Unit 1 International Organizations
Part I Lead-in
1. Watch the following video clip and answer the questions.
World Trade Organization
Words and Expressions
(1) bulk /b?lk/ n. the main part of sth.; most of sth. 主体;大部分 (TEM-8, CET-4)
(2) ratify /‘r?t?fa?/ v. to make an agreement officially valid by voting for or signing it 正式批准;使正式生效 (CET-6)
(3) parliament /’p??l?m?nt/ n. the group of people who are elected to make and change the laws of a country 议会;国会 (TEM-4, CET-4)
(4) tariff /t?r?f/ n. a tax that a government collects on goods coming into a country(政府对进口货物征收的)关税 (TEM-4, CET-6)
Notes
(1) GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade): The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is a legal agreement between many countries, whose overall purpose was to promote international trade by reducing or eliminating trade barriers such as tariffs or quotas. According to its preamble, its purpose was the “substantial reduction of tariffs and other trade barriers and the elimination of preferences, on a reciprocal and mutually advantageous basis.” It was signed by 23 nations in Geneva on October 30, 1947, and was applied on a provisional basis on January 1, 1948. The WTO is the successor to the GATT. 关税及贸易总协定是一个政府间缔结的有关关税和贸易规则的多边国际协定,简称关贸总协定。它的宗旨是通过削减关税和其他贸易壁垒,消除国际贸易中的差别待遇,促进国际贸易自由,以充分利用世界资源,扩大商品的生产与流通。关贸总协定于 1947 年 10 月 30 日在日内瓦签订,并于 1948 年 1 月 1 日开始临时适用。关贸总协定是世界贸易组织(WTO)的前身。
Questions
(1) What is WTO?
(2) What is the function of WTO?
(3) What do you think of WTO?
2. Read the following passage and discuss the questions.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organization, the creation of which was announced on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai (China) by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and