我们播种，我们收获

为了对付日益严重的肥胖问题，英国政府准备先让甜食减肥。

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8173936.stm

Calls to downsize chocolate bars Chocolate

Manufacturers are being asked to cut the size of chocolate bars, confectionery and cans of fizzy drink to tackle rising rates of obesity.

confectionery: 甜点的总称
fizzy: 冒泡的饮料
obesity: 超重，肥胖
tackle: 处理，对付

By 2012, the Food Standards Agency wants chocolate-based snacks such as Mars bars to be no bigger than 50g compared with the current 58g size.

snack: 零食
Mars bars: 玛氏巧克力棒，是玛氏公司最著名的产品之一。在中国这家公司最为人所知的品牌是德芙巧克力，当然，他们最近还兼并了箭牌口香糖。

Bars of chocolate should be no larger than 40g, a draft consultation warns.

Industry representatives said they were disappointed by continued moves to set “arbitrary targets”.
arbitrary: 随心所欲的，一时兴起的
这是说业界代表很不高兴，认为这些目标的设定是拍脑袋的结果，没什么客观依据。

The voluntary proposals also call for manufacturers to reduce the amount of saturated fat and added sugar in biscuits, cakes, pastries, chocolate confectionery and soft drinks.

call for: 呼吁
saturate: 饱和的；saturated fat, 自然就是饱和脂肪，这类脂肪由饱和脂肪酸和甘油构成，容易使人发胖
pastry: 烘烤过的面团。这个词有个近亲，就是paste, 对， copy/paste的paste，出了粘贴，它还有面团的意思，这个不难理解吧

A report from the FSA said there had been some progress – such as moves by United Biscuits to cut saturated fat in Digestives, Hob Nobs and Rich Tea biscuits by 50%.

cut … by …: 减少了多少，表达同样意思，这种用法比起cut … from …更加常见

Tesco was also highlighted for removing 110 tonnes of saturated fat
from its cakes by the end of 2008.

Tesco: 英国本土最大的连锁超市品牌，在中国也有，就是“乐购”

But when it comes to chocolate bars, EU rules restrict sugar and fat reductions, making reformulation difficult, the FSA said.

EU就是欧盟，为了保障欧盟整体作为一个统一的市场和经济体，欧盟成员国内部很多法律的制订，都不能不考虑欧盟的相关法规。

Reductions are however possible through cutting portion sizes, it added.

由于欧盟的法规在那里，减少巧克力的糖和脂肪含量是没那么容易了，但是上有政策下有对策真是放之四海而皆准，英国说，我不减少比例，但是减少尺寸总可以了吧。

Chocolate bars, such as Dairy Milk and Yorkie, including those with added fruit and nuts, should weigh no more than 40g, the FSA said.

And chocolate products with “fillings” such as Mars bars, Twix and Snickers, should weigh no more than 50g and their saturated fat content be cut by at least 10%.

filling: 糖果里的填充物，就是夹心了

Cans of fizzy drinks should be cut from 330ml to 250ml by 2015, the FSA recommended.

And single portions of sugar-containing still and juice drinks should also be no more than 250ml.

On current trends around 60% of Britons will be obese by 2050.

obese: 超重

Health problems associated with obesity already cost the NHS £4.2bn a year, a figure that is set to double by 2050.

Almost nine out of 10 children aged seven to 14 drink fizzy drinks and 34% of 11-16 year-olds consume chocolate at least once a day, figures show.

Gill Fine, director of consumer choice and dietary health at the FSA, said they recognised the achievements already made by some manufacturers.

“But to make even greater progress it’s important that everybody gets behind our recommendations on saturated fat, added sugar and portion sizes.

“What we are not doing is telling people what to eat.

“What we want to do is to make it easier for people to make healthier choices – to choose foods with reduced saturated fat and sugar – or smaller portion sizes.”

“What we are not doing is telling people what to eat, what we want to do is to make easier for people to make healthier choice” 这两句话值得我们反复琢磨，政府对人民不能像老妈对7岁孩子那样，这个不能作那个不能作，人民永远应该有选择的权利

Julian Hunt, director of communications at the Food and Drink Federation, said manufacturers had been working on cutting sugar and fat in their products for a number of years but there were significant technical, financial and consumer challenges that companies have to overcome.

significant: 意义重大的，不可忽略的；它的名词是significance
challenge: 挑战，经常用的动词是 overcome(克服），以及tackle(接受，迎接）

“Policy makers need to be realistic about the pace at which our members can be expected to keep delivering new innovations – particularly in the current recession,” he said.

policy maker: 政策指定者，类似的词还有lawmaker
innovation: 创新
recession: 经济衰退

He added that they were committed to working with the FSA but reformulation was just one option.

be committed to do sth: 全力以赴的去做
reformulation: 这个词不同于reform，实际上是re-formulation，也就是重新制定食品的配方
option: 选项

“We are disappointed that it appears to remain committed to setting arbitrary targets for specific nutrients in certain foods, rather than focusing on the need for everyone to achieve a balanced diet and lifestyle.”

nutrient: 营养物质
大家可以学习一下业界发言人怎么说话的，他们抱怨政府为特定食物中的某些营养成分做了限制目标，而非专心倡导大家来达到饮食和营养均衡。这两者有矛盾么？至少我看不出来，看来模棱两可也是艺术阿

气候变暖已经是个全球问题，气候越热越开空调，大家越开空调导致气候越热，这个怪圈咱们能跳得出去么。作为世界最大的发展中国家，也是人口最多的国家，碳排放量早就处在世界前列，在世界人民眼里，我们应该拿出什么行动来呢，请看本文。

