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VOA标准英语2008年-Is This Water or Ambrosia?

时间:2008-08-02 00:55来源:互联网 提供网友:www.94xx.com   字体: [ ]
    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

At the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting last month, the mayor of Albuquerque, N.M., asked a provocative1 question: How would his citizens feel if the city bought thousands of ordinary writing pens – the kind that cost about $1 each in most stores – and paid $1,000 apiece for them? Or $10,000?

Chances are, Martin Chávez told his fellow mayors, he'd be thrown out of office or put in jail for misusing2 public funds.

Yet, he pointed3 out, cities think nothing of paying similar markups on bottles of drinking water to give to staff and to pass out at events like running marathons. In his view, good-old cheap city tap water is perfectly4 tasty and safe. Not only are plastic bottles of treated or spring water exorbitantly5 priced, in Mayor Chávez's view, but piles of empties end up in city landfills, where they take who-knows how many years to degrade.

Naturally, those in the multi-billion-dollar bottled water business dissent6, vigorously. Not all tap water is pure or tastes good, they say. And it's certainly not always cold and convenient when one works up a thirst.

Millions of Americans have come to prefer bottled water for drinking, and are perfectly willing to pay plenty for it. A bottle of fancy water does indeed cost 1,000 or more times what it costs to pour a tall glass of tap water.

As the Washington Post noted7, the bottlers of water have even started to borrow some of the terminology8 used for fine wine. The president of Fiji-brand water told the newspaper that his product has a "smooth, silky mouthfeel."

That's a bit too pretentious9 to suit Mayor Chávez. If little kids can happily drink out of a garden hose, he says, his workers and those marathon runners will get along just fine drinking clean, filtered Albuquerque city water.

 



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1 provocative e0Jzj     
adj.挑衅的,煽动的,刺激的,挑逗的
参考例句:
  • She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
  • His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。
2 misusing 142193a08a0645de4073a05d1cf0ed4b     
v.使用…不当( misuse的现在分词 );把…派作不正当的用途;虐待;滥用
参考例句:
  • This means we must stop misusing them. 也就是说,我们已必须停止滥用抗菌素不可了。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 预防生物武器
  • Misusing organic fertilizer may cause a decrease in the soil's quality. 滥用有机肥料可能会导致土地的土质下降。 来自互联网
3 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
4 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
5 exorbitantly acec08937e10ad5108cb5ebc346004bd     
参考例句:
  • Prices are exorbitantly high in the capital. 首都的物价高得不可思议。 来自互联网
  • In some countries, prices are exorbitantly high which are ten as much as that in China. 一些国家的物价水平高,大概是中国国内的十倍。 来自互联网
6 dissent ytaxU     
n./v.不同意,持异议
参考例句:
  • It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
  • He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。
7 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
8 terminology spmwD     
n.术语;专有名词
参考例句:
  • He particularly criticized the terminology in the document.他特别批评了文件中使用的术语。
  • The article uses rather specialized musical terminology.这篇文章用了相当专业的音乐术语。
9 pretentious lSrz3     
adj.自命不凡的,自负的,炫耀的
参考例句:
  • He is a talented but pretentious writer.他是一个有才华但自命不凡的作家。
  • Speaking well of yourself would only make you appear conceited and pretentious.自夸只会使你显得自负和虚伪。
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TAG标签:   voa  标准英语  water  ambrosia  voa  标准英语  water  ambrosia
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