英语角-圆桌会议 RoundTable0408 - 能否先进大学再选专业

 Topic 1: Another young building collapsedAt 9 am last Friday in Ningbo, a six story building collapsed¹. Seven citizens were trapped and later pulled out by rescuers. One woman died and a 21-year-old college student lost her legs. Fifteen families were living in the collapsed section of the building, which was built in 1994.

From reports, it seems that there were problems before the building collapsed, so why were people still in there when it collapsed?

Topic 2: Choose major after college enrollment²?

A recent survey carried out by China Youth Daily's Social Investigation³ Center shows that 38% of college students admit they mispredict employment prospect⁴ of their major; 40.5% say they did not have sufficient knowledge about their major and career prospect before college enrollment; nearly 45% suggest that students should choose major after enrollment.

How big of a problem is early major choice?

Topic 3: Going to South Korea for a licenseGetting a driver's license⁵ in China can be a real pay. Not only does it take about a year, but it is also expensive. More expensive, it turns, out than going to South Korea to get one. Recently, Chinese people going to South Korea to get their driver's licenses⁶ has exploded.

Why are more people going to South Korea to get their license?

Topic 4: Rent decrease in BJFor those who rent an apartment in Beijing, here is a very small piece of good news. In the first quarter of the year, the rent in the urban areas of the city dropped for the first time in 5 years.

Why are we seeing this decrease? Topic 5: Beijing second costliest⁷ Asian cityLiving expenses in the Chinese capital are becoming more expensive for not only its local Chinese residents, but also foreign expats.

According to Germany media reports, while food prices in Beijing are on the same level with major German cities, the costs of renting an apartment can be much higher.

These complaints echo a previous survey indicating that Beijing now is second-most expensive location in Asia for expats.

How expensive is Beijing according to German media?

Topic 6: Dog standardNow there is a piece of good news for dog lovers. China will have a more scientific standard for which dogs are allowed to be raised. So instead of banning big dogs, the regulators will pay more attention to the characteristics of our best animal friends. What are the new rules? Did they need to be updated?

1 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

2 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

5 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

6 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

7 costliest   

adj.昂贵的( costly的最高级 )；代价高的；引起困难的；造成损失的

参考例句：

• At 81 billion dollars, Katrina is the costliest natural disaster in American history. “卡特里娜”飓风造成了近810亿美圆的损失，是美国历史上最严重的自然灾难之一。 来自互联网
• Senator John Kerry has proposed a tax on the costliest health plans sold by insurance companies. 参议员约翰？克里(JohnKerry)已经提议对保险公司销售的高价值的保险计划征税。 来自互联网