12.19更新

《参考消息》2006年3月24日第6版：美联邦电信委员会大力净化荧屏
TV channels fined in drive to purge swearing and sex

From Tom Baldwin and Anna Stroman in Washington

US BROADCASTERS have been hit 1record-breaking fines of almost $4 million (£2.5 million) by a federal TV standards watchdog which decrees that even casual use of the “s-word” or pixlated shots of a woman’s breasts “disturb the peace and quiet of the home”.

Three years of rulings from the Federal Communications Commission, published2 full this week, have alarmed the broadcasters which face competition from largely unregulated cable channels. (1)They may now have to scrap live broadcasts, or return to 1970s-style censorship of scripts.

But the commission is now chaired by Kevin Martin, a Republican appointed by President Bush to crack down3the indecency that so shocks conservative sensibilities. “The number of complaints received by the commission has risen year after year,” Mr Martin said. “I share the concerns of the public — and of parents, in particular.”

The commission has ruled that any use of the “f-word”, such as that by Bono during a a Golden Globe Awards ceremony in 2004, is unacceptable. Its report also (2)puts broadcasters on notice that the “s-word” will also be subject to fines if broadcast 6 and 10pm.

The biggest fine — $3.6 million — wasmeted out to CBS, for an episode broadcast by dozens of its stations of (3)the prime-time drama Without a Trace. It featured a “teen orgy” party scene that included 5 least three shots depicting intercourse.

The commission also upheld a $550,000 fine6CBS for the infamous “wardrobe malfunction” incident at the Super Bowl 2004 in which Janet Jackson’s clothing was ripped, revealing the singer’s breast.

More alarming for broadcasters was the $27,500 fine on WBDC for airing an episode of The Surreal Life 2 that (4)included pixelated views of frontal nudity and a shot of a man touching a breast.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.by 2.in 3.on 4.between 5.at6.against
2.试译文中划线短语和句子，参考翻译见下：
(1)他们现在可能必须放弃直播节目，或者恢复20世纪70年代的节目审查制度。
(2)通知各广播公司
(3)黄金时段电视剧
(4)含有经过模糊处理的正面裸体镜头和男人摸女人胸部的画面


[ 此贴被chyx66在2006-12-21 12:27重新编辑 ]

The Times March 17, 2006

TV channels fined in drive to purge swearing and sex
From Tom Baldwin and Anna Stroman in Washington

US BROADCASTERS have been hit by record-breaking fines of almost $4 million (£2.5 million) by a federal TV standards watchdog which decrees that even casual use of the “s-word” or pixelated shots of a woman’s breasts “disturb the peace and quiet of the home”.
Three years of rulings from the Federal Communications Commission, published in full this week, have alarmed the broadcasters which face competition from largely unregulated cable channels. They may now have to scrap live broadcasts, or return to 1970s-style censorship of scripts.

For a country which proudly defends its constitutional right to free speech, including the voracious appetite of many Americans for pornography, the watchdog’s decisions might appear surprising.

But the commission is now chaired by Kevin Martin, a Republican appointed by President Bush to crack down on the indecency that so shocks conservative sensibilities. “The number of complaints received by the commission has risen year after year,” Mr Martin said. “I share the concerns of the public — and of parents, in particular.”

Between 2002 and 2005 the agency received 300,000 complaints about television shows.

The commission has ruled that any use of the “f-word”, such as that by Bono during a a Golden Globe Awards ceremony in 2004, is unacceptable. Its report also puts broadcasters on notice that the “s-word” will also be subject to fines if broadcast between 6 and 10pm.

It decreed that the Fox Television Network had violated decency standards during the 2003 Billboard Music Awards when Nicole Richie asked: “Have you ever tried to get cow shit out of a Prada purse?”

KCSM-TV in San Mateo, California, was fined $15,000 for the graphic language in Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed documentary on blues music, The Blues: Godfathers and Sons.

The commission permitted the use of the “f-word” in Tom Hanks’s film Saving Private Ryan, because deleting it “would have altered the nature of the artistic work and diminished the power, realism and immediacy of the experience for viewers”.

