【新闻精讲】
Jobs in poor countries may be especially vulnerable to automation.
贫穷国家的工作岗位更容易受到自动化的冲击。
poor countries 落后国家
例句:Many poor countries are abandoning autocracy.
很多贫穷国家都在放弃独裁统治。
Vulnerable
易受伤害的(Someone who is vulnerable is weak and without protection, with the result that they are easily hurt physically or emotionally. )
Old people are particularly vulnerable members of our society.
老人是我们社会中特别容易受到伤害的成员。
Bill Burr, an American entertainer, was dismayed when he first came across an automated checkout.
美国艺人Bill Burr第一次使用自动收银台时感觉很不自然。
“I thought I was a comedian; evidently I also work in a grocery store,” he complained. “I can't believe I forgot my apron.”
他抱怨说:“我感觉我就像一个小丑,就像是我也在杂货店工作。就差自己给自己带一个围裙了”
Dismay
恐慌; 悲伤
例:Local politicians have reacted with dismay and indignation.
当地政客们作出了恐慌和愤慨的反应。
Evidently
1. 显然 (用以引出陈述或观点,强调主观感觉的正确性)
例:Evidently, it has nothing to do with social background.
显然,这与社会背景毫无关系。
2. 明显地 (但没有足够证据支持)
例:From childhood, he was evidently at once rebellious and precocious.
他从小就明显地又叛逆又早熟。
Apron
围裙
Those whose jobs are at risk of being displaced by machines are no less grumpy.
那些工作有被机器取代风险的人们仍然是烦躁的。
A study published in 2013 by Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael Osborne of Oxford University stoked anxieties when it found that 47% of jobs in America were vulnerable to automation.
在2013年,牛津大学的Carl Benedikt Frey 和 Michael Osborne公布的研究报告增加了(人们的)焦虑情绪。报告中指出美国47%的工作会受到自动化的影响。
Grumpy 脾气坏的
例:Some folks think I'm a grumpy old man.
一些人认为我是个脾气很坏的老头儿。
Automate 使自动化
例:He wanted to use computers to automate the process.
他想用电脑来使流程自动化。
Machines are mastering ever more intricate tasks, such as translating texts or diagnosing illnesses.
机器正在掌握更复杂的能力,例如翻译文本或者诊断病情。
Master
1. 专家
例:She was a master of the English language.
她曾是一名英语语言专家。
2. 掌握
Duff soon mastered the skills of radio production.
达夫很快掌握了广播节目制作的技能。
3. 硕士学位
例:I've got a master's in economics.
我已经获得了经济学硕士学位。
diagnosing illnesses 诊断病情
例句:Preventive care is essential to diagnosing and treating illnesses before they require costly medical interventions.
在他们需要昂贵的医疗干预之前,预防保健对疾病的诊断和治疗是非常必要的。
Robots are also becoming capable of manual labour that hitherto could be carried out only by dexterous humans.
到目前为止,机器人的动手能力也越来越接近熟练工。
Manual labour 体力劳动
例句:Agricultural mechanization has reduced the need for manual labour.
农业机械化已降低了对人力对需求。
Hitherto
迄今= till now
例:The ruling party is likely to be opened up to let in people hitherto excluded.
执政党可能会放开政策,吸纳迄今被排斥在外的人士。
Dexterous 灵巧的
例:As people grow older they generally become less dexterous.
随着人年龄增长,他们通常变得不那么手巧了。
Yet America is the high ground when it comes to automation, according to a new report from the same pair along with other authors.
而据来自同一研究机构的新报告指出,在自动化进程中,美国还是有优势的。
The proportion of threatened jobs is much greater in poorer countries: 69% in India, 77% in China and as high as 85% in Ethiopia.
在更落后国家中失业率将会更加加剧:印度69%,中国77%,埃塞俄比亚高达85%。
Pair
1. 一对
例: A pair of teenage boys were smoking cigarettes.
两个青少年正在抽烟。
2. 把…配对
例:The trainees will then be paired with experienced managers.
这些实习生之后将被配给有经验的经理们。
There are two reasons. First, jobs in such places are generally less skilled.
有两个原因。第一:这些地方的工作一般缺乏技术含量。
Second, there is less capital tied up in old ways of doing things.
第二:旧的生产方式占用较少的资金。
Tie up
1. 正忙着的; 正在使用的
例:He's tied up with his new book. He's working hard, you know.
他正忙他那本新书--你要知道他现在确实很努力工作。
2. 阻碍…的进展;阻塞:
The accident tied up traffic.
事故阻塞了交通
Tie in 使结合成一整体
tying the movie promotion in with the book sales.
把影片宣传与作品销售联系起来
Driverless taxis might take off more quickly in a new city in China, for instance, than in an old one in Europe.
例如:比起欧洲某个古老的城市,无人驾驶可能更快的在中国的新城市中投入。
take off
1. 起飞
例:We eventually took off at 11 o'clock and arrived at 1:00.
我们终于在11点起飞,1:00到达。
2. 突然成功
例:In 1944, he met Green, and his career took off.
