VOA慢速英语2015 美国参议院委员会通过贸易促进授权法案
时间:2019-01-12 作者:英语课 分类:2015年VOA慢速英语(四)月
US Senate Committee Approves Trade Promotion 1 Authority Bill 美国参议院委员会通过贸易促进授权法案
From VOA Learning English, this is the Economics Report.
A United States congressional committee has passed a bill aimed at easing approval of future U.S. trade agreements with other countries. The Senate Finance Committee approved Trade Promotion Authority, also known as “fast track” legislation, on Wednesday. The new version of TPA confirms the power of the president to negotiate trade agreements. The measure sets congressional goals and guidance for trade negotiations 2. But once an agreement is reached, it requires lawmakers to vote either for or against the deal, without proposing amendments 4.
The committee passed TPA on a vote of 20 to six. The bill now goes to the full Senate, where heated debate is expected.
The United States is currently active in negotiations on two trade major agreements. One is the Trans Pacific Partnership 5 agreement. Those talks involve the United States and 11 other nations around the Pacific Ocean. The other agreement, with the European Union, is called the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Trade promotion authority is considered important to passage for both trade deals.
Gary Hufbauer is a senior fellow at the Peter G. Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, D.C. He is hopeful about the possibility of progress in talks between U.S. and Japanese officials on the Trans Pacific Partnership. He expects Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to agree to concessions 6 in Japan’s meat and dairy markets. Mr. Abe is making a state visit to Washington next week.
The discussions are about opening Japan’s agricultural and automobile 7 markets, as well as the U.S. auto 8 parts market. So says Masamichi Adachi, a senior economist 9 with JPMorgan Chase in Tokyo. He remains 10 concerned about the debate over trade promotion authority in the U.S. Congress.
"If the Congress gives President Obama this authority, then the negotiations would be much easier and that’s a key event that we see in progress on this negotiation 3."
President Barack Obama says the United States has to shape the rules so that American businesses and workers can compete in Asian markets. If the U.S. does not act, he says, China will.
Mr. Hufbauer says the Asian free-trade agreement will lead to greater U.S. involvement in setting rules on issues such as state-owned companies, investments and taxes. He calls the Trans-Pacific Partnership a “gateway” agreement for other countries to join. He expects China to align 11 itself with the agreement in five to seven years.
U.S. officials are also negotiating another version of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Those talks opened Monday in New York City. That agreement covers trade with the E.U.
The aim of the agreement is to remove tariffs 12, simplify trade processes and remove restrictions 13 on trade in areas that affect 800 million people. Supporters say the agreement could create 13 million jobs on either side of the Atlantic.
President Barack Obama has called for progress this year in talks with the 28-nation E.U. Yet there is strong opposition 14 in Congress to the measure, and many opponents are in Mr. Obama’s own party.
There also is opposition to trade talks in Europe. Last Saturday, thousands of people demonstrated in Germany and other countries to protest the trade talks.
Words in This Story
authority – n. the power to give orders or make a decision
tariffs – n. a tax on good coming into or leaving a country
- The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
- The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级,加了薪。
- negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
- Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。
- They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判,他们的食糖生意成交了。
- The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。
- The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
- Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。
- The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
- Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。
- The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工,公司将不得不作出一些让步。
- The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。
- He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
- The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。
- Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
- The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。
- He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
- He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家,自以为什么都懂。
- 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。
- Align the ruler and the middle of the paper.使尺子与纸张的中部成一条直线。
- There are signs that the prime minister is aligning himself with the liberals.有迹象表明首相正在与自由党人结盟。
- 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。
- 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
- The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
- The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。