新闻
The Chairless Chair
（CNN）—It’s like a chair that isn’t there,but magically appears whenever you need it.It’s called the Chairless Chair and you wear it on your legs like an exoskeleton:when it’s not activated,you can walk normally or even run.And then,at the touch of a button,it locks into place and you can sit down on it.Like a chair that is now there.
“The idea came from wanting to sit anywhere and everywhere,and from working in a UK packaging factory when I was 17,”says Keith Gunura,the 29-year old CEO and co- founder of noonee,the Zurich-based startup behind the device,“standing for hours on end causes a lot of distress to lower limbs,but most workers get very few breaks and chairs are rarely provided,because they take up too much space.So I thought that the best idea was to strap an unobtrusive chair directly to myself.”
The device never touches the ground,which makes it easier to wear:a belt secures it to the hips and it has straps that wrap around the thighs.A variable damper engages and supports the bodyweight,which is directed towards the heels of the shoes.These are specially designed and part of the mechanism,but an alternate version works with any footwear and touches the ground only when in a stationary position.The user just moves into the desired pose and then powers the device,which currently runs for about 24 hours on a single 6V battery.
“In addition to resting your leg muscles,it also provides optimal posture,”adds noonee CTO and co-founder Bryan Anastisiades“it keeps your back straight and can reduce the occurrence of bad postures for both healthy workers and those recovering from muscle related injuries.”
Sammy Margo,a chartered physiotherapist,told CNN:“As physiotherapists we actively encourage people to move throughout the day.This device looks like a great compromise in that it allows the wearer to move as well as sit intermittently.I wouldn’t encourage its use for long term sitting,however it is suitable for people who need to vary their tasks.”
The Chairless Chair is attracting interest and production line trials are set to start in Germany with BMW in September and with Audi later this year.
While sitting down all day is so detrimental to health that it will shorten life expectancy, standing up in order to work is also a source of problems.Physical strain,repetitive movements and poor posture can lead to conditions called Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs),which are now one of the leading causes of lost workday injury and illness.In 2011,MSDs accounted for 33 percent of all worker injuries and illnesses in the U.S.with over 378,000 cases,according to data from the United States Department of Labor.In Europe,over 40 million workers are affected by MSDs attributable to their job,according to a study entitled Fit For Work Europe and conducted across 23 European countries.
The Chairless Chair represents an innovative approach to this problem,which is currently addressed mostly through ergonomics of the workplace.Although unique,it shares some similarities with the Swiss Milking Stool,a monopod used by farmers to milk cows, which dates back to the early 19th Century.It had straps that secured it to the wearer and required some practice to be used due to the single source of support.It was phased out by the rise of the milking parlor.
文章梗概
本文摘自CNN的一篇新闻报道，介绍了一种新发明的独特椅子。文章首先通过讲述这项发明的创意来源，然后自然而然的过渡到椅子的一系列特征，如：不接触地面，占用空间少，携带方便等。最后着重强调了这款椅子可以帮助人们纠正不正确的姿势，从而帮助减少肌肉类的疾病这一特殊功能。
词汇
exoskeleton[′eksǝʊ，skelɪt(ǝ)n]n.[昆]外骨骼
unobtrusive[ʌnǝb′tru:sɪv]adj.不唐突的；谦虚的；不引人注目的
optimal[′ɒptɪm(ǝ)l]adj.最佳的；最理想的
detrimental[，detrɪ′ment(ǝ)l]adj.不利的；有害的
physiotherapist[，fɪzɪǝʊ′θɛrǝpɪst]n.理疗家；理疗医师
intermittently[intǝ′mitǝntli]adv.间歇地
Ergonomics[，ɜ:gǝ′nɒmɪks]n.工效学；人类工程学
长难句
Although unique,it shares some similarities with the Swiss Milking Stool,a monopod
used by farmers to milk cows,which dates back to the early 19th Century.
虽然很独特，但它和瑞士的一种农场工人用来去挤奶的工具——单脚架很像，而这种工具要追溯到19世纪早期。
Common Sources of Food Poisoning
(The Atlantic)—A late-night roiling stomach is cause for frenzied reflection.After wondering if you’re getting sick,your thoughts will likely wander to your most recent meal,prompting that anxiety-inducing question:“Was it something I ate?”
