Egyptian officials are making plans to open a newly-expanded Suez Canal on August 6th. Officials say the "new" canal will be more than double the waterway's earnings over the next 10 years. But some experts say the project alone will not be able to turn around Egypt's economy.

埃及当局正计划于八月六日开放新建成的苏伊士运河。官方称新运河将会在接下来的十年水道收益翻倍。但是一些专家称仅凭这个工程不能扭转埃及经济局势。

Admiral Mohab Mohamed Hussien Mameesh heads the Suez Canal Authority.

Mohab Mohamed Hussien Mameesh上将管理苏伊士运河部门。

He says the project will cut in half the amount of time it takes to travel through the Suez Canal. He says this time savings will lower costs for shippers.

他说这项工程将会将通过苏伊士运河的时间减半。他说缩减时间将会降低船夫的成本。

The expansion of the current canal means two ships will be able to sail by each other. Now, there is only enough room for one ship to pass through the waterway.

运河扩张意味着可以同时两条船在运河航行。现在仅有一条船道的空间用来流通。

The Suez Canal connects Europe and Asia. The canal earned $5.5 billion in income for Egypt last year.

苏伊士运河连接着欧洲和亚洲地区。每年该运河都会给埃及带来55亿美元收入。

Admiral Mameesh says less than 10 years from now, the expanded canal will earn $13 billion a year.

Mameesh上将说从现在开始十年内，运河扩张每年将会收益130亿美元。

Professor Andrew Lambert teaches naval history at King's College in London. He says the success of the canal will depend largely on the health of the world's shipping industry. He says that is something Egypt cannot control. And he says even if the expanded canal is successful, he does not think it will improve the lives of average Egyptians. People in Egypt are facing rising poverty rates and prices. The economy is slowly recovering from recent financial and political unrest.

Andrew Lambert教授在伦敦国王学院任教。他说运河成功扩张将在很大程度上依赖全球航运业的健康状况。他说这是埃及无法控制的。他还说，即使运河扩张成功他也不认为会改善埃及人民的平均生活水平。埃及人民政面临着贫困率和物价的上升局面。埃及经济发展正在从现在的经济和政治动荡中缓慢恢复中。

"Egypt is a large, complex country with a very big population. It is highly unlikely it is going to be able to live off the kinds of incomes it will get -- even from two canals. The costs of governing Egypt are very large. It has major debt problems."

埃及是一个有着巨大人口和土地面积的复杂国家。它不大可能依靠这些收入为生，哪怕有两条运河的收入。管理埃及的费用非常巨大。埃及也存在着严重的债务问题。

But officials say the economy is growing. And they say the canal is just one project that will both increase foreign investment in Egypt and create income for the country.

但是官方称其经济正在发展总。并说运河仅仅是其增加国外对埃及投资的其中一项工程，并且会给国家带来收入。

I'm Jim Tedder.

VOA's Heather Murdock reported this story from Ismailia, Egypt. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

canal – n. a waterway that is designed so boats can pass through it

income – n. earnings; money that is earned from work, business or investments

complex – adj. of or having many parts that are difficult to understand; not simple.

Egyptian officials are making plans to open a newly-expanded Suez Canal on August 6th. Officials say the "new" canal will be more than double the waterway's earnings over the next 10 years. But some experts say the project alone will not be able to turn around Egypt's economy.

Admiral Mohab Mohamed Hussien Mameesh heads the Suez Canal Authority.

He says the project will cut in half the amount of time it takes to travel through the Suez Canal. He says this time savings will lower costs for shippers.

The expansion of the current canal means two ships will be able to sail by each other. Now, there is only enough room for one ship to pass through the waterway.

The Suez Canal connects Europe and Asia. The canal earned $5.5 billion in income for Egypt last year.

Admiral Mameesh says less than 10 years from now, the expanded canal will earn $13 billion a year.

Professor Andrew Lambert teaches naval history at King's College in London. He says the success of the canal will depend largely on the health of the world's shipping industry. He says that is something Egypt cannot control. And he says even if the expanded canal is successful, he does not think it will improve the lives of average Egyptians. People in Egypt are facing rising poverty rates and prices. The economy is slowly recovering from recent financial and political unrest.

"Egypt is a large, complex country with a very big population. It is highly unlikely it is going to be able to live off the kinds of incomes it will get -- even from two canals. The costs of governing Egypt are very large. It has major debt problems."

But officials say the economy is growing. And they say the canal is just one project that will both increase foreign investment in Egypt and create income for the country.

I'm Jim Tedder.

VOA's Heather Murdock reported this story from Ismailia, Egypt. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

canal – n. a waterway that is designed so boats can pass through it

income – n. earnings; money that is earned from work, business or investments

complex – adj. of or having many parts that are difficult to understand; not simple.