英语角-圆桌会议 RoundTable0304 - 龙虾端上中国春假餐桌

 Topic1 China hit again by annual post-Spring Festival labor¹ shortageChina's capital city Beijing is reporting a major labor shortage after the Spring Festival as the new hiring season also kicks off.

According to data released by domestic classifieds website Ganji.com, drivers are the most wanted workers by the country.

Among the most demanded professions, construction workers enjoy the highest monthly wage of more than 9,600 yuan on average, higher than white collar office workers.

How big of an impact this year's labor shortage is going to be?

Topic2 Online Lottery² Sales BanIf you still dream of buying a lottery on your smartphone and win a big prize, please face the fact that it won't happen, at least not in a short while. Online lottery sales have been suspended on a number of websites in China following a deadline for provincial³ and municipal governments to investigate and report on lottery sales.

What happened and why?

Topic3 Unhealthy Eating Habits Outpace Healthy Eating Patterns in Most Countries; China especially badThe world's diet has deteriorated⁴ substantially in the last two decades, a leading nutrition expert said on Monday, citing one of the largest studies available on international eating habits.

How is the research done? How do you see the results?

Topic4 Chinese feast: Year of the lobster⁵?

Dumplings, red packets of money, long noodles symbolizing⁶ long life, fireworks at midnight - all of these are traditional Chinese trappings of Asian Lunar New Year celebrations happening around the globe.

This year, however, many Chinese tables will feature a new, unlikely addition to their traditional meals: lobsters⁷ from the US state of Maine.

China's hunger for this storied slice of Americana has been growing over the past decade.

How big is the market and how fast is it growing?

Topic5 How to set goals and actually achieve themAt the start of each year, we like to take stock of our lives and set resolutions for what we'd like to achieve in the year ahead.

But according to a Daily Telegraph article, a survey of 1000 Australians found only less than a quarter of us will stick to achieving our goals.

Are there secret techniques to achieving your New Year resolutions?

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

3 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

4 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

5 lobster   

n.龙虾，龙虾肉

参考例句：

• The lobster is a shellfish.龙虾是水生贝壳动物。
• I like lobster but it does not like me.我喜欢吃龙虾，但它不适宜于我的健康。

6 symbolizing   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This symbol later evolved into a common hieroglyphic symbolizing victory. 这幕场景后来逐渐演化为象征胜利的普通象形文字。 来自时文部分
• Mooncakes reunion, is symbolizing the Mid-Autumn festival will feed. 月饼象征着团圆，是中秋佳节必食之品。 来自互联网

7 lobsters   

龙虾( lobster的名词复数 )； 龙虾肉

参考例句：

• I have no idea about how to prepare those cuttlefish and lobsters. 我对如何烹调那些乌贼和龙虾毫无概念。
• She sold me a couple of live lobsters. 她卖了几只活龙虾给我。