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听力文稿 ( Transcript )
Antwerp, Belgium is the center of diamond cutting. And though the industry does its best to weed out blood diamonds, smuggled gems still find their way into the global market.
For over 400 years, Antwerp has been the center of diamond cutting. Most of the stones that pour into this port city in Belgium are legal, clean, certified diamonds from nations at peace. Theoretically, diamonds from war-torn countries used to fund their conflicts known as blood diamonds are not allowed, but only in theory.
I can say that as much as 20% of the global trade in rough diamonds is actually illicit or smuggled diamonds. I would say anything between 20 and 40 percent. The diamond industry is the most perfectly setup industry for smuggling. It's, they were made for each other. A, a, a very small, highly portable, high value product, there's virtually no orifice on a, on a person's body that you can't stick a diamond. There's no piece of equipment you can't stick a diamond into.
Making matters worse, when they arrive in Antwerp, gems from Canada, Australia, Russia and Africa are all mixed together. Once they are polished, it is virtually impossible to know their true origin, or to tell a blood diamond from a legal one. This is Antwerp's traditional rough diamond bourse. Dealers from around the world come here to buy and sell uncut diamonds. Deals are sealed with a handshake, prices scribbled on an envelope. It is a multibillion-dollar industry where a commodity is carried in crumpled white paper. And a diamond is a diamond, no matter where it comes from. The industry needs to regulate itself, but that may be easier said than done. Heeding the call for change is Rosy Blue-one of the biggest diamond companies in the world. Dilip Mehta says his diamonds are all certified, conflict-free. And he supports the plan to track stones from mine to market. But even he admits some gems will always be of doubtful origin.
There are people who take note of that, they want to control each and everything, and that's not possible, it's not feasible, because, you know, you keep mixing the diamonds and you cannot necessarily track anything that under way.
Somehow, looking at a pile of diamonds is like looking into the soul of the Earth itself. At the end of the day, it could be said that a diamond is forever loyal to the intent of its owner, for good or for evil. The diamond itself is just a stone.
New Words:
illicit: (a.) Not sanctioned by custom or law; unlawful. 非法的 orifice: (n.) An opening, especially to a cavity or passage of the body; a mouth or vent. 通气口一个开口，特别是身体上的洞口或通路；嘴或者通气口 gem: (n.) A pearl or mineral that has been cut and polished for use as an ornament. 宝石 crumple: (v.) To crush together or press into wrinkles; rumple. 挤压挤在一起或压出皱纹；弄皱
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