VOA慢速英语--巴西总统候选人称金属铌有助巴西经济腾飞

Presidential Candidate¹ Says a Rare Metal Important to Brazil’s Future

Public opinion studies suggest that Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro is likely to win Sunday’s election².

The candidate believes he knows of a resource that may help his nation’s economy: niobium.

Niobium is a metal that is added to steel to make it stronger and lighter³. It is in high demand by carmakers, space travel companies and in many other industries.

Brazil produces about 85 percent of the world’s supply of niobium. Bolsonaro wants to keep Brazil’s market position.

In 2016, Bolsonaro made a 20-minute YouTube video about the value of the metal and how it could be a large part of Brazil’s economy in the future.

Brazil’s military dictatorship, which ruled from 1964 to 1985, wanted to protect natural resources, such as oil and minerals, from foreign companies.

Bolsonaro is a former military officer. He has long supported the idea of a military-led government. But he has said he supports free-market economics⁴ as a presidential candidate.

The 2016 video was recorded at a mine owned by a privately-held Brazilian company known as CBMM. Bolsonaro praised CBMM for its jobs that pay well, its private pre-school and other support the company provides for its workers.

He added that Brazil would be better off if it supported CBMM’s method of development and centered its efforts on “future applications” of niobium.

The same year, the Chinese company China Molybdenum Co. Ltd., or COMC, bought a niobium mine 200 kilometers away from CBMM.

Bolsonaro is believed to be the first presidential candidate to make niobium a campaign issue. Speaking on national television in August, he criticized⁵ the CMOC purchase.

He said, “It’s something only we have, we should invest⁶ in technology and research to use this mineral. Instead we sell and deliver the mine to them.”

Mining experts say Bolsonaro’s niobium fears are exaggerated⁷.

Hugo Nadler is a former CBMM executive⁸. He says CMOC’s Brazil mine makes up just 10 percent of the global market.

That leaves about 75 percent to Brazil’s CBMM. In a statement, CBMM told Reuters it is the only company that sells in all parts of the niobium market. That includes products used to make airplanes and superconductors.

CBMM said there is a lot of potential for expanding the use of niobium in applications such as car batteries and other products.

Nadler said, if the niobium market grows, it is unlikely⁹ to have much of an effect on an economy the size of Brazil’s.

“Mining makes up 5 percent of GDP, if you take the portion¹⁰ that is niobium, it’s nothing,” he said.

GDP is the most used measure of all the goods and services produced within a country.

But Bolsonaro remains¹¹ a believer.

In his video, he said, “[Niobium] can give [Brazil] economic independence.”

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

applications –n. the use of an idea, method, law, etc., in a particular situation or for a particular purpose

purchase –n. something that is bought

exaggerated – adj. something thought of or described as larger or greater than it really is

1 candidate   

n.候选人；候补者；投考者，申请求职者

参考例句：

• Voters like a candidate who has the common touch. 投票者喜欢那些平易近人的候选人。
• The local newspapers dressed up the candidate as a boxer.当地报纸把那个候选人描绘成一个拳击手。

2 election   

n.选举，选择权；当选

参考例句：

• There is no doubt but that he will win the election.毫无疑问，他将在竞选中获胜。
• The government will probably fall at the coming election.在即将到来的大选中，该政府很可能要垮台。

3 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

4 economics   

n.经济学，经济情况

参考例句：

• He is studying economics,which subject is very important.他正在学习经济学，该学科是很重要的。
• One can't separate politics from economics.不能把政治与经济割裂开来。

5 criticized   

vt.批评(criticize的过去式)v.评论，批评( criticize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The decision was criticized by environmental groups. 这个决定受到了环保团体的批评。
• The movie has been criticized for apparently legitimizing violence. 这部电影因明显地美化暴力而受到了指责。

6 invest   

v.投资；投入(时间等)；授予，赋予

参考例句：

• I have decided to invest in a new car.我已经决定买一辆新汽车。
• The best time to invest is now.现在是投资的最佳时机。

7 exaggerated   

adj.言过其辞的

参考例句：

• Inevitably, the press exaggerated the story. 新闻界照例又夸大了这件事。
• His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated. 他声称自己与总统关系密切，这有点言过其实。

8 executive   

adj.执行的，行政的；n.执行者，行政官，经理

参考例句：

• A good executive usually gets on well with people.一个好的高级管理人员通常与人们相处得很好。
• He is a man of great executive ability.他是个具有极高管理能力的人。

9 unlikely   

adj.未必的，多半不可能的；不大可能发生的

参考例句：

• It was very unlikely that he would do that.他不见得会做那种事。
• It is unlikely that she will come. 她不大可能来了。

10 portion   

n.部分，份，命运；v.将...分配，分配

参考例句：

• You are paid your portion not later than a week. 不会晚于一周你就可以得到你那一部分报酬。
• Three thousand dollars is no more than a portion.3000美元只不过是一部分。

11 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。