新概念英语第三册lesson 53 :In the public interest

Lesson 53:In the public interest  为了公众的利益

           

Listen to the tape then answer the question below.

听录音，然后回答以下问题。

What could not be reported in the official flees?

    The Scandinavian countries are much admired all over the world for their enlightened social policies. Sweden has evolved an excellent system for protecting the individual citizen from highhanded or incompetent 1 public officers. The system has worked so well, that it has been adopted in other countries too.

    The Swedes were the first to recognize that public official like civil servants, police officers, health inspectors 2 or tax-collectors can make mistakes or act over-zealously 4 in the belief that they are serving the public. As long ago as 1809, the Swedish Parliament introduced a scheme to safeguard the interest of the individual. A parliamentary committee representing all political parties appoints a person who is suitably qualified 5 to investigate private grievances 7 against the State. The official title of the person is 'Justiteombudsman', but the Swedes commonly refer to him as the 'J.O.' or 'Ombudsman'. The Ombudsman is not subject to political pressure. He investigates complaints large and small that come to him from all levels of society. As complaints must be made in writing, the Ombudsman receives an average of 1,200 letters a year. He has eight lawyer assistants to help him and examines every single letter in detail. There is nothing secretive about the Ombudsman's work for his correspondence is open to public inspection 8. If a citizen's complaint is justified 9, the Ombudsman will act on his behalf. The action he takes varies according to the nature of the complaint. He may gently reprimand an official or even suggest to parliament that a law the altered. The following case is a typical example of the Ombudsman's work.

    A foreigner living in a Swedish village wrote to the Ombudsman complaining that he had been ill-treated by the police, simply because he was a foreigner. The Ombudsman immediately wrote to the Chief of Police in the district asking him to send a record of the case. There was nothing in the record to show that the foreigner's complaint was justified and the Chief of Police strongly denied the accusation 10. It was impossible for the Ombudsman to take action, but when he received a similar complaint from another foreigner in the same village, he immediately sent one of his layers to investigate the matter. The lawyer ascertained 12 that a policeman had indeed dealt roughly with foreigners on several occasions. The fact that the policeman was prejudiced against foreigners could not be recorded in the official files. It was only possible for the Ombudsman to find this out by sending one of his representatives to check the facts. The policeman in question was severely 13 reprimanded and was informed that if any further complaints were lodged 14 against him, he would prosecuted 15. The Ombudsman's prompt action at once put an end to an unpleasant practice which might have gone unnoticed.

New words and expressions 生词和短语

     evolve

v.   逐渐形成

     high-handed

adj. 高压的，专横的

     incompetent

adj. 不够格的，不称职的

     over-zealously

adv. 过分热情地

     safeguard

v.   保护

     parliamentary

adj. 国会的

     qalified

adj. 合格的

     grievance 6

n.   不平，冤屈

     Justiteombudsman

n.   （瑞典的）司法特派员

     ombudsman

n.  （瑞典和英国的）司法特派员

     secretive

adj. 保密的

     correspondence

n.   来往信件

     alter

v.   改变

     accusation

n.   谴责，指控

     ascertain 11

v.   查出，查明

     prejudiced

adj. 有偏见的，不公平的

     prompt

adj. 即时的

参考译文

    斯堪的纳维亚半岛各国实行开明的社会政策，受到全世界的推崇。在瑞典，已逐渐形成了一种完善的制度以保护每个公民不受专横的和不称职的政府官员的欺压。由于这种制度行之有效，已被其他国家采纳。

    是瑞典人首先认识到政府工作人员如文职人员、警官、卫生稽查员、税务人员等等也会犯错误或者自以为在为公众服务而把事情做过了头。早在1809年，瑞典论会就建立一个保护公民利益的制度。议会内有一个代表各政党利益的委员会，由它委派一位称职的人选专门调查个人对国家的意见。此人官衔为“司法特派员”，但瑞典人一般管他叫“J.O.”，即“司法特派员”。司法特派员不受任何政治压力的制约。他听取社会各阶层的各种大小意见，并进行调查。由于意见均需用书面形式提出，司法特派员每年平均收到1,200封信。他有8位律师作他的助手协助工作，每封信都详细批阅。司法特派员的工作没有什么秘密可言，他的信件是公开的，供公众监督。如果公民的意见正确，司法特派员便为他伸张正义。司法特员采取的行动因意见的性质不同而有所不同。他可以善意地批评某位官员，也可以甚至向议会提议修改某项法律。下述事件是司法特派员工作的一个典型例子。

