书城外语生活英语会话想说就会说
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第11章 社会问题

滥用药品

吸毒指凡采取各种方式,反复大量地使用一些具有依赖性潜力的物质。这种使用与医疗目的无关,其结果是滥用者对该物质产生依赖状态,迫使他们无止境地追求使用,由此造成健康损害并带来严重的社会、经济甚至政治问题。国家禁毒委员会是我国最高的禁毒领导机构,它成立于1990年,由外交部、公安部、最高人民法院、最高人民检察院、司法部、民政部、教育部等23个部委组成,现增至25个部委。该委员会主任由公安部部长担任,委员会的办公室设在公安部禁毒局。国家禁毒委员会主要负责研究制定禁毒方面的重要措施和政策,协调有关毒品的重大问题,统一领导全国的禁毒工作。

典型对话

1.毒贩子

A:Are you alright? A:你没事吧? B:Not really.My little sister told me that her boyfriend is a drug dealer. B: 有点糟。我妹妹告诉我,她男朋友是个毒品贩子。 A:Really? Do you know what kind of drugs he's into? A:真的?你知道他贩卖的是哪种毒品吗? B:I'm not exactly sure,but I know that he was once charged with illegally growing cannabis plants. B:我不太清楚,不过他曾因为非法种植大麻而被起诉过。

2.吸毒上瘾

A: There are quite a few people who don't think that marijuana is a big deal. A:现在好多人都觉得吸大麻没什么大不了的。 B: I know.That's the problem.Though marijuana may not be so serious,I think it often leads to other drugs. B:我知道。问题就在这儿。尽管大麻的确不是很厉害,但是它很可能会诱发人们去吸食其他毒品。 A:So,you think it's a gateway drug? A:那你觉得它是入门级毒品喽? B:Yes.I had a few friends in university who smoked a lot of weed,but got bored with it so moved onto harder drugs like ecstasy,cocaine,and morphine. B:对。我有几个上大学时的朋友,他们起初就吸大麻,后来觉得劲儿不够大,渐渐开始转向毒性较强的硬性毒品比如:迷幻药、可卡因和吗啡。

3.吸过毒

A: Did you ever experiment with drugs? A: 你吸过毒吗? B: I used to smoke joints for fun in high school,but then I started to depend on it to help me through each day. B:我上高中的时候曾经吸过大麻烟,只是为了好玩,但是后来开始必须靠它度过每一天。 A:So what happened? A:那后来怎么样了? B: My mom found a joint in my bedroom and made me go to drug re hab. B: 我妈妈发现了我卧室里的大麻烟,把我送进了戒毒所。 A:So did that make you quit? A:这样你就戒掉了吗? B:No,I was upset with my mom for making me go. B:没有。我对妈妈把我送走很伤心。

4.一种解脱

A:Who is he? A:他是什么人? B:He's a country singer. B: 他是个乡村歌唱手。 A:Oh,well,what happened? A:哦,发生了什么事? B:Apparently in the 80s,he was addicted to cocaine and alcohol.Drugs were an escape for him. B:大概在80年代,他沉溺于可卡因并且酗酒。吸毒对他来说是一种解脱的方式。

5.毒瘾发作

A: I think ghat life is tough enough without a drug addiction to deal with. A:我听说毒瘾发作的时候,人会非常难受。 B:Many celebrities battle drug addiction at some point in their lives.Perhaps it's just their way of dealing with their strange lives. B: 很多名流一生中总有某一时刻与毒瘾作斗争,这也许是他们面对自己离奇人生的一种方式。

6.戒毒

A:Is he still addicted to drugs? A:他现在还吸毒吗? B: Apparently,after battling his drug addiction for more than two decades,he had finally cleaned up. B: 他和毒瘾斗争了20多年,最后终于戒掉了。 A:Well,that's good.I can't imagine Nicole Kidman living with a druggie. A:哦,这还不错。我可不能想象尼可·基德曼跟一个瘾君子生活在一起。 B:That's the thing.About four months after they got married,he checked himself into a drug rehab centre again. B:重点就是这个。他们结婚四个月之后,他又回到了戒毒所。 A: Poor Nicole.Drug addiction can really cause family and friends a lot of grief. A: 可怜的尼可。吸毒成瘾的人往往会带给家人和朋友巨大的悲痛。 B:She's told reporters that she's prepared to stand by hsi side and to support him. B:她告诉记者这次她会支持他,并且跟丈夫并肩作战。 A: That's good of her. A:她真是个好妻子。

