VOA常速英语2019--尼日利亚打击边境走私对贸易和物价造成影响

Like many Nigerian rice dealers¹, Emeka Ugwuoke imports overland from neighboring Benin, often through informal channels.

与许多尼日利亚大米经销商一样，埃梅卡?乌古奥克通常通过非正规渠道从邻国贝宁通过陆路进口大米。

But since the Nigerian government closed border trade in August to crack down on smuggling², his orders are stuck in Benin and rice prices have shut up.

但自从尼日利亚政府8月份关闭边境贸易以打击走私以来，他的订单就滞留在贝宁，大米价格也上涨。

Since I started this rice business, this year is the worst, because the border closure has affected³ many of our goods.

自从我开始做大米生意以来，今年是最糟糕的一年，因为边境关闭影响了我们很多的货物。

The price of a bag of rice has increased by almost 70 percent.

一袋大米的价格上涨了近70%。

Trade channels remain open through Nigeria’s water ports,

通过尼日利亚水港的贸易渠道仍然畅通，

but they remain clogs⁴ by poor infrastructure⁵, bureaucracy and corruption⁶.

但由于基础设施落后、官僚主义和腐败，这些渠道仍然堵塞。

Nigeria’s labors⁷ complained the suspension of border trade goes against the spirit of the African Continental⁸ Free Trade Area Deal Abuja signed in July,

尼日利亚劳工抱怨暂停边境贸易违反了阿布贾7月签署的非洲大陆自由贸易区协议的精神，

but Nigerian authorities note that most border trade is illegal and say 8 million dollars’ worth of smuggled⁹ goods have been seized so far.

但尼日利亚当局指出，大多数边境贸易都是非法的，目前已查获价值800万美元的走私货物。

It’s yielding so much positive results, in terms of security, situation improvement has been very, very tremendous, positive improvement on the side of security.

它产生了很多积极的成果，在安全方面，形势的改善是非常非常巨大的，安全方面的积极改善。

And then economic activities are being stimulated¹⁰.

然后刺激经济活动。

Our farmers smiling to the banks, the patronage¹¹ shifted inward.

我们的农民去银行存钱，资金转向内部。

Rice farmers like Reston Tedheke have indeed benefited from the closed border.

像莱斯顿?泰德海克这样的稻农确实从封闭的边境中受益。

Let’s put it blocked out there.

我们把它画在这里。

The federal government should keep the borders shut.

联邦政府应该关闭边境。

If you know, see borders shut, what I’m gonna do?

你知道，如果关闭边界，我该怎么办?

I’m gonna look within.

我要把目光转向国内。

While Nigerian authorities say the border will remain closed until at least January, economists¹² warn the trade limit should not be permanent.

尽管尼日利亚当局表示，边境至少要关闭到明年1月，但经济学家警告说，贸易限制不应该是永久性的。

And we need to promote trade with the liberalized trade,

我们需要促进自由贸易，

but there has to be done in such a way that they will promote employment, they will prompt incipient¹³ growth and inclusive growth in our economies.

但是，必须以这样一种方式来促进就业，促进我们经济的初步增长和包容性增长。

We’re not on the mind and destroy the trading relations.

我们不想破坏贸易关系。

Rice trader Ugwuoke says as long as border trade is banned,

大米贸易商Ugwuoke说，只要禁止边境贸易，

customers are also losing out on quality as standards of cheaper local rice are not as high as imports.

消费者在质量上也有所损失，因为当地较便宜的大米的标准没有进口大米高。

Our customers complain that the local rice contains stones and sand particles and honestly, I have opened some of them and confirmed it.

我们的客户抱怨当地的大米含有石头和沙粒，说实话，我已经打开了一些并确认了。

Although Nigeria plans to reopen its border trade by January, if its neighbors halt the smuggling, some lawmakers are pushing for a two-year extension.

虽然尼日利亚计划在明年1月前重新开放边境贸易，但如果邻国停止走私，一些议员正在争取将边境贸易延长两年。

If that happens, Nigeria will face growing pressure from its neighbors over free trade as well as from Nigeria’s millions of rice consumers.

如果出现这种情况，尼日利亚将面临邻国在自由贸易问题上越来越大的压力，以及来自尼日利亚数百万大米消费者的压力。

1 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

2 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 clogs   

木屐； 木底鞋，木屐( clog的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Clogs are part of the Netherlands national costume. 木屐是荷兰民族服装的一部分。
• Clogs are part of the Dutch traditional costume. 木屐是荷兰传统装束的一部分。

5 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。

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 labors   

v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转

参考例句：

• He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors. 他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜，令人生厌。 来自辞典例句
• Farm labors used to hire themselves out for the summer. 农业劳动者夏季常去当雇工。 来自辞典例句

8 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

9 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

10 stimulated   

a.刺激的

参考例句：

• The exhibition has stimulated interest in her work. 展览增进了人们对她作品的兴趣。
• The award has stimulated her into working still harder. 奖金促使她更加努力地工作。

11 patronage   

n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场

参考例句：

• Though it was not yet noon,there was considerable patronage.虽然时间未到中午，店中已有许多顾客惠顾。
• I am sorry to say that my patronage ends with this.很抱歉，我的赞助只能到此为止。

12 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 incipient   

adj.起初的，发端的，初期的

参考例句：

• The anxiety has been sharpened by the incipient mining boom.采矿业初期的蓬勃发展加剧了这种担忧。
• What we see then is an incipient global inflation.因此，我们看到的是初期阶段的全球通胀.