VOA标准英语2009年-Palestinian Farmers in Olive Oil Boom

By Luis Ramirez
Berqin, West Bank
03 November 2009

As Israel's army removes more checkpoints in the occupied West Bank, many Palestinians are experiencing an economic boom. Some of that growth has come from the production of olives, a staple¹ in the region since ancient times. Many think olive oil exports from the West Bank could be a foundation for the economy of a future Palestinian state. Some entrepreneurs in the northern West Bank village of Berqin are discovering a new kind of oil wealth.

 
Mahmoud Samara picking olives
Money does grow on trees for Mahmoud Samara and his clan². The family is harvesting olives, like it has done for centuries.

But now, he says, things are better than ever. "The prices started at the equivalent of under three dollars and has reached up to nearly seven dollars per kilo. So, incomes for us farmers have become much better than before," he said.

Samara belongs to a cooperative that has raised farmers' earnings³ by eliminating middlemen. It sells directly to a local company called Canaan Fair Trade.

This year, the firm has exported $4 million in high-quality Palestinian olive oil and other gourmet⁴ products sold at high-end grocery stores in Europe and the U.S.

Canaan Fair Trade's founder⁵, Nasser Abu Farha, a U.S.-educated anthropologist⁶, says the venture has helped the economy and image of his people. "Aside from the dollar value that's coming back to the Palestinian economy, it also opens the doors for Palestinian products. It opens a new light [on] how the world sees Palestine and Palestinians, that they see it through the production of excellent products on their shelves," he said.

Israel's removal of checkpoints across much of the occupied West Bank is facilitating this change.

The cooperative's products have easier access to Israeli ports.

Palestinian leaders hope ventures like Canaan Fair Trade will ease their dependence⁷ on billions of dollars in foreign aid.

 
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad told VOA that Israel's removal of checkpoints has been helpful. "More easing and a lot of faster is absolutely necessary if this economic revival⁸ is to be sustained and is to become sustainable, because it is neither feasible nor desirable for us to continue to rely on such large amounts of foreign assistance. It's not part of the vision we have for the future state of Palestine," he said.

With his greater earnings, Samara was able to build a new house. He plans to buy a car next year. For him, the bounty⁹ of his olive trees is gold from the heavens, and hope for the future.

1 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

2 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

3 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

4 gourmet   

n.食物品尝家；adj.出于美食家之手的

参考例句：

• What does a gourmet writer do? 美食评论家做什么？
• A gourmet like him always eats in expensive restaurants.像他这样的美食家总是到豪华的餐馆用餐。

5 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

6 anthropologist   

n.人类学家，人类学者

参考例句：

• The lecturer is an anthropologist.这位讲师是人类学家。
• The anthropologist unearthed the skull of an ancient human at the site.人类学家在这个遗址挖掘出那块古人类的颅骨。

7 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

8 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

9 bounty   

n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与

参考例句：

• He is famous for his bounty to the poor.他因对穷人慷慨相助而出名。
• We received a bounty from the government.我们收到政府给予的一笔补助金。