恐怖袭击

恐怖袭击从上世纪九十年代以来,就有在全球范围内迅速蔓延的严峻趋势。极端分子使用的手段也由最初的纯粹军事打击演化到绑架、残杀平民、自杀爆炸等等骇人的行动。而遭受恐怖袭击的国家或地区主要是北约组织成员国和军事同盟地区以及受他们军事打击的国家或地区。伊拉克首都巴格达每天都有恐怖袭击发生,发生在美国本土的911事件则是震惊全球的最惨重的恐怖袭击。因此从本世纪初开始,以美国为主的军事大国开始强调全球反恐联盟以力求打击恐怖主义的嚣张蔓延。

典型对话

1.听新闻了吗

A:Have you heard the news? A: 你听新闻了吗? B:About what? B: 什么新闻? A: Apparently,there was another terrorist attack in London this morning. A:伦敦今天早上遭受到了另一起恐怖袭击。 B:You're kidding! What happened? B: 你在开玩笑吧!发生了什么事? A: They aren't giving out all the details yet,but so far we know that a few bombs exploded on three of London's underground trains. A: 具体细节还不清楚,不过到目前为止,我们能够知道的是,已经有数起爆炸发生在伦敦的三个地铁站里。

2.你在哪儿

A:Do you remember where you were for the terrorist attacks on 9 11? A: 还记得“911”(恐怖主义袭击)发生那天你在哪儿? B: Yes,I was in my apartment in Beijing.Where were you? B: 记得,我在北京的家里。你呢? A: I was at home with my parents in New York city. A: 我跟我爸爸妈妈就在纽约的家里。 B:Are you OK that time? B:在那个时候你们没事吧? A:We're OK. A:我们没事。

3.亲眼看见了吗

A:Did you see the hijacked planes crash into and destroy the twin towers? A:你亲眼见到那几架被劫持的飞机撞向双子塔了吗? B:I didn't see the crash itself,but I did see the smoke and everything afterwards from my parents' apartment building. B: 我没看见撞击的场景,但是从我父母家的那栋大楼往外看,我的确看见了浓烟和后来发生的一切。 A:That must have been horrible.Did you go out at all that day to see what was going on? A:那景象一定很可怕吧。你那天出门去看了吗? B:No,we decided to stay in our apartment.With all the buses out of service and the underground trains at a halt,many people had no choice but to walk home.It was utter chaos. B:没有,我们都决定留在家里。当时所有的公共汽车和地铁都停止了运营,很多人只好被选择步行回家。那景象非常混乱。

4.人员伤亡

A:Was anyone injured? A: 有人员伤亡吗? B:There were quite a few injuries,but they dont' have a body count yet.The city's hospitals are swamped with casualties. B: 有数人受伤,不过还没有死亡的人数统计。市里的各家医院都人满为患。 A:Did you see any footage on the television? A:电视里播放画面了吗? B:Yes,it was really a scene of horror. B:播了,景象真是很恐怖。 A:You're right. A:是的。

5.生还了吗

A: My uncle's firm had an office in one of the towers. A:我叔叔有家公司就开在世贸大楼里。 B:Did he survive? B:他生还了吗? A: Unfortunately,he wasn't able to evacuate in time.He ended up dying in the tower. A:很不幸,他当时没能逃出来。死在了那座楼里。 B:I'm so sorry.That must have really been a nightmarish day for you and your family. B:真遗憾。那对你和你家人来说一定是噩梦般的一天。 A: It was.The hijackers didn't have any respect for human life not even their own. A:确实是。劫机者简直对人的生命毫无尊重可言,甚至连自己的性命都不尊重。 B:Terrorist acts are deliberate and deadly and can affect every walk of life. B:恐怖行为都是蓄谋已久的,一击就能致命,而且对各行各业都会产生恶劣的影响。

