VOA慢速英语2022--疫情下,中国对美国龙虾依然爱

Pandemic Does Not Slow China’s Love for US Lobster¹

The American lobster industry has greatly slowed down because of trade difficulties linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But those issues have not done much to slow China's love for lobster. The demand rose during the 2010s in part because of the expansion of China's middle class.

Lobsters² are especially desired in China during the winter. The tasty sea creatures are often eaten on Chinese New Year, which will be celebrated³ this year on February 1.

American exporters sent more than 6 million kilograms of lobster to China during the first 11 months of 2021, The Associated Press reports. That was a 6 percent increase over the same period in 2020.

The pandemic has made the already hard job of sending live seafood⁴ across the world even more difficult. But Maine lobster exporters are expecting a good amount of business for Chinese New Year, Bill Bruns told the AP. Bruns oversees⁵ The Lobster Company in Arundel, Maine.

He said the shipping⁶ process is more difficult now because the company cannot send lobsters directly to Beijing because of COVID-19 restrictions⁷. But they are still able to send lobsters to other airports, such as Shenzhen.

"Chinese New Year was always a crapshoot the last couple years," Bruns said. "But I'm prepared for it. I have the staff. Because otherwise it's going to be a long spring."

China buys lobsters from the U.S. – where the industry is mostly based in Maine – as well as Canada. Exports from Canada were up even more than the U.S. during the first 11 months of 2021, said John Sackton. He is an industry expert and the creator of SeafoodNews.com.

Sackton said the seafood industry could also gain business from the Beijing Winter Olympics, which are set to begin February 4. And he said he expects lobster sales during the Chinese New Year to be higher than last year.

The U.S. lobster industry had similar difficulties during the first year of the pandemic in 2020. But companies still reported a strong export season during that year. While the value of exports in 2020 was down from a record year in 2018, it still added up to more than $100 million.

High lobster prices have raised the value of exports this year. Business publisher Urner Barry reported the price for a live 1.25-pound hard shell lobster was $11.25 per pound in New England this month. That was more than one-third higher than in January 2021.

To send lobsters to China, American and Canadian fishermen have to trap them in the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Bad weather has made that difficult in Maine this year. But fisherman are still having a productive⁸ winter on the water, said Kristan Porter. He is president of the Maine Lobstermen's Association.

"When guys get out there, they are doing OK," Porter said. He added: "It takes someone hardier⁹ than me to fish the wintertime."

Words in This Story

crapshoot — n. something that could produce a good or bad result

staff — n. the people who work for an organization

hardy¹⁰ — adj. able to live through difficult conditions

1 lobster   

n.龙虾，龙虾肉

参考例句：

• The lobster is a shellfish.龙虾是水生贝壳动物。
• I like lobster but it does not like me.我喜欢吃龙虾，但它不适宜于我的健康。

2 lobsters   

龙虾( lobster的名词复数 )； 龙虾肉

参考例句：

• I have no idea about how to prepare those cuttlefish and lobsters. 我对如何烹调那些乌贼和龙虾毫无概念。
• She sold me a couple of live lobsters. 她卖了几只活龙虾给我。

3 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

4 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

5 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

6 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

7 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

8 productive   

adj.能生产的，有生产价值的，多产的

参考例句：

• We had a productive meeting that solved some problems.我们开了一个富有成效的会议，解决了一些问题。
• Science and technology are part of the productive forces.科学技术是生产力。

9 hardier   

能吃苦耐劳的，坚强的( hardy的比较级 )； （植物等）耐寒的

参考例句：

• Theoretically, experiments with genes that confer resistance to disease or herbicides could create hardier weeds. 从理论上说，用含有抗病或抗除草剂的基因进行试验，可能产生更难于对付的杂草。
• Similar fruit to Black Mission, but hardier and a smaller size tree than Mission. 类似加洲黑，但比加洲黑强壮，果比加洲黑更小的尺寸。

10 hardy   

adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的

参考例句：

• The kind of plant is a hardy annual.这种植物是耐寒的一年生植物。
• He is a hardy person.他是一个能吃苦耐劳的人。