VOA慢速英语2014 Pull Out of Japanese Car Maker Toyota Latest Hit To Australia's Economy 丰田退出冲击澳大利亚经济

 

Pull Out of Japanese Car Maker¹ Toyota Latest Hit To Australia's Economy 丰田退出冲击澳大利亚经济

From VOA Learning English, this is the Economics Report.

这里是美国之音慢速英语经济报道。

Automobile³ manufacturing in Australia is in trouble. Japanese automaker Toyota recently decided⁴ to stop manufacturing cars in the country. Industry experts and trade unions are worried the decision could push parts of Australia into recession. 

澳大利亚汽车制造业陷入困境。日本汽车制造商丰田公司最近决定停止在该国生产汽车。业内专家和工会担心这一决定会促使澳大利亚部分地区陷入衰退。

Last May, Ford⁵ Motor company said it would stop manufacturing in Australia. General Motors announced late last year that it also plans to suspend factory operations in the country.

去年五月，福特汽车公司表示将在澳大利亚停止生产。通用汽车公司去年年底宣布计划暂停在该国的工厂运作。

Toyota says more than two thousand of its workers will lose their jobs, but trade unions say the company's decision to end production could leave 50,000 Australians jobless. They say the decision could take $19 billion away from the Australian economy, the states of Victoria and South Australia would be hurt the most.

丰田公司表示，该公司两千多名员工将失去工作，但工会表示，该公司停止生产的的决定可能会造成5万澳大利亚人失业。他们表示，该决定会可能会让澳大利亚经济损失190亿美元。维多利亚州和南澳损失将最为严重。

Australia's car manufacturing industry was once very strong. In recent years, Australia produced about 200,000 vehicles a year for sales at home and for export. The industry spent more than $540 million on research and development.

澳大利亚的汽车制造业曾经非常强劲。近年来，澳大利亚每年生产了20万辆汽车用于国内销售以及出口。该行业花费了超过5.4亿美元用于研发。

John Spoehr is executive director of the Australian Workplace, Innovation and Social Research Center at the University of Adelaide. He says carmakers have found it difficult to operate in Australia.

约翰·施珀尔（John Spoehr）是阿德莱德大学的澳大利亚职场、创新和社会研究中心的执行董事。他说，汽车制造商发现在澳大利亚经营困难。

"We now have one of the most competitive auto² markets in the world with at least sixty different models here. In addition, we had declining demand internationally as a consequence of the global financial crisis, and the rise of low-cost manufacturing in India, China and Thailand," said Spoehr. 

施珀尔：“澳大利亚现在至少有60种不同型号的汽车，是全球竞争最为激烈的汽车市场之一。此外，由于全球经济危机的影响，以及印度、中国和泰国低成本制造业的兴起，我们的国际需求持续下降。

The collapse⁶ of Australia's car industry has also raised concerns in the Australian parliament. The opposition⁷ has accused Prime Minister Tony Abbott of not doing enough to persuade Toyota not to close down its factories.

澳大利亚汽车制造业的崩盘还引发了公众对澳大利亚议会的关注。反对派指责澳大利亚总理托尼·阿博特（Tony Abbott）未能说服丰田不要关闭其工厂。

Mr Abbott has argued that he cannot be blamed for the industry's long-term decline, because he has been in office for only a few months. 

阿博特先生辩称，他不应当因该行业的长期衰退而受到指责，因为他上任才几个月。

Traditionally, Australia's car industry has received billions of dollars in government assistance. The government has asked its productivity commission to investigate public support for the automotive industry. The commission carries out research, and makes suggestions on economic, social and environmental issues.

按惯例，澳大利亚的汽车制造业已经获得数十亿美元的政府援助。政府已经要求其生产力委员会调查公众对汽车行业的支持。该委员会负责进行研究，并对经济、社会和环境问题提出建议。

The group has noted⁸ that big changes are taken place in Australia's car industry. It says the changes are affecting both industry employees and manufacturers of car parts. The commission is planning to give its final report to the government by the end of March.

该组织已经注意到澳大利亚的汽车行业发生了巨变。它说，这些变化同时影响着行业从业人员和汽车零部件制造商。该委员会计划在三月底向政府提交其最终报告。

1 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

2 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

3 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

6 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

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。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。