| 双语新闻－“最快乐的人”快乐就在你身边
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Stressed-out Singapore named its happiest person on Thursday at a conference that aimed to make people in the city-state feel better.
Andy Goh, 35, the manager of a local engineering company, was named "Singapore's Happiest Person".
His secret?
"A lot of times, happiness is not just money and stuff, so you've got to count your blessings: health, family, friends, helping other people," Goh said after receiving 200 dollars (148 US) and a trip to the Thai resort island of Phuket.
The aptly named Philip Merry, chief executive of consulting firm Global Leadership Academy, began his search for Singapore's most cheery resident last month.
The winner was announced at the end of the two-day New Science of Happiness and Well-Being Conference, organised by Merry and his wife.
It seemed like a grim task after a poll by advertising firm Grey Group found that nine in 10 people living in the city-state, Southeast Asia's wealthiest economy, said they were stressed.
The contest called for written nominations, between 300 and 1,000 words, explaining why the candidate was a "model of happiness," Merry said. Nominees had to be 18 years or older.
A surprising 207 entries were received, Merry said.
"I literally thought when we launched... 'are we going to get anybody?' Not only did we get 207 stories but we've got such fantastic stories," he said.
"There is a lot of happy people that we just don't talk about or recognize."
Nominees were whittled down to four finalists including Zaibun Siraj, 61, a training consultant at a local polytechnic. She recently published her own book, "Zany, Zeal, Zest and Zing: The Z way to happiness."
In the end, Zaibun's zaniness could not top Goh's simple prescription for feeling good.
"Look not too far, as it's probably already close to you," the happiest man advised.
新加坡"最快乐的人"评选活动结果于上周四在当地召开的一个研讨会上揭晓。该会议的主要议题是如何让压力缠身的新加坡人更加快乐。
新加坡一家工程技术公司的经理、35岁的安迪?高有幸被评为"新加坡最快乐的人"。
他的快乐秘诀是什么呢？
安迪说："其实在很多时候，快乐并不只是金钱和物质，你应该多想想你所拥有的东西，比如健康、家庭、朋友以及帮助他人。" 安迪获得的奖励包括200新元（148美元）的奖金以及到泰国普吉岛旅游的机会。
于上月启动的"寻找新加坡最快乐的人"活动由"全球领导学院"咨询公司的首席执行官菲力普?梅里发起，他的名字Merry和这个活动倒是也很相称（merry意为"快乐"。
评选结果在由梅里夫妇组织的、为期两天的"快乐与幸福新科学研讨会"结束时揭晓。
此前一项由格雷广告集团公司开展的民调发现，在这个东南亚最富裕的国家，有90%的人感到压力很大。这也正是梅里组织召开该研讨会的原因。
梅里说："参选者必须年满18周岁，须提交一份300至1000字的书面提名材料，说明其为何是'快乐楷模'。"
梅里说，他们竟然收到了207份提名材料。
他说："毫不夸张地说，我们刚发起这个活动时，我还担心会不会有人参加。而现在看来，我们不仅收到了207个快乐的故事，而且其中不少故事都很精彩。"
"其实快乐的人有很多，只是我们没有在意或发现。"
经过激烈的角逐，最终有4人挺进决赛，其中包括当地一家工艺学校的培训顾问、61岁的老人赛卜?斯拉吉。她最近刚出版了自己的新书《幽默、热情、乐趣和活力：快乐Z之路》。
但赛卜的"幽默"理念最终不敌安迪的简单快乐良方。
这位最快乐的人在传授快乐秘诀时说："其实快乐并不遥远，它可能就在你身边。"
Vocabulary:
count one's blessings: 多往好处想; 知足常乐
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| 美文欣赏－金钱与幸福
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It is an oft repeated axiom that money cannot buy happiness. While this is certainly true, poverty will not buy Happiness either. Some people become very wealthy, yet struggle to enjoy their lives. On the other hand, others manage to go through life with very few money problems simply because they are able to make the most of what they have.
