清明节扫墓是我国的传统习俗。近年来，随着人们观念的改变，加上墓地的价格飞涨，各种形式的生态殡葬就慢慢发展起来了。
China embraces eco burials
by Lily Kuo
Last week, seven families laid the remains of their loved ones to rest in the Tianshou cemetery on the outskirts of Beijing. But these were burials with a difference. The families rode in golf carts made to look like hearses and scattered flower petals over a small plot of grass where biodegradable（可生物降解的） jars containing the ashes of their relatives were buried.
remains /rɪˈmeɪnz/ n. 残骸、遗骸
loved one 亲人
rest /rest/ v. 安息、长眠
cemetery /ˈsemətri/ n. 墓园
outskirts /ˈaʊtskɜːts/ n. （城市的）边缘地带
burial /ˈberiəl/ n. 埋葬、安葬（由bury加后缀-al变成名词）
cart /kɑːt/ n. 小车（golf cart指在高尔夫球场运送人员的小型车辆，类似于老年代步车）
hearse /hɜːs/ n. 灵车
scatter /ˈskætə(r)/ v. 撒、播撒
petal /ˈpet(ə)l/ n. 花瓣
plot /plɒt/ n. （有专门用途的）小块土地
jar /dʒɑː(r)/ n. 坛子、罐子
ashes /æʃs/ n. 骨灰
relative /ˈrelətɪv/ n. 亲属、亲戚
The area reserved for the green burials can fit more than 2,000 of the jars, buried in layers in the ground. The same area would only hold about 500 to 600 traditional grave plots, according to Tianshou.
reserve /rɪˈzɜːv/ v. 保留、预留
layer /ˈleɪə(r)/ n. 一层
traditional /trəˈdɪʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adj. 传统的（由tradition加后缀-al变成形容词）
grave /ɡreɪv/ n. 坟墓
Officials have been trying to promote "eco burials" like these as Chinese cities run out of land to bury their dead and the price of grave plots continues to soar, often surpassing the price per square metre of an apartment.
official /əˈfɪʃ(ə)l/ n. 官员、高级职员
promote /prəˈməʊt/ v. 推广、推动
eco /ˈiːkəʊ/ adj. 生态的
run out of something 某物不够用了
soar /sɔː(r)/ v. 急升、猛增
surpass /səˈpɑːs/ v. 超过、胜过
square metre 平方米
apartment /əˈpɑːtmənt/ n. 公寓、一套房子
On Friday, cemeteries across China filled with those paying respects to their ancestors on Qingming Jie, or tomb-sweeping festival, by tending to their graves and leaving offerings of food and burning incense and paper money. While the majority of families will be kneeling at traditional graves, more Chinese are opting for cheaper, alternative burials.
ancestor /ˈænsestə(r)/ n. 祖先
or /ɔː(r)/ conj. 也就是
tomb /tuːm/ n. 坟墓
sweep /swiːp/ v. 扫、清扫
tend to something 照料某物、照看某物
offering /ˈɒf(ə)rɪŋ/ n. 供品
incense /ˈɪnsens/ n. （用来烧的）香
majority /məˈdʒɒrəti/ n. 大多数（由major加后缀-ity变成名词）
kneel /niːl/ v. 下跪
opt /ɒpt/ v. 选择
alternative /ɒlˈtɜːnətɪv/ adj. 可供替代的
"Public acceptance of eco burials is improving. In the beginning, people were very resilient, but after two years of promoting it, every year there are people willing to take part in it," says Sun Ying, director of marketing and planning at Tianshou.
acceptance /əkˈsept(ə)ns/ n. 接受（由accept加后缀-ance变成名词）
resilient /rɪˈzɪliənt/ adj. 迅速复原的（这里指观念没有转变）
willing /ˈwɪlɪŋ/ adj. 愿意的、乐意的
marketing /ˈmɑːkɪtɪŋ/ n. 市场营销
China's rapid urbanisation has meant that families who once buried their relatives in family plots near their homes no longer have the space. Speculation also plays a role as people buy grave plots ahead of time, fearing prices will be higher later.
urbanisation /ˌɜːb(ə)naɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 城市化
speculation /ˌspekjuˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 投机
ahead of time 预先、提前
For that reason, cemetery plots are in high demand. In cities like Beijing, the average price is more than 100,000 yuan. In some cities, families have simply bought apartments to house the cremated remains of their relatives, according to real estate agents.
in demand 抢手、畅销
simply /ˈsɪmpli/ adv. = just
house /haʊz/ v. 容纳
cremate /krɪˈmeɪt/ v. 火化
real estate /ɪˈsteɪt/ 房地产
agent /ˈeɪdʒ(ə)nt/ n. 经纪人
The government has tried to change ideas about death through incentives. Shanghai has been promoting sea burials, offering subsidies to funeral operators and families. Others have been offering additional services to make green burials more appealing.
incentive /ɪnˈsentɪv/ n. 激励、奖励
subsidy /ˈsʌbsɪdi/ n. 补贴
funeral /ˈfjuːn(ə)r(ə)l/ n. 葬礼
operator /ˈɒp(ə)reɪtə(r)/ n. 经营者（由operate加上表示人的后缀-or）
additional /əˈdɪʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adj. 额外的（由addition加后缀-al变成形容词）
service /ˈsɜːvɪs/ n. 服务
appealing /əˈpiːlɪŋ/ adj. 有吸引力的
But not all efforts have been successful. "It is still very hard for a regular Chinese person to know they are not going to be buried in the land," said Keping Wu, an anthropologist（人类学家） focusing on religion and social memory at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.
focus /ˈfəʊkəs/ on 专注于（这里指专门研究）
religion /rɪˈlɪdʒ(ə)n/ n. 宗教
Wu believes any widespread shift in burial customs may take time. "I do think the attitudes toward burials will be changing in the new generations, especially those in their 20s and 30s. So maybe green burials will be a trend in the future," she said.
widespread /waɪdˈspred/ adj. 广泛的、普遍的（由wide和spread组成）
shift /ʃɪft/ n. 转移、改变
attitude /ˈætɪtjuːd/ n. 态度
generation /ˌdʒenəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 一代人
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