6.谁干的

A:Do they know who did it yet? A: 有人知道这起事件是谁干的吗? B:No group has taken responsibility for the attack yet,but they think that Al Qaeda is responsible. B:目前还没有任何组织在袭击之后宣称对之负责,不过有人认为是基地组织干的。 A:I'm so sick of this war.I'm not sure that we should have ever gone there in the beginning,but at the same time,I'm worried about what will happen if we leave. A:我讨厌这场战争。虽然我并不确定开始时候我们是不是该出兵,但是同时我很担心,如果我们撤军了,那里会发生什么事。 B: It's so complicated.The sad thing is that there are so many innocent victims that are paying for this war with their lives. B:这实在是太复杂了。最惨遭的事情莫过于有很多无辜的受害者在这场战争中丧生。 A:By the way,I've decided to go to ground zero next month to pay condolences to my aunt.Would you be willing to come along with me? A:顺便告诉你,我下个月要去“爆炸原点”吊唁我姑妈。你想陪我一起去吗? B:I'd be honoured to keep you company and to meet your aunt. B: 能陪你去看望你姑妈是我的荣幸。

交通堵塞

交通堵塞是由于交通设施能力不足或非正常情况所引起的一定数量的交通车辆在公路上的滞留,主要表现为车辆不能在道路上正常行驶。分为交叉路口车辆转向引起的交通堵塞、线路超负荷引起的交通堵塞、交通高峰期引起的交通堵塞、交通事故引起的交通堵塞和特殊原因引起的交通堵塞等。

典型对话

1.堵车

A:You're finally here! What took so long? A:你可算到了!怎么花了这么长时间? B: I got stuck in traffic again.There was a terrible traffic jam near the Carrefour intersection. B: 又遇到堵车了。家乐福那个路口老是特别堵。 A:It's always rather congested down there during rush hour.Maybe you should try to find a different route to get home. A:那个地段在高峰时间里总是特别拥堵。也许你该找条别的路回家。 B:I don't think it can be avoided,to be honest. B:老实说,我觉得这个路口绕不开。

2.越来越严重

A:Is it just me or is traffic getting worse and worse every day? A:交通状况一天比一天糟糕了,这仅仅是我个人的感觉还是事实如此? B:If you think it's getting worse,then you're probably right. B:如果你认为交通状况越来越糟糕,那么你很可能是对的。 A:It feels like there are more cars on the road every single day. A:好像每天街上的车都越来越多。 B:Congestion is typical in most big cities,but to be honest,the traffic situation in this city now is becoming ridiculous! B:交通拥堵在大城市是个很普遍的现象,不过老实说,这座城市的交通问题已经糟糕到荒唐的程度了。 A:I know. A:我知道。

3.高峰期

A:It took me 30 minutes just to get down our main street this morning.Traffic just didn't move. A: 今天早上我只是想把车开出主路,结果花了足足有半个钟头,所有的车都一动不动地堵在那儿。 B:The congestion is so bad during rush hour that even taking a bus proves to be a dreaded ordeal now! B: 高峰时的交通非常拥挤,这时即便是乘公共汽车也会是一场可怕的经历。 A:It's ridiculous! You can get places faster by bike than by car now! A:这真荒唐!现在你如果要去一个地方,骑车比开车快多了。 B:I think part of the problem is that more and more people in this city can now afford to buy a car. B:我觉得造成这个问题的一部分原因是这个城市里能买得起私家车的人越来越多了。

4.乘公交工具

A:Perhaps it would be better if you started taking public transport to work. A:没准你乘坐公共交通工具去上班会好一些。 B:I think it's something that I'll have to consider.The public transport system is pretty good. B:这倒可以考虑。公共交通工具去上班会好一些。 A:It would be better for the environment,too. A:对环境也更好些。 B:I know.I feel bad about how much my car is adding to the pollution problem in this city. B:我明白。一想到我的车向大气排放了那么多废气,造成城市污染,我就心情很差。 A:Taking the subway would be a lot less stressful than driving as well. A:坐地铁就不会像开车那样有那么大的交通压力。 B:The only problem is that I'm going to really miss having the freedom that you have with a car. B:唯一的问题就是我会非常想念开车时的自由。

5.骑自行车

A:Well,when it's nicer outside,you can start biking to work.That will give you just as much freedom as your car usually provides. A:嗯,等到外面天气再好一些的时候,你可以骑自行车上班,那能够让你体会跟开车一样的自由。 B:That's true.I could certainly use the exercise! B:没错。我还可以骑车锻炼身体! A:So,are you going to quit driving to work then? A:是啊,你现在是不是不想开车上班了? B:Yes,it's not good for me or for the environment. B:对,开车对我的身体和环境都不好。