Ideally you should try to combine both prosperity and Happiness. To do this I recommend the following steps:
1. Learn to Value Simplicity The aim of life should not be to accumulate as many possessions and as much wealth as possible. We should learn to be content with what we have and appreciate the benefits of simplicity. For example, if we clear out our unnecessary clutter we will achieve a greater feeling of space and freedom.
If you feel happiness is directly related to material possessions, you are making a mistake. Happiness can be gained just through being content with a small amount of possessions. Our inner wealth is not just about what we have, but what we are content to live without.
2. Do Not Be Attached to Your Money Does it pain you to spend your own money - even if it is for something useful? Even someone like Bill Gates can feel uncomfortable spending his billions; it is said he used to always travel economy class because he didn't see the need to spend more money on first class. The problem with this, however, is that if we are always reluctant to spend money we miss the whole point of earning it.
A good attitude is to see money as a circular flow - that is, spending money enables more to come into our lives. It is not like a big dam where we just try to hold onto it all. We need to let the money out by spending on useful and necessary things. It is no good having a stockpile of water unless we use it to generate power; similarly it is no use accumulating large savings if we we feel miserable spending it.
3. Minimize Money Worries We will be happiest if we can make money a small part of our lives, and think about money issues as little as possible. To be able to do this we need to avoid creating situations of debt as getting out of debt can be difficult and stressful. Learn to live within your means by avoiding impulsive overspending. If you do need to go into debt, plan ahead and find a loan which is clear and manageable to repay.
Try to avoid complicated and risky investment plans; these give you the potential to gain more, but you will also have the potential to lose a lot more. Good financial planning should be simple and well balanced; this means your nerves will not be affected by worrying about the outcome of your investment. It is better to invest and save in something secure so you can forget about it and not worry endlessly.
4. Avoid Jealousy No matter how much money you have, do you still envy people who have more? A recent survey asked people whether they would prefer to have a salary above the national average. Alternatively, they could choose to have a higher salary, but this higher salary would be lower than the average. A surprising amount of people chose to have a lower salary as long as it meant they were relatively better off than the rest of the population.
To me this makes no sense. If other people become wealthier than you, that is no reason to be unhappy. If other people are prosperous that is good; don't feel miserable just because you cannot keep up with the Joneses.
5. Don't Live to Work. Do you find yourself working overtime in the evenings and at the weekend? If you spend all your time working, you will have no opportunity to spend your earnings. Don't feel guilty for turning extra work down; it is important to give leisure time as high a priority as work. It is good if we can gain satisfaction from work, but if we only spend time working then our life lacks a proper balance.
6. Understand Why Are Some People Always Poor I'm sure most people will have good friends who always seems to have money concerns. No matter what happens they always seem to be short of money and they frequently share tales of financial woe. The lack of money makes them unhappy, but they don't know how to change the situation. Giving them money doesn't solve the problem because they continue to make bad financial decisions.
Part of the problem lies in their mindset. It is easy to become accustomed to being poor and then half expecting the poverty to continue. With this mindset, it becomes difficult to attract money into our lives and easy to develop feelings of self pity and regret. However, while we might be unfortunate it won't do anything to resolve the situation. The secret is to try and change our habits and approach to money. Also, be wary about trying to convert others to better financial habits - it is almost guaranteed to fail.
7. Ignorance is Not Bliss Another attitude to money is to try and avoid thinking about it. We ignore the true extent of our debts, spending and leaving unpaid bills. We frequently miss out on moving to better financial deals and make late payments which harm our credit rating. By ignoring money like this, we merely create more serious problems for the future.
Also, when we put off dealing with financial problems we carry the problem in the back of our mind. We can get no peace of mind because we permanently have a long list of things to deal with. It is better in these circumstances to promptly deal with things like paying bills and sorting out your accounts - then we can forget about them.
8. Develop A New Perspective The following are some money related questions you should ask yourself:
Am I happy with my financial situation? Would more money make my life better? Do I always have financial problems hanging over my head? Is money the most important thing in my life? Is the pursuit of money making me miserable? Would I sacrifice principles to make more money? Even just answering these questions honestly may encourage a new perspective towards money.
