Lesson 8 Trading standards
第八課貿易標準
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.
【譯文】布魯塞爾的官員說，在美國屠宰的雞不適于裝點歐洲的餐桌。
【講解】slaughtered in the United States為過去分詞短語，作定語，修飾chickens。此句也可以寫成Officials in Brussels say that chickens slaughtered in the United States are not fit to grace European tables. 原文的寫法是為了凸顯chickens slaughtered in the United States。本句和下句的寫法是新聞英語中的常見寫法。
【單詞和短語】
grace:給……增光；使……有榮耀（to make a place or an object look more attractive），
例如：
a meal that is fit to grace any table 上得了任何臺面的一餐飯
8-2. No, say the American: our fowl are fine, we simply clean them in a different way.
【譯文】不，美國人說：我們的家禽很好，只是我們用了另一種方式清洗。
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.
【譯文】今日，正是各國條例的差異，而非關稅，阻礙了發(fā)達國家間的貿易。
【講解】此句為強調句，被強調的部分是differences in national regulations, far more than tariffs。
【單詞和短語】
put sand in the wheels(machine)：妨礙，阻撓；搗亂。
8-4. It is not just farmers who are complaining.
【譯文】不僅是農(nóng)民在抱怨。
【講解】此句為強調句，被強調部分是not just farmers。
【單詞和短語】
complain的名詞形式是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.
【譯文】一把符合歐盟安全標準的電動剃須刀在美國面市前必須得到美國檢測人員的認可，而美國制造的透析儀也要得到歐盟的首肯才能進入歐洲市場。
【講解】razor后的that…standards為定語從句，修飾an electric razor。
【單詞和短語】
okay此處作名詞用，意為“批準，認可”。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.
【譯文】碰巧在歐洲使用安全的剃須刀不大可能電死美國人。
【講解】as it happens為插入語，對a razor…Americans表示強調。that is safe in Europe作定語從句，修飾razor。
【單詞和短語】
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?guī)еP記本。
8-7. So, ask businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, why have two lots of tests where one would do?
【譯文】因此，大西洋兩岸的企業(yè)都在問，當一套測試可以解決問題時，為何用兩套呢？
【講解】where one would do為定語從句，修飾tests。