英语新闻批注 翻译练习

英语新闻批注翻译练习BeijingtaxisAllhailDissentinthecapital’staxiranksBEGGARS,itissaid,cannotbechoosers.Beijing’staxidrivers,however,appeartohaveachievedthatrarecombination.Untilrecentlythecity’s66,000cabscompetedfiercelyforpassengers,dartingrecklesslyandstoppingsuddenlyforanyonewantingaride.Notanylonger.Nowdriversarepickingtheirpassengerscarefully.Thereasonissimple:thesupplyoftaxishasremainedfixedanddemandhasrisendramatically.Butalthoughdrivers’costshaverisentoo,fareshavebarelybudged,sotheycomplainthatthejobdoesnotpay.“IfIsitintraffic,Iwastetime,burnfuelandriskanaccident.Butthemeterdoesn’tmove.Whatsensedoesthatmakeforme?”asksZhangWei,oneofhundredsofcabbieswhocongregateeachdaybetweenshiftsatCaochangdi,asuburbanneighbourhoodwithaclusterofrepairshops,carwashesandcheapfoodstalls.Beijing’sbasefareof10yuan($1.60)hasnotchangedinadecade.Chargesfortravellingfartherthantheminimumfarewereadjustedin2006,from1.6to2yuanperkilometre.Since2009drivershaveaddedasmallfuelsurchargeforlongerrides.Butwhereascabbies’revenueshavebarelychanged,averagewagesinthecityhaverisensharply,makingtheBeijingtaxiararebargain.AnanalysisbyMacquarie,aninvestmentbank,foundthatatypicalpassengerhasseentaxicostsfallbyhalfsince2003,relativetoaverageincomes.Greateraffordabilityhasallowedmanyofthecapital’snewmiddleclasstoswitchfromcrowdedpublictransporttotaxis.Somecarownersarealsoturningtotaxistoavoidtherisingcostsoffuelandparkingfortheirownvehicles.Theproblemcouldbesolvedwithawaveoftheinvisiblehandofthemarket:simplyraisefares.Butthegovernment,eversensitiveaboutinflationandaboutannoyingthenewmiddleclass,hasbeenreluctanttoseethathappen.Meanwhile,Beijingresidentsareleftwonderingwhetheritistheirownhands—atleastwhenheldalofthailingtaxis—thathaveturnedinvisible.ThereisconstantgrumblingamongBeijing’swhite-collarclassesaboutdriverswhodeclinetheircustomwhentheweatherisbad,thetrafficisheavy,orthedestinationinconvenient.PetrolpricesaresetbythegovernmentandhaverisentwicesinceearlyFebruary,mostrecentlyby6%onMarch20th,to8.3yuanperlitre($5pergallon).Thegovernmenthasacceptedthatsomefareadjustmentsmaybeneededbuthasgivennotimetable.Forthemoment目前,itisofferingtogivedriversamonthlysubsidyof300yuan.MrZhangsayshewillgladlytakeit,buthecalculatesthatpetrolincreaseswillcosthimthreetimesthatamount.Macquariecalculatesthatitwilltakeafareincreaseof20-30%tosortthingsout.Thesoonerthebetter.InFebruarydisgruntleddriversweremumblingaboutapossiblestrike.CabbieshavegoneonstrikeinotherChinesecitiesandindeed,in2008,earlyinhistenureaspartychiefofChongqing,BoXilai(recentlysackedfromthatpost)burnishedhispopulist-socialistcredentialsbymediatingwithstrikingcabbiesonlivetelevision.AstrikeinBeijingwouldprobablynotendsowell,andthecabbiesknowthis.Butsomestillspeakofstagingsomethinglessdramatic,likeaworkslowdown.Thetrickwouldbegettinganyonetonotice.（561）