《英语周报》有声英语：中共十七大报告

　　The 17th National Congress of the CPC

　　2007-2008学年 第12期

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　　by Hee Sung Shin

　　Patrick: Hey Kelly, what’re you up to?

　　Kelly: Oh, I’m reading the paper. There’re lots of articles summing up the National Congress that’s been going on.

　　Patrick: Ah, that’s interesting. I saw some clips on TV, but I haven’t had a chance to learn much about it.

　　Kelly: Well, from President Hu’s speech, it seems that his main goal is to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

　　Patrick: Really? Well, isn’t China pretty much the fastest growing economy in the world?

　　Kelly: That’s true, but there are still some things that the Party wants to address. The vision of the Party is putting people first. The article that I was just reading mentions that the government plans to provide basic health care for all citizens in rural and urban areas by 2020.

　　Patrick: Hmm, that’s definitely some good news. What else did the article mention?

　　Kelly: The government also wants to boost people’s livelihood by helping poor students complete higher education. And you know how real-estate in Beijing is among the most expensive in the world?

　　Patrick: Oh goodness, tell me about it!

　　Kelly: Well, the government plans to continue to flush out those unscrupulous speculators. Hopefully this will help stabilize the housing market.

　　Patrick: Wow, this is pretty interesting. As I recall, other leaders of the CPC in the past have focused on issues such as industrialization and urbanization. And China has certainly made great strides in those areas.

　　Kelly: Yea, as China shifts into a new era, the government seems to be very keenly aware of the dangers of overgrowth.

　　Patrick: Yea, that makes sense. I’ve heard about the growing disparity between the haves and the have-nots. I suppose China should commit to a balanced and sustainable development plan if it hopes to maintain socialism with Chinese characteristics.

　　Kelly: That’s a good point. I hope that China’s prosperity will flow into all parts of the country.

　　Patrick: Definitely. But from what you’ve told me, it seems that the Party is setting a good framework for building a harmonious socialist society.

　　Kelly: And oh, another thing. The congress elaborated on the Scientific Outlook on Development.

　　Patrick: Ah, I recall hearing about that in the past. Like I mentioned before, that’s the overall theme that encompasses China’s goal of balanced and sustainable growth. It’s the Party’s solution to problems such as over-consumption and environmental damage.

　　Kelly: I hope all this works out well. The next five years will be critical in China’s development. And every action taken by the government will be placed under the microscope.

　　Patrick: We can already see that the global community turns its eyes and ears to China regarding global issues. It seems to me that it won’t be too long before China’s voice is one that no community can ignore.