But this was not the case in The Blues — “the purpose of which could have been fulfilled and all viewpoints expressed without the repeated broadcast of expletives”.

One commissioner, Jonathan Adelstein, dissented. He said: “Coarse language is a part of the culture of the individuals being portrayed. [The ruling] is certain to strike fear in the hearts of news and documentary makers, and broadcasters that air them, which could chill the future expression of constitutionally protected free speech.”

The biggest fine — $3.6 million — was meted out to CBS, for an episode broadcast by dozens of its stations of the prime-time drama Without a Trace. It featured a “teen orgy” party scene that included at least three shots depicting intercourse.

The commission also upheld a $550,000 fine against CBS for the infamous “wardrobe malfunction” incident at the Super Bowl 2004 in which Janet Jackson’s clothing was ripped, revealing the singer’s breast.

More alarming for broadcasters was the $27,500 fine on WBDC for airing an episode of The Surreal Life 2 that included pixelated views of frontal nudity and a shot of a man touching a breast.

James Baughman, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who has written a history of the commission, said: “I don’t think that the FCC would dare to do this if it didn’t feel there was strong congressional support for this kind of action.”


[ 此贴被chyx66在2006-12-19 22:37重新编辑 ]

12。21更新

Europe's news media loves April Fool's pranks
Updated Sat. Apr. 1 2006 11:42 PM ET
Associated Press

LONDON — When it comes April Fool's Day, Europe's media are （1）having the last laugh.

Britain's Daily Mail reported Saturday that British Prime Minister Tony Blair repainted the traditionally black front door of his Downing Street office "socialist red"（2） to match his Labour party colours, while The Times ran a story about a new song-activated credit card security system called Chip 'n' Sing.

Neither is true, of course, but some two centuries after the tradition began, media outlets still are trying （3）to convince the gullible of the outrageous and improbable in an unofficial yearly competition to dupe[1] the naive and unsuspecting.

And it's not just Britain. Sweden's leading daily newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, scared thousands of bicyclists by claiming that Stockholm's city government would impose speed limits on bicycles in the inner city -- to 20 kilometres an hour.

A local edition of the Rome daily Il Messaggero reported that Return to Morality, a new association of residents in the central city of Aquila, had persuaded local officials to cover up monuments in the main square by dressing the naked men and women with clothes made of bronze.

The Moscow daily Moskovsky Komsomolets turned the day into a contest, offering free subscriptions to callers who identified false stories. （4）Aliens demanding a spaceship crew hand over its cargo of cheese spread; A secret research institute where Kremlin candidates to succeed President Vladimir Putin undergo scientific testing; and plans for a parliament building where legislators' offices would boast a bar, a balcony and a Jacuzzi[2], were among the Russian newspaper's gags[3].

In Belgium, the VRT radio network said the regional government in Flanders was so concerned about the impact of the country's infamously[4] dull weather on the population that it had decided to hand out 10,000 "sun cheques" giving citizens free visits to sun beds.

（5）Britain prides itself on a long tradition of elaborate hoaxes[5]. In 1957, the British Broadcasting Corp. aired a segment on the public affairs program Panorama about the unusually strong spaghetti[6] harvest that year in southern Switzerland. Twenty years later, Britain's Guardian newspaper published a seven-page special supplement honouring the 10th anniversary of the picturesque[7] island of San Serriffe, its leader, General Pica, and its capital, Bodoni.

"The impact of the seven-page survey was quite astonishing," former Guardian editor and current columnist David McKie said in Saturday's edition. "（6）The office all day was bedlam[8] as people pestered[9] the switchboard with requests for more information. Both travel agencies and airlines made official complaints to the editor, Peter Preston, about the disruption as customers simply refused to believe that the islands did not exist."