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| 想笑就笑－Daddy, what is sex?
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An 8-year-old girl went outside to find her dad, who was working in the yard. She asked him, "Daddy, what is sex?"
The father was surprised that she would ask such a question, but decided that if she was old enough to ask the question, then she was probably old enough to get a straight answer.
He proceeded to tell her all about the 'birds and the bees'.
When he finished explaining, the little girl was looking at him with her mouth hanging open.
The father asked her, "So, why did you ask?"
The little girl replied, "Mom told me to tell you that dinner will be ready in just a couple of secs."
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| 童话故事-The Brave Little Tailor
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Once upon a time...
One summer's day a little tailor sat on his table by the window in the best of spirits, and sewed for dear life. As he was sitting thus a peasant woman came down the street, calling out: "Good jam to sell, good jam to sell." This sounded sweetly in the tailor's ears; he put his frail little head out of the window, and shouted: "up here, my good woman, and you'll find a willing customer." The woman climbed up the three flights of stairs with her heavy basket to the tailor's room, and he made her spread out all the pots in a row before him.
He examined them all, lifted them up and smelled them, and said at last: "This jam seems good, weigh me four ounces of it, my good woman; and even if it's a quarter of a pound I won't stick at it." The woman, who had hoped to find a good market, gave him what he wanted, but went away grumbling wrathfully. "Now heaven shall bless this jam for my use," cried the little tailor, "and it shall sustain and strengthen me." He fetched some bread out of a cupboard, cut a round off the loaf, and spread the jam on it. "That won't taste amiss," he said; "but I'll finish that waistcoat first before I take a bite." He placed the bread beside him, went on sewing, and out of the lightness of his heart kept on making his stitches bigger and bigger. In the meantime the smell of the sweet jam rose to the ceiling, where heaps of flies were sitting, and attracted them to such an extent that they swarmed on to it in masses. "Ha! who invited you?" said the tailor, and chased the unwelcome guests away. But the flies, who didn't understand English, refused to let themselves be warned off, and returned again in even greater numbers.
At last the little tailor, losing all patience, reached out of his chimney corner for a duster, and exclaiming: "Wait, and I'll give it to you," he beat them mercilessly with it. When he left off he counted the slain, and no fewer than seven lay dead before him with outstretched legs. "What a desperate fellow I am!" said he, and was filled with admiration at his own courage. "The whole town must know about this"; and in great haste the little tailor cut out a girdle, hemmed it, and embroidered on it in big letters, "Seven at a blow." "What did I say, the town? no, the whole world shall hear of it," he said; and his heart beat for joy as a lamb wags his tail.
The tailor strapped the girdle round his waist and set out into the wide world, for he considered his workroom too small a field for his prowess. Before he set forth he looked round about him, to see if there was anything in the house he could take with him on his journey; but he found nothing except an old cheese, which he took possession of. In front of the house he observed a bird that had been caught in some bushes, and this he put into his wallet beside the cheese.
Then he went on his way merrily, and being light and agile he never felt tired. His way led up a hill, on the top of which sat a powerful giant, who was calmly surveying the landscape. The little tailor went up to him, and greeting him cheerfully said: "Good- day, friend; there you sit at your ease viewing the whole wide world. I'm just on my way there. What do you say to accompanying me?" The giant looked contemptuously at the tailor, and said: "What a poor wretched little creature you are!" "That's a good joke," answered the little tailor, and unbuttoning his coat he showed the giant the girdle. "There now, you can read what sort of a fellow I am." The giant read: "Seven at a blow"; and thinking they were human beings the tailor had slain, he conceived a certain respect for the little man. But first he thought he'd test him, so taking up a stone in his hand, he squeezed it till some drops of water ran out. "Now you do the same," said the giant, "if you really wish to be thought strong." "Is that all?" said the little tailor; "that's child's play to me," so he dived into his wallet, brought out the cheese, and pressed it till the whey ran out. "My squeeze was in sooth better than yours," said he. The giant didn't know what to say, for he couldn't have believed it of the little fellow. To prove him again, the giant lifted a stone and threw it so high that the eye could hardly follow it. "Now, my little pigmy, let me see you do that." "Well thrown," said the tailor; "but, after all, your stone fell to the ground; I'll throw one that won't come down at all." He dived into his wallet again, and grasping the bird in his hand, he threw it up into the air. The bird, enchanted to be free, soared up into the sky, and flew away never to return. "Well, what do you think of that little piece of business, friend?" asked the tailor. "You can certainly throw," said the giant; "but now let's see if you can carry a proper weight." With these words he led the tailor to a huge oak tree which had been felled to the ground, and said: "If you are strong enough, help me to carry the tree out of the wood." "Most certainly," said the little tailor: "just you take the trunk on your shoulder; I'll bear the top and branches, which is certainly the heaviest part."