If it was,you’d be among the 48 million people who get foodborne illnesses in the United States each year.And a new report by the Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration offers some insight on what these 48 million people are likely to have eaten before getting sick.When the IFSAC was created in 2011,it was tasked with getting better data on where foodborne illnesses are coming from,and this report is the first one using the group’s “improved method.”
The report looks at four major pathogens that the IFSAC(a joint effort by the Food and Drug Administration,the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,and the Department of Agriculture)considered“high priority”:E.Coli 0157,Salmonella,Campylobacter,and Listeria.These bacteria are among the most common and most severe types that cause foodborne illness,but,as the FDA wrote in a press release,“targeted interventions can have a significant impact in reducing them.”
The researchers primarily studied outbreaks from 2008 to 2012,bolstering the set with data from older outbreaks to make sure they included foods that may not have caused outbreaks within that five-year period,but may have still transmitted some illness.
These were the most common foods responsible for transmitting each of the pathogens:
E.Coli
Beef:46 percent
Vegetable row crops:36 percent
Salmonella
Seeded vegetables:18 percent
Fruit:12 percent
Eggs:12 percent
Chicken:10 percent
Beef:9 percent
Pork:8 percent
Sprouts:8 percent
Campylobacter
Dairy:66 percent
Chicken:8 percent
Listeria
Fruit:50 percent
Dairy:31 percent
This data gives some insight on where to focus efforts to fight food poisoning caused by these four bacteria.But it also reveals some challenges—for example,it’s a lot easier to zero in on just a couple causes,like E.Coli’s beef and row vegetables,than it is to try and battle the broad,diffuse reach of Salmonella.
Campylobacter occurred in small percentages in seafood and vegetables as well as chicken,but dairy had the overwhelmingly highest rate of the bacteria.The report attributes this to raw,unpasteurized milk and cheeses.
Dairy was also a big hitter for Listeria,but the report notes that there weren’t that many outbreaks to go on.For example,the high percentage attributable to fruit came mostly from an outbreak caused by cantaloupes in 2011.
It’s hard to predict where or when an outbreak of one of these illnesses will occur,and of course one shouldn’t live in fear of one’s dinner,but if your stomach starts to cramp and churn between a few hours and a few days after eating one of these foods,it’s possible it was something you ate.
文章梗概
本文摘自美国《大西洋月刊》的一则新闻报道，这则新闻主要讲的是目前较为普遍的食物中毒。作者通过一些通俗易懂的事例告诉我们日常所食用的很多食物都带有病原体，从而会对我们的身体产生危害。此外，文章还列举了一些我们日常食用但是会传播病原体的食物。
词汇
frenzied[′frenzɪd]adj.疯狂的；狂乱的；激怒的
pathogen[′pæθǝdʒ(ǝ)n]n.病原体；病菌
intervention[ɪntǝ′venʃ(ǝ)n]n.介入；调停；妨碍
bolster[′bǝʊlstǝ]vt.鼓励，支持，强化
diffuse[dɪ’fju:z]vt.扩散；传播
overwhelmingly[，ǝʊovɚ′hwɛlmɪŋli]adv.压倒性地，不可抗拒地
unpaseurized[ʌn′pɑ:stʃǝraɪzd;-tjǝraɪzd;ʌn′pæs-] adj.未经高温消毒的
cramp[kræmp]n.痉挛，绞痛
长难句
The researchers primarily studied outbreaks from 2008 to 2012,bolstering the set with data from older outbreaks to make sure they included foods that may not have caused outbreaks within that five-year period,but may have still transmitted some illness.
研究人员首先研究2008～2012年的疾病爆发，强化了从以前的疾病爆发中得到的数据，这样来确保他们已经包含了在那5年间可能不会引起疾病爆发但是会传播疾病的食物。
Human Waste on Mount Everest
(BBC)—Too much poo and wee is being left behind by climbers on Mount Everest.
The issue is causing pollution and could spread disease,says the boss of Nepal’s mountaineering association.
Ang Tshering wants Nepal’s government to get visitors to dispose of their waste properly.
He says faeces and urine have been“piling up”for years around the four camps.“Climbers usually dig holes in the snow for their toilet use and leave the human waste there.”
