2006年VOA标准英语-UAE-based Company Gives Up Management Oper

By Deborah Tate
Capitol Hill
09 March 2006

A company based in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai Ports World, says it is transferring management operations at six U.S. ports to a U.S. entity¹. The surprise move comes in the wake of a congressional uproar² over the firm's acquisition of the ports.

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Senator John Warner, a Virginia Republican and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, read a statement from Dubai Ports World's chief operating officer, Edward Bilkey, about the company's decision.

"DP World has decided³ to transfer fully⁴ U.S. operations of P&O Ports North America to a United States entity," he said. "This decision is based on an understanding that DP World will have time to affect the transfer in an orderly fashion and that DP World will not suffer economic loss."

Cargo⁵ ship is unloaded at Maryland's port of Baltimore   
  
The company's decision came after the Republican-led House of Representatives and Senate signaled they were prepared to vote to block the deal on grounds of national security, despite threats from President Bush to veto any such measure.

But it is not clear how Dubai Ports World would manage the divestiture⁶, and lawmakers say they are waiting to learn the details.

"The devil is in the details," said Senator Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat⁷. "We have to make sure that all U.S. operations are totally removed from the United Arab Emirates and Dubai Ports World control."

But many Republicans say the announcement ends the controversy⁸ that distanced them from the White House this congressional election year.

"I think all the talk of the split between the Congress and the White House is over and done with," said Congressman⁹ Peter King, a New York Republican.

The strong congressional opposition¹⁰ to the ports deal had reflected similar opposition among the American public. The Senate's top Democrat, Senator Harry¹¹ Reid of Nevada - a landlocked state with no ports - said phones in his office at the Capitol and in his home state had been flooded with calls from concerned constituents¹².

1 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

2 uproar   

n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸

参考例句：

• She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。
• His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。

3 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。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

6 divestiture   

n.剥夺

参考例句：

• The court found divestiture to be necessary in preventing a monopoly.法庭发现在防止垄断方面进行资产剥离是必要的。
• Rapid progress was made in the divestiture of radio paging assets from the P & T sectors and the restructuring on a nationwide basis.全国邮电无线寻呼资产剥离、改制重组工作取得了较大进展。

7 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

8 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

9 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

11 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

12 constituents   

n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素

参考例句：

• She has the full support of her constituents. 她得到本区选民的全力支持。
• Hydrogen and oxygen are the constituents of water. 氢和氧是水的主要成分。 来自《简明英汉词典》