VOA慢速英语2015 纽约立法容许带狗到餐厅就餐

AS IT IS 2015-11-02 Dogs Welcome in New York Restaurants 纽约立法容许带狗到餐厅就餐

A new law makes it legal to have dogs in the outdoor areas of restaurants in New York.

纽约颁布新法律，规定狗狗待在餐馆户外区是合法的。

Past health and safety laws made it illegal to bring dogs to any restaurants in New York.This was to prevent the spread of diseases¹.

纽约过去的健康法以及安全法规定，任何餐馆一律不允许携带狗狗。该做法是为了阻止疾病传播。

State lawmakers voted in May to let people bring dogs to restaurants that have tables outdoors.These areas are often called patios².

五月份，经州立法议员投票，允许人们在有户外桌的餐馆携带狗狗。这些区域通常称之为露天平台。

Not one lawmaker voted no.

该项提议获得立法议员的全票通过。

Late Monday night, Governor³ Andrew Cuomo signed the law.New York joins California, Florida and Maryland in the list of states with similar laws.

本周一深夜，州长安德鲁·科莫签署了这项法律。纽约与加利福尼亚、佛罗里达和马里兰共同拥有了该法律。

In many European countries, bringing dogs to restaurants is common.Paris has allowed dogs to accompany their owners in restaurants for a long time.

在欧洲的许多国家，带狗狗去餐馆是很一种普遍的现象。在巴黎，允许狗狗陪同主人去餐馆已经实行很长时间了。

Several special rules are included in this law.The dogs must be on a leash⁴.Dogs must not share water bowls.Also, restaurants can choose to let people bring dogs or not.

这项新的法律中包含了几项特殊规定。比如，狗狗必须拴在狗带上。狗狗是不允许共用喝水碗的。此外，餐馆可以自行决定是否允许顾客携带狗狗。

But, not all New Yorkers are happy about this new law.Christopher Miller⁵ is the spokesman⁶ for the New York City Department of Health.He told the New York Daily News that letting dogs in restaurants could cause problems.

然而，部分纽约人对该法律表示不满。克里斯多夫·米勒是纽约卫生部门的发言人。他告知纽约每日新闻报，这样做可能会引发问题。

“The Health Department loves all dogs,but just not at restaurants where they can create a risk to the health and safety of diners, restaurant workers and other dogs,”Miller said.

“虽然卫生部门爱护所有的狗狗，但狗狗是不允许在餐馆的，因为它们会对用餐者、餐馆员工以及其它狗狗造成健康以及安全隐患，”米勒说。

New York City is often the source of new trends and attitudes in the US.A law forcing some restaurants in the city to show the amount of calories in the food they served passed in 2009.

通常来说，纽约是美国新趋势和新风格的源泉。2009年，纽约还通过一项法律，要求某些餐馆显示食物的卡路里含量。

Former Mayor⁷ Michael Bloomberg tried unsuccessfully to stop the sale of large amounts of soft drinks in 2012.Cigarette smoking was made illegal in restaurants in 1993.

纽约市前市长迈克尔·布鲁伯格在2012年曾试图阻止大量销售软饮，但以失败告终。1993年，法律规定餐馆内吸烟是违法的。

Governor Cuomo believes that this new law will help businesses grow by attracting dog owners. He also said this law “strikes the right balance” between health laws and flexibility⁸ for businesses.

州长科莫认为，这项新法律将通过吸引狗狗的主人来促进经济发展。他还称，新法律会在健康法与企业灵活性方面达到平衡。

Words in This Story

outdoor – adj. done, used, or located outside a building

leash – n. a long, thin piece of rope or chain is used for holding a dog or other animal

spokesman – n. someone who speaks for or represents a person, company or organization

diner(s) – n. a person who is eating dinner in a restaurant

trend(s) – n. a way of behaving or proceeding⁹ that is developing and becoming more common?

calorie(s) – n. a unit of heat used to show the amount of energy that foods will produce in the human body

soft drink(s) – n. a cold drink that is usually sweet, does not contain alcohol¹⁰, and is often sold in bottles or cans

flexibility – n. the ability to change or try different things

1 diseases   

n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾

参考例句：

• Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
• The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。

2 patios   

n.露台，平台( patio的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Concrete slab for making pathways or patios. 用于建造通道或天井的混凝土板。 来自互联网
• Typically, houses with patios crowd along narrow streets around a mosque with a square minaret. 沿着狭窄的街道是拥挤的带有天井的房子，环绕着一个有正方形尖塔的清真寺。 来自互联网

3 governor   

n.统治者，地方长官(如省长，州长，总督等)

参考例句：

• The governor was an expert at fencing with reporters.这位州长是搪塞新闻记者的能手。
• He was elected governor of the state of California.他当选为加州州长。

4 leash   

n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住

参考例句：

• I reached for the leash,but the dog got in between.我伸手去拿系狗绳，但被狗挡住了路。
• The dog strains at the leash,eager to be off.狗拼命地扯拉皮带，想挣脱开去。

5 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

6 spokesman   

n.发言人，代言人

参考例句：

• The government spokesman gave a quick briefing to the reporters.政府发言人向记者们作了情况简介。
• They drew lots to decide who should be their spokesman.他们抽签决定谁是他们的发言人。

7 mayor   

n.市长

参考例句：

• The new mayor said he would clean the city up.新市长说，他要整顿本市。
• The mayor hurried into his office,brushing off the reporters.市长赶快走进办公室，拒不接见记者。

8 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

9 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

10 alcohol   

n.酒精，乙醇；含酒精的饮料

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors.法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。
• The alcohol is industrial.这些酒精是供工业用的。