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中国停止跨国收养,外媒怎么看?

独霸上海的妖怪  · 公众号  ·  · 2024-09-11 17:59

正文

8月28日,中国正式结束了实施已经三十多年的跨国收养政策。

外交部发言人毛宁在上周四的例行记者会上表示,根据中国政府的新跨国收养政策,今后除「外国人来华收养三代以内旁系同辈血亲的子女和继子女」外,不再向国外送养儿童。
消息一出,几乎所有主流外媒都进行了报道。我选了《华尔街日报》的一些段落,带大家读一读。

最后,我还附了《纽约时报》评论区几则领养人(adopters)和被领养儿童(adoptees)的回复,听一听当事人的看法。


外刊原文


请同学们先独立阅读原文,读不懂的地方不要紧,后面会有详细讲解。

我把两篇文章的全文都上传到了小程序里,关注下方服务号,点击我的课程👉小程序👉外刊原文,即可阅读。


Part 1.
China said it was formally ending almost all international adoptions, shutting down a process that saw tens of thousands of Chinese-born children join families in the U.S. and other countries since the 1990s.

International adoptions from China had been declining for years and were largely on hold since the pandemic. Many countries have tightened restrictions on international adoptions, driven in part by concerns over the adoption of children who had been stolen from their parents.

China’s move also reflects its transition to the world’s second-largest economy, where concerns have shifted in recent decades from overpopulation to sharply slowing birthrates.

Part 2.
Chinese official data released in 2016 showed that nearly 150,000 children were adopted globally over a 30-year period. The number was likely higher because some adoptions in the late 1980s and early 1990s weren’t accounted for, said Xue Xinran, a writer and co-founder of the Mothers’ Bridge of Love, a nonprofit organization based in London dedicated to supporting Chinese adoptees.

The leading destination was the U.S., which adopted more than 82,000 Chinese children between 1999 and 2023, according to State Department statistics. Most of them were girls.

Part 3.
China’s move to curb international adoptions follows similar moves in countries around the world. Ethiopia, which had been a leading country of origin, halted foreign adoptions after cases of abuse, including a mother and father in Washington state who were convicted in the 2011 death of a girl adopted from Ethiopia. The country later issued stricter rules for foreign adoptions.

In May, the Netherlands said it would no longer allow citizens to adopt from abroad following a two-year freeze. Denmark’s only adoption agency also said this year it would end foreign adoptions, while a regulatory body in Norway recommended a pause while allegations of wrongdoing were investigated including children taken from families that didn’t want to give them up.



外刊精读


我们先来看看第一部分:
#01

中国叫停跨国收养


China said it was formally ending almost all international adoptions, shutting down a process that saw tens of thousands of Chinese-born children join families in the U.S. and other countries since the 1990s.

中国表示正式停止几乎所有跨国收养,20世纪90年代以来数以万计出生于中国的儿童曾经由这一途径加入了美国和其他国家的家庭。


  • formally [ˈfɔːrməli] 为副词,指「正式的」。形容词形式为 formal
  • shut down sth end sth 互为同义替换,指「使 停止,使...关闭」。
    我们也可以说
    sth shuts down 指「...关闭,...倒闭」。
  • see 这个小词同学们留意一下。
    这里用到了一个很有英语味儿的表达方式:无灵主语搭配有灵动词。
    什么是「无灵主语」呢?简单来说就是指用表示时间、地点、无生命事物的名词作主语。比如这里的a process。
    而「有灵动词」指用表示人的行为或动作的动词作谓语动词,比如这里的see。
    see sb / sth do sth 本义是指「看⻅...做某事」。
    文中这个定语从句单独拎出来写成一句话便是:
    The process saw tens of thousands of Chinese-born children join families ...
    「看」明明是人的行为,这里作者却把它用在了process上。这就叫无灵主语句。
    我们再来看几个例子,大家体会一下see的意思:
  • 即使面对高失业率和经济停滞,富裕国家的犯罪活动也越来越少。

    The rich world is seeing less and less crime, even in the face of high unemployment and economic stagnation.
    这句话是用地点(the rich world)作为主语,搭配有灵动词see,引出the rich world 经历的变化。
    再比如《经济学人》一篇关于教育发展的文章有这样一句话:

