BBC新闻100篇 News Item 47-英语听力

[00:00.00]Forget that still unwritten report
忘了未完成的报告 [00:02.32]or the backlog of paperwork building up on the desk,
或是办公桌上成堆的文书工作， [00:05.24]on this cold and rainy mid-week night
在这个寒冷多雨的周三晚上， [00:07.73]there can be no excuses to stay late in the office.
没有理由在办公室呆得太晚。 [00:10.28]South Korea's Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs
韩国卫生、福利和家庭事务部 [00:13.83]will be turning off all the lights at 7pm
将在晚上7点关闭所有的灯 [00:16.94]in a bid to force staff to go home to their families and,
此举为了让员工回家与家人团聚 [00:19.80]well, make bigger ones.
并进行“造孩”运动。 [00:21.79]I t will repeat the experiment once a month.
这样的情况会一个月实行一次。 [00:24.21]The country now has one of the world's lowest birth rates,
目前韩国的出生率是世界上最低的国家之一 [00:27.51]lower even than neighbouring Japan,
甚至比邻近的日本还要低 [00:29.56]and boosting the number of newborn children
并且，推动新生儿的数量是 [00:31.74]is a priority for this government,
这届政府优先考虑的事情。 [00:33.60]staring into the abyss of a rapidly ageing society,
韩国目前正凝视着迅速老龄化的社会的深渊、 [00:36.59]falling levels of manpower
劳动力水平下降的深渊、 [00:38.64]and spiralling health care costs.
以及医疗费用激增的深渊。 [00:40.57]The Ministry of Health,
卫生部， [00:42.13]now sometimes jokingly referred to
现在有时被戏称为 [00:44.43]as the "Ministry of Matchmaking",
“媒人部” [00:46.17]is in charge of spearheading
负责带头这一工作， [00:47.85]that drive and it clearly believes
并且他们明确地认为 [00:49.65]its staff should lead by example.
他们的员工应该以身作则。 [00:51.08]Generous gift vouchers are on offer for officials
为有一个孩子以上数量的人员 [00:54.19]who have more than one child
提供慷慨的礼品券 [00:55.63]and the department organises social gatherings
并且各部门组织联谊会 [00:58.61]in the hope of fostering love amongst its bureaucrats.
希望在各部门人员之间培养起爱情。 [01:01.47]But critics say what is really needed
但批评人士指出， [01:04.27]is wide-scale reform
国家目前所真正需要的是大规模的改革 [01:05.76]to tackle the burdensome cost of childcare
以解决儿童保育 [01:08.19]and education that puts many young people off
和儿童教育的费用， [01:11.18]from starting a family.
阻断年轻人组建家庭的压力。