2006年VOA标准英语-Anatolia Emerging as Economic Power in Turkey

By Simon Marks
Kayseri, Turkey
29 December 2006
 
watch Anatolian Tiger report

As the future of Turkey's efforts to join the European Union hangs in the balance, one part of the country in particular is anxiously focused on the relationship between Ankara and Brussels. As Turkey has developed, the region of Anatolia has become an economic powerhouse, doing extensive amounts of business with Western Europe and -- company executives say -- ready to do more.  Correspondent Simon Marks visited the city of Kayseri, 500 miles east of Istanbul.

In the plains of Anatolia, "tigers" are on the prowl.  For centuries, this part of Turkey has been home to traders and merchants, but never before on a scale like this.

"Keep Out Denim¹" has been in business for the last 10 years. It's one of hundreds of companies collectively known as the "Anatolian tigers". It sells $17 million worth of jeans and jackets a year, many of them exported to hug the hips² of young men and women in Western Europe.

Celal Haznalcaci owns the company.  He describes himself as a devout³ Muslim, but has no problem also being a purveyor⁴ of cutting-edge, even sexy fashion.  "Of course in our Islamic culture, we're not in the habit of wearing such clothes," he says.  "We produce them for business.  We understand the demands of our customers, and we produce them accordingly."

Next door to the denim factory, the Boydak Group produces furniture, part of a business empire with an annual turnover⁵ of nearly $2 billion.  It, too, has large export markets, and so its executives have an ongoing⁶ interest in Turkey's openness to the rest of the world.  They say they are not concerned by claims that the country's religiously-conservative government is trying to undo⁷ Turkey's secular⁸ nature.

"These ideas come to mind because the people in our government are religious," says Sukru Boydak, the company's chairman. "But I definitely don't believe that Turkey will move to the right or become more Islamic.  Seventy-five percent of Turks don't believe in this.  Maybe even 90 percent".

The latest opinion polls bear that out. In November, a respected Istanbul think-tank published research showing that while a greater number of Turks now identify themselves primarily as Muslim, the number wanting to see an Islamic government is going down.

And in Istanbul, where western brand names are now commonplace in the city's stylish⁹ neighborhoods, big business is telling the Turkish government to keep the country on its secular track, and continue negotiating membership in the European Union.

Guler Sabanci heads one of the country's largest conglomerates¹⁰ and is arguably the most powerful businesswoman in Turkey today. "We always [say] that Turkey is a bridge, and it is true, Turkey is a bridge," she says. "It's a bridge for energy sources. Turkey is a bridge for cultural sources, for a lot of things.  So these are the reasons that I think, when once we look at them together, I think both Europe needs Turkey and I also think Turkey needs Europe."

Back in Kayseri, the Anatolian tigers say they're so confident in their business success that even if Turkey doesn't eventually enter the European Union, they believe they'll continue to make good profits.  At the denim factory, the owner said Europeans like to wear fashionable clothes, and the Anatolian Tigers now know how to make them.

1 denim   

n.斜纹棉布；斜纹棉布裤，牛仔裤

参考例句：

• She wore pale blue denim shorts and a white denim work shirt.她穿着一条淡蓝色的斜纹粗棉布短裤，一件白粗布工作服上衣。
• Dennis was dressed in denim jeans.丹尼斯穿了一条牛仔裤。

2 hips   

abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的

参考例句：

• She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
• They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 devout   

adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness)

参考例句：

• His devout Catholicism appeals to ordinary people.他对天主教的虔诚信仰感染了普通民众。
• The devout man prayed daily.那位虔诚的男士每天都祈祷。

4 purveyor   

n.承办商，伙食承办商

参考例句：

• Silence, purveyor of gossip, do not spread that report. 快别那样说，新闻记者阁下，别散布那个消息。 来自互联网
• Teaching purpose: To comprehensively understand the role function and consciousness composition of a news purveyor. 教学目的：全面深入的理解新闻传播者的角色功能和意识构成。 来自互联网

5 turnover   

n.人员流动率，人事变动率；营业额，成交量

参考例句：

• The store greatly reduced the prices to make a quick turnover.这家商店实行大减价以迅速周转资金。
• Our turnover actually increased last year.去年我们的营业额竟然增加了。

6 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

7 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

8 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

9 stylish   

adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的

参考例句：

• He's a stylish dresser.他是个穿着很有格调的人。
• What stylish women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world.巴黎女性时装往往会引导世界时装潮流。

10 conglomerates   

n.（多种经营的）联合大企业( conglomerate的名词复数 )；砾岩；合成物；组合物

参考例句：

• At the surface, radioactivity of the conglomerates is locally as high as 30 X background. 在地表，砾岩的局部地段的放射性高达30倍本底值。 来自辞典例句
• The conglomerates failed to understand that books could not be sold like soap. 这些联合大企业不懂卖书不象卖肥皂那样。 来自辞典例句