    一个住在瑞典乡村的外国人写信给司法特派员，抱怨说他受到警察的虐待，原因就是因为他是个外国人。司法特派员立即写信给当地警察局长，请他寄送与此事有关的材料。材料中没有任何文字记载证明外国人所说的情况符合事实，警察局长矢口否认这一指控。司法特派员难以处理。但是，当他又收到住在同一村庄的另一个外国人写的一封内容类似的投诉信时，他立即派出一位律师前去调查。律师证实有个警察确实多次粗鲁地对待外国人。警察歧视外国人的事在官方档案中不可能加以记载，司法特派员只有派他的代表去核对事实才能了解真相。当事的警察受到严厉的斥责，并被告知，如果再有人投诉他，他将受到起诉。司法特派员及时采取的行动，迅速制止了这一起不愉快的事件，不然这件事可能因未得到人们注意而不了了之。

　　自学导读

Notes on the text

课文注释

1  in the interest of，符合……的利益。

2  in the belief that…，自以为……。

3  be qualified to do sth．，胜任做某事。

4  be subject to…，受……的控制，应服从……。

5  complaints large and small，程度不同的怨言，large and small 作名词 complaint 的定语。这样两个意义相反的形容词并用时要置于被修饰的词之后。

6  in writing，以书面形式。

7  in detail，详细地。

8  on one's behalf，代表某人。

9  in question，当事的，所涉及的。

10  put an end to，制止，结束。

　　Multiple choice questions

多项选择题

Choose the correct answers to the following questions.

Comprehension 理解

1  In what respect does the institution of Ombudsman reflect enlightened social policy?

a．Other countries have followed the Swedish example.

b．Each party appoints its own Ombudsman to ensure equal representation.

c．It admits the possibility of official oppression and guards against it.

d．It aims to eliminate prejudice against foreigners living in Sweden.

2  The authority exercised by the Ombudsman is impartial 16 in that ______ .

a．the complaints he deals with come from all levels of society

b．he wilt 17 only take action if written evidence justifies 18 a complaint

c．every letter of complaint receives legal attention

d．his decisions are not influenced by any one political party

3  What happened to the policeman in the case?

a．He was sent to prison.

b．He was prosecuted.

c．He was officially rebuked 19.

d．He was dismissed from the police force.

4  The case taken as an example of the Ombudsman's work shows that ______ .

a．an official may not be prosecuted until a law is altered by parliament

b．the Ombudsman cannot take action if he lacks supporting evidence

c．it needs two similar complaints before the Ombudsman can take action

d．the Swedish police are corrupt 20 and prejudiced against foreigners

Structure 结构

5  ______ recognized that public officials like civil servants can make mistakes. (11. 6-8)

a．It was the Swedes who first

b．They were Swedes who had first

c．The Swedes were the first who have

d．First it was the Swedes that

6  If a citizen has ______ , the Ombudsman will act on his behalf. (11. 16-17)

a．the complaint justifiably 21

b．the justified complaint

c．a justified complaint

d．justified his complaint

7  The policeman was informed that ______ complaints were lodged against him, he…. . (11. 28-30)

a．the next time any

b．after any further

c．unless no further

d．furthermore

8  If the Ombudsman hadn't acted promptly 22, this unpleasant practice ______ . (11. 30-31)

a．might have continued

b．might continue

c．will continue

d．would continue

Vocabulary 词汇

9  ---- protecting the individual citizen from ______        and incompetent …(11. 3-4)

