美国国家公共电台 NPR Mongolia's Long Road To Mining Wealth

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

President Trump¹ is meeting with the president of Mongolia today at the White House. Mongolia is strategically important. It's landlocked right between Russia and China. It's also a country in transition with its economy and workers moving from agriculture to mining.

In the final part of our series on Mongolia, NPR's Emily Kwong flew to a mega mine to meet people finding work along the coal road to China.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking Mongolian).

EMILY KWONG, BYLINE²: We touched down in mining country at 9:22 in the morning.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Ladies and gentlemen, we have landed at Khanbumbat Airport in Oyu Tolgoi.

KWONG: Outside our plane window is Mongolia's biggest mining project. Oyu Tolgoi has a movie theater, an apothecary³, a hair salon⁴. My interpreter, Ganbat Namjilsangarav, and I visit the cafeteria for lunch, bustling⁵ with miners in orange uniforms.

How are you doing, Ganbat?

GANBAT NAMJILSANGARAV: Good. Very big mess hall.

KWONG: People here shake hands, a very Western practice, which slightly unnerves Ganbat. They're not behaving like Mongolians, he jokes as we scoop⁶ fried noodles onto trays. I tell him the cafeteria reminds me of Google.

It's very regimented and clean. And the Gobi's like your Silicon⁷ Valley.

Mongolia rapidly transitioned from Soviet-style communism to free-market democracy in 1990. Herding⁸ has diminished, while mining has only grown. It's introduced volatility⁹ to Mongolia's economy but also opportunity. In a nation where jobs are drying up in the countryside and people are desperate for work, the Gobi has become a destination for jobs, both formal and off the books. And it's a younger generation, the sons and daughters of herders and agriculturalists, taking on this work. Gulnara Dariiga grew up among mountains on the opposite side of the country.

GULNARA DARIIGA: (Through interpreter) Selenge is beautiful, with a nice river and berries. The problem is there's no jobs for young people.

KWONG: In addition to copper¹⁰ and gold, Mongolia exports millions of tons of coal to China every year by truck. And Gulnara is one of thousands of these drivers ferrying coal from Tavan Tolgoi, another major mine, across the southern border. Mongolians go by their first names. The 38-year-old mother of four does her makeup¹¹ in this cab and sleeps here, too. Trucks idle in gridlock like a row of dominoes. Gulnara has waited up to seven days in this line. It's exhausting work.

DARIIGA: (Speaking Mongolian).

KWONG: So why do it? Over the rumble¹², she tells us the money makes it worth it. Her Chinese employers pay her in yuan upon delivery - the equivalent of 260 U.S. dollars. That kind of money goes far here.

(SOUNDBITE OF PHONE CHIMING)

KWONG: Gulnara's monthly income is double what most Mongolians make. Those with ancillary¹³ services to support the mining industry are making money, too - fuel suppliers, car mechanics, cooks selling hot meals.

(SOUNDBITE OF POT CLANGING)

KWONG: In fact, a whole community has emerged from the dust to support coal truck drivers right before this border trip. Locals call it Tsagaan Khad or White Rock.

(SOUNDBITE OF PHONE CHIMING)

KWONG: The cellphone of 53-year-old Batdelger Genden won't stop ringing. She just opened a new restaurant in White Rock and word has gotten out.

(CROSSTALK)

KWONG: The restaurant tables are heaped with candy and soda¹⁴ for the grand opening. The playlist is all Dolly Parton, music befitting an outpost on the mining frontier.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WE'VE GOT TONIGHT")

DOLLY PARTON: (Singing) Come take my hand now...

KWONG: And for locals in White Rock, Batdelger is like a mother hen.

BATDELGER GENDEN: (Through interpreter) I wanted to create a warm atmosphere with this restaurant. The drivers experience all kinds of problems - truck breakdowns¹⁵, getting cheated of their salary. I try to help them.

KWONG: Mining may be lucrative¹⁶, but the conditions are harsh. Trucks stir up fragile topsoil with their constant coming and going, turning the streets of White Rock dark and blustery. But the dust was far worse in the early days before the coal road was paved, Batdelger says. Drivers eager to reach China were cutting across herders' pastureland.

GENDEN: (Through interpreter) Local herders protested. They even smashed truck windows.

