英语角-圆桌会议 RoundTable0326 - 在家用公筷就是嫌弃家人吗？

 Topic1 Cities close down overburdened 'baby hatches'

Some Chinese cities have put a halt to their "baby hatches" or shelters for abandoned infants, saying they cannot cope with the pressure from a rapid increase in numbers, with most children having illnesses or disabilities.

Is it happening on a large scale?

Topic2 Internet trio set for clash in auto¹ marketThe automobile² industry has officially become the latest battleground for China's three Internet giants after Tencent Holdings Ltd announced a foray into smart cars.

The move puts it in direct competition with rivals Baidu Inc and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, which have already expanded into the country's nascent³ market for Internet-enabled car sector⁴, in partnership⁵ with leading automakers.

What are they doing?

Topic3 Beijing Loses Appeal amongst Tsinghua GradsBeijing's universities may be gaining world renown⁶, but the city is having trouble retaining the talent that those campuses attract.

At least that's conclusion drawn⁷ in a recent article titled "Beijing No Longer Tsinghua Graduates' Favorite City."What's new? Why should we care?

Topic4 Should Chinese Get Used to Serving ChopsticksA father in Hangzhou recently lost temper on her daughter who tried to persuade him to use a pair of serving chopsticks during dinner. And this has raised discussion again about dining hygiene⁸.

Are there divided opinions about the use of serving chopsticks?

Topic5 The Rise of Shelfie, the geek-chic social media trend to show off your book collectionA new trend for sharing photographs of one's book collection has taken social media by storm.

Dubbed⁹ the 'shelfie', Instagram and Twitter users have been busy capturing their favorite titles from the 'Complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud' to the 'Complete Works of William Shakespeare.'

What is shelfie? And why is it becoming popular?

1 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

2 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

3 nascent   

adj.初生的，发生中的

参考例句：

• That slim book showed the Chinese intelligentsia and the nascent working class.那本小册子讲述了中国的知识界和新兴的工人阶级。
• Despite a nascent democracy movement,there's little traction for direct suffrage.尽管有过一次新生的民主运动，但几乎不会带来直接选举。

4 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

5 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

6 renown   

n.声誉，名望

参考例句：

• His renown has spread throughout the country.他的名声已传遍全国。
• She used to be a singer of some renown.她曾是位小有名气的歌手。

7 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

8 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

9 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》