您现在的位置是:首页 > 英语听力 > VOA英语听力下载|VOA news > voa标准英语|美国之音常速英语下载|在线收听
正文
VOA常速英语:New Gold Rush in Australia Boosts Global Supply
2009-09-20来源:和谐英语
音频下载[点击右键另存为]
Australia is poised to overtake South Africa and the U.S. as the world's second-largest producer of gold as new mines boost output to meet a sharp rise in international demand. A giant facility south of Perth near the town of Boddington is leading the charge. Production has just started at what will be Australia's biggest gold mine that aims for an output of a million ounces a year.
After recent falls, Australia's gold output has bounced back and is worth about $7 billion annually.
The new gold rush has been boosted by production at the open cast Boddington mine in Western Australia that's owned by American resources company, Newmont.
Spokeswoman Annette Dix says the project has lofty ambitions.
"For the first five years, we will be the biggest goldmine in Australia. Eventually, it will be the size of the Perth CBD," she said.
Since the decision to develop the site near Perth was made in the late 1990s, the gold price has tripled. The facility expects to produce about $1.4 billion of the precious metal each year.
The development has transformed Boddington from a small community with a dozen shops into a prosperous hub of activity that's attracted 4,000 mine workers.
Gary Sherry from the local council is looking forward to the good times.
"Certainly we're a boom town, but I don't see a bust for Boddington. While things will calm down once the construction of the gold mine is finished, there'll be continued growth over 20 years as the mine slowly develop their resource, and that is 20 years of growth for our town," he said.
Prices for gold are approaching $1,000 an ounce and international investors, especially those in China, are taking a keen interest in the trade.
China remains the world's largest producer of gold. Analysts have predicted that increases to Australia's output could see it overtake the United States and South Africa as the second most important source of a precious commodity that shows few signs of going out of fashion.
相关文章
- VOA常速英语:日增20万确诊病例,印度疫情失控
- VOA常速英语:美国驱逐10名俄罗斯外交官
- VOA常速英语:US Marks One Year of Pandemic Shutdown with Hope, Concern
- VOA常速英语:US Senate Nears Vote on $1.9 Trillion Biden COVID Aid Package
- VOA常速英语:What Is Clubhouse and Why Did It Get So Popular?
- VOA常速英语:Thermal Water Helps Recovering COVID Patients
- VOA常速英语:Deadly Drug Overdoses Epidemic Rages On
- VOA常速英语:International Women’s Day Marks Year of Increased Hardships for Women Worldwide
- VOA常速英语:US States Relax Restrictions, Health Officials Warn Against It
- VOA常速英语:Virginia Starts Reopening Schools for In-Person Learning