VOA标准英语2009年-Chiapas Improves Port for Economic Develop

Despite its beauty and vast natural resources, Chiapas is the poorest province in Mexico. The government is trying to turn this around by upgrading the old fishing port of Chiapas. Officials say improvements made in the port's infrastructure¹ during the past few years are seeing results in attracting more cruise liners from America and Europe, and in more efficiently² exporting goods from the region to other parts of the world.

Cruise liner horns are increasingly being heard in Puerto Chiapas. That means plans to build up the port as a tourist destination and commercial center are beginning to take root.

The governor of Chiapas, Juan Sabenas is actively³ pushing the economic development of the port. He says work to improve and modernize⁴ its infrastructure is moving ahead and some of the first results can be seen in the growing number of cruise liners coming into port. He says passengers from Europe and America disembark for the day and typically spend about $100 per person.

"Port of Chiapas is a brand new port ... It was inaugurated in 1975, but mainly as a fishing port," said Alfonso Perez, the General Director of the Port Authority in Puerto Chiapas. "Now, in 2005, a lot of money was invested to upgrade the port and now we are a port that started receiving cruises."

Perez says the cruise liner business is not booming yet, but it is growing quickly. In 2006, he says only one cruise liner came to the port. This year, he expects 22 will come.

He says the area offers tourists many attractions, from chocolate making to exotic flora⁵ and fauna⁶ to Mayan archeological digs.

"We have another income that comes from the tuna-fish ships and some other cargo⁷ that comes to port of Chiapas ... We are not depending just on the cruises where we are doing very well," he said. "There are other industries that will come to port of Chiapas. One is the oil. You know in Mexico, Petroleum⁸ Mexicanos is the Mexican oil company, and they are going to open a facility here in the port with an investment of around $15-million, which is very nice, very good."

Perez says Petroleum Mexicanos is planning to move its oil distribution facility from the region's main city of Tapachula to the port's industrial area. He considers this an ideal arrangement, as it will make it easy for the company to transport its fuel by ship rather than by truck.

He says the port is a long-term investment and funds from the Federal Government will be needed for the foreseeable future to pay for the ongoing⁹ upgrade.

"I think in five years, we will be, if not a cash cow, we will have enough funds to run by ourselves," added Perez.

Perez says the port's yearly revenue is about $1.5-million. He thinks it will take another five years before the port turns a profit.

Minister of Development for the South Border Region Andrea Hernandez Fitzner is young and enthusiastic about an agreement Chiapas has signed with five Central American governments to enter into an economic partnership¹⁰ to develop the region.

"The government of Chiapas wants to design a unique strategy for development, and this government thinks ... Chiapas can be a strategic key for the development of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Ecuador and Colombia," said Fitzner. "If we see the Central America and Chiapas like a similar region to develop, we can ... offer more to the big market."

While it is important to improve the region's infrastructure, port official Gustavo Gutierrez says that is not enough. He says cultural and educational deficiencies also have to be overcome.

"If you have a country with education and economic opportunities, you can grow, you can develop the people and the country," he said.

Unfortunately, officials in Chiapas agree this goal is not yet in sight. Chiapas has a big, largely uneducated indigenous¹¹ population. The region suffers from unskilled laborers¹² who are unable to perform the high-tech¹³ jobs needed for a modern economy.

The government is aware of this and, along with work to improve the region's roads, airports and ports, it is working to provide better education and health care to lift the people out of poverty.

1 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

2 efficiently   

adv.高效率地，有能力地

参考例句：

• The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
• Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。

3 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

4 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

5 flora   

n.(某一地区的)植物群

参考例句：

• The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
• All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。

6 fauna   

n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系

参考例句：

• This National Park is an area with unique fauna and flora.该国家公园区域内具有独特的动物种群和植物种群。
• Fauna is a biological notion means all the animal life in a particular region or period. 动物群是一个生物学的概念，指的是一个特定时期或者地区的所有动物。

7 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

8 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

9 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

10 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

11 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。

12 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

13 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。