VOA标准英语2014--Ukrainian Businesses Look for Alternatives to Russia

 

Ukrainian Businesses Look for Alternatives to Russia

KHARKIV, UKRAINE—

With tensions continuing to rise with Russia, Ukrainian businesses are looking for opportunities elsewhere. 

In the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, near the Russian border, economic change is underway.  On a warm summer's day riding the cable cars at an amusement park in Kharkiv, you would never guess there is a war going on next door.

Just a few hundred kilometers from here the Ukrainian military is battling pro-Russian separatists in a months-long conflict that has divided the country.

Kharkiv has remained relatively¹ peaceful despite the conflict in neighboring Donetsk province, but the economy has taken a hit because of tensions with Russia.

So, business owners are looking for opportunities elsewhere.

Industries in places like Kharkiv were built around serving the needs of the former Soviet² Union.  Ukraine still exports about 25 percent of its products to Russia.

These include agricultural goods like sunflower seed oil, as well as other food and heavy machinery³.

But new Russian trade restrictions⁴ on Ukrainian products have started to affect local businesses.

Dmytro Kutovyi runs a successful construction business in Kharkiv, his wife owns a popular upscale cafe, and they are active with a leading civil society forum⁵.

“Probably in the short perspective, the Ukrainian economy will suffer losses because cooperation with Russia has lessened⁶ and in some fields has stopped," Kutovyi said. "But nothing extremely awful has happened during these months.”

Russia has already put restrictions on food imports from Ukraine and exporters have complained about new, prohibitive customs requirements to access Russian markets.

Kutovy says the increased pressure from Moscow has encouraged businesses in Kharkiv to start looking increasingly inward to Ukraine for opportunities.

“No economy can be dependent on one, even a really large, customer," he said. "Even now, companies are slowly starting to work on the domestic market, which is traditionally important for such fields as the defense⁷ industry.”

One of Kharkiv's biggest industries is the production of military vehicles bought by Russia.  Ironically, the rebels fighting against the Ukrainian military are accused of using Russian-supplied equipment.

A new regional administration is focusing on shifting the defense industry to support the local economy, as well as the country's armed forces.

The head of the Kharkiv state authority, Igor Baluta, says the industry was long neglected under the previous government.

“Things for many years have been falling into pieces, say, sabotaged⁸, by the leaders of the Ministry⁹ of Defense.  We are trying to restore it now,” he said.

The new government of President Petro Poroshenko has agreed to trade deals with the European Union to encourage more economic cooperation with the West.

But Russia remains¹⁰ the economic powerhouse in the region, its greatest leverage¹¹ stemming largely from the supply of natural gas.

In the meantime, as war rages, Kharkiv is optimistic the most promising¹² business horizon is at home. 

1 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

2 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

3 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

4 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

5 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

6 lessened   

减少的，减弱的

参考例句：

• Listening to the speech through an interpreter lessened its impact somewhat. 演讲辞通过翻译的嘴说出来，多少削弱了演讲的力量。
• The flight to suburbia lessened the number of middle-class families living within the city. 随着迁往郊外的风行，住在城内的中产家庭减少了。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 sabotaged   

阴谋破坏（某事物）( sabotage的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The main pipeline supplying water was sabotaged by rebels. 供水主管道被叛乱分子蓄意破坏了。
• They had no competition because competitors found their trucks burned and sabotaged. 他们之所以没有竞争对象，那是因为竞争对象老是发现自己的卡车遭火烧或被破坏。 来自教父部分

9 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

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。

11 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

12 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。