    The 19th and 20th centuries saw stunning advances in education.
    在 19 和 20 世纪,教育有了令人震惊的进步。
    这句话便是以时间(the 19th and 20th centuries)为主语,和see搭配,引出19和20世纪发生了什么事。
    再比如《纽约时报》一篇关于B站的文章曾这样写道:

    Bilibili, which has 130 million users, saw its stock price rise by 11 percent in three days.
    拥有1.3亿用户的哔哩哔哩的股价在三天内上涨了11%。
    这句话便是
    以无生命的事物( Bilibili )为主语,和saw配,引出B站经历了什么。
    这种无灵主语与有灵动词的搭配是极具英语味儿的表达方式,推荐大家在英语写作中多多使用,非常加分。 [写作推荐]

  • tens of millions of sb / sth 指「数千万的」。
    我们可以用
    tens of millions of people (数千万人), tens of thousands of people (数十万人), millions of people (数百万人)来表达「许多人」,替换用烂了的 many people, a great / large number of people, numerous /countless people 等词组,表述更具体,也更能凸显人数之多。
    试比较:
    1)..., shutting down a process that saw tens of thousands of Chinese-born children join families in the U.S. and other countries since the 1990s.
    2)..., shutting down a process that saw many Chinese-born children join families in the U.S. and other countries since the 1990s.
    是不是前者更能凸显被跨国收养的中国儿童人数之多?



International adoptions from China had been declining for years and were largely on hold since the pandemic. Many countries have tightened restrictions on international adoptions, driven in part by concerns over the adoption of children who had been stolen from their parents.
多年来,来自中国的跨国领养儿童数量持续下降,自新冠疫情暴发以来基本处于停滞状态。许多国家都收紧了对跨国收养的限制,部分原因是担心领养儿童是被从父母身边偷走的。

  • be on hold 指「推迟,延期,搁置」 (if something is on hold, it is going to be done or dealt with at a later date rather than now)
    put sth on hold 指「使...推迟,使...搁置」。
    考研英语二2012年完形填空里就出现过这个词:
    The homework rules should be put on hold while the school board, which is responsible for setting educational policy, looks into the matter and conducts public hearings.
    在负责制定教育政策的校董事会深入调查并举行公众听证会期间,有关家庭作业的相关规定应暂缓实施。
    on hold 还可以表示「等某人接电话」。 put sb on hold 即「让某人等着接电话」。

    They keep putting me on hold.
  • tighten 为动词,由 en (使 )和 tight (紧)构成,指「收紧,加紧,加强」规则、法律或制度。
    tighten restriction on sth 指「收紧对 的限制」。
    比如《金融时报》一篇关于限制移民的文章有这样一句话:
    Australia just tightened visa rules for students and low-skilled workers.
    澳大利亚刚刚收紧了对学生和低技能工人的签证规定。
  • drive [draɪv] 为动词,不仅有「开车」,还有「促进,推进」的意思

    比如: drive the economy 推动经济发展。

    A is driven by B. 指「A 由 B 推动,A是因为B」,我们可以用在自己的作文里表示因果关系。
    我们来看两个电影《傲慢与偏见》里的例子:
  • in part partly 一样,指「部分地」。
  • A is in part driven by B. 便表示「A是部分因为B」。
    我们还可以说:
    A is in large part driven by B. 指「A大部分是因为B」。
    如果我们要引出某个现象的原因,就可以模仿文中的句式,先用一个完整的句子描述现象,再用driven by sth 引出原因:
    ..., driven by sth. ...,因为...。
    ..., driven in part by sth. ...,部分是因为...。
    ..., driven in large part by sth. ..., 大部分是因为...。
    从语法上说, driven by sth 是一个过去分词短语,在句中作原因状语。
    这个句式在外刊里非常高频,我们来看几个例子:
    《经济学人》一篇关于彩礼的文章有这样一句话:
    Driven partly by China’s now-abandoned one-child policy, they have used ultrasound scans to determine the sex of fetuses and then aborted some of the girls.
    某种程度上由于中国过去的独生子女政策,很多人通过超声波扫描检查胎儿性别,发现是女孩后有时会选择堕胎。
    《华尔街日报》一篇关于电商直播的文章也用到了这一短语:
    E-commerce was highly developed in China before the pandemic,
    driven by the near-universal use of mobile payments.
    疫情之前,由于电子支付的普及, 电子商务在中国蓬勃发展。

