Premier Zhu Rongji says that sustainable development should be the watchword when building the infrastructure of western China's regions. He adds that emphasis should be placed on putting ecological construction and enviromental protection first. Meanwhile, infrastructure development and science and technology should also be strengthened.
Zhu Rongji made the remarks in Beijing at a meeting on western development.
China's Premier says that developing the west should start at a higher level that focuses on high-tech industries with sustainable development strategies.
Zhu Rongji stressed the importance of channelling the efforts and natural resources of western regions into regenerative industries such as "green" manufacturing and tourism. Afforestation and infrastructure building should also be sped up.
He warned against the development of backward or polluting industries and companies that may sully the image and clean air of the western provinces.
***
Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan has held a telephone conversation with his British counterpart Jack Straw on Iraq.
Straw has briefed Tang Jiaxuan about his recent visit to Russia and his discussion with Russian leaders as well as British view over the Iraqi issue.
Tang Jiaxuan stressed that Iraqi issue should be solved with political means within the UN framework. Iraq should seriously and comprehensively implement relevant UN resolutions.
He said currently, the most urgent thing is to let UN inspectors return to Baghdad as soon as possible.
He also commended the consultation and cooperation between China and Britain and other UN Security Council members on the Iraqi issue.
***
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has arrived in China for a three-day visit that kicks off in the southeastern city of Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province.
Annan will deliver a speech and receive an honorary doctorate from Zhejiang University before moving on to Beijing to meet with President Jiang Zemin and other top Chinese leaders.
The Secretary-General is at the beginning of a 12-day Asian trip that will also see him traveling to Mongolia and five central Asian republics for talks with government officials.
Before heading back to New York, Annan will also be visiting several cities along the ancient Silk Road as part of his itinerary.
Annan's visit to China is part of his program of annual visits to the five permanent Security Council members.
***
Home Depot has announced plans to open two buying offices in China, in the cities of Shanghai and Shenzhen.
The US homeware retailer made the announcement at the recent China International Hardware Show 2002 in Shanghai.
Rumors of a Home Depot office in China have been circulating for months. The company has already hired Chinese associates to help with the process of identifying factories, product development and quality assurance.
Home Depot currently imports from 40 countries, but China is one of its major sources of foreign-made products.
Several of the retailer's proprietary brands, such as Ryobi, Hampton Bay and Glacier Bay are made in China.
The company intends to expand direct imports to 10 per cent of its total sales.
***
China's long-awaited gold exchange is expected to commence operation in Shanghai by the end of this month.
The gold exchange will serve as a marketplace for such rare metals as gold, silver and platinum, monitoring their trading, clearance and distribution, and exercising risk control over market operations.
It will also determine proper prices for transactions, releasing market information and providing advisory services for individuals who wish to buy and sell gold.
The official start of operations of the gold exchange has been postponed several times, due to a lack of detailed rules for implementing the policy on refund-on-payment of value-added tax on standard gold transactions.
***
Fixed-line telephone giant China Telecom Ltd hopes to raise up to 3.68 billion US dollars in the world's third-largest initial public offering so far this year.
The company set the price range of its mammoth deal late on Friday.
It also plans to pay a dividend of 0.065 yuan per share, roughly one-third of forecast 2002 profits.
The sweetened dividend proposal is seen as a move to lure investors wary of the woes plagueing the telecoms sector, as well as the market in general.
China Telecom had originally planned to pay 20 percent of its profits as a dividend.
The state-owned phone giant plans to sell 16.8 billion shares at an indicative price range of 1.48-to 1.71 Hong Kong dollars each, a price/earnings ratio of about 10.96 to 12.67 times forecast 2003 earnings, excluding profits from connection fees.
The profits from the fees have been phased out but will be amortised through 2011.
China Telecom is set to kick off its investor roadshow in Hong Kong tomorrow, with pricing expected in New York at the end of the month.
Trading debuts in Hong Kong and New York are scheduled for the first week of November.
The company will be marketing its IPO at a time when worries about corporate profits and the health of financial institutions have sent global markets reeling.
Stock markets in Hong Kong and New York, where its shares will be traded, have lost more than 20 percent of their values so far this year.
But China Telecom hopes that a dividend, together with China's relatively low phone penetration rates and surging economic growth, will convince investors to buy its shares despite weak sentiment towards the telecoms sector worldwide.
Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and its mainland joint venture partner China International Capital Corp are underwriting the China Telecom deal.
Premier Zhu Rongji says that sustainable development should be the watchword when building the infrastructure of western China's regions. He adds that emphasis should be placed on putting ecological construction and environmental protection first. Meanwhile, infrastructure development and science and technology should also be strengthened.
