VOA标准英语2010年-Fair Trade Campaign Kicks Off in Brita

Fair trade has become an increasingly important campaign in today's global market place.  Its focus is the rights of millions of workers in developing countries who earn low wages and face harsh working conditions to produce low cost products many of us use every day, including tea, coffee or even flowers. Britain has been sponsoring a number of events to highlight the fair trade issue in a two-week long campaign. 

If it's one thing most Britons cherish it's their cup of tea.  So it's not surprising that the "Fairtrade Fortnight" kicked off with a tea ceremony - where hundreds of women dressed as tea ladies, dancing and offering cups of fair trade tea at venues¹ across the country.

But, the campaign is more than tea dances - it seeks to offer farmers in developing countries a guaranteed premium² for their products over and above market prices.

Comfort Kumeah has come here from her native Ghana, where she works on a cocoa plantation³. She says until a few decades ago, cocoa growers had no choice but to sell their cocoa to the government at whatever price was offered.

"Farmers lives [were] miserable⁴ because the money they received was very little," she said.

As a result, 1,500 of these cocoa growers decided⁵ to form a co-operative, Kuapa Kokoo, that would sell its own cocoa. The co-operative has grown to include almost 45,000 Ghanaian workers who sell their cocoa to chocolate companies around the world who practice fair trade. And, they are now also the owners of one such company, Divine Chocolate.  Kumeah says that turned things around.

"We benefit much from it because we are fair trade certified⁶ and on top of the market price we are paid premium and with that premium our lives have really improved," she added.  "We've been able to build schools, we've been able to provide good drinking water, we've been able to provide good sanitation⁷ for our village communities."

In Britain, during this Fairtrade Fortnight, the humanitarian⁸ group, Oxfam is encouraging people to bring in their charity donations into Oxfam shops and they get a box of fair-trade tea in return.

Oxfam's Stuart Foukes explains how buying fair-trade products can make a difference.

"It enables people to use their powers as shoppers to actually support producers in the developing world in a real and practical and a very direct way and what it also means is that consumers can use their powers as shoppers to actually influence the way in which retailers⁹ and the way in which business goes about doing things," he noted¹⁰.

Foukes says almost any purchase could be a fair trade one - pillowcases, chocolates, tea, coffee, flowers or even wine, but he says the campaign must grow and spread further.

"What we would really like to see you know is a commitment that everyone involved in the production of a product from producers and supplier right through to manufacturers until it ends up on the shelf you know is paid a fair wage and is treated the way one would hope they would be," he added.

Foukes says too many workers around the world are still deprived of decent working conditions and decent wages and he says the fair trade movement could make a significant difference for them.

 

1 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

2 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

3 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

4 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

5 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。

6 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

7 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

8 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

9 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

10 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。