2006年VOA标准英语-WTO Chief Pessimistic About Trade Talks Ta

By Lisa Bryant
Paris
23 May 2006

Pascal Lamy, gestures as he delivers a speech in Paris, Friday, May 20, 2005   
  
World Trade Organization head Pascal Lamy said he doubts trade minister who are meeting in Paris will make much headway in unblocking the stalled Doha round of trade liberalization talks.   Lamy spoke¹ in Paris at the annual Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development meeting.

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WTO chief Pascal Lamy said the hurdles² the trade ministers will have to overcome in reaching accord may be too high.

Negotiations³ around what is called the Doha trade round risk collapsing⁴ this year if ministers cannot reach agreement on a number of sticky issues, including agricultural subsidies⁵.

Mr. Lamy offered his own take on the lack of progress.

"The reason why its so difficult is because these negotiations  are aiming at a high level of ambition," Mr. Lamy says. "This round, as compared to previous rounds, has been structured in a way that it would bring deeper, larger and fairer results across the board - which is basically why its so difficult."

Lamy has called a number of countries, including Brazil, the United States and India, to make critical concessions⁶ to rescue the talks. 

At the OECD, Chile's Economy Minister Ingrid Antonijevic said developing countries, for one, were prepared to make sacrifices so the talks can succeed.

"We as developing countries cannot expect to have a round for free," Antonijevic says. "We are aiming at substantial changes in the way trade is conducted and this will necessarily involve some economic and political costs."

Earlier in the day, the OECD chief economist⁷ offered a mixed economic prognosis for industrialized countries.  While the U.S. economy is expected to grow three-point-six-percent in 2006, it risks overheating.

The OECD also predicts the 12 euro-zone countries of the European Union are heading for economic recovery.  But it cautions high oil prices, tax hikes and a possible rise in the euro also pose risks for European economic growth. 

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 hurdles   

n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛

参考例句：

• In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时，必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

5 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

7 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。