1

India bans heavy schoolbags

印度书包'减负'预防驼背

Concerned about producing a generation of children with hunchedbacks and otherspineproblems, India hasdenouncedschools for making students carry heavy school bags and giving young children homework.

由于担心培养出一代有驼背和其他脊椎问题的儿童，印度谴责那些让学生背着沉重书包、给低龄儿童布置家庭作业的学校。

One survey done by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India found that 68% of pre-teenchildren might suffer from mild back pain, which can develop intochronicback pain, and later into ahunchback. The study, which covered more than 2,500 children and 1,000 parents in major cities, found that more than 88% of children from seven to 13 carry more than 45% of their body weight on their backs.

印度工商协会进行的一项调查发现，68%的青春期前儿童可能患有轻度背痛，轻度背痛有可能发展成慢性背痛，进而发展成驼背。这项覆盖来自多个大城市的2500名儿童和1000名家长的研究发现，逾88%的7-13岁儿童背负的书包重量超过自身体重的45%。

The state of Maharashtra, where Mumbai is located, mandatesthat the weight on the bag should not exceed 10% of the child's body weight. The federalcircularalso suggests that no homework be assigned to kids in grades 1 and 2, which also will ensure they don't need to carry books home.

孟买所在的马哈拉施特拉邦规定，书包重量不应超过儿童体重的10%。联邦政府的通知还建议，不要给一年级和二年级的儿童布置家庭作业，这也能确保他们不必带书回家。

重点词汇

1、hunched

/hʌntʃt/

adj. 缩成一团的

v. 弯腰驼背（hunch的过去分词）

2、spine

英 /spaɪn/ 美 /spaɪn/

n. 脊柱，脊椎；刺；书脊

3、denounce

英 /dɪ'naʊns/ 美 /dɪ'naʊns/

vt. 谴责；告发；公然抨击；通告废除

4、pre-teen

英 /'priː'tiːn/

n. 青春期前的孩子；不满13岁的儿童

adj. 13岁以下的；青春期前的；接近青春期的

5、chronic

英 /'krɒnɪk/ 美 /'krɑnɪk/

adj. 慢性的；长期的；习惯性的

6、hunchback

英 /'hʌn(t)ʃbæk/ 美 /'hʌntʃbæk/

n. 驼背

7、mandate

英 /'mændeɪt/ 美 /'mændet/

n. 授权；命令，指令；委托管理；受命进行的工作

vt. 授权；托管

8、circular

英 /'sɜːkjʊlə/ 美 /'sɝkjəlɚ/

adj. 循环的；圆形的

n. 通知，传单

2

Plastic garbage engulf sea

塑料垃圾'活埋'加勒比海

A photographer has captured the damage being done to the planet's oceans with a shocking "sea of plastic and styrofoam" image taken near atranquilCaribbean island. Caroline Power, the photographer, said witnessing the plasticblanketof forks, bottles and rubbish between the islands Roatan and Cayos Cochinos, off the coast of Honduras, was "devastating".

一名摄影师在宁静的加勒比海岛附近拍下了"被塑料和泡沫聚苯乙烯覆盖的海洋"的照片，这张令人震惊的照片揭露了地球上的海洋所遭受的破坏。摄影师卡洛琳.鲍尔表示，目睹成片的塑料叉子、瓶瓶罐罐和垃圾漂浮在洪都拉斯海岸附近的罗阿坦岛和科奇诺斯群岛之间，让人"崩溃"。

"Once the trash is in the ocean, it is incredibly difficult and costly to remove. The key is to stop the trashbefore it enters the ocean," she said. The worst of the rubbish the dive team found was about 2,400 meters off the coast of Roatan heading towards the Cayos Cochinos Marine Reserve.

她说："一旦垃圾进入到了海洋中，要移除它们异常困难和费钱。解决问题的关键就是阻止垃圾进入海洋。"潜水团队发现的垃圾最多的地方在科奇诺斯群岛海洋保护区方向，距离罗阿坦岛海滩约2400米处。

Power said they passed throughfloating garbage for "nearly 8 km". She hopes her photos will encourage others to "make changes to their habits and daily lives to help protect and conserve this planet".

