新概念英语第四册Lesson 8 Trading standards
时间：2018-11-27 作者：英语课 分类：新概念英语第四册
Lesson 8
Trading standards
贸易标准
First listen and then answer the following question.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
What makes trading between rich countries difficult?
Chickens slaughtered 2 in the United States, claim officials in Brussels, are not fit to grace European tables. No, say the American: our fowl 3 are fine, we simply clean them in a different way. These days, it is differences in national regulations, far more than tariffs 5, that put sand in the wheels of trade between rich countries. It is not just farmers who are complaining. An electric razor that meets the European Union's safety standards must be approved by American testers before it can be sold in the United States, and an American-made dialysis machine needs the EU's okay before is hits the market in Europe.
As it happens, a razor that is safe in Europe is unlikely to electrocute Americans. So, ask businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, why have two lots of tests where one would do? Politicians agree, in principle, so America and the EU have been trying to reach a deal which would eliminate the need to double-test many products. They hope to finish in time for a trade summit between America and the EU on May 28TH. Although negotiators are optimistic, the details are complex enough that they may be hard-pressed to get a deal at all.
Why? One difficulty is to construct the agreements. The Americans would happily reach one accord on standards for medical devices and them hammer out different pacts 7 covering, say, electronic goods and drug manufacturing. The EU -- following fine continental 8 traditions -- wants agreement on general principles, which could be applied 9 to many types of products and perhaps extended to other countries.
From: The Economist 10, May 24th, 1997
New words and expressions 生词和短语
slaughter 1
v. 屠宰
fit
adj. 适合
grace
v. 给...增光
tariff 4
n. 关税
standard
n. 标准
dialysis
n. 分离，分解；透析，渗析
electrocute
v. 使触电身亡
eliminate
v. 消灭
accord
n. 协议
device
n. 仪器，器械
hammer out
v. 推敲
pact 6
n. 合同，条约，公约
参考译文
布鲁塞尔的官员说，在美国屠宰的鸡不适于用来装点欧洲的餐桌。不，美国人说，我们的家禽很好，只是我们使用了另一种清洗方式。当前，是各国管理条例上的差异，而不是关税阻碍了发达国家之间的贸易。并不仅仅是农民在抱怨。一把符合欧洲联盟安全标准的电动剃须刀必须得到美国检测人员的认可，方可在美国市场上销售；而美国制造的透析仪也要得到欧盟的首肯才能进入欧洲市场。
碰巧在欧洲使用安全的剃须刀不大可能使美国人触电身亡，因此，大西洋两岸的企业都在问，当一套测试可以解决问题时，为什么需要两套呢？政治家在原则上同意了， 因此，美国和欧洲一直在寻求达成协议，以便为许多产品取消双重检查。他们希望尽早达成协议，为5月28日举行的美国和欧洲贸易的最高通级会议作准备。然谈判代表持乐观态度，但协议细节如此复杂，他们所面临的困难很可能使他们无法取得一致。
为什么呢？困难之一是起草这些协议。美国人很愿意就医疗器械的标准达成一个协议，然后推敲出不同的合同，用以涵盖 -- 比如说 -- 电子产品和药品的生产。欧洲人遵循优良的大陆传统，则希望就普遍的原则取得一致，而这些原则适用于许多不同产品，同时可能延伸到其它国家。
- I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
- Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。
- The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Fowl is not part of a traditional brunch.禽肉不是传统的早午餐的一部分。
- Since my heart attack,I've eaten more fish and fowl and less red meat.自从我患了心脏病后，我就多吃鱼肉和禽肉，少吃红色肉类。
- 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。
- 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。
- The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
- The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。
- Vassals can no longer accept one-sided defensive pacts (!). 附庸国不会接受单方面的共同防御协定。
- Well, they are EU members now and have formed solidarity pacts with members such as Poland. 他们现在已经是欧盟的一部分了并且他们和欧盟成员诸如波兰等以签署了合作协议。
- 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。