英语角-圆桌会议 RoundTable0401 - 女生为啥喜欢扎堆看催泪电影

 Topic1 Shanxi May Become First Province to Allow Menstrual LeaveA draft labor¹ protection regulation that grants female workers paid leave during menstruation has been unveiled in north China's Shanxi Province.

The draft regulation, if approved by the provincial² legislature, might enable Shanxi to become the first region in China that offers a menstrual leave benefit to female employees.

What does it mean? What's it trying to address?

Topic2 Discounts Are Killing³ China's Travel IndustryChinese online travel site Ctrip operated in the red in 2014, driven by the demands of consumers for discounts, according to its Chief Strategy Officer Jenny Wu.

Is it really the discounts that drove Ctrip into deficit⁴?

Topic3 Chinese Government Crackdown Forces Officials To Learn To DriveMany senior government officials in China have had to learn to drive after their chauffeur-driven cars were taken off them as part of efforts to curb⁵ wasteful⁶ and extravagant⁷ spending.

But some are so used to taking charge and having their own way that they make poor students.

What's going on? Do these officials have difficulty learning how to drive?

Topic4 Americans Less Interested in Learning ChineseAmerican students are getting cold feet about studying Chinese in China, with many study-abroad programs in the US seeing a substantial drop in enrolment over the last few years, according to Reuters.

Why is it?

Topic5 Women like weeping moviesIt has long been a mystery to men why so many women enjoy watching tear jerker movies with their friends. But now scientists have come up with a suggestion – sharing sad emotions helps women bond.

Is this true?

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

5 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

6 wasteful   

adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的

参考例句：

• It is a shame to be so wasteful.这样浪费太可惜了。
• Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.为避免重复劳动浪费资源，任务已经重新分派。

7 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。