1944年,他遇到格林,从此他的事业飞黄腾达。
3. 离开
例: He took off at once and headed back to the motel.
他出人意料地立刻就离开了,然后回到了那家汽车旅馆。
4, 脱去
例:He wouldn't take his hat off.
他不愿脱下他的帽子。
Attracting investment in labour-intensive manufacturing has been a route to riches for many developing countries, including China.
包括中国在内的许多发展中国家,在劳动密集型制造业吸引投资是一个致富的方法。
Intensive 集中的
labour-intensive 劳动密集型
After several days and nights of intensive negotiations.
在几个日夜的集中谈判之后。
Intense
剧烈的; 极度的
例:The fast-food business is intensely competitive.
快餐业竞争非常激烈。
Route 路线 => 方法
例:...the most direct route to the centre of town.
…去镇中心最直接的路线。
But having a surplus of cheap labour is becoming less of a lure to manufacturers.
但是拥有过剩的廉价劳动力对制造商的吸引越来越小。
An investment in industrial robots can be repaid in less than two years.
工业机器人的投资不用两年就可以回本。
Surplus
过剩的; 多余的
例:Few people have large sums of surplus cash.
几乎没人有大笔的闲钱。
industrial robots
工业机器人
例句:He was awarded his PhD for a thesis on industrial robots.
他凭一篇研究工业机器人的论文获得博士学位。
This is a particular worry for the poor and underemployed in Africa and India, where industrialisation has stalled at low levels of income—a phenomenon dubbed “premature deindustrialisation” by Dani Rodrik of Harvard University.
在落后以及低就业率的非洲和印度这样的情况尤其值得担心,这些国家的工业化进程已经完全滞后在一个低收入水平。哈弗大学的Dani Rodrik把这也现象称为“过早的工业倒退”
Stall
1. 使暂停; 暂停
例:The Social Democratic Party has vowed to try to stall the bill until the current session ends.
该社会民主党已立誓设法暂停该议案直至当前会议结束。
2. 拖延
例:Thomas had spent all week stalling over his decision.
托马斯花了整周的时间迟迟不做决定。
3. 小隔间
Rich countries have more of the sorts of jobs that are harder for machines to replicate—those that require original ideas (creating advertising) , or complex social interactions (arguing a case in court) , or a blend of analysis and dexterity (open-heart surgery) .
富裕的国家能提供更多样,并且不是机器能简单复制的工作,例如那些需要创意的(广告),需要复杂的社会活动(律师),以及需要融合分析和熟练操作的工作(开胸手术)。
Replicate
复制; 重做(试验、工作或研究)
例:He invited her to his laboratory to see if she could replicate the experiment.
他邀请她到他的实验室看她能否复制该实验。
Interaction
互相作用
fundamental interaction 基本相互作用 ; 相互作用 ; 基本相互酌 ; 相作用
But poorer countries are not powerless.
但是更落后的国家不是无能为力的。
Just because a job is deemed at risk from automation, it does not necessarily mean it will be replaced soon, notes Mr Frey.
Frey先生解释说:“虽然一份工作存在被自动化取代的风险,但它不一定意味着不久就会被取代。”
Deem
认为; 相信
例:French and German were deemed essential.
法语和德语被认为是必需的。
The cheapness of labour in relation to capital affects the rate of automation.
与廉价劳动力相关的投资成本影响了自动化的普及。
Passing laws that make it less costly to hire and fire workers is likely to slow its advance.
法律允许的雇佣和解雇工人的低成本也容易减缓它的迭代。
Advance
1. 前进
例:Reports from Chad suggest that rebel forces are advancing on the capital.
来自乍得的报导指出叛军正在向首都挺进。
2. 改善
例:This could be an advance on the present situation.
这可能是对目前情况的一次改善
3. 提前
例:The subject of the talk is announced a week in advance.
会谈的主题提前一周宣布。
Scale also matters: farms in many poor countries are often too small to benefit from machines that have been around for decades.
规模同样会影响它:许多落后国家的农业规模太小以至于不能从自动化中得到利润,这样的情况持续了差不多有数十年。
Scale
1, 规模; 范围
例:However, he underestimates the scale of the problem.
然而,他却低估了问题的严重性。
2. 等级
例:...an earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale. …一次里氏5.5级地震。
3. 按比例
例:...a miniature garden, with little pagodas and bridges all to scale.
…一个盆景,里面的小宝塔和小桥也都是按比例制作的。
4. 音阶
Consumer preferences are a third barrier.
消费习惯是第三个障碍。
Mr Burr is hardly alone in hating automated checkouts, which explains why 3m cashiers are still employed in America.
Burr先生不是唯一一个讨厌自动收银的人,这很好的解释了为什么美国仍然有三百万的收营员。
Barrier
障碍 = obstacle ( A barrier is something such as a rule, law, or policy that makes it difficult or impossible for something to happen or be achieved)
例:Duties and taxes are the most obvious barrier to free trade.
关税及其他各种税是自由贸易最明显的障碍。