英语角-圆桌会议 RoundTable - 北京地铁拟调价

Topic1 Beijing may raise bus and metro fares this yearThe capital city of Beijing may raise bus and metro fares in the second half of this year.

Zhao Lei, the vice director of the Beijing Development and Reform Commission, says authorities may learn from the experiences of other nations or cities regarding their approach to public transport management and introduce different kinds of tickets, for instance, weekly and bi-monthly tickets for commuters.

However, Zhao did not reveal any details on the extent to which the prices may be adjusted.

Why is it happening?

Topic2 Parking fee increase in GuangzhouA new plan publicized by Guangzhou Municipal Commodity Price Bureau suggests parking fees will be increased substantially in the city.

Why is that?

Topic3 Ponzi scheme in BeihaiBeihai has declared war on pyramid and Ponzi fraud. In 2013, the city in Guangxi Province investigated 244 pyramid sales and Ponzi scheme crimes, detained 368 suspects and destroyed 136 sales dens.

But the illegal industry doesn't seem to go away just yet.

How big is the problem in Beihai?

Topic4 Online Registry for Organ DonorsRecently, China has launched an online registry to encourage the public to supply life-saving organs for transplantation after their death.

What is it? Is it making organ donation easier?

Topic5 Is Online Dating Really That Evil?

For most of us, finding love on the internet can be a gift from heaven.

For others, however, it can be a life-ruining decision – leaving us penniless, heartbroken and with many more problems heading our way.

A well-off Miss Chen from Shanghai is reported to have paid a leading online dating website hundreds of thousands of yuan worth of commission fee only to find out that the dates the website has arranged for her are all divorcees she feels impossible to accept.

The website defends itself in saying that there is no way these divorcee dates are not up to her standards just because they are divorced.

Is online dating fraud a big problem in China?