2007年VOA标准英语-Unions, Safety Groups Oppose Mexican Trucks on

By Greg Flakus
Houston, Texas
27 February 2007

Last week, the Bush administration announced a plan to send U.S. inspectors¹ to check trucks in Mexico that would then be allowed to cross over the border and deliver loads anywhere in the United States. This would be a pilot program, but the eventual² goal is to open the border to more such traffic as called for by the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. The Teamsters Union and highway safety groups in the United States are among those opposing the plan. VOA's Greg Flakus has more from Houston.

Allowing Mexican trucks to travel across the border and to all parts of the United States sounds like a great idea to Sarah Sanchez. The interim³ executive director of San Antonio's Free Trade Alliance says her city, which sits a little over 200 kilometers from the border, would benefit greatly by becoming a logistical hub for U.S.-Mexico trade.

"We see this as vital to the growth of San Antonio as an inland port and the inland port is a development strategy that includes service and trade that flows through San Antonio and developing logistics-related industries," she said. "Once the border is open manufacturers in Mexico cities, such as San Luis Potosi, Mexico City, Monterrey and Saltillo are more likely to consider distribution activities in San Antonio."

But what might be good for San Antonio's business leaders may not be good for the rest of the country and could pose a threat to motorists on U.S. highways, according to the Teamsters Union. The president of that labor⁴ organization, which represents most U.S. truckers, Jim Hoffa, says the administration's plan amounts to a "game of Russian roulette on America's highways."

The Teamsters say Mexican trucks are not up to the standards of U.S. trucks and that Mexican drivers are often pushed by their employers to drive longer hours than is safe.

Speaking by telephone with VOA, Teamsters Union spokesman Galen Munroe stresses that the number of U.S. inspectors involved in the program is inadequate⁵ to the task.

"It is a real concern of ours from a safety standpoint and, frankly⁶, from a security standpoint," he said. "We do not know what is coming over these borders. They claim they are going to look at each truck and inspect each truck, but they try to do that now and they cannot even do ten percent of the trucks that come over the border."

But Sarah Sanchez says the pilot program includes an extensive inspection⁷ process carried out on every truck.

"Before the Mexican trucks can actually come into the United States, they will have to pass a 22-point inspection, safety audit⁸ in Mexico," she said. "The safety audit will be conducted by U.S. officials in Mexico before the trucks are even allowed to come into the United States."

She notes that Mexican trucks should have been allowed into the United States in the year 2000, under the terms of NAFTA, which was approved by both countries in 1993. She says that Canadian truckers have been traveling U.S. highways for years and that no one has complained about them.

Galen Munroe, however, counters that Canadian trucks operate under safety rules that meet or even exceed U.S. standards.

"We allow Canadian trucks over our borders because they meet those standards," he said. "In fact, their hours-of-service regulations are more stringent⁹ than ours. So, we know the Canadian trucks coming in are safe trucks, they have safe drivers, well-trained drivers. We are really not sure, we really cannot confirm that with Mexican drivers and Mexican trucking companies."

The program to allow Mexican trucks on U.S. highways has also drawn¹⁰ fire from the National Transportation Safety Board and some groups opposed to what they see as a border far too open already, both in terms of trade and such things as illegal immigration and drug smuggling¹¹.

One such group is Judicial¹² Watch, a conservative foundation that promotes government accountability. Judicial Watch Director of Investigations¹³ Chris Farrell says the free trade agreement should not allow any participating country to be exempt¹⁴ from safety standards.

"Since the agreement has been struck, it has been ratified¹⁵ and is the law of the land, then if we are going to operate under that law, which we must, then we need to do it in a fair and complete way," he said. "That cuts both ways. That cuts against the Mexicans, in the sense that their trucks have to meet the standards, but then it also cuts back against the United States, because if they do meet the standards, then we have to abide¹⁶ by the law. It is a two-way street."

The first Mexican trucks are expected to cross the border under the new pilot program in less than two months, but Congress is expected to hold hearings on the safety issues as early as next week.

1 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

3 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

6 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

7 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

8 audit   

v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听

参考例句：

• Each year they audit our accounts and certify them as being true and fair.他们每年对我们进行账务审核，以确保其真实无误。
• As usual,the yearly audit will take place in December.跟往常一样，年度审计将在十二月份进行。

9 stringent   

adj.严厉的；令人信服的；银根紧的

参考例句：

• Financiers are calling for a relaxation of these stringent measures.金融家呼吁对这些严厉的措施予以放宽。
• Some of the conditions in the contract are too stringent.合同中有几项条件太苛刻。

10 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

11 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

12 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

13 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

14 exempt   

adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者

参考例句：

• These goods are exempt from customs duties.这些货物免征关税。
• He is exempt from punishment about this thing.关于此事对他已免于处分。

15 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

16 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。