6.政府措施

A:Do you think the government will do anything to solve ther problem? A:你觉得政府是不是该采取些措施来解决这个问题? B:They already ban cars that they feel are too old. B: 他们已经禁止特别老旧的车上路了。 A:That's a good start,but they're going to have to do a lot more than that if they want people to be able to get around the city reasonably quickly. A:这是个好的开始,不过如果他们想让人们在城市里穿行达到合理、正常的速度的话,还应该再想更多的办法。 B:Once the new subway lines are built,that should ease the congestion a bit. B:新的地铁线路开通之后,也许能缓解交通的压力。 A:What if it only makes it easier for more people to travel longer distances to work? A:如果要想让那些上班路途比较远的人在路上行驶地更畅快,还应该采取些什么措施呢? B:I don't know what the solution is,but they'd better think of something soon! B:我也不知道政府会采取什么措施,但是他们会尽快想出对策。

罪与罚

犯罪的形式概念是指从犯罪的法律特征上描述犯罪而形成的犯罪概念,也就是将犯罪表述为是触犯刑律、具有刑事违法性应受刑罚处罚的行为;犯罪的实质概念是从犯罪的社会内容上描述犯罪而形成的犯罪概念,也就是将犯罪表述为具有社会危害性的行为。犯罪的混合概念,是指形式与实质相统一的犯罪概念,即在犯罪概念的规定中,既揭示犯罪的实质社会内容,又强调犯罪的法律形式特征,使犯罪的实质社会内容和法律形式特征统一在同一个犯罪概念之中。

典型对话

1.犯罪现象

A:Is there a lot of crime in your city? A:你们城市的犯罪现象多吗? B:There's some,but I don't think it's a big problem.A lot of it is petty crime,burglary and car theft.There's very little major crime. B:有一些,但我认为问题不大。许多犯罪行为性质都很轻,比如入室盗窃或偷车等,情节严重的犯罪很少。 A:It's the same in my city. A:和我们城市一样。

2.怎么样

A:How are you doing? A: 你最近怎么样? B:I'm OK.I wish I could say the same for my friend. B:还好。要是我的朋友也能这样就好了。 A:What happened to him? A:他怎么了? B:He was arrested by the police for drinking and driving. B:他因为酒后驾车被逮捕了。

3.被起诉

A:Was it his first offence? A:这是他第一次被起诉吗? B:Unfortunately not.He was charged with a DUI when he was in university. B:可惜不是。他上大学的时候就因为醉酒车被起诉过一次。 A:What happened to him then? A:那次他后来怎么样了? B:Not much,it was a minor offence back then.He got away with a fine of 500. B:没怎样,起诉情节较轻。他后来交了500美元的罚金就被释放了。 A:Did they take his license away? A:他没有被吊销驾照吗? B:No,they were really easy on him. B:没有,他们对他判得实在是太轻了。

4.请律师

A:Does he have a defence lawyer? A:他请辩护律师了吗? B:Not yet.If we can't find a lawyer for him,then the state will appoint him with one. B:还没有。如果我们不能帮他找到律师的话,法庭会给他指派一名的。 A:My sister is a lawyer.I can ask her if she can help him. A:我姐姐就是个律师。我可以问问她愿不愿意帮忙。 B:That'd be great.I know he'd appreciate your help. B:那太好了。我敢肯定他会非常感激你的。

5.被判谋杀

A:Do you remember that story about the woman whose children died of starvation? A:你还记得有个女人,她的孩子都饿死了的事情吗? B:Yes,that must have been on the news a few months ago. B:我记得,那是好几个月以前的新闻了。 A:Yes,well,she was found guilty of murder. A:是啊,嗯,她被判犯有谋杀罪。 B:Do you think they will impose the death sentence on her? B:你认为法庭会判处她死刑吗? A:I don't think so.Wasn't the death penalty abolished in that state decades ago? A:我觉得不会。那个州不是几十年前就已经废除死刑了吗? B:It was abolished at one point,but I thought they brought back death by lethal injection. B:只是曾经一度废除过,不过我想他们已经恢复了皮下注射那种死刑了。