（1）笑到了最后
（2）为了（以）配合他的工档立场
（3）使那些容易受骗的人相信一些荒谬绝伦的事
（4）外星人要求宇宙飞船的宇航员交出船上的奶酪
（5）英国人为自己巧妙设计[屏蔽]的悠久传统而自豪
（6）办公室里忙成一团，人们纷纷打电话来要求了解更多情况。
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
（1）笑到了最后
（2）为了（以）配合他的工档立场
（3）使那些容易受骗的人相信一些荒谬绝伦的事
（4）外星人要求宇宙飞船的宇航员交出船上的奶酪
（5）英国人为自己巧妙设计[屏蔽]的悠久传统而自豪
（6）办公室里忙成一团，人们纷纷打电话来要求了解更多情况。

[NOTES]
[1]dupe vt. to trick or deceive someone欺骗,诈骗,愚弄[H][(+into)]（常被动）
He was duped into signing.
他受骗签订合同。

[2]Jacuzzi n. "佳骨肌"浴缸(周邊可噴水按摩的小浴池,源自商標名)

[3]gag n. a joke or funny story: 插科打诨，玩笑
He told a few gags.
It was a bit of a running gag (=a joke which is repeated) in the show.

[4]infamous adj. well known for being bad or evil
1. 聲名狼藉的,臭名昭著的;罪大惡極的
The infamous traitor was sentenced to death.
那個罪大惡極的叛徒被判處[屏蔽]。
2. 無恥的,不名譽的
I was shocked by her infamous behavior.
我對她不名譽的行為大為震驚。
3. 【口】差勁的,蹩腳的

[5]hoax n.[屏蔽];玩笑;恶作剧
1. a false warning about something dangerous:
e.g. a bomb hoax
hoax calls (=telephone calls giving false information) to the police
2. an attempt to make people believe something that is not true:
e.g. an elaborate hoax

[6]spaghetti n.通心粉

[7]picturesque adj. 风景如画的；别致的
1. a picturesque place is pretty and interesting in an old-fashioned way:
e.g. a quiet fishing village with a picturesque harbour
2. picturesque language uses unusual, interesting, or sometimes rude words to describe something:
e.g. a picturesque account of his trip to New York

[8]bedlam n. a situation where there is a lot of noise and confusion [= chaos]混乱，喧闹的情形

[9]pester vt. to annoy someone, especially by asking them many times to do something
1. 煩擾,糾纏[(+for/with)]
For years Mary had been pestering him to take her to Europe.
瑪麗多年來一直纏著他要他帶她去歐洲玩。
The beggars pestered the tourists for money.
乞丐們糾纏遊客要錢。


[ 此贴被chyx66在2006-12-21 12:27重新编辑 ]

Europe's news media loves April Fool's pranks
Updated Sat. Apr. 1 2006 11:42 PM ET

Associated Press

LONDON -- When it comes to April Fool's Day, Europe's media are having the last laugh.

Britain's Daily Mail reported Saturday that British Prime Minister Tony Blair repainted the traditionally black front door of his Downing Street office "socialist red" to match his Labour party colours, while The Times ran a story about a new song-activated credit card security system called Chip 'n' Sing.

Neither is true, of course, but some two centuries after the tradition began, media outlets still are trying to convince the gullible of the outrageous and improbable in an unofficial yearly competition to dupe the naive and unsuspecting.

Some say April Fool's Day started with the creation of the Gregorian calendar in the 16th century, which changed the starting date of the new year from April 1 - or April Fool's Day - to Jan. 1; others point to Indian and Roman festivals that celebrated foolishness and tomfoolery long before the Gregorian calendar was ever created.

Another theory dates back to the 17th century, when British villagers would strap an effigy of the town's fool to a horse and parade it through the village.

"The British really treasure their sense of humour and they have cultivated a sense of irony that, I think, has sort of become a national characteristic," said Alex Boese, a California-based hoax expert who runs a Web site dedicated to pranks.

And it's not just Britain. Sweden's leading daily newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, scared thousands of bicyclists by claiming that Stockholm's city government would impose speed limits on bicycles in the inner city -- to 20 kilometres an hour.