    我们再联系「城市化」话题造个句:
    Hundreds of thousands of young people flock to cities, driven by a desire for a higher income and more job opportunities. [写作推荐]
  • co nce rn 作可数名词,指「担心的事,关切的事」。
    介词搭配为
    concerns over / about sth
    《卫报》一篇关于饭圈文化的文章也用到了这个词:
    There have long been concerns over bullying and incitements to violence on the message boards and social media accounts of China’s often intense fanclubs.
    人们⻓期担忧,总是”一触即燃”的国内“饭圈”会在社交网站留言区和其它社交账户挑起网络霸凌并煽动暴力。
    我们再来看个美剧《摩登家庭》里的例子:

    Well, at least the bears won't be a concern.
  • concern 作不可数名词,指「担心,忧虑,关切」这种情绪。


China’s move also reflects its transition to the world’s second-largest economy, where concerns have shifted in recent decades from overpopulation to sharply slowing birthrates.
中国这一举动也折射出国内经济状况的变化,如今中国已成为全球第二大经济体。近几十年来,中国面临的人口问题已经已从过剩转向出生率急剧下降。


  • transition 为名词,指「过渡,转变,变迁」。 the transition to sth 指「向...的过渡」。
    再比如《经济学人》一篇关于能源问题的文章有这样一句话:

    There are grave problems with the transition to clean energy powe r. 向清洁能源电力的过渡存在严重问题。

  • shift 这里为动词,指「转变」。shift from A to B 指「从A转成B」。
    文中A= overpopulation
    B = sharply slowing birthrates.


#02
过去有多少中国儿童被跨国收养?


Chinese official data released in 2016 showed that nearly 150,000 children were adopted globally over a 30-year period. The number was likely higher because some adoptions in the late 1980s and early 1990s weren’t accounted for , said Xue Xinran, a writer and co-founder of the Mothers’ Bridge of Love, a nonprofit organization based in London dedicated to supporting Chinese adoptees.

中国官方2016年发布的数据显示,30年间,近15万名中国儿童被海外家庭收养。作家、母爱桥联合创始人薛欣然表示,实际数字可能更高,因为20世纪80年代末和90年代初的一些收养案例没有统计在内。母爱桥是一家总部位于伦敦的非营利组织,致力于帮助被领养的中国孩子。


The leading destination was the U.S., which adopted more than 82,000 Chinese children between 1999 and 2023, according to State Department statistics. Most of them were girls.
其中尤以美国领养的中国儿童最多。根据美国国务院的数据,1999年至2023年间,美国家庭收养了超过8.2万名中国儿童。其中大多数是女孩。


  • release 为动词,指「发布」。 release data 即「发布数据」。
    文中
    released in 2016 是一个过去分词短语作后置定语,修饰Chinese official data,我们可以把它改写成一个定语从句:
    Chinese official data
    which was released in 2016
    指「中国官方2016年发布的//数据」。

  • account for sth 这里指「了解,查明,说明」 (to know where somebody/something is or what has happened to them, especially after an accident)
    比如:
    All passengers have now been accounted for. 现在所有乘客的情况均已查明。

    Three files cannot be accounted for. 三个文件无法解释。
    我在美剧《犯罪心理》里也遇见过这个用法:


    And they all have alibis for the night of the kidnapping, all accounted for by the local FBI field office unit.

  • account for 最常见的用法是后面跟百分比,指「占多少比例」。
    举个《经济学人》里的例子:
    In America chain hotels accounted for 72% of all hotel rooms at the end of 2019. In China the equivalent figure was just 27%.
    在美国,截至2019年底,连锁酒店占所有酒店客房数量的72%。在中国这一数字仅为27%。

  • co-founder 为可数名词,指「联合创始人」。
    同学们注意,如果要表达一个人「既是...,又是...」,只能用一个 a ,比如这里的 a writer and co-founder,而不能写作a writer and a co-founder。
    a writer and a co-founder 是两个人,一个作者,一个联合创始人。

    顺便补充一下,
    found 不仅是 find 的过去式,还可单独作动词,指「创立,创建」。
    我们再来看两个美剧里的例子:


    You founded a ride-share app.


