疫情下的日本居家办公

Japan's white-collar warriors struggle to adapt to social distancing

第一段

In 57 AD a Chinese emperor , Guangwu, gave an envoy from the kingdom of Wa, as Japan was then known, a solid gold seal , with a handle in the form of a coiled serpent. Such seals, or hanko , are still commonly used in Japan in place of signatures on official documents and contracts. During the covid-19 pandemic, with many workers forced to defy social-distancing guidelines and trudge to their offices to put ink to paper, the hanko captures corporate Japan's struggle to modernise its anachronistic workplace culture.

重点词汇

• envoy( /ˈen.vɔɪ/,使者；使節；代表）

  • someone who is sent as a representative from one government or organization to another

    • Performances on a grand scale were arranged for the envoys.
    • Wang Yi made the remarks when meeting with diplomatic envoys of ten ASEAN countries.
    • Our envoy is the voice of diplomacy.
    • " Envoys to the giants? " Fudge shrieked, finding his tongue again.（《哈利波特与火焰杯》）
    • Given my work, I came as an envoy of the enemy.（《唐顿庄园第四季》）

  • 词源

    • en-, 进入，使。 -voy, 路，
    • 该词源自法语动词 envoyer 的过去分词形式 envoye ‘ sent ’（被派遣的）
    • 其终极词源乃古法语 en voie ‘ on the way ’

• solid（ /ˈsɒl.ɪd/）堅固的；堅硬的

  • hard or firm, keeping a clear shape

    • Good choice. Solid choice, Charley. Always go red.（《小熊查理》）
    • A precipitate is a solid So how do we know what this yellow solid is?（《麻省理工魔术背后的化学》）
    • An empire of solid, prosaic commercial facts（《艺术的力量-约瑟夫·玛罗德·威廉·特纳》）
    • I have solid grounds, and I have evidence.（《绿箭侠第一季》）
    • .I mean, you talk about a solid suspect.（《福尔摩斯基本演绎法第二季》）
    • Well, that's a solid line. He can't cross it.（《生活大爆炸 第10季》）

  • 词源

    • 来源于拉丁语形容词 solidus (固体的 , 一致的)
    • -sol- 坚固 + -id 形容词词尾

• seal(/siːl/)

  • 海豹

    • Now seals and whales are abundant again.（《游加州大索尔海岸》）
    • This is when female seals give birth.（《北欧野生风情录》）

  • 印章, 印鉴, 图章

    • Did you bring your account book and seal?（《美国家庭万用亲子英文》）

  • 封条, 封蜡

    • She licked the envelope and sealed it.（《英语短文听写》）

  • 词源

    • 封蜡

      • 来自古法语 seel, 封印，图章
      • 来自拉丁语 sigillum, 小图片，小印，封印，
      • 来自 signum, 标记， 记号
      • 词源同 sign. 原指书信上的封蜡标记

    • 海豹

      • 中古英语 sele, 来自古英语 seolh,

      • selhaz, 海豹，来自 PIE * selk, 拉，划

        • 因海豹两条前肢较后腿为短
        • 在陆地上活动时，总是拖着累赘的后肢
        • 将身体弯曲爬行，并在地面上留下一行形如沟垄的

• handle(/'hænd(ə)l/)

  • n. 柄；把手；手感；口实

    • He and Cedric both grasped a handle(《4.哈利波特与火焰杯》)

  • 买卖；处理；操作；触摸；运用

    • I can handle it. " Handle" is my middle name.(《老友记第三季》)
    • Just a little slump, buddy. Nothing I can't handle(《摩登家庭第二季_Modern Family-Season02》)

  • 词源

    • 来自 hand, 手， -le, 工具格后缀

• coiled(/kɔɪl/)

  • 盘绕，把…卷成圈

  • 卷；线圈

    • Pardon me, pardon me. We were wondering what the coil count is on this one(《绝望的主妇（音频版）第一季》)

  • 词源

    • 缩写自拉丁词 colligere, 收集，词源同 collect.

• serpent（/'sɜːp(ə)nt/）

  • 蛇（尤指大蛇或毒蛇）；狡猾的人

    • Colossal Serpent. I got a colossal serpent right here.（《生活大爆炸 第4季》）
    • The blinded serpent swayed, confused, still deadly.（《2.哈利波特与密室》）
    • His dark eyes were still fixed upon the coiling serpent in its protective sphere.（《7.哈利波特与死亡圣器》）
    • Uh, I think the serpent made Eve eat the apple（《“无耻之徒” 美版》）
    • The huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place.（《1.哈利波特与魔法石》）

  • 词源

    • 来自古法语 serpent, 蛇，来自拉丁语 serpens, 蛇
    • 爬行生物，来自 serpere, 爬行，来自 PIE * serp, 爬行

• signature(/'sɪgnətʃə/)

