News & Reports 2011-01-01

Hello and Welcome to News and Reports on China Radio International.

In This Edition

Chinese President Hu Jintao gives a New Year address, calling for strengthened global cooperation to better meet the world's challenges in the year 2011.

People around the world usher¹ in the New Year with a variety of celebrations.

And China sets its first round of rare earth export quotas² at 14 thousand tons for 2011, down 11% from the first round of last year.

Hot Issue Reports

 

Chinese President Delivers New Year's Speech
President Hu Jintao has put China's economic tasks on top of the agenda in the New Year.

In his New Year address to domestic and overseas audience via state TV and radio broadcasters, the President said to accelerate the transformation³ of economic development pattern will be a consistent thread of China's work in 2011, the first year of the country's 12th Five-Year Program.

He also called for strengthened global cooperation to better meet the world's challenges in the year 2011. We now bring you details of the President's New Year address.

Back Anchor: You've just tuned⁴ in to a New Year' address by Chinese President Hu Jintao through China Radio International.

New Year Eve Celebration Across the World
In other parts of the world, people are also ready to usher in the new year.

Revelers have flocked to vantage points around Sydney Harbour to catch a better glimpse of fireworks at midnight, as Australia ushers⁵ in the New Year.

Earlier, we talked with our Sydney correspondent Chen Xi who has secured a good spot to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks show.

1. It's New Year's Eve in Australia, we know you are by the Sydney Opera House, tell us what you see and the local atmosphere.

2. Are there any other celebrations in other Australian cities?

3. What about tomorrow, the first day of the New Year 2011, do people in Australia continue their celebration or what do they do?

Meanwhile, London has been ready for the 25th Anniversary New Year's Day Parade with more than 8,000 performers from numerous nations expected to give the UK capital an extravagant⁶ celebration.

The Riverside City College All Star Band from California is one of the performers that are joining forces to give London a lift in the countdown to the big day.

"There'll be over 800 players, and we're doing a medley⁷ of tunes⁸. One thing that's included is a little snippet from 'Les Miserables', since it's their 25th Anniversary, as well, and then it all ends up with, of course, with 'Land of Hope and Glory'. So, the kids are excited. The people hopefully will be excited, and it will be a great way to end the parade, but also be the starting of the New Year."

In the US, the New York Police Department has been working hard to ensure New Year's Eve celebrations pass without incident.

Nearly a million revellers will cram¹⁰ into the streets of Times Square to watch the ball drop on New Year's Eve.

Security consultant¹¹ Ann Hayes of Investigative Management Group says law enforcement has been preparing for months.

"We have really been intensely watching New Year's Eve at Times Square, almost with an anticipation¹² of something happening because it does have such a high profile all over the world."

The city set rules and share plans with restaurants and hotels in the area that are hosting fancy parties, along with the Times Square Alliance. They plot out where TV trucks will be stationed, and the best exit routes in case of an emergency.

The celebrations in New York City usually remain crime-free and orderly.

Experts: Li Keqiang's visit to Europe to Boost Confidence in China-EU Relations
Chinese Vice¹³ Premier¹⁴ Li Keqiang will visit Spain, Germany and the UK from January 4th to 12th, and some experts believe the visit will be another mark of frequent exchanges between Chinese and European leaders and will boost confidence in bilateral¹⁵ relations.
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This year alone, seven top Chinese leaders, including President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, paid official visits to over a dozen EU countries.

Meanwhile, trade between China and the EU has maintained a sound momentum¹⁶.

China-EU trade amounted to more than $430 billion U.S. dollars in the first 11 months of this year, up some 33 percent from last year.

Experts believe Sino-EU ties will enter a more pragmatic stage, especially in economic and trade cooperation, which can be traced from Li Keqiang's busy schedule.

The vice premier will not only meet leaders of the three countries, but will also meet with entrepreneurs and businesses leaders as well.

Xing Hua, a senior research fellow of the China Institute of International Studies, says the Chinese leader's visit can be seen as a signal of goodwill¹⁷ to Spain, which is overshadowed by sovereign debt crisis.

"Against the backdrop of spreading sovereign debt crises in Europe, China has repeatedly expressed willingness to provide assistance to European countries. Of course, it would also apply to Spain. The visit by Li Keqiang implies that the two countries will take new measures in boosting bilateral economic, trade and financial cooperation."

Meanwhile, Feng Zhongping, a scholar with the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, says after the honeymoon¹⁸ period in 2010, China and Europe should expand their cooperation to new fields in the new year.

"The current economic cooperation between us is based on our economic interests. We both have the demands for such cooperation. However, to develop China-EU ties into partnership¹⁹ against the backdrop of globalization, we should seek for more mutual²⁰ political trust."

The expert also calls for increased exchanges between the two sides, especially in education, culture and art.

