VOA慢速英语2021 格陵兰岛面临稀土金属采矿的艰难选择

Greenland has become a point of interest for several countries, including the United States and China.

格陵兰岛已经成为包括中美在内的多个国家感兴趣的地点。

This interest comes at a time when Greenland's government faces difficult decisions about the island's future. Those decisions include whether to approve large mining projects.

这种兴趣的产生适逢格陵兰岛政府面临有关该岛未来的艰难决策之际。这些决定包括是否批准大型采矿项目。

Greenland and rare earth metals

格陵兰岛和稀有金属

Greenland has large amounts of resources known as ‘rare earth' metals. These metals are used to create equipment for electric vehicles, combat aircraft, weapons systems and many kinds of electronics.

格陵兰岛拥有大量被称为稀土金属的资源。这些金属被用于制造电动车辆、战斗机、武器系统以及多种电子产品。

Greenland has what the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) calls the world's biggest undeveloped deposits of rare earth metals. Deposit is a term that means an amount of a resource, like a mineral, that exists in the ground.

格陵兰岛拥有美国地质调查局所谓的全球最大的未开发稀土金属矿床。矿床是一个专业术语，意思是存在于地下的一定数量的资源，例如某种矿石。

Most of Greenland, the world's largest island, is north of the Arctic Circle. But the island's ice covering and glaciers¹ are shrinking. As a result, two Australia-based mining companies are racing² for approval to dig. One of the companies is seeking financing in the United States. The other company is owned in part by a Chinese state-supported company.

格陵兰岛是世界上最大的岛屿，它的大部分地区位于北极圈以北。但是岛上的冰盖和冰川正在缩小。结果，两家澳大利亚采矿公司竞相要获得采矿批准。其中一家公司正在美国寻求融资。另一家公司由一家中国国有企业部分持有。

Each Greenland mine would cost about $500 million to develop, the companies say. Both plan to send mined material away for final processing. This processing often takes place in China.

两家公司表示，格陵兰岛各自矿场的开发费用约为5亿美元。双方都计划将开采的矿石送出去进行最终处理。这种处理通常是在中国进行。

The two possible mines in Greenland are less than 16 kilometers from each other. They are at the southern end of the island, near a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

格陵兰岛这两处可能的矿场彼此之间相距不到16公里。它们位于该岛的南端，靠近联合国教科文组织的一处世界遗产保护处。

Islanders debate

岛民之争

The debate over the possible mines has created a political crisis. In April, a general election will be held on the island of 56,000 people.

就这些潜在矿场的争论造成了一场政治危机。今年4月，该岛的56000万人口将举行一场大选。

Many Greenlanders are concerned about pollution. But they believe mining is important for developing their economy. In a 2013 public opinion study, just over half said they want raw materials to become the country's main source of money.

许多格陵兰岛人担心污染。但是他们认为采矿对发展经济至关重要。在2013年进行的一项民意调查中，略超过一半的人表示，他们希望原材料成为该国的主要资金来源。

The country may support either project, both projects, or neither project. But for those Greenlanders open to mining, the two possibilities come down to a choice between one mine that would not produce radioactive material and another that would.

该国可能支持其中一个项目，也可能两个项目都支持，或是都不支持。但是对于那些对采矿持开放态度对格陵兰岛人来说，这两种可能性归结为在一个不会生产出放射性物质的矿场和一个会生产出放射性物质的矿场之间作出选择。

The first mine project would not involve nuclear material. It has won early environmental approval, but it needs investment and a processing plan.

第一个矿场项目不涉及到核材料。它已经获得了早期的环境批准，但是它需要投资和加工方案。

The second project has already spent more than $100 million preparing to mine. It has proven processing technology through its Chinese partner. And it won early political support from Greenland's government. But its plans include exporting uranium, a nuclear fuel. It recently ran into strong opposition³ from residents of the nearby town of Narsaq among others.

第二个项目的采矿筹备已经花费了超过1亿美元。它已经通过其中国合作伙伴证明了加工技术。而且它获得了格陵兰岛政府的初步政治支持。但是它的方案中包括出口铀，这是一种核燃料。最近它遭到了附近纳萨克镇居民的强烈反对。

Mariane Paviasen is an opposition lawmaker from Narsaq. She said she opposed the mining project because it presents a threat to the environment.

玛莉安·帕维亚森是纳萨克镇的反对派议员。她说她反对这一采矿项目，因为它对环境构成威胁。

"As indigenous⁴ people we have lived in harmony with nature for many, many years," Paviasen said. "We use these lands to hunt and fish."

帕维亚森表示：“作为土著人民，我们与自然和谐相处了许多年。我们利用这些土地打猎和捕鱼。”

An important resource

一种重要资源

Greenland's decision comes at a time when some Western countries are considering ways to break free of China in the production of an important resource.

格陵兰岛的决定适逢一些西方国家正在考虑在生产重要资源方面摆脱中国的束缚。

Rare earth metals have many uses, and last year China produced about 90 percent of them, said Toronto-based Adamas Intelligence.

多伦多的阿达马斯情报公司表示，稀有金属有很多用途，去年中国生产了其中的90%。

The only rare earth mine now operating in the United States is Mountain Pass in California. It is partly owned by a Chinese state-backed company that sends material mined in the United States to China for processing.

美国唯一投产的稀土矿场是加州的 Mountain Pass。它由一家中国国有企业部分持有，该公司将在美国开采的原材料运到中国加工处理。

As U.S.-China tensions increase, President Joe Biden's administration said last month it will reconsider important U.S. supplies, including rare earths.

随着中美紧张局势加剧，拜登政府上月宣布，它将重新考虑包括稀土在内的美国重要供应。

Greenland, a self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, has a gross domestic product of around $3 billion. Its government wants to gain from foreign investments.

格陵兰岛是丹麦王国的自治领土，其国内生产总值为30亿美元。该地政府希望通过外国投资获利。

Greenland's government did not answer Reuters' requests for comment for this story. Last month, the Acting⁵ Minister of Resources, Vittus Qujaukitsoq, said that if Greenlanders suddenly decide they do not want the second project, "we'll make a fool of investors⁶. The credibility of the whole country is at stake."

格陵兰岛政府没有回应路透社提出的对此事发表评论的请求。上个月，代理资源部长维特图斯·夸贾基索克表示，如果格陵兰岛人突然决定他们不想要第二个项目，“我们就是愚弄了投资者。整个国家的信誉受到威胁。”

1 glaciers   

冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Glaciers gouged out valleys from the hills. 冰川把丘陵地带冲出一条条山谷。
• It has ice and snow glaciers, rainforests and beautiful mountains. 既有冰川，又有雨林和秀丽的山峰。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

2 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

3 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。

4 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

5 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

6 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