内容概要

拜登政府目前正考虑对墨西哥进口的太阳能设备免除关税，这一决定将主要有利于Maxeon Solar Technologies。此举源于平衡国内清洁能源制造和太阳能部署需求，可能增加美国太阳能组件进口，同时引发国内制造商的担忧。

全文词数：589
重点词数：22
试题数量：4

正文

Part 1

The Biden administration is mulling exempting Mexico from tariffs on imported solar equipment, a last-minute change that would primarily benefit Maxeon Solar Technologies Ltd.

The exemption being weighed by senior officials in the waning weeks of Joe Biden’s presidency was described by people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because no final decision has been made. It comes amid broader trade policy discussions involving Mexico as well as longstanding administration struggles to nurture domestic clean energy manufacturing without chilling solar power deployment that has for years relied on cheap foreign-made equipment.

拜登政府正在考虑豁免对从墨西哥进口太阳能设备征收关税，这一临时变更将主要使Maxeon Solar Technologies Ltd.受益。

据知情人士透露，拜登总统任期即将结束之际，高级官员正在权衡这一豁免措施。由于尚未做出最终决定，相关人士要求匿名。此举是在与墨西哥进行更广泛贸易政策讨论的背景下提出的，同时也反映了政府长期以来在培育国内清洁能源制造业的同时，又不打击多年来依赖廉价进口设备的太阳能发电部署所面临的困境。

mull /mʌl/ v. 仔细考虑，思考

exempt /ɪɡˈzempt/ v. 豁免，免除

tariff /ˈtærɪf/ n. 关税

exemption /ɪɡˈzempʃən/ n. 豁免，免除

waning /ˈweɪnɪŋ/ adj. 衰落的，减弱的

nurture /ˈnɜːtʃər/ v. 培育，培养

deployment /dɪˈplɔɪmənt/ n. 部署，调度

Part 2

At issue are tariffs on imported crystalline silicon solar cells and modules that were imposed by President-elect Donald Trump in early 2018 and extended by Biden through Feb. 6, 2026, with the level set to be 14% for most of next year. While the US waived Canadian products two years ago, it stopped short of also exempting Mexico, having concluded domestic solar manufacturers stand to be seriously harmed by the country’s exports.

争议的焦点在于对进口晶体硅太阳能电池和组件征收的关税。这项关税最初由候任总统Donald Trump于2018年初实施，后被Biden延长至2026年2月6日，明年的税率大部分时间将设定为14%。虽然美国两年前豁免了加拿大产品，但并未同时给予墨西哥豁免，因为美国认定国内太阳能制造商将受到墨西哥出口产品的严重损害。

crystalline /ˈkrɪstəlaɪn/ adj. 结晶的，晶体的

module /ˈmɒdjuːl/ n. 组件，模块

impose /ɪmˈpəʊz/ v. 强制实行，征收

manufacturer /ˌmænjuˈfæktʃərər/ n. 制造商

Part 3

The change now under consideration would effectively reverse that view, potentially increasing the flow of solar imports into the US — and giving an advantage to Maxeon, Mexico’s dominant module supplier. The company, majority-owned by China’s TCL Zhonghuan Renewable Energy Technology Co. Ltd., can produce 2.5 gigawatts of modules annually at its factories in Mexico, about 93% of the country’s total capacity, according to BloombergNEF data.

Opponents of the possible exemption, including advocates of domestic manufacturers, say the change would put those US producers at an unfair disadvantage to a foreign, Chinese-backed rival. Representatives of the White House, the US Trade Representative and Maxeon did not respond to requests for comment.

目前正在考虑的这一变化实际上将扭转之前的观点，可能增加太阳能产品对美国的进口流量——这将使Maxeon这个墨西哥最大的组件供应商获得优势。根据BloombergNEF的数据，该公司由中国的TCL中环新能源科技有限公司控股，在墨西哥的工厂每年可生产2.5吉瓦的组件，约占该国总产能的93%。

包括国内制造商的支持者在内的豁免反对者表示，这一改变将使美国生产商在面对外国的、中资支持的竞争对手时处于不公平的劣势。白宫、美国贸易代表和Maxeon的代表均未回应置评请求。

gigawatt /ˈɡɪɡəwɒt/ n. 吉瓦（功率单位）

capacity /kəˈpæsəti/ n. 产能，容量

disadvantage /ˌdɪsədˈvɑːntɪdʒ/ n. 劣势，不利条件

Part 4

A tariff exemption could give Maxeon’s Mexico-made panels an advantage in the US. Still it wouldn’t resolve other challenges confronting the company, including a sluggish US solar market. The Singapore-based company in September warned US imports from its Mexico factories had been impounded at the border while customs officials assess their compliance with trade curbs meant to discourage alleged human rights abuses in China. In November, the company announced a broad restructuring, shifting to focus exclusively on the US market and selling off other operations.