More than 700 climbers and guides spend almost two months on the mountain slopes each season,which began this week and ends in May.
“It is a health hazard and the issue needs to be addressed,”says Dawa Steven Sherpa, who has been working on clean-up expeditions since 2008.
Some climbers do carry disposable travel toilet bags to use in the higher camps,he explains.
At base camp there are toilet tents,which have drums into which human waste goes. These can be properly disposed of after they are carried to a lower area.
The camps between the base and the summit do have tents and other supplies,but no toilets.
The government in Nepal has yet to come up with a solution to the problem of human waste disposal-but officials will be monitoring the rubbish on the mountain,says the head of the government’s mountaineering department Puspa Raj Katuwa
New rules mean each climber must bring 8kg(18lb)of rubbish when they return to base camp.
That is the amount experts believe a climber discards along the route.
Teams also make a$4,000(£2,600)deposit,which they lose if they don’t stick to the rules.
Last year’s season was cancelled after 16 local guides were killed in an avalanche in April.
In total,hundreds of people have died trying to scale Mount Everest,which was first conquered by New Zealand climber Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide,Tenzing Norgay in 1953.
文章梗概
本文主要介绍了珠穆朗玛峰上垃圾过多的现状。由于每年都会有很多探险家在山上度过很长时间，这就不可避免地带来了很多垃圾，主要是人类的排泄物。尽管相关管理人员会号召大家将垃圾带下山，垃圾处理队也会一直清理，但是仍然有很多被留在了山上。为了解决这样的问题，负责人规定大家上山前要先交保证金，如果不遵守规定就会失去保证金。
词汇
dispose[dɪ′spǝʊz]vt.处理；处置；安排
pile up积累，堆放起来
hazard[′hæzǝd]n.危险，冒险；冒险的事
expedition[ekspɪ’dɪʃ(ǝ)n]n.远征；探险队
deposit[dɪ′pɒzɪt]n.存款；保证金
avalanche[′ævǝlɑ:nʃ]n.雪崩
Hillary Clinton News
(ABC)—Hillary Clinton used a personal email account exclusively while serving as secretary of state,and may have violated federal requirements,the New York Times reported late Monday.According to the Times,Clinton did not have a government email address during her four years at the State Department,and her aides took no action to preserve her emails–which is required by law under the Federal Records Act.
These new revelations raise questions about transparency,legality,and certainly security. It is not clear whether any encryption protection existed on her private email account,as is required on government emails.
Clinton’s personal spokesman,Nick Merrill,issued a statement in response to the New York Times report.
Like Secretaries of State before her,she used her own email account when engaging with any Department officials.For government business,she emailed them on their Department accounts,with every expectation they would be retained.When the Department asked former Secretaries last year for help ensuring their emails were in fact retained,we immediately said yes,”the statement reads.
“Both the letter and spirit of the rules permitted State Department officials to use non-government email,as long as appropriate records were preserved.As a result of State’s request for our help to make sure they in fact were,that is what happened here.As the Department stated,it is in the process of updating its record preservation policies to bring them in line with its retention responsibilities.”
In an effort to comply with federal record-keeping laws,aides to the former secretary of state turned over 55,000 emails to the State Department two months ago,according to the Times report.
“The State Department has long had access to a wide array of Secretary Clinton’s records– including emails between her and Department officials with state.gov accounts.Last year,the Department sent a letter to representatives of former secretaries of state requesting they submit any records in their possession for proper preservation as part of our effort to continually improve our records preservation and management,”State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf told ABC News in a statement early Tuesday.“In response to our request,Secretary Clinton provided the Department with emails spanning her time at the Department.After the State Department reviewed those emails,last month the State Department produced about 300 emails responsive to recent requests from the Select Committee.”
The matter is expected to become a campaign issue.Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, a potential 2016 candidate for the White House,released more than 275,000 emails last month from his time as governor in the name of“transparency.”Bush tweeted late Monday “Transparency matters.Unclassified@HillaryClinton emails should be released.You can see mine,here.Jebbushemails.com.”
Senior administration officials declined to comment late Monday on whether any other cabinet member or senior staffer operated without a government email account in the Obama administration,or whether steps are now being taken to ensure the Federal Records Act is being followed with in Clinton’s case.Senior administration officials also will not say whether any White House officials corresponded with Clinton on that account on official business and whether they had security concerns about emailing a non-government account.
