VOA慢速英语2016 12国签署跨太平洋伙伴关系协定

 12国签署跨太平洋伙伴关系协定

Representatives of 12 countries have signed a major free trade agreement for East Asia and the Pacific.

来自12个国家的代表们签署了一项有关东亚和太平洋地区重要的自由贸易协定。

The Trans-Pacific Partnership¹ (TPP) was officially signed at a ceremony Thursday in Auckland, New Zealand. News media released pictures of some ministers rubbing noses. For native New Zealanders, rubbing noses is a sign of good will.

跨太平洋伙伴关系协定(TPP)是周四在新西兰奥克兰一个仪式上正式签署的，新闻媒体发布的图片显示有部长们摩擦鼻子相互问候，在新西兰土著的风俗中，摩擦鼻子表示善意。

The nations that make up the TPP are responsible for 40 percent of the world's economy. They include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan and Malaysia. The other nations are Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and the United States.

签署TPP的国家占了世界经济的40%，这些国家包括澳大利亚、文莱、加拿大、智利、日本和马来西亚，其他国家还有墨西哥、新西兰、秘鲁、新加坡、越南和美国。

In a statement, U.S. President Barack Obama called the agreement a forward-looking trade deal that sets new, high ideals for trade and investment. He said the pact² suspends thousands of taxes and supports a free and open Internet. Obama said it also prevents unfair laws that restrict the free flow of information. And, he added, that it includes strong words in support of fair labor³ policies and environmental protection.

美国总统巴拉克·奥巴马在声明中称该协定是为贸易和投资设定新的、更高理念的前瞻性贸易协定，他说该协定停止了数千种税收，并支持开放自由的互联网络。奥巴马说该协定还能预防限制信息自由流动的不公正法律，他说协定还严词支持公正的劳工政策和环境保护。

But the signing ceremony was, in some ways, only the beginning of a new process. The 12 nations have two years to ratify⁴ or reject the agreement.

但在一定意义上来说，该签署仪式只是一个全新过程的开始，这12个国家需要在两年内批准或否决该协定。

The United States Congress passed trade promotion⁵ authority for the president in June 2015. It requires Congress to either approve or reject trade agreements without adding to or amending⁶ them.

美国国会2015年6月通过了总统的贸易促进授权，要求国会批准或否决贸易协定，而无需增加或修改条款。

However, Congress has yet to consider the huge free trade agreement. It also will take some time to study the thousands of pages in the agreement.

然而，国会尚未考虑这份庞大的自由贸易协定，还需要一定时间才能研究完这份数千页的协定。

Michael Froman is the U.S. Trade Representative. He says his office will work to persuade members of Congress that the deal should be passed. He says the estimated increase to exports for the U.S. will be $350 billion a year.

迈克尔·弗罗曼是美国贸易代表，他说他的办公室将努力说服国会议员们通过该协定，他说估计可以将美国每年的出口增加3500亿美元。

The TPP is designed to cut tariffs⁷, or import taxes, that free trade supporters say are barriers to trade. Without these barriers, supporters say, more goods and services will flow across borders, increasing trade and economic activity.

TPP还希望削减关税，自由贸易的支持者们称进口税阻碍了贸易。支持者称去除掉这些障碍可以使更多的商品和服务实现跨国境流动，促进贸易，活跃经济活动。

Gary Hufbauer is with the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He told VOA that, while tariffs will eventually be dropped, that will not happen immediately.

嘉利·胡弗博就职于皮特森国际经济研究所，他在接受美国之音采访时说，尽管关税最终会被削减，但不可能很快实现。

"..The barriers, the tariffs, in the case of goods, do not go to zero immediately. That takes some year, maybe about 10 years, depending on the product."

“就商品的关税来说，它不可能尽快降低到零，还需要大约10年的时间，这要看具体什么商品。”

Labor groups in the United States, however, oppose the TPP. They are concerned that low-cost imports will flood the U.S. market. This would drive prices down and limit the wages that American employers pay their workers.

然而美国的劳工组织反对TPP，他们担心廉价进口商品会冲击美国市场，这将导致价格下跌，限制了美国雇主支付给雇员的薪水。

Labor leaders have voiced opposition⁸. They say trade agreements should protect wages and improve labor conditions for workers.

劳工领袖们也表示反对，他们称贸易协定应该保护薪酬并改善工人的劳动环境。

 

It remains⁹ to be seen when the TPP agreement will be voted on in the Senate. Gary Hufbauer says if the deal is not brought to a vote by July, the agreement might be voted on after a new U.S. president takes office next year.

TPP协定何时在参议院被表决尚未确定，嘉利·胡弗博说如果不能在7月份之前对它进行表决，那么该协定可能会在明年美国新总统上任后再接受表决。

1 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

2 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 ratify   

v.批准，认可，追认

参考例句：

• The heads of two governments met to ratify the peace treaty.两国政府首脑会晤批准和平条约。
• The agreement have to be ratify by the board.该协议必须由董事会批准。

5 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

6 amending   

改良，修改，修订( amend的现在分词 )； 改良，修改，修订( amend的第三人称单数 )( amends的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Amending acts in 1933,1934, and 1935 attempted to help honest debtors rehabilitate themselves. 一九三三年，一九三四年和一九三五年通过的修正案是为了帮助诚实的债务人恢复自己的地位。
• Two ways were used about the error-amending of contour curve. 采用两种方法对凸轮轮廓曲线进行了修正。

7 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

8 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。