每日英语：Thousands of Thumbs Down for Chinese Red Cross

The various parts of China's state machinery sprang into action with impressive speed on Saturday after a strong earthquake hit southwestern Sichuan only 50 miles from the epicenter of the massive temblor that devastated the region in 2008. Efforts by the media and the military so far seem to have earned approval from the country's online commentariat, who remember well how the government struggled under similar circumstances five years ago.

Thumbs Down：不满，反对，责备　　temblor：地震　　　　devastate：毁坏，摧毁　　　　

Not so for the Red Cross Society of China.

The charitable organization was among the first to respond to the disaster Saturday morning, announcing on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo microblogging service that it had dispatched a team to investigate the situation on the ground. The response was almost instantaneous as thousands of microbloggers took to the comment section to post animated thumbs-down emoticons and profane suggestions that the organization take a hike.

charitable：慈善的，慷慨的，仁慈的　　　　instantaneous：瞬间的，即时的　　　　animate：有生命的，活泼，鼓舞

emoticon：表情符　　　　profane：亵渎，玷污　　　　take a hike：走开，滚开

'Little Red, you've really lost the people's hearts,' read one of the few responses suitable for print on the website of a family newspaper.

'Investigate your [expletive] you gang of swindlers,' went another.

swindler：骗子　　　　vitriol：刻薄，尖酸

Why so much vitriol?

Unlike most Red Cross organizations, which operate independently of government, the Chinese Red Cross has close ties to the state. For several decades after the Communist victory in 1949, it was an actual government agency, operating essentially as a branch of the Ministry of Health. Although now separate from the ministry, it maintains active links with health officials and is one of only a handful of organizations officially allowed to solicit contributions from Chinese citizens.

solicit：征求，招揽，请求，恳求

For much of its existence, that semi-official status gave the Chinese Red Cross clout that Red Cross branches in other countries lacked, but it has also helped make the organization a target for public anger over official corruption.

The worst episode came in 2011 after a woman known as Guo Meimei took to Sina Weibo to brag about her opulent lifestyle, posting photos of luxury cars and expensive accessories. Unconfirmed rumors linked her with a high-ranking official at the Red Cross Society. Denials were issued on all sides, but they were not enough to persuade Chinese Internet users, who persist in believing Red Cross funds were used to fund the girl's indulgences.

opulent：奢华的　　　　　　accessory：配件，附件，同谋　　　　indulgence：嗜好，放纵，沉溺

The scandal was made worse by persistent questions over the whereabouts of billions of yuan in donations for victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, a significant chunk of which was managed by the Chinese Red Cross, and did lasting damage to charity fund-raising efforts in a country already short on trust.

whereabouts：下落，行踪，去向　　　　

'Don't forget Guo Meimei, don't forget all the luxurious government buildings that went up in Wenchuan,' one microblogger wrote on Saturday, referring to the part of Sichuan hit hardest in 2008.

An official with the Red Cross Society of China's relief and rescue department told China Real Time that the organization was aware of the negative response but was too busy responding to the disaster to worry about it. 'No matter what Internet users say, we have a clear conscience,' said the official, who gave only his surname, Li. 'The priority right now is on relief efforts. The first thing is to save the lives of those in the disaster zone.'

The organization's first batch of relief materials, consisting of 500 tents, had already arrived at the disaster area and a second batch was on its way, Mr. Li said.

In the same way the current H7N9 bird flu outbreak has given Chinese authorities a chance to atone for its mishandling of SARS a decade ago, Saturday's earthquake provides the Chinese Red Cross with an opportunity to win back some of the trust it has lost in recent years. Though if the tenor of the response online is any indication, they'll have much less money to work with this time around.

atone for：赎回，抵偿