6.死刑

A:How do you feel about the death penalty? A:你怎么看待死刑? B:I don't think anyone should be able to kill another human being unless it's in self defence. B: 我觉得除非是出于自卫,否则任何人都没有权力杀死其他人。 A:You know,paying for someone to sit in prison for the rest of his or her lives is quite expensive. A:要知道,把一个人扔进监狱让他或她余生都在里面度过,花费可是相当高的。 B:They should have the prisoners do something productive in their time in jail to pay for their living costs. B: 那可以让囚犯们在服刑期间从事些生产性的活动,这样就可以支付他们自己的生活费用了。 A:I guess in an ideal world,it would all work out like that. A:我觉得在理想社会,这样倒是行得通。

丢失物品

如果遗失了物品,应先回想一下是在什么地方遗失的。如果遗留在酒店或餐厅应及时与之联系;如果是在路途中遗失的,先自行找寻;若是贵重物品应及与警方取得联系;如果是家中或其他固定地点被盗,则要保持现场及时报警。

典型对话

1.手提包不见了

A:What's the matter,dear? A:出了什么事儿?亲爱的? B:Someone stole my handbag. B:有人偷了我的手提包。 A: What kind of bag was it? A:什么样的包? B:It's a black overnight bag. B:那是个黑色的旅行包。

2.报案了吗

A: What can I do for you,sir?A: 先生,有什么可以帮助你呢?B: I've lost my handbag.B: 我遗失了我的手提包。A: Do you know where you have lost it?A: 你知道在哪里遗失吗?B: I'm not sure.I remember that I took out my camera from my bag outside the National Museum.Then I went to a restaurant.When I got there,I real

ized that it was not there.Most probably,I left it outside the National Museum.B: 不太清楚。我记得,在国家博物馆外我从我的袋里取照相机,跟着,我就到了一 间餐厅,当我抵达时便发觉手提袋不见了。可能是我把手提袋遗留在国家博物馆外。A: What are the things inside?A: 里面有什么东西?B: There are a Nikon camera and my personal diary.B: 里面有一个尼康照相机和我的记事簿。

3.里面有什么

A:My bag was stolen.I probably Left it in the restaurant.A:我的袋子被偷了。我大概是把它落在餐厅了。B:What was in it?B:里面有什么?A:Well,my purse,a camera,and a travel guide book.And my driver's license,student ID,and credit cards were all inside.A:嗯,我的小钱包、一部相机以及一本旅游指南。还有驾照、学生证,以及信用卡都在里面。B:That's too bad.When did you notice that it was missing?B:那真是太糟糕了。你什么时候发现东西不见的?A:About half an hour ago.A:大约半小时前。

4.立刻报案

A:Sir,someone broke into my room.A:先生,有人闯进我的房间!B:Was anything stolen?B:有什么东西被偷了吗?A:Yes,my camcorder was missing.A:有,我的摄像机不见了。B:I am sorry this happened.I'll report this to the police right now.B:很抱歉发生这种事。我立刻向警察局报案。A:Thank you.A:谢谢。

5.去警察局

A:What should I do now?A:我现在该怎么办?B:I think you had better report it to the police.They will ask you to fill out a form first,and they won't ask you anything that's too difficult.B:我觉得你最好向警察报案。他们会先要求你填一张表,不会问你太难的事情。A:I'll go right naw.A:那我现在就去。

6.举报

A:Come in sir. Sit down. How can I help you?A:请进,先生。请坐。什么事呀?B:I would like to report a robbery.B:我想举报抢劫案。A:Where and when did the hold up actually take place?A:抢劫的具体地点和时间?B:At about 12:30 last night.B:大概昨晚12点30分。A:Did the thug hit you on the head? Is that why you are bleeding?A:暴徒打你的头了吗?是那导致你在流血吗?B:Yes, sir, but I am fine now. The wound is nothing.B:是的,先生。但我现在没事了。这点伤没什么了不起的。

家庭保险

科学买保险要先大人后孩子;先保障(意外、医疗、重大疾病)后投资(养老、教育、理财等),意外险是一定要考虑的。合理的买保险要考虑诸多因素:年龄、性别、年收入、年支出、年结余、目前还有那些保障、是否有贷款、是否有投资(股票、基金、债券、房产等),孩子的教育,老人的赡养……要根据这些合理规划设计方案,因为保险一买就是十几二十年缴费,所以不要因为这些不确定的因素影响我们未来的生活质量。一定要考虑全面,因为保险缴费是和年龄直接挂钩的,年龄越大,费用越高,保障时间越短,科学规划保险是要把年交保险控制在家庭年收入的15%—20%,寿险保额要是您年收入的5—10倍,这样才能合理规避潜在风险。

