EZCNN 易英网

A Year Without “MADE IN CHINA” 没有中国制造的一年

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Are you wearing a watch, carrying a cell phone or wearing shoes? Chances are that all of these items are labeled “Made in China.” Recent safety recalls of Chinese exports ranging from toys to pet food to toothpaste in the U.S. all beg the question: How far into people’s lives has China entered? What would life be like without “Made in China?” American journalist Sara Bongiorni decided to find out.

你是否有戴手表、携带移动电话或穿着鞋子？有可能这些商品都标有「中国制造」几个字。近来在美国因安全因素而回收的中国货，其范围涵盖玩具、宠物食品及牙膏。这些事件不禁令人质疑：中国到底有多深入人们的生活？若没有「中国制造」的商品，日子会变成什么样子？美国记者莎拉．邦乔妮决定弄个明白。

On Christmas Day in 2004, Bongiorni looked at all the presents under the tree and realized that she was surrounded by “Made in China.” After twisting her husband’s arm, she persuaded her family to perform an experiment: they would forsake all goods produced in China for one year. Her choice wasn’t a political one. She just wanted to see if a normal family could accomplish this feat.

2004年圣诞节当天，邦乔妮看着圣诞树下的所有礼品，然后了解到，周遭全是「中国制造」的商品。向先生施压后，她说服家人进行一项实验：一年间完全不碰中国制造的商品。她的选择非关政治，只是纯粹想探究一般家庭能否完成这项壮举。

Living this way was harder than she had ever imagined. Toys, for example, are almost exclusively manufactured in China. Her two children’s began to beg and cry after months of being denied bright, shiny toys. Also she had to spend over $50 on children’s shoes because all the inexpensive $15 shoes were made in China. When appliances around her house broke, she couldn’t replace them because the affordable ones were all made in China. After a year of being forced to live without inexpensive Chinese goods, Bongiorni came to a conclusion about “Made in China.” “You can still live without it, but it’s getting trickier and costlier by the day.”

这种生活方式比她原先预想的更加困难。例如玩具就几乎全是中国制造的。历经几个月没玩到鲜艳漂亮的玩具，她的两个孩子开始哀求、哭闹。此外，她还得花超过50美元为孩子买鞋，因为所有便宜的15美元鞋子都是中国制造的。家中的电器损坏时也无法更换，因为她买得起的全都是中国制造的。整整一年被迫过着没有便宜中国货的生活后，邦乔妮为「中国制造」下了一个结论。「没有它我们仍可过活，只是生活会变得日益困难、日益昂贵。」

−by Timothy de Sosa

Vocabulary

单词发音

export [ɪksˋport] n. 输出品

journalist [ˋdʒɝnəlɪst] n. 新闻记者

experiment [ɪkˋspɛrəmənt] n. 实验；试验

forsake [fɚˋsek] v. 摒弃，革除

exclusively [ɪkˋsklusɪvlɪ] adv. 专门地；专有地

manufacture [͵mænjəˋfæktʃɚ] v.（大量）制造

appliance [əˋplaɪəns] n. 家用电器

More Information

单词发音

recall [rɪˋkɔl] n. 收回；召回

beg the question 避开关键问题；绕过重要问题 if a statement or situation begs the question, it causes you to ask a particular question

beg [bɛg] v. 回避（问题）

twist (someone's) arm【口】说服或强迫某人做某事  to coerce by or as if by physical force

feat [fit] n. 壮举

tricky [ˋtrɪkɪ] adj. 困难的; 棘手的; 问题很多的

costly [ˋkɔstlɪ] adj. 昂贵的；代价高的

Reading Questions

1. What inspired Bongiorni to try her experiment?

A. She couldn’t put up with the bad quality of goods made in China.

B. She was afraid that the products were unsafe for her children.

C. She found that her family’s presents were all made in China.

D. She was tired of her children asking for expensive shoes and toys.

2. Which of the following happened during the experiment?

A. Bongiorni children had too many cheap toys.

B. Bongiorni couldn’t replace things in her house.

C. Bongiorni couldn’t find shoes for herself.

D. Bongiorni’s husband refused to go shopping with her.

3. What can be inferred from the article?

A. Products from China are much less expensive.

B. The Chinese are not successful at manufacturing.

C. The quality of Chinese goods is getting better.

D. Goods made in China are mostly unnecessary.

Answer