Chinese oil company PetroChina vowed to catch up with its arch-rival Sinopec in shale gas production next year, as the two race to meet a government mandate to increase output of the fuel that has revolutionised the US energy sector.中国石油天然气股份有限公司（PetroChina，简称：中石油）立志明年在页岩气产量方面赶上主要对手中国石油化工股份有限公司（Sinopec，简称：中石化）。这两家公司都急于实现中国政府提高页岩气产量的要求。Beijing’s planners have looked with envy on the flow of cheap gas that has lowered US energy prices and reduced that country’s dependence on imports. But similar success has so far eluded China, in part because of a more complicated geology and less developed legal and pipeline infrastructure, but also, critics say, because the dominant state owned oil companies were dragging their feet.页岩气是一种非常规化石燃料，它已彻底改变美国能源业的格局。这种廉价的天然气不但降低了美国的能源价格，还帮该国减少了对能源进口的依赖，令中国政府的经济规划者羡慕不已。但中国迄今在这方面却没有取得类似成就。一个原因在于，中国地质状况更为复杂、法律和管道基础设施也不那么发达；批评人士认为，还有一个原因是，占市场主导地位的国有油企“拖后腿”。Sinopec has so far taken the lead, trumpeting its initial success at the Fuling field in southwestern Sichuan province. It plans to produce 5bn cubic metres (bcm) there by the end of 2015, accounting for the lion’s share of the national target of 6.5 bcm next year.中石化目前在中国页岩气领域占据领先位置，它对自己在四川涪陵区块取得的初步成果作了高调宣传。中石化拟到2015年底时在涪陵区块建成50亿立方米的产能，在明年全国65亿立方米的目标产能中占据最大份额。“Our shale gas development is about a year and a half behind Sinopec,” Wang Dongjin, PetroChina vice-chairman, said on Thursday, adding that the company’s attention had been distracted by work at its Moxi natural gasfield in southwestern China.中石油副董事长汪东进周四表示，公司的页岩气发展较中石化晚了约一年半时间。他补充说，位于西南地区的磨溪气田的工作也分散了中石油的注意力。PetroChina’s management has been decimated by a corruption investigation that has ensnared former energy and security tsar Zhou Yongkang; while both companies have been galvanised by reformers’ threats to shake up the energy sector that they dominate.中国政府最近掀起一场反腐败调查，给中石油管理层造成沉重打击，前能源和安全“沙皇”周永康也因此倒台。与此同时，改革派人士威胁要改造中石油和中石化主导的国内能源业，对这两家公司也造成了震动。Mr Wang said the company aimed to produce 2.6bcm of shale gas next year, up from 100m cubic metres this year and above its official 2015 target of 1.5bcm.汪东进表示，中石油计划明年生产26亿立方米页岩气，这个数字远高于今年1亿立方米的产量，也高于官方为该公司设定的2015年产量目标（即15亿立方米）。The two companies’ new enthusiasm for shale gas comes as China’s natural gas demand grew by almost 9 per cent in the first half. PetroChina said this compared with less than 4 per cent growth in refined products demand.这两家公司对页岩气焕发出新的热情之际，今年上半年，中国天然气需求增长近9%。中石油表示，这与成品油需求增长不足4%形成反差。A dismal chemicals markets and the growing surplus of refined fuels in the world’s second-largest oil consumer dented the companies’ refining business in the first half. Overall, both saw profits growth in line with analysts’ expectations in the first six months of 2014.中国是世界第二大石油消费国，这里化工市场的低迷和成品油的日益过剩，拖累了上述两家公司上半年的炼油业务。总体而言，今年上半年它们的利润增长符合分析师的预期。That reflects not only slowing economic growth – GDP grew by 7.5 per cent in the second quarter – but also a shift in the composition of the economy. Services account for about half of the Chinese economy now, while sputtering growth in energy-intensive sectors like construction, steel and coal hurt demand for transport fuels such as diesel.这不仅反映出经济增长放缓——二季度国内生产总值(GDP)增长7.5%——还反映出经济结构的改变。务业现占中国经济的一半左右，建筑、钢铁和煤炭等高耗能产业则增长乏力，导致柴油等运输用燃料需求减少。In three months of the first seven months of this year, China has been a net exporter of refined products, reversing years of steady imports to feed its rapidly growing economy. In the first half of the year, national demand for diesel or gas oil contracted by 0.6 per cent.今年头7个月中，中国有3个月成为成品油净出口国，逆转了为满足高速增长的经济而多年持续进口的局面。今年上半年，中国全国柴油需求萎缩了0.6%。