A new report by the International Labor Organization.doc

A new report by the International Labor Organization, ILO, says child labor, especially in its worst forms, is in decline for the first time across the globe. Between 2000 and 2004, the ILO report finds the number of child laborers worldwide fell by 11 percent from 246 million to 218 million.国际劳工组织发表的一份新的报告说，儿童劳工，特别是形式最恶劣的童工，在世界范围内第一次出现了下降的趋势。根据国际劳工组织的这份报告，在2000年到2004年间，世界童工人数下降了11%， 从两亿四千六百万人降低到两亿一千八百万人。The International Labor Organization says the good news goes on. It notes the number of children and young people between the age of five and 17 trapped in hazardous work decreased by 26 percent. It fell to 126 million in 2004 from a previous estimate of 171 million.国际劳工组织说，好消息出现了：从事危险工作的五岁到十七岁的儿童和青少年人数下降了26%，从以前估计的一亿七千一百万人下降到2004年的一亿两千六百万人。ILO Executive Director, Kari Tapiola, says these latest figures make the ILO cautiously optimistic that the fight against child labor can be won.国际劳工组织的执行长塔皮奥拉说，最近的数字使得国际劳工组织感到谨慎的乐观。他们认为消除童工的运动正在取得胜利。It is feasible that within a period of say 10 years, we could get rid of the whole issue of worst forms of child labor, he said. Now that is a very tall order. If the international attention is maintained and if it continues to be translated into concrete global support for action, then we believe it is realistic to arrive at this task.他说：“ 这是可行的，譬如说在十年内，我们彻底消除最恶劣形式的童工。目前，这一点还很难实现。但如果国际间能够继续关注这个问题，继续得到全世界的支持，我们相信我们可以实际达到这一目标。”The ILO describes the worst forms of child labor as activities that are illegal. These include child prostitution, the use of children for drug trafficking or pornographic purposes and debt bondage. Four years ago, the ILO estimated at least eight million children work in these areas.国际劳工组织认为最恶劣形式的童工是非法活动，包括儿童娼妓，利用儿童运输毒品、制作色情刊物或抵偿债务。四年前，国际劳工组织估计，至少有八百万名儿童在这些领域工作。The ILO also considers hazardous work, that is work that endangers a childs life and health, to be among the worst forms of child labor. This includes deep-sea diving, certain forms of domestic work and quarry mining.国际劳工组织也提到了危险的工作，他们认为可能给儿童带来生命或健康危险的工作也是最恶劣形式的儿童劳工，包括深海潜水，某些形式的家庭帮佣和采矿。The report finds the most rapid decline in child labor has occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean. Asia and the Pacific also registered a significant drop in the number of working children. But, the ILO says this region still has the largest number of child workers in the five to 14 age group, about 122 million.这份报告发现童工人数下降最快的地方是拉美和加勒比海。亚洲和太平洋地区的童工人数也有大幅度下降。可是世界劳工组织说，这一地区内，5岁到14岁的童工人数仍然很多，高达一亿两千两百万人。Tapiola says the sub-Saharan Africa region has the highest proportion of children engaged in economic activities of any region in the world. He says 26 percent of the child population, or almost 50 million African children work.塔皮奥拉说，非洲撒哈拉以南地区从事经济活动的儿童按比例计算多于全球任何其他地区，占当地全体儿童人数的26%，也就是将近5千万名非洲儿童被迫做工。The least progress has been made in sub-Saharan Africa, unfortunately, where there are problems of infrastructure, of conflict, of population growth rates, HIV/AIDS infection and so on, he added.他说：“ 不幸的是，非洲撒哈拉以南地区的进步最小。这一地区在公用设施、武装冲突、人口增长、爱滋病传染等方面都存在着问题。”But Tapiola says there are some hopeful signs that the situation of child labor can get better in Africa. He notes that primary school enrollments in the region increased by 38 percent between 1990 and 2000.可是塔皮奥拉说，当地也出现了一些希望，使得非洲的童工问题可能渐渐好转。他说，从1990年到2000年间，这一地区的小学入学率增加了38%。The report attributes the reduction in child labor to increased political will and public awareness of the problem. Tapiola says a worldwide movement against child labor has been gathering steam. He says more consumers are boycotting goods that are produced by children and this is having an effect.这份报告认为，童工减少是因为人们提高了解决这个问题的政治意志，加强了对这一问题的关注。塔皮奥拉说，全球性的消除童工运动越来越声势浩大。特别是越来越多的消费者抵制童工产品，这对消除童工也起到了作用。Beauty and the Beast; The Prince and the Pauper; city mouse meets country mouse: Three classic tales where opposites cross paths, learn from each other, and live happily ever after.美女与野兽、王子与贫民和城市老鼠和乡村老鼠这三个童话故事中，不同背景的“人”相识相遇，取长补短，从此以后融洽地生活在一起。Which is exactly what McDonalds and Starbucks would like to do.这大概也是麦当劳和星巴克想要建立的融洽关系。