VOA常速英语2008年-Trade a Hot Topic in US Presidential Contest

By Michael Bowman
Washington
02 March 2008

Amid a weakening U.S. economy, America's foreign-trade policy has become a contentious¹ issue in the presidential race. Both major Democratic Party candidates say free-trade pacts² have harmed American workers, while the presumed Republican nominee³ - as well as President Bush - are defending trade as necessary and economically beneficial. From Washington, VOA's Michael Bowman reports.

America's economy has undergone a transformation⁴ in recent decades, with millions of manufacturing jobs transferred overseas. At the same time, much of the job growth recorded in the United States has come in the service sector⁵, often at lower wages and with fewer benefits than the manufacturing jobs that once formed the backbone⁶ of the U.S. economy.

Despite this trend, U.S. gross domestic product has nearly tripled during the past 20 years, with unemployment rates that rarely rise above six percent. But America's strong overall economic performance does not appear to have boosted the public's perceptions of the benefits of trade.

Recent polls show declining support for pacts such as the North American Free Trade Agreement. The agreement, known as NAFTA, was negotiated in the 1990s between the United States, Canada and Mexico. It is particularly unpopular in states like Ohio that have seen entire industries relocate overseas.

At a recent Democratic presidential debate in Ohio, Illinois Senator Barack Obama said trade pacts like NAFTA have harmed American workers and their communities.

"If you travel through Youngstown [Ohio] and you travel through communities in my home state of Illinois, you will see entire cities that have been devastated⁷ as a consequence of trade agreements that were not adequately structured to make sure that U.S. workers have a fair deal," said Senator Obama.

Obama stressed he is not anti-trade, but wants to make sure that future trade pacts include labor⁸, safety and environmental standards to protect American workers and consumers.

His Democratic rival, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, had a similar message.

"I have seen the factories close and move," said Senator Clinton. "We need to have a plan to fix NAFTA. I would immediately have a trade time out. [temporary halt]"

But if Democrats⁹ are sounding protectionist themes, not so Republicans. The presumed Republican presidential nominee, Arizona Senator John McCain, recently said that NAFTA has created jobs in the United States, and that erecting¹⁰ trade barriers would be self-defeating.

Thursday, President Bush echoed those words.

"Free trade is essential to the formation of high-paying quality jobs," said President Bush.

Mr. Bush added that dismantling¹¹ or rejecting trade pacts would anger and alienate¹² U.S. allies.

In recent years, the U.S. Congress has approved free-trade deals with Central American nations and Peru. Approval is pending¹³ for similar pacts with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.

Stu Rothenberg, who publishes a political newsletter in Washington, says in the current political climate, with a weakened U.S. economy, getting the Democratically-controlled Congress to approve further trade deals will be difficult.

"Democrats believe that the evolution of the U.S. economy is a function of jobs going overseas, and they regard the loss of those [manufacturing] jobs as a huge problem for the country," said Stu Rothenberg. "The way they often put it is that high-paid, skilled manufacturing jobs go overseas, and in place we get more people serving hamburgers at McDonalds."

Rotherberg says, on the whole, Americans have grown wary¹⁴ of free trade. But he is quick to add that the sentiment is not uniform. He notes that in U.S. regions that depend on exports, especially in agriculture, voters tend to reject protectionism.

"[In] many Midwest states, people in Kansas and Nebraska tend to be very [supportive of] free trade, because exporting U.S. agricultural products is absolutely crucial to them," he said.

Rothenberg notes that many of the states where trade is contentious issue - like Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania - are so-called "swing states" in the presidential race, where neither party can automatically assume victory.

In 2004, George Bush's win in Ohio gave him the electoral votes he needed to surpass his Democratic rival, John Kerry, and win re-election. Ohio is certain to be a major target for the eventual¹⁵ Democratic presidential nominee, and if the current debate among candidates is any indication, trade will remain a central campaign issue in the months ahead.

1 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

2 pacts   

条约( pact的名词复数 )； 协定； 公约

参考例句：

• Vassals can no longer accept one-sided defensive pacts (!). 附庸国不会接受单方面的共同防御协定。
• Well, they are EU members now and have formed solidarity pacts with members such as Poland. 他们现在已经是欧盟的一部分了并且他们和欧盟成员诸如波兰等以签署了合作协议。

3 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

4 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

5 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。

6 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

7 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

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 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 erecting   

v.使直立，竖起( erect的现在分词 )；建立

参考例句：

• Nations can restrict their foreign trade by erecting barriers to exports as well as imports. 象设置进口壁垒那样，各国可以通过设置出口壁垒来限制对外贸易。 来自辞典例句
• Could you tell me the specific lift-slab procedure for erecting buildings? 能否告之用升板法安装楼房的具体程序？ 来自互联网

11 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

12 alienate   

vt.使疏远，离间；转让(财产等)

参考例句：

• His attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith.他离间那两个朋友的企图失败了，因为他们彼此完全信任。
• We'd better not alienate ourselves from the colleagues.我们最好还是不要与同事们疏远。

13 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

14 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

15 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。