Light News

Property purchase restriction²¹ policies due in some cities
China introduced several restrictions²² this year in a bid to cool off rising property prices. However, some of the so-called toughest property purchase restrictions adopted by local governments expire in the New Year. As our reporter Wang Ling finds out, the restrictions have failed to meet their expectations in the past few months and some of them will be extended into the new year.

China Calls to Strengthen International Cooperation in Rare Earth Industry
China has set its first round of rare earth export quotas at some 14 thousand tons for 2011. It's down 11% from over 16 thousand tons from the first round of last year. The Ministry²³ of Commerce says that the decision was made to promote sustainable development through international cooperation in the rare earth industry. CRI's Wu Jia reports.

Movie Merchandise in China Lacks Copyright Protection
There is a great demand for movie merchandise among Chinese consumers, but the Chinese movie industry receives little from this part of the market, with most of the profit being made from the box office take.

American Philharmonic Sonoma County Comes to Beijing
The American Philharmonic-Sonoma County, formerly²⁴ the Cotati Philharmonic, will bring a concert performance to Beijing fans in time for the New Year.

Conducted by Gabriel Sakakeeny, the orchestra will not only perform world-famous classics such as "Flight of the Bumble Bee," but also will play theme songs from famous Hollywood movies such as "Avatar," "Harry²⁵ Potter" and "Pirates of the Caribbean."

To include some Chinese elements into the concert, the orchestra will also treat audiences with classic Chinese tunes, like this one:

Yes, that's the theme song of the legendary²⁶ Chinese tragic²⁷ love story, "Butterfly Lovers."

Sounds interesting, right? The show will run at the Poly Theater on the third and fourth of Jan.

Media Digest

Out of the Shanghai Daily:
Five foreign national pavilions at the World Expo, including the star-attraction Saudi Arabia Pavilion, will remain in Shanghai and reopen to the public soon.

The Saudi Arabia, France, Spain, Italy and Russia pavilions at the Expo site are to stay but plans for their reopening had yet to be decided²⁸.

Each more than 6,000 square meters, the buildings were among the largest, and the most popular, at the Expo. On the Puxi site, at least 15 of the 20 corporate²⁹ pavilions are to remain, although all the exhibits have been removed.

From the BBC:
Keeping a smartphone fully⁹ powered could soon be easier as manufacturers back common standards for chargers.

Technical specifications³⁰ for chargers drawn³¹ up by the European Commission have won the backing of 14 phone firms.

Firms that have pledged to make chargers to the common standard include Nokia, Research In Motion, Apple and Samsung.

The EU said many Europeans wanted to be able to use chargers for different smartphones and resented the inconvenience incompatible³² chargers caused.

1 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

2 quotas   

（正式限定的）定量( quota的名词复数 )； 定额； 指标； 摊派

参考例句：

• In fulfilling the production quotas, John made rings round all his fellow workers. 约翰完成生产定额大大超过他的同事们。
• Quotas of the means of production are allocated by the higher administrative bodies to the lower ones. 物资指标按隶属关系分配。

3 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

4 tuned   

adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味，老少皆宜。
• The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 ushers   

n.引座员( usher的名词复数 )；招待员；门房；助理教员v.引，领，陪同( usher的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Seats clicked, ushers bowed while he looked blandly on. 座位发出啪啦啪啦的声响，领座员朝客人们鞠躬，而他在一边温和殷勤地看着。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• The minister then offers a brief prayer of dedication, and the ushers return to their seats. 于是牧师又做了一个简短的奉献的祈祷，各招待员也各自回座位。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 medley   

n.混合

参考例句：

• Today's sports meeting doesn't seem to include medley relay swimming.现在的运动会好象还没有混合接力泳这个比赛项目。
• China won the Men's 200 metres Individual Medley.中国赢得了男子200米个人混合泳比赛。

8 tunes   

n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
• When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时，她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

10 cram   

v.填塞，塞满，临时抱佛脚，为考试而学习

参考例句：

• There was such a cram in the church.教堂里拥挤得要命。
• The room's full,we can't cram any more people in.屋里满满的，再也挤不进去人了。

11 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

12 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

13 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

14 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

15 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

16 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

17 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

18 honeymoon   

n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月

参考例句：

• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
• The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。

19 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。

20 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

21 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。

22 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

23 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。

24 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

25 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

26 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

27 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

28 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

29 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

30 specifications   

n.规格；载明；详述；（产品等的）说明书；说明书( specification的名词复数 )；详细的计划书；载明；详述

参考例句：

• Our work must answer the specifications laid down. 我们的工作应符合所定的规范。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This sketch does not conform with the specifications. 图文不符。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

31 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。

32 incompatible   

adj.不相容的，不协调的，不相配的

参考例句：

• His plan is incompatible with my intent.他的计划与我的意图不相符。
• Speed and safety are not necessarily incompatible.速度和安全未必不相容。