  • 签字

    • " The signature, " said Hermione. " Look at the signature, Harry! "(《哈利波特与死亡圣器》)
    • Oh, please, I forge your signature all the time.(《“绝望的主妇”第八季》)

  • 词源

    • -sign- 标记 + -ate 动词词尾( e 略) + -ure 名词词尾

• pandemic（/pæn'demɪk/）

  • adj. （疾病）在全国（或世界）流行的

  • n. （全国或全球性）流行病，瘟疫

    • But the COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything.（《VOA慢速英语_美国》0
    • Cholera is pandemic and out of control.（《CNN 10 学生英语 2018年12月合集》0

  • 词源

    • pan- 总 , 全 , 泛 + -dem- 人民 + -ic 形容词词尾

• defy（/dɪ'faɪ/）

  • vt. 藐视；公然反抗；挑衅；使落空；经受住；顶住；抗住

  • n. 挑战；对抗

    • How dare you defy your masters!（《哈利波特精彩瞬间》）
    • Look, you defied my wishes, you broke my rules.（《绝望的主妇（音频版）第三季》评价）
    • In other ways, too, she defied the darkness.（《经济学人-综合》）

  • 词源

    • de-, 不，非，使相反。 -fy, 同 -fid, 相信，

• trudge(/trʌdʒ/)

  • vi. 跋涉；步履艰难地走

    • The brandy glow faded as she trudged along.《飘（原版）》
    • Miguel trudged home behind his family, carrying an armful of marigolds《寻梦环游记》
    • She crossed it cautiously and trudged uphill the hot half-mile to Twelve Oaks《飘（原版）》

  • n. 长途跋涉；沉重的步伐

    • Are you game for a six- mile trudge, Watson?《福尔摩斯探案之四签名》

• anachronistic(/ə,nækrə'nistik,-kəl/)

  • adj. 时代错误的

    • I don't care how anachronistic it is《BBC纪录片“文明”》

  • 词源

    • anachronism = ana （ against ，违反）+ chron （时间）+ ism （现象）→时代错误
    • 柯罗诺斯（ Khronos / Chronos ）是古希腊神话中的超原始神，是时间的化身
    • 他存在于最初之前、并创造一切，是混沌和秩序的来源
    • 英语中表示“时间”的词根 chrono 就来源于他的名字。

• struggle/'strʌg(ə)l/

  • vi. 挣扎；奋斗，努力

    • I struggled and struggled, and tried to swim, taking mouthfuls of the sweet honey.《舞台剧：格列佛游记》
    • Anger struggled in her breast with misery.

  • n. 努力，奋斗；竞争

    • The struggle between the Monarchy and Parliament.

第二段

Despite its reputation for hi-tech wizardry , Japan can be stubbornly analogue. When the pandemic hit , only 40% of Japanese firms had used digitised contracts at all and just 30% had systems in place to enable remote working.Faxes remain ubiquitous; in many prefectures, doctors have been faxing coronavirus test results to public-health officials.

重点词汇

• reputation(/repjʊ'teɪʃ(ə)n/)

  • n. 名气, 名声, 名誉

    • You must be careful of your reputation《简·爱》
    • Because it concerns his reputation and pride.《“舌尖上的中国”第一季》
    • What do I care about his reputation?《美丽新世界》

• wizardry(/'wɪzədrɪ/)

  • n. 巫术，魔法

    • The Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry!《哈利波特与阿兹卡班的囚徒》
    • Albus Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts School ofWitchcraft and Wizardry《5.哈利波特与凤凰社》

• stubbornly(/'stʌbənli/)

  • adv. 倔强地;顽强地;顽固地

    • Possibility two has stubbornly refused to reveal itself.《福尔摩斯基本演绎法第一季》
    • Go for it, Harry, " said Ron stubbornly.《3.哈利波特与阿兹卡班囚徒》
    • We must bathe him, she said stubbornly.《冰与火之歌精选》

• analogue

  • n. 类似物；类似情况；对等的人

    • Can you get me the original analogue surveillance footage?《傲骨贤妻 第2季》

• digitised

  • v. 将资料数字化

    • We digitized all our archives last year.《吸血鬼日记第一季》
    • We digitized them all ten years back《美剧疑犯追踪POI第五季》

• contract

  • 感染；订约；使缩短

    • My muscles had no power to contract.《海底两万里（精选）》

  • 合同；婚约

    • There's a lot of ambiguous language in this contract.《摩登家庭第七季_Modern Family-Season07》

• remote

  • adj. (时间上)遥远的；

    • Well, it's stuck, it's stuck. Get the remote. Get the remote.《绝望的主妇（音频版）第二季》
    • He was courteous always, but aloof, remote.《飘（原版）》

• ubiquitous

  • 普遍存在的;无处不在的

    • If something is ubiquitous, it's everywhere.