典型对话

1.咨询保险

A:Good morning.I'd like to ask some questions about your insurance policies. A:早上好,我想咨询一下关于你们保险单的事宜。 B:Of course.Please sit down.How may I help you? B:当然可以。请坐。我能帮你什么呢? A:I bought a house recently and would like to insure it and its contents. A:我最近买了一座房子,想给房子和里面的东西投保。 B: I see.Here's a pamphlet about our home insurance policy.We've named our policy “Umbrella”. B:我明白了。这是关于我们家庭保单的小册子。这项保险被命名为“雨伞”。

2.自付额度

A:The minimum amount for deductibles is 2000.What does that mean exactly? A:自付额的最低额度为2000美元。是什么意思? B: It means that the first 2000 of any claim you make must be paid by you.The insurance policy covers any amount above that,up to the agreed limit. B: 意思是,任何索赔的前2000美元必须由你自己支付。保单包括在此之上的任何数目,一直到双方同意的限制数额。 A:Oh,I see.That's fine.What is the advantage of having higher deductibles? A:喔,明白了。那不错。自付额度更高的话,有什么优势吗? B:If you have higher deductibles,your premiums are lower,because you will pay more of the claim and we will pay less. B:自付额度更高的话,你的保险费就会低些,因为那样你就要支付更多的索赔费,我们就付得少些。 A: It seems that I should do some calculations before deciding.I presume that the insurance period can be for as long as we agree. A:看来在做决定前要算算。我以为投保时间期限可以双方商定。

3.续保

A:We initially sign one year policies with our policyholders.These are renewable after the first year. A:我们和保险客户先签一年的保单。第一年后可以续保。 B:If I have a claim,how long does it take to make a settlement? I've heard that with some insurance companies,it can take months. B:如果我要求索赔,需要多长时间可以解决好?听说在有些公司需要好几个月呢。 A:That is of great concern to our clients.We aim to satisfy all claims within a month,but we can't guarantee that. A: 这是客户最关心的问题。我们的目标是在一个月内解决客户的所有理赔,但我们不能保证。

4.索赔

A:How should you pay the medical expenses? A: 你们如何赔偿医疗费用? B:If the insured shall the company shall pay the insured the medical expenses on all the certificates and bills issued by the hospital.However,the maximum amount in respect of any claim or claims accumulated shall not exceed the total amount of medical expenses indicated in the policy. B:在保险有效期内,根据医院所出具的单证,不论发生一次或多次赔偿,均予赔偿,但最高赔偿金额累计以不超过保单所列的医药费为限。 A:Show me your indemnity scale for personal accident insurance,please. A:请让我看看贵方人身意外险的赔偿金额表。 B:This is our indemnity scale for personal accident insurance. B:这是我公司的人身意外险赔偿金额表。

5.刚买保险

A: I've just taken out an insurance policy.Are you insured? A:我刚买了份保险,你入保了吗? B: Yes,I am.I have life insurance and my home and its contents are also insured. B: 入了。我买了份寿险,家和里面的东西也入了保。 A:I took out a life insurance policy and made my wife the beneficiary. A:我买了份寿险,妻子是受益人。 B:That's a good idea.You are a fireman and it can be a dangerous job. B:那是个好主意。你是消防员,工作可能很危险。 A: I need to make sure that my wife will be financially secure if I die. A: 我要确信要是我死了我妻子在经济上有保障。 B: I can terminate my life insurance policy when I retire and use the money as a pension. B:等我退休时,我可以终止寿险保单,用那笔钱作养老金。

6.体检

A: Did you have to take a medical before you could take out the policy? A: 你在入保前要体检吗? B:Yes,I did.It was one of the conditions of the insurance policy.The insurance company needs to assess the risk. B:要。这是买保险的条件之一。保险公司需要评估风险。

法律咨询

法律咨询的途径主要有以下两种:

1、现场咨询,直接去律师事务所、法律援助机构、司法部门咨询。好处:面对面地和法律工作者交流,有助于把问题表述清楚,获得合理的解决方案。不便:不能在最短时间内获得解决方案,去上述单位需要大量的时间,有些律师事务所咨询已经开始收费。