Maxeon has said it intends to build a module assembly plant in Albuquerque, New Mexico, though plans have been scaled back from the 3-gigawatt capacity first announced in August 2023. The company now says it expects to begin manufacturing in a 2-gigawatt facility there in early 2026, a year later than initially envisioned. The project has been cheered by New Mexico Democrats including Senator Martin Heinrich, set to be the top Democrat on the chamber’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee next year.

关税豁免可能会让Maxeon在墨西哥生产的太阳能组件在美国市场获得优势。然而，这并不能解决该公司面临的其他挑战，包括美国太阳能市场的低迷。这家总部位于新加坡的公司在九月份警告称，其墨西哥工厂出口到美国的产品在边境被扣留，海关官员正在评估其是否符合旨在遏制涉嫌侵犯人权行为的贸易限制。在十一月，该公司宣布了一项全面重组计划，转而专注于美国市场并出售其他业务。

Maxeon表示计划在新墨西哥州Albuquerque建设一个组件装配工厂，不过该计划的规模已从2023年8月最初宣布的3吉瓦产能有所缩减。公司现在表示，预计将在2026年初开始在那里的2吉瓦工厂投产，比最初设想的时间晚了一年。该项目得到了新墨西哥州民主党人的支持，包括Martin Heinrich参议员，他将在明年成为参议院能源和自然资源委员会的民主党首席议员。

sluggish /ˈslʌɡɪʃ/ adj. 低迷的，迟缓的

impound /ɪmˈpaʊnd/ v. 扣押，没收

restructuring /riːˈstrʌktʃərɪŋ/ n. 重组，改组

assembly /əˈsembli/ n. 装配，组装

Part 5

It’s also unclear whether any tariff exemption for Mexican-made solar equipment would last. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to go in the opposite direction, threatening 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico in a bid to clamp down on illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking.

Separately, the office of the US Trade Representative has been fielding requests from some domestic solar module manufacturers to raise an annual quota on cells that can be imported without being hit by the tariffs. The annual 12.5-gigawatt cap will reset in early February, but US imports are on track to surpass that threshold beforehand.

Some module manufacturers reliant on imported components have lobbied the administration for an increase in that duty-free quota next year. Without a boost, they say, the tariffs will penalize US panel makers reliant on foreign supplies while the country builds out its domestic cell production capacity.

目前尚不清楚针对墨西哥制造的太阳能设备的关税豁免能持续多久。候任总统Donald Trump已誓言要采取相反方向的行动，威胁对加拿大和墨西哥征收25%的关税，以遏制非法移民和芬太尼走私。

另外，美国贸易代表办公室一直在处理一些国内太阳能组件制造商提出的请求，要求提高可以免关税进口的电池年度配额。年度125亿瓦的上限将于2月初重置，但美国的进口量有望在此之前就超过这一阈值。

一些依赖进口组件的制造商已经游说政府在明年提高免关税配额。他们表示，如果不提高配额，在国内建立电池生产能力的过程中，这些关税将会惩罚依赖外国供应的美国面板制造商。

fentanyl /ˈfentənɪl/ n. 芬太尼（一种合成阿片类药物）

trafficking /ˈtræfɪkɪŋ/ n. 非法交易，走私

quota /ˈkwoʊtə/ n. 配额，限额

threshold /ˈθreʃhoʊld/ n. 阈值，门槛

试题

请你尝试基于文章内容，在括号中填入相应的单词。

题目

1.The Biden administration is considering giving _______ an exemption from solar equipment tariffs. (1词)

2.While the US had already exempted _______ from tariffs two years ago, Mexico was not included in this exemption. (2词)

3.Maxeon can produce _______ of modules annually in its Mexican factories. (2词)

4.Trump has threatened to impose _______ tariffs on Canada and Mexico. (1词)

答案

1.Mexico
位置：Part 1 第1段
解析：文章开头明确指出Biden政府正在考虑让墨西哥免除太阳能设备关税。
考点：细节理解能力

2.Canadian products
位置：Part 2
解析：原文明确提到'While the US waived Canadian products two years ago'
考点：细节对比理解

3.2.5 gigawatts
位置：Part 3
解析：原文明确指出Maxeon在墨西哥的工厂每年可以生产2.5千兆瓦的模块。
考点：具体数据信息提取

4.25%
位置：Part 5 第1段
解析：原文提到Trump威胁对加拿大和墨西哥征收25%的关税。
考点：数字细节理解