The giant laid the trunk on his shoulder, but the tailor sat at his ease among the branches; and the giant, who couldn't see what was going on behind him, had to carry the whole tree, and the little tailor into the bargain. There he sat behind in the best of spirits, lustily whistling a tune, as if carrying the tree were mere sport. The giant, after dragging the heavy weight for some time, could get on no further, and shouted out: "Hi! I must let the tree fall." The tailor sprang nimbly down, seized the tree with both hands as if he had carried it the whole way and said to the giant: "Fancy a big lout like you not being able to carry a tree!"
They continued to go on their way together, and as they passed by a cherry tree the giant grasped the top of it, where the ripest fruit hung, gave the branches into the tailor's hand, and bade him eat. But the little tailor was far too weak to hold the tree down, and when the giant let go the tree swung back into the air, bearing the little tailor with it. When he had fallen to the ground again without hurting himself, the giant said: "What! do you mean to tell me you haven't the strength to hold down a feeble twig?" "It wasn't strength that was wanting," replied the tailor; "do you think that would have been anything for a man who has killed seven at a blow? I jumped over the tree because the huntsmen are shooting among the branches near us. Do you do the like if you dare." The giant made an attempt, but couldn't get over the tree, and stuck fast in the branches, so that here too the little tailor had the better of him.
"Well, you're a fine fellow, after all," said the giant; "come and spend the night with us in our cave." The little tailor willingly consented to do this, and following his friend they went on till they reached a cave where several other giants were sitting round a fire, each holding a roast sheep in his hand, of which he was eating. The little tailor looked about him, and thought: "Yes, there's certainly more room to turn round in here than in my workshop." The giant showed him a bed and bade him lie down and have a good sleep. But the bed was too big for the little tailor, so he didn't get into it, but crept away into the corner.
At midnight, when the giant thought the little tailor was fast asleep, he rose up, and taking his big iron walking-stick, he broke the bed in two with a blow, and thought he had made an end of the little grasshopper. At early dawn the giants went off to the wood, and quite forgot about the little tailor, till all of a sudden they met him trudging along in the most cheerful manner. The giants were terrified at the apparition, and, fearful lest he should slay them, they all took to their heels as fast as they could.
The little tailor continued to follow his nose, and after he had wandered about for a long time he came to the courtyard of a royal palace, and feeling tired he lay down on the grass and fell asleep. While he lay there the people came, and looking him all over read on his girdle: "Seven at a blow." "Oh!" they said, "what can this great hero of a hundred fights want in our peaceful land? He must indeed be a mighty man of valor." They went and told the King about him, and said what a weighty and useful man he'd be in time of war, and that it would be well to secure him at any price. This counsel pleased the King, and he sent one of his courtiers down to the little tailor, to offer him, when he awoke, a commission in their army. The messenger remained standing by the sleeper, and waited till he stretched his limbs and opened his eyes, when he tendered his proposal. "That's the very thing I came here for," he answered; "I am quite ready to enter the King's service." So he was received with all honor, and given a special house of his own to live in.
