7月6日午间英语新闻：携程将投入10亿元鼓励员工生育 每生一孩补贴5万

> Travel agency employees offered 1b yuan in 'baby bonuses'

携程将投入10亿元鼓励员工生育 每生一孩补贴5万

China's leading online travel agency Trip.com Group announced on Friday that it plans to provide 1 billion yuan ($137.74 million) in subsidies to support employees who have more children. As the first Chinese company to introduce such a policy, which conforms with national efforts to encourage childbirth, it has sparked heated discussion among the public about the cost of raising children and the impact on women's careers.

中国领先的在线旅行社携程集团6月30日宣布，计划投入10亿元来补贴生育多孩的员工。携程是国内第一家推出这种生育补贴政策的公司，这与当前国家鼓励生育的举措是一致的。携程此举引发了公众关于育儿成本以及生孩子对妇女事业影响的激烈讨论。

Starting on July 1, both male and female employees who have worked at the company for three years or more will be eligible to receive an annual cash bonus of 10,000 yuan ($1,377) per year for each newborn until the child reaches the age of 5, the company said.

携程宣布，从7月1日开始，入职满3年的携程员工，无论性别，每新生育一个孩子都将获得每年1万元的现金补贴，发放至孩子满5周岁后终止。

"Employees are the greatest asset of the company, and we are committed to creating a better and more supportive working environment for them," said James Liang, executive chairman of the board at Trip. com.

携程集团的董事局主席梁建章表示，员工是企业最宝贵的财富，我们致力于为员工创造一个更好的工作环境，为员工提供更大的支持。

"Through the introduction of this new child care benefit, we aim to provide financial support that will encourage our employees to start or grow their families without compromising on their professional goals and achievements," said Liang, who is also a demographic economist.

作为人口经济学家，梁建章还指出，通过推出新育儿福利，旨在为员工生育提供经济支持，让他们不会因生育而牺牲自己的职业目标与成就。

In 2022, China recorded 9.56 million newborns, and the birthrate was 0.68 percent. It was the first time since 1950 that the annual population of newborns dropped below 10 million, and the third consecutive year the birthrate had dropped below 1 percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

国家统计局数据显示，2022年，中国出生人口数量为956万，出生率为6.8‰。这是1950年以来，年出生人口首次跌破1000万，也是连续第三年出生率跌破1%。

The high cost of raising a child has become an important factor affecting fertility rates. In China, the average cost of raising a child to the age of 18 is 485,000 yuan, equivalent to 6.9 times the annual per capita GDP, according to YuWa Population Research, a public welfare institution dedicated to population and related public policy research in China.

育儿成本高已经成为影响生育率的一个重要因素。育娲人口研究智库的数据显示，在中国，把孩子养到18岁的平均成本是48.5万元，相当于全年人均国内生产总值的6.9倍。育娲人口研究智库是致力于中国人口和相关公共政策研究的公益机构。

The cost of raising a child in China is higher than in some developed Western countries, the institution said, adding the population of newborns in China declined for six consecutive years, from 2017 to 2022.

该机构称，中国的育儿成本高于某些西方发达国家的水平，并指出中国出生人口数量从2017年到2022年已连续下跌6年。

Liang believes that family welfare policies such as inclusive child care services, equal maternity leave for men and women, protection of the rights of single-parent families, and open access to assisted reproductive technologies, can effectively help working women reduce the time and cost of parenting and achieve a win-win situation for both the family and employers.

梁建章认为，包括托幼一体化服务、男女平等产假制度、保障单亲家庭权益、开放辅助生育技术在内的家庭福利政策能有效帮助职场女性减少育儿时间和成本，让家庭和雇主达到共赢。

The baby bonuses have sparked an intense online debate. Many women said that getting pregnant affects their opportunities to get promoted and advance their careers. Some companies prefer that female employees don't get pregnant, as it shortens their working time. Other netizens said the subsidies fall well short of covering the huge cost of bearing and raising a child.

携程的生育补贴引发了网上的激烈讨论。许多女性表示，怀孕让她们失去了晋升和职业发展的机会。有些公司更希望女员工不要怀孕，因为这样会缩短她们的工作时长。其他网友表示，携程的补贴金额相比巨大的生育成本只是杯水车薪。

Over the past few years, Trip.com has implemented a number of pro-family policies. A hybrid-working plan has been introduced, which allows employees to opt to work remotely on certain days of the week. The policy has been applied in 14 countries and regions.