A local edition of the Rome daily Il Messaggero reported that Return to Morality, a new association of residents in the central city of Aquila, had persuaded local officials to cover up monuments in the main square by dressing the naked men and women with clothes made of bronze.

The Moscow daily Moskovsky Komsomolets turned the day into a contest, offering free subscriptions to callers who identified false stories.

Aliens demanding a spaceship crew hand over its cargo of cheese spread; A secret research institute where Kremlin candidates to succeed President Vladimir Putin undergo scientific testing; and plans for a parliament building where legislators' offices would boast a bar, a balcony and a Jacuzzi, were among the Russian newspaper's gags.

In Belgium, the VRT radio network said the regional government in Flanders was so concerned about the impact of the country's infamously dull weather on the population that it had decided to hand out 10,000 "sun cheques" giving citizens free visits to sun beds.

The popular Belgrade daily Glas ran a page of mock news, including a report saying Serbia's Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica had decided to resign, citing "unbearable Western pressure for extradition of (war crimes suspect) Ratko Mladic."

Britain prides itself on a long tradition of elaborate hoaxes.

In 1957, the British Broadcasting Corp. aired a segment on the public affairs program Panorama about the unusually strong spaghetti harvest that year in southern Switzerland.

Twenty years later, Britain's Guardian newspaper published a seven-page special supplement honouring the 10th anniversary of the picturesque island of San Serriffe, its leader, General Pica, and its capital, Bodoni.

Few noticed that the details of the luxurious island destination were made up entirely of printing terminology.

"The impact of the seven-page survey was quite astonishing," former Guardian editor and current columnist David McKie said in Saturday's edition.

"The office all day was bedlam as people pestered the switchboard with requests for more information. Both travel agencies and airlines made official complaints to the editor, Peter Preston, about the disruption as customers simply refused to believe that the islands did not exist."


[ 此贴被chyx66在2006-12-21 12:28重新编辑 ]

12。17更新

《参考消息》2006年3月20日第8版《中国人起名 生僻字禁用》

Now parents must use set menu to pick baby's name
By Jane Macartney



A JOKE in China goes that if you call out the name Wang Wei in the street at least one person is bound to respond. （1）The name Wei, or “Mighty”, is so popular that parents have been turning to ancient and esoteric dictionaries to find more unusual monikers for their children.



Not anymore. The Ministry of Public Security has drawn up new rules and babies’ names must in future be drawn from a database that excludes thousands of rare Chinese characters.



Bao Suixian, a deputy director at the ministry, said: “We cannot handwrite rare characters on the cards like we did before.” About 60 million of China’s 1.3 billion people have at least one rare character in their name, making it difficult for them to open a bank account or to buy an aircraft ticket.



（2）The fashion for unusual names is understandable in a society emerging from decades of revolutionary fervour when many children were called “Leap Forward”, “Cultural Revolution”, “Safeguard the Red” or — possibly the most popular — “Found the Nation”.



Most Chinese have three names. The surname comes first, followed by a personal name usually composed of two characters. （3）But the current vogue is for a single name; hence the flood of boys known simply as “Mighty”.



In Beijing alone, more than 3,000 men are called Li Wei — or Li Mighty — and another 3,000 share the name Li Jie — or Li Distinguished. （4）The situation is no better for girls. More than 4,300 are called Wang Jade Orchid.



Modern parents often choose words indicating “wisdom” or “brightness” for a son and, （5）for girls, feminine words denoting “serenity” and “beauty” are very fashionable. The naming of a child is no small matter and consulting a fortune teller has become almost essential to ensure that the new citizen goes though life with the most auspicious of names.



