腐败困扰缅甸公路和玉贸易
时间：2019-01-12 作者：英语课 分类：2015年VOA慢速英语(十一)月
AS IT IS 2015-11-01 Myanmar Corruption 1 Plagues Highways, Jade 2 Trade 腐败困扰缅甸公路和玉贸易
Corruption continues to cut into the government treasury 3 in Myanmar.
The southeast Asian nation – also known as Burma – has endured six decades of civil war. Some Burmese military officials profit from the secret jade trade to finance the conflict. Others use fraud and deception 4 for financial gain along a new highway.
Myanmar’s jade industry is a tool of corruption. The precious green stone trade is worth more than $30 billion a year. That total is nearly half of the country’s gross domestic product, states a report from the London-based group, Global Witness.
The Global Witness report alleges 5 the majority of the jade trade profits are linked to a select few. Ex-juntas – like former military ruler General Than Shwe - earn money from the trade. Other military figures and drug lords also make large profits.
Profits from jade mining and trading collected by the military funds the war against the rebels. Global Witness spokesperson Juman Kubba says little money ends up in the government’s hands.
Jade is also a main source of income for the rebels. The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) gets revenue from timber, gold and jade. The KIO – like many in the country - also uses highway tolls 7 to make money.
In the Karen state of Myanmar, a newly completed highway cuts travel times. The tolls make it expensive. The road is paved. It replaces a dangerous mountain trail.
Some residents are less than happy with the road. Landowners near the road say they have been cheated. One man claimed government officials and surveyors reduced the number of hectares he owned. He was then paid less for his land.
One man protested the deal. The government told him to accept the transaction. They said he could not post any type of information on the Internet.
The construction surprised merchants in Tha Ya Gon. Shop owners said signs appeared stating property now belonged to the government.
Today, the highway building pushes forward. Peace is fragile in the highway’s region. Territory is controlled by factions 8 of the ethnic 9 Karen army.
But residents and businessmen hope for peace.
Words in This Story
endure – v. to continue to exist in the same state or condition
toll 6 – n. an amount of money that you are required to pay for the use of a road or bridge
hectare – n. a unit of area in the metric system that is equal to 10,000 square meters or 2.47 acres
- 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。
- The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
- He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。
- The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
- This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。
- He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.他承认曾与人合谋骗取财产。
- He was jailed for two years for fraud and deception.他因为诈骗和欺诈入狱服刑两年。
- The newspaper article alleges that the mayor is corrupt. 报纸上断言该市长腐败。
- Steven was tardy this morning and alleges that his bus was late. 史提芬今天早上迟到的说词是公车误点了。
- The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
- The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。
- A man collected tolls at the gateway. 一个人在大门口收通行费。
- The long-distance call tolls amount to quite a sum. 长途电话费数目相当可观。
- The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
- rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别