What can China do about climate change? By Tim Collard World Last updated: July 30th, 2009 A Greenpeace report has now revealed, to the surprise of no one, that the awakened industrial giant of China is a colossal creator of carbon emissions. China’s three biggest power firms (Huaneng, Datang and Guodian) allegedly produced more greenhouse gas emissions last year than the whole of Britain.

reveal: 揭露，揭示 to the surprise of no one:谁都不觉得意外。实际上是to sb’s surprise的否定形式，譬如说， To my surprise, the boss approved my promotion. 老板答应给我升值，真是出乎我的意料。 colossal: 非常巨大的（大到让人害怕的程度） allegedly: allege是报告或者指控，表明有足够的迹象，但是还没有最后定论。allgedly 自然是据称，据报。 这一段说中国的三大能源巨头（华能，大唐，国电）的温室气体排放量，就已经超过了整个英国

Greenpeace have warned that inefficient plants and the country’s heavy reliance on coal are hindering efforts to tackle climate change. Well, this can hardly be disputed. The question is what can realistically be done about it

hinder:阻碍，它的名词形式是hinderance，经常出现在护照上，”Please allow the bearer of this passport to pass freely without let or hindrance” 请让持有人不受阻碍的自由通行。

The “developmental” arguments are well known: China has such an enormous population that per capita emissions are still comparatively low, even if the country as a whole is king of the toxic fumes. And China came late to the party: much of the problem was caused by Western countries who are now enjoying the fruits of the prosperity which brought the pollution, and why should China be responsible for taking out the garbage when she didn’t even get any cream cakes?

per capita: 即人均的意思，有一个常有的词是GDP per capita，即人均国民生产总值。 toxic: 有毒的 fume: 气体，加个前缀就是perfume 香水 这一段引用一类”发展“的观点说指中国的人均温室气体排放量还是比较低的。为中国辩护，你们西方发展的同时也污染了环境，现在中国也在走你们的老路，凭啥挨骂。

It is not the case that China simply doesn’t care. Since 1990 China has been taking environmental issues increasingly seriously. The problem is integrating them with the developmental imperative. When you have 1.5 billion people to feed and keep employed, you can hardly be blamed for making that your first objective. When Greenpeace say that China should introduce green taxes on coal and carbon emissions, they aren’t responsible for the unintended economic consequences. The Chinese are. These things are devilish difficult to predict.

“It is not the case” : 不是说… 譬如我们可以说, It is not the case I don’t love you, but I simply can’t afford the price of apartment. (不是我不爱你阿，我确实买不起房) “take sth seriously” 严肃对待某个问题。 imperative: 必须的，重要的事情。 所在句的意思是， 中国虽然重视到了环境问题的严峻，但是最大的问题是如何将环境问题和发展必需相结合，即协调好其中关系。 devilish: 非常。但是还有恶毒的意思，看这个词的devil就知道了。 这一段也是站在同情中国的立场上说的，绿色和平组织是站着说话不要疼，你看15亿人要温饱要就业，这对政府来说是首要目标；绿色和平组织自然可以唱高调要求关掉这个或者对那个征税，经济后果怎么办。

Renewables are everybody’s favourite baby, and on the face of it China should be well positioned; hydroelectric power is already a big thing in the South, and anyone who’s stood in a Beijing street in the spring with half the Gobi Desert blowing into their face will see prospects for wind power. And of course nuclear energy is potentially the biggest renewable of all (there is no political penalty for saying these words in China, unlike, say, in Germany).

renewable: 可再生的。可再生能源包括水力，太阳能，风能，核能。 favourite baby: 宠儿 be well positioned: 处在有利位置 hydroelectric: 水力发电 Gobi Desert: 戈壁沙漠。这个记者很幽默，在北京被吹了一脸沙尘暴，还很有革命乐观主义精神，你看，中国的风力发电潜力大阿。 penalty: 惩罚，处罚。

Here the problem is that, when Greenpeace talk about inefficient plants, they aren’t joking. And mining accidents claim several thousand lives a year in China. Things are not always done properly, and when a safety inspector calls he is likely to be greeted with a brown envelope and a bottle of Johnnie Walker rather than a proper account of procedures strictly adhered to. Now extrapolate that to an expanding nuclear industry…

claim: 大家可能知道这个词的意思之一，宣扬，宣称；但是它经常和事故联系在一起，表示夺去生命。 brown envelope: 指贿赂；看来英美的说法和我们异曲同工，我们说红包，他们说“咖啡袋” adhere to: 遵守（规则，流程） extrapolate: (根据已有案例）推断；还有一个类似的词interpolate，指插入。 本段最后的意思是，你看连中国的煤矿什么都事故连连，说是检查吧，但是人塞点红包和洋酒就能打发检查员。如果这类事情出现在核电产业，后果真是不敢想象。

Yes, China needs to reduce its dependence on coal. But please, Greenpeace, don’t be too prescriptive on which levers to pull – it won’t do any good. China has excellent economists, who have nobly resisted the temptation to throw their hands up in despair at the extraordinary complex of problems facing the country. They’ll work that out for themselves. The answer to climate change is the same in China as it is anywhere else; technological development, and the structuring of incentives so that prosperity and environmental concerns can be combined. I drive a low-emission car, not because I’m a green hero, but because it saves me money. Take it from there.

prescriptive: 发号施令的 throw one’s hands up: 举手(投降） incentive: 激励措施 prosperity: 经济繁荣 在最后一段中，作者劝绿色和平组织，你们呢，也别老在中国面前指手划脚了，人家也有牛13的经济学家，那么多复杂的问题，不还挺到现在么。在中国和全世界，环境问题归根到底要通过经济手段来解决，什么时候大伙觉得哎环保就等于省钱了，那这个问题就解决了。