Zhu Rongji made the remarks in Beijing at a meeting on western development.
*****
A Ten Year Plan for Health in Bones and Arthritis has kicked off in Beijing.
The plan, which runs from 2002 to 2011, aims to diagnose, prevent and treat degenerative bone disorders such as arthritis and osteoporosis.
China has over 100 million arthritis patients, and the number keeps rising. The plan will lighten the economic burden on patients, and promote research in preventing and treating the disorders.
*****
China has launched a program to train high-caliber technical workers to ease the shortage of such workers over the next few years.
In the first half of this year, technical workers were in short supply in more than 20 cities. In some towns, only one-eighth of vacancies were filled.
Chinese experts expect the demand for technical workers to increase at a rate of 25 percent over the coming years, and the need for high-caliber technical workers to double.
1--Do you want black or white coffee?
2--White, please.
1--Look! There's a folk concert tomorrow evening.
Do you want to go?
2--I don't like folk music very much.
1--What kind of music do you like?
2--I like classical music. Do you?
1--Not very much. Classical music sends me to sleep.
2--I don't believe you.
1--It's true.
2--You are funny!
1--So are you! How about another coffee?
===================================
注解：
1）black or white coffee：加糖或加牛奶的称作white
coffee.什么也不加的称作black coffee.
2）folk concert：民间音乐会。folk作“民间的”、
“具有民族传说的”解。如folk dance，folk music,
folk songs, folk tale等。
3）classical：经典的。如classical music, classical
literature等。
4）How about...?（你以为）...怎么样？征询对方的意见时
常用的句型。如，征询关于时间安排的意见时，可以说How
about tomorrow？征询活动内容时可以说How about playing
tennis now?征询人选意见可以说How about Jane?等
Going on a Date
Conversation A
(in Sally's Sweets & Treats)
Sally : Thanks for bringing my aprons, Sue.
Sue : You're welcome, Sally. They were right where you told me--in the dryer.
Sally : Yeah, I washed them last night. I can't believe I forgot to bring them to work today.
Sue : Sue: I can.
(Leah comes in.)
Leah : Hi, guys. Sally, I hope you can help me.
Sally : What's wrong?
Leah : We're having a birthday party for our boss.
Sue : When is it?
Leah : In five minutes. And I forgot to get a cake!
Conversation B
Sally : Well, I have some ice cream cakes. Would one of those be OK?
Leah : Sure. Thanks!
Sally : They're in the freezer in the back. Choose one you like.
Leah : OK. (goes to look at the cakes)
(Andy comes in.)
Sue : Hi, Andy. You look a little down.
Andy : I am. But I think chocolate cake will help me feel better.
Sally : OK. Coming right up.
Sue : So, what's wrong?
Andy : Well, I talked to my brother on the phone yesterday.
Conversation C
(Leah comes out from the back carrying a cake.)
Leah : Sally, I'll take this one. Thanks for your help! Bye! (leaves)
Sally : Hey, she didn't pay me.
Sue : I'm sure she'll come back.
Sally : Hmm. Well, I hope so.
Sue : So, Andy, what's wrong with your brother?
Andy : Nothing. He's just so happy being married. And I don't even have a girlfriend!
Sue : I think we can help you with that.
Key Words:
apron (n)
Beth put on an apron before she started cooking.
dryer (n)
After you wash the clothes, please put them in the dryer.
down (adj)
I feel really down today. I didn't do well on my test.
Thinking of buying a digital camera? You're not alone. Many photographers--both professional and amateur--are changing to digital.
Digital cameras have improved dramatically since their introduction. They've even replaced film cameras in many professions. But the convenience and quality of digital photography is expensive. Digital cameras average over twice the cost of film cameras. Advanced models that can switch lenses are even more expensive.
But as digital cameras become more popular, costs keep coming down. And if you need high-quality digital pictures, a digital camera is the cheapest tool for the job.
When shopping for a digital camera, you'll find many models. Here are some tips on sorting them out :
1. Know your needed resolution
Digital images are made up of tiny dots called pixels. More pixels mean better resolution. So how many pixels will you need? To e-mail photos and make 5" x 7" prints, a two mega-pixel (2 million pixels) camera will be fine. To make prints up to 11" x 14", look for a four mega-pixel camera. Cameras with a resolution of more than five or six mega-pixels can produce huge prints. But they may also have a huge price tag.
Questions for Discussion :
Do you currently own a digital camera? If not, would you ever consider "going digital"? Why or why not? If you've already gone digital, explain why you decided to buy a digital camera.
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