Lesson 8 Trading standards

第八课贸易标准

from The Economist, May 24th, 1997

8-1. Chickens slaughtered in the United States, claim officials in Brussels, are not fit to grace European tables.

【译文】布鲁塞尔的官员说，在美国屠宰的鸡不适于装点欧洲的餐桌。

【讲解】slaughtered in the United States为过去分词短语，作定语，修饰chickens。此句也可以写成Officials in Brussels say that chickens slaughtered in the United States are not fit to grace European tables. 原文的写法是为了凸显chickens slaughtered in the United States。本句和下句的写法是新闻英语中的常见写法。

【单词和短语】

grace:给……增光;使……有荣耀(to make a place or an object look more attractive)，

例如：

a meal that is fit to grace any table 上得了任何台面的一餐饭

8-2. No, say the American: our fowl are fine, we simply clean them in a different way.

【译文】不，美国人说：我们的家禽很好，只是我们用了另一种方式清洗。

8-3. These days, it is differences in national regulations, far more than tariffs, that put sand in the wheels of trade between rich countries.新概念英语官方网站

【译文】今日，正是各国条例的差异，而非关税，阻碍了发达国家间的贸易。

【讲解】此句为强调句，被强调的部分是differences in national regulations, far more than tariffs。

【单词和短语】

put sand in the wheels(machine)：妨碍，阻挠;捣乱。

8-4. It is not just farmers who are complaining.

【译文】不仅是农民在抱怨。

【讲解】此句为强调句，被强调部分是not just farmers。

【单词和短语】

complain的名词形式是complaint。

8-5. An electric razor that meets the European Union's safety standards must be approved by American testers before it can be sold in the United States, and an American-made dialysis machine needs the EU's okay before is hits the market in Europe.

【译文】一把符合欧盟安全标准的电动剃须刀在美国面市前必须得到美国检测人员的认可，而美国制造的透析仪也要得到欧盟的首肯才能进入欧洲市场。

【讲解】razor后的that…standards为定语从句，修饰an electric razor。

【单词和短语】

okay此处作名词用，意为“批准，认可”。另掌握give (someone) the okay和get the okay。

8-6. As it happens, a razor that is safe in Europe is unlikely to electrocute Americans.

【译文】碰巧在欧洲使用安全的剃须刀不大可能电死美国人。

【讲解】as it happens为插入语，对a razor…Americans表示强调。that is safe in Europe作定语从句，修饰razor。

【单词和短语】

as it happens/it just so happens：碰巧，偶然(used to tell someone something that is surprising, interesting, or useful)，

例如：

As it happens, I have my notebook with me.

碰巧我带着笔记本。

8-7. So, ask businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, why have two lots of tests where one would do?