Microsoft, Yahoo agree on long-sought search deal
微软和雅虎达成长久搜索协议

文章简介： 历经18个月，三人CEO的微软雅虎案子终于定音，伴随雅虎股价下降，微软股价略微上升。 老牌的互联网公司Yahoo 和无奈的互联网失败者微软达成了长达10年的搜索合作协议。Yahoo错过了微软的收购，与Google的合作失败，终于联姻Microsoft的雅虎，能够止住下滑的步伐吗？有了新的搜索数据的Bing, 能应吗？

我们接下来看一篇来自雅虎新闻的报道：

SAN FRANCISCO – Microsoft Corp. has finally roped Yahoo Inc. into an Internet search partnership, capping a convoluted pursuit that dragged on for years and finally setting the stage for the rivals to make an all-out assault against the dominance of Google Inc.

rope: 绳子，或者一串什么东西。 例如 The policemen tied him with ropes; 做动词讲，是指用绳子捆紧。 文中的意思是，微软终于把雅虎绑到一个合作协议上了。

convolute: 回旋形的。 这个单词是由con + volute (螺旋，涡形）组合而成；

drag on: 固定搭配，拖延很久的意思。 The project of live broadcasting has dragged on for months.
文中的意思是，微软的求婚持续了几年，其实公开的也就是18个月。没有几年。

set the stage for : 是指为… 搭台，为… 铺平了道路。 文中的意思是为Google的竞争对手们铺平了绝地反击Google的道路。

The 10-year deal announced Wednesday gives Microsoft access to the Internet’s second-largest search engine audience, adding a potentially potent weapon to the software maker’s Internet arsenal as it tries to better confront Google, the leader in online search and advertising.

arsenal: 武器的统称。

该段点名了合作的方式， 微软获得了雅虎用户数据的10年授权，这为软件巨人挑战google增加了砝码。

Google tried to stop Yahoo from falling into Microsoft’s camp. Last year it formed its own proposed search advertising deal with Yahoo, only to be forced to retreat from that alliance after U.S. antitrust officials threatened to sue.

retreat: 退出。 比如， we retreated back down the mountain.

这里点名了Google也曾经想和Yahoo联盟（看来雅虎不愁嫁），但后来在联邦政府的压力下，最后这个计划泡汤了。

文章比较长，但全文通俗易懂，我们不再继续解释。 有兴趣的同学可以关注 全文：http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_microsoft_yahoo

Britain publishes Twitter guide for ministers
英国发布了部长twitter指南

文章简介： 本文概要讲述了英国是如何教导部长们在twitter上发布消息的。 看到这条消息，或许我们联想到的是，我们为什么连打开twitter的权力也没有了。

我们看看本文讲述了哪些内容：

LONDON (Reuters) -The British government has published a guide to help ministers understand how to use the social networking site Twitter, with the aim of extending its news and corporate messages online.

social networking site: 社交网站，简称SNS. 另SNS 也被称为是 social network service. 社交服务。 SNS在国内外蓬勃发展，在美国，有myspace和facebook两大最著名的社交网站，而twitter和friendfeed作为全新的媒体平台，也是SNS中最重要的力量。

twitter: 推特，是美国最著名的微博客服务。 我们之前也介绍过twitter 在英国皇室的应用。也就是说，twitter 已经深入英国皇室和政府，就不要说百姓了。 而唯独这项服务在中国是unaccessible 的。

Twitter, which lets users post “Tweets” of up to 140 characters, has surged in popularity since its launch in 2006.

tweet: 前面也讲过这个词语。每在twitter上发布一条消息称为tweet, 要求不抄过140个字母。 不过汉子比较走运，140个汉字能说的话远多于英语啊，所以要是没有阻隔，说不定哪天twitter上都是汉字，掀起中文学习热潮。

surge: surge是指海浪。 如 The surge upset the boat. 海浪打翻了小船。
和海浪一样，汹涌澎湃，surge也指速度激增。如 The market has gone to this high point due to the surge of investment from the government. 股市攀升至高点是因为政府的投资都涌进了股市。

With government departments such as the Foreign Office and Downing Street already tweeting, the 20-page guide details how ministers should provide an “informal” and “human” voice.
“We are looking at technology that is only a couple of years old, that people are still coming to terms with and finding the best way to use it,” said a Cabinet spokesman.

Cabinet: 内阁。 cabinet 其实是指柜子的意思，如There’s no more space for another cabinet in this small study

The guide, written by Neil Williams of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), asks ministers to tweet “a minimum 2 and a maximum of 10 tweets per working day, with a minimum gap of 30 minutes between tweets to avoid flooding our followers.”
Ministers are also encouraged to tweet with credibility and bear in mind relevant issues while avoiding commercially or politically sensitive information.

bear in mind: 记住，始终放在心上。 Bear in mind that you take the responsibility to complete the tasks by yourselves.

Campaign messages are not appropriate unless there is a current element involved.
Around 19 government departments currently run twitter feeds.
“The idea was to give some sort of guidance of joining everyone up so everyone is using it to the same kind of end,” said the spokesman.

