[時事英文] Factories Struggle to Reopen in China
Taiwanese factory owners in China face uncertainty ahead. Will their factories suffer losses, be closed permanently, or eventually be taken over by the government?
在中國設廠的台商無疑將面臨不確定性。他們的工廠會遭受損失、永久關閉，還是最終將會被政府接管？
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紐約時報報導
Fitfully and painfully — and with some worried prodding from Beijing — China is trying to reopen for business.
1. fitfully and painfully 斷斷續續且艱難地
2. prod somebody into (doing) something 激勵，促使，敦促
在北京頗有些擔憂的催促下，中國正在斷斷續續、艱難地嘗試復工。
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The world’s second-largest economy practically shut down three weeks ago as a viral outbreak sickened tens of thousands of people, unexpectedly lengthening a Chinese holiday. The freeze set off warnings that the global economy could be in jeopardy if the world’s pre-eminent manufacturing powerhouse stayed shut for long.
3. a viral outbreak 一場病毒疫情暴發
4. sicken thousands of people 數萬人患病
5. set off warnings發出警告
6. global economy 全球經濟
7. put…in jeopardy 將…置於危險之中
8. manufacturing powerhouse製造業強國
由於一場病毒疫情暴發導致了數萬人患病，並出乎意料地延長了中國的一個假期，這個全球第二大經濟體三週前幾乎完全停擺。停產引發了不少警告，人們擔心如果世界上這個最出色的製造業中心關閉的時間太長的話，全球經濟可能會受到威脅。
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Chinese leaders called this past week for more emphasis on reviving the economy. But many of the factories that have reopened are operating well below capacity, say companies and experts. Quarantines, blocked roads and checkpoints are stopping millions of workers from returning to their jobs. Supply lines have been severed.
9. emphasis on 強調
10. revive the economy 復甦經濟
11. operate below capacity 以低於產能的狀態營運
12. return to work 回去上班、工作
13. sever supply lines 中斷供應線
在過去的一週裡，中國領導人呼籲要加強對恢復經濟活動的重視。但公司和專家表示，許多已開工的工廠仍在以遠低於產能的狀態運行。隔離措施、道路封鎖，以及各地設置的檢查站使數百萬工人無法重返工作崗位。供應線已被切斷。
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“The kind of fear and freeze that has taken hold in terms of economic activity is likely to persist,” said George Magnus, a research associate at Oxford University’s China Center. “I don’t really see a good outcome.”
14. take (a) hold 變強；確立地位
15. in terms of 在…方面；從…方面來說；根據…來看
16. economic activity 經濟活動
17. a good outcome 好結果
「就經濟活動而言，這種恐懼和停產可能會持續下去，」牛津大學中國中心研究員喬治·馬格努斯(George Magnus)說。「我真的看不到什麼好結果。」
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The ripples have continued to spread around the world. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore warned on Friday that the city-state could fall into recession as a result of the outbreak. Germany, Europe’s business powerhouse, on Friday reported slowing economic growth at the end of 2019, prompting fears the virus could delay a recovery.
18. fall into recession 陷入(經濟)衰退
19. business powerhouse 經濟強國
20. economic growth 經濟增長
21. prompt fears 激發恐懼
22. delay recovery 延緩(經濟)復甦
新冠病毒的影響繼續在世界各地蔓延。新加坡總理李顯龍上週五警告，疫情爆發可能會讓新加坡陷入經濟衰退。歐洲的經濟大國德國上週五報告說，本國的經濟增長已在2019年底開始放緩，這讓人們擔心新冠病毒可能會推遲歐洲的經濟復甦。
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With the exception of factories producing medical protective equipment, which the Chinese government has asked to run around the clock, few businesses seem to be returning yet to their previous pace.
23. protective equipment 防護設備
24. run around the clock 全天候、24小時
除了生產醫療防護設備的工廠（中國政府已要求這些工廠24小時運轉），幾乎沒有企業看來恢復了以前的生產速度。
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Foxconn, the Taiwan company that makes iPhones and other gadgets on behalf of Apple and global electronics companies, declined to detail which plants have reopened since the Chinese holiday ended but denied a media report that it was aiming to reach 50 percent production levels by the end of this month. It did not respond to requests for additional comment. Apple also declined to comment, but its chief executive, Timothy D. Cook, said last month, without offering specifics, that some of its suppliers could be disrupted.
