2006年VOA标准英语-Painful Cost-Cutting, Layoffs Underway in

By Barry Wood and Crystal Park
Washington, DC
06 February 2006
 
watch Auto¹ Industry report

The U.S.-based auto industry is in crisis. Groaning² under the weight of billions of dollars of financial losses, collapsing³ stock prices and unrelenting erosion of market share to foreign competitors, Detroit-based Ford⁴ and General Motors are fighting for their lives. VOA's Barry Wood reports on the turmoil⁵ rippling⁶ through the heartland of American industry.

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Auto industry leaders said recently:

Steve Miller⁷, Delphi CEO
"Today we are paying double, triple or more for hourly labor⁸ compared to what prevails in the marketplace."

Rick Wagoner, GM Chairman
"We expect to reduce our manufacturing employment in the United States by 25,000."

Bill Ford, Ford Motor Co. Chairman
"These cuts are a painful last resort." 

Auto industry turmoil - plant worker  
  
It's been a terrible year for American car companies. The jobs of 100,000 workers are at risk. Delphi, the world's biggest parts manufacturer, declared bankruptcy⁹ saying it can no longer finance pensions and health care. Chief executive officer Steve Miller:

"Philosophers can speculate about fairness. I have to deal with reality."

Job losses and wage cuts have devastating¹⁰ effects for workers.

One employee says she regrets the industry actions. "I would really hate to see this job go. I mean, because it's gonna hurt."

Peter Morici  
  
Peter Morici, a business professor at the University of Maryland, blames the car companies and the United Auto Workers Union, the UAW.  Ford and GM, he says, built cars consumers didn't want while the union demanded too much.

"UAW workers have not been educated about how out of line their pay and benefits are relative to competitive global realities, or even the competitive realities of dealing¹¹ with Toyota and Nissan in places like Kentucky."

The foreign car makers¹² -- with a big cost advantage and popular products-- are expanding  non-unionized U.S. plants, mainly in the south. 

 
Anne Stevens 
  
Anne Stevens, chief of Ford North America, says new fuel efficient vehicles will save Ford. "I don't think we're late with hybrids¹⁴. We brought out the first full American hybrid¹³. We brought out the first SUV hybrid."

Peter Morici is skeptical¹⁵, "Longer term, if they don't accomplish the kind of changes that are necessary they will continue to lose market share, run out of cash and eventually go through Chapter 11 [bankruptcy]."

Economist¹⁶ Rob Scott of Washington's Economic Policy Institute says Ford and GM -- like some airlines -- could use bankruptcy to cut wages and reduce costs. "This is the new model of how companies restructure in a globally competitive economy."

 
Rob Scott 
  
Mr. Scott says the industry may need a government bailout [financial rescue].  And he says unless it safeguards its industrial base America could go the way of 19th century Britain. "They had the highest standard of living in the world. But what happened is that that power dissipated. The costs of empire drained the coffers of the British system.  They refused to invest. They moved their factories abroad."

U.S. industry, says Mr. Scott, stands at the precipice¹⁷.

1 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。

2 groaning   

adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• She's always groaning on about how much she has to do. 她总抱怨自己干很多活儿。
• The wounded man lay there groaning, with no one to help him. 受伤者躺在那里呻吟着，无人救助。

3 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

4 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。

5 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

6 rippling   

起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的

参考例句：

• I could see the dawn breeze rippling the shining water. 我能看见黎明的微风在波光粼粼的水面上吹出道道涟漪。
• The pool rippling was caused by the waving of the reeds. 池塘里的潺潺声是芦苇摇动时引起的。

7 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

8 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。

9 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

10 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

11 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

12 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

14 hybrids   

n.杂交生成的生物体( hybrid的名词复数 )；杂交植物（或动物）；杂种；（不同事物的）混合物

参考例句：

• All these brightly coloured hybrids are so lovely in the garden. 花园里所有这些色彩鲜艳的杂交花真美丽。 来自辞典例句
• The notion that interspecific hybrids are rare is ill-founded. 有一种看法认为种间杂种是罕见的，这种看法是无根据的。 来自辞典例句

15 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

16 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

17 precipice   

n.悬崖，危急的处境

参考例句：

• The hut hung half over the edge of the precipice.那间小屋有一半悬在峭壁边上。
• A slight carelessness on this precipice could cost a man his life.在这悬崖上稍一疏忽就会使人丧生。