文章梗概
本文主要针对希拉里在任美国国务卿期间使用个人邮箱处理一切事务的问题进行探讨。这则事件的曝光涉及透明度、合法性还有安全性等问题。文章主要介绍希拉里接受审查其在任期间处理的邮件以及对其前国务卿的一系列调查，试图探究联邦官员使用私人邮箱地址的原因。
词汇
transparency[træn′spær(ǝ)nsɪ]n.透明，透明度
encryption[ɪn′krɪpʃǝn]n.加密；加密术
retention[rɪ′tenʃ(ǝ)n]n.保留；扣留，滞留
comply with照做，遵守
span[spæn]vt.跨越；持续
staffer[′stɑ:fǝ]n.职员；编辑；采访记者
长难句
Senior administration officials also will not say whether any White House officials corresponded with Clinton on that account on official business and whether they had security concerns about emailing a non-government account.
政府官员不会告诉我们他们是否与希拉里就国务公事用私人邮箱账号沟通过，也不会说它们是否担心过信息安全问题。
Myth or Fact?
(CNN)—Myth or fact?Coffee is good for you.
If you chose fact,you’re right.New studies this week add to dozens more reporting the health benefits of coffee,including protection from type 2 diabetes,Parkinson’s disease, liver disease,prostate cancer,Alzheimer’s,computer back pain and more.
But if you chose myth,you’d also be right.There are times when coffee is bad for you,and it depends on your genetics,your age and even how you make your coffee.
Coffee lovers rejoice!There are more studies than ever encouraging you to sip for your good health.
A huge study of more than 25,000 coffee drinkers in South Korea shows that moderate daily consumption—that’s three to five cups a day—is associated with a decreased risk for coronary artery calcium.CAC is a great predictor of future heart disease and hasn’t been studied much in the past.
Four cups of coffee a day was also recently found to moderately reduce one’s risk for melanoma,a highly dangerous skin cancer.It has to be leaded,though;in the study decaffeinated coffee didn’t provide any protection.The study supports a previous finding of a link between coffee and a reduced risk for basal cell carcinoma,the most common type of skin cancer.
Another recent study looked at coffee consumption and multiple sclerosis.It found high coffee intake—that’s four to six cups a day—reduced the risk of getting MS.So did drinking a lot of coffee over five to 10 years.Researchers now want to study coffee’s impact on relapses and long-term disability in MS.
Add this to the existing research on Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s,and investigators now believe coffee could be neuroprotective,meaning that it is possible the drink is suppressing the production of inflammatory markers in the brain.And it may be more than the caffeine in coffee that’s responsible.Researchers are starting to look at other compounds in coffee that may help as well.
Before you run off to your favorite coffee spot for a double mocha latte,note one thing about these studies.
Most research defines a“cup”of coffee at 5 to 8 ounces,about a 100mg of caffeine,and black or maybe with a bit of cream or sugar.It is not one of those 24-ounce monsters topped with caramel and whipped cream.
While the health benefits of coffee keep rolling in,the complete story isn’t so rosy.In some studies,very high consumption—six or more cups a day—reduced the benefits.
Some populations can find coffee consumption potentially harmful.People with sleep issues or uncontrolled diabetes may need to ask their doctors before adding caffeine to their diets.There’s also a concern about caffeine use among youths.
And there’s a genetic mutation many of us have that can affect how fast our bodies metabolize caffeine.The gene is called CYP1A2—if you have the slow version,it would explain why you crawl the walls after only a cup or two or why it might contribute to your high blood pressure.
Women should take particular note.Coffee may increase menopausal hot flashes.And pregnant women might be more likely to miscarry—the jury is still out—but caffeine does reach the fetus and might restrict growth.Doctors recommend only a cup a day during pregnancy.
And interestingly enough,the way you make your coffee could also make a health difference—there’s a compound called cafestol in the oily part of coffee that can increase your bad cholesterol or LDL.It’s caught in the paper filters,so as long as you use those to make your morning joe,you should be fine.But if you’re a lover of French press,Turkish coffee or the boiled coffee popular in Scandinavian countries,you could be putting your health at risk.
