eader question:

Please explain "taking up space" in this sentence: As a political analyst, if you're not making enemies, you're just taking up space.

My comments:

A political analyst is a pundit who tries to see through what a politician says or does in order to help the public form an opinion - or perhaps change an opinion.

Politics being politics, one's analysis may make friends or enemies for the analyst.

Politics being politics? By that I mean people have different political positions, either on the left, right and middle of the road, either progressive, conservative and anything else in between, the green, e.g.

Because of that, that people have their different politics, what you say, whatever you say, is likely to cause disagreement, offense or even enmity.

Enmity denotes feelings of an enemy, someone in opposition, someone hostile.

Hence the remark that if you're not making enemies, you're taking up space.

Meaning?

This means you're not doing your job. If you don't have your readers enthused and sometimes riled up, you are not doing a good job. Instead, you're merely eating your meals, as the Chinese say, and wasting your time and ours as well.

Oh, taking up space.

Taking up space? It's easy to get the hang of this idiom by imagining a large piano in a small room.

You know, for example, some parents buy a large piano for their prodigal child to practice on - in the hope that someday, the child will become the next Lang Lang or something.

The room in which the piano is put, however, is small, with the piano, like, occupying more than half of the space.

Time flies and a few years later, the child leaves home for college - which leaves the parents with a dilemma. What do we do with the piano?

Keep it where it is makes some sense, in that it reminds them of their child. However, removing them also makes a lot of sense. It frees up space for the parents to put other furniture in.

None of the parents being musically literate, the piano looks useless now that the child is gone.

Now, you get it. That piano, with the child gone, does nothing but take up space - it merely takes up space.

Yes, "take UP" has a slight negative connation to it.

OK, no more ado, here are media examples of people and things that just take up space in one situation or another:

1. Dealing with anxiety has always been something that was “normal” for me. I’m an over-thinker and an over-analyzer to the nth degree. If I didn’t worry so much, maybe I would forget that Monday meeting I needed to prep for. Or, maybe if I didn't over-analyze, I would have dropped the ball on planning my BFF's birthday party. Because anxiety is something I’ve always dealt with, it’s almost like it’s a part of me — a part of who I am.

When I found out I carry a mutation on my BRCA gene (aka the breast cancer susceptibility gene) in March 2018, and that I have a greatly increased risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, you can only imagine how intense my anxiety became. My “normal” anxiety went from livable to unbearable. I couldn’t focus at work, my heart was racing, I couldn’t eat or sleep, and I sometimes felt numb of any emotion. It guess it's all fun and games until someone tells you carry an 85% chance of developing breast cancer.

After I found out I carry the BRCA 2 mutation, I knew I needed to make some tough decisions. One of those tough decisions was deciding if I wanted to have surgery to reduce my risk of breast cancer. It was my anxiety that actually led me to make the decision to undergo a preventative double mastectomy. I can’t stress enough how much of a personal decision it is for women carrying the breast cancer gene to have this surgery or not. But for me, I knew what I could handle and I knew what I couldn’t.

I’m the person who gets anxiety about flying, work meetings, and first dates. I knew my anxiety about developing breast cancer wasn’t just going to just go away. And honestly, it would probably only get worse. If I had decided to go the surveillance route, every six months I would have had to get a breast MRI and a mammogram and wait to hear my results. I didn't want to face that anxiety every six months, so I elected to have a prophylactic double mastectomy. Even though that surgery was terrifying and comes with its own set of anxious feelings and emotions — like having panic attacks about being under the knife for so long and fearing the unknown — I knew ultimately this was better for my mental health and well-being.

...

Through this journey, I realized that no matter how many times I thought about what could happen, it didn't change anything. All of the time I spent over-thinking and worrying only took up space in my head and time away from me.Even though I'm always going to be a bit anxious and scared of mostly everything, I learned that I have more power over this than I thought. I can get the help that I need, I can take steps to help improve my quality of life and I can share my struggles with others. And, yes, this BRCA diagnosis will always give me some unpleasant feelings and worries, but it's also given me a new perspective on life and a new perspective of myself. And even more, it gave a deeper look into my own mental health.

- My Mental Health After My BRCA Diagnosis Made Me Take A Look At My Self-Care Practices, by Sara Altschule, May 20, 2019.

