听力文本

From VOA Learning English, this is the Economics Report.

Western governments want to cut links between the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and the area's mineral exports. Both the United States and the European Union have acted to tight control of minerals imports to avoid fueling the conflict in eastern Congo.

The United States Congress passed the Dodd Frank Act in 2010. The law deals mainly with financial rules, but it also includes a special requirement for America listed companies. It says buyers of tin, tantalum, tungsten or gold need to show they have not supported conflict in Africa's Great Lakes area.

Now, the European Union is also writing a bill to prevent deals that help provide armies in the eastern Congo.

A delegation from the European parliament has been visiting Rwanda, Burundi and the Congo to see how the proposed law would affect those countries.

Judith Sargentini is leading the delegation. She says the aim of the European law is to help break the link between the minerals trade and armed conflict.

She suggests the law will require EU companies buying minerals to prove they were mined without supporting the conflict in the Congo.

"We cannot just have the U.S. work on this issue, while we are the big trading countries with Africa, and ignore this. It will influence European companies that want to trade on the U.S. market, but besides that, more importantly, Europe has a responsibility to watch a lot of countries that are actually even former colonies," says Sargentini.

She says the bill is not a reaction to an increase in Chinese imports of these minerals by companies that are not concerned about the Dodd Frank Act.

"But I would say that European communication on trade and raw materials of course is completely influenced by the fear that Europe has, that China will buy out everything, and we don't have anything in thte future any more," says Sargentini.

Judith Sargentini says the American law reduced trade and jobs. She notes that the proposed law will not stop imports from eastern Congo. She says some imports will continue, even if the minerals were mined under what she called "bad circumstances."

Critics say the Dodd Frank Act stopped trade and led to the illegal transport of minerals through nearby countries. Ms Sargentini agrees, but says the planed law should have a different effect.

She says the EU trade commissioner wants to increase trade with the Congo. She says the law will reward businesses that makes Africa to trade minerals fairly and openly.

Some Congolese experts say they think the Dodd Frank Act has helped to cut the flow of money to militia leaders.

In eastern Congo, workers at the Enough Project say people have changed behaviors because of it. But the conflict minerals part of the law has yet to be enforced.

And that's the Economics Report from VOA Learning English, I'm Mario Ritter.

参考译文

美国之音慢速学英语节目，这里是经济报道nNhlAG,mUaLZ~Gw8。

西方政府希望切断刚果民主共和国东部冲突与该地区矿产出口之间的联系AZ2qKwOuW@e。美国和欧盟都已采取措施加紧对矿产进口的控制，以免加剧刚果东部的冲突1&M,bh2-L=%7+tgTibWO。

2010年，美国国会通过了多德弗兰克法案(Dodd-Frank Act)Q76q|v3%cdgZby.2r。该法案主要涉及金融法规，但是也对美国注册公司提出了特殊的要求iA]kl+QOgQd。该法案规定，锡，钽，钨或金等金属的购买者需要表明他们没有支持非洲大湖地区的冲突U2JugV0^osF。

现在，欧盟也正在制定法案，防止为刚果东部军队提供帮助的交易DNV#J@8k~1vdY。

欧洲议会代表团正在访问卢旺达，布隆迪和刚果，看该议案会对这些国家产生什么影响pQQ4,9uS-#gLL7_q8hPl。

Judith Sargentini是该代表团团长Izz*M36knFc1JvJtI。她表示，欧盟这部法律的目的是帮助打破矿产交易与武装冲突之间的联系r2;KVpEcb|)F。

她解释说，这部法律将会要求购买矿产的欧盟公司证明他们的购买行为没有支持刚果冲突xP]qV7JsNI0fe。

“我们不能只让美国面对这一问题，而我们作为非洲贸易大户却忽视这一点^mtFg8#9%XKI*。这会影响希望在美国市场进行交易的欧洲公司+94tTh@kIm(B*,S5。但是除此之外，更重要的是，欧洲有责任观察实际上曾经是殖民地的国家Jvbrh.z59G。”