For many of us,coffee is a blessing.And as long as you avoid its pitfalls,current science seems to be saying you can continue to enjoy it,guilt free.
文章梗概
文章以一般疑问句的方式展开全文，引出咖啡到底对人体好还是不好。文章给出了两种回答：当我们适度饮用咖啡时，那么咖啡对我们来说是一种恩赐，可以减少糖尿病、帕金森氏综合症、肿瘤等多种疾病的发病率；但是，如果过量饮用咖啡，则会对人体带来一些非常严重的危害，例如会产生基因突变、流产等后果。所以，咖啡是天使还是恶魔，取决于我们引用咖啡的“度”。
词汇
Parkinson’s disease[′pa:kinsnzdizi:z]n.帕金森氏综合症
prostate cancer[′prɒsteɪt]n.前列腺癌
Alzheimer’s[′ɔ:ltshaɪmǝrz]n.老人痴呆症；痴呆症
rejoice[rɪ′dʒɒɪs]vi.高兴；庆祝
coronary artery calcium（CAC）n.冠脉钙化
melanoma[，melǝ’nǝʊmǝ]n.[肿瘤]黑素瘤；胎记瘤
decaffeinated[，di′kæfɪnetɪd]adj.脱去咖啡因的
basal cell carcinoma n.基底细胞癌
relapse[rɪ′læps]n.复发，再发
inflammatory[ɪn′flæmǝt(ǝ)rɪ]adj.炎症性的
mutation[mju:′teɪʃ(ǝ)n]n.[遗]突变；变化
fetus[′fi:tǝs]n.胎儿，胎
miscarry[mɪs′kærɪ]vi.流产
pitfall[′pɪtfɔ:l]n.陷阱，圈套；缺陷；诱惑
cafestol[′kæfstl]n.咖啡醇
The End of the Line
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain,except death and taxes,”mused Benjamin Franklin.With death,at least,humans have devised myriad ways to deal with the inevitable,from the practicalities of disposing the body to the grief of losing a loved one.In her new book“Making an Exit”,Sarah Murray,a contributor to the Financial Times,travels the globe to discover how different cultures conduct funeral rites and honour the dead.
A morbid subject,perhaps.But as Ms Murray’s book reveals,it is a peculiarly British habit to quarantine death with“pragmatism,etiquette and control”.Other cultures have a more comfortable relationship with the deceased,and even commune with the spirits of ancestors.Funerals are not always solemn affairs.
A self-described“child of globalization”,Ms Murray has led a nomadic life.Having lived and worked on four continents,she is now based in New York—the depot of choice for those who pine for immortality.She undertook this globetrotting adventure for two reasons: to feed her wanderlust and to ponder her own final resting place.The death of her father, and his clear orders for an unfussy,secular send-off,prompted Ms Murray to consider her own long goodbye.The result is not only a fascinating travelogue,but also a personal meditation on loss and fate.
Ms Murray excels in the role of intrepid tour guide.She has an inviting way of taking readers by the hand to explore new cultures and places.Unfortunately she is less strong when she turns her gaze back at herself.Some anecdotes feel like a distraction—readers may wonder at the relevance of her hairdresser’s great aunt’s cremation,or of her bout of food poisoning in China.But if you are prepared to meander and occasionally indulge, then there is a wealth to discover within these pages.
The Balinese have the most extravagant funeral rites.They spend weeks creating elaborate pyres,often in the shape of a sacred bull,and burn their coffin-sheathed dead in joyous public ceremonies.Crying is frowned upon,as they believe this may hinder the spirit from reaching heaven.Conversely,the Shia Muslims in Iran embrace grief.They hold an annual ceremony of public weeping and wailing to commemorate the martyrdom in 680AD of Imam Husayn,grandson of Muhammad.
Pragmatism informs many funerary practices.The Zoroastrians in Iran,for example, traditionally leave corpses in towers for vultures to devour,so the bodies do not pollute the soil.Cremation is becoming more popular around the world,not only because land for cemeteries is increasingly rare and expensive,but also because ashes are easily transported.This is important in an ever globalised world,as for most people“the desire to be buried at home is the strongest”.
