『Malaysia is running out of barbers and needs to import foreign workers to keep the population’s hair neat and tidy. The President of the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP), S.M. Idris, said at least 30 barber shops in Kuala Lumpur and the northern state of Penang closed last year due to a shortage of barbers. Malaysians are not interested in becoming barbers, forcing shops to turn to foreign labor. The Indian Barbers Association of Malaysia has submitted a request to employ 2,500 foreign barbers, “CAP appeals to the government to deal with this request urgently as the barber shops need to obtain workers quickly. Even a month’s delay can result in another few shops closing down,” said Idris. Multiracial Malaysia depends on foreign labor for menial jobs. It recruits foreigners to work in plantation, construction and service sectors.』

《世说英语》Page 18

Vocabulary

barber，理发师

menial，卑微的、不体面的

recruit，招聘

plantation，栽植

Phrases

near and tidy，整齐而整洁

due to，由于

submit a request，提交申请

a month’s delay，延期一个月

close down，倒闭

service sectors，服务部门

在这个人均GDP并不高的国家，底层工作本国人并不愿意做，而大多是由孟加拉、缅甸、印尼的外籍工人来完成。似乎可以推测，马来西亚在南亚的经济地位较周边国家要优越很多啊！