VOA标准英语2013--Obama Heads to Mexico, Costa Rica

 

Obama Heads to Mexico, Costa Rica

President Obama says economic development will be the main topic when he meets with Enrique Pena Nieto for the first time since the Mexican president took office.

“We have spent so much time on security issues between the United States and Mexico that sometimes I think we forget this is a massive trading partner, responsible for huge amounts of commerce and huge numbers of jobs on both sides of the border,"  he said.

The trading relationship with Mexico is crucial to the U.S. economy, according to analyst¹ Eric Farnsworth at the Council of the Americas.

"$1.4 billion a day crossing the border between our two countries.  That is an extraordinary amount of trade and commerce every single day.  We know that approximately six million U.S. jobs depend on trade with Mexico," Farnsworth said.

President Obama plans to talk about expanding the scope of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which since 1994 has lowered trade barriers between the United States, Mexico and Canada.  He also will discuss strengthening regional trade with Europe and the Pacific Rim².

The U.S. and Mexican presidents plan to discuss drugs and cross-border security as well.

“We have made great strides in the coordination³ and cooperation between our two governments over the last several years.  But my suspicion is that things can be improved,” Obama said.

In Costa Rica, Obama will meet President Laura Chinchilla and other regional leaders. They will also talk about trade and economic development.

“We want to make sure that our hemisphere is more effectively integrated to improve the economy and security of all people," Obama said.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Jim Jones says that while Central American countries are not as economically advanced as Mexico, they are still important for U.S. trade and manufacturing.

"Central America is the least developed of the North America / Central America countries, but they provide a very necessary part of the economic equation if you are competing with China, India, et cetera, et cetera, so they are a very important part of that," Jomes said.

In addition, the president says he hopes his visit to the region will help push immigration reform through Congress. 

1 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

2 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。

3 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。