English Quiz 166

(English Quiz 166)

1. In a country famously assumed to be authoritarian, like China, you might think such repeated investment of personal authority by a top leader would produce rapid results. Not so. In fact, central- government efforts to rein in local authorities have been not only ignored but also actively blocked. Last October Beijing announced that it was delaying until 2010 a plan that would have forced the closure of thousands of small mines, which account for the majority of accidents. According to the official Xinhua News Agency, the plan foundered because of opposition from local governments, which see mines as their "major capital sources." That, said Xinhua, led "many local authorities to protect unsafe mines for financial gain." According to accounts in the state-controlled media, such small mines, which account for a third of China's total coal output, are commonly subcontracted by local governments to individuals. With some 17,000 of these small mines now operating (as well as thousands of illegal mines), supervision by government authorities is virtually nonexistent. To maximize profits, mine owners ramp up production far above sanctioned levels, exceed the regulated number of miners and neglect safety equipment and procedures. Mine owners often bribe local officials into turning a blind eye to their practices and have been known to ship corpses to other provinces to escape regulations requiring them to report any accident in which more than three miners die.
Q: 試翻 "In a country ... produce rapid results."

2. A glimpse of the hellish conditions in which millions of Chinese miners work can be seen in the documentary Yuan Shan (Distant Mountain), by filmmaker Hu Jie. Although the film was made more than 10 years ago, industry observers say conditions have changed little in China's private mines. Shot in Qinghai province, near Tibet, the film shows miners working in tunnels so low that they crouch at the coal face, dressed in little more than loincloths. After they fill their quota, the miners have to turn and crawl hundreds of yards, pulling a basketful of coal twice their body weight. The only illumination comes from candles in small lamps attached to the miners' heads--but Chinese mines are particularly prone to gas explosions, says Munro, making naked flames extremely dangerous.
Q: 試翻 "Although the film ... China's provate mines."

3. It is a challenge that the state does not yet know how to meet. So long as China's economy continues its giddy growth, the country's thirst for coal will continue to grow. China derives about 70% of its energy needs from coal, and production has nearly tripled in the past five years to meet soaring demand. High oil prices have added to coal's attraction. Beijing has plans to open 35 to 40 coal-powered electricity-generating plants annually in the next few years and to build two plants to convert coal to liquid fuel. All that spells more Hummers and luxury condominiums in Beijing and Shanghai for Shanxi's coal barons. The cash to buy their cars and toys will come from the sweat--and perhaps blood--of men like Xie Daibing. Xie, originally from the remote and dirt-poor province of Gansu, on the border with Tibet, works in a mine less than a mile from the shaft in Zuoyun County where the 57 miners drowned. "No, I'm not scared," he says, although he looks it, a frown creasing his forehead and his fingers restlessly juggling his cigarette pack and lighter. Xie says he's confident that the central government is doing its best to protect miners. "I hear the government regulations say that production at illegal mines will be stopped and the mines blown up. I'm sure the State Council in Beijing will order that." It may. The question is whether anyone in Zuoyun County will listen.
Q: 試翻 "High oil prices ... to liquid fuel."