29-3-122
The sticking point remains farming. The U.S. said last month that it would reduce its ceiling on trade-distorting support to its farmers by 60%. The European Union countered with an offer to cut import tariffs on agricultural products an average of 46%, though some goods would have smaller cuts. The offer is 'Europe's bottom line,' says the E.U.'s Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson, although France--whose farmers retain near mythic political clout--still may veto any agreement it doesn't like. Says Mike Johanns, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture: 'It does appear to me that we will not make as much progress in Hong Kong as we had hoped for.'
Even if there is an agreement, it may not be the breakthrough Africa is waiting for, say critics. Europe wants to exclude some products from its tariff cuts, and the U.S. proposal would effectively ease subsidies 2% by renaming supports or disguising them as other payments. 'It's a case of smoke and mirrors,' says Celine Chaveriat, head of Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign. 'If this offer goes ahead, trade-distorting domestic subsidies will remain almost completely unchanged.'
In a world of perfect Ricardian economics, West African cotton growers would be thriving. That's because they can produce and trade high-quality more cheaply than just about anyone--for about 31￠ per lb., compared with 68￠ per lb. in the U.S.

A. 어휘
stick 그대로 남아있다. 빠져나오지 못하게 하다.
sticking point 여전히 남아있는 문제. ceiling 최고한도. counter 반격하다.
import tariffs 수입관세. bottom line 최저선. agricultural products 농업제품.
goods 상품. commissioner 국장, 청장. retain 보유하다. mythic 신화적인.
clout 영향력, 한대 치기, 강타. veto 거부하다. secretary 장관.
breakthrough [난관의] 打開(타개), 돌파구. critics 비평가, 酷評(혹평)하는 사람.
exclude 제외하다, 배제하다. ease 완화시키다. rename 새로운 이름을 붙이다.
disguise 위장하다. case 문제, 事案(사안).
smoke and mirrors 속임수[魔術(마술)에서 연기와 거울을 이용하여 거짓 영상을 만드는데서 기원.]. domestic 국내의. completely 완전히.
Ricardian 리카르도 학파의. cf. Ricardo: 자유무역주의를 주창한 영국의 경제학자. thrive 번영하다.

B. 구문
- compared→ which is compared

29-4-123
But the subsidies U.S. farmers receive help destroy any advantage West Africa's farmers have. Since the mid-1990s, when U.S. exports of subsidized cotton began growing--according to Oxfam, U.S. sales went from a low of 17% of the world export market in 1998 to 41% in 2003--the world cotton price has dropped by more than half. The International Cotton Advisory Committee, which promotes cooperation among cotton-producing countries, estimates that developing world cotton growers, including Burkina Faso, Brazil, India, Mali and Pakistan, have lost $23 billion over the past four years to Western subsidies. The irony, says Oxfam, is that annual losses in export earnings in most West-African cotton-producing countries are comparable to U.S. aid donations. Burkina Faso, for instance, received $10 million in U.S. aid in 2002 but lost an estimated $13.7 million in exports because of U.S. cotton subsidies.
Developing nations are beginning to use the WTO to push back. Brazil, now the world's second largest cotton exporter after the U.S., last year won a WTO ruling that Washington's cotton subsidies unfairly distorted world trade. A U.S. appeal was denied. And when Congress failed to act on U.S. Department of Agriculture proposals to fix the WTO problem by a September deadline, Brazil, exercising its right under WTO rules to 'retaliate,' announced that it would no longer honor patents and copyrights on U.S. movies, pharmaceuticals and other items. The U.S. warned Brazil to back off or face the wrath of Congress, but Brazil is seeking $1 billion in damages through the WTO. If the case enters the WTO arbitration process, the U.S. will make a counteroffer.

A. 어휘
destroy 파괴하다. advisory committee 자문위원회. cooperation 협력, 협동.
developing world cotton growers 개발도상국의 목화재배업자들.
annual loss 연간손실. comparable 비길만한, 匹敵(필적)하는, 비교될 수 있는.
donation 기부. ruling 판결. unfairly 부당하게. distort 왜곡하다, 일그러지게 하다.
appeal 抗訴(항소), 上告(상고). Congress 미국 국회. act on ...에 작용하다.
department of agriculture 농무부. exercise 行使(행사)하다. retaliate 보복하다.
honor 존중하다. patent 특허. copyright 판권. pharmaceuticals 약품.
back off 괴롭히는 것을 그만 두다. wrath 분노. arbitration 仲裁(중재), 조정.
counteroffer 반대신청, [상거래의] 수정신청.

B. 구문
- help destroy→help to destroy cf. help 뒤에 오는 부정사의 to 는 생략가능.