a．efficient

b．quick-tempered

c．officious

d．handy

10  The action he takes ______ the nature of the complaint. (1. 17)

a．depends on

b．alternates with

c．differs from (d)agrees with

11  The Chief of Police in the district ______ denied the accusation. (1. 23)

a．bitterly

b．firmly

c．mildly

d．roughly

12  The policeman ______ was severely reprimanded … (11. 28-29)

a．questioned

b．concerned

c．described

d．interrogated 23

　　[New words and expressions】 生词和短语

●evolve v. 逐渐形成

●high-handed adj. 高压的，专横的

●incompetent adj. 不够格的，不称职的

●over-zealously adv. 过分热情地

●safeguard v. 保护

●parliamentary adj. 国会的

●qalified adj. 合格的

●grievance n. 不平，冤屈

●Justiteombudsman n. （瑞典的）司法特派员

●ombudsman n. （瑞典和英国的）司法特派员

●secretive adj. 保密的

●correspondence n. 来往信件

●alter v. 改变

●accusation n. 谴责，指控

●ascertain v. 查出，查明

●prejudiced adj. 有偏见的，不公平的

●prompt adj. 即时的

◆evolve v. 逐渐形成

vt. develop gradually

Eg: He has developed / evolved a new system for running the factory.

evolve a system for doing sth.

Man has evolved from the ape. 人类是从类人猿进化而来的。（演化）

evolve from

evolution 发展，演变

Eg: The evolution isn’t unexpected.

-ism / socialism / evolutionism 进化论

evolutionist 进化论者

evolutional 发展的， 进化的

resolve (L50) / resolve to do sth. 下定决心做某事

resolution / revolve 24

Eg: The earth is round, and every day and night it is revolving 25.

involve vt. 卷入，牵涉 / be involved in

Eg: He is involved in the case.

◆high-handed adj. 高压的，专横的

◆incompetent adj. 不够格的，不称职的

competent: having ability / qualification to do sth.

be competent to do sth.

be competent for sth.

qualified / fit

Eg: He is competent / qualified / fit for the job.

incompetent / unfit

competent: sufficient / enough adequate

Eg: He has a competent knowledge of French.

He is competent to teach the language.

competnece / qualification for / to

the competence 26 for / to

Eg: He has the ability to do the job.

He has the capability 27 / capacity of doing the job.

He has the competence to do / for the job.

qualification

◆over-zealously adv. 过分热情地

over- zealous 3 / zealously

◆safeguard v. 保护

safequard: n. / vt. (书面用语，比较正式)

protect

Eg: We must safeguard our motherland.

We must safegiard our state territorial 28 integrity.

Keeping clean is a safeguard against disease.

safeguard / guard 保安

Eg: We need several safeguards.

protect

safeguard / protect our eyes

◆parliamentary adj. 国会的

◆qalified adj. 合格的

◆grievance n. 不平，冤屈

grief

Eg: I can’t go to the cinema with you tonight because I have to comfort my friend in grief.

grieve: cause grief to

Eg: It grieves me to see him in such bad health.

L53-01  end  17’22”

L53-02  begin  17’18”

grieve for / about / over

grieve / in grief

grieve / it grieves me

◆Justiteombudsman n. （瑞典的）司法特派员

◆ombudsman n. （瑞典和英国的）司法特派员

◆secretive adj. 保密的

secritive letters

◆correspondence n. 来往信件

keep up correspondence 保持通信联系

keep in touch with sb. by writing letters

Eg: We keep up correspondence recently for several years.

by / through correspondence

by writing letters

correspondence school 函授学校

correspondence course 函授课程

correspondence: agreement / similarity 相似，一致

in correspondence with sb. 与......一致 / 保持通信联系

bring sth. into correspondence with sth.

Eg: We must bring your idea into correspondence with mine.

correspondent 通信员，通信者

◆◆◆alter v. 改变

alter / change

alter: change in character, appearance etc. partly

Eg: The shirt must be altered. It is too large.

change: 完全、彻底的变化

Eg: Great changes have taken place in our country.

He changed a lot after so many years of hard work, so I even can’t recognise him.

convert: 改变（态度上）;变化

Eg: He converted to Buddhism 29.

The new house is converted from an old one.

transform: 形态或性质上发生变化，主要指物理能量上的转变，或电压的改变

Eg: We can transform one form of energy into another.

vary: 由于改变而使多样化

Eg: Customs vary with the times

turn

◆accusation n. 谴责，指控

◆ascertain v. 查出，查明

find out / get to know / make certain / make sure

Eg: Let us ascertain when we will hold the party.

