VOA常速英语2019--中国关税对美国龙虾出口的毁灭性影响

Chinese Tariffs²’ Devastating³ Impact on US Lobster⁴ Exports

Tom Martin has been a lobster man for 35 years.

汤姆·马丁捕虾已经三十五年了。 

I started lobstering as a summer job as a kid when I was 14 and then lobster every summeruntil I went to college for about a year and then dropped out and started lobstering year round.

我十四岁的时候暑期工就开始捕龙虾，然后每年夏天都去捕龙虾，直到我上了一年大学，然后辍学，开始常年捕龙虾。

He says he enjoys what he does despite the hard work.

他说，尽管工作很辛苦，但他还是很享受自己的工作。 

Some years you catch a lot of lobsters⁵, some years you don’t.

有些年你捕到很多龙虾，有些年捕不到很多。 

But you just worked as hard as you can and then let the chips fall where they may.

可是，你已经尽了最大的努力去工作，所以不管成败在哪里，你都得顺其自然。 

Lobstermen sell their catch to local wholesalers and restaurants like Luke’s Lobster in Portland Harbor which serves about 60 whole lobsters a day.

捕龙虾的人把捕到的龙虾卖给当地批发商和餐馆，比如波特兰港的卢克龙虾店，这家店每天供应大约六十只龙虾。

It is fresh to see and the price is really good.

它看起来很新鲜，价格也很好。 

But wholesalers like Sheila Adams of Maine coast who export live lobsters to overseas markets have not been so lucky.

但像缅因州海岸的希拉·亚当斯，向海外市场出口活龙虾的批发商就没那么幸运了。 

In July of 2018 China imposed retaliatory⁶ tariffs on US food and agricultural exports which included live lobsters.

二零一八年七月，中国对包括活龙虾在内的美国食品和农产品出口征收报复性关税。 

Adams said her business drop by 20% overnight.

亚当斯说她的生意一夜之间下降了百分之二十。 

About 80 percent of our sales into mainland China have gone away.

我们在中国大陆的销售额大约已经流失了百分之八十。 

That’s because the 25% tariff¹ has to be paid by their Chinese customers who looked to Canada as an alternative source for their live lobsters.

这是因为百分之二十五的关税必须由他们的中国客户支付，这些客户已经把加拿大作为他们活龙虾的替代来源。

So Adams and her team had to look to other markets, both domestically and overseas to make up the difference.

因此，亚当斯和她的团队不得不将目光投向其他市场，包括国内和海外市场，以弥补收入差额。 

Today as fresh live lobsters arrive at their facility, they are processed, packaged and prepared for shipping⁷ to 29 other countries.

今天，当新鲜的活龙虾到达他们的工厂，他们被加工，包装和准备运往其他二十九个国家。 

It takes all of those other countries combined to equal one market in mainland China,so we had to put a tremendous amount of effort across many markets to try to recoup the the lost business in China.

所有这些国家加起来才相当于中国大陆的一个市场，所以我们不得不在许多市场投入大量努力，试图挽回在中国失去的生意。

Wade⁸ Merrit is president of the Maine international trade center and director of international trade for the state of Maine.

韦德·梅里特是缅因州国际贸易中心的总裁兼缅因州国际贸易主任。 

He says Maine coast is a good example of the impact of the tariffs on the industry.

他说缅因州海岸是关税对该行业影响的一个很好的例子。 

Exports of live lobster to China from Maine comparing between 2018 and 2019, they’re down 82%, so it has had a significant impact on that industry.

与二零一八年至二零一九年相比，缅因州对中国的活龙虾出口下降了百分之八十二，因此对该行业产生了重大影响。

And this has had a severe trickle-down effect.

这产生了严重的涓滴效应。 

Think about the corner store or the gas station or the schools or the anything in any of these communities that is a major lobster fishing port,if they are not fishing lobsters, then there is a real problem for those other businesses too.

想想街角的商店，加油站，学校，或者任何社区里的任何地方，作为一个主要的龙虾渔港，如果他们不捕捞龙虾，那么其他企业也会面临真正的问题。

He encourages companies to diversify⁹ and also continue nurturing¹⁰ existing relationships.

他鼓励企业实现多元化，并继续培育现有关系。 

Advice Sheila Adams agrees with.

希拉·亚当斯同意这个建议。 

Our relationships with our customers in China are really important to us.

我们与中国客户的关系对我们来说非常重要。 

They become good friends of ours and they look forward to the day when the tariff situation resolves and that we can go back to doing business together.

他们成为我们的好朋友，他们期待着关税问题得到解决的那一天，我们可以重新回到一起做生意。 

Let the free market economy come back to being and let trade happen.

让自由市场经济复苏，产生交易。 

And that will be good news for all who have made lobsters a focus of their daily lives.

这对所有把龙虾作为日常生活重点的人来说都是好消息。 

1 tariff   

n.关税，税率；(旅馆、饭店等)价目表，收费表

参考例句：

• There is a very high tariff on jewelry.宝石类的关税率很高。
• The government is going to lower the tariff on importing cars.政府打算降低进口汽车的关税。

2 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

3 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

4 lobster   

n.龙虾，龙虾肉

参考例句：

• The lobster is a shellfish.龙虾是水生贝壳动物。
• I like lobster but it does not like me.我喜欢吃龙虾，但它不适宜于我的健康。

5 lobsters   

龙虾( lobster的名词复数 )； 龙虾肉

参考例句：

• I have no idea about how to prepare those cuttlefish and lobsters. 我对如何烹调那些乌贼和龙虾毫无概念。
• She sold me a couple of live lobsters. 她卖了几只活龙虾给我。

6 retaliatory   

adj.报复的

参考例句：

• The process can take years before the WTO approves retaliatory action. 在WTO通过此行动之前，这个程序恐怕要等上一阵子了。 来自互联网
• Retaliatory tariffs on China are tantamount to taxing ourselves as a punishment. 将惩罚性关税强加于中国相当于对我们自己实施课税惩罚。 来自互联网

7 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

8 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

9 diversify   

v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化

参考例句：

• Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
• Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。

10 nurturing   

养育( nurture的现在分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• These delicate plants need careful nurturing. 这些幼嫩的植物需要精心培育。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants. 这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。