But the other officers resented the success of the little tailor, and wished him a thousand miles away. "What's to come of it all?" they asked each other; "if we quarrel with him, he'll let out at us, and at every blow seven will fall. There'll soon be an end of us." So they resolved to go in a body to the King, and all to send in their papers. "We are not made," they said, "to hold out against a man who kills seven at a blow." The King was grieved at the thought of losing all his faithful servants for the sake of one man, and he wished heartily that he had never set eyes on him, or that he could get rid of him. But he didn't dare to send him away, for he feared he might kill him along with his people, and place himself on the throne.
He pondered long and deeply over the matter, and finally came to a conclusion. He sent to the tailor and told him that, seeing what a great and warlike hero he was, he was about to make him an offer. In a certain wood of his kingdom there dwelled two giants who did much harm; by the way they robbed, murdered, burned, and plundered everything about them; "no one could approach them without endangering his life. But if he could overcome and kill these two giants he should have his only daughter for a wife, and half his kingdom into the bargain; he might have a hundred horsemen, too, to back him up." "That's the very thing for a man like me," thought the little tailor; "one doesn't get the offer of a beautiful princess and half a kingdom every day." "Done with you," he answered; "I'll soon put an end to the giants. But I haven't the smallest need of your hundred horsemen; a fellow who can slay seven men at a blow need not be afraid of two."
The little tailor set out, and the hundred horsemen followed him. When he came to the outskirts of the wood he said to his followers: "You wait here, I'll manage the giants by myself"; and he went on into the wood, casting his sharp little eyes right and left about him. After a while he spied the two giants lying asleep under a tree, and snoring till the very boughs bent with the breeze. The little tailor lost no time in filling his wallet with stones, and then climbed up the tree under which they lay. When he got to about the middle of it he slipped along a branch till he sat just above the sleepers, when he threw down one stone after the other on the nearest giant.
The giant felt nothing for a long time, but at last he woke up, and pinching his companion said: "What did you strike me for?" "I didn't strike you," said the other, "you must be dreaming." They both lay down to sleep again, and the tailor threw down a stone on the second giant, who sprang up and cried: "What's that for? Why did you throw something at me?" "I didn't throw anything," growled the first one. They wrangled on for a time, till, as both were tired, they made up the matter and fell asleep again. The little tailor began his game once more, and flung the largest stone he could find in his wallet with all his force, and hit the first giant on the chest. "This is too much of a good thing!" he yelled, and springing up like a madman, he knocked his companion against the tree till he trembled. He gave, however, as good as he got, and they became so enraged that they tore up trees and beat each other with them, till they both fell dead at once on the ground. Then the little tailor jumped down. "It's a mercy," he said, "that they didn't root up the tree on which I was perched, or I should have had to jump like a squirrel on to another, which, nimble though I am, would have been no easy job." He drew his sword and gave each of the giants a very fine thrust or two on the breast, and then went to the horsemen and said: "The deed is done, I've put an end to the two of them; but I assure you it has been no easy matter, for they even tore up trees in their struggle to defend themselves; but all that's of no use against one who slays seven men at a blow." "Weren't you wounded?" asked the horsemen.
"No fear," answered the tailor; "they haven't touched a hair of my head." But the horsemen wouldn't believe him till they rode into the wood and found the giants weltering in their blood, and the trees lying around, torn up by the roots.
The little tailor now demanded the promised reward from the King, but he repented his promise, and pondered once more how he could rid himself of the hero. "Before you obtain the hand of my daughter and half my kingdom," he said to him, "you must do another deed of valor. A unicorn is running about loose in the wood, and doing much mischief; you must first catch it." "I'm even less afraid of one unicorn than of two giants; seven at a blow, that's my motto." He took a piece of cord and an axe with him, went out to the wood, and again told the men who had been sent with him to remain outside. He hadn't to search long, for the unicorn soon passed by, and, on perceiving the tailor, dashed straight at him as though it were going to spike him on the spot. "Gently, gently," said he, "not so fast, my friend"; and standing still he waited till the beast was quite near, when he sprang lightly behind a tree; the unicorn ran with all its force against the tree, and rammed its horn so firmly into the trunk that it had no strength left to pull it out again, and was thus successfully captured. "Now I've caught my bird," said the tailor, and he came out from behind the tree, placed the cord round its neck first, then struck the horn out of the tree with his axe, and when everything was in order led the beast before the King.
