VOA慢速英语2013 AS IT IS 2013-05-22 Plans for Chemical Plants Raise Questions in Southwest China

 

AS IT IS 2013-05-22 Plans for Chemical Plants Raise Questions in Southwest China

Welcome to As It Is, the daily magazine show from VOA Learning English.

I’m Mario Ritter.

Today, we look at plans by some large companies to improve conditions for factory workers in Bangladesh after the tragic¹ building collapse² there. We also hear about the retirement³ of a famous soccer star. But first we look at growing environmental awareness⁴ in China.

There have been protests in China against plans to build chemical production and oil processing centers. Protestors say they are concerned about the possible health and environmental effects of the factories. The protests could be a sign that environmental activism is increasing in China. VOA’s Bill Ide in Beijing is following the story. Kelly Jean Kelly has his report.

Protests over oil refineries⁵ and chemical factories are becoming increasingly common in China. Protesters are especially concerned about production of a substance called paraxylene, or PX. It is used to make many products, from polyester clothing to plastic bottles. The substance is a suspected of causing cancer.

Since 2007, at least three planned PX plants have been canceled in China following local protests. This month, protestors in the capitals of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces also protested against planned PX projects.

One person who took part in the protests tells VOA that citizens in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, are not boycotting⁶ the project entirely⁷. She says they want to know more about the project and its effects. They also want to know why their areas were chosen. Yunnan depends heavily on its travel industry and the chemical factories could harm that income.

Chinese officials approved the oil refinery⁸ in Kunming in January. But news of the project was not released until March.

State-owned China National Petroleum⁹ Corporation is building the refinery. The company has told the public that the project is safe and that it will not involve PX. But earlier this month, one company official said there would be no PX at the plant, while another said there would be PX.

Energy experts say the refinery project in Kunming is important because it is the first of its kind in Yunnan province. It is also a stop on the Burma-China pipeline¹⁰, which is set to be completed soon.

I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

Companies React to Bangladesh Tragedy

More than 1,100 people died when a building housing a number of clothing factories collapsed¹¹ in Bangladesh last month. The tragedy has brought attention to labor¹² conditions in the South Asian nation. Recently, some retail¹³ businesses and big name companies announced an agreement to improve conditions in Bangladeshi clothing factories.  Christopher Cruise has more on the story.

Human rights and labor activists¹⁴ have welcomed the agreement. T. Kumar is with the rights group Amnesty International. He praised the steps that some clothing retailers¹⁶ have taken. But he questioned whether the effort would continue or was only an immediate¹⁷ reaction to the tragedy.

Western clothing retailers have agreed to a safety plan that requires them to carry out inspections¹⁸ and pay the costs of safety improvements.

Recognized brand names such as Italy's Benetton and Sweden's H&M are part of the safety agreement.

Charles Kernaghan heads the Institute for Global Labor and Human Rights. He says the agreement is a "turning point," for the clothing industry, whose workers are mainly women.

The tragedy in April is not the first time a large number of Bangladeshi clothing workers have died. Last November, more than 100 people were killed in a clothing factory fire in Dhaka. In 2005, another building collapse killed more than 70 people.

Charles Kernaghan says the government in Bangladesh has to enforce safety rules and improve work conditions. But he says the real power lies with the retailers that sell clothing. Those companies are supporting an industry that employs more than four million garment workers.

"The U.S. companies, North American companies, European companies are in Bangladesh specifically because it has the lowest wages in the world. Twelve cents an hour for helpers, 22 cents for junior sewers¹⁹, 26 cents for senior sewers, 13- to 14-and-a-half hours a day, sometimes seven days a week. Basically the workers get just two days off a month." 

The agreement deals with some of these concerns by setting new standards for worker rights. It calls for establishing an advisory²⁰ group that will assist with discussions among governments, retailers and trade unions. It also sets up a fire and building safety training program.

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer¹⁵, is not part of the agreement. The American-based company has developed its own plan. It includes inspections of all 279 factories used by its suppliers in Bangladesh. Another company, GAP, says it will not be part of the agreement unless changes are made to limit legal responsibility.

In Bangladesh, the government says it is working to improve safety. The government also announced plans to raise the lowest permitted wage and make it easier to form labor unions.

I’m Chrisopher Cruise.

Beckham Says Goodbye

One of the most famous soccer players in the world, David Beckham, has announced plans to retire from the sport. June Simms looks back at his career that included playing in the United States.

At the age of 38, David Beckham is retiring from soccer. Americans may best remember him for playing six seasons with the Los Angeles Galaxy²¹ of Major League Soccer. He won two league championships with the team.

Simply known as Beckham, he played midfield and was considered highly skillful with the ball. He gained fame as a teenager, playing for Manchester United in England.

Playing professionally with league teams, Beckham has a record equaled by few other players. He also won championships with Manchester United and Spain's Real Madrid. And he holds the record for most international appearances, 115, for England’s national team. 

Thank you for listening today. Join us at the beginning of the hour Universal Time for the latest news.

1 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

2 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

3 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

4 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• 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。

5 refineries   

精炼厂( refinery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The efforts on closedown and suspension of small sugar refineries, small saccharin refineries and small paper mills are also being carried out in steps. 关停小糖厂、小糖精厂、小造纸厂的工作也已逐步展开。
• Hence the sitting of refineries is at a distance from population centres. 所以，炼油厂的厂址总在远离人口集中的地方。

6 boycotting   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They're boycotting the shop because the people there are on strike. 他们抵制那家商店，因为那里的店员在罢工。
• The main opposition parties are boycotting the elections. 主要反对党都抵制此次选举。

7 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

8 refinery   

n.精炼厂，提炼厂

参考例句：

• They built a sugar refinery.他们建起了一座榨糖厂。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

9 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

10 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

11 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

12 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。

13 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

14 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

16 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

17 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

18 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 sewers   

n.阴沟，污水管，下水道( sewer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sewers discharge out at sea. 下水道的污水排入海里。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Another municipal waste problem is street runoff into storm sewers. 有关都市废水的另外一个问题是进入雨水沟的街道雨水。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

20 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

21 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。