As demand slows, refiners are also facing increased competition in wealthier coastal regions thanks to their own expansions, continuing production by the independent, “teapot” refineries and the commissioning of a large new refinery in Quanzhou built by state-owned chemicals trader Sinochem.除了需求放缓，炼油企业在较富裕沿海地区面对的竞争也有所加剧，原因包括它们自身的扩张，“小作坊”式的独立炼油厂的持续生产，以及国有化工贸易商中化集团(Sinochem)在泉州新建成的一家大型炼油厂的投产。“Asian markets have aly braced themselves” for an influx of Chinese diesel and gasoline, said Li Li, research director for energy consultancy ICIS China.能源咨询公司安迅思中国(ICIS China)研究总监李莉表示：“亚洲市场已（为中国柴油和汽油出口）作好了准备。” /201409/325354
Add sleeping air traffic controllers to China#39;s endless list of air travel woes.中国航空旅行问题本来就不少，现在又发生了空管人员睡着的事情。News recently surfaced that two air traffic controllers nodded off last month while a China Eastern Airlines flight was trying to land in the central Chinese city of Wuhan around midnight. The pilot tried to make contact with the airport#39;s air traffic control tower, but was unable to do so for a period of 12 minutes.最近有消息称，上个月中国东方航空(China Eastern Airlines)的一架飞机午夜试图在武汉降落时，两名空管人员却睡着了。飞行员试图联系机场航空管制塔台，但12分钟内无人回应。The reason? According to a spokeswoman at China#39;s aviation regulator, two air traffic controllers on duty had fallen asleep.原因何在？据中国航空监管部门一名发言人称，两名值班的空中交通管制员睡着了。While the plane eventually landed safety, news of the incident sparked furious reaction among observers.虽然飞机最终安全降落，但这则消息引发了观察人士的激烈反应。#39;This is such irresponsible behavior,#39; Ren Zhiqiang, a well-known property developer, wrote on his microblog.知名地产商任志强在他的微上写道：“这太不负责任了。”#39;It put hundreds of peoples#39; lives at risk,#39; wrote Wang Wei, a financier, on his verified microblog.金融家王巍在新浪微认账账户发帖说：“涉及几百人生命啊”。#39;It is so irresponsible. Heavy pressure and fatigue alone can#39;t account for such behavior,#39; wrote another microblogger. Others called for the napping staff to be fired.另一位用户写道，太不负责任了。沉重的压力和疲劳感不足以解释这种行为。其他人则呼吁解雇打盹的员工。Still, others leapt to the defense of the fatigued workers. #39;No one cares about the life of air traffic controllers. Recent years saw a 20% increase of flights in the air, but it takes two to three years to train a professional air traffic controller. Such changes have resulted in a dire shortage of controllers. They are working overtime but their pay is declining. It is wrong to sleep while on duty. But the media never care about our lives,#39; another microblogger user identifying himself as an air traffic controller wrote on his verified account.不过，也有一些人跳出来为疲惫的工作人员辩护。另一位微认为“航空管制员”的用户在其账户上写道：“只愿你们报道的时候全面一些。近年来飞行流量每年增20%，管制负荷就是指数级增长，培养一个管制员现在已经需要两年半到三年。管制员人数严重不足？那怎么办？加班！这些人辛辛苦苦的加班、超出负荷的运转，工资还在下降，睡岗是不对，可是大媒体谁关注过空管的辛苦。”China#39;s hardly the only country that#39;s seen some air traffic controllers fall prey to slumber, with numerous cities across the U.S. ranging from Boston to Washington, D.C. reporting similar problems.中国不是世界上唯一一个存在航空管制员在工作中打盹现象的国家。从波士顿到华盛顿，美国全国多个城市都曾报道过类似问题。The spokeswoman for China#39;s aviation regulator said an investigation into the matter had been launched and that the two air traffic controllers had been transferred from their duties for the moment, without providing more details.中国航空监管部门发言人称，已经针对这一事件展开调查，这两名管制员已暂时被调离岗位。该发言人没有提供更多细节。While the flight#39;s landing was delayed, she said an approach controller -- whose job is to direct pilots before they make contact with an airport#39;s air traffic control -- was still closely monitoring the flight. #39;We won#39;t be careless with air safety. It#39;s always our top priority,#39; she said.这名发言人称，虽然航班降落的时间被延迟，但机场调度员仍在密切监控着这架飞机。机场调度员的责任是在飞行员和航空交通管制取得联系前对飞行员进行引导。发言人称，监管部门不会在空中安全问题上疏忽大意，安全永远是头等大事。 /201408/322976Few Chinese take paid leave中国很少有人带薪休假A large amount of Chinese employees refuse to take paid leave, a legal right for workers stipulated by Chinese law, a new survey has found.我国法律规定职工享有带薪休假的合法权利，但很多职工拒绝享受带薪假。According to a nationwide survey conducted by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, around 50% of Chinese employees choose not to take paid leave.人社部一项全国性调查显示，目前我国有50%左右的职工选择不休带薪假。In a bid to find out why, the People#39;s Daily recently interviewed several employees in different employment settings. The newspaper found interviewees who work for government organs, institutions and State-owned enterprises reluctantly give up their rights due to concerns that asking for paid leave might ;leave bosses the bad impression of being lazy; and influence future job promotions.为找原因，《人民日报》近日采访了不同职业背景的一些职工，发现在政府部门、事业单位和国有企业工作的受访者由于担心要求休带薪假可能会给老板留下;偷懒;的坏印象，影响未来工作晋升而不情愿地放弃休假的权利。In other jobs, such as sales, employees forego paid leave to avoid smaller bonuses, as only basic salary is given during that time.对于其它工作，如销售，职工放弃带薪休假是为了避免奖金的缩水，因为带薪休假期间只能拿底薪。 /201507/389138
This is Arturo, a polar bear living in South America who has been called the ‘world’s saddest animal’.这只生活在南美洲的北极熊名叫Arturo，它被人们称为“世界上最悲伤的动物”。He sits in a concrete enclosure at Mendoza Zoo in Argentina in temperatures of up to 40C (104F) and is said to have been depressed since his long-term friend Pelusa died two years ago.它居住在阿根廷门多萨动物园里，馆内温度高达40摄氏度。据称，自从它一直以来的好友Pelusa两年前去世后，就一直很抑郁。It is claimed the 29-year-old’s lonely life is causing him to display abnormal behaviour, including tilting his head and showing his teeth while pacing back and forth and rocking from side to side.29年的孤单生活让它出现了一些反常的行为，包括摇头晃脑，露出自己的牙齿，前后不断踱来踱去，或是左右晃来晃去。US singer Cher, 68, said on Twitter: ‘Don’t cry for him, Argentina? No tears of Mrs Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner for tortured polar bear Arturo. Your hands are stained with his blood when he dies.’68岁的美国歌手雪儿在推特上说：“别为它哭泣，阿根廷？你们没有为这只受尽折磨的北极熊Arturo哭泣。当它死亡时，你们的双手将沾满它的鲜血。”Animal rights activists now want Arturo - whose only access to cooling water in his enclosure is said to be a pool just 20in (50cm) deep - moved to another zoo that offers cooler conditions.动物权益保护者现在希望可以将Arturo转移到另一个环境更凉快的动物园里。现在Arturo唯一的降暑方式就是在一个只有50厘米深的池塘里游泳。Mendoza Zoo blocked an effort five months ago to move Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, Canada - where a new International Polar Bear Conservation Centre is located, reported the Sunday People.据《周日人民报》报道，门多萨动物园5个月前曾拒绝将Arturo转移至加拿大温尼伯的阿西尼玻公园动物园，该公园动物园内新建了一个国际北极熊保护中心。The zoo did not believe the bear would survive the two-day trip, with director Gustavo Pronotto saying the medical board had made a decision - and officials were keen to ‘avoid a big mistake’.门多萨动物园认为Arturo忍受不了2天的旅程，且动物园主任古斯塔沃·波诺托表示医委会已经做出了决定，官方力求“避免出现重大失误”。Greenpeace had gathered 160,000 signatures in a campaign to transfer Arturo urgently to Canada, which it said has weather that more closely resembles what occurs in his natural habitat.绿色和平组织在一次活动中收集了16万份签名，呼吁立即将Arturo转移到加拿大，他们表示那里的气候更接近北极熊原本居住的自然环境。Argentinian professor Fernanda Arentsen, who teaches at Université de Saint-Boniface in Winnipeg, has written to her government and the Canadian Embassy in Buenos Aires over the issue.在温尼伯圣邦尼菲斯大学学院任教的阿根廷教授费尔南达·阿伦特森已向政府和加拿大驻布宜诺斯艾利斯大使馆写信反映该问题。‘He looks so sad. He looks in pain. You can imagine a polar bear in the desert with a swimming pool 50cm deep. It’s difficult to watch this poor animal suffering and in pain.’“它看上去很伤心，很痛苦。你可以想象得出，一只生活在沙漠中的北极熊只有一个50厘米深的游泳池，它这么受苦，我真的看不下去了。” /201407/312368