【659-660】Political Crisis Hurting Sri Lankan Tourism Industry
1): 邀你加入->【漂泊者乐园-英语学习群】
【每日一歌】
32 爱你无语 More Than I Can Say
歌曲选自《最适合学习英语的英文歌曲80首》
提示：关注漂泊者乐园微信公众号公众号后， 回复 d2 可收听查看所有《As It Is 》文章。
《As It Is 》栏目在本号自2018年4月初开始全马力运行，已经推文 639篇，每日仍在不断增加中。
亲爱的朋友，如果您能能坚持跟着本号听读，相信不用多久，您的英语听力一定会有极大的提高！
漂泊者乐园微信公众号在线英语学习资料
美国之音特别英语节目：慢速英语听力
学英语的朋友，想提高听力的话，请听下面的音频。
有问题可在【漂泊者乐园-英语学习群】里一起交流，谢谢！
本音频包含不同内容的文章，对应的文本依次附在其后。
*【659】
AS IT IS
Political Crisis Hurting Sri Lankan Tourism Industry
December 09, 2018
Tourists leave the Independence Square after a visit in Colombo, Sri Lanka December 5, 2018. Picture taken December 5, 2018. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte
The month of December usually marks the beginning of tourism season in Sri Lanka. Visitors come to the Indian Ocean island nation to enjoy its beaches, historic places, interesting nature and tasty food.
Tourism represents about 5 percent of the country’s $87-billion economy.
But Sri Lanka’s current political environment is keeping visitors away. Observers are worried about the possible economic effects.
In late October, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena dismissed the country’s prime minister and appointed a new government. The move came as a surprise.
Mahinda Rajapaksa, who replaced Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister, lacks a parliamentary majority. A Sri Lankan court has prevented Rajapaksa from taking power. Violence has broken out in parliament and the 2019 national budget has been delayed.
High season for travelers to Sri Lanka usually runs from December to March. Most visitors come from Europe, India and China. But many trips are being canceled, especially among Europeans. The Reuters news agency received that information from someone at the national Sri Lankan airlines. The person asked not to be identified.
The person told Reuters that, “The crisis started just when tourists take a decision where to go...It has discouraged many of them.”
Chandra Mohotti is manager of the high-end Galle Face Hotel in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo. She said that 20 percent of planned visits to the area have been canceled. She said that normally, the 200-room hotel would be filled at this time of year. But instead, the hotel has been forced to offer low-cost rates to appeal to tourists.
The crisis has also affected business travel. Sanath Ukwatte, president of the Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, said some companies have chosen to move their planned events to Singapore, Indonesia and other places in Southeast Asia.
Harith Perera is president of the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators. He said if the current situation continues, the economic effects “will be significant.”
More than 2.1 million people visited Sri Lanka in 2017, tourism officials say.
I’m Ashley Thompson.
The Reuters news agency reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
tourism - n. the activity of traveling to a place for pleasure
discourage - v. to make (someone) less determined, hopeful, or confident
manager - n. someone who is in charge of a business, department, etc.
significant - adj. large enough to be noticed or have an effect
【660】
AS IT IS
Tariffs Could Hurt US Beer Industry
December 09, 2018
Dan Katt opened his beer company, Good City Brewing, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2016.
At the time, it was a presidential election year. He did not think about the possibility of a trade dispute between President Donald Trump’s administration and China.
“I don’t think we even contemplated that that administration would exist,” he told VOA.
He also did not consider that his decision to put the alcoholic drink in cans instead of bottles would make his business success more difficult.
“We always planned to can our products. I don’t think we necessarily expected to have probably our single, biggest expense –packaging materials—be directly impacted by tariffs.”
Katt’s cans are made of the metal aluminum. He says much of his supply comes from China which faces a 10 percent tariff on aluminum products.
Katt said his company usually buys 215,000 cans at a time. He said he expects to pay higher prices for cans the next time he has to order them.
The Trump administration placed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum to help U.S. producers of those metals and to protect jobs in those industries. The tariffs are starting to effect many parts of the U.S. economy. That includes the growing craftbeer industry because it uses aluminum for its cans.
President Trump says the tariffs are working. He has called China’s trade actions “abusive.” However, he told a large group of supporters recently that China “wants to make a deal.”
A U.S. Treasury Department report supports the president’s claims. It shows that government income from tariffs this year has increased 30 percent over last year.
Brian Kuehl is the executive director of Farmers for Free Trade, a group that opposes tariffs. He disagrees with the president.
"Tariffs are taxes on American citizens. When we put tariffs on steel and aluminum, it drives up the cost of steel and aluminum in the United States,” he said.
Farmers for Free Trade has its eyes on the future of trade and is not concerned with who the president is, Kuehl said.
The group has launched a nationwide “Tariffs Hurt the Heartland” campaign. It includes an $800,000 advertising campaign. The group is holding public events across the country to talk about the economic problems caused by tariffs.
At an event in Wisconsin, Dan Katt represented one of several businesses hurt by the tariffs on Chinese products.
“We don’t think that the current trade war with China is going in the right direction,” Kuehl said.
“We think it's increasing costs for U.S. manufacturers, it’s increasing costs for U.S. farmers, and it's decreasing export(s)…We’re causing long-term damage to American agriculture and our ability to compete in foreign markets,” he added.
Good City Brewing is one of about 75 beer-making companies now in Wisconsin, a state with a long history of beer production.
Katt said his company will continue to grow, with or without the tariffs. He hopes the U.S. and China can reach an agreement on trade before he must pass on the increased costs to the buyers of his product.
I’m Susan Shand.
VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter Jr. was the editor.
__________________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
beer – n. an alcoholic drink made from malt and flavored with hops
contemplate – v. to think deeply or carefully about (something)
expense – n. the cost of something
packaging –n. material used to enclose or contain something
tariff – n. a tax on goods coming into or leaving a country
craft – adj. an activity that involves making something in a skillful way by using your hands
您好！既然漂到这里，就顺便把本文转到朋友圈吧！