But most practices are shaped by religious beliefs and a faith in the afterlife.The Chinese keep shrines to the dead in their homes,and burn paper offerings to encourage the spirits to bestow good fortune on the living.Communities from Chile to Egypt to Sicily have mummified their dead to preserve the body for the afterlife.Ms Murray visits some particularly ghoulish mummies,dressed but withered,in the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo.For Hindus,though,the body is just a vehicle for the soul.In India the dying make pilgrimages to sacred sites,such as Varanasi,to be cremated and released into the River Ganges,India’s holiest waterway.This is so the dead can achieve moksha—breaking the cycle of birth,death and rebirth to gain enlightenment.The cremation ghats in Varanasi burn day and night.
Rituals for the dead are“hooks on which to hang our behaviour”,says Ms Murray.They help the living to make sense of loss.Death may be hard to contemplate,but this book is as much about the journey as it is about the last stop.
文章梗概
本则新闻介绍了Murray女士的新书《退出》，书中主要探索了不同文化背景下的人们是如何举行葬礼以纪念逝者的，体现了生活在不同文化背景中的人对生死及灵魂的态度和看法。
词汇
muse[mjuz]v.揣摩
myriad[′mɪrɪǝd]adj.无数的；种种的
pragmatism[′prægmǝ′tɪzǝn]n.实用主义；独断
travelogue[′trævǝlɒg]n.旅行见闻讲演
commemorate[kǝ′mɛmǝret]v.庆祝，纪念
pyre n.[′paɪɚ]火葬用的柴堆
mummify[′mʌmɪ′fai]v.将(尸体)制成木乃伊
cremation[krǝ′meʃǝn]n.火葬；火化
长难句
1.But if you are prepared to meander and occasionally indulge,then there is a wealth to discover within these pages.
但是如果你准备好时不时地翻一两页书或者偶尔沉浸于书中的话，那么你将会在这本书中获益匪浅。
2.Rituals for the dead are“hooks on which to hang our behaviour”,says Ms Murray. They help the living to make sense of loss.
Murray女士说，葬礼是“挂着人类行为方式的挂钩”。这些仪式帮助生者懂得失去的意义。
Economic Report
Two recent economic reports warn that,although the world economy is growing, complicating issues like lower oil prices and conflict could hurt progress.
The International Monetary Fund,or IMF,has reduced its prediction for world economic growth from 3.8 to 3.5 percent.That is still an improvement over 2014.But,the international lender says some major economies are facing economic struggles.
The price of oil is about half of what it was last June.The IMF’s chief economist,Olivier Blanchard,says lower oil prices have helped many major economies,but investment has dropped in oil exporting countries.
“On the one hand,major economies are benefiting from the decline in the price of oil,” Blanchard says.“But on the other,in many parts of the world,lower long run prospects adversely affect demand.”
The United Nations also released a report called“World Economic Situation and Prospects 2015.”UN economists predict growth this year will be 3.1 percent.They point out that crises like the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and conflict in Ukraine could hurt a world economy showing signs of improvement.
Many see cost-cutting as a barrier to growth.High debt levels have limited opportunities for expansion in Europe.Alfredo Calcagno is an economist with the U.N.Conference on Trade and Development.He says austerity programs suppress economic recovery. Greece,he said,is one example.
The report predicts Africa’s growth rate will increase reaching 4.6 percent in 2015 and 4.9 percent in 2016.East-African countries such as Ethiopia,Kenya and Uganda are doing well.
“In these countries,what you have is investment in other areas like telecommunication, infrastructure.You have a rising middle class that also is increasing its demands.”
But in Africa south of the Sahara Desert,IMF economists say growth expectations have weakened especially in Nigeria and South Africa.Falling prices of raw materials called commodities have also weakened expectations in Latin American and the Caribbean area.
Exchange rates can also influence economic growth.The value of the US dollar has strengthened while the euro and the yen have weakened.And that is not a bad thing for slowing European and Japanese economies says the IMF’s Olivier Blanchard.
“The depreciation of the euro and yen will give a much needed boost to demand in those two parts of the world,which very much need an increase in demand.”
The U.S.also is expected to show good growth of over three percent this year.
UN economists expect East Asia to remain the fastest growing area with economic expansion of almost five percent.However,both IMF and the UN economists expect China’s growth to be under seven percent in 2015.