    Hello, John. Your hat looks stupid, and the school you founded sucks. [熟词僻义]
  • a nonprofit organization 指「非营利组织」。

  • dedicate 为动词,指 「把...专用于」。介词搭配为 dedicate sth to / for sth

    sth is dedicated to doing sth 便指「某事物专门用于...」。
    文中dedicated to supporting Chinese adoptees 便指一个
    过去分词短语作后置定语 ,修饰a nonprofit organization based in London,指「专门帮助被领养的中国孩子的//位于伦敦的非营利组织」。
    比如外媒一篇关于Citywalk的文章有这样一句话:
    An official page dedicated to the trend called “Strolling the Street to Eat Delicious Food” can also be found when searching for Citywalk on the platform.
    当在平台搜索Citywalk关键词时,还会出现名为“漫步街头享美食”的官方活动专属页。


#03

为什么各国叫停跨国收养?

外交部发言人毛宁表示,这一决定符合国际潮流。《华尔街日报》这篇文章也提到了这一点,也间接说明中国叫停跨国收养的部分原因。

China’s move to curb international adoptions follows similar moves in countries around the world. Ethiopia, which had been a leading country of origin , halted foreign adoptions after cases of abuse , including a mother and father in Washington state who were convicted in the 2011 death of a girl adopted from Ethiopia. The country later issued stricter rules for foreign adoptions.

此前全球其他一些国家也已采取了类似举措。埃塞俄比亚曾是一个主要的收养儿童来源国,但在发生领养儿童被虐待案件后,该国暂停了跨国收养,相关案件包括2011年一名从埃塞俄比亚收养的女孩死亡,华盛顿州的一对夫妇因此被判有罪。埃塞俄比亚后来发布了更严格的跨国收养规定。


  • 🎈语法点睛:①句为主谓宾结构:
    China’s move to curb international adoptions (主语)// follows (谓语)//similar moves in countries around the world(宾语).
    直译便是: 中国限制跨国收养的举措// 跟随 // 世界各国采取的类似举措。

  • move 这里为名词,指「行动,举措」, 相当于action, measure, step。
    the move to do sth 指「...行动,...举措」。
    China’s move to curb international adoptions 便指「中国限制跨国收养的举 措」。
  • curb 作动词,指「限制,控制」 (to control or limit sth, especially sth bad) ,后面往往跟不好的事物。
    我们来看一些常⻅的例子:
    curb the spread of covid-19 控制新冠肺炎的传播
    curb one’s temper 控制脾气
    curb crime 控制犯罪
    curb traffic 管控交通
    curb the spread of AIDS 控制艾滋病传播
    curb greenhouse gas emissions
    控制温室气体排放


  • A follows B. 指「A跟随B」。
    关于 follow 还有一个高频搭配: follow suit 指 「 仿 效 , 跟 着 做 」
    (to do the same as someone else has done)
    《纽约时报》评论区一位被领养人就用到了这个词:
    Adoption is trauma. I'm glad China made this decision and hope other countries follow suit.
    收养是一种创伤。我很高兴中国做出了这个决定,希望其他国家也跟着做。

    比如《经济学人》一篇关于疫情对经济影响的文章有这样一句话:

    In China the government has told state landlords to cut rents and given private- sector landlords subsidies to follow suit.
    在中国,政府已要求国有物业减免租金,并补贴私有物业让它们也减免租金。
    考研英语一2020年也考过这个词:
    France's planned tax is a clear warning: Unless a broad consensus can be reached on reforming the international tax system, other nations are likely to follow suit....
    法国拟征收的数字服务税是一个明确的警告:除非能够就国际税收制度的改革达成广泛共识,否则其他国家可能会效仿 ... [写作推荐]

  • country of origin 这里指收养儿童的「出生国」。
    country of origin 还可表示某事物的「出生地」。
  • halt 指「使...暂停」。
  • abuse 指「虐待」,既可以作名词,也可以作动词。比如: child abuse 儿童虐待 abuse children 虐待儿童。
    文中cases of abuse 便指「虐待案件」。
    我们再来看个美剧《十三个原因》里的例子:

    You have pictures of physical abuse ? You have proof.
  • convict sb 指「宣判某人有罪」。
    介词搭配为
    convict sb of sth 指「宣判某人有某罪」。
    She was convicted of shoplifting. 她被判犯有偷窃商店货物罪。
  • issue 为动词,指「发出」。









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