VOA慢速英语2015 国际行动呼吁停止移民“幽灵船”

 

AS IT IS 2015-01-12 International Action Urged to Stop Migrant 'Ghost Ships' 国际行动呼吁停止移民“幽灵船”

In the first week of January, more than 1,000 migrants had to be rescued in the Mediterranean¹ Sea. Many were refugees² from Syria.

They were traveling on two of what the International Organization for Migration³ calls “ghost ships.” Smugglers operated the ships from Turkey and charged the migrants several thousand dollars each to travel. Then, when the ships were close to the Italian coast, the crews disappeared -- leaving the ships and their passengers.

Some people were lucky – they survived. The first ship, carrying 736 people, reached Italy on New Year’s Eve. A European Union boat rescued the other, with 359 Syrian refugees. But both ships could easily have overturned⁴ and sent passengers into the sea.

Italian officials reported that more than 160,000 migrants were rescued at sea last year. That number is about three times higher than in 2013. Most migrants were Syrian or Eritrean.

In addition, the IOM said more than 3,000 migrants disappeared on the Mediterranean Sea in 2014. They are believed to have drowned. The IOM said the migrants were crossing from North Africa when their small, unsafe boats overturned or sank.

Joel Millman works⁵ for the IOM. He says migrations⁶ are continuing at high numbers through the winter in very dangerous conditions. The IOM is especially concerned because Italy has stopped a program that rescued migrants at sea. The European Union now has a smaller rescue program called Triton.

Mr. Millman says thousands of Syrians are fleeing their country every month. So, smugglers can plan on a steady flow of customers. The IOM estimates⁷ that they can earn as much as three million dollars for operating a ghost ship.

And, Mr. Millman notes that the demand for smugglers’ services in Turkey is likely to increase now that Lebanon requires visas from Syrians.

Words in this Story

migrants – n. people who go from one place to another, often to find work

smugglers – n. people who secretly bring people or things from one country into another

survived – v. remaining alive during or after a dangerous situation

drowned – v. dying under water

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 refugees   

n.避难者，难民( refugee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
• They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民，不是经济移民。

3 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

4 overturned   

adj. 倒转的 动词overturn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The car skidded and overturned. 汽车打滑翻倒了。
• When a bird's nest is overturned, no egg can remain intact. 覆巢之下无完卵。

5 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

6 migrations   

n.迁移，移居( migration的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It foundered during the turmoils accompanying the Great Migrations. 它在随着民族大迁徙而出现的混乱中崩溃。 来自辞典例句
• Birds also have built-in timepieces which send them off on fall and spring migrations. 鸟类也有天生的时间感应器指导它们秋春迁移。 来自互联网

7 estimates   

估计

参考例句：

• Unofficial estimates put the figure at over two million. 非官方的估计数字为200万以上。
• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》