今天的文章相当简单，但这就是路透社的原文，所以看起来读懂原文也是非常容易的，希望大家树立信心，多看原版的文章。

Files Vanished, Young Chinese Lose the Future
档案消失了，未来也丢了

文章简介： 这是一篇讲在我们国家，一个人丢失了档案之后的恐怖。 本文讲述了档案丢失之后，官员是如何转卖优秀学生档案又是如何欺辱贫苦百姓的。 而实际上比这更恐怖的，是我们同学在大学毕业之后，不仅没有了档案，连户口都没有。 如果有兴趣的同学，可以Google 黑户。 相比于丢失了档案，不能在国字号公司里工作的同学，那些丢失了户口的同学们才是暗无天日，连最基本的结婚权力都被剥夺。

下面我们开始分析文章中的词语：

For much of his education, Xue Longlong was silently accompanied from grade to grade, school to school, by a sealed Manila envelope stamped top secret. Stuffed inside were grades, test results, evaluations by fellow students and teachers, his Communist Party application and — most important for his job prospects — proof of his 2006 college degree.

accompany: 陪同，陪伴。 如， The boy wishes the girl to accompany him before the marry.
和陪同，陪伴引申，accompany 也表示伴随的意思。比如: The lighting always accompanies the thunder. 电闪总是伴着雷鸣;

seal: 这也是你我生活中最为熟悉的一个词语，印章。 如The certificate could be valid only if sealed by both of your communities, your community population planning agencies, and your employers. 这个证件只有双方社区，双方计划生育部门以及工作单位盖章后才能生效（这个证件是准生证）
那么，通常盖了章的东西就是封条了。 seal也表示封条，用作动词表示密封。 文中的意思，就是一个密封的牛皮信封 (a sealed Manila envelop )

Everyone in China who has been to high school has such a file. The files are irreplaceable histories of achievement and failure, the starting point for potential employers, government officials and others judging an individual’s worth. Often keys to the future, they are locked tight in government, school or workplace cabinets to eliminate any chance they might vanish.

irreplaceable: 不可替代的。 这个词是有 replace (替代） + able 组成形容词 + ir(表示反的）。 ir 是一个否定前缀，我们还有 irreversible(不可逆的), irreverent (不尊敬的)

这一段阐述了档案是什么东西，有什么作用，并且保管在哪里。 很多大学生毕业后，档案是拎在手上的，并非如文中所说，是锁在柜子里。

But two years ago, Mr. Xue’s file did vanish. So did the files of at least 10 others, all 2006 college graduates with exemplary records, all from poor families living near this gritty north-central town on the wide banks of the Yellow River.

exemplary: 示范性的。 这个词是由example演变而来。 The exemplary middle school: 示范性高中。

gritty: 沙砾的，实际上就是沙漠话的。

这里点出了文章的一个核心，这些丢失了档案的孩子都是穷地方穷人家的孩子。

Today, Mr. Xue, who had hoped to work at a state-owned oil company, sells real estate door to door, a step up from past jobs passing out leaflets and serving drinks at an Internet cafe. Wang Yong, who aspired to be a teacher or a bank officer, works odd jobs. Wang Jindong, who had a shot at a job at a state chemical firm, is a construction day laborer, earning less than $10 a day.

这一段中，提到了一些我们熟悉的职业和场景，和大家介绍一下我们身边的事情：

state-owned oil company: 国有石油公司，最牛13的企业。 state-owned, 表示国有企业，很多人心中的梦想啊。

real estate: 房地产。 这份工作比较辛苦，但因为这个行业利润丰厚，还是值的博一下。

Internet cafe: 网吧。 以后看见网吧的时候要知道怎么说。

bank officer: 银行职员，这也是很了不起的地方。

odd jobs: 零工，不是奇怪的工作。 这个和part time job 不一样，part time是业余时间去做的。

construction day laborer: 建筑零工，这个应当是最惨最累，大学毕业生去做这个，还要这大学做什么。

后面的文章详细介绍了官员如何对待贫苦的老百姓和可怜的大学生们，请参考这里： Files Vanished, Young Chinese Lose the Future

Removal Of Cho’s File Called Accidental
Counseling Center’s Ex-Director Found Records at Home
凶手精神档案遗失说是意外却又意外在前咨询中心主任家中找到

第一段:

The former director of the Virginia Tech college counseling center took the mental health records of Seung Hui Cho from his office accidentally when he changed jobs more than a year before the university massacre and reported them promptly when he located them in his home last week, his attorney said Thursday.

Seung Hui Cho, 赵承熙。 千万不要翻译成了宋慧乔（音译），关于人名的翻译方法参见一些人名的翻译方法。 赵是轰动全球的弗吉尼亚校园枪击案的凶手，在枪伤了31个学生和老师后，饮弹自尽。 宽容的美国人原谅了赵，在给死者的纪念碑中，也有赵的位置。 不过在凶手暴光后，弗吉尼亚校方发现赵的精神科档案意外遗失，如今却在前咨询中心主任家中被发现。此事件毫无疑问引起轩然大波，在快要愈合的伤口上撒了把盐。

massacre:用作名词和动词都做大屠杀讲。 例如Jewes Massacre,犹太人大屠杀

promptly: 敏捷地，立即地。 例如: He forgot my name promptly after my introduction.

locate: locate 一般做动词，表示确定… 的地点。 比如，How can I locate you if I don’t know your mobile? 如果我不知道你手机，我怎么找到你呢？又比如：The hospital is located near the national museum. 医院在国家博物馆附近。
和上面意思接近，locate还表示找到的意思。 如 The policeman are trying best to locate the man. 其实这个也不难解释，因为确定…的地点，就是去寻找的意思。

attorney: 律师。美语，和lawyer 同义

接着我们看下一段：

The claim came a day after Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) announced that a criminal investigation was underway into the unexpected reappearance of the records at the home of Robert Miller, former director of the Cook Counseling Center. The file had failed to turn up during the investigation that followed the shootings in April 2007, when Cho killed 32 students and teachers and himself.

underway: 表示某件事情已经开始，正在进行中。 如The project of controlling Internet content in China is underway into a new stage, installing filtering software on personal computers.

turn up: 出现，出席。 例如, He hasn’t turned up on twitter since his reported capture by policeman.

