VOA慢速英语2016 报告：越南成最大非法象牙市场

AS IT IS 2016-07-27 Report: Vietnam Among Biggest Illegal Ivory Markets 报告：越南成最大非法象牙市场

The conservation group Save the Elephants says Vietnam has become one of the world’s biggest illegal ivory markets. It also says that 75 percent of ivory buyers in Vietnam come from China.

“拯救大象”保护组织说,越南已成为世界上最大的非法象牙市场之一。它还说,75%的象牙在越南买家来自中国。

The group recently published a report called “Vietnam’s Illicit¹ Ivory Trade.”

该组织最近发表的一份叫做 “越南的非法象牙贸易的报告”

The report found that more than 16,000 ivory items were for sale in over 240 stores across several Vietnamese cities. In a similar report in 2008, 2,400 products were for sale in the same places.

报告发现,超过16000象牙物品出售在超过240家门店的几个越南城市里。在2008年一个类似的报道中,2400种产品在同一个地方出售。

Esmond Martin is a researcher at Save the Elephants. He says most of the ivory tusks³ sold in Vietnam come from African ports on the Indian Ocean. He says that two-thirds of the ivory that leaves Africa goes to China and Vietnam.

埃斯蒙德马丁是一个拯救大象”研究员。他说,大多数在越南销售的象牙来自非洲印度洋的港口。他说,三分之二的非洲象牙流向中国和越南。

And, while the Chinese ivory market has decreased in recent years, Vietnam’s ivory market has increased greatly, Martin says.

虽然中国象牙市场近年来有所下降,越南的象牙市场大大增加了,马丁说。

“The big difference between (the Chinese) and Vietnamese market is (that) the China market on the retail⁴, legal side and perhaps on the illegal retail side has been going down but the Vietnam market has been absolutely booming.”

” 中国和越南象牙市场之间的巨大差异是中国市场零售,零售环节法律方面、甚至违法成本已经下降，但越南市场却蓬勃发展。”

The investigators⁵ said the ivory trade had increased in Vietnam because of corruption⁶, a lack of law enforcement and an increase in travelers in Asia.

调查人员说,象牙贸易在越南活跃,与腐败,缺乏执法和亚洲旅游人数增加有关。

The Chinese government has in the past few years strengthened its efforts to end the illegal elephant ivory trade. Researcher Lucy Vigne says that lower ivory prices have caused Chinese ivory buyers to cross the border into Vietnam.

中国政府在过去的几年中加大力度禁止非法象牙贸易。研究员Lucy Vigne说,象牙价格下跌导致中国象牙买家越过边境进入越南。

"Prices in China are far higher than in Vietnam. That is why Vietnam is a major place for mainland Chinese to come down and buy ivory out of their country illegally.”

“中国价格远高于越南。这就是为什么越南是中国大陆买家购买非法象牙的一个主要场所”

The report notes that prices for comparable ivory items cost three times more in Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai than they do in Vietnamese cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

报告指出,像北京和上海，相比于越南河内和胡志明市等城市，象牙物品价格高于三倍以上。

Iain Douglas-Hamilton is the founder⁷ and head of the Save the Elephants conservation group. He said it is important to close new ivory markets that are opening in Asia. He calls the recent study “a warning that when you think you are on the verge⁸ of solving a problem, it may shift across…the borders of other states.

Iain Douglas-Hamilton是“拯救大象”保护组织的创始人，他说关闭新兴的亚洲象牙市场非常重要，他说到最近一份研究提出了“警告，当你认为你在快要解决问题的时候，可能在其他州问题在发生变化……”

“In this case, the problem now of illegal ivory-trading has shifted across the border with Vietnam.”

“在这一案例中，非法象牙贸易问题已经超越了越南边境。”

Experts estimate that 100,000 African elephants were killed for their ivory tusks between 2010 and 2012.

专家估计，2010至2012两年间，有10万非洲大象被杀。

Words in This Story

illicit – adj. not allowed by law; unlawful or illegal

tusk² – n. a very long, large tooth that sticks out of the mouth of an animal (such as an elephant, walrus or boar)

1 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

2 tusk   

n.獠牙，长牙，象牙

参考例句：

• The wild boar had its tusk sunk deeply into a tree and howled desperately.野猪的獠牙陷在了树里，绝望地嗥叫着。
• A huge tusk decorated the wall of his study.他书房的墙上装饰着一支巨大的象牙。

3 tusks   

n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头

参考例句：

• The elephants are poached for their tusks. 为获取象牙而偷猎大象。
• Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used in some parts of Africa. 非洲的一些地区则使用象牙、猴尾和盐。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

4 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。

5 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

8 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

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。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。