歌手：英语听力
专辑：VOA慢速英语：科技报道
时间：2014-01-01
在手机上保存，获得更好体验
From VOA Learning English
This is the Technology Report
The textile and clothing industry in the United States
Is growing again after many years of decline
Many of the factories are competing against factories
That pay low wages in countries like China
VOA visited the southern state of North Carolina
The textile industry there was once
One of the most important businesses in the state
It has reinvented itself using technology
And employing fewer people than before
Robots do most of the work
At the National Spinning Company factory
In Burlington
North Carolina
The factory dyes more than 110000 kilograms of yarn
Every week in many different colors
The yarn is sent to clothing and furniture makers
Both in the U
S
And around the world
Michael Hankensen is one of only two workers
Who take care of the dye producing machines
As you see
Most of this is extremely heavy
Cumbersome
And trying to move it around
In the order that these robots do it
It would take an army of men
To accomplish what these robots do
said Hankensen
Technology is helping the company
Compete with factories in other countries
That pay workers only a few dollars a day
The National Spinning Company factory pays
Its 100 employees between 10 and 20 an hour
Ed Atkins manages the factory
He says it is important for the company to limit labor costs
But he says
It must also make high quality products
And he says
The company must provide good customer service
To compete in the international market place
We've diversified ourselves
Looked for markets
That depended on the quick response
That you can provide from American-made products
Little niche markets
I mean we don't try to compete
In the generic cotton business or anything like that
Because it's not where our strengths are
said Atkins
Deborah Wince-Smith is the president of the Council on Competitiveness
She says the textile industry must continue to develop technology
Companies and enterprises are really bringing
Their core activities to where they have a skilled workforce
Where they have innovation talent
And where they're actually able
To develop the next generation of innovation
That drives manufacturing
said Wince-Smith
The textile industry has built 23 factories
In the last three years
It has also increased its exports by 30 percent
To the surprise of many
The American textile industry is showing new signs of life
And that's the Technology Report from VOA Learning English