• prefecture

  • n. 县；管区，辖区；地方官的任期

    • Not until the end of May, will rain fall upon Shangri-la in Diqing Prefecture《“舌尖上的中国”第一季》
    • Japan declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and three other prefectures. 《经济学人（汇总）》

第三段

The pandemic has also exposed Japan Inc's usually heavy reliance on face-to-face communication. Meeting clients or business partners in person is de rigueur. The Japanese style of collective decision-making depends on people huddling in a room together. Salarymen and women put in long days in the office to demonstrate their dedication to their company and colleagues - and then late nights of sake-fulled carousing to build camaraderie.

重点词汇

• huddling

  • huddling

    • vt. 把...挤在一起；使缩成一团；草率了事

      • I'm gonna brief you. Everybody huddle up.《新闻编辑室 第2季》
      • Huddled together, they backed away into a corner.《5.哈利波特与凤凰社》

    • 拥挤；混乱；杂乱一团

      • The family joined together in a huddle.《寻梦环游记》

• demonstrate

  • vt. 说明, 演示

    • Demonstrates that brevity does not protect against dullness.《福尔摩斯基本演绎法第一季》
    • He demonstrated that in war; he demonstrated that in peace.《VOA视频精选》

• carousing

  • vi. 痛饮,闹饮欢宴

    • What feasting and carousing! A real gorge!《夏洛的网》

• camaraderie

  • n. 同志之爱,友情

    • And look at some of these things. Sheldon is to camaraderie as the space shuttle is to blank?《生活大爆炸 第2季》
    • Isn't this nice? The pleasures of fellowship and camaraderie without having to tolerate your germy breath on my skin.《生活大爆炸 第4季》

• dedication

  • n. 奉献,献身

    • All the training, the hours of dedication..《摩登家庭第三季_Modern Family-Season03》
    • Learning a language takes a lot of hard work and dedication.《Emma的美味英语》

第四段

In Japan gaiatsu, or external pressure, often provokes deep changes. It took the arrival of America's Black Ships in 1853 to end more than 200 years of Japanese isolation. A collision between Japanese and Chinese vessels near disputed islands in 2010 prompted a revamp of the armed forces.The pandemic , argues Miyake Kunihiko of the Conon Institute for Global Studies , a think-tank in Tokyo , is gaiatsu for corporate Japan

重点词汇

• provoke

  • vt. 激起；惹怒

    • " Malfoy provoked us, " said Harry stiffly《哈利波特与凤凰社》
    • I just said that to provoke him.《逍遥法外 第二季》

• isolation

  • n. 隔离, 与世隔绝

    • I won't live in fear and isolation.《美国恐怖故事第二季》
    • Once that's accomplished, put him in isolation.《美国恐怖故事第二季》

• collision

  • n. 碰撞, 冲突, 抵触

    • They don't catch up. That's called a collision.《摩登家庭第三季_Modern Family-Season03》
    • What would the collision look like from earth《假如有如果》

• vessel

  • n. 容器，器皿；船，舰；脉管，血管

    • " My vessel so lovely, with nothing inside" ?《老友记第三季》

    • Blood vessels can usually handle these fluctuations easily.《双语版 TED-Ed 演讲精选》

    • 子主题 3

      • Surrounding the blood vessel is a tumor.《TED演讲（音频版） 2016年5月合集》

• dispute

  • . 辩论；阻止；抗拒；怀疑

    • I reconciled the dispute among the boys.《雅思词汇例句》
    • Disputes settled, it's time to renew old acquaintances.《“BBC纪录片 南太平洋”》

• promoted

  • 提升，提拔

    • Then don't. Promote her. Move her laterally《傲骨贤妻 第5季》
    • You said it was promoting a movie?《瑞克与莫蒂 第三季（双语）》
    • Who cares how high they promote you?《瑞克与莫蒂 第三季（双语）》

• revamp

  • vt. 修补；修改；翻新

    • I didn't either, until I revamped my profile.《生活大爆炸 第10季》
    • We've revamped our schools and the way we pay for college.《奥巴马每周电视讲话》

第五段

Some firms are responding . Covid-19 is a headwind for revenues, but a tailwind " in terms of culture", says Hagiwarea shinichi, boss of Mitsui Foods, a big wholesaler . He has instructed staff to hold regular Zoom meetings. Many firms are shifting to digital contracts. Virtual drinking parties , or Zoom-nomi, are all the rage; as Honda Masakazi, a columnist, recently put it on Toyokerizai, a business-news site, "you don't have to worry about catching the last train。

重点词汇

• headwind

  • n. 顶头风;逆风

    • I think the coal industry is still facing some pretty significant headwinds.”《VOA视频精选》
    • Pessimists fret that much of this progress will reverse now that Africa faces economic headwinds.《经济学人（汇总）》

• revenue

  • n. 收入，收益；财政收入，税收

    • The government gets a revenue from taxes.《雅思词汇例句》
    • Revenues are declining at all three networks.

