8月18日午间双语新闻：中法驾驶证免试互认换领

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China adds over 8M urban jobs
1-7月城镇新增就业822万

China added 8.22 million new urban jobs from January through July, roughly 74.7 percent of the nation's annual target, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Monday. The surveyed unemployment rate was 5.1 percent in July, up 0.1 percentage point from a month earlier. 
国家统计局8月16日发布数据称，1-7月份，全国城镇新增就业822万人，完成全年目标的74.7%。7月份，全国城镇调查失业率为5.1%，比6月份上升0.1个百分点。

The rate was 16.2 percent and 4.2 percent for the 16-24 and 25-59 age groups, respectively, the bureau said. Further, weekly working hours for employees of enterprises was 47.7 hours, from 47.6 in June, it added.
16-24岁人口、25-59岁人口调查失业率分别为16.2%、4.2%。全国企业就业人员周平均工作时间为47.7小时，比6月份增加0.1小时。

重点词汇
1、roughly 
英 /ˈrʌfli/  美 /ˈrʌfli/ 
adv. 大约地；粗糙地；概略地；粗暴地

Fuxing bullet train tests new line
复兴号试跑最东端高寒高铁

A Fuxing bullet train left Mudanjiang Railway Station in Heilongjiang province early on Sunday morning for a full-line test on the high-speed railway linking Mudanjiang and Jiamusi in the province. It was the first time a Fuxing bullet train has run on China's easternmost high-speed line, which is in an extremely cold region. Since June 10, different types of bullet trains have been put into use in test runs to ensure the line can operate safely. 
8月15日上午，复兴号高寒动车组从黑龙江省牡丹江站缓缓驶出，参与牡佳高铁(牡丹江至佳木斯)联调联试。这也是复兴号高寒动车组首次在中国最东端高寒高铁线路试跑。牡佳高铁联调联试自6月10日启动以来，分别进行了不同动车组的试验，以确保线路能够安全运行。

Dynamic detection and debugging of rail track, communication, signal, power supply, disaster monitoring and other systems have been completed and the whole system has been optimized. Construction started in November 2016. The 371-kilometer line, designed for trains running at up to 250 kilometers per hour, will cut travel time between Mudanjiang and Jiamusi from seven to two hours.
经过轨道、通信、信号系统、电力供应、灾害监测等系统的动态检测和调试，使各系统和整体系统功能得到了优化。牡佳高铁施工于2016年11月开始。线路全长371公里，设计时速250公里，将把牡丹江和佳木斯之间的通行时间从7小时缩短到2小时。

重点词汇
1、bullet train
动车

2、easternmost
英 /ˈiːstənməʊst/  美 /ˈiːstərnmoʊst/ 
adj. （英）极东的；最东部的（等于eastmost）

3、debug
英 /ˌdiːˈbʌɡ/  美 /ˌdiːˈbʌɡ/ 
vt. 调试；除错，改正有毛病部分；[军] 除去窃听器

China, France to recognize driving licenses
中法驾驶证免试互认换领

China and France have signed an agreement allowing mutual recognition and exchanges of the two countries' driving licenses, the Ministry of Public Security said on Monday. The agreement was signed to facilitate people's travel by driving in the two countries, and further encourage bilateral trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, the MPS said. 
公安部8月16日表示，为便利中法两国人员在对方国家驾车出行，进一步促进两国经贸合作和人员往来，中法两国政府已签署协议，实现双方国家核发的驾驶证可免试互认换领。

Under the deal, which comes into effect on Tuesday, China and France will allow holders of valid driving licenses issued by either authority to drive directly or obtain driving permits without an additional test. To be specific, people staying in the other country for less than a year will have their driving licenses recognized in the destination country, while those staying for more than a year can exchange their original licenses for local ones without separate tests. Reciprocal treatment will be applied to students who study in each other's countries.
该协议于8月17日正式生效。根据协议，一方准许持有对方国家驾驶证的人员在其境内直接驾车或者免试换领驾驶证。对于临时进入对方境内不超过一年的，双方驾驶证实现互认。对于在对方国家居留超过一年的，双方驾驶证实现免试互换。对于留学生，双方给予对等优惠政策。

重点词汇
1、bilateral
英 /ˌbaɪˈlætərəl/  美 /ˌbaɪˈlætərəl/ 
adj. 双边的；有两边的

2、to be specific
具体地/来说

3、reciprocal
英 /rɪˈsɪprəkl/  美 /rɪˈsɪprəkl/ 
adj. 互惠的；相互的；倒数的，彼此相反的
n. [数] 倒数；互相起作用的事物

Biden defends US pullout
拜登坚称撤军是'正确决定' 

US President Joe Biden on Monday stood by his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan while acknowledging Kabul's collapse to the Taliban came much sooner than Washington had anticipated. "I stand squarely behind my decision," said Biden in a televised speech from the White House. "The truth is this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated." The speech came one day after the Taliban completed a stunningly swift takeover of the war-torn country's capital of Kabul on Sunday after Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left the country. 
美国总统拜登8月16日在白宫发表电视讲话，为自己作出的从阿富汗撤军的决定辩护。不过他也承认，面对塔利班，阿富汗政府的溃败比华盛顿预期的要快得多。拜登说："我认为从阿富汗撤军是完全正确的决定。事实上，事态发展比我们预想的更快。"8月15日，塔利班在极短时间内就控制了阿富汗首都喀布尔，在此之前，阿富汗总统加尼已离开阿富汗。

"If anything, the developments of the past week reinforced that ending US military involvement in Afghanistan, now, was the right decision," said Biden, who returned to the White House from Camp David ahead of schedule. "American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves," he said. Biden said the US mission in Afghanistan to defeat the Sept 11 attackers and ensure al-Qaida could not use Afghanistan as a base to hit the US had been completed.
得知消息后，拜登提前结束在戴维营的行程，返回白宫。拜登说，过去一周的事态发展进一步说明，现在结束美国在阿富汗的军事介入是正确的决定。美国军队不能也不应该在一场连阿富汗军队都不愿为自己而战的战争中去战斗和牺牲。拜登表示，美国出兵阿富汗的目的就是抓住发动911袭击的凶手，确保基地组织不会以阿富汗作为大本营对美国发动袭击，这一目标已经实现。

重点词汇
1、acknowledge 
vt. 承认；答谢；告知已收到；搭理

2、troop
英 /truːp/  美 /truːp/ 
n. 军队；组；群；多数
vi. 群集；成群而行；结队
vt. 把（骑兵）编成骑兵连

3、war-torn
英 /ˈwɔː tɔːn/  美 /ˈwɔːr tɔːrn/ 
adj. （地方）受战争破坏的