2、电话咨询,直接给律师、法律热线打电话咨询。好处:有一部电话就可以做到,比较方便、及时。不便:咨询的电话很难找。

典型对话

1.了解中国法律

A:I'm an Australian businessman. He wants to know something about the law.A:我是位澳大利亚商人,他想了解一些法律事宜。B:OK.What would you like to know?B:好的,您想了解哪一方面的法律知识?C:You see,no matter what we do,we must abide by the law. What kind of law must I know before I begin to invest here?C:您知道,无论我们做什么,我们都得守法。开始在这里投资之前,我必须了解什么法律呢?B:What kind of law do you want to know?B:您想了解哪一种法律?C:I don't know anything about the laws in China.C:我对中国的法律一无所知。B:Then,you'd better have an idea of the constitution,civil commercial law,administrative law,economic law,labor law,procedural law and so on.B:那您最好了解宪法,民商法,行政法,经济法,劳动法,诉讼法等等。

2.与律师见面

A:Mr. Harris,Let me introduce Mr. Xie to you. This is Mr. Harris,he is from America. This is Mr. Xie,a senior lawyer in the law office.A:哈里斯先生,我把谢先生介绍给您。这是来自美国的哈里斯先生,这是律师事务所的资深律师谢先生。B:Nice to see you!B:见到您很高兴。C:Nice to see you,too.C:见到您很高兴。

3.卷入纠纷

A:Mr. Harris wants to seek some advice on law.A:哈里斯先生想咨询一些法律问题。B:Go ahead,please.B:请讲。C:How should I behave if I'm involved in an economic lawsuit when I invest here?C:我在这里投资如果卷入法律纠纷怎么办?B:There are four choices,namely conciliation,intermediation,arbitration and suing. I'm sure your legal right will be well protected.B:有四种选择,就是和解、调解、仲裁、诉讼。您的合法权益肯定会得到充分保护。

4.法律环境

A:What do you think of the law environment here?A:您认为这里的法律环境怎么样呢?B:I think it is very good for investment. Since China has been a member of the WTO,Chinese law system has been improved a lot.B:我觉得这里的法律环境很适宜投资。自从中国加入WTO以来,中国的法律体系大有改善。A:I'm fully confident of investing here.A:我对在这里投资很有信心。B:You are welcome to invest here. I can help you in matters of law.B:欢迎您来投资。我愿意在法律方面为您提供帮助。A:Thank you.A:谢谢。B:You are welcome.B:不客气。

5.枪支与法律

A:Many crimes in America are committed by people using guns.A:美国社会的很多犯罪都与枪支有关。B:But you cannot say it's just a gun problem. Most of those criminals have a record of criminal offense. By law they are not allowed to buy or own guns. Do they care? No. They do not obey laws and find other ways to get guns. It's a people problem.B:但你不能说那就是枪的问题了。那些罪犯中大多数人都有犯罪记录。按照法律规定来说他们是不允许有枪的。但他们在意吗?才不呢。他们根本就不遵守法律,总是通过其他方法来获得枪支。这是人的问题。A:You may be right saying so.A:那样说也许有点道理吧。B:Anyhow,we're not waiting to see that the familiar saying would become fact: “When the guns are outlawed,only outlaws will have guns.”B:不管怎么样,我们都不愿坐视那句谚语变成事实吧“当枪支拥有变得不合法时,只有那些违法犯罪分子才会拥有枪了。”

6.古怪法律

A:Look at the book. It tells some wacky laws of America.A:看这本书,讲美国的一些古怪法律。很有意思。B:Wacky laws? What's that?B:古怪法律?什么啊?A:For example, this one, “You're breaking the law if you tickle a girl in Norton, Virginia.”A:举个例子,看这个,“在弗吉尼亚州的诺顿市,胳肢女孩子是违法的。”B:Good, but I heard of something more interesting. Judges now are very creative. They explore some alternative sentences instead of throwing criminals in jail.B:有意思,但我还听说了更有趣的。现在很多法官都极富创造力,他们用选择性判决来代替让罪犯进监狱的做法。A:That's an original idea. The judges definitely enjoy using their imaginations.A:这想法太新颖了,这些法官肯定喜欢发挥他们的想象力。

