“考公”热升温
今天，2023年国家公务员考试笔试在全国各考点举行。
🤔️小作业：
无注释原文：
China’s Young Elite Clamber for Government Jobs.
From: The New York Times
Jan. 3, 2023
In Beijing and cities across China, as many as 2.6 million job applicants, including graduates from the country’s top universities, will report to testing centers in early January to face exceedingly long odds and compete for 37,100 entry-level government jobs.
The national exam is an annual rite for young Chinese, some of whom spend thousands of dollars for prep classes and many hours cramming for it. It comes at a fraught time. It was supposed to be given in early December, then was canceled at the last minute.
Jobs in China’s vast Civil Service have long been considered prestigious launching pads for a career. They include entry-level roles typical in any economy, like clerks in municipal government, and some that are unique to China.
But these days the jobs are also coveted out of necessity, because it’s especially hard for new graduates to find employment at private companies.
Nearly one in five people between the ages of 16 and 24 in China are unemployed. Alibaba, Tencent and other tech firms have laid off workers.
“It’s just that they don’t have so many opportunities in the private sector,” said Alfred Wu, a professor at Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
The competition for public service positions is so fierce that people often refer to them with a Chinese saying: “thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge.”
The exam is rigorous. Test takers must answer about 130 multiple-choice questions covering topics like math, data analysis, science and economics. They are asked to write five essays of 200 to 1,000 words each on social issues and government policies. Scoring highly increases the chances of getting a job, although getting hired means enduring a battery of interviews and background checks.
Then there’s the reality of Civil Service work. Some say their days are ruled by rigid hierarchies and involve monotonous chores. Others, while saying they enjoy their jobs, complain that their responsibilities often sprawl beyond normal work hours.
Amy Liu, who has served as a clerk in Beijing’s municipal government for the past six years, said she mostly enjoyed her work, learned a lot from it and found her days satisfying.
Working in public service has a rich history in modern China. Government jobs were once prized — an earlier generation referred to them as “iron rice bowls” because of their stability.
Despite dissatisfaction with their work, some of the young civil servants said they felt trapped because there was no guarantee that they would find something better in the private sector. In addition, they said they often felt pressured by parents who value a stable job and revel in the status of a child working for the government.
注：中文文本为纽约时报官方译文，仅供参考
含注释全文：
China’s Young Elite Clamber for Government Jobs.
From: The New York Times
Jan. 3, 2023
In Beijing and cities across China, as many as 2.6 million job applicants, including graduates from the country’s top universities, will report to testing centers in early January to face exceedingly long odds and compete for 37,100 entry-level government jobs.
在北京和中国各地的城市，多达260万求职者（其中包括来自全国顶尖大学的毕业生）将在1月初向考试中心报到。这些求职者将以悬殊比例竞争37100个初级政府职位。
clamber
clamber /ˈklæm.bər/ 表示“（手脚并用费力地）攀登，攀爬”，英文解释为“to climb up, across, or into somewhere with difficulty, using the hands and the feet”举个🌰：
They clambered over/up the rocks. 他们攀上了岩石。
exceedingly
exceedingly /ɪkˈsiː.dɪŋ.li/ 表示“非常；特别；极其”，英文解释为“to a very great degree”举个🌰：
He was clever, handsome, and exceedingly rich. 他聪明、英俊，且非常富有。
long odds
表示“机会渺茫；极不均等的赌注；极为偶然的机会”，英文解释为“a poor chance of winning; if you say that it’s long odds that something will happen, you mean that it is not very likely”举个🌰：
The team has made some major improvements, but they still face long odds. 该队已经取得了一些重大进步，但他们仍然机会渺茫。
The national exam is an annual rite for young Chinese, some of whom spend thousands of dollars for prep classes and many hours cramming for it. It comes at a fraught time. It was supposed to be given in early December, then was canceled at the last minute.