她表示，一些中国公司不顾多德弗兰克法案的规定，增加矿产进口，该法案不是对此做出的回应_*r_MreYALBy。

“但是我要说，欧洲贸易和矿产领域完全会受到影响，他们会担忧中国买光一切，我们将来什么也买不到yI+S#YeJFG。”

Judith Sargentini表示，这部美国法律导致贸易额和就业岗位的减少]5UkuHlVah。她指出，该提议的法律不会停止从刚果东部进口矿产WtS)%,g!xTufe1v。她表示，一些进口会继续，即使这些矿产是在她所说的“非常糟糕的环境”下开采出来的tH9W!;J-*6MSGrM。

批评家表示，多德弗兰克法案限制了贸易，导致这些矿产通过邻国非法运输3v*b#%UdiTUAJ0kO*。Sargentini赞同这一点，但是她表示，该计划中的法律会产生不同的效果_F.Xw]-obv=_6|n。

她表示，欧盟贸易专员希望增加与刚果之间的贸易n2*@#Ln4J.nG8om)。该法案将奖励使得非洲矿产贸易更公平公开的公司zpPzpO=X9hH。

一些刚果专家表示，他们认为多德弗兰克法案已经削减了流向好战组织头目的资金Tq!4L11BEwM%GI1YlTT!。

在刚果东部，矿产贸易组织Enough Project表示，由于该法案，人们的行为已经有所改变jATxxXEJw0。但是该法律的冲突矿产部分还有待实施]ww^+i(Z_#_,ZtU。

以上就是今天的美国之音慢速学英语经济报道，我是Mario Ritter@G(l7dfl;k9n。

点击此处下载本期VOA慢速新闻讲解PDF与音频字幕

词汇学习

1.fuel v. 刺激

The result will inevitably fuel speculation about the Prime Minister's future...
这一结果将不可避免地加剧人们对首相未来的揣测H_H0cZ1du2_u0si。

2.reward vt. 酬谢，奖赏

Make the extra effort to impress the buyer and you will be rewarded with a quicker sale.
多用心去打动顾客，货物就会更快售出V+LTQ9&4weHnDqO。

3.enforce vt. 强迫服从；实施，执行

It's the job of the police to enforce the law.
警察的工作就是执法EyNzR-PCgzq=t5tA。

内容解析

1.The law deals mainly with financial rules, but it also includes a special requirement for America listed companies.

deal with 论述;讨论;涉及

...the parts of his book which deal with contemporary Paris.
他的书中涉及当代巴黎的那些部分

2.A delegation from the European parliament has been visiting Rwanda, Burundi and the Congo to see how the proposed law would affect those countries.

has been visiting现在完成进行时

现在完成进行时的结构是have/has been doing sth,表示
（1）从过去一直持续到现在的动作或刚刚结束的动作；
（2）从过去到现在的重复性动作
例句:I've been writing letters all the morning.
我写了一上午信sjjq(tTe2-h%zN。 （动作不再继续）
Have you been waiting long for me?
你等我很久了吗？ （动作不再继续）
What have you been doing all the time?
你一直都在干什么来着？（动作可能继续下去）
The old lady's been telling the story for ten years.
这个故事老太太已经讲了十年了bzRyt!t4vrJk1=*Gt]。 （动作可能继续下去）

3.We cannot just have the U.S. work on this issue, while we are the big trading countries with Africa, and ignore this.

have sb do,have sb done,have sb doing的区别：

①have sb．／sth．do sth．与have sb．／sth．doing sth．两者都是宾语发出的主动动作thvrUOJ90xj5_f1V。前者指 “使某人／物做某事（指一次性的具体

的动作）”；后者指“使某人／物一直处于某种状态”，常接一段时间作状语b+J9Gkox[Y^I。②have sth．done这一结构中的宾语与宾补动词是被动关系!rywV=#Z;^[。

③have sth． to do这一结构中的have意为“有”，即“有某事要做”rA!kF;Bn@i]7|y7k+8。解题时要注意这四个结构的形式变化，如对宾语提问、被动结构等qDessN1@FU4|.9。