BEC中级阅读文章精选：新“丝绸之路”能否成功?

BEC中级商务英语文章阅读精选：新“丝绸之路”能否走向成功?（新“丝绸之路”的机遇和困境）

导读：新“丝绸之路”是在古丝绸之路概念基础上形成的一个新的经济发展区域。东边牵着亚太经济圈，西边系着发达的欧洲经济圈，被认为是“世界上最长、最具有发展潜力的经济大走廊”。

以下文章选自半岛电视台商业经济版块，本文针对中国义乌通往英国的载货列车运营情况进行了简单描述以及对新“丝绸之路”存在的优势作了对比。重点生词及实用短语已用蓝色高亮，希望能够对正在BEC备考的童鞋有所帮助。

On Wednesday of Jan 2017, a freight train arrived in Britain after an 18-day, 12,000km journey from China’s Zhejiang province.

Its backers hope it will be the first of many, heralding a modern-day revival of the fabled Silk Road trade route linking Europe and Asia.

The “East Wind” train line carried products worth nearly $5m on its maiden journey to Europe, including clothes, suitcases, purses and wallets – all loaded on to 34 wagons.

On the return journey, it will haul British machinery, Spanish hams and cheeses and German beer.

The term “Silk Road” evokes ancient images of merchants travelling in dusty caravans on journeys taking months.

The modern rail version offers companies the chance to move goods between the continents for about half the cost of air transportation – and, in two weeks, less travel time than that offered by the quickest sea route.

But there are logistical complications.

The containers have to be unloaded and placed on different wagons at various points along the trip, because of different track gauges in some of the countries the train crosses.

So, how effective will this new route be for trade?

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