第四篇 Passage 4
相关词语 Related Words and Expressions
承包 rent
敬老院 an old people’s home
圆桌座谈 a roundtable discussion
最基层卫生所 the lowest level clinic
figure out an honorable way to… 找出……的最好办法
people live at what we call the grass-roots level 我们称之为平民百姓这一阶层的人们
It leads to strains on the environment 这给环境带来压力
（美国总统克林顿和夫人访问西安时曾和下和村村民交谈。以下是交谈的部分内容。）
THE PRESIDENT: Let me begin by thanking all of you for spending a little time with my wife and me today, and by thanking everyone in Xiahe for making us feel so welcomed.
I’m sorry that I had to take a little time to answer some questions from our news media, but, as you know, there’s 12 hours time difference and so, they’re running out of time to file their stories, and thank you for your patience.
So we really have no set program today. I would like to just hear from each of you about what you are doing and how you personally have seen things change in China the last few years.
Who would like to go first?
村医： 我是下和村人。我在本村卫生所工作，这是中国最基层的卫生所。我们按照政府的规定办事。我们想——我们有一项工作就是预防村里的常见病并向上级政府报告我们的工作情况。基层卫生所的另一项职责就是治疗村里的常见病。我暂时说到这里。
MRS. CLINTON: Doctor, have you noticed improvements in the health of the people here in the countryside during your time as a doctor?
村医： 农村人的健康状况有了很大改善，特别是现在我们的钱更多了，我们很少参加体力劳动。
村民（女厂长）： 我叫杨丽华。是秦俑工艺厂经理——我拥有一个小工厂，在工厂我是经理。我还创办了敬老院。我只是个农村妇女，但自从改革开放以来，我承包了一个工厂和一个敬老院，基本上用工厂挣来的钱资助敬老院。
中国人现在富有了，但是我们不能忘记老人。在20世纪我们中国的老人多起来了。我们真应该为他们多做点事情。这是我想要做的，也是我毕生奋斗的目标。
MRS.CLINTON: May I ask, how did you start your factory? Where did you get the funds to start the factory and get the equipment and the materials you needed?
村民（女厂长）: 我用自己的钱, 并向政府贷一部分款。实际上, 我们几个人在一起合作, 所以我也向合伙人筹集一部分资金。
THE PRESIDENT: This is going to be a big issue in the future for every country. In our country, the fastest growing group of Americans is people over 85. There are still not many of them, but they’re growing fast. And every society will have to figure out an honorable way to take care of such people. So I appreciate the work you’re doing.
村民： 我叫杨东义，是下和村人。我是这个村长大的。起初我种地，现在承包了一个小公司。1949年解放以来，我亲身经历了村里发生的三大变化。我所经历的第一个变化是村里解放后的生活比解放前好了。1982年改革开放以来，我们的生活比解放前更提高了。自1992年，我们的生活又有了很大改善。1989年以前村里的人均收入约为100元多一点。1992年，村里的人均收入达1000多元，而现在村里的人均收入可达到3000多元。
1982年以前，我全家每年只有约100元的收入。现在我家有三口人，我、我妻子和我女儿，年收入达3万多元。我想告诉总统阁下的是我们村和我们家及整个国家发生的变化。发生在我个人身上的变化与中国某些人比还是比较小的。我们这地方和西安，与中国的沿海城市相比，仍然有点落后。当然和美国比，我们村就更落后了，但我们会努力工作的。
THE PRESIDENT: Let me say, first of all, that it’s very impressive how much economic progress has been made in such a short time.
What specific change do you think has been most important in helping you and your family to earn much more money through your hard work?
村民： 最重要的事情是我国现在有了好的政策。过去，无论你有多大本事，你只能做人家叫你做的事情。但是，改革开放以后，每个人都有显示自己才能和努力工作的广阔天地。现在产量提高如此之快的原因是人人都能做他们擅长做的事情。有的人开始做生意；有的人留在家里种地；有的人开办自己的公司；他们做的都是他们擅长的。他们还更加注意学习新技术，所以他们的工作能力极大地提高了。
另外，他们现在还向国外学习，借用并学习国外的先进技术，并把这些技术用于自己的生产。这就是你今天所看到的变化的主要原因。
村民： 我叫谢利民。我以及像我这样的人从改革开放中获益最多。我在空军部队服役了15年，在政府部门工作了8年。1992年我开了家小餐馆，当时只有80个餐位，现在已扩大到500个餐位。
我的餐馆在西安是属于最好中的一个，而且很有影响。我真诚邀请你们两位光临我的餐馆用餐。如果你们这次没机会的话，即使你从总统职位上卸任后也欢迎你再次光临。
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
村民： 我还想问问你最喜欢的中国菜是什么？
THE PRESIDENT: Well, now I understand how you fill a restaurant with 500 seats every night. (Laughter).
MRS. CLINTON: I would wonder whether any of you might have any questions for us, because one of the reasons that my husband made this trip is so that the Chinese people and the American people can learn more about each other and about our lives.
村民： 我想问总统，你为什么和我们普通的中国人举行这个圆桌座谈呢？
THE PRESIDENT: For two reasons. First of all, I think it’s important that people who are in positions like mine, in the United States and in China, in every country, understand how people live at what we call the grass-roots level, and understand how the policies we make affect the lives that people live, because that’s actually the purpose of leadership—to try to make a positive difference in the lives of ordinary citizens.
And second, because the American people are very interested in learning more about Chinese people as the result of my trip. So, when we do this, there will be pictures and reports of this meeting in America so people just like you in America will have a feeling for what it’s like to own a restaurant or teach a school or be a business person or be a student or a doctor or run a home for older people. They will feel these things in a different way because of this event we’re doing here.
村民： 我相信一个注意人民生活实际的总统肯定是受人民拥护的总统。
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. We have to stop in a moment, but I’d like to ask the doctor one more question. What do you believe the biggest challenge is for improving the health care of the Chinese people now at the village level? What is the largest remaining challenge that would—any change that could be made that would improve health much more?
村医： 首先，按照我过去的经验，我认为最大的问题是改善环境卫生。预防也是很重要的。
THE PRESIDENT: This is a very important point, which has been made—important for China and important for the United States. When a country grows economically, you use more energy and you have more activity, and it leads to strains on the environment, especially air pollution, which can really affect people’s health. So one of China’s big challenges, and a continuing challenge for America, is to grow the economy, but to clean up the environment at the same time. And we can do both, but we have to work at it, and we should work at it together.
村民（饭店经理）： 我想补充一点意见。西安的商界人士都真想增进中美两国的贸易，他们想看到中国成为美国的第一大贸易伙伴，同时我自己也想多挣些美元。（笑声）
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I’ll work on that and I will also work on accepting your invitation to come to your restaurant when I am not in office anymore. This is very nice, you know. Most people in my position wonder if anyone will want us to eat with them when we’re not in office anymore. (Laughter)
Thank you all very much. Thank you. (Applause.) Good luck to you, thank you.