对许多中国年轻人来说，国考是一年一度的大事情，有的人花不少钱参加备考班，花很多时间来突击准备。而现在是一个令人忧虑的时刻。原定于12月初举行的考试在最后一刻取消了。
rite
rite /raɪt/ 表示“宗教仪式；礼节；惯例”，英文解释为“(a usually religious ceremony with) a set of fixed words and actions”如：funeral/marriage/fertility rites 葬礼/婚礼/祈祷人丁兴旺的仪式。
cram
cram /kræm/ 1）表示“塞满；塞进；挤入”，英文解释为“to force a lot of things into a small space”举个🌰：
Eight children were crammed into the back of the car. 8个孩子被塞进了汽车的后座。
2）表示“（考试前）死记硬背，突击学习”，英文解释为“to try to learn a lot very quickly before an exam”举个🌰：
She's cramming for her history exam. 为应付历史考试她拼命突击。
fraught
1）表示“充满（问题或风险）的”，英文解释为“If a situation or action is fraught with problems or risks, it is filled with them.”举个🌰：
The earliest operations employing this technique were fraught with dangers. 最早采用这一技术的手术充满了危险。
2）表示“令人担忧的”，英文解释为“If you say that a situation or action is fraught, you mean that it is worrisome or difficult. ”举个🌰：
It has been a somewhat fraught day. 这是令人颇为担忧的一天。
🎬电影《兰戈》（Rango）中的台词提到：The path to knowledge is fraught with consequence. 通往真知的道路充满了荆棘坎坷
Jobs in China’s vast Civil Service have long been considered prestigious launching pads for a career. They include entry-level roles typical in any economy, like clerks in municipal government, and some that are unique to China.
中国的公务员是一支庞大的队伍，长期以来，公务员一直被视为职业生涯中备受仰视的跳板。这些职位包括在任何经济体中都常见的入门级职位，如市政府的文员，以及一些中国独有的职位。
prestigious
prestigious /prɛˈstɪdʒəs/表示“有威望的，有声望的，有威信的”，英文解释为“A prestigious institution, job, or activity is respected and admired by people.”举个🌰：
It's one of the best equipped and most prestigious schools in the country. 它是该国设备最好、最有声望的学校之一。
launching pad
launch pad /ˈlɔːntʃ ˌpæd/ 表示“（火箭）发射台，发射架；出发点”，英文解释为“a special area from which spacecraft or missiles are sent into the sky”举个🌰：
Soap operas have long been a launch pad for film actors. 长期以来，肥皂剧一直都是电影演员走红的跳板。
clerk
clerk /klɑːk/ 表示“办事员；职员”，英文解释为“a person who works in an office, dealing with records or performing general office duties”如：a filing clerk 档案管理员。
But these days the jobs are also coveted out of necessity, because it’s especially hard for new graduates to find employment at private companies.
但如今公务员职位令人垂涎也是出于必然，因为应届毕业生在民营企业找工作越来越难。
coveted
coveted /ˈkʌvətɪd/表示“令人垂涎的；梦寐以求的”，英文解释为“You use coveted to describe something that very many people would like to have.”举个🌰：
The Booker Prize is the most coveted British literary award. 布克奖是最令人向往的英国文学奖。
covet /ˈkʌvət/ 作动词，即表示“贪求；垂涎，觊觎”（to have a very strong desire to have something that someone else has），举个🌰：
She always coveted power but never quite achieved it. 她一直贪求权力，但从未得逞。
Nearly one in five people between the ages of 16 and 24 in China are unemployed. Alibaba, Tencent and other tech firms have laid off workers.
在中国16至24岁的人群中，近五分之一处于失业状态。阿里巴巴、腾讯和其他科技公司都进行了裁员。
lay sb off
lay /leɪ/ 表示“解雇（某人），解聘（某人）”，英文解释为“to stop employing someone, usually because there is no work for them to do”举个🌰：
Because of falling orders, the company has been forced to lay off several hundred workers. 由于订单减少，公司被迫解雇了数百名工人。
“It’s just that they don’t have so many opportunities in the private sector,” said Alfred Wu, a professor at Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
“他们在私营部门当中机会其实也没那么多了，”新加坡李光耀公共政策学院教授吴木銮说。
The competition for public service positions is so fierce that people often refer to them with a Chinese saying: “thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge.”
公务员岗位竞争激烈，人们常将其形容为“千军万马过独木桥”。
plank
plank /plæŋk/ 表示“木板；板条”，英文解释为“a long, narrow, flat piece of wood or similar material, of the type used for making floors”如：oak/concrete planks 橡木/水泥板。
The exam is rigorous. Test takers must answer about 130 multiple-choice questions covering topics like math, data analysis, science and economics. They are asked to write five essays of 200 to 1,000 words each on social issues and government policies. Scoring highly increases the chances of getting a job, although getting hired means enduring a battery of interviews and background checks.