文章梗概
本则新闻简明扼要地介绍了有关当今全球经济的两份财经报告，报告中指出了不同地区的经济增长情况，并表示油价下跌和冲突事件等复杂问题可能会危害发展进程。
词汇
adversely[æd′vʒsli]adv.不利地；逆地
barrier[′bærɪɚ]n.障碍物，屏障
austerity[ɒ′stɛrǝti]n.紧缩；朴素；苦行
suppress[sǝ′prɛs]v.抑制；镇压
infrastructure[′infrǝ′strʌktʃɚ]n.基础设施；公共建设
yen[jɛn]n.日元
长难句
1.In these countries,what you have is investment in other areas like telecommunication, infrastructure.You have a rising middle class that also is increasing its demands.
在这些国家，投资往往在电信和基础设施的领域，不断壮大的中产阶级也在提升其需求。
2.UN economists predict growth this year will be 3.1 percent.They point out that crises like the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and conflict in Ukraine could hurt a world economy showing signs of improvement.
联合国经济学家预测今年经济增长将达到3.1%，并指出尽管全球经济出现好转迹象，但如西非埃博拉病毒的爆发和乌克兰冲突的危机将危害全球经济。
Arctic Drilling
WHEN BP’s Macondo well began spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico,the firm was in the midst of an effort to persuade Canada’s energy regulator that safety standards for offshore drilling in the Canadian Arctic were expensive,impractical and should be relaxed.
Hearings on the subject were promptly suspended and the regulator declared that no new drilling permits would be issued pending a review of existing rules.We have a duty to pause, to take stock of the incident,says Gaétan Caron,head of the National Energy Board.For a time it looked as though the Arctic would be the next frontier for Western oil firms, which have only limited access to the most promising prospects in sunnier climes.The retreat of the polar ice cap is making the region easier to work in,and there is thought to be lots of oil and gas to tap.
But Canada is not the only country now thinking twice:America,Norway and even Russia are all contemplating tighter rules for drilling.Canada’s stay on drilling,like a similar one imposed in America,is temporary.But environmental groups and some indigenous people advocate more lasting restrictions,on the ground that the Arctic is particularly ecologically fragile,far from clean-up crews and blanketed for much of the year in oil-trapping ice.
A vigorous argument about whether to open pristine bits of coastline to drilling had already been under way in Norway.
The spill has made a big impression in the country,says Kristin Halvorsen,who leads one of the parties in the governing coalition and opposes the expansion,because it shows that even with a lot of security measures and top modern technology,you can’t insure against accidents when you are working with oil.
The row is threatening to undermine the coalition,with the prime minister refusing to rule out further drilling.
Russia’s parliament,too,has begun debating updated environmental laws to address offshore spills—a move the government supports.Only Greenland,an autonomous Danish territory with high hopes for an oil-fuelled bonanza,is pressing ahead undaunted with plans to expand oil exploration.
Its government has approved drilling this summer in Baffin Bay,close to its maritime boundary with Canada.That decision has alarmed Jim Prentice,Canada’s environment minister,who wants the highest environmental standards to be applied.
Mr Prentice and his counterparts from other Arctic states met in Greenland this week,to discuss offshore drilling among other topics.The oil industry is relatively confident that their response to events farther south will not be too restrictive.After all,if the Arctic does not provide new supplies of oil,they will have to be obtained somewhere else.
As Benoit Beauchamp of the Arctic Institute of North America,a Canadian research outfit, notes:That somewhere else might be the oil sands,which have their own environmental problems,or it could be coming from places where you have to deal with warlords and terrorists,like Africa,or the Middle East,where we pretty much have to send armies to protect the oil and gas.
文章梗概
本则新闻介绍了加拿大对北极地区进行海底钻探一事的态度，以及为何会产生这种立场的原因。
词汇
spew[spju]v.喷出；呕吐
hearing[′hɪrɪŋ]n.听证会
promptly[′prɑmptli]adv.迅速地；立即地
tap[′tæp]v.开采
contemplate[′kɑntǝmplet]v.考虑，沉思
indigenous[ɪn′dɪdʒǝnǝs]adj.本土的；当地的
pristine[′prɪstin]adj.原始的；纯朴的
coalition[，kǝʊǝ′lɪʃǝn]n.联合；结合
长难句
1.But environmental groups and some indigenous people advocate more lasting restrictions,on the ground that the Arctic is particularly ecologically fragile,far from clean-up crews and blanketed for much of the year in oil-trapping ice.