鲍尔说他们穿过的漂浮垃圾带长"近8000米"。她希望她的照片能鼓励他人"改变习惯和日常生活，以帮助保护这个星球。"

重点词汇

1、styrofoam

/'staɪrə,fom/

n. 泡沫聚苯乙烯

2、tranquil

英 /'træŋkwɪl/ 美 /ˈtræŋkwəl/

adj. 安静的，平静的；安宁的；稳定的

3、blanket

英 /'blæŋkɪt/ 美 /'blæŋkɪt/

n. 毛毯，毯子；毯状物，覆盖层

adj. 总括的，全体的；没有限制的

vt. 覆盖，掩盖；用毯覆盖

4、devastating

/'devəsteitiŋ/

adj. 毁灭性的；全然的

v. 摧毁（devastate的ing形式）；毁坏

5、trash

英 /træʃ/ 美 /træʃ/

n. 垃圾；废物

vt. 丢弃；修剪树枝

6、pass through

穿过…；通过…

3

Abandoned homes available

日本千万套房产免费送

Japan is giving away homes or selling them at heavily discounted prices amida growing number of abandoned properties. The country has anestimated10 million empty homes, and its "Akiya" scheme is designed to address this problem while helping young families to get into the property market.

由于遭到废弃的房产越来越多，日本正将这些房产免费赠送，或以极其低廉的价格出售。据估计，日本目前大约有1000万套空置房产，因此发起名为Akiya的项目，以解决这一问题，同时帮助年轻家庭购置房产。

"Akiya" means "vacant" or "abandoned" in Japanese. Properties up for grabstend to be in rural areas, which have seen anexodusof young people heading for the city. Many find their rural locations andspaciouslayouts desirable, but there are a number of risks to consider when taking on an "Akiya" property.

在日语中，Akiya的意思是"空置的"或"废弃的"。这些废弃房产大多位于农村地区，大批年轻人已经离开这些地区，到城市生活。很多人对房屋位于乡下以及宽敞的布局感到满意，但在购置Akiya房产之前，还需要考虑一些风险。

First is the cost of renovation, which, in some cases, could amount to the same price as purchasing a property elsewhere. Another hazardis theambiguitysurrounding the property's abandonment, and what might stop an original owner turning up one day and demanding ownership.

首先是翻修的费用，有时这部分花费可能与在其他地方购买一套房产的价格一样高。另一个潜在风险是无法确定房屋是否真的被废弃，前业主可能某天会突然出现，并要求归还所有权。

According to some, purchasing an "Akiya" home is deemed "absolute social failure", but with house prices in Tokyo creeping up(around $790,000 for a new build property in January 2018), it may be an option worth considering for many young families.

一些人认为，购买一套Akiya房产会被视为"完全的社会失败者"，但鉴于东京房价不断上涨(2018年1月一套新房的价格约为79万美元，约合548万元人民币)，因此许多年轻家庭也不妨考虑一下这个选择。

重点词汇

1、amid

英 /ə'mɪd/ 美 /ə'mɪd/

prep. 在其中，在其间

2、estimate

英 /'estɪmeɪt/ 美 /'ɛstə,met/

vi. 估计，估价

n. 估计，估价；判断，看法

vt. 估计，估量；判断，评价

3、up for grab

供人竞购

4、exodus

英 /'eksədəs/ 美 /'ɛksədəs/

n. 大批的离去

5、spacious

英 /'speɪʃəs/ 美 /'speʃəs/

adj. 宽敞的，广阔的；无边无际的

6、hazard

英 /'hæzəd/ 美 /'hæzɚd/

vt. 赌运气；冒…的危险，使遭受危险

n. 危险，冒险；冒险的事

7、ambiguity

英 /æmbɪ'gjuːɪtɪ/ 美 /,æmbɪ'ɡjuəti/

n. 含糊；不明确；暧昧；模棱两可的话

8、creep up

渗上来；蠕升；慢慢地爬上；爬上去

4

920K sit civil servant exam

92万人国考录取比63:1

A total of 920,000 people took the National Public ServantExam on Sunday tocompete for14,500 positions, the State Administration of Civil Service said. The exam is considered one of the most competitive tests in China, as only one out of every 63 candidates is expected to get a government job this year.

国家公务员局称，国家公务员考试2日举行，共92万人参考，竞争1.45万个招录岗位。今年国考的录取比例仅为63:1，被认为是我国竞争最激烈的考试之一。

The number of job vacancies this year saw a sharp decline, nearly half that of 2017, when more than 28,000 vacancies were on offer. In addition to the national written exam on Sunday, those applying for certain positions related to finance, public security, foreign affairs and other fields will need to take an additional professional skill test.

今年国考的招录规模骤减，较去年的2.8万余人压缩了近一半。报考金融、公安、外事等领域特定岗位的考生除了2日的国考笔试外，还需另外参加专业技能考试。

重点词汇

1、Public Servant

公务员；公仆；公用事业公司或其员工

2、compete for

角逐，竞争；为…比赛

3、sharp

英 /ʃɑːp/ 美 /ʃɑrp/

adj. 急剧的；锋利的；强烈的；敏捷的；刺耳的

adv. 急剧地；锐利地；突然地

n. 尖头

vt. 磨快；把音调升高

vi. 升音演奏