接下来：

Kaine said Miller’s claim needs to be evaluated. An attorney for the families of two of Cho’s victims said he was skeptical of Miller’s version of events.

Also Thursday, an attorney for Cho’s estate, Bernard J. DiMuro of Alexandria, said the family is considering a request by state officials that it allow the newly discovered file to be made public as quickly as possible. DiMuro said he has submitted the issue to the Cho family’s attorney, Wade Smith of Raleigh, N.C., and is waiting for a response. He said the family promptly agreed in 2007 to cooperate fully with the investigation of the case, but two years later, “the disclosure of these records invokes complicated issues of privacy versus the rights of the public to have access to the records.”

skeptical: 写作sceptical, 表示怀疑，和doubts 换用。 例如 They’re sceptical of the real intent of the government.

invoke: 可以翻译使用某项特权，例如法律。 invoke an article of the U.N. Charter 援用联合国宪章某一条款。 invoke 也表示“引起”的意思，如 It invokes my memory of childhood times. 这引起了我童年的回忆，而这里显然是后者的含义，表示 这些记录的公开引起了隐私和公众知情权的复杂问题。

接下来：

Miller’s attorney, Edward J. McNelis, said Miller inadvertently put Cho’s records into a box that also contained personal documents when he left the employ of the counseling center in February 2006, 14 months before the shooting. McNelis said that Miller’s departure was unrelated to Cho and that Miller was surprised to discover the file in recent days while looking for documents about his employment in connection with a civil suit filed by the families of two of Cho’s victims against him, the university, the counseling center and others.

McNelis said Miller found the file one evening last week and handed it over to the counseling center the next morning.

“Dr. Miller deeply regrets that his inadvertence has caused so much distress for the families of the victims as well as his former colleagues at Virginia Tech,” McNelis said in a statement provided to the Associated Press. “Dr. Miller’s candor and diligence in returning these records to the Cook Counseling Center dispels any inference of ill intent.”

inadvertence: 表示疏忽，不注意，不小心。

distress:悲伤，痛苦， 通常和in一起用，表示处于痛苦之中。 The families were caught in more distress when they knew their children were killed by the school buildings instead of the earthquake.

后面文章还相当长，我们不一一注解，有兴趣的同学可以仔细阅读文章开头提供的原文。 也希望法律查清事情的原委，让法律给受害者的家属一个交待，以抚慰受伤的灵魂。

Can you digg it? May be not, If you stuck on IE6.
能挖吗？ 恐怕不行了，如果你还死缠着IE6.
(注，如果不知道IE6是什么东西的同学请自动原理，谢谢)
digg: 美国一著名的通过网友投票来筛选新闻的网站，这种通过网络民主的方法来发现最好新闻的方法仍然受很多用户喜欢，但twitter和 Friendfeed的出现，大大弱化了digg在网友心目中的地位。具体想知道digg 的朋友，请移步Google之。

stick: stick做名词是表是棍子，棒子的意思。 如
some sticks of chocolate, 几根巧克力;
match sticks,火柴棒。
stick做棒子讲时，和这里的意思八杆子打不到一块。

不过，stick还有个含义是当作动词，粘帖的意思。比如，
they sticked the post on the wall to celebrate their success.
这样就理解了我们开头的这个标题了，stuck (stick的过去式）on IE:粘在IE上。 没出意外，你或许就是其中一位。看完这篇文章，我希望你赶紧去换了。

接着看下一段：

IE6 has long been a thorn in the sides of many web developers, offering limited support for many established web standards that often force devs to implement ugly, ugly hacks. It might not be so bad if there weren’t so many people still using the damn thing over eight years after its release (and two full browser upgrades from Microsoft), but it still has an alarmingly large following. Its poor performance, combined with its persistance, has made it one of the worst tech products of all time. And Digg has had enough.

thorn: 刺。 thorny, 带刺的。 如
Roses are beautiful to many girls, but thorny to all man.
alarmingly: 表示特别大的词语可是很多。 比如dramatically, hugely, extremely, exceedingly 等等，大家要仔细区分，合理使用。

In a new blog post User Experience Architect Mark Trammell writes that the site is strongly considering removing some of the site’s core features, like digging and commenting, for IE6 users. This isn’t necessarily to punish those users, but rather to cut back on largely wasted development time. Trammell explains that while IE6 users make up around 5% of site traffic, it only accounts for 1% of diggs, buries, and comments. Digg developers are being forced to spend a very disproportionate amount of time to keep those features working in the ancient browser, and they’re thinking of simply abandoning those efforts. The site would still work for pure browsing, but IE6 users wouldn’t be able to interact with the site.

disproportionate: 这个词又proportion 构成。 proportion的基础含义是比率，复杂一点的意思表示均衡（由比率往下就是均衡)。 proportionate 是形容词，表示成比例的，那么disproportionate 就是不成比例的意思了。
Wages will rise at a rate proportionate to the amount of work you do.

Trammell’s blog post also includes some good insight as to why Digg users are still browsing with IE6. Digg is no longer as tech-heavy as it was in its early days, but it’s safe to say that most of the site’s viewers are at least aware of IE7 and IE8 (not to mention alternatives like Firefox and Chrome). So rather than simply put out banners prompting users to upgrade to a new browser (something that Twitter just started doing), it decided to run a poll.