战争

战争是当事者之间事情矛盾争端到达白热化之后,对对方采取的粗暴的毁灭行动。也可以译成:一种不能通过其他手段解决问题的解决方式。 战争是政治集团之间、民族(部落)之间、国家(联盟)之间的矛盾最高的斗争表现形式,是解决纠纷的一种最高、最暴力的手段,通常也是最快捷最有效果的解决办法。也可以解释为使用暴力手段对秩序的破坏与维护、崩溃与重建。古今中外的战争,概莫能外。人类出现以来,战争就一直没有停止过。如果能通过促进全球经济的融合来促进世界的和平,发展各种国际贸易、国际旅游、国家交互移民/通婚、国际文化产品相互渗透(电影、音乐等)来减少甚至消灭战争,最后牵一发动全身,谁都不想发动什么战争了。

典型对话

1.短期停火

A: Are you watching another news report about the war? A:你在看另一个关于战争的新闻报道吗? B:Yes.The two sides declared a short ceasefire but it broke down earlier today.Several military targets were destroyed by bombing.Many civilians were among the dead and wounded. B:是的。交战双方宣布了一个短期的停火协议,但这一协议在今天早些时候就被破坏了。几个军事目标被炸毁。死伤者中有许多平民。

2.怎么开始的

A:How did this war start? A:这场所战争是怎么开始的? B:Both sides claim as small area of territory.Both sides tried to build border fences and began attacking each other. B: 交战双方都声称对一小片土地拥有主权。双方都开始修建边界围墙并相互袭击。 A:Politicians from both sides sound increasingly belligerent.Neither side wants to compromise. A:交战双方的政治首领变得越来越敌对。双方都不愿意做出让步。 B:Relief agencies report that many civilians are in desperate need of food and shelter.Several European countries have agreed to send aid,but they are afraid that their planes will be shot down. B:据救援机构报道,许多平民急需食物和住处。欧洲的一些国家同意给予援助,但他们担心运送援助物资的飞机被击中。

3.发展情况

A:What do you think will happen? A:你认为事情会怎样发展? B:Both countries are very poor.Soon they will run out of money to finance the war.Then,perhaps,they will negotiate. B:交战国都很贫穷。他们很快就会没有经费支撑战争的。或许那时他们进行谈判。 A:It would be much simpler and cheaper if they negotiated first. A:如果他们一开始就进行谈判,事情就不会这么糟糕。

4.主要原因

A:What do you think are the main causes of war today? A:你认为怎样才能结束这些战争? B:I'd say the main reason is poverty.Countries and their people get frustrated because they have so little.If their neighbours have some resources,they try to steal them by military force. B: 我认为贫穷是主要原因。物资匮乏使国家和人民感到很绝望。如果他们的邻国有一些资源,他们就会试图通过武力将其夺过来。 A:It seems that a lot of wars nowadays are really civil wars.People from different ethnic groups in the same country sometimes fight for power in that country. A:看来现代的许多战争实际上是内战。同一国家中来自不同种族的人为了争夺国家权利而战。 B: Several of those civil wars have been going on for years and years.It seems they will never end. B:有几个这样的内战已持续了很多年。这些战争好像是永远不会结束似的。

5.怎样结束

A:How do you think they could be ended? A:你认为怎么才能结束这些战争? B:I don't think that there is any easy way.The United Nations could send peacekeepers into the country.At least then the warring parties could be forced to negotiate.The thing is to find the real problem for the war and solve that. B:我觉得要结束战争很难。联合国可以派维和部队进驻该国。至少这样交战双方会被迫进行谈判。关键是要找到导致战争的真正原因并加以解决。 A:So,if the cause is poverty,there should be a programme to make the country richer.If the problem is resources,share them. A:那么,如果贫穷是导致战争的原因,就应该制定一个使该国富强起来的计划。如果是为争夺资源而引起战争,那么就应该共享资源。 B:It sounds easy when you say it like that.In reality,it's harder to make peace between countries. B:你这样说起来很容易。在现实生活中,要维护国与国之间的和平是很难的。 A:Yes,it is.One way to stop countries fighting is to cut off their financial support.Wars are very expensive. A:是的。阻止战争的一个办法是切断交战国的经济支援。战争的费用是很高的。 B:The problem is that many poor people might suffer. B: 问题是许多穷人会因此而受苦。