这是一个严格的考试。考生必须回答大约130道多项选择题，涵盖数学、数据分析、科学和经济学等科目。他们要写五篇关于社会问题和政府政策的文章，每篇200到1000字不等。得高分会增加找到工作的机会，虽然在录用前还要经历一连串的面试和背景调查。
rigorous
2）表示“严格的，严厉的”，英文解释为“controlling behaviour in a severe way”如：the rigorous controls governing the sale of shares 对管理股权出售进行的严格控制。
a battery of sth
a battery of sth 表示“一组，一套，一连串（同类事物）”，英文解释为“a number of things of a similar type”举个🌰：
In the kitchen an impressive battery of stainless steel utensils hangs on the wall. 厨房的墙面上挂着一套不锈钢炊具，非常显眼。
Then there’s the reality of Civil Service work. Some say their days are ruled by rigid hierarchies and involve monotonous chores. Others, while saying they enjoy their jobs, complain that their responsibilities often sprawl beyond normal work hours.
然后是公务员工作的现实。有人说他们的日子被严格的等级制度所统治，做的是单调的杂事。也有人说他们喜欢自己的工作，但抱怨经常要加班加点。
hierarchy
hierarchy /ˈhaɪə.rɑː.ki/ 表示“等级制度；层次”，英文解释为“a system in which people or things are arranged according to their importance”举个🌰：
Some monkeys have a very complex social hierarchy. 有些猴群中出现了非常复杂的种群等级。
monotonous
monotonous /məˈnɒt.ən.əs/ 表示“单调乏味的；毫无变化的”，英文解释为“not changing and therefore boring”如：a monotonous job 单调的工作。
chore
chore /tʃɔːr/ 表示“日常琐事；杂务；乏味的例行工作”，英文解释为“a job or piece of work that is often boring or unpleasant but needs to be done regularly”举个🌰：
I'll go shopping when I've done my chores (= done the jobs in or around the house). 我把家务琐事干完后要去购物。
sprawl
sprawl /sprɔːl/ 1）表示“（懒散地）摊开四肢坐（或躺）”，英文解释为“to spread the arms and legs out carelessly and untidily while sitting or lying down”举个🌰：
I knocked into her in the corridor and sent her sprawling (= knocked her over). 我在走廊里和她迎头相撞，把她撞了个四脚朝天。
2）表示“（尤指城市）杂乱无序地扩展，散乱地延伸”，英文解释为“(especially of a city) to cover a large area of land with buildings that have been added at different times so that it looks untidy”举个🌰：
The refugee camps sprawl across the landscape. 眼前杂乱地散落着许多难民营。
Amy Liu, who has served as a clerk in Beijing’s municipal government for the past six years, said she mostly enjoyed her work, learned a lot from it and found her days satisfying.
过去六年在北京市政府担任文员的艾米·刘说，她大多数时候喜欢自己的工作，从中学到了很多东西，觉得日子过得很充实。
Working in public service has a rich history in modern China. Government jobs were once prized — an earlier generation referred to them as “iron rice bowls” because of their stability.
从事公务员工作在现代中国有着悠久的历史。政府工作曾经很受重视——因为稳定，上一代人称之为“铁饭碗”。
Despite dissatisfaction with their work, some of the young civil servants said they felt trapped because there was no guarantee that they would find something better in the private sector. In addition, they said they often felt pressured by parents who value a stable job and revel in the status of a child working for the government.
一些年轻公务员表示他们感到左右为难，即便对自己的工作不满意，但不能保证自己在私企能找到更好的工作。此外，他们说经常感受到来自父母的压力，后者重视工作的稳定，并陶醉于孩子为公家做事的地位。
revel in
表示“陶醉于；着迷于；纵情于”，英文解释为“to enjoy sth very much”举个🌰：
She was clearly revelling in all the attention. 显而易见，她对大家的关注感到十分高兴。
补充：
📍reveler /'revələ/ 表示“欢宴者，狂欢者；饮酒狂欢者；摆设酒宴者”，英文解释为“someone who dances, drinks, sings, etc. at a party or in public, especially in a noisy way”。
- 今日盘点 -
clamber、 exceedingly、 long odds、 rite、 cram、 fraught、 prestigious、 launching pad、 clerk、 coveted、 lay sb off、 plank、 rigorous、 a battery of sth、 hierarchy、 monotonous、 chore、 sprawl、 revel in
- 推荐阅读 -
- END -
LearnAndRecord
2015年2月8日
2023年1月8日
第2892天
每天持续行动学外语