2. For nearly 15 minutes on Friday afternoon, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love delivered a powerful commencement speech to the Class of 2020 as part of Verizon’s virtual commencement series, “Class of 2020: Ready for Anything.”

Love, an outspoken advocate for mental health and founder of the Kevin Love Fund, shared personal words of wisdom and experience while also challenging graduates to write their own story.

During and after his speech, Love referenced some of his favorite books -- “The Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius, “The Hilarious World of Depression” by John Moe, “21 Lessons for the 21st Century” by Yuval Noah Harari and “Range” by David Epstein. All of those books have had a profound impact on Love in some way, allowing him to better understand himself and helping him learn how to cope with obstacles while living a better, more fulfilling life. Love also quoted William Shakespeare and Robin Williams.

"Are you ready to write your own story,” Love asked during his intro. “Will you determine what your verse will be or will you let someone else pick up the pen and write it for you?”

Love’s speech centered on leadership, life lessons, dreaming big, finding balance, overcoming obstacles, togetherness, the importance of paying it forward and speaking your truth.

...

Love -- who has been open about his struggles with anxiety, panic attacks and depression -- admitted those mental health issues nearly consumed him in the past. The pandemic continues to test him -- and others -- on a daily basis. It threatens society in countless ways, even taking away the game he loves temporarily. But Love believes the most excruciating part is the isolation. So, he shared tips on coping, spoke about the importance of living in the moment and trying -- if possible -- to pull some positives out of this.

"If COVID-19 hasn’t taught us something monumental then we haven’t been listening,” he said. “The worst that can come from this unimaginable time in history is that as people, a generation and individuals, we go unchanged. Be grateful for what we have. We need to make the most of what we have right now. I think this moment has reminded us just how fragile life is.

"Everyone wants to be on the winning side of history and instead of just taking up space we want to know that we’ve added value to the world. It’s up to you to determine your destiny. Meet your future halfway. Generation Z has been tested by chaos. This is your opportunity to put fear and doubt behind. Dream bigger than big. Write a different story for yourself because, as a generation, you have a potential impact that few others have ever had. It’s up to each of you to make that matter.”

- Kevin Love delivers powerful commencement speech to Class of 2020, encourages them to find ‘North Star’ and write own story, Cleveland.com, May 29, 2020.

3. There’s an old joke about treadmills. It goes something like this:

One time I bought a treadmill, now it’s the most expensive clothes hanger in my home.

People laugh—they know it’s true.

The fact is we often buy items with good intentions but never end up using them.

Of course, in the scenario above, if the treadmill was only serving as an extra clothes hanger in the corner of our bedroom, that would be one thing. But the reality is, that unused item is more than a hanger.

It is taking up space—lots of it.

It is taking up valuable physical space in your home.

It’s another physical object, in your home, that you need to dust and clean and vacuum around. It’s just another thing to walk around every day… or pack up when you move.

But more than physical space, it also takes up mental space in your mind.

As Randy Alcorn says, “Every increased possession adds increased anxiety onto our lives.” And that is definitely true.

- Your Stuff is Only Taking Up Space, BecomingMinimalist.com, June 6, 2020.

本文僅代表作者本人觀點，與本網立場無關。歡迎大家討論學術問題，尊重他人，禁止人身攻擊和發布一切違反國家現行法律法規的內容。

About the author:

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.

（作者：張欣 編輯：丹妮）

來源：中國日報網

共中央政治局5月31日召開會議，聽取“十四五”時期積極應對人口老齡化重大政策舉措匯報，審議《關于優化生育政策促進人口長期均衡發展的決定》。

5月30日，江蘇連云港一家幼兒園舉行慶六一親子活動。（圖片來源：新華網）

The meeting unveiled a policy that would allow all couples to have up to three children, in a bid to cope with an increasingly aging society. It also pledged stronger support for families.會議提出，實施一對夫妻可以生育三個子女政策及配套支持措施，以應對人口老齡化程度加深問題。

【知識點】

黨的十八大以來，黨中央根據我國人口發展變化形勢，先后作出一系列重大決策部署。

2013年，十八屆三中全會決定啟動實施“單獨二孩”政策（夫妻中有一方為獨生子女的可生育兩個孩子，two-child policy for couples of which one partner is an only child）。

2015年，十八屆五中全會決定實施“全面二孩政策”（the universal two-child policy），積極開展應對人口老齡化（aging population）行動，促進人口均衡發展（improve the balanced development of population）。