The results? 77% of the Digg users on IE6 simply don’t have a choice, citing reasons like “I can’t upgrade because I don’t have admin access” or “I can’t upgrade because someone at work says I can’t”. In other words, they’re probably just as unhappy about it as Digg is. Granted, this poll is probably prone to substantial bias (people who are frustrated about their browsers probably feel more compelled to take a survey and tell people about it), but it’s still worth noting. Given the results, Digg isn’t going to be running a “Upgrade Now!” banner any time soon, but it’s still considering the feature cuts described above.

upgrade: 升级。 比如从windows xp 升级到windows vista 就是用这个upgrade.
It cost a lot to upgrade from windows xp to vista as you have to pay for both the system upgrading fee and the hardware, but it returns nothing except more frustrating steps.
compel: 强迫别人做什么事。
We’re compelled to take courses of Markism from primary school age to college time.
Taiwanese bosses compelled Chinese migrate workers in companies like Foxconn to work 12 hours or more a day

The Eclipse Chaser: We Have an Eclipse!

本文来源: http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/the-eclipse-chaser-first-contact/

Eclipse: 日食。 如果不懂英语的java程序员，一定非常好奇，这不是我用的IDE吗？ 怎么和日食扯上关系了。 日，竟然这个也不知道。
Java的娘家Sun 和”日”的关系紧密吧。 当免费的Java大行其道开始流行的时候，它的IDE Java Beans竟然收费。这下最终激怒了开源社区，鼓捣了另外一个IDE出来，把Sun吞了，能把sun吞了当然只有eclipse了。所以有了今天的eclipse.
没有eclipse就没有java的今天，没有java 能有今天的sun吗？ 这不好说，难道说因为有”日食才有日”么？

9:49 a.m. Wednesday (9:49 p.m. Tuesday, E.D.T.)
We saw it! The clouds kept getting thinner, and we even had a pretty good-sized hole in the clouds for the five minutes of totality. So everyone saw all the coronal phenomena. The diamond rings were spectacular. Just before totality, the clouds were just the right thickness that allowed us to see partial phases without filters.

Coronal: 冠状。冠状说白了就是一个源四周有放射状的东西，比如日食是个圆，中间是黑的，周围有太阳的光线呈放射状。这就是一个冠状物。
名词corona就专指日冕， 所以这才有了coronal这个词。
而另外与冠有关的一个词是王冠，就是皇帝加冕的时候戴的，它是一个名词，叫做crown. 丰田有一款很有名的车就叫皇冠，Toyota Crown. 有车的朋友可以知其然一下。
totality: 这个词语之前我是认识的，不认识从total上猜也猜的出来，肯定是总计总额的名词呗。不过有时候还不能光猜，这个词还是［天文学］专用词，表示，嘿嘿，日食（的时间）。 这个词够简单，含义也够好理解，下次可以在朋友那里露一首了吧，不过最好在今年，到了明年日食就不流行了。

All our equipment and those collaborating on our terrace here in Tianhuangping seems to have worked, so now we still have an hour or so of partial eclipse to image, and then we will download photos and start looking at them. The oscillation experiment has a lot of data through two filters, and we will assess later whether comparison of the two channels allow us to account for the cloud cover.

It was wonderful.

assess: 昨天我们说过，看到吧，词语重复出现的概率如此之高，它见着你都有亲切感。
terrace: 这是一个托福词汇，表示的是一个很高的东西顶上一块平的地方。比如说高楼顶上的露台（我今天就站在公司的天台上看了一下，不过我没准备什么工具），而文章显然是指浙江安吉的天荒坪，不知道天荒坪难道还不知道天目山，海拔1000多米。 我说看日食有必要爬那么高吗？
oscillation: 这个词表示振荡，比如说股票小幅度的振动。 the short-term oscillation of the share index 股票的短期振动。 作者这里的含义应当是在两个滤光器之间来回切换。 为什么要滤光？你不会是用肉眼看的吧。

9:07 a.m. (9:07 p.m. Tuesday, E.D.T.)
In half an hour, we’ll be in the midst of totality. The sun has come and gone a bit, through clouds and behind clouds, but we mostly have sun. We remain hopeful that we can see and photograph the corona. When we have lost view of the sun, it has been for a couple of minutes only, and this is, after all, a 5 1/2 minute eclipse.

Corona: 日冕，上文提及

8:05 a.m. (8:05 p.m. E.D.T.)
We have an eclipse! It is four minutes past first contact, and we can all clearly see a bite out of the top of the Sun, at about 11 o’clock orientation. The sky is hazy, but we can see the shape of the Sun very clearly through the haze. We should see the corona very well, if this sky condition continues.

Orientation: 方向的意思。 at 11 o’clock orientation, 11点钟方向。这话我感觉经常从老美大兵的口中听到，具体意思请看看钟。 有时他们也说， at 800 orientation, 那是指8:00.
Haze: 噢靠，这个词可好了，你所在城市一年有366天处于这个笼罩，如果你是在闰年，并且恰好生在中国的话。 这个词用中文说，叫做霾。99%的人不认识这个词或者念錯，不过好歹知道这个词的意思，因为天天见面吗。 因为老出于阴霾(mai)之中, 所以感觉雾蒙蒙的，那么这个词还表示雾蒙蒙的天气。
Hazy：是Haze的形容词，表示雾蒙蒙的，阴霾的。 Hazy days 表示雾蒙蒙的天气。 其实想到雾蒙蒙就知道我说错了，没有366天这样的天气，因为至少有30天的时间是黑黑的，空气中都是土，那叫dust storm.

7:33 a.m. (7:33 p.m. E.D.T.)
Just two hours before totality, and the Sun is out! It is still through clouds, but the sky is definitely improving.

