VOA标准英语2008年-Australian Sheep Shearers Deserting Industry

By Phil Mercer
Sydney
21 January 2008

Australia's wool industry faces a chronic¹ lack of sheep shearers. They are being lured³ to better paid jobs in the booming mining sector⁴, just as demand from China, which buys about 60 percent of Australian wool, is soaring. Phil Mercer has more from Sydney.

Australia's sheep shearers have been deserting the industry in droves. The most recent figures show that between 2003 and 2006 almost a quarter walked away.

The shearing⁵ sheds face tough competition from Australia's mining sector, which is experiencing unprecedented⁶ growth thanks to strong demand from China and increasingly India.

However, demand from China for Australian wool has also surged, pushing prices to their highest level in more than four years.

Analysts⁷ say that the Chinese bought 58 percent of Australia's wool between July and November 2007 sparking concerns that supply will not be able to meet demand.

Resource companies offer better wages and conditions than shearing, one of the toughest jobs in Australia.

Joe Sullivan from research company Australian Wool Innovation says workers continue to leave the industry.

"Let's be honest - one, it's a hard, physical job," he said. "Shearers have a limited lifespan in the role but also because of competing industries and with the resources boom, we're having quite a significant demand for labor⁸ from the mining industry."

Sheep shearing is often a backbreaking job, where thousands of kilograms of sheep meat are shifted every day. Hours are spent dragging sheep out of their pens and removing their tangled⁹ fleeces with electric clippers.

A good shearer² can get through 200 sheep a day, and is paid about $2 per fleece but the punishing work often leads to chronic back pain and other injuries.

Australia's long-standing drought has reduced sheep numbers and although farmers need fewer shearers there still are not enough to go round.

Efforts are being made to attract new recruits and increase productivity. There are training courses around the country and researchers are looking at ways to make the job easier.

Despite the drought and a shortage of skilled workers, Australia remains¹⁰ the world's largest wool exporter.

1 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

2 shearer   

n.剪羊毛的人；剪切机

参考例句：

• A bad shearer never had a good sickle. 拙匠无利器。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Eventually, Shearer lost faith, dropping him to the bench. 最终，希勒不再信任他，把他换下场。 来自互联网

3 lured   

吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The child was lured into a car but managed to escape. 那小孩被诱骗上了车，但又设法逃掉了。
• Lured by the lust of gold,the pioneers pushed onward. 开拓者在黄金的诱惑下，继续奋力向前。

4 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

5 shearing   

n.剪羊毛，剪取的羊毛v.剪羊毛( shear的现在分词 )；切断；剪切

参考例句：

• The farmer is shearing his sheep. 那农夫正在给他的羊剪毛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The result of this shearing force is to push the endoplasm forward. 这种剪切力作用的结果是推动内质向前。 来自辞典例句

6 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

7 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

8 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。

9 tangled   

adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了，我梳不动。
• A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。

10 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。