读音：certain / ascertain

◆prejudiced adj. 有偏见的，不公平的

prejudice

Pride and Prejudice 傲慢与偏见

◆prompt adj. 即时的

　　【课文讲解】

for: because of

be admired for

Eg: He is admired by us for his humor.

worldwide

背熟： evolved an excellent system for protecting the individual citizen from..

evolve a system for doing sth.

protect / safeguard from

Eg: I can’t conceal 30 my amusement. 我不能够掩饰我幸灾乐祸的心情。

Your excitement is beyond me. 你的激动的表现/心情是我难以理解的。

evolve an excellent system for doing sth.

has worked so well: workable

adopt / adapt

L53-02  end  17’18”

L53-03  begin  16’24”

adopt  采纳

adapt  改编，以适应（指修改或改变以适应新条件）

unsuitable mistakes

were the first / secone / last / only to do sth.

public officials: public officers

in the belief that: believe in

Eg: He turned to me for help because he believed that I could help him.

He turned to me for help in the believe that I could lend him a hand.

He turned to me for help believing that I could lend him a hand.

in the hope: hoping

in the thought: thinking

Eg: We come here in the hope that we will learn English well.

We come here hoping to learn English well.

Judges, however wise or eminent 31, are mortak and can make mistakes.

as long ago as 1809: dating back to 1809

date back to / date from

introduce : bring in 引入

Eg: He introduced science to the game boxing.

He brought science into the game boxing.

scheme 制度

Eg: Sometimes, you need to find a right place to put your latest addition.

represent

Eg: The statue represented a goddess.

A monitor representing his classmates.

be qualified to do sth. / be competent to do sth.

refer to sb. as 把某人称之为......

背熟：The Ombudsman is not subject to political pressure.

be subject to sth. 易受......的影响 (to 介词); 隶属于

Eg: He is subject to cold during winter.

be likely to do (不定式to)

Eg: He is likely to catch cold during winter.

be prone 32 to

Eg: He is prone to flu during winter.

be liable to do

隶属于

Eg: Your plan is subject to my approval.

We have a good plan, but the plan must be subject to our teacher’s approval.

背熟：He investigates complaints large and small that come to him from all levels of society.

complaints large and small 形容词短语做定语，放在被修饰词之后

grievances

Eg: A great many students, boy and girl, went to the party yesterday.

Many people, old and yound, visit the shop.

L53-03  end  16’24”

L53-04  begin  17’18”

be made in writing: be written down

an average of 平均

I work for 8 hours every day.

I work for an average of 8 hours a day.

We have got 15 students in each class.

each 二个的平均

every 三个以上的平均

Eg: We have got an average of 15 students in each / every class.

in detail / in details

justified: justice

on his behalf: in his interest

vary / varied 33 / various

名词前加定冠词the表示“这一类”时，名词就不要加表示复数的-s, 否则则表示这部分。

Eg: The refrigerators are useful during hot summer. (错)

The refrigerator is useful during hot summer.

Refrigerators are useful during hot summer.

A refrigerator is useful during hot summer.

nature: character

a law (should) be altered

suggest to sb.

背熟：The following case is a typical example of the Ombudsman's work.

The following case is a typical example of it you can judge by yourself.

Paragraph 3:

A foreigner living in a Swedish village: A foreigner who is living in a Swedish village.

A foreigner wrote a letter to the Ombudsman complaining...

The editor sent a fax instructing the journalist to get statistics.

simply because: only because / just because

accuse sb. of doing sth.

the matter: the case

背熟：The lawyer ascertained that a policeman had indeed dealt roughly with foreigners on several occasions.

ascertain that / sth.

made sure that / made certain that

dealt roughly with: ill-treated

be prejudiced against sb. / sth.

Eg: If you are prejudiced against sth. , you must take objection to it.

find this out: to discover it

check the facts: verify the facts

It is only possible for us to learn the language well if we study hard.

representative / represent

a committee representing all political parties

lawyer assistants

in question: 当事的，所涉及的

practice: what the policeman did / the way that he treated with foreigners

put an end to

stop

prevent

You prevent me from doing the work

背熟：The Ombudsman's prompt action at once put an end to an unpleasant practice which might have gone unnoticed.

which might have gone unnoticed: which might have gone without being noticed

Eg: If they had had only one more child, they would have lived in obscurity unnoticed.