[E355]A slow awakening
本文音频及原文摘自杂志The Economist《经济学人》2016年第8期，China版块。
Left-behind children
The government recognises a huge problem. Now it must tackle it
Feb 20th 2016 | BEIJING
AROUND 270m people have left China’s countryside to work in urban areas, many of them entrusting their children to the care of a lone parent[=single parent], grandparents, relatives or other guardians. By 2010 there were 61m of these “left-behind children[1]”, according to the All-China Women’s Federation[2]. In a directive[3] released on February 14th, the government has at last shown that it recognises the problems caused by the splintering of so many families. The document[4] acknowledges that there has been a “strong reaction” from the public to the plight of affected children. It describes improving their lot[5] as “urgent”.
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注释
[1]留守儿童
[2]中华全国妇女联合会(全国妇联)
[3](权威性的)指示;指令,命令;指导
[4]=上文directive
[5]n. 份额;许多;命运;阄
生词
▷splinter ['splɪntə]
to into ,
裂成碎片The of the had and splintered.塑料罩子的边缘裂成了碎片。
▷plight [plaɪt]an , a , or one困境，窘境the plight of the /穷人／无家可归者的困难处境Few of us can be by the plight of the .我们几乎无一不被罗马尼亚孤儿的困难处境所触动。
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That is clearly right. There have been numerous stories in recent years revealing the horrors some of these children endure. Last year four siblings left alone in the south-western province of Guizhou apparently committed suicide[1] by drinking pesticide. Numerous sex-abuse cases[2] involving left-behind children have come to light[3].
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注释
[1]four siblings(who are)left alone
committed suicide作谓语
[2]性侵事件
[3](be revealed or disclosed)暴露;真相大白;众所周知
生词
▷pesticide ['pestɪsaɪd]
a used to , , , and other :杀虫剂
The pesticides that on , but they can also people's .
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The new proposals look sensible[1] enough: minors[2] may not be abandoned entirely; local institutions such as schools and hospitals[3] must do more to notify the authorities of cases of abuse or neglect; social workers should monitor the welfare of left-behind children. Sadly, however, the government’s suggested remedies will achieve little. They largely replicate[4] recent laws and policies designed to protect children (not just left-behind ones), which have been almost universally unenforced[5]. It is already illegal to allow minors to live alone, for example. There is no indication that the new recommendations will be made law or implemented any more rigorously[6].
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注释
[1]adj. 明智的;合乎情理的;通情达理的;意识到的,能感觉到的
[2]n. 未成年人；小调；副修科目
[3]当地学校、医院等机构
[4](to make or do something again in exactly the same way)使复现;重复;复制
[5]普遍都没有执行/实施
[6]严厉地;残酷地
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The new scheme mentions the importance of giving migrants urban hukou, or household-registration certificates[1], which are needed to gain access to public services such as education and health care. Most migrants leave their children in the countryside because they do not have such papers[2]. In December the government announced plans to make it easier for migrants to gain urban hukou privileges. But few casual labourers[3] are likely to fulfil the still-onerous conditions that must be met to qualify.
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注释
[1]城市户口，户籍证明
[2]官方文件;身份证;船证,船照;证书
[3]临时劳工;散工;零工
生词
▷onerous ['əʊn(ə)rəs; 'ɒn-]
to do or a lot of 繁重的；麻烦的；艰巨的the onerous of a 寻找和平解决方案的艰巨任务the onerous of 为人母的繁重职责
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A study published last year by researchers at Stanford University found that among more than 140,000 children assessed[1] in areas such as education, health and nutrition, left-behind ones performed as well as or better than those living in the countryside with both parents. But both kinds of children lagged far[2] behind those who grow up in cities.
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注释
[1]评估;评定;估价
[2]落后于;拖欠;掉队
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以上言论不代表本人立场。
摘自《经济学人》杂志，仅外语学习之用。
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