过去几年来，携程已经推出了一系列对家庭友好的政策。携程的混合办公制度允许员工在每周的某几天远程办公。这一政策已在14个国家和地区的携程办事处实行。

重点词汇：

1、conform
英/ kənˈfɔːm /

美/ kənˈfɔːrm /

v.遵守，符合；顺从，随潮流；一致，相吻合

2、consecutive

英/ kənˈsekjətɪv /

美/ kənˈsekjətɪv /

adj.连续的，不间断的

3、fertility

英/ fəˈtɪləti /

美/ fərˈtɪləti /

n.肥沃，富饶；可繁殖性，生育能力；（思想的）丰富，多产

4、equivalent

英/ ɪˈkwɪvələnt /

美/ ɪˈkwɪvələnt /

adj.等同的，等效的

n.对等的人（或事物），对应的人（或事物）；当量（equivalent weight）

5、maternity leave

英/ məˈtɜːnəti liːv /

产假：女性员工在怀孕、分娩和产后休养期间享有的法定休假。

6、implement

英/ ˈɪmplɪment /

美/ ˈɪmplɪment /

v.执行，贯彻；为……提供工具

n.工具，器具；<苏格兰>履行；手段

7、opt to

选择：表示在几个选项中做出决定，通常是在经过一定的思考后。

> Young man forms fusion band of rock and Kunqu Opera 

“泰裤辣”！95后“昆曲小伙”组摇滚乐队：“我们这代人就是要干这个事”

In early June, Wang Pushi, a young man from Beijing with a background in Kunqu Opera and also the lead singer of a rock band, captivated his audience with a performance at "Youth π Plan," a music competition show produced by Hunan Satellite TV and Mango TV. He sang a fusion of rock and Kunqu Opera elements in his song titled "Ming Song."

6月初，昆曲科班出身、同时也是一支摇滚乐队主唱的95后北京小伙王蒲实在由湖南卫视、芒果TV制作的音乐竞演节目《青年π计划》的舞台上演唱了一首融合摇滚与昆剧元素的歌曲《明歌》，给观众留下了深刻印象。

With its invigorating rhythm and beat, the combination of ancient and modern vocal styles and melodies, and poetic yet bold lyrics, Wang's performance skillfully blended the power of rock with the elegance and charm of Kunqu Opera. Netizens praised his performance, exclaiming how "cool" and "refreshing" it was, and expressing their admiration for his ability to infuse rock into Kunqu Opera.

振奋人心的节奏与鼓点、古今结合的唱腔与旋律、既诗意又豪迈的歌词，王蒲实的演唱将摇滚的力量感与昆曲唱腔的华丽婉转巧妙结合。不少网友点赞直呼“太酷了” “耳目一新”“把昆曲唱出来摇滚味，太好听了”。

Wang has been studying traditional Chinese opera since he was young and officially joined the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre in 2012, accumulating 11 years of experience in Kunqu Opera.

王蒲实从小学习戏曲，2012年正式进入北方昆曲剧院学员班学习昆曲，到现在已有11年的昆曲底子。

Apart from Kunqu Opera, Wang has been interested in rock music from a young age. He said his favorite rock bands and musicians that have inspired him the most include David Bowie, Nirvana, Beyond, OneRepublic, and Caspian.

除了昆曲外，王蒲实儿时也接触到摇滚乐并喜欢上摇滚，他告诉记者自己最喜欢且深受影响的摇滚乐队及音乐人包括大卫·鲍伊、涅槃、Beyond、OneRepublic、和Caspian等乐队。

In 2019, Wang formed a rock band called "Xian Ke" with two other students from the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, Yao Jiahan and Wen Haoyuan, where he serves as the lead singer and guitarist. He said the band's name was derived from a line in "The Book of Songs" that signifies persistence and dedication. So far, the band has created 25 songs, with one single reaching over a hundred million plays. 

2019年，王蒲实与中国戏曲学院另外两名同学姚嘉涵、温昊元一起组建了摇滚乐队“鲜克”。王蒲实担任主唱兼吉他手。他介绍说，乐队名取自《诗经·大雅·荡》中“靡不有初，鲜克有终”。目前他们的乐队已创作25首歌曲，单曲最高播放量破亿。

Wang expressed his hope that through their music, more young people will become acquainted with and develop an affinity for Kunqu Opera. He hopes to promote their songs overseas and showcase more exceptional Kunqu Opera on international stages, thus challenging the stereotypes associated with Chinese traditional music.

王蒲实希望他们的音乐可以让更多的年轻人了解昆曲，并感受到昆曲的美妙之处。与此同时，他也希望能将乐队的歌曲推广到海外，并有机会把更多优秀昆曲剧目搬上海外的舞台，打破大家对中国国风音乐的刻板印象。

重点词汇：

1.captivate
英/ ˈkæptɪveɪt /

美/ ˈkæptɪveɪt /

v.迷住，使……着迷

2、invigorating
英/ ɪnˈvɪɡəreɪtɪŋ /
美/ ɪnˈvɪɡəreɪtɪŋ /
adj.使精力充沛的，使生机勃勃的
v.使生气勃勃；使兴旺发达；激励，鼓舞（invigorate 的现在分词）

3、bold
英/ bəʊld /
美/ boʊld /
adj.大胆自信的，敢于冒险的；冒失的，鲁莽的；明显的，轮廓突出的；粗体的，黑体的；<文>陡峭的
n.黑体，粗体

4、derive
英/ dɪˈraɪv /
美/ dɪˈraɪv /
v.获得，取得；起源于，来自；提取，衍生（化学物质）

5、affinity

英/ əˈfɪnəti /

美/ əˈfɪnəti /

n.喜好，喜爱；类同，密切关系；亲近感，亲和；适应性，匹配度；（与血缘关系相对的）姻亲关系；亲和力，亲和性