，妇女担任决策职务的人数仍然不足。妇女的工作价值仍然被低估， 报酬仍然不足，甚至根本没有报酬。一亿多儿童未入学，其中多数是女童。八亿多成年人 不识字，其中多数是妇女。
最糟糕的是，在所有大陆、国家和文化中，对妇女和女童的暴力行为有增无减。暴力 行为对妇女的生活、对她们的家庭乃至对整个社会都造成毁灭性伤害。多数社会都禁止这 种行为，然而，现实情形是，这种行为往往被遮盖或默许。 我们所有人，无论男女，都必须作出努力，促进永远改变价值观和观念，这样才能改 变上述状况。这意味着必须彻底改变社会所有阶层的男女关系。这意味着政府、国际组 织、民间社会和私营部门必须建立伙伴关系，共同努力。这意味着男人必须承担其责任。 这意味着必须保证妇女和女童充分享受其权利，在社会中得到应有的地位。 这意味着在若干方面同时开展行动：
● 保证男人在家庭和家庭照顾方面承担更大责任；
● 向阻碍妇女和女童发展的传统和习俗、定型观念和有害做法挑战； ● 保证妇女有机会获得教育和医疗保健、财产和土地； ● 进行基础设施投资，减少妇女和女童的时间负担； ● 促进人权和人身安全，包括使她们免遭暴力侵害；
● 将社会性别问题纳入联合国决议和决定的后续工作，包括纳入建设和平委员会和人 权理事会等最近建立的机构的工作。
各位都知道，我在组建我的高级管理团队时，考虑的一项根本因素就是两性平衡。因 此，这个团队当然包括非常得力的常务副秘书长阿莎- 罗丝· 米吉罗博士。
我承诺将力促以合作和协调手段处理社会性别观点问题，使整个联合国系统参与并支 持会员国促进两性平等和增强妇女能力的工作。 在这方面，我知道你们一直在研究改进联合国性别结构的提议。我希望你们考虑以一个以两性平等和增强妇女能力为工作焦点、充满活力的联合国单一工作实体取代现有若干
组织的可能性。这样一个实体将在全球一级动员改革力量，促进在国家层面取得更大成果。 各位阁下，各位代表，我期待着今后与你们共同努力，促进全人类的这个共同事业。 谢谢各位。
美国第一夫人在儿童肥胖峰会上的讲话
谢谢大家，非常感谢，很高兴见到你们。我首先要感谢美乐迪的热情介绍和精彩讲
述。这件事在全美国的厨房和家庭发生着，而孩子们也在以动求变。我还要感谢美乐迪对 工作小组的领导，她的工作非常有帮助，我们都看到在她的领导下所取得的进展。 这是一项政府各部门全面参与的工作，我为这个团队深感自豪，政府里的每个人都以 相当的热情和承诺拥护这件事。正因如此，我们今天才能够站在这里，在很短的时间里取 得这么大的进步。
这样的会议以前在白宫从未举行过。在此次会议上，我们邀请了教师、儿童维权者、医生、护士、商界领袖、公务员、研究人员和健康专家，一起来讨论当今我们的孩子所面 临的最严峻、最困难的问题之一，即儿童肥胖的盛行。
我们相聚在这里是因为我们大家都深切地关注美国儿童的健康和福祉，我们把大家 从全国各地、从各个相关领域邀请到这里是因为这个问题的最终解决需要我们每一个人 的参与。
这就是“让我们动起来”运动的核心。
发起这一运动旨在提升人们对儿童肥胖问题的意识，集中思考我们这个国家怎样才可 以一起来解决这一问题。
我丈夫签署了一项总统备忘录，创建了第一个政府全面参与的儿童肥胖工作小组，成 员由政府主要部门的代表组成。从那时起，我就与许多人进行了交谈，也聆听了许多人的 意见。
我与市长和州长们会晤，要求他们为建设更为健康的城市和州贡献自己的力量。我与 学校营养协会的成员们会晤，他们是决定学校提供什么样的膳食的人，我要求他们为向在 校学生提供更健康的伙食贡献自己的力量。
我与食品生产商会晤，要求他们提高自己生产的食品质量，更好地向孩子们营销营养 食品。
我与孩子们会晤——前几天在我的第一次公开会议上我见到了不少的孩子，全是孩
子——他们都很棒。我告诉他们，他们才是这项工作中最重要的参与者，因为得由他们来 作出不同的决定，让他们的父母在尝试新事物、引入身体锻炼方面能容易一些。 我还与父母们会晤，因为我们都需要做好我们分内的事儿。事实是，我们的孩子无法 自己做到。他们不能决定苏打水里的糖分含量或是电视节目中的广告内容，他们不能决定 学校午餐提供什么，也不应该决定家里的晚餐有什么。他们也不能决定一天中是否有时间， 或是否有钱去了解健康饮食，或到外面玩耍。这些决定是由我们来做的，取决于我们。我知道这有多难。我知道作为父母，当你被垃圾食品的广告狂轰滥炸时，当你被何谓
健康何谓不健康的种种矛盾说法密集扫射时，当你觉得无法达到为有工作的父母——不管 什么样的父母——所设立的一些不可能实现的标准时，这有多困难。
我们也知道这非常困难。学校只有几美元却要提供营养午餐；在这样艰难的时期地方 政府预算紧张；运动场和棒球场要与电子游戏和社交场所争抢地盘；孩子们更多的时候会 选择吃得不好，静坐不动，而不是吃得健康并参加运动。
但我们也知道这一点——在过去30 年，美国的儿童肥胖率增加了两倍，这是事实。
现在全美有近三分之一的儿童体重超重或是过于肥胖，这是事实。如果我们现在不采取行 动，事情只会变得更糟，这也是事实。
“让我们动起来”运动认识到这一现实，并意识到如果我们现在就开始着手干几件事， 我们可以带来很大的变化。
首先，我们要帮助父母，向消费者赋权，鼓励公司提供更健康的选择，提供更多顾客 友好型标签，这样人们就可以分辨什么是健康的，什么是不健康的东西。
其次，有3,100 万儿童通过联邦政府的午餐计划获取午餐，我们可以做很多事情， 向他们提供可供他们消耗大半天的健康饮食和小吃。
我高兴地看到，参议院农业委员会已为实现总统的目标作出了很大贡献，每年追加了 十亿美元，确保学校提供给孩子们的饮食营养而健康，让这个国家几乎没有儿童会挨饿。 第三，我们还可以做得更多，确保所有家庭在他们自己的社区也可以获得健康的、买
得起的食品。有2,350 万美国人，包括650 万儿童居住在没有超市的社区，这就意味着有如此多的家庭花即使很大力气也没有多少健康食品可选择，他们得不到所需的资源去做 我们要求他们做的事情。
最后，我们还可以做很多很多的事情来帮助孩子们在校内外都保持身体的活跃。 如果我们可以在这四个领域取得实在的进步，那么我们还有很多其他的事情可做。但 这四点（非常重要）。作为一个国家，我们可以实现最终的目标，而“让我们动起来”的 最终目标就是通过一代人的努力解决儿童的肥胖问题，这样今天出生的孩子长大以后才会 有健康的体重，懂得什么是健康，有更好的习惯，在日常生活中融入更为常规的身体锻 炼，这样就会有更多的孩子像美乐迪描述的那样，知道饮食健康意味着什么。这就是我们 的目标。
要实现这一目标，我们需要你们所有人。我们需要你们大家——你们的洞察力，你们 的经验，你们的指导。
要做到这一点，我们要把你们分成小组，由工作小组的成员带领，集中讨论“让我们 动起来”的这四个主要组成部分。我们今天收集到的信息对形成工作小组的最终报告至关 重要——这个报告会作为非常重要的路线图，有目标、有基准、有可测量的成果，并有助 于我们共同应对这一挑战。
那么，我现在想说的就是，让我们动起来，让我们开始工作。非常感谢大家，谢谢你 们的努力，你们的专业技能，也谢谢我们的政府。我很有信心，因为我们从孩子们那儿听 到了，他们愿意动起来，他们不仅仅只是愿意。他们在等待我们的行动，所以让我们开始吧。谢谢你们，祝会议卓有成效。谢谢。 Paage 3 Remarks at the UN Meeting to Commemorate the International Women’s Day by Meng Xiaosi, Vice Chairperson of the All-China Women’s Federation (Excerpt) Your Excellency, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Distinguished delegates, Dear friends and sisters, Today we gather here to grandly celebrate the International Women’s
Day.I am greatly honored to be here to expre the aspirations of Chinese women for the development of the world women’s cause, and forward greetings and best wishes from Chinese women to women of the world.March 8th has become a day of celebration for women in many countries.For women of all races, colors, claes, ethnicities or religions, whether disabled or not, we share the same name “women”.No other moment enables us to better understand our connections and our shared destiny.In China, the Women’s Day this year is of particular importance.At the arrival of the centenary of the International Women’s Day, the Chinese
