VOA慢速英语2013 泰国分析漏油带来的损失

 

AS IT IS 2013-08-04 Thailand Analyzes¹ Cost of Oil Spill 泰国分析漏油带来的损失

Hi, again! Nice to have you with us on As It Is.

Today we tell the story of a worker at London’s Buckingham Palace. He became famous in announcing the birth of Britain’s Prince George last week. Now, this man is the subject of an international debate.

But first, Mario Ritter takes us to Thailand. A major oil spill there is affecting coastal² communities and concerning business investors³. 

Thailand is still weighing the cost of a 50,000 liter oil spill in the Gulf⁴ of Thailand last weekend. The oil leaked from a pipeline⁵ in waters about 20 kilometers away from the coast.

The spill has already reached the popular resort island of Koh Samet. And it is moving toward the Thai mainland.

The operator of the pipeline is part of the state-owned energy company, PTT. The pipeline operator has said the leak was closed quickly. And, it says the oil spill will be cleaned up within a few days.

However, Thailand’s Marine⁶ Department has made an official protest against PTT. And, Thai officials have called experts from Singapore to help clean up the spill.

Thailand’s tourism and fishing industries are still estimating the total cost of the damage. The cost to the travel industry alone is estimated at about $70 million.

But one observer says it may take weeks to know the full cost of the damage. Sutichai Kumworachai is with Kim Eng Securities. He expects the government to strengthen rules governing the oil industry.

He also says companies may be required to save money to pay for such incidents. And, he says they will have to pay closer attention to the long-term environmental effect of oil spills and other problems.

A representative of the environmental group Greenpeace also spoke⁷ about the incident. Ply⁸ Pirom is a program manager for Greenpeace South East Asia.

He says he does not believe PTT’s claim that the oil clean-up will be quick. And he is calling for more details about the damage to the environment.

“From what happened we can say that this is a good example and alarming to the Thai Government that we are not ready for such an incident.”

Greenpeace has asked the Thai government to reexamine its energy policy and dependence⁹ on fossil fuels, like oil and natural gas. The group also wants the government to end oil drilling and exploration in the Gulf of Thailand.

The Environmental Engineering Association of Thailand offers another solution. Its president, Prasert Tapaneeyangkul, says oil companies need to limit human errors.

“Most of the time it’s not from the engineering design or construction, but by human being error so that is one of the most important things that first of all must be eliminated.”

In 2009, an oil spill and gas leak by a PTT company in the Timor Sea took 74 days to stop. It is considered one of Australia’s worst oil disasters.

I’m Mario Ritter.

A large crowd waited outside Buckingham Palace in London last month for the British royal family to officially announce the birth of Prince William and Kate’s baby. Millions more watched on television.

Finally, on July 22, a young Indian man carried the birth notice across the palace grounds. He placed it on a decorated golden stand.

But few of those watching knew the amazing story of the young man who carried the notice. He is 25-year-old Badar Azim.

Mr. Azim grew up in the streets of Kolkata, India. He was educated at an orphanage¹⁰, a center for children whose parents are dead. The school eventually raised $15,000 to send him to work for Britain’s royal family.

But just a few days after he placed the birth notice on the stand, Badar Azim’s job at Buckingham Palace ended. His visa was not extended. And so he returned to India.

His story has increased attention on the British visa system. Last year, the government proposed restrictions¹¹ to make immigration harder. The restrictions mean that students can stay in Britain only if they find an employer to sponsor them, or if they earn enough money.

Another Indian student, Arjun Sathe, was lucky. He found a job after completing business school.

“Everyone pretty much underestimated the reluctance¹² to sponsor a graduate. And essentially¹³ people didn’t expect that it would be that difficult.”

The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, spoke against the visa restrictions last year when he was visiting India.

“I think we need to be very careful that we’re not doing stuff that actively¹⁴ deters¹⁵ foreign students.”

The British government said the restrictions prevent the student visa system from being abused. But many British businesses criticized the changes. Universities say payments from foreign students are worth almost $4 billion.

Nicola Dandridge is head of Universities UK, a group representing higher education institutions. She says the restrictions hurt the country.

“These are highly skilled people, many of whom we’d like to stay in this country and do highly skilled jobs. So there is this question of us losing talent in the UK, which we can ill afford to do.”

But Britain appears to be adding new restrictions. It is planning to require visitors from six countries – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and Ghana – to pay $4,500 for a visa bond.

In a statement, the government said it wants to make sure foreigners do not stay too long. And, it wanted to recover costs if a non-citizen used Britain’s public services.

India has called the measure a step backwards¹⁶.

And that’s As It Is. I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

1 analyzes   

v.分析( analyze的第三人称单数 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• This approach analyzes management by studying experience usually through cases. 这个学派通常从实例获得经验，用以分析管理。 来自辞典例句
• The econometrician analyzes statistical data. 经济计量学者要分析统计材料。 来自辞典例句

2 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

3 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

4 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

5 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

6 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 ply   

v.(搬运工等)等候顾客，弯曲

参考例句：

• Taxis licensed to ply for hire at the railway station.许可计程车在火车站候客。
• Ferryboats ply across the English Channel.渡船定期往返于英吉利海峡。

9 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

10 orphanage   

n.孤儿院

参考例句：

• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage.他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。
• They gave the proceeds of the sale to the orphanage.他们把销售的收入给了这家孤儿院。

11 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

12 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

13 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

14 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

15 deters   

v.阻止，制止( deter的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The filth here deters all but the invited guest. 这里污秽不堪，除非有事，外人是裹足不前的。 来自辞典例句
• Many people believe that capital punishment deters crime. 很多人相信极刑能阻止犯罪。 来自互联网

16 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。