Still the King didn't want to give him the promised reward and made a third demand. The tailor was to catch a wild boar for him that did a great deal of harm in the wood; and he might have the huntsmen to help him. "Willingly," said the tailor; "that's mere child's play." But he didn't take the huntsmen into the wood with him, and they were well enough pleased to remain behind, for the wild boar had often received them in a manner which did not make them desire its further acquaintance. As soon as the boar perceived the tailor it ran at him with foaming mouth and gleaming teeth, and tried to knock him down; but our alert little friend ran into a chapel that stood near, and got out of the window again with a jump.
The boar pursued him into the church, but the tailor skipped round to the door, and closed it securely. So the raging beast was caught, for it was far too heavy and unwieldy to spring out of the window. The little tailor summoned the huntsmen together, that they might see the prisoner with their own eyes. Then the hero betook himself to the King, who was obliged now, whether he liked it or not, to keep his promise, and hand him over his daughter and half his kingdom. Had he known that no hero-warrior, but only a little tailor stood before him, it would have gone even more to his heart. So the wedding was celebrated with much splendor and little joy, and the tailor became a king.
After a time the Queen heard her husband saying one night in his sleep: "My lad, make that waistcoat and patch these trousers, or I'll box your ears." Thus she learned in what rank the young gentleman had been born, and next day she poured forth her woes to her father, and begged him to help her to get rid of a husband who was nothing more nor less than a tailor. The King comforted her, and said: "Leave your bedroom door open to-night, my servants shall stand outside, and when your husband is fast asleep they shall enter, bind him fast, and carry him on to a ship, which shall sail away out into the wide ocean."
The Queen was well satisfied with the idea, but the armor-bearer, who had overheard everything, being much attached to his young master, went straight to him and revealed the whole plot. "I'll soon put a stop to the business," said the tailor. That night he and his wife went to bed at the usual time; and when she thought he had fallen asleep she got up, opened the door, and then lay down again. The little tailor, who had only pretended to be asleep, began to call out in a clear voice: "My lad, make that waistcoat and patch those trousers, or I'll box your ears. I have killed seven at a blow, slain two giants, led a unicorn captive, and caught a wild boar, then why should I be afraid of those men standing outside my door?" The men, when they heard the tailor saying these words, were so terrified that they fled as if pursued by a wild army, and didn't dare go near him again. So the little tailor was and remained a king all the days of his life.
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| 西方文化－客厅里为什么会有一小株常青树?
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客厅里为什么会有一小株常青树?
Why is there a small evergreen tree in the living room?
这是一项德国的传统,最早开始于公元前700年,19世纪作为圣诞树在德国流行,然后通过宾西法尼亚的德国移民将这一传统带到英国,有传到美国.
This is a German tradition, started as early as 700 A.D. In the 1800s the tradition of a Christmas tree was widespread in Germany, then moved to England and then to America through Pennsylvanian German immigrants.
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| 行业英语－职业着装
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For the ladies, the following dress items are common:
对于女士而言，以下着装款式比较常见：
Pant suit长裤西服装
Knee-length skirt or full-length dress齐膝短裙或长裙
Dress pants正装长裤
Blouse 衬衫
Jacket 夹克
High-heels高跟鞋
Dress shoes 时装鞋
For men, these are the accepted norms for business attire:
而对于男式来说，以下是大家认可的商务着装
Vest汗衫
Suspenders吊带裤
Cufflinks带袖口链扣的男式衬衫系列
Oxfords牛津衫
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| 双语诗歌－我对你的爱情宣言 Love
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I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you.
No man or woman is worth your tears, and the one who is ,won't make you cry.
The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them knowing you can't have them.
Never frown, even when you are sad, because you never know who is falling in love with your smile.
To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.
Don't waste your time on a man/woman, who isn't willing to waste their time on you.
Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
Don't try to hard, the best things come when you least expect them to.
Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one, so that when we finally meet the person, we will know how to be grateful.
Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened.
我爱你，不是因为你是一个怎样的人，而是因为我喜欢与你在一起时的感觉。
没有人值得你流泪，值得让你这么做的人不会让你哭泣。
失去某人，最糟糕的莫过于，他近在身旁，却犹如远在天边。
纵然伤心，也不要悉眉不展，因为你不知是谁会爱上你的笑容。
对于世界而言，你是一个人；但是对于某人，你是他的整个世界。
不要为那些不愿在你身上花费时间的人而浪费你的时间。
爱你的人如果没有按你所希望的方式爱你，那并不代表他们没有全心全意地爱你。
不要着急，最好的总会在最不经意的时候出现。
在遇到梦中人之前，上天也许会安排我们先遇到别人；在我们终于遇见心仪的人时，便应当心存感激。
不要因为结束而哭泣，微笑吧，为你的曾经拥有。
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| 英文演讲－President Bush Meets with the Secretary of the Treasury
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THE PRESIDENT: Secretary Paulson, thanks for coming. And I just got back from the Middle East, and the Secretary came over to talk about the economy and how he sees it. And we're working through tough times, and I appreciate the leadership you're providing.
He did assure me that the refund checks are heading out, people getting that money. And that's good. It should help our economy, and more importantly, help people pay their bills. And we hope people use that money and take care of their families and shop.
I also asked him how he was doing in helping people stay in their homes. We spent time talking about the housing industry. And one of the really impressive programs has been the HOPE NOW program. Secretary Paulson has taken the lead in -- to help people refinance and help people get the financial help necessary to stay in homes. And that help comes in all different kinds of ways, but generally it just means that the lending institutions are -- help a creditworthy person stay in their home, and that's what we want to have happen.
Since the program started, 1.4 million people got mortgage relief so they can stay in their home. And in the first quarter of this year, 500,000 households, 500,000 families were helped.
And I appreciate your leadership on that, Hank. It's been -- our policy in this administration is we -- laws shouldn't bail out lenders, laws shouldn't help speculators, the government ought to be helping creditworthy people stay in their homes. And one way we can do that -- and Congress is making progress on this -- is the reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. That reform will come with a strong, independent regulator.
The Secretary is briefing me on the progress being made on the Hill on this very important subject. Our fellow citizens have got to know that these major players in the mortgage markets, if reformed properly by Congress, will really help stabilize the markets and make it easier for people to stay in their homes.
And we look forward to working with Congress to get a good piece of legislation to my desk that helps our fellow citizens, and helps us get through this housing issue.
So, Mr. Secretary, thank you for your briefing. I appreciate very much your leadership on the issue.
END 11:18 A.M. EDT
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| 汉英口译实践－第一篇 回顾与展望
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第一篇 回顾与展望
回顾过去，东亚地区发生了深刻变化，取得了巨大进步。展望未来，我们可以满怀信心地说，推功东亚经济和社会发展达到新的水平，已经具备了比较良好的条件。
In retrospect, profound changes and tremendous progress have taken place in East Asia. Looking ahead, we can say with full confidence that relatively sound conditions exist for East Asia to raise its economic and social development to a new level.
维护地区的和平与稳定，发展经济科技，扩大互利合作，促进共同繁荣，成为东亚各国的共识。东亚国家致力于在相互尊重、平等相待、互不干涉内政的基础上发展相互关系，通过友好协商妥善处理存在的某些分歧。东亚政局稳定，国家关系良好。这为东亚各国保持经济持续增长，发展经济合作，创造了重要的前提条件。
It has become the shared understanding of East Asian countries to maintain regional peace and stability, develop the economy, science and technology, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and promote common prosperity. East Asian countries are committed to the development of their relations on the basis of mutual respect, treating one another as equals and non-interference in one another's internal affairs and properly addressing some existing differences through friendly consultations. With political stability, East Asian countries enjoy good relations among themselves. This has provided an important prerequisite for the sustained economic growth of East Asian countries and the development of their economic cooperation.
