工作&政府话题
小编说：
托福写作考试中的工作话题和政府话题是很多同学都觉得难的题目。因为大部分同学都还没有工作过，也很少从国家宏观的角度去想过一些问题。
比如，托福写作出过这样一道题:
2018.11.4
Up-to-date skills for worker are important, so the government should pay for the training courses for all adults who over 25 age to let them get new skills.
这道看起来平平无奇的题目，其实难倒了很多同学。想不明白为什么出这样的题，政府这样做的好坏结果是什么？幸好，《FT金融时报》最近有一篇相关的报道。经过大幅修改整理后，推送给大家。
01 素材原文
Despite the huge workforce, our country lacks the skilled labor needed to power its increasingly sophisticated economy. The skills shortage is especially pronounced among the country’s 290m migrant workers, with more than two-thirds saying they had no training before entering the labor market. For unskilled workers, the pandemic has raised the threat of being laid off.
That promoted our government to launch a nationwide campaign to retrain its working and jobless adults, and to pledge to spend 15 billion dollar training more than 50m workers in the three years ending 2021. Multiple vocational schools reported a surge in students for the free training courses that ranged from cooking to auto repair.
However, the re-education campaign has done little to boost employment. Critics said the programme had failed to meet the needs of the market because of a lack of investment in the initiative. A lack of funding is partly to blame for the programme’s limited success. Vocational schools said state support was not nearly enough to cover the cost of teaching. For example, a vocational School receives a subsidy of Rmb800 per person for make-up training that normally costs more than Rmb2,000. The gap meant the school could either provide well-rounded training at a loss or cut corners to make ends meet. The city government allowed schools to trim the length of the course to 120 hours from the standard 300. （238词）《FT金融时报》
02 素材精读
标题
Governments’ retraining campaign offers scant prospects for the unemployed. 政府的职业培训计划未成再就业强心剂
这是本篇文章的题目，直白地说出作者的观点：政府的职业培训用处不大。其实，英文字面意思是：政府的就业培训活动只是给失业者提供了零星点点希望。而中这里给出的中文是地道的意译。 从中大家可以看出，中英互译，翻译的是核心意思，不是一个字一个字对照翻译。
重点词汇:
1. campaign. [高频]
n. 对政治/社会/商业目的而进行的一系列有计划的活动。战役。
* an advertising campaign 广告宣传运动（以推销某产品） * an election campaign 竞选运动 * a campaign to raise money for the needy 为贫苦人筹款的运动.
2. offer scant prospects for sb. 给某人没提供什么希望
-- scant. adj. 不足的，一丁点的
show scant regard for 很少关注某事
-- prospect. n.景色；前景；成功的机会(prospects)
第二段
Despite the huge workforce, our country lacks the skilled labor needed to power its increasingly sophisticated economy. The skills shortage is especially pronounced among the country’s 290m migrant workers, with more than two-thirds having no training before entering the labor market. For unskilled workers, the pandemic has raised the threat of being laid off.
尽管拥有规模庞大的劳动力，但我国缺乏驱动其日益先进的经济所需的掌握技能的劳动力。在2.9亿农民工中，技能短缺显得尤为突出，超过三分之二的人在进入劳动力市场之前没有接受过培训。对于缺乏技能的人而言，新冠疫情增加了失业风险。
这一段展开讲述了政府这样做的原因。
① 因为经济发展越发成熟先进，对工人的技术要求就越来越多样和越来越高。 但是一多半的务工人员没有接受过培训。
② 疫情也加重了这些没有技术的人的失业风险。
3. power its increasingly sophiscated economy. vi.驱动日益先进的经济
① power. v,驱动.；为..供电
4.pronounced. adj. 非常明显的；(观点)很明确
*She has very pronounced views on the importance of correct spelling. 她极力主张拼写正确是十分重要的.
5.migrant workers. n. 农民工
*migrant.adj. 迁徙的。这个词本意是指，外来务工人员。结合我国的语境，也可以指，农民工。
6.with more than two-thirds having no training 有三分之二(的人)没接受过培训
~with+ n. + doing. 有/伴随某人/某事做某事
with(介词) ＋名词性短语，不能加一个完整的句子。所以这里的动词用了doing.
7. raised the threat of being laid off.增加了失业的风险
lay off sb. 解雇某人
~start to lay people off 开始裁员
~She was laid off from her job at the bakery 她失去了面包房的工作
That promoted our government to launch a nationwide campaign to retrain its working and jobless adults, and to pledge to spend 15 billion dollar training more than 50m workers in the three years ending 2021. Multiple vocational schools reported a surge in students for the free training courses that ranged from cooking to auto repair.
这促使我们政府在全国范围内推出一项针对成年在职员工和失业员工的再培训计划. 政府承诺在截至2021年的3年内，将拿出150亿美元培训5000多万名劳动力。多所职业学校称参加从烹饪到汽车维修等各种免费培训课程的学生人数激增。
这一段具体写了政府的资助计划和现实的效果反馈：确实带动了很多人去参与职业培训。
8. launch a nationwide campaign 推行了一项全国计划
--> launch.v.发射；发起,发动；发行上市▸ She is well and truly launched on her new career. 她的新事业已经成功开展起来了。▸ launch a new model 推出新型号
9.pledge to do sth. 承诺（promise to do），保证（guarantee）做某事
▸ I pledge you my word that I will never desert you 我向你保证决不抛弃你
However, the re-education campaign has done little to boost employment. Critics said the programme had failed to meet the needs of the market because of a lack of investment in the initiative. A lack of funding is partly to blame for the programme’s limited success.
Vocational schools said state support was not nearly enough to cover the cost of teaching. For example, a vocational school receives a subsidy of Rmb800 per person for make-up training that normally costs more than Rmb2,000. The gap meant the school could either provide well-rounded training at a loss or cut corners to make ends meet. The city government allowed schools to trim the length of the course to 120 hours from the standard 300.
然而，这个再培训计划，对于促进就业几乎没有任何帮助。批评人士表示，该计划未能满足市场需求，原因是该计划投资不足。职业培训计划之所以效果有限，资金不足被认为是原因之一。
职业学校纷纷表示，政府补贴完全不够覆盖培训成本。比如，培训学校的化妆培训课程可获得每名学员800元人民币的补贴，而这种培训的成本通常在2000元人民币以上。这一缺口意味着，学校要么亏本提供全面的培训，要么缩减课程来维持收支平衡。市政府允许学校将课程时长从标准的300小时缩短至120小时。
这一段从批评者的角度来指出政策的一个问题，政府的资金不够，不能覆盖课程成本。 所以导致职业学校要么自己赔钱做培训，要么缩短课程降低培训质量。 大家其实不用猜都知道职业学校会怎么做。
10.initiative. n. 为解决困难才采取的主动行动；主动性
虽然长得像形容词，但实际这个词是名词。 ▸ It is hoped that the government's initiative will bring the strike to an end. 希望政府采取的行动可以结束罢工.
▸ She was in no way to blame. 决不应该责备她.
12. provide well-rounded training at a loss
▸I'm at a loss what to do next. 我不知道下一步怎么办.
13. cut corners to do sth. 找捷径做某事
▸ We've had to cut a few corners to get your visa ready in time. 我们得简化手续才能将你的签证及时办妥.
14. trim the length of the course 缩减课程的时长
trim. v. 修剪胡子/裙子/树枝；预算/文章长度
▸ trim 5% off the budget 削减5％的预算
▸ trim six minutes off a speech把讲话缩短6分钟
03 划重点
