VOA慢速英语2016 缅因大龙虾在中国开始流行（在线收听）

AS IT IS 2016-01-19 Maine Lobster Becoming Popular in China 缅因大龙虾在中国开始流行

The American seafood staple of Maine lobster, or "lobsta" as they say in Maine, is becoming very popular on Asian dining tables.

美国海鲜中的缅因大龙虾（在缅因州叫作“lobsta”）在亚洲的餐桌上变得越来越流行起来。

Maine lobsters were a featured course at last year’s state dinner when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the White House. Now, the creatures with claws are becoming a big export to Asia.

在去年中国主席习近平访问白宫的国宴上，缅因大龙虾是一道极具特色的主菜。现在，这种有钳生物对亚洲的出口量越来越大了。

The lobster’s home is in the Atlantic Ocean, anywhere from Newfoundland in Canada to North Carolina in the United States. But nearly 90 percent of the fishery activity happens in the state of Maine.

龙虾的原产地在大西洋里，从加拿大的纽芬兰岛到美国的北卡罗来纳州，到处都有。但是将近90%的捕捞作业都在缅因州进行。

And the prices for fresh lobster have risen to a higher level.

新鲜龙虾的价格涨得更高了。

“Three years ago, the price was mediocre. We averaged around $2.50 to $3 per pound (or nearly half a kilogram) for the year,” said Chris Welch, a lobster boat captain. “This year, the price has been excellent. It’s better than I can remember in a lot of years.”

“三年前，价格还没这么高。那一年我们大概算2.5美元-3美元一磅（将近半公斤），”龙虾船主克里斯·韦尔奇说。“今年价格高得不行。我印象中已经很多年没这么好的价钱了。”

During one morning, a lobster order was being prepared for shipment to Hong Kong. The biggest challenge in shipping was logistics. Shippers have only 36 hours from the time lobsters are packed until arrival in China. Any lobster arriving after that time loses quality.

在一个早晨的时间里，来自中国香港的龙虾订单就要准备好装船了。航运的最大挑战就是物流。从龙虾打包装船直到运抵中国，发货人只能花36小时。时间一长，不管什么龙虾的质量都会下降。

American shellfish exports have grown rapidly in recent years. More than 23,000 kilograms of that type of seafood is exported to Asia every week via air.

美国甲壳类食物的出口这几年迅速增长。每周通过空运出口到亚洲的此类海鲜超过了23000公斤。

“We primarily export lobsters to Asia; probably about 80 percent to China and the other 20 percent to some other Asian countries,” said lobster dealer Stephanie Nadeau.

“我们主要出口龙虾到亚洲；大约80%出口到中国，剩下的20%出口到亚洲的其他国家。”龙虾商人斯蒂芬妮·纳多说。

Nadeau said the countries of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea and Japan are big lobster fans.

纳多说，泰国、马来西亚、新加坡、韩国和日本等国家都非常喜欢龙虾。

Words in This Story

lobster – n. an ocean animal that has a long body, a hard shell and a pair of large claws and that is caught for food

claw – n. a body part of an animal, such as a lobster or crab, that is used for gripping and holding things

fishery – n. a part of the ocean where fish and other sea creatures are caught

mediocre – adj. not very good

shellfish – n. an animal, such as a crab or an oyster, that has a hard outer shell and that lives in water