《参考消息》译文（全文）

〔英国《泰晤士报》3月18日报道〕题：中国父母必须从固定菜单上给宝宝取名字

  中国有一个笑话说，如果你在大街上喊“王伟”，会至少有一个人答应。“伟”这个字太多了，有些父母不得不借助古老深奥的字典来给孩子找个与众不同的名字。现在他们却不能再这样做了。

  中国公共安全部日前出台新规定，要求未来孩子的名字必须从一个固定字库中选择，字库中排除了许多罕见的汉字。在中国13亿人中，有大约6000万人的名字中至少有一个不常见的汉字，这让他们在开设银行账户和买飞机票时都遇到了麻烦。公共安全部一位负责人说：“我们不能再像以前那样在卡片上手写一些生僻的汉字。”

  人们喜欢起一个标新立异的名字是可以理解的。因为在几十年高涨的[屏蔽]热情的影响下，许多孩子的名字叫“跃进”、“[屏蔽]”、“卫红”，还有一个更常用的名字“建国”。

  大多数中国人的名字都是3个字。首先是姓，然后是两个字的名。但是，现在流行两个字的名字。所以叫“伟”的孩子才会如此之多。单在北京，就有3000多人叫“李伟”，还有3000人叫“李杰”。女孩重名的也很多，叫“王玉兰”的就有4300多个。

  现在的父母在给男孩起名时常会挑一些代表“智慧”或“聪明”的字，而在给女孩起名时则用一些表示“文静”或“美丽”的字。找算命先生给孩子起个吉利名字的做法也越来越流行。

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
（1）“伟”这个字太多了，有些父母不得不借助古老深奥的字典来给孩子找个与众不同的名字。
（2）人们喜欢起一个标新立异的名字是可以理解的。因为在几十年高涨的[屏蔽]热情的影响下，许多孩子的名字叫“跃进”、“[屏蔽]”、“卫红”，还有一个更常用的名字“建国”。
（3）但是，现在流行两个字的名字。
（4）女孩重名的也很多。
（5）给女孩起名时则多用一些表示“文静”和“美丽”（等女性化）的字。（注：括号中内容《参》未译）

The Times March 18, 2006


Now parents must use set menu to pick baby's name
By Jane Macartney

Chinese database rules out the exotic


A JOKE in China goes that if you call out the name Wang Wei in the street at least one person is bound to respond.
The name Wei, or “Mighty”, is so popular that parents have been turning to ancient and esoteric dictionaries to find more unusual monikers for their children.



Not anymore. The Ministry of Public Security has drawn up new rules and babies’ names must in future be drawn from a database that excludes thousands of rare Chinese characters. Out go indecipherable names. With the introduction of electronic identity cards, the authorities will register only names that they decide to include on their database.

Bao Suixian, a deputy director at the ministry, said: “We cannot handwrite rare characters on the cards like we did before.” About 60 million of China’s 1.3 billion people have at least one rare character in their name, making it difficult for them to open a bank account or to buy an aircraft ticket.

The fashion for unusual names is understandable in a society emerging from decades of revolutionary fervour when many children were called “Leap Forward”, “Cultural Revolution”, “Safeguard the Red” or — possibly the most popular — “Found the Nation”.

Most Chinese have three names. The surname comes first, followed by a personal name usually composed of two characters. But the current vogue is for a single name; hence the flood of boys known simply as “Mighty”.

In Beijing alone, more than 3,000 men are called Li Wei — or Li Mighty — and another 3,000 share the name Li Jie — or Li Distinguished. The situation is no better for girls. More than 4,300 are called Wang Jade Orchid.

Modern parents often choose words indicating “wisdom” or “brightness” for a son and, for girls, feminine words denoting “serenity” and “beauty” are very fashionable. The naming of a child is no small matter and consulting a fortune teller has become almost essential to ensure that the new citizen goes though life with the most auspicious of names.

Zhang Naiqian, or Zhang Hold Up High, a Beijing fortune teller and name specialist, said that many details of a baby’s birth — for example, the time and the weather — must be taken into consideration when selecting a name.

Before the new police database is introduced, Mr Zhang has an enormous range to choose from. Ancient poems are a popular source of inspiration and the 18th-century Kangxi Dictionary, the authoritative work for the Chinese language, contains 50,000 words.

谢谢 搂住

这种对比学习挺有创意的

楼上的头像真是……