新概念英语4册第8课

Tranding Standards

chickens slaughtered in the United States, claim officals in Brussels, are not fit to grace European tables. No, say the Americans: our fowl are fine, we simply clean them in the different way. These days, it is differences in national regulations, far more than tariffs, that put sand in the wheels of trade between rich countries. It is not just farmers who are complaining. An electric razor that meets the European Union`s safety standards must be approved by American testers before it can be sold in the United States, and an American-made dialysis machine needs the EU`s okey before it hits the market in Europe.

As it happens, a razor that is safe in Europe is unlikely to electroute Americans. So, ask bussinesses on both sides of the Atlantic, why have two lots of tests where one would do? Politicians agree, in principle, so America and the EU have been trying to reach a deal which would eliminate the need to double-test many products. They hope to finish in time for a trade summit between America and EU on May 28th. Although negotiators are optimistic, the details are complex enough that they may be hard-pressed to get a deal at all.

Why? One difficulty is to construct the agreements. The Americans would happily reach one accord on standards for medical devices and then hammer out different pacts covering, say, electronic goods and drug manufaturing. The EU-following fine continental traditions -- wants agreement on general principles, which could be applied to many types of products and have extended to other countries.

布鲁塞尔的政府官员认为，在美国屠宰的鸡不适合欧洲精致典雅的餐桌。而美国人却不这样认为。“我们的家禽是优良的，我们用另一种方法进行简单的清洁”。这些天，不同国家标准的争论已经妨碍了富有国家间的交易，这远远大于关税（的影响）。抱怨的不仅仅是农民。符合欧盟安全标准的电动剃刀在美国销售之前，必须接受美国的检验。而美国制造的透析仪器在欧洲销售前必须得到欧盟的认可。

而事实是，在欧洲安全的剃刀不会也使美国人触电。所以，大西洋两岸的商业活动都在询问，为什么一件商品要做两倍的测试？因此，政治家们原则上同意了美国和欧盟应就避免产品进行两次的重复测试达成一致。他们希望两者能在五月28日贸易高峰到来时完成。尽管谈判代表很乐观，但细节相当复杂以至于他们根本是被逼着达成交易。

为什么？其中一个难题是达成一致协定。美国人希望达成一个有关医疗器械的协议，并详细设计使其包括电子产品，药品制造等等。而欧盟传统的做法是希望达成一个可以应用到许多产品并延伸到其他国家的综合标准。