Paraphrasing (21st paragraph)

Text

The real costs of NAFTA and the WTO for workers, communities, and businesses were greatly underestimated in the debates over these agreements, and the promised benefits have failed to materialize. But the conclusion to be drawn is not that further trade liberalization should be stopped. There is no doubt that, in the long run, a system of both free trade and fair trade which ensures that all participants play by well-defined set of humane, market-based rules can maximize incomes for most, if not all, countries around the world. NAFTA and the WTO have failed to achieve these desirable outcomes because they were fatally flawed. Existing trade agreements should be repaired and rebuilt before moving ahead with another round of broad, new trade deals.

The main idea of the paragraph

In the debates over NAFTA and the WTO, costs were understated; besides, the promised benefits have not materialized. The point is that the agreements are fatally flawed. Therefore, the existing agreements should be repaired and rebuilt before moving ahead with another round of broad, new trade deals.

在有关北美自由贸易协定以及世贸组织的辩论中,美国方面所付出的成本被低估了,此外,原先所承诺的好处并没有实现。问题在于,这些协定有严重缺陷,因此,应该对现行的协定进行修订,然后再进行新的一轮的广泛的贸易谈判。

句子分析

There is no doubt that, in the long run, a system of both free trade and fair trade which ensures that all participants play by a well-defined set of humane, market-based rules can maximize incomes for most, if not all, countries around the world.

  在此句中:

  1)“There is no doubt”是主句;

  “that, in the long run … countries around the world”是同位语从句,说明名词“doubt”的内容,其中:

  ①“a system of both freer trade and fair trade … countries around the world”是主要部分;

  ②“which ensures that all participants play by a well-defined set of humane, market-based rules”是个限制性的定语从句,修饰名词“system”,其中的“that all participants play by a well-defined set of humane, market-based rules”是宾语从句,作“ensures”的宾语;

  ③“if not all”是个省略了的条件状语从句,如果补全则是:if a system of both freer trade and fair trade cannot maximize incomes for all countries around the world。

词语解释

1、free trade自由贸易

In international trade, free trade is an idealized market model, often stated as a political objective, wherein trade of goods and services between countries flows unhindered by government-imposed artificial costs.

2、fair trade 公平贸易

"Fair trade" is a term used by the trade justice movement to contrast with 'unfair' international trade practices, and sometimes, to contrast with free trade (unhindered trade).

The term "trade justice" emphasizes that even if the playing field were level, instead of tilted against developing countries, the poorest developing countries in particular would still struggle to gain from trade if forced to trade under free trade terms. This is because of their overwhelming lack of competitiveness - poor countries don't have huge stocks of exports waiting to be shipped to rich countries, instead most small farmers want to be able to sell their goods locally. So those calling for "trade justice" often also defend the right of developing country governments to follow protectionist trade policies. They believe that poor-country governments should have the right to choose their own trade policies to best promote food security and to protect the livelihoods of agricultural producers.

3、tax rebate/refund 退税

Refund of overpaid taxes from the government to the taxpayer. Refunds are due when the taxpayer has been overwithholding or has overestimated income or underestimated deductions, exemptions, and credits. Though taxpayers may like the fact that they are getting a tax refund, in fact they are granting the government an interest-free loan for most of the year, which is not astute Tax Planning.

A tax rebate from local, state, or federal governments may occur when unexpectedly large tax revenues create a budget surplus.

4、tax withholding (in the United States) 预扣税款

In the United States income tax system, employers are required to withhold a portion of each employee's income and pay it directly to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. This withholding acts as a prepayment of tax they will owe at the end of the year, as well as a direct payment of certain other taxes.

5、tax credit 税款减除额

Direct, dollar-for-dollar reduction in tax liability, as distinguished from a Tax Deduction (课税扣除数), which reduces taxes only by the percentage of a taxpayer's Tax Bracket (税档). (A taxpayer in the 33% tax bracket would get a 33-cent benefit from each $1 deduction, for example.) In the case of a tax credit, a taxpayer owing $10,000 in tax would owe $9,000 if he took advantage of a $1,000 tax credit.