东亚国家具有相当的经济实力，有的进入了发达阶段，有的踏上了新兴工业化的航程，有的正在步入快速发展的行列。这一地区拥有丰富的劳动力资源和自然资源，各国都在按照自己的实际情况确定发展战略，不断调整产业结构，转变增展方式，促进科技进步，加强对外经济联系。这为东亚各国开展经济合作提供了广阔的空间。
East Asian countries have built up significant economic strength. Some have entered the developed stage, others have joined the rank of newly industrialized nations, and still others have embarked on the road of rapid growth. Endowed with rich human and natural resources, countries in this region have formulated their development strategies in light of their actual conditions, constantly readjusted their industrial structure, effected shifts in modes of growth, promoted scientific and technological progress, and strengthened external economic exchanges. All this has provided a broad scope for East Asian countries to engage in economic cooperation.
东亚各国人民在漫长的历史实践中创造了自己的优秀文化。这种文化传统，以社会集体为重，崇尚自尊自强、艰苦奋斗、勤劳节俭、谦虚好学的美德，处理人际关系提倡和洽协调，对待国际关系主张和平共处。这是宝贵的精神财富。只要东亚各国结合本国的实际，顺应时代的潮流，弘扬和运用这些具有东方特色的文化传统和智慧，同时经济吸取世界各国人民创造的一切进步文明成果，就可以为不断发展东亚经济合作提供精神动力。
Through their long histories, the peoples of East Asian countries have created their own fine cultural traditions. These cultural traditions attach great value to social communities uphold such virtues as self-strengthening arduous effort, industriousness, frugality modesty and eagerness to learn. They stress harmony in handling human relations and stand for peaceful coexistence in international relations. These cultural conditions constitute valuable spiritual legacy. As long as East Asian countries keep up with the trend of the times and carry forward and apply those cultural traditions and wisdom with oriental features in light of their actual national conditions while vigorously absorbing all fruits of human progress and civilization, the development of economic cooperation in East Asia will be further boosted by these spiritual motivations.
总之，从政治、经济、文化、地缘等各方面看，东亚都是当今世界一支不可忽视的力量。东亚经济发展的前景是光明的。
All in all, East Asia in today's world is a force that cannot be ignored politically, economically, culturally or geographically. The prospect for East Asia's economic development is promising.
当然，在充分看到东亚经济发展取得成就的同时，也要正视前进中存在的困难和障碍。例如，东亚国家不同程度地存在不合理的经济结构，不健全的金融体制，粗放型的增长方式，滞后的基础设施建设，以及沉重的人口和环保压力等问题，都需要认真对待，切实加以解决。
Of course, while fully recognizing the economic achievements in East Asia, we must also look squarely into the difficulties and obstacles on the road ahead. For instance East Asian countries suffer, to varying degrees, from untenable economic structures, flawed financial systems, crude modes of growth, backward infrastructures and the enormous pressures brought about by over-population and the increasing need for environmental controls. These problems need to be addressed seriously and resolved effectively.
近年来发生在东南亚的金融危机，给人们以深刻启示。金融体系的正常运行，对经济全局的稳定和发展至关重要。在各国经济联系日益密切的条件下，保持健康稳定的金融形势，需要各国在完善金融的体制、政策和监管上进行努力，需要加强国际和地区的金融合作，需要共同防范国际游资过度投机。这样才能有效地维护国际金融秩序。
Southeast Asia's recent financial crisis has taught people a profound lesson. Normal functioning of the financial system is crucial to overall economic stability and development. To maintain a sound and stable financial order in a closely intertwined global economy, it is imperative for countries to work to improve there financial system, policies and supervision, to strengthen both regional and international financial cooperation and jointly ward off excessive speculation by international hot money. Only by doing so can we effectively maintain the international financial order.
我们相信，经过共同努力，东亚各国人民一定能够在新的世纪中，创造更加美好的未来。
We believe that as long as we work together, the peoples of East Asia will certainly build a better future in the new century.
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