Lesson 36 My Job at the Newspaper Company 我在一家報業公司的工作
Words:
circle n. 圓周，圓形物；（具有共同興趣、利益的人們所組成的`）圈子；集團；vt. 包圍，環繞
circuit n. 電路
circuitous adj. 迂迴的，繞圈子的
circular adj. 迴圈的；圓的
circulate v. （使）迴圈；傳閱，流傳；發行，銷售
circulation desk 圖書借還臺；發行處
circumference n. 圓周；周長
circumlocution n. 迂迴累贅的陳述，拐彎抹角地講話；遁詞
circumscribe vt. 劃界限；限制
circumspect adj. 慎重的，仔細的
circumstance n. 環境，情況
circumvent v. 用計謀戰勝，規避
citadel n. 堡壘，要塞
cite vt. 引用；舉例
civil adj. 公民的；市民的；國內的
civilian adj. 市民的，平民的；民間的
civility n. 禮貌，客氣，謙恭；（常用作civilities）禮儀；客套；寒暄
civilization n. 文明，文化
civil rights 公民權
Civil War 內戰
I work as the editor of a small newspaper. Our offices and printing presses are located on the grounds of an old citadel that has been standing since the days of the Civil War. The rent here is relatively cheap. However, the facilities are rather old and we’re constantly making repairs to the electrical circuits in our building. According to our circulation desk, we circulate about 10,000 papers each day. If I were to draw a circle around our circulation area, the circumference would be about 15 miles.
Ours is a civilian company. However, due to our location, the military has the right to circumscribe the content of our newspaper. For that reason, I’m a bit circumspect about the articles that we publish. I try to print the news without being too critical of the government, the military or the people in power.
Today, I’m thinking about running a story about lawyers. Lawyers have been around since the start of civilization. They are credited for writing the first civil code and the bill of civil rights. However, they are disliked for their circuitous manner of speaking and their ability to circumvent the law by citing obscure legal doctrines. They always make circular arguments to avoid the issue. Some lawyers are kind and helpful. Others are known for their lack of civility. A lot depends on the circumstances and how much money you have.
Perhaps a story about lawyers might be too controversial. I’d better think of a more agreeable subject.
