新闻英语Unit 1 Economic Digest.pptVIP

Unit 1 Economic Digest Word bank follow sb.’s lead in doing sth. 紧随某人之后（做某事） US Department of Agriculture 美国农业部 come into contact with 有接触；有关系 brain-wasting disease 疯牛病【别称】 take further action 进一步采取措施 livestock feed 家畜饲料 tinned beef 灌装牛肉 live animal 活牲畜 grocery store shelf 杂货店货架 trade partner 贸易伙伴 take sound measures 采取合理的措施 lift the ban 取消禁令 Westerners Suffer from Mad Cow Fears The United States on Friday followed Canada’s lead in stopping, for the time being, imports of Brazilian beef and processed beef products as a precaution against mad cow disease. The US Department of Agriculture USDA said although there was no proof of mad cow disease in Brazil, it was concerned that certain Brazilian beef products may have come into contact with beef from Europe, which has been hit with an outbreak of the brain-wasting disease. “This decision is a temporary action,” USDA said in a statement. Further action would be taken if needed to keep the disease out of the United States, which has never had a case. Mad cow disease is believed to have spread from Britain to other countries when the bones and other remains of diseased cattle were used in livestock feed. Nearly 90 people in Britain, France and Ireland have died from mad cow disease. Canada is the leading exporter of beef to the US, with 345,069 tons shipped in 1999, according to the information from the USDA. Brazil shipped 50,376 tons of beef to the US in1999, up from 33,534 tons in 1998. Brazil’s government said tinned beef exports to the United States were worth around $5.5 million. Westerners Suffer from Mad Cow Fears Earlier Friday, Canada became the first NAFTA country to announce it was banning Brazilian beef products after receiving information that Brazil had imported live animals from Europe until 1999. Ottawa was stopping all imports of Brazilian tinned beef and would pull the products from grocery store shelves. Mexico, the other US trade partner under the North American Free Trade