7:00 a.m. (7 p.m. Tuesday, E.D.T.)
The sky is a little brighter, but there are still two layers of clouds. At least we can see structure in the clouds, and we hear that there is some clearing behind the front that is now passing through. We have 2 1/2 hours to go.
Though we can’t see the eclipse visually if the sky is completely cloudy, we do have one meteorological experiment that will work anyway. We will be measuring the temperature falloff that results from the eclipse. Michael Thomas Roman, a grad student from Cornell, and Marcos Peñaloza, a professor from Universidad de los Andes in Mérida, Venezuela, are here with us, and Michael as brought some devices to follow the temperature. At last year’s eclipse, Joe Ciotti, a college student from Hawaii, measured the temperature just under the ground and at a few centimeters above the ground. The temperature in the part of the eclipse path in China where they were dropped by about 10 degrees Fahrenheit over what it would have declined to in the late afternoon for that eclipse, reaching a low point about 10 minutes after the end of totality (the expected thermal lag), and then rising again. Marcos and Michael spent a lot of time walking around a few days ago to find the right place for their sensors.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8159158.stm

Why China takes no risks with flu

By Michael Bristow
BBC News, Beijing

Security guards in Beijing
Masked security guards patrol a quarantined hotel in Beijing

As more than 100 pupils and teachers on a cultural tour of China remain under quarantine at a hotel in Beijing, the authorities have been explaining their approach to tackling the spread of swine flu.

British school pupils have been quarantined in China because the country is employing strict controls to contain swine flu.

It is trying to prevent those infected from getting into China, and quarantines those with the H1N1 virus already inside the country.

China’s Ministry of Health says these measures have proved more effective than those used by many developed countries.

So far there have been no reported deaths from swine flu in mainland China and only about 1,500 confirmed cases out of a population of more than 1.3 billion.

Mayor quarantined

But the result of this policy is that many visitors – such as the British school pupils on a tour of China – have had to undergo a period of isolation.

“We understand that these British kids have come a long way to China and their parents back home must be very worried about their health,” said a spokesman from Beijing Municipal Health Bureau.

Overall, the prevention and control measures have been more effective than many developed countries
China’s Ministry of Health

Ninth UK pupil in China ‘has flu’

But he added: “We as health authorities are taking all necessary medical procedures to prevent the spread of the disease according to relevant laws.”

China’s fight against swine flu begins at its ports and airports, where incoming passengers fill out forms asking if they have any flu-like symptoms.

One British pupil currently on a trip to China said a friend was taken away for extra checks after admitting on the form to having a runny nose.

People arriving in China also have their temperatures checked.

Many of those who display flu-like symptoms, including the British pupils, are taken to hospital for further checks, and kept there if they test positive for swine flu.

Others who have had contact with those infected are put into quarantine or under observation.

China’s government allows its own citizens to isolate themselves at home, but foreigners are often quarantined in hotels – at the local government’s expense.
Health official in Beijing
China is concerned by its poor hygiene and dense populations

This has led to delays for many foreigners visiting China, including the mayor of New Orleans Clarence Ray Nagin, who in June was put into quarantine in Shanghai while on a business trip.

Many of the 700 British school pupils currently on a cultural tour of China are in a similar situation.

Some pupils are in Beijing Ditan Hospital, where many of the city’s swine flu cases are sent. Others are in quarantine in Beijing’s three-star Yanxiang Hotel.

Despite the difficulties faced by British school pupils, their morale seems high, at least among some of them.

One of them in Ditan Hospital, 19-year-old Joe Robinson, said he felt perky, despite testing positive for swine flu.

He spent Monday shut away in a room with two other young people suspected of having caught the virus. One of them was later released after tests came back negative.

Strict measures

“I’ve been ringing the [Yanxiang] hotel where the others are because they are also in isolation,” he told the BBC by telephone.

He also gave an insight into just how serious the Chinese are taking the virus by revealing that his food is given to him through double doors that have a compartment between them.

Medical staff wearing protective clothing put the food in the compartment and then close the outside door before Mr Robinson is allowed to open the door on his side and collect the food.

China says it has to take these extreme measures because hygiene standards in the country are poor, particularly in rural areas.

It also cites the country’s high population density as a reason for these strict measures.

China believes the low infection rate in the country so far shows these policies are working.

“Overall, the prevention and control measures have been more effective than many developed countries,” the health ministry says on its website.

－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

As more than 100 pupils and teachers on a cultural tour of China remain under quarantine at a hotel in Beijing, the authorities have been explaining their approach to tackling the spread of swine flu.
swine:猪 swine flu 自然就是猪流感了
under quarantine: 被隔离

British school pupils have been quarantined in China because the country is employing strict controls to contain swine flu.
employ strict controls: 采取严格控制

It is trying to prevent those infected from getting into China, and quarantines those with the H1N1 virus already inside the country.
infect: 传染

But the result of this policy is that many visitors – such as the British school pupils on a tour of China – have had to undergo a period of isolation.
undergo: 经历， 作动词时类似experience，不过大部分时候不是什么好事情，所以更像忍受，类似endure，suffer

But he added: “We as health authorities are taking all necessary medical procedures to prevent the spread of the disease according to relevant laws.”
take medical procedures: 采取医学措施，前面刚学了另一种“采取”的说法，写作文的时候就变着花样用不同的词说类似的意思。

China’s fight against swine flu begins at its ports and airports, where incoming passengers fill out forms asking if they have any flu-like symptoms.
symptom:症状

One British pupil currently on a trip to China said a friend was taken away for extra checks after admitting on the form to having a runny nose.
have a runny nose: 流鼻涕

Many of those who display flu-like symptoms, including the British pupils, are taken to hospital for further checks, and kept there if they test positive for swine flu.
display symptom: 表现出症状，也可以说show symptom

Others who have had contact with those infected are put into quarantine or under observation.
under observation: 受观察

China’s government allows its own citizens to isolate themselves at home, but foreigners are often quarantined in hotels – at the local government’s expense.

