VOA标准英语2012--Opening for Investment, Burma Faces Human Rights Challenges
时间:2018-12-16 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2012年(八月)
Opening for Investment, Burma Faces Human Rights Challenges
U.S. and European sanctions hurt Burma's banking 1 sector 2, making it harder for foreign firms to invest.
But with those sanctions eased, Google, Coca-Cola and General Motors are leading the charge into Burma. Meeting with corporate 3 leaders before the largest-ever U.S. trade mission to the country, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she expects them to be agents of positive change by doing business responsibly.
Clinton has told Burmese President Thein Sein that Washington will respond to reforms on an action-for-action basis, as his government legalizes trade unions, eases media censorship, and frees political prisoners.
But with a 30 percent poverty rate, UNICEF's Burma representative Ramesh Shrestha says one of the biggest risks in Burma is child exploitation. "If government opens up as it said, democratically, then obviously it opens up for everything. That would mean the existing bad control of the situation might be loosened up. That would mean people would do what they want to do. This could be legal or illegal, all these things could happen," he said.
Jesse Eaves, the senior policy advisor 4 for child protection at the aid group World Vision, says the important thing is that positive steps are being made. "We have seen countries like Burma starting to really take a look at what is happening in its own borders, what is happening to their citizens and trying to take the proper response to it," he said.
Eaves says World Vision is raising awareness 5 about human trafficking and child exploitation in Burma by working with survivors 6 to speak out. "It is amazing the change that you can see just by addressing the issue, by bringing it out in the open and shining a light on it," he said. "I think the biggest problem we see is that most people do not know what it is that they are looking at. They may just think, 'This is normal. This is what we have always done.'"
Lex Rieffel, an economic expert at the Brookings Institution, says the speed of Burma's economic reform could challenge welfare and development programs. "We have seen a pattern where countries that invest heavily in natural resources tend to under invest in human resources. Experience tells us that it is the investment in human resources that pays off in the long term," he said.
But Britain's investment chief Nick Baird says foreign firms can make a big impact in Burma. "It is not just economic, but working together in an open and transparent 7 and responsible business way, will actually help the stability of this country," he said.
The message is echoed by the new U.S. ambassador to Burma, Derek Mitchell, who says outside investment can move the country toward greater transparency and accountability.
- John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
- He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。
- The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
- The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。
- This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
- His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。
- They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
- The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。
- There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
- Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。
- The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
- survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者
- The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明,可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
- The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。