美国国家公共电台 NPR Carson Promises To Help Residents Of Housing Projects His Department Is Shutting Down

 

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Housing Secretary Ben Carson is pledging to do all he can to help hundreds of residents who will be displaced from two run-down public housing projects in Cairo, Ill. A few months back, Carson's agency announced it will close, rather than repair, those projects, where many of the town's remaining residents live. NPR's Kirk Siegler has been covering the crisis. He reports that Secretary Carson paid a surprise visit yesterday to a town that's on life support.

KIRK SIEGLER, BYLINE¹: Cairo used to be a thriving river port at the confluence² of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. But decades of corruption³, economic upheaval⁴ and racial tension led it to being one of the fastest depopulating towns in the nation. And today, Cairo's struggles raise all kinds of questions about what can or should be done to save small towns. The despair there is palpable when you listen to Steven Tarver address Secretary Ben Carson, during this hastily organized forum⁵ at the high school gym.

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STEVEN TARVER: When you were doing your operations, just like they called you and said, Dr. Carson, come, this heart needs to be re-pumped.

SIEGLER: Tarver is talking in a video of the event streamed by the Southern Illinoisan newspaper.

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TARVER: You came here today. Our heart needs to be re-pumped.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Yeah.

SIEGLER: Secretary Carson, the former neurosurgeon, said he came to assure people that HUD will help everyone who wants to stay in Cairo do so. The agency has declared the apartments of the projects unlivable but hasn't yet given families a hard and fast move-out date. Now, the acoustics⁶ were lousy in the gym, and the soft-spoken Carson was tough to hear.

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BEN CARSON: There is a big problem here.

SIEGLER: But he said federal and local officials have to do everything in their ability to fix the crisis. Carson was light on specifics. HUD has said it's no longer in the home construction business. So in an isolated⁷ town like Cairo, it's not clear where folks will go once the projects get demolished⁸.

PHILLIP MATTHEWS: You know all we need is time.

SIEGLER: Community leaders like Pastor⁹ Phillip Matthews say the town is close to inking a deal with a private developer to build more public housing. Matthews met with Carson privately¹⁰ yesterday and left feeling encouraged for the first time in years.

MATTHEWS: You're not going to get anything done if a person comes to a meeting with a closed mind. But if you come objectively, which I believe that he did - and he listened, and he asked questions.

SIEGLER: Of course, none of this is much solace¹¹ for people like Melvin Duncan, who are in crisis right now.

MELVIN DUNCAN: I think it's a political thing - the reason why he's coming down here - because he already sent a letter saying it's unfortunate, but we can't help you.

SIEGLER: Duncan, who's 38, has lived in the projects most of his life. His job and his family are in Cairo.

DUNCAN: This here is my home. Before they tore down our hospital, I was born in that hospital.

SIEGLER: Duncan has told me several times he'll be the last to leave the projects. They'll have to drag him out. So far of the 400 people affected¹² in Cairo, only 10 families have found new housing. Kirk Siegler, NPR News.

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1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 confluence   

n.汇合，聚集

参考例句：

• They built the city at the confluence of two rivers.他们建造了城市的汇合两条河流。
• The whole DV movements actually was a confluence of several trends.整个当时的DV运动，实际上是几股潮流的同谋。

3 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

4 upheaval   

n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱

参考例句：

• It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。
• The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。

5 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

6 acoustics   

n.声学，(复)音响效果，音响装置

参考例句：

• The acoustics of the new concert hall are excellent.这座新音乐厅的音响效果极好。
• The auditorium has comfortable seating and modern acoustics.礼堂里有舒适的座椅和现代化的音响设备。

7 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

8 demolished   

v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光

参考例句：

• The factory is due to be demolished next year. 这个工厂定于明年拆除。
• They have been fighting a rearguard action for two years to stop their house being demolished. 两年来，为了不让拆除他们的房子，他们一直在进行最后的努力。

9 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

10 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

11 solace   

n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和

参考例句：

• They sought solace in religion from the harshness of their everyday lives.他们日常生活很艰难，就在宗教中寻求安慰。
• His acting career took a nosedive and he turned to drink for solace.演艺事业突然一落千丈，他便借酒浇愁。

12 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。