(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
US Tariffs Raise Fears of Trade War with American Allies
The United States says it will require tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Europe, Mexico and Canada.
U.S. officials announced the tariffs are a result of their failure to win trade concessions. Officials said the import taxes would take effect on Friday.
The announcement led to promises of action from major American allies, rising trade tensions and a drop in stock prices.
President Donald Trump had announced the tariffs in March. Trump said they were needed to protect the United States from unfair competition. But he delayed the measure to give time for negotiations.
The tariffs will be 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum.
Europe and Mexico reacted to the U.S. move with their own lists of tariffs on American products, raising fears of a trade war among allies.
Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, called the U.S. decision "protectionism, pure and simple."
Last March, the European Union prepared a list of possible tariffs on American goods, including orange juice, peanut butter, clothing, whiskey, boats and motorcycles.
Mexico said it would tax a number of U.S. imports, including pork bellies, apples, grapes, cheeses and flat steel.
In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the U.S. tariffs "totally unacceptable."
Trudeau said Canada supplied "aluminum and steel to the U.S. defense industry, putting aluminum in American planes and steel in American tanks." He promised to add Canadian tariffs on a number of American goods.
Brazil, Argentina and Australia have agreed to limit steel shipments to the U.S. to avoid tariffs. But import taxes remain on steel and aluminum imports from Japan.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross spoke to reporters on Thursday. He said that talks with Canada and Mexico over amending the North American Free Trade Agreement were "taking longer than we had hoped."
Speaking from a meeting in Paris, Ross noted that talks with Europe had "made some progress," but not enough for the U.S. He said, "We continue to be quite willing and indeed eager to have further discussions."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed opposition to the rising trade tensions before the U.S. announcement. She said the tariffs were in violation of the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
After the U.S. action, the European Union announced plans to bring its case against the U.S. tariffs to the WTO on Friday.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire criticized the tariffs. He said they "will only lead to the victory of those who want less growth, those who don't think we can develop our economies across the world."
Even some of Trump's supporters criticized the measures.
U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch said, "Tariffs on steel and aluminum imports are a tax hike on Americans." He added that it would hurt both workers and businesses. Like Trump, Hatch is a member of the Republican Party.
The groups Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce and Americans for Prosperity said the tariffs would hurt the nation's economy and low unemployment rates.
U.S. presidential spokesman Raj Shah told Fox News: "The president's actions are about protecting American steel, American aluminum. They're critical for national security."
I'm Jonathan Evans.
重点解析
1.unemployment rates 失业率
He drew attention to the rising unemployment rates.
他要人们注意逐渐上升的失业率。
2.national security 国家安全
He was not seen as a risk to national security.
人们不认为他是威胁国家安全的危险分子。
3.trade concessions 贸易让步
Brussels isn't likely to make the trade concessions anyway.
布鲁塞尔也是不会作出贸易让步的。
4.in violation of 违反
They blockaded the Suez Canal in violation of international agreement.
他们违反国际公约封锁了苏伊士运河。
5.Officials said the import taxes would take effect on Friday.
take effect 生效；起作用
International sanctions were beginning to take effect.
国际制裁开始起作用了。
The prescribed medicine failed to take effect.
医生开的那药没有效果。
6.They're critical for national security."
be critical for 对...至关重要
Effective communication is critical for success.
有效沟通对成功起着决定性作用。
The ability of the state to resolve such issues is critical for growth prospects.
印度政府解决此类问题的能力对该国经济增长前景至为关键。
参考译文
美“关税豁免”生变 盟国抱团反击
美国表示，将对从欧洲、墨西哥和加拿大进口的钢铁和铝征收关税。
美国官员宣布，这些关税是因为他们未获得贸易让步的结果。有官员表示，进口关税将于周五生效。
该声明导致美国主要盟国承诺将采取行动，这加剧了贸易紧张局势，导致股价下跌。
3月份，特朗普总统宣布了这些关税措施。特朗普声称，他们是为了保护美国免受不公平竞争的影响。但是他推迟了这项措施的谈判时间。
美国将对进口钢铁征收25%的关税，对铝材征收10%的关税。
欧洲和墨西哥对美国采取的行动作出回应——列出各自对美国产品的关税清单，这引发了盟国之间爆发贸易战的担忧。
欧盟委员会主席容克称，美国的举动是“纯粹而简单的贸易保护主义。”
3月份，欧盟准备了一份对美国商品可能征收关税的清单，其中包括橙汁、花生酱、服装、威士忌、船舶和摩托车。
墨西哥表示，将对一些美国产品征收关税，包括猪肚、苹果、葡萄、奶酪和扁钢。
加拿大总理特鲁多（Justin Trudeau）称，美国的关税“是完全不可接受的。”
特鲁多表示，加拿大向美国的国防工业提供铝和钢，铝用于制造美国飞机，钢用来制造美国坦克。他还承诺，将对一些美国产品加征关税。
巴西、阿根廷和澳大利亚同意，限制向美国出口钢铁来避免关税。但是从日本进口的钢铁和铝制品仍然面临着关税。
周四，美国商务部长罗斯对记者发表了讲话。他说，与加拿大和墨西哥就修改《北美自由贸易协定》的“谈判时间超过了我们的预期。”
罗斯在巴黎召开的会议上指出，虽然与欧洲的谈判“取得了一些进展”，但是对于美国来说还不够。他说：“我们仍然非常愿意并且渴望进行进一步的讨论。”
在美国宣布征收关税前，德国总理默克尔（Angela Merkel）对日益加剧的贸易紧张局势表示了反对。她说，这些关税违反了世贸组织（WTO）的规定。
在美国采取行动后，欧盟宣布计划于周五向世贸组织就美国的关税提出上诉。
法国财政部长勒梅尔（Bruno Le Maire）也指责了这些关税。他说，这些措施只会让那些希望经济增长放缓以及认为我们无法在全球发展经济的人得逞。
甚至特朗普的支持者们也批评了这些措施。
美国参议员奥林·哈奇（Orrin Hatch）表示：“对钢铁和铝征收关税其实是增加美国人民的赋税。”他补充说，这会对企业和员工造成伤害。与特朗普一样，哈奇也是共和党一员。
自由贸易伙伴商会以及“繁荣美国”等组织表示，这些关税将损害美国的经济和低失业率。
美国总统发言人拉吉·沙赫（Raj Shah）对福克斯新闻表示：“特朗普总统此举是为了保护美国的钢铁和铝，它们对国家安全至关重要。”
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译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