KWONG: Mining may be a boon¹⁷ to the national economy. But locally, tensions persist, not just around dust storms but environmental issues, too, like water scarcity¹⁸ and desertification. Herding groups have taken the industry to court around their environmental and economic impact. Fifty-one-year-old Otgonduu Khuudeg remembers when mining came to Omnogovi province. The usual quiet of the pastureland was disrupted by the rumble of trucks.

OTGONDUU KHUUDEG: (Through interpreter) The road to the Gobi became like lines on a human palm. These coal trucks, they're hitting and killing¹⁹ animals.

KWONG: Half a dozen of his camels were killed by passing trucks. And when Oyu Tolgoi, that massive copper and gold mine, was preparing to break ground, he had to relocate. Otgonduu and his wife were one of 11 families physically²⁰ displaced. Ironically, that payment allowed them to continue herding, not with camels but with cows. They purchased a bull with Oyu Tolgoi's money to breed cows. If they are successful, Oyu Tolgoi has pledged to buy their beef to feed to miners in the cafeteria. Such a relationship was unheard of 15 years ago, but Otgonduu feels like he has no other choice.

KHUUDEG: (Through interpreter) We are already old. And no one will hire us. We can't do other jobs. This is what we know how to do.

KWONG: Mongolia has a tradition of herding animals and a deep cultural connection to the land. But as the nation focuses on mineral extraction as a means for participating in the global economy and lifting people out of poverty, what will become of that land? Plenty of Mongolians fear the country's direction. One herder in the Gobi told me Mongolia is like a small island in a blue planet. If we help preserve the environment, I think it will be helpful for the rest of the world.

Emily Kwong, NPR News, Omnogovi, Mongolia.

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 apothecary   

n.药剂师

参考例句：

• I am an apothecary of that hospital.我是那家医院的一名药剂师。
• He was the usual cut and dry apothecary,of no particular age and color.他是那种再普通不过的行医者，说不出多大年纪，相貌也没什么值得一提的。

4 salon   

n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室

参考例句：

• Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？
• You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。

5 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

6 scoop   

n.铲子，舀取，独家新闻；v.汲取，舀取，抢先登出

参考例句：

• In the morning he must get his boy to scoop it out.早上一定得叫佣人把它剜出来。
• Uh,one scoop of coffee and one scoop of chocolate for me.我要一勺咖啡的和一勺巧克力的。

7 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

8 herding   

中畜群

参考例句：

• The little boy is herding the cattle. 这个小男孩在放牛。
• They have been herding cattle on the tableland for generations. 他们世世代代在这高原上放牧。

9 volatility   

n.挥发性，挥发度，轻快，（性格）反复无常

参考例句：

• That was one reason why volatility was so low last year.这也是去年波动性如此低的原因之一。
• Yet because volatility remained low for so long,disaster myopia prevailed.然而，由于相当长的时间里波动性小，灾难短视就获胜了。

10 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

11 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

12 rumble   

n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说

参考例句：

• I hear the rumble of thunder in the distance.我听到远处雷声隆隆。
• We could tell from the rumble of the thunder that rain was coming.我们根据雷的轰隆声可断定，天要下雨了。

13 ancillary   

adj.附属的，从属的

参考例句：

• The transport corps is ancillary to the infantry.运输队是步兵的辅助部队。
• This is just an ancillary business.这仅仅是一项辅助业务。

14 soda   

n.苏打水；汽水

参考例句：

• She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
• I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。

15 breakdowns   

n.分解( breakdown的名词复数 )；衰竭；（车辆或机器的）损坏；统计分析

参考例句：

• Her old car was unreliable, so the trip was plagued by breakdowns. 她的旧车老不听使唤，一路上总是出故障。 来自辞典例句
• How do we prevent these continual breakdowns? 我们如何防止这些一再出现的故障？ 来自辞典例句

16 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

17 boon   

n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠

参考例句：

• A car is a real boon when you live in the country.在郊外居住，有辆汽车确实极为方便。
• These machines have proved a real boon to disabled people.事实证明这些机器让残疾人受益匪浅。

18 scarcity   

n.缺乏，不足，萧条

参考例句：

• The scarcity of skilled workers is worrying the government.熟练工人的缺乏困扰着政府。
• The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果供不应求是由于干旱造成的。

19 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

20 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。