VOA标准英语2008年-China to Pay Record Prices for Australian Miner
时间：2019-01-13 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2008年（六月）
Chinese steel makers 2 have agreed to pay record prices for iron ore from the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia. In a deal signed this week, Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has secured increases that almost double the price of some grades of the mineral. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.
Billboard 3 advertising 4 China's largest steel producer Baosteel Group in Beijing (2007 file photo)
Australia's resources boom shows no sign of slowing down, thanks largely to demand from Asia.
This week Anglo-Australian minerals company Rio Tinto has been negotiating with China's biggest steel maker 1, Baosteel, which has traditionally set the international iron ore price for China's other steel producers.
In 2007, the Chinese imported 383 million tons of iron ore, up 17 percent from the previous year.
In the past, China has paid Brazilian and Australian exporters the same amount for minerals. But this year Australian miners demanded more, insisting their iron ore is higher quality and - because Australia is closer to China - is costing less to transport.
Rio has secured an 80 percent price increase for the iron ore known as Pilbara fine and a 97 percent increase for iron ore lumps from its operations in northwestern Australia - 10 times last year's percentage increase. The scale of the deal has surprised many analysts 5.
A spokesman for Rio Tinto said the deal was "very significant," as iron ore is one of the company's key commodities, along with copper 6 and aluminum 7.
Rio Tinto chief executive Tom Albanese believes more good times lie ahead for his company.
"Overall, Rio Tinto believes that this global shift will see the size of our key markets double over the next 15 years, as demand balloons in line with rising urbanization in developing countries. And, that is also very good news for Australia," said Albanese.
Australia's mining boom has fueled a decade-and-a-half of unprecedented 8 economic growth.
It is driven by soaring demand for iron ore and coal from China and India.
The bonanza 9 has the potential to end Australia's long-term current account deficit 10 and push the country's international trade balance into surplus.
But despite such massive earnings 11 in the minerals sector 12, there are fears that the higher income from exports could increase inflation in Australia and push up domestic interest rates.
But Australia's mining boom has cushioned the economy from the worst effects of the global credit squeeze.
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- A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。
- The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
- The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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- Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。
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- The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。
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- Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。
- The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
- During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。
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- The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
- We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。
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- Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。