Obama: Colombia Trip Will Boost US Trade

 　　On his way to Colombia for the Summit of the Americas, President Barack Obama told port workers in Tampa, Florida, his meetings with Latin American leaders will help promote U.S. trade.

　　Obama started his trip Friday with a tour of the busy Port of Tampa, where he told workers the United States is likely to meet his goal of doubling its exports by the end of 2014.

　　"Today, with the trade agreements that I signed into law, we are on track to meet that goal. Soon there are going to be millions of new customers for American goods in South Korea, in Colombia, in Panama."

　　U.S. business leaders will be watching to see whether the president announces that Colombia has met the labor¹ rights conditions in the free trade agreement Congress passed and Obama signed last year.

　　Friday's trip to Florida was the second for the president this week. Florida is the fourth most-populous U.S. state, and the largest of the so-called "swing states," where this year’s presidential election is likely to be decided². With the state of the economy a big issue in the campaign, Obama said his work at the summit in Cartagena will help American goods reach growing markets to the south.

　　"In Latin America alone, over the past decade, tens of millions of people have stepped out of poverty and into the middle class. So they are now in a position to start buying American products," said Obama.

　　The president also talked about a program to help America’s small businesses get financing and connect with foreign buyers.

　　"So this initiative is going to help our small businesses-Latino-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, African American-owned businesses. We want every business to be able to access these new markets, start exporting to these countries," said Obama.

　　U.S. Hispanics also are expected to be closely watching the president’s visit to Colombia. Latinos are one of the country's largest and fastest-growing ethnic³ groups, and Hispanic voters have strongly supported Obama.

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。