但是环境组织和一些本地居民提倡实施更持久的限制，理由是北极的生态尤其脆弱，离清理团队很远，钻取石油的冰面常年是草木不生。
2.The spill has made a big impression in the country,says Kristin Halvorsen,who leads one of the parties in the governing coalition and opposes the expansion,because it shows that even with a lot of security measures and top modern technology,you can’t insure against accidents when you are working with oil.
执政联盟领导人之一，反对扩大钻探规模的Kristin Halvorsen称，墨西哥湾漏油事件在全国引起了很大反响，因为这表明，即使有很多的安全措施和先进的现代技术，当你跟石油共事时，依旧没法保证不出事故。
3.That somewhere else might be the oil sands,which have their own environmental problems,or it could be coming from places where you have to deal with warlords and terrorists,like Africa,or the Middle East,where we pretty much have to send armies to protect the oil and gas.
有些地方也许有油砂，这些地方有自己的环境问题；或者这些油砂的产地有军国主义和恐怖分子，例如非洲或是中东，我们肯定要派军队去保护石油和天然气。
Silent Carriage
Noise pollution:Shhh!
Why quiet carriages don’t work,and how they might be made to
Quiet carriages on trains are a nice idea:travelers voluntarily switch phones to silent,turn stereos off and keep chatter to a minimum.In reality,there is usually at least one inane babbler to break the silence.
A couple of problems prevent peaceful trips.First,there is a sorting problem:some passengers end up in the quiet carriage by accident and are not aware of the rules. Second,there is a commitment problem:noise is sometimes made by travelers who choose the quiet carriage but find an important call hard to ignore.
The train operators are trying to find answers.Trains in Queensland,Australia,are having permanent signs added to show exactly what is expected;a British operator has invested in signal-jamming technology to prevent phone calls.Microeconomics suggests another approach:putting a price on noise.
Fining people for making a din would surely dissuade the polluter and is a neat solution in theory,but it requires costly monitoring and enforcement.Another tack would be to use prices to separate quiet and noisy passengers—in effect,creating a market for silence. A simple idea would be to sell access to the quiet carriage as an optional extra when the ticket is bought.Making the quiet coach both an active choice and a costly one would dissuade many of those who do not value a peaceful ride.
Charging may also solve the commitment problem.This is particularly tricky,as attitudes to noise can change during the journey.Some passengers would pay the quiet premium but still chatter away when some vital news arrives.Schemes that reward the silent—a ratings system among fellow passengers,for example—could help.The idea is that losing your hard-won reputation offsets the short-term gain from using the phone.But such a system also fails the simplicity test.
A 2010 book by George Akerlof and Rachel Kranton argues that“norms”—feelings about how everyone should behave—also play a role in decision-making.Charging a price,even if just a token amount,means the quiet carriage becomes a service that fellow passengers have bought,not just a preference they have expressed.Perhaps different norms would come into play,encouraging calm.If not,a personal bubble is always an option:noise-cancelling headphones start at around$50.
文章梗概
本则新闻探讨了人们对无噪音车厢的期待，以及乘客虽然选择了无噪音车厢，但仍可能遇到各种烦恼，人们虽然引进了各种机制去解决，但并不奏效。最后介绍了乔治·阿克洛夫和雷切尔·克兰顿所提出的行为准则理论。
词汇
inane[ɪ′nen]adj.空洞的，空虚的
commitment[kǝ′mɪtmǝnt]n.承诺，保证
signal-jamming信号干扰
din[dɪn]n.喧嚣
dissuade[dɪ′swed]v.劝阻
token[′tǝʊkǝn]adj.象征的；表意的
长难句
The idea is that losing your hard-won reputation offsets the short-term gain from using the phone.
这个原理是：你从使用手机上获得的短期便宜将以失去得来不易的名声为代价。
2.Charging a price,even if just a token amount,means the quiet carriage becomes a service that fellow passengers have bought,not just a preference they have expressed.
收一些费用，哪怕是象征性的一点点，意味着安静的车厢成为了人们所购买的一项服务，而不单是乘客偏爱安静的表现。