VOA慢速英语20060304a

IN THE NEWS - As New Orleans Marks Mardi Gras, a Dispute Affects a Deal Tied to Its Port and Five OthersBy Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Saturday, March 04, 2006

I'm Steve Ember with IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

American lawmakers continue to debate the sale of some operations at six ports in the United States to a Dubai company.


A cargo¹ ship is unloaded at Maryland's Port of Baltimore

Democrats² want Congress to have the right to disapprove³ the deal. Influential⁴ Republicans have also spoken out against the sale. There are calls to make national security more of a concern in approving foreign investments in the United States.

But leaders of the Republican majority in Congress say they want to wait until a new investigation⁵ is completed before they consider any measures. The Dubai Ports World company has agreed to delay taking control of the operations until after the forty-five day investigation.

The sale involves port terminals where goods are loaded and unloaded from ships. DP World is buying these and others around the world from a British company. On Thursday, a British High Court judge approved the sale of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company.

But he agreed to place a hold on the ruling until a Miami-based company can go before the Court of Appeal. Eller and Company objects to the sale which it says could harm its business. The court is expected to hear a request for an appeal on Monday.

American officials approved the deal after a thirty-day investigation. Foreign companies own about eighty percent of the terminals at American ports.

DP World is owned by the government of Dubai, one of the seven United Arab Emirates. Critics say the U.A.E. has a mixed record in fighting terrorism. Others argue that the deal will have little effect on port security. They say security is mainly the responsibility of federal agencies.

The American Association of Port Authorities represents public agencies that own ports around the country. The group has not taken a position on the issue. But it notes that news reports have been wrong to suggest that DP World would own, control or take over the ports.

The six ports are in New York City, Philadelphia, Newark, Miami, Baltimore and New Orleans.

New Orleans was in the news this week for another reason. Celebrations of Mardi Gras came to a close. Six months ago, most of New Orleans was under water when floodwalls failed during Hurricane Katrina. The terrible effects of the storm are still easy to see.


Second Chief Lil Bo performs with the Wild Magnolias Mardi Gras Indian gang

This week city officials renewed a search for bodies, looking for three hundred to four hundred missing people. More than a thousand bodies were found after the storm.

Officials say New Orleans normally has about one million visitors for Mardi Gras. This year, the number was estimated at three hundred thousand. There were parades, but fewer of the usual parties. Store owners say their sales are down about forty percent.

For a full report on New Orleans after Katrina, listen at this time for THIS IS AMERICA on Monday, March thirteenth.

IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English was written by Nancy Steinbach. Read and listen to our reports at www.unsv.com. I'm Steve Ember.

1 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

2 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。

4 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

5 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。