VOA慢速英语2017 环保组织说日本扶持象牙贸易（在线收听）

Environmental Group Says Japan Helping Ivory Trade

An environmental group has criticized Japan's controls over its ivory supply.

一个环保组织批评日本控制其象牙供应。 

A report released with the support of the World Wildlife Fund this month said ivory exports are hurting efforts to end trafficking in elephant tusks.

本月，世界野生动物基金的支持下发布的一份报告，该报告称，象牙出口损害了禁止象牙非法交易所做的努力。

The report’s researchers found that antique dealers are buying a large number of elephant tusks in Japan.These tusks, however, are not legally registered.

报告的研究人员发现，古董商在日本购买大量象牙。但是，这些象牙并没有合法登记。 

The report said that sellers advertised whole tusks without proof of where they came from.It said internet sites sell hundreds of ivory objects each year.Often the sales are to visitors from other Asian countries such as China.

报告指出，售卖者发布的所有象牙都没有证据表明其来源。互联网网站每年出售数百件象牙物品。往往是向来自亚洲的其他国家的游客出售，比如中国。

The report used information from TRAFFIC, a network that studies the wildlife trade. TRAFFIC found that sellers used a major website to sell about 2,447 ivory items in a four-week period from May to June of 2017.The ivory items were valued at more than $400,000.

该报告使用的信息来自研究野生动植物交易网站TRAFFIC。TRAFFIC发现，在2017年5月至6月的四周中，卖家在一个主要网站就销售了2447件象牙制品。象牙制品价值超过40万美元。

The report’s authors urged that the government should bring attention to rules for ivory dealings. They also urged the government to tighten controls at customs to keep people from taking items such as ivory seals and figurines out of the country.

报告的作者们敦促政府应该关注象牙交易的规则。他们还敦促政府应加强对海关的管制，防止人们将象牙海豹和象牙雕像等物品带到国外。

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, bans international trade in ivory.

《濒危野生动物物种国际贸易公约》或《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》禁止象牙贸易。 

The ban is meant to protect endangered African elephants.

禁令是为了保护濒危的非洲大象。 

CITES also has called for closing ivory markets in all member states.

《濒危野生动物物种国际贸易公约》也呼吁关闭所有成员国的象牙市场。 

Many countries have agreed to close their ivory markets.

《濒危野生动物物种国际贸易公约》也呼吁关闭所有成员国的象牙市场。 

China announced last year that it would shut down its ivory trade by the end of 2017. Hong Kong, the world’s largest retail ivory market, plans to end local trading by 2021.

中国去年宣布将于2017年底关闭其象牙贸易。作为全球最大的象牙零售市场，香港计划于2021年前结束当地贸易。

But Japan has resisted closing its markets.It argues that ivory products traded inside the country are not received through illegal hunting or trading.

但日本阻止关闭市场。日本认为，在国内贸易的象牙制品不是通过非法狩猎或交易得到的。 

Instead, the government approved a proposal to tighten registration requirements for more than 8,000 ivory sellers and manufacturers.

相反，政府批准了一项加强8000多名象牙销售商和制造商的注册要求的建议。 

Critics say the registration system amounts to a form of ivory laundering.Laundering refers to the act of making money or goods legal after they have been acquired illegally.

批评者说，登记制度是象牙洗钱的一种形式。洗钱是指非法获得的金钱或物品合法化的行为。 

The large internet company Rakuten said it would ban sales of ivory objects in its online marketplace.It also banned sales of products using parts of sea turtles.

大型互联网公司乐天表示，将禁止在线市场销售象牙物品。还禁止销售使用海龟制作的产品。 

Words in This Story

trafficking – n. the act or business of illegally buying something and selling it especially in another country

tusk – n. a very long, large tooth that sticks out of the mouth of an animal (such as an elephant, walrus, or boar)

antique –adj. describing furniture, jewelry or some other object made during an earlier time and that is thought to be valuable

e-commerce – n. activities that relate to the buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet

seal – n. a device with a raised design that can be pressed into something (such as paper or wax) to make a seal

figurine – n. a small figure or model of a person made of wood, plastic, etc.

retail – adj. relating to the business of selling things directly to customers for their own use

laundering – n. to put (money that you got by doing something illegal) into a business or bank account in order to hide where it really came from