實施三孩政策，有哪些配套措施？

They stressed the need for unified policymaking in terms of marriage, births, parenting and education, with stronger measures to guide young adults on issues related to marriage and family values and to target unhealthy social conduct during wedding ceremonies and excessive betrothal gifts.要將婚嫁、生育、養育、教育一體考慮，加強適婚青年婚戀觀、家庭觀教育引導，對婚嫁陋習、天價彩禮等不良社會風氣進行治理。

【知識點】

彩禮（betrothal gifts）是我國婚禮習俗中的一部分，指婚前男方送給女方的禮金和聘禮，送彩禮代表婚約正式締結，若有反悔，彩禮一般要退回。彩禮一般分為禮金（gift money）和實物（gift items）兩部分。與彩禮對應的是女方出嫁時娘家準備的“嫁妝”（dowry）。

The level of services to ensure good prenatal and postnatal care must be improved, and a child care service system that benefits all families will be established.

提高優生優育服務水平，發展普惠托育服務體系。

The meeting called for greater equality in education and an enhanced supply of high-quality education resources to reduce families' education expenditure.

推進教育公平與優質教育資源供給，降低家庭教育開支。

More incentives in taxes and housing will be rolled out and the legitimate interests of women in the job market will be safeguarded.

加強稅收、住房等支持政策，保障女性就業合法權益。

【詞匯講解】

Roll out something或者roll something out都表示“首次推出、發布（服務、產品、政策等）”，比如：The company plans to roll out the new product across Europe in the coming months.（公司計劃未來幾個月在歐洲發布這款新產品）。其名詞形式為rollout，表示某個產品或服務經過試用后逐步擴大供應至更多人群，比如：rollout of COVID-19 vaccines（新冠疫苗供應）。此外，英語里還有一個固定短語roll out the red carpet for (someone)，字面意思是“為某人鋪紅毯”，其實也是“歡迎某人，盛情款待”的意思，比如：The city council decided to roll out the red carpet for the visit of the foreign prince.（該市議會決定為這位外國王子舉辦盛大的歡迎儀式）。

China should continue to implement its current reward and assistance system as well as preferential policies for families with one child and rural families with only two daughters who were born before the implementation of the two-child policy.對全面兩孩政策調整前的獨生子女家庭和農村計劃生育雙女家庭，要繼續實行現行各項獎勵扶助制度和優惠政策。

The nation will establish and improve various policies for such families under the family planning policy.

要建立健全計劃生育特殊家庭全方位幫扶保障制度。

The meeting urged efforts to deepen the national medium- and long-term population development strategy and regional population development planning to promote long-term and balanced population development.

要深化國家人口中長期發展戰略和區域人口發展規劃研究，促進人口長期均衡發展。

【相關詞匯】

勞動年齡人口 working-age population

全面二孩政策 the overall two-child policy

生育率 fertility rate

出生率 birth rate

二孩經濟 second-child economy

人口老齡化 population aging

延遲退休 raise the retirement age

參考來源：新華網、中國日報

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen）

來源：中國日報網

對經濟運行下行壓力，如何用好政策工具箱，實現經濟合理增長？國家發展改革委副秘書長歐鴻6月28日表示，我國經濟韌性好、潛力足、回旋余地大，完全有信心克服經濟運行中的困難挑戰，有能力應對可能出現的各類超預期變化，確保經濟平穩健康可持續發展。接下來將落實落細已經出臺的各項政策，高效統籌疫情防控和經濟社會發展，統籌發展和安全。歐鴻介紹：“與此同時，為應對更為復雜困難局面，我們從解決兩難多難問題出發，常態化充實完善政策儲備工具箱，將根據情況適時及時出臺。”

Part of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project runs through Nanyang, Henan province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Pro-growth policies to speed up infrastructure construction, spur consumption and stabilize growth overall are expected to lend solidity to China's economy, and the country's GDP is likely to see positive growth in the second quarter, officials and experts said on Tuesday.

政府官員和專家6月28日表示，加快基礎設施建設、刺激消費和穩定宏觀增長的穩增長政策預計將穩定中國經濟。

The National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic regulator, said Chinawillroll out more policy tools in a timely manner to cope with economic challenges. The country has the confidence and capacity to ensure stable, healthy and sustainable economic development, it added.

