09-04-06

中国将关闭至少4800小煤矿以加强安全 (China to Close At Least 4,800 Small Mines to Improve Safety)

中国宣布了一项关闭4千8百多家小煤矿的计划，目的是减少煤矿事故。

国家煤矿安全监察局局长赵铁锤星期一表示，中国今年年底之前将关闭大约2千6百多处小煤矿，2007年还将关闭2千2百多处。

官方的新华社报导说，尽管政府努力关闭小煤矿，中国目前仍有1万7千座小煤矿还在运营之中。这些小煤矿产量占中国煤产量的三分之一，但是事故死亡人数却占全国煤矿的三分之二。

根据新华社提供的数据，今年前8个月一共发生1千8百多起煤矿事故，2千9百名矿工死亡。

China has announced plans to close more than 48-hundred small coal mines in an effort to reduce the number of mining accidents.

State Administration of Coal Mine Safety head Zhao Tiechui said today (Monday) that about 26-hundred mines will close by the end of this year, with 22-hundred more closing in 2007.

Despite government efforts to close small mines, the official Xinhua news agency reports China still has some 17-thousand of them in operation. The small mines account for one-third of China's coal production, but two-thirds of the industry's accidents.

According to Xinhua's figures, Chinese mines have already reported 29-hundred deaths in more than 18-hundred accidents in the first eight months of 2006.

美国人过劳工节 (Americans Observe Labor Day)

星期一，布什总统向千百万庆祝劳工节的美国人表示祝贺。他在星期天发表的一份声明中说，美国劳工是国家经济繁荣的关键，他们帮助对抗来自全球市场的竞争挑战。

把9月的第一个星期一定为劳工节是美国劳工运动的产物。一百多年来，为了向劳工做出的贡献表达敬意，美国每年都庆祝这个节日。多数人在劳工节这天不工作，传统上举行一些娱乐活动，包括和亲友在户外野餐。

President Bush has sent his greetings to the millions of Americans who are celebrating the Labor Day holiday today (Monday). In a statement issued Sunday, the president said American workers are vital to the nation's economic prosperity as they help confront the competitive challenges of the global marketplace.

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, was created by the U.S. labor movement. Labor Day has been celebrated annually for more than a century, a yearly tribute to the contributions of workers. Labor Day is generally considered a day to engage in recreational activities, such as picnicking with family and friends - and not working.