• tailwind

  • n. (从后面吹来的)顺风

    • A stout tailwind was giving a friendly boost.

• wholesaler

  • n. 批发商

    • Me, I'm in the hooch business, a wholesaler《大西洋帝国 第3季》
    • Some food safety experts are blaming supermarkets for pushing down prices and squeezing wholesalers.

• virtual

  • adj. 实质上的, 事实上的, 实际上的, 虚拟的

    • Oh, hey. Nice virtual presence device. Thank you.《生活大爆炸 第4季》
    • Basically, it's virtual reality circa 1955.《TED演讲（视频版） 2015年10月合集
    • So, why does virtual reality still suck?《科技内幕》
    • Why not build a virtual laboratory simulator?《TED演讲（音频版） 2016年5月合集》

• rage

  • n. 愤怒；狂暴，肆虐；情绪激动

    • You're gonna need to harness your repressed rage.《瑞克与莫蒂 第二季（双语）》
    • My rage just needs to catch its breath.《“绝望的主妇”第五季》
    • Well, don't fly into a jealous rage about it.《马男波杰克第一季（双语）》

  • vi. 大怒，发怒；流行，风行

    • Forest fires are raging in Europe too.《VOA视频精选》
    • Dust storms rage across the planet.《寻找火星生命》

• columnist

  • n. 专栏作家

    • So, I'm a wine writer, a wine columnist. I teach wine.《美语情景对话》

第六段

So far the changes have been halting and uneven . Large Japanese companies are shifting to flexible work regimes more rapidly ; they were more likely to have computer systems in place , as well as cash on hand to make up for lost revenues and pay for investment in hardware and software. Small and medium-sized firms "don't have that luxury" , admits Mr Hagiwara

重点词汇

• halt

  • vi. 停止；踌躇，犹豫；立定

    • " Halt" ! shouted the colonel. " Left about, march" .《包法利夫人（上）》

  • n. 停止；立定；休息

    • This city would grind to a halt.《摩登家庭第三季_Modern Family-Season03》
    • He skidded to a halt and turned around.《哈利波特与死亡圣器》

• flexible

  • 灵活的；柔韧的；易弯曲的

    • His body felt smooth, powerful and flexible. 《5.哈利波特与凤凰社》
    • Okay, Randall, a good driver is flexible.《我们这一天 第二季》

• regime

  • n. 政权，政体；社会制度；管理体制

    • Perhaps Iran's faltering economy will doom the regime.《时代周刊 (Time)》
    • The regime never recognized the results.《世界名人简介》

• luxury

  • . 奢侈, 豪华

    • The luxury of waiting around to see《绯闻女孩 第3季》
    • Subdued lighting. No luxuries. Just the bare necessities.《海底两万里（精选）》
    • Powerful people don't have the luxury of foreplay.《“纸牌屋”听写》

第七段

And the evolution may not endure. Once restrictions are relaxed , managers may demand to see their subordinates back at their desks.Perhaps , though, without their hanko. On April 27th the prime minister, Abe Shinzo, called for a rapid review of the practice. Even his minister of technology policy , who also heads a parliamentary group for the protection of hanko culture, conceded that the seals present an obstacle to teleworking

重点词汇

• endure

  • 忍耐；容忍

    • I'm sorry you had to endure that.《绝望的主妇（音频版）第三季》
    • I endured you... for the sake of my family.《美国恐怖故事第一季》

• subordinate

  • 部属，下属，下级；从属

    • This is a work environment. She's your subordinate.《老友记第九季》

• parliamentary

  • adj. 议会的,国会的

    • Japan is officially a parliamentary constitutional monarchy.《当月 CNN 10 学生英语 2019年10月合集》

• conceded

  • 承认

    • They don't live badly, you have to concede.《唐顿庄园视频版（第六季）》
    • The president has not conceded the election.《VOA Daily Standard 2020年11月合集》

  • 出让, 容许

    • French comes before English. Must I concede?《yp/ymp》

• obstacle

  • 障碍(物), 妨碍

    • There were some obstacles along the way.《老爸老妈的浪漫史视频版（第二季）》
    • We'll pay it. No obstacle is insurmountable.《马男波杰克 第3季》
    • Two obstacles have to be surmounted.《经济学人（汇总）》

• teleworking

  • 电子办公；在家中上班

    • Yuri Tazawa is a big supporter of teleworking.《VOA慢速英语_科技》