万花筒 Kaleidoscope 2007-07-12&07-13, 美国人在巴黎（在线收听） |
| The Americans have come to Paris. Forget about freedom fries, American businessmen have come here to the Paris Air Show in full force. Some 200 years ago, Benjamin Franklin came to France seeking money for the American Revolution. today, American businessmen are following in his footsteps. It started Saturday night when a delegation from Alabama sponsored a reception for EADS Airbus. The two have formed a business relationship as Airbus is trying to land a 40-billion-dollar Pentagon contract to build aerial refueling tankers. It will create jobs in the State of Alabama. The deal is hotly contested, and a big competitor is Boeing. But Alabama Governor Bob Riley is confident. One of the biggest programs I guess the Department of Defense has ever had is the tanker program that is about to be bid in the next couple of months. What we are trying to do is-- focus congressional attention on that. We’ve brought senators, and congressmen over here, we've brought governors and their representatives over here. Essentially to say: look, base this, this decision on merit, if you do it on job capacity, on mission capability, cargo whatever, if you will do that I think Alabama stands a great chance, I think North Al stands a great chance of winning this. But Alabama is not the only state here. The US Pavilion at the Air Show has the size of 2.5 football fields, and 221 American companies have set up booths, touting their wares. A VIP ribbon-cutting ceremony featured the American ambassador and senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee; they went out of their ways to stress US-French harmony. The ambassador began his remarks in French, all signs and displays were in French, and after the Star Spangled Banner, they even played the Marseillaise. Kansas city Missouri is even pitching itself as "the Paris of the planes". We decided again to tie in where we are in the United States to the rest of the world. And most people understand that. And Paris, because Kan. City is known for great jazz, and so we made a jazz compilation, we are handing out of all Kan. City jazz music. We've got barbecue sauce, coz' the French really don't understand what to do with that. They think it's ketchup. We don't use this. And so we are just trying to tie all these things together to tell the world where we are and who we are and what we are trying to do. A Harley-Davidson made in Kansas city has really drawn the crowds. Even the head of the Federal Aviation Administration Marion Blakey couldn't resist getting on board. Connecticut displayed a NASA space suit to make the point that 1000 aerospace jobs are located in one of the country’s smallest states. But behind all the high spirits here, business deals are taking place. The Pentagon budget is growing, and these companies are seeking a global market place for their products. Not that long ago, "Buy American" signal isolationism. Today "Buy American" has a new meaning. They are saying: "Buy American and buy it for me". This is Leslie Wayne of the New York Times. |
| 原文地址：http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/wanhuatong/2007/42044.html |