Despite the difficulties faced by British school pupils, their morale seems high, at least among some of them.
morale:精神状态，士气

One of them in Ditan Hospital, 19-year-old Joe Robinson, said he felt perky, despite testing positive for swine flu.
perky: 轻松自在，在三星级饭店白吃白住，没工作没考试，可不轻松嘛

He also gave an insight into just how serious the Chinese are taking the virus by revealing that his food is given to him through double doors that have a compartment between them.
insight:这个词很有用，表示对事物深入细致的观察或者思考
revleal:揭露

Medical staff wearing protective clothing put the food in the compartment and then close the outside door before Mr Robinson is allowed to open the door on his side and collect the food.
compartment: 小隔间，指外面和房间隔了两道门，这样靠房间的一层门关着，靠外的门打开，医护人员把食物放进隔间，然后关上外门，里面的人再开门拿走事物，尽最大可能减少内外人员接触。

China says it has to take these extreme measures because hygiene standards in the country are poor, particularly in rural areas.
take extreme measures: 采用极端的作法
hygiene: 卫生，卫生条件是hygiene standard

It also cites the country’s high population density as a reason for these strict measures.
cite: 引用

Earnings, Economic Reports Boost Stocks

U.S. stocks rose, propelling the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index to its biggest weekly gain since March, as Goldman Sachs Group and Intel beat analysts’ estimates and reports on manufacturing and retail sales signaled the economy is improving.

Goldman Sachs surged 11 percent to its highest price since September as it reported a record profit of $3.44 billion. Also, analyst Meredith Whitney gave the bank the only “buy” rating among eight companies she covers. Intel, the world’s biggest chipmaker, added 17 percent and completed a seven-day rally as it reported twice as much profit as analysts forecast.

The S&P 500 rose 7 percent, to 940.38, for its steepest advance since the week ended March 13. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 597.42 points, or 7.3 percent, to 8743.94. The Nasdaq composite index climbed 7.4 percent, to 1886.61.

“We’re bullish,” said Scott L. Wren, senior equity strategist at Wells Fargo Advisors in St. Louis. “Between now and the end of 2010, we’re looking for the market to be up at least 25 percent.”

The S&P 500 added 61.25 points last week, almost erasing the 67.08-point retreat from the four previous weeks, as Goldman Sachs, Intel and Johnson & Johnson helped allay concern that equities had risen faster than the outlook for corporate profits. S&P 500 companies that have reported second-quarter results since July 8 topped estimates by 16 percent, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Thirty out of 38 beat projections.

Almost 150 companies in the S&P 500 are scheduled to report results this week, including Apple, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Microsoft and Morgan Stanley. Analysts estimate that profits fell 33 percent in the second quarter and will drop 20 percent in the current period.

– Bloomberg News

本文来源是Bloomberg，也是美国最大的财经新闻网，大家可以看看这类财经新闻中单词的用法。

.S. stocks rose, propelling the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index to its biggest weekly gain since March, as Goldman Sachs Group and Intel beat analysts’ estimates and reports on manufacturing and retail sales signaled the economy is improving.
propell: 推进。大家可以想像，这个词来自机械的推力，因此除了用在经济上，还经常用在航空航天领域，它的名词是propulsion，美国有一个著名的喷气推进实验室(Jet Propulsion Laboratory)，几十年来为美国的航天事业作出了巨大的贡献，它的创始人之一还是一个中国人，谁呢，就是我们的两弹元勋钱学森。
beat one’s estimate: 超过预估
signal: 作名词是信号，作动词时自然是发出xx的信号。和signal有点类似的是另外一个词 suggest，作动词时除了”建议”外，也有“间接的表示“的意思。

Goldman Sachs surged 11 percent to its highest price since September as it reported a record profit of $3.44 billion. Also, analyst Meredith Whitney gave the bank the only “buy” rating among eight companies she covers. Intel, the world’s biggest chipmaker, added 17 percent and completed a seven-day rally as it reported twice as much profit as analysts forecast.
Goldman Sachs：就是大名鼎鼎的高盛银行，是这波金融危机中少数依然屹立不倒的西方大金融机构之一。昨天新闻还说高盛今年上半年已经拿出了144亿美元作为员工薪酬，人均接近40万美元。

The S&P 500 rose 7 percent, to 940.38, for its steepest advance since the week ended March 13. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 597.42 points, or 7.3 percent, to 8743.94. The Nasdaq composite index climbed 7.4 percent, to 1886.61.
S&P 的全称是Standard and Poor’s，通常译作标准普尔，是世界权威的金融分析机构，S&P 500就是该公司根据500家上市公司为美国股市制定的指数。
Dow Jones 译作道琼斯，是美国著名的金融信息提供商，旗下有一家报纸赫赫有名，就是华尔街日报。

“We’re bullish,” said Scott L. Wren, senior equity strategist at Wells Fargo Advisors in St. Louis. “Between now and the end of 2010, we’re looking for the market to be up at least 25 percent.”
bullish：形容股市正在上涨，也就是牛市(bull market)了。熊市怎么说呢，对了，就是bear market。为什么股市有牛熊的说法呢，牛市很好理解，牛在奔跑的时候头角上扬，横冲直撞，营造出乐观的气氛；而熊市则有些复杂，并不像一些人说的因为熊掌向下，这个典故来自古老的英文谚语（也有说更早来自荷兰）”Don’t sell the bearskin before you’ve caught the bear”，就是在你逮着熊之前，别急着去卖熊皮。但是有一种情况相反，在熊还没抓到之前猎人就先去市场上找到买主把价钱谈好了，为什么这样呢，就是猎人对熊皮市场预期下降，认为价格会下跌，逮着熊再卖就亏了，所以要预售，就像股市上大家对股票未来价格悲观，都开始抛售一样。