英闻天下——544 "Is China's Cost of Funeral Service Too High?"

 　　As the Qingming Festival, also known as the Tomb Sweeping¹ day, approaches and people get ready to honor their departed loved ones, funeral services have once again become a hot topic. Some people complain about the rising cost of funerals and say they can't even afford to die.

 

　　But while funeral prices may vary from place to place, the cost of basic funeral services remains² affordable³. Yang Anrong is CEO of Shimenfeng Urban Cemetery⁴ in Wuhan.

 

　　"Currently in China, the average cost for basic funeral services is around 1,000 yuan, but the price for other services can range from free of charge to more than 10-thousand yuan. Generally speaking, the basic service is within a controllable margin⁵, but when it comes to other services, there is much room for unnecessary spending."

 

　　Professor Qiao Kuanyuan from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology explains the situation with an example of funerary urns⁷.

 

　　"The family of the deceased usually buys just one funerary urn⁶, and they always buy one that is a bit more expensive than they can afford to show their love and respect for the deceased. Meanwhile, the salesperson⁸ will try to sell them an expensive one, so the cost of funerary urns is raised by both the family and the salesperson."

 

　　In fact, the beliefs of the Chinese are a main reason for expensive funeral services. For example, the majority of Chinese believe they have to bury their loved ones underground so they can rest in peace. But the cost of burial plots is unreasonably⁹ high. In the city of Jinan, the price of burial plots has doubled in the last five years, with an average of more than 10,000 yuan. In the capital Beijing, the cheapest one costs as much as 36,800 yuan.

 

　　But families aren't entirely¹⁰ to blame. While the prices of funerary items in funeral homes are varied¹¹ and open to customers, the brokers¹² usually provide a package deal with much more expensive choices. If the families of the deceased rely on the brokers, they could end up paying more than they need to.

 

　　Li Bo is an official with China's Ministry¹³ of Civil Affairs. He says customers can file complaints with the Civil Affairs authorities or consumers' association if they encounter unfair deals. But the focus on the government is placed on reforming people's funeral customs and encouraging eco-friendly and land-saving burials.

 

　　For CRI, I'm Laiming.

1 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

4 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

5 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

6 urn   

n.（有座脚的）瓮；坟墓；骨灰瓮

参考例句：

• The urn was unearthed entire.这只瓮出土完整无缺。
• She put the big hot coffee urn on the table and plugged it in.她将大咖啡壶放在桌子上,接上电源。

7 urns   

n.壶( urn的名词复数 )；瓮；缸；骨灰瓮

参考例句：

• Wine utensils unearthed include jars, urns, pots, bowls and cups. 发掘出的酒器皿有瓶、瓮、罐、壶、碗和杯子。 来自互联网
• Ernie yearned to learn to turn urns. 呕尼渴望学会转咖啡壶。 来自互联网

8 salesperson   

n.售货员，营业员，店员

参考例句：

• A salesperson works in a shop.售货员在商店工作。
• Vanessa is a salesperson in a woman's wear department.凡妮莎是女装部的售货员。

9 unreasonably   

adv. 不合理地

参考例句：

• He was also petty, unreasonably querulous, and mean. 他还是个气量狭窄，无事生非，平庸刻薄的人。
• Food in that restaurant is unreasonably priced. 那家饭店价格不公道。

10 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

11 varied   

adj.多样的，多变化的

参考例句：

• The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
• The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

12 brokers   

n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• The firm in question was Alsbery & Co., whiskey brokers. 那家公司叫阿尔斯伯里公司，经销威士忌。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• From time to time a telephone would ring in the brokers' offices. 那两排经纪人房间里不时响着叮令的电话。 来自子夜部分

13 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。