VOA慢速英語(yǔ):Map Shows Gold is Top Conflict Mineral in Eastern Congo

From VOA Learning English, this is the Economics Report.

這里是美國(guó)之音慢速英語(yǔ)經(jīng)濟(jì)報(bào)道。

Researchers have produced a new map of mining areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The map shows mines under the control of the Congolese army and armed groups. The study suggests that the top conflict mineral in the area is now gold.

研究人員制成了一幅新的剛果民主共和國(guó)礦區(qū)地圖。該地圖展示了剛果軍隊(duì)和武裝團(tuán)體控制下的礦山。這項(xiàng)研究表明，現(xiàn)在該地區(qū)沖突最嚴(yán)重的礦產(chǎn)是黃金。

A Belgian group, the International Peace Information Service (IPIS), carried out the study in partnership with the DRC registry of mines. The researchers found that armed groups were involved in about 200 of the 800 mines they studied, the Congolese army was involved at 265 mines. The researchers reported that both the military and the militias are taxing mine workers illegally.

來(lái)自比利時(shí)的國(guó)際和平信息中心(簡(jiǎn)稱IPIS)同剛果礦產(chǎn)登記處合作進(jìn)行了這項(xiàng)研究。研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，在他們研究的800家礦山中，武裝組織涉足了大約200家礦山，剛果軍隊(duì)涉足了265家礦山。研究人員報(bào)告稱，軍隊(duì)和民兵都對(duì)礦工非法課稅。

The International Peace Information Service carried out a similar survey in 2009. Filip Hilgert was the lead researcher. He told VOA the map they made 4 years ago is no longer correct. He said many of the miners are now digging for gold, and he said the armed groups are profiting much more from gold than from other conflict minerals, such as tin, tungsten and tantalum. These minerals are often called the "three T's."

國(guó)際和平信息中心于2009年進(jìn)行過(guò)一項(xiàng)類似調(diào)查。菲利普·希爾戈?duì)柼?Filip Hilgert)是首席研究員。他告訴美國(guó)之音，他們4年前制作的地圖不再準(zhǔn)確。他說(shuō)，許多礦工現(xiàn)在都在挖金礦，他還說(shuō)，武裝組織從黃金中牟取的暴利遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超出了其它沖突礦物，如錫，鎢和鉭。這些礦物通常被稱為“三大金屬礦產(chǎn)”(three T's)。

One reason for the change has been an increase in the price of gold. Another reason has been stronger international rules for mineral imports. The United States Congress passed legislation to fight the trade of conflict minerals. Mr Hilgert says such efforts have had a big effect on trade in the three T's, but it has not effected the gold trade.

引起這一變化的原因之一是黃金價(jià)格的上漲，另一個(gè)原因是國(guó)際上對(duì)礦產(chǎn)出口的規(guī)則更加嚴(yán)格。美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)通過(guò)立法打擊沖突礦產(chǎn)貿(mào)易。希爾戈?duì)柼乇硎?，這類措施對(duì)“三大金屬礦產(chǎn)”已經(jīng)產(chǎn)生了重大的影響，但它并未影響到黃金交易。

Judith Sargentini is a member of the European parliament. She has been campaigning for a European law on conflict minerals. She notes that gold like diamonds is easy to transport in small amounts, that explains why it is hard to know where it was mined.

朱迪思·薩庚蒂尼(Judith Sargentini)是歐洲議會(huì)議員。她一直爭(zhēng)取就沖突礦物出臺(tái)一項(xiàng)歐洲法律。她指出，黃金像鉆石一樣容易少量運(yùn)輸，這也就解釋了為何難以弄清它采掘自何處。

The German geological institute BGR (Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe) has collected minerals from hundreds of mines in Rwanda. The collections could be used to prove whether a sample of minerals came from a conflict area. But Judith Sargentini suggests that geophysical tests will not work. She say buyers need to know about their suppliers.

德國(guó)地質(zhì)研究機(jī)構(gòu)德國(guó)聯(lián)邦地球科學(xué)和自然資源研究所(BGR)已經(jīng)從盧旺達(dá)收集了數(shù)百種礦物，它們可以用于證實(shí)礦物樣本是否來(lái)自沖突地區(qū)。但薩庚蒂尼認(rèn)為地球物理測(cè)試起不到作用。她說(shuō)，買家需要了解他們的供應(yīng)商。

"You cannot solve every trade in a commodity by trying to find out what the geological background of a material is. It shows that you need, first of all, a due diligence supply chain, and second of all, initiatives that lead to fairtrade gold mining," said Sargentini.

薩庚蒂尼說(shuō)，“你沒(méi)法通過(guò)找出原材料的地質(zhì)背景來(lái)解決一種商品的所有貿(mào)易。這說(shuō)明你需要，首先，一條可靠的供應(yīng)鏈，其次，各種通向黃金公平貿(mào)易的倡議。”

Due diligence in this case means knowing and being about to trust your supplier.

這種情況下的Due diligence是指了解并信任你的供應(yīng)商。