Trading standards ^{文章出自：The Economist 经济学人}

trading ^{贸易的，商业的}

• Trading partners signed a new agreement last year. ^{贸易伙伴去年签署了一项新协议。}
• She works in the trading department of the bank. ^{她在银行的交易部门工作。}
• The company is engaged in trading electronic components worldwide. ^{该公司从事电子元件的全球贸易。}

trading standards ^贸易标准

• Local trading standards inspect imported goods. ^{当地贸易标准机构检查进口商品。}
• Companies must meet national trading standards before export. ^{公司出口前必须符合国家贸易标准。}
• Changes to trading standards affect cross-border transactions. ^{贸易标准的变化影响跨境交易。}

Chickens slaughtered in the United States, claim officials in Brussels, are not fit to grace European tables.

插入语写法 / 将说话者降为插入语 ^{写作手法（突出内容，弱化说话者）By making the content the focus, the writer uses an inserted speaker to shift emphasis. 通过将内容作为焦点，作者使用插入的说话者来转移强调。}

• Officials in Brussels claim that chickens slaughtered in the United States are not fit to grace European tables. ^{布鲁塞尔官员声称美国宰杀的鸡不适合摆上欧洲的餐桌。}
• ‘I’m trying to repair the bell,’ answered Bill. ‘I’ve been coming up here night after night for weeks now. You see, I was hoping to give you a surprise.’
• ‘So long as there’s something to identify, we will give people their money back,’ said a spokeswoman for the Bank. ‘Last year, we paid $1.5m on 21,000 claims. ’

official ^{政府官员 / 官方的}

Brussels ^{布鲁塞尔（欧盟总部所在地）}

 the capital and largest city in Belgium, centrally situated in northern Europe. Brussels is internationally important as the headquarters of the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

• Brussels hosts many international institutions. ^{布鲁塞尔是许多国际机构的所在地。}
• Officials in Brussels debated the new rules. ^{布鲁塞尔的官员们讨论了新规则。}
• Trade decisions from Brussels affect EU markets. ^{来自布鲁塞尔的贸易决定影响欧盟市场。}

free direct speech ^{自由直接引语（新闻英语中常用）引用某人的说话原文，没有引号；多用于新闻英语}

• The mayor insisted they would not raise taxes this year.
• The victim's family told reporters the lack of justice was unbearable.
• The senator stormed out of the hearing, loudly declaring he had absolutely nothing more to say to those fools.
• The witness stated the facts clearly: The car had indeed run the red light.

are not fit to grace European tables ^{（委婉）不符合上桌标准 / 质量有问题}

• Chickens slaughtered in the United States are of poor quality. ^质量低劣
• Chickens slaughtered in the United States don’t meet European standards.^{不符合欧洲标准}
• The statement implied that the products are not fit to grace European tables. ^{声明暗示这些产品不适合摆上欧洲餐桌。}
• He said the shipments are not fit to grace European tables due to hygiene concerns. ^{他说由于卫生问题这些货物不适合上欧洲餐桌。}
• Politicians often use euphemistic phrases to soften criticism. ^{政治家常用委婉表达来缓和批评。}

political correctness ^{政治正确(切记：外交场合；用词不能太直接、不能伤害对方感情)}

• the disabled / handicapped ^{残疾的(正常表达)}
• the physically challenged  ^{（委婉）残疾的}
• the mentally challenged ^{（委婉）智障}
• the vertically challenged ^{（委婉）侏儒}
• the horizontally challenged ^{（委婉）肥胖}

No, say the Americans: our fowl are fine, we simply clean them in a different way.

fowl ^{家禽（尤指鸡）}

• Fowl are raised on many farms. ^{很多农场饲养家禽。}
• The market sells various types of fowl. ^{市场出售各种家禽。}
• Some people prefer free-range fowl. ^{有些人更喜欢散养家禽。}

These days, it is differences in national regulations, far more than tariffs, that put sand in the wheels of trade between rich countries. ^强调句

these days / nowadays / today ^{如今，现今}

• These days, people who do manual work often receive far more money than people who work in offices.
• Nowadays, information spreads quickly. ^{现在，信息传播迅速。}
• Today, global trade is highly regulated. ^{今天，全球贸易受到高度监管。}

it is ... that ... ^强调句型

• It is differences in regulations that cause delays. ^{正是法规差异导致延误。}
• It was the team that won the award. ^{正是该团队获得了奖项。}
• It is persistence that leads to success. ^{正是坚持带来成功。}

put sand in the wheels of ^{阻碍、妨碍（惯用短语）直译：往车轮里扔沙子}

• New regulations put sand in the wheels of trade. ^{新规阻碍了贸易。}
• Language barriers put sand in the wheels of communication. ^{语言障碍妨碍交流。}

more than ^{不仅仅是；（置于形容词/副词前）非常/极其}

• He is more than generous. ^{他非常慷慨。}
• This problem is more than we can handle. ^{这个问题超出我们的处理能力。}
• Trade issues involve more than tariffs. ^{贸易问题不仅仅涉及关税。}

These days, it is differences in habits and customs, far more than languages, that put sand in the wheels of transnational marriages. ^{现如今，是风俗习惯的差异，而远不仅仅是语言问题，阻碍了跨国婚姻 。}

It is not just farmers who are complaining. ^{强调句(who可以换成that)}

not just ... who/that ... ^{不仅仅是…（也有其他人/事）}

• Not just farmers are complaining; consumers are concerned too. ^{不仅仅是农民在抱怨，消费者也很关心。}
• Not just students but teachers supported the change. ^{不仅学生，老师也支持这项变革。}
• Not just the city but the whole region felt the impact. ^{不仅这座城市，整个地区都感受到了影响。}

complain ^{抱怨，投诉}

• Residents complained about the noise. ^{居民抱怨噪音。}
• Many customers complained to the manager. ^{许多顾客向经理投诉。}
• He complained that the service was slow. ^{他抱怨服务很慢。}

An electric razor that meets the European Union's safety standards must be approved by American testers before it can be sold in the United States, and an American-made dialysis machine needs the EU's okay before it hits the market in Europe.

meet ^{符合（标准、要求）}

• The product meets all safety requirements. ^{该产品符合所有安全要求。}
• The design meets international norms. ^{该设计符合国际规范。}
• Manufacturers must ensure goods meet local standards. ^{制造商必须确保商品符合当地标准。}

approve ^{vt.批准 / 同意（区分：approve vs. approve of）}

• The board approved the budget. ^{董事会批准了预算。}
• The drug was approved by regulators. ^{该药品获监管机构批准。}

okay ^{= agreement = permission = approval}

• His doctor wouldn't OK the trip.  ^{他的医生不会同意这趟旅行的。}
• He gave the okay to issue a new press release.  ^{他做出批准发表一篇新的新闻稿。}

hit ^{到达，上市（口语）v. arrive at; reach 到达}

• The new model will hit the market next month. ^{新型号将于下月上市。}
• The book hit the shelves last week. ^{这本书上周已上架。}
• The song hit the charts immediately. ^{这首歌立即进入排行榜。}

contrast ^{对照法（修辞）上下文语义相对、故意用不同的结构，让句式更富于变化}

• Men always want to be a woman’s first love; women have a more subtle instinct: what they like is to be a man’s last romance. 

antithesis ^{对比；上下文语义相对、句式工整}

• There is only one difference between an old man and a young one: the young man has a glorious future before him and the old one has a splendid future behind him: and maybe that is where the rub is.
• When poverty comes in at the door, love leaps out at the window.
• A mother takes twenty years to make a man of her boy, and another woman takes twenty minutes to make a fool of him.