國家發展和改革委員會表示，中國將適時出臺更多政策工具，克服經濟運行中的困難挑戰。中國有信心和能力確保經濟平穩健康可持續發展。

China will also accelerate the construction of infrastructure projects in areas likewaterconservancy, transportation, underground utility tunnels, and large wind power and photovoltaic bases in the Gobi Desert and other arid regions, saidOuHong, NDRC deputy secretary-general, at a news conference on Tuesday in Beijing.

6月28日，國家發展改革委副秘書長歐鴻在北京舉行的新聞發布會上表示，中國將抓緊推進一批戈壁沙漠等干旱地區的水利、交通、地下綜合管廊、大型風力發電和光伏基地等基礎設施項目建設。

Ousaid the country's economic recovery gathered pace in May, with major economic indicators witnessing improvements, fueled by better containment of the COVID-19 pandemic, gradual resumption of work and production and a series of pro-growth policies.

歐鴻稱，疫情得到有效管控，復工達產加快推進，穩增長政策發力顯效，5月份經濟呈現邊際改善，主要指標均有所回升。

China's economy has shown strong resilience and has ample room for growth,Ousaid. "We are fully confident of overcoming difficulties and challenges in economic operations, and have the ability to deal with all kinds of unexpected changes to ensure the stable, healthy and sustainable development of the economy."

他表示，中國經濟韌性好、潛力足、回旋余地大，“我們完全有信心克服經濟運行中的困難挑戰，有能力應對可能出現的各類超預期變化，確保經濟平穩健康可持續發展”。

The country will speed up efforts to implement a package of stimulus measures, like boosting the sales of big-ticket items like automobiles and home appliances, so as to further unleash consumption potential,Ousaid.

歐鴻稱，將加快推動一攬子刺激政策落地見效，落實促進汽車、家電等領域消費的若干政策，加快釋放消費潛力。

ChengQiang, chief macroeconomic analyst at CITIC Securities, said the nationhasattached great importance to strengthening infrastructure construction, which plays a vital role in stabilizing economic growth. The revved-up steps to issue special-purpose bonds by local governments are expected to support the financing of infrastructure projects.

中信證券首席宏觀經濟分析師程強表示，國家高度重視加強基礎設施建設，這對穩定經濟增長起著至關重要的作用。地方政府加快發行專項債券將支持基礎設施項目融資。

The country's economy will continue to improve this month with the epidemic situation gradually easing and a package of stimulus measures taking effect, Chengsaid.

程強稱，隨著疫情逐步緩解及一攬子刺激措施落地生效，本月中國經濟將繼續向好。

He said recovery momentumis expected to be extendedin the second half of this year and the country is likely to see its GDP expand by around 6 percent in the third and fourth quarters.

他表示，預計今年下半年將延續經濟復蘇勢頭，第三季度和第四季度GDP增長可能在6%左右。

In addition, more efforts should be made to expand investment in manufacturing and high-tech industries, boost the transformation and upgrade of traditionalindustriesand enhance the core competitiveness of the manufacturing sector, the NDRC said.

此外，國家發展改革委表示，應擴大制造業和高技術產業投資。加大傳統產業改造提升，提升制造業核心競爭力。

"China has witnessed significant improvements in investment structure in recent years, and there are plenty of investment opportunities in emerging technology segments like new energy and power batteries," said LiuChunsheng, an associate professor at Central University of Finance and Economics.

中央財經大學副教授劉春生表示：“近年來，中國的投資結構有了顯著改善，在新能源和動力電池等新興技術領域存在大量投資機會。”

The government has introduced a series of supportive measures, especially speeding up the construction of infrastructure projects and promoting therecoveryof consumption, which are of great significance in expanding domestic demand and shoring up the economy, Liu said.

劉春生稱，政府在在加快基礎設施建設和刺激消費方面等出臺了一系列鼓勵措施，這對擴大內需和支撐經濟具有重要意義。

The country is also enlarging the scope for foreign investment with a draft version of the catalog of industries in which such investment is encouraged, andguideforeign investment in key sectors like manufacturing and in certain places like central and western regions as well as the northeast, said the NDRC.

國家發展改革委表示，將修訂擴大《鼓勵外商投資產業目錄》，引導外資投向制造業等重點領域，以及中西部和東北等重點地區。

來源：中國日報編輯：董靜