Omnipresent McDonalds, boasts 30,000 eat-fast and drive-through restaurants in 119 countries. And upscale Starbucks, the coffee-bar king, helped hook America on premium, sweet and frothy coffee creations.麦当劳快餐店遍布全球，在119个国家设有三万个快餐店，人们甚至不用下车，开车到一个小窗口就可以买到你想要的美味快餐。迎合高消费阶层的星巴克咖啡店则是咖啡店之王，他们推出的高档咖啡饮品， 味道香甜可口，上面漂浮的白色泡沫令人赏心悦目，令消费者欲罢不能。Mickey Ds has kids happy meals and plastic-covered tables and chairs. At Starbucks, caramel frappicinos, rumpled copies of the New York Times, and overstuffed couches are the vogue.麦当劳以价廉物美的儿童餐、 简便的塑料桌椅为特色。 星巴克咖啡店的时尚饮料则是焦糖特调冷饮frappicino， 桌上还有几份顾客留下来的纽约时报，顾客可以坐在松软舒适的沙发上惬意地享受着悠闲的时光。You get small, medium, and large Cokes at McDonalds. At Starbucks, if you dont use the proper words - tall, grande, or venti - to order your coffee, the baristas wrinkle their noses at you. You can even specify what they call skinny, dry or upside down treatment of your steaming drinks.在麦当劳，可口可乐分为小杯、中杯或大杯。而在星巴克咖啡店，要用tall表示一般尺寸大小的杯，中杯的称为grande 、最大尺寸的杯子称为venti。如果你用错了这些专有名词，就显得太土了，或许还会惹得巴台服务员冲你皱眉头。在星巴克，你可以告诉服务员你要点的饮料用skinny、dry或upside down，直译过来就是用“少”、“干粉”和“上下颠倒”的方式来调制出一杯热腾腾的饮料。Two different worlds. But not if the companies get their way, especially at breakfast time.听起来这是两个不同的世界。不过如果按照这两家公司的未来设想，尤其是在早餐时间，你将会看到一种完全不同的景像。Along with muffins and scones, many Starbucks now have drive-through windows and sell breakfast sandwiches, just like McDonalds. Starbucks are snootier, of course, with spinach and eggs, herbed sausage and aged cheddar cheese.除了松饼和烤饼，现在许多星巴克咖啡店都为开车的顾客设有快餐窗口， 象麦当劳一样，出售早餐三明治，只不过星巴克的三明治配料更丰富， 里面夹有菠菜和鸡蛋、香草香肠和特制乾酪。McDonalds, meantime, is going uptown with its own, premium Arabica-bean coffees, high-class pastries, and toasted Italian sandwiches. Theyre served in a wood-paneled corner of the store called the McCafe.而与此同时麦当劳却在往上层路线的方向发展，提供用特级阿拉伯咖啡豆自制的咖啡，精致的糕饼和意大利三明治。当劳专门在店里开辟出一个McCafe，出售这些高档食品。So while McDonalds takes a bite out of Starbucks clientele, Starbucks has begun to nibble in Mickey Ds terrain. Its a new twist on the old story: burger mouse meets coffee mouse.这样一来，虽然麦当劳拉走了星巴克咖啡的一些顾客，但是星巴克咖啡也开始侵入麦当劳的领地。故事的开始是汉堡鼠和咖啡鼠相遇进而相识，这个古老的童话故事出现了新的转折。The 76th anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther King Jr. was commemorated in the church where he preached and in the neighborhood where he grew up.美国民权运动领袖马丁路德金诞辰76周年的纪念活动在他故乡的一个他曾经布过道的教堂举行。The hometown celebration of the birthday of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. began with an ecumenical service at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King preached before he was assassinated in 1968. Martin Luther King III, the president of the King Center in Atlanta, asked the congregation to remember his fathers legacy of peace.民权运动领袖马丁路德金家乡的诞辰纪念活动从历史上著名的埃比尼泽浸礼会教堂的宗教仪式开始。在1968年遇刺之前，金牧师曾在这个教堂布道。在亚特兰大马丁路德金中心的主席马丁路德金三世呼吁人们记住他父亲的和平遗产。We commemorate on this national holiday the passionate patriot who marched under the American flag and demanded that the nation he loved honor its noblest ideals of freedom, justice, and equality for all citizens, he said.他说：“我们在这个国定假日中纪念一位富有激情的爱国者。他行进在美国国旗下，要求他所热爱的这个国家实现所有公民都享有自由、公正、平等这些崇高的理想。”Among the dignitaries attending was Georgia Congressman John Lewis, a Democrat and a veteran of the civil rights movement. Congressman Lewis said Reverend King believed in taking action to build a world community at peace with itself.参加纪念活动的著名人士包括乔治亚州民主党国会议员刘易斯。他是一位资深的民权活动人士。国会议员刘易斯说，马丁路德金相信，要采取行动，建立一个内在和谐的世界。If Dr. Martin Luther King could speak to us today, he would say stand up, speak out, speak up and talk back. Do not be so quiet and make some noise. Today, as we celebrate and commemorate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., I say find your passion and then take a stand, he said. I believe he would be saying today, End the war, end the war in Iraq. And Bring our young men and our young women home.他说：“如果金博士今天可以对我们讲话，他会说，站起来！大声地讲出自己的观点，反驳你认为不对的观点。不要保持沉默或窃窃私语。今天，就在我们纪念马丁路德金诞辰的时候我要说，拿出你的激情，明确你的立场。我坚信他会说，结束战争，结束伊拉克战争。让我们年轻的男女军人们回家。”After the almost three-hour church service, members of the King family laid a wreath at Reverend Kings crypt and there was a march and rally through the citys downtown.在差不多三个多小时的教堂仪式后，金家族的家庭成员们在马