新概念英语第四册第八单元课程讲解
Lesson 8 Trading standards 贸易标准
What makes trading between rich countries difficult?
Chickens slaughtered in the United States, claim officials in Brussels, are not fit to grace European tables. No, say the American: our fowl are fine, we simply clean them in a different way. These days, it is differences in national regulations, far more than tariffs, that put sand in the wheels of trade between rich countries. It is not just farmers who are complaining. 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.
As it happens, a razor that is safe in Europe is unlikely to electrocute Americans. So, ask businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, why have two lots of tests where one would do? Politicians agree, in principle, so America and the EU have been trying to reach a deal which would eliminate the need to double-test many products. They hope to finish in time for a trade summit between America and the EU on May 28TH. Although negotiators are optimistic, the details are complex enough that they may be hard-pressed to get a deal at all.
Why? One difficulty is to construct the agreements. The Americans would happily reach one accord on standards for medical devices and them hammer out different pacts covering, say, electronic goods and drug manufacturing. The EU -- following fine continental traditions -- wants agreement on general principles, which could be applied to many types of products and perhaps extended to other countries.
【参考译文】
布鲁塞尔的官员说，在美国屠宰的鸡不适于用来装点欧洲的餐桌。不，美国人说，我们的家禽很好，只是我们使用了另一种清洗方式。当前，是各国管理条例上的差异，而不是关税阻碍了发达国家之间的贸易。并不仅仅是农民在抱怨。一把符合欧洲联盟安全标准的电动剃须刀必须得到美国检测人员的认可，方可在美国市场上销售；而美国制造的透析仪也要得到欧盟的首肯才能进入欧洲市场。
碰巧在欧洲使用安全的剃须刀不大可能使美国人触电身亡，因此，大西洋两岸的企业都在问，当一套测试可以解决问题时，为什么需要两套呢？政治家在原则上同意了， 因此，美国和欧洲一直在寻求达成协议，以便为许多产品取消双重检查。他们希望尽早达成协议，为5月28日举行的美国和欧洲贸易的最高通级会议作准备。然谈判代表持乐观态度，但协议细节如此复杂，他们所面临的困难很可能使他们无法取得一致。
为什么呢？困难之一是起草这些协议。美国人很愿意就医疗器械的标准达成一个协议，然后推敲出不同的合同，用以涵盖 -- 比如说 -- 电子产品和药品的生产。欧洲人遵循优良的大陆传统，则希望就普遍的原则取得一致，而这些原则适用于许多不同产品，同时可能延伸到其它国家。
1.slaughter v.屠宰
2.fit adj.适合
3.grace v.给...增光
例句：His Eminence graced the banquet by his presence.
主教阁下的出席给宴会增添了光辉。
4.tariff n.关税
5.standard n.标准
6.dialysis n.分离，分解；透析，渗析
例句：Another method of getting rid of salt is by electro-dialysis.
另一种除盐的方法是电解法。
7.electrocute v.使触电身亡
例句：He wired his spectacles to the mains to try to electrocute himself - but he only succeeded in leaving an outline of his
glasses burned on to his face.
结果这事也没办成，更糟的是眼镜还在他的脸上灼了个大印。
8.eliminate v.消灭
例句：Our goal is to eliminate poverty.
我们的.目标是消灭贫困。
9.accord n.协议
10.device n.仪器，器械
11.hammer out v.推敲
12.pact n.合同，条约，公约
1.Chickens slaughtered in the United States, claim officials in Brussels, are not fit to grace European tables.
be fit to适合
例句：This kind of food is not fit to eat.
这种食物不适宜食用。
claim officials,claim在这里的用法相当于say，在遇到第三人称时通常将主语放在后面。
2.These days, it is differences in national regulations, far more than tariffs, that put sand in the wheels of trade between rich countries.
这个句子是It is that强调句型，强调的是differences in national regulations。关于强调句型的详细内容，可以参考语法部分。
3.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.
达到……标准用meet来表示。另外，满足要求也可以用Meet来表示。
4.Politicians agree, in principle, so America and the EU have been trying to reach a deal which would eliminate the need to double-test many products.
in principle原则上,大体上
例句：An idea that is acceptable in principle.
大体可以接受的想法
We should try to avoid making mistakes in principle at any time.
任何时候我们都要尽量避免犯原则性错误。
5.The Americans would happily reach one accord on standards for medical devices and them hammer out different pacts covering, say, electronic goods and drug manufacturing.
hammer out锤成,苦心想出,推敲出
例句：The government tried to hammer out an agreement with workers.
政府费煞思量设法和工人达成一项协议。
say在这里相当于for example，举例说，例如。
it强调句型
一、强调句型的用法
在英语中，我们常用It is／was… who/that结构来突出强调句子的某一成分(一般是句子中主语，宾语或状语)。在这个句型中，it没有词汇意义，只是引出被强调的成分。如果被强调的成分是表示人的词，用who或that来连接都可以。如果是其它成分，则一律用that来连接。
E.g. It is my mother who／that cooks every day.
E.g. It was yesterday that Tom passed in the maths exam．
二、使用本句型的几个注意事项
1．被强调成分是主语，who／that之后的谓语动词应该在人称和数上与原句中的主语保持一致。
e.g. It is I who am right．
e.g. It is he who is wrong．
e.g. It is the students who are lovely．
2．即使被强调成分是句子中的时间状语，地点状语，原因状语等，也不能用when，where, because，要用 that。
E.g. It was after the war was over that Einstein was able to come back to his research work again .
E.g. It was in front of the bank that the old lady was robbed．
E.g. It was because of the heavy rain that he came late．
3．如果被强调的成分有同位语，同位语也应提前。
It was from him，his chemistry teacher，that Paul learned to watch carefully in class．
4．被强调成分是作主语的代词，用主格，是作宾语的代词，用宾格
It was he that helped me yesterday. It was me that he helped yesterday.
5．被强调部分既包括人又包括物，用that不用who
lt was the things and people that they remembered that they were talking about．
三、区分定语从句和强调句型某些定语从句和强调句型形式差不多，容易混淆。如果去掉it is／ was ...that句子仍然通顺成立，则为强调句型，不成立不通顺，则为定语从句。
E.g. It was three years ago that he went to American for a further study·去掉It was that句子为Three years ago he went to
America for a further study．句子通顺，意思完整，那么，这就是一个强调句型。
1.Chickens slaughtered in the United States, claim officials in Brussels, are not fit to grace European tables.
布鲁塞尔的官员说，在美国屠宰的鸡不适于用来装点欧洲的餐桌。
2.These days, it is differences in national regulations, far more than tariffs, that put sand in the wheels of trade between rich countries.
当前，是各国管理条例上的差异，而不是关税阻碍了发达国家之间的贸易。
3.Politicians agree, in principle, so America and the EU have been trying to reach a deal which would eliminate the need to double-test many products.
政治家在原则上同意了， 因此，美国和欧洲一直在寻求达成协议，以便为许多产品取消双重检查。
4.They hope to finish in time for a trade summit between America and the EU on May 28TH.
他们希望尽早达成协议，为5月28日举行的美国和欧洲贸易的最高通级会议作准备。
5.The Americans would happily reach one accord on standards for medical devices and them hammer out different pacts covering, say, electronic goods and drug manufacturing.
美国人很愿意就医疗器械的标准达成一个协议，然后推敲出不同的合同，用以涵盖 -- 比如说 -- 电子产品和药品的生产。