women’s movement stands on a new starting point of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.Over the 60 years, the status of Chinese women has undergone “earth-shaking” changes.Hundreds of millions of Chinese women are no longer the oppreed and fettered group of the past, but masters of the country, the society and their own destiny.The reform and opening up and rapid development of China has brought along unprecedented opportunities for progre of women.Through active participation in competition and by meeting challenges in the spirits of selfrespect, self-confidence, self-reliance and self-development, Chinese women have played positive roles in economic, political, scientific, educational and health affairs, and hold up “half of the sky” of economic and social progre of New China.Decades’ experience of advancing women’s cause in China shows that equality and development are interdependent and inseparable from each other, and that women’s advancement is inseparable from national development, strong political will of the government, as well as active participation and contribution of all citizens.Only when equality and development go hand in hand can we blaze a longer and broader path Forward.Distinguished delegates, dear friends, Global gender equality has registered enormous progre with impreive outcomes in the areas of legislation, education of girls and cro-sector cooperation for the elimination of violence against women.However, it is undeniable many challenges and difficulties still remain for achieving full gender equality.Today women account for the majority of the over 1 billion people in poverty; each year 536,000 women and girls die of pregnancy or maternity or within 6 weeks after delivery; the global average of women in parliaments stand at 18.7% only; women face vulnerable situation in employment; and gender discriminations in its various forms are still widespread and rampant.It is undeniable that male thinking dominates the core power that moves this world.On trade, financial and budgetary iues, women’s voices are extremely weak.Around the decision tables on water, air, energies, which affects our lives, and on war and peace, which determine life or death, women are barely represented… There are still many obstacles on our way forward, but difficulties only ignite our strength and perseverance, and challenges only strengthen our will.On the way to gender equality, we will never stop, never give up, and never turn back.Dear sisters, do you realize that on the International Women’s Day each year, our societies seem to turn into “women’s friends”: succeful women are recognized and awarded, the value of women comes to the spotlight; we can have a day off work and men would send us beautiful flowers.Even the most critical media pays more attention to our status and concerns.Men would even ask in jealousy “why isn’t there a Men’s Day?” But, for every woman, what we aspire is not just one day like this every year, but living in respect and equality each and every moment of our lives.Dear friends, we expect until one day the International Women’s Day becomes real history, because then every day is as good as the Women’s Day, and then men and women equally share and create everything in this world.And this, is a responsibility shared by everyone of us present here, by you and me.Lastly I would like to say that men and women share this world while enjoy different splendors.Women and men are never born enemies, but equal partners.Women’s advancement not only brings integrity and
happine to women but also better life and joy to all.In this sense, the International Women’s Day not only belongs to women but also to all people of the world.Hereby, please allow me to extend, on behalf of Chinese women, our best wishes to our sisters around the world for a Happy International Women’s Day, and also warmly invite all men to share our celebration and happine! Thank you all for your attention.Paage 4 Population Aging: A Global Perspective We are aging—not just as individuals or communities but as a world.In 2006, almost 500 million people worldwide were 65 and older.By 2030, that total is projected to increase to 1 billion—1 in every 8 of the earth’s inhabitants.Significantly, the