U.S. House approves bill to normalize trade relations with Russia

U.S. House approves bill to normalize trade relations with Russia

 WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved a bill that would normalize trade relations with Russia for the first time since the end of the Soviet¹ Union, aiming to seize growing export opportunities from Russia's market.

With the measure passed in a vote of 365-43, the United States made an important step toward removing Cold War trade restrictions² and establishing permanent normal trade relations with Russia. Those trade restrictions against Russia were imposed in 1974 by the U.S. Congress.

Russia is one of very few countries that still do not have normal trade status with the United States. While Russia had joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), only countries that have permanent normal trade relations with it can take advantage of the lower trade barriers that come with WTO membership.

Recently, American businesses have been lobbying for the passage of the bill, which can prevent discrimination against American companies which want to enter Russian market, and lead to a doubling of U.S. exports to Russia.

The bill currently has been sent to the Senate, and the Democratic leadership has said it would consider it promptly³ despite differences between the House and the Senate.

1 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

2 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

3 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。