英语角-圆桌会议 RoundTable0307 - 法定结婚年龄应提前2岁

 Topic1 Better Visa for Chinese in big citiesCPPCC member Zuo Yi suggests the Chinese government should negotiate with foreign countries better visa policies for first tier city residents. And by first tier city he means cities whose per capita GDP has surpassed 200,000 dollars, for example, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Chongqing.

Zuo says visa conditions for big city residents should be different from conditions on others. Does it make sense?

Topic2 Proposing Changing Legal AgeLet's look at a new motion proposed during the 2 sessions. A NPC deputy has proposed lowering women's legal age for marriage to 18.

Given the coming Saturday is Women's Day, is this supposed to be good news for the women? Is it a good idea?

Topic3 Water Margin¹ Should Be BannedAnother CPPCC member named Li Haibin has been tongue lashed² badly yesterday for suggesting banning the war-themed TV drama the Water Marginor Shui Hu. He says such war dramas are violent, so they need to be restricted.

Is there something wrong with the TV drama Water Margin?

Topic4 Nurses face higher burnout rateNurses are said to be angels in white.

But sometimes it could be extremely tiring to be a white angel.

In certain cases, it could be dangerous, too.

A survey of hospital medical staff has found that nurses suffer from a higher burnout rate than other healthcare workers.

Why a higher burnout rate?

Topic5 Foreign Audience Still Prefer Chinese Kung Fu FilmsChina's film industry has been growing exponentially and is now second only to Hollywood in size, but many films in China have failed to impress a foreign audience.

A research finding recently released shows overseas film audience still prefer Chinese action and kung fu movies, a stereotype³ about Chinese movies. (clip)Given that, it's almost no surprise to learn that the most well-known Chinese actor to the overseas audience goes to……Jackie Chan.

Are Chinese films losing overseas market?

Topic6 Bed Curtains Keep Roommates awayMany university students in Wuhan of central China's Hubei province are putting up curtains around their dormitory beds as the new terms has just started.

A survey shows that 40% of the 700 students asked say that such curtains help create a personal space in a dorm where not all roommates get along.

Should we make a fuss over bed curtains?

1 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

2 lashed   

adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The rain lashed at the windows. 雨点猛烈地打在窗户上。
• The cleverly designed speech lashed the audience into a frenzy. 这篇精心设计的演说煽动听众使他们发狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。