VOA标准英语2012--China-Made US Olympic Uniforms Spark Controversy

 

China-Made US Olympic Uniforms Spark Controversy¹

Now that the U.S. Olympic team acknowledges wearing uniforms made in China, there's new pressure on President Obama to preserve tariffs² on the import of footwear from low-wage countries.

Representative Michael Michaud of Maine supports the current import tariffs of 8 to 37 percent on shoes made in Indonesia, China and other countries to offset³ government subsidies⁴ in those places. But he is most concerned about Vietnam, because it is part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership⁵ free trade agreement currently being negotiated.

"Anytime you negotiate a trade deal, for me is how do we make sure that whatever countries are part of that negotiation⁶, what do they do currently, whether it's environment, labor⁷ or currency manipulation, and how do we make sure we have a level playing field," said Michaud.

In Michaud's district in Maine, three New Balance footwear manufacturing facilities operate and employ close to 900 people. New Balance President and CEO Rob DeMartini says all other things being equal, his company can still make a profit producing 25 percent of its products in the U.S., where workers earn close to $20 an hour, compared with the $5 a day workers in developing countries often make.

"We don't need wages level," said DeMartini. "We need the full playing field level, and, when we do that, even though our labor costs are as much as 20 times higher per hour, we still have found a way to make productive and profitable shoes here in the U.S."

But he says without the tariffs, New Balance and many other remaining American manufacturing companies will most likely have to outsource their operations, and chances are future U.S. Olympic gear will not be made in the United States. 

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

3 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

4 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

6 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

7 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。