most rapid increases in the 65-and-older population are occurring in developing countries, which will see a jump of 140 percent by 2030.68 women, our best wishes to our sisters around the world for a Happy International Women’s Day, and also warmly invite all men to share our celebration and happine! Thank you all for your attention.Paage 4 Population Aging: A Global Perspective We are aging—not just as individuals or communities but as a world.In 2006, almost 500 million people worldwide were 65 and older.By 2030, that total is projected to increase to 1 billion—1 in every 8 of the earth’s inhabitants.Significantly, the most rapid increases in the 65-and-older population are occurring in developing countries, which will see a jump of 140 percent by 2030.While global aging represents a triumph of medical, social, and economic advances over disease, it also presents tremendous challenges.Population aging strains social insurance and pension systems and challenges existing models of social support.It affects economic growth, trade, migration, disease patterns and prevalence, and fundamental aumptions about growing older.Using data from the United Nations, U.S.Census Bureau, and Statistical Office of the European Communities as well as regional surveys and scientific journals, the U.S.National Institute on Aging (NIA), with input from demographers, economists, and experts on aging, identified nine emerging trends in global aging.Together, these trends present a snapshot of challenges and opportunities that clearly show why population aging matters.● The overall population is aging.For the first time in history, and probably the only time in human history, people age 65 and over will outnumber children under age 5.● Life expectancy is increasing.Most countries, including developing countries, show a steady increase in longevity over time, which raises the question of how much further life expectancy will increase.● The number of the oldest people is rising.People age 85 and over are now the fastest growing portion of many national populations.● Non-communicable diseases are becoming a growing burden.Chronic non-communicable diseases are now the major cause of death among older people in both more developed and le developed countries.● Some populations will shrink in the next few decades.While world population is aging at an unprecedented rate, the total population in some countries is simultaneously declining.● Family structures are changing.As people live longer and have fewer children, family structures are transformed, leaving older people with fewer options for care.● Patterns of work and retirement are shifting.Shrinking ratios of workers to pensioners and people spending a larger portion of their lives in retirement increasingly strain existing health and pension systems.● Social insurance systems are evolving.As social insurance expenditures escalate, an increasing number of countries are evaluating the sustainability of these systems.● New economic challenges are emerging.Population aging will have dramatic effects on social entitlement programs, labor supply, trade, and savings around the globe and may demand new fiscal approaches to accommodate a changing world.Some governments have begun to plan for the long term, but most have not.The window of opportunity for reform is closing fast as the pace of population aging accelerates.While Europe currently has four people of working age for every older person, it will have only two workers per older person by 2050.In some countries the share of gro domestic product devoted to social insurance for older people is expected to more than double in upcoming years.Countries therefore have only a few years to intensify efforts before demographic effects come to bear.The challenges may seem daunting, but a host of opportunities await us as well.For instance, countries that have begun to addre iues of population aging can share their experiences.There are exciting opportunities for economic expansion and cro-national collaboration as well, but we must act now or the costs of waiting—financial and social—will be overwhelming.