25. Foxconn 富士康
26. gadget 小器具；小裝置；小玩意兒
27. on behalf of代替
28. global electronics companies 全球電子設備企業
29. decline to detail 拒絕提供細節
30. aim to reach 目標達到
31. production level 生產水準
32. respond to requests 回應要求
33. decline to comment 拒絕評論
34. disrupt supply 干擾供應
為蘋果製造iPhone和其他小裝置的全球電子設備企業——台灣的富士康拒絕提供自中國春節假期結束以來哪家工廠已重新開工的具體信息，但否認了媒體的一條報導，報導稱富士康的目標是在本月底前恢復50%的生產。富士康沒有回覆記者讓公司進一步置評的請求。蘋果公司也拒絕置評，但首席執行官蒂莫西·D·庫克(Timothy D. Cook)上月曾說，公司的一些供應商可能會受干擾，但沒有提供具體細節。
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The reopening of businesses means trying to bring together again much of China’s 700 million-strong labor force after what had become a nearly three-week national holiday. China’s containment efforts have effectively carved up the country. At least 760 million people — slightly over half the country’s population — are under various kinds of lockdown.
35. bring together 集合起來
36. labor force勞動力
37. containment efforts 抑制(疫情的)措施
38. carve up 分割，瓜分
39. under lockdown 在封鎖之下
企業重新開工意味著在度過了將近三週的春節假期之後，中國七億多勞動力中的大部分將重返工廠。中國遏制疫情的措施已實際上將這個國家分割開。至少有7.6億人——略多於全國人口的一半——被各種各樣的封閉措施限制起來。
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The slow and partial reopening of factories could have a knock-on effect on businesses around the world. China Weaving Materials in Jiangxi Province said that its yarn factories would not open until Feb. 20. Other companies in China need the yarn to make fabric. In neighboring Vietnam, handbag factories are running short on fabric, zippers and various metal components that come mostly from China, said Tatiana Olchanetzky, a handbag manufacturing consultant in that country.
40. a knock-on effect 連鎖反應
41. run short on 面臨短缺
中國工廠緩慢地恢復部分生產，可能會給世界各地的企業帶來連鎖反應。位於江西省的中國織材控股有限公司說，公司的紗線廠在2月20日之前開不了工。中國其他的工廠需要這家公司生產的紗線來織布。在鄰國越南，手袋製造廠正面臨著面料、拉鏈和各種金屬部件的短缺，它們大部分來自中國，為越南手袋製造業提供諮詢的塔蒂阿娜·歐嬋奈茲基(Tatiana Olchanetzky)說。
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Restarting China’s factories is only part of the challenge. The country has a huge services and consumer sector, including shops and restaurants enjoyed by an increasingly affluent middle class. Those businesses have also been devastated by the outbreak, which has kept many Chinese families confined to their homes.
42. part of the challenge挑戰的一部分
43. services and consumer sector 服務業和消費者群體
44. affluent middle class 富裕的中產階級
45. be devastated by被…摧毀
46. be confined in something 被侷限在…
復工只是挑戰的一部分。中國有一個龐大的服務行業和消費群體，其中包括越來越富裕的中產階級喜歡去的商店和餐館。由於許多中國家庭受疫情影響被迫待在家裡，提供這些服務的小微企業也受到了嚴重打擊。
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Amy Li, the owner of a Shanghai restaurant that specializes in northeastern Chinese cuisine, said that her eatery had little hope of reopening soon, like dozens of others nearby, and may not survive. “We don’t know when we can reopen,” Ms. Li said. “The future is a matter of fate.”
47. have little hope of 對…不抱希望
48. a matter of fate 聽天由命
上海一家經營中國東北菜的餐館老闆艾米·李(Amy Li)說，她的餐館和附近幾十家餐館一樣，對很快重新開張幾乎不抱希望，這讓他們可能無法生存下去。「現在還不知道哪一天可以重新開業，」艾米·李說。「未來的事只能聽天由命了。」
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完整報導: https://nyti.ms/37AquPp
圖片來源: https://cnb.cx/2SCm1Ys
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經濟英文廣播課: http://bit.ly/3bI9IkR
時事英文大全: http://bit.ly/2WtAqop
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