VOA慢速英语2021--迪拜外国人社区将被拆除

Community Built for Foreigners in Dubai to Be Torn Down

Jebel Ali Village, in Dubai, is a group of homes built in the late 1970s for European port workers.

It has largely stayed the same over the years. Foreign residents still walk along quiet roads and play games at the clubhouse, a kind of gathering¹ place.

But now, large building machines are coming to tear the buildings down.

Nakheel, the state-owned developer of Dubai's famous palm-shaped islands, is seeking to build a new gated community of costly² two-story homes known as villas³.

Residents found 12-month eviction⁴ notices on their doors. An eviction notice is a document that tells someone to leave a place.

Amanda James' British father first moved the family to Jebel Ali village in 1984. James, age 53, recently told The Associated Press, "I arrived here during the Iran-Iraq War. I stayed through both Gulf⁵ wars. ... We've had three generations. There's a history of people growing up, meeting each other, having their families right here."

In response to an Associated Press request for comment, Nakheel said it informed the residents of its plans and has met all legal requirements.

"We recognize Jebel Ali Village's importance to Dubai's history and its residents and, for this reason, have taken the decision to redevelop the community to preserve and enhance⁶ its longevity⁷ for many more generations to come," the company said. It argued that the planned pools, parks, sports courts and bike paths would bring residents together in new ways.

During the 1970s, American and European employees of international oil companies moved to towns in the Persian Gulf. The foreigners, known as expats, lived with their families in communities across the area.

Dubai did not have much oil, but used what it had to build Jebel Ali, the area's first major shipping⁸ center. Dutch and British port workers moved into houses nearby. As the neighborhood grew, a school opened. So did other places where residents met to tell stories over food and drinks.

Donna Dickinson, a 40-year-old from Norfolk, England, spent her teenage years in the village. She moved back with her family last year "to replicate⁹ for my children the childhood that I had."

"That sense of community is quite unique to this place," Dickinson said. Unique is a term that is used to describe something that is unlike anything else.

"When you're an expat, having a sort of history to a place is quite a difficult thing," Dickinson said, as her 7-year-old son played nearby.

Cory Rhodes is a 43-year-old community resident from the American state of Oregon. His home serves as his place of business as well as a home school for his daughter.

Rhodes told the AP he is sad that the housing development is going away. "The emotional feeling you get from living here –you're just not going to get it anywhere else," he said.

Amanda James wonders if Dubai may lose more than it gains by removing Jebel Ali Village.

"My hope is that young people today don't think Dubai is Disneyland – because it's not," she said. "It had so much depth."

Words in This Story

resident – n. someone who lives in a particular place

preserve -- v. to keep (something) in its original state or in good condition

enhance – v. to increase or improve (something)

longevity – n. the length of time that something or someone lasts or continues

replicate – v. formal: to repeat or copy (something) exactly

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

3 villas   

别墅，公馆( villa的名词复数 )； （城郊）住宅

参考例句：

• Magnificent villas are found throughout Italy. 在意大利到处可看到豪华的别墅。
• Rich men came down from wealthy Rome to build sea-side villas. 有钱人从富有的罗马来到这儿建造海滨别墅。

4 eviction   

n.租地等的收回

参考例句：

• The family have won a temporary reprieve from eviction.这个家庭暂时免于被逐出。
• He claimed damages for unlawful eviction.他要求对非法驱逐作出赔偿。

5 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

6 enhance   

vt.提高（强度、力量、数量等），增加（进）

参考例句：

• BBC backing for the scheme will enhance its credibility.英国广播公司对这一计划的支持将提高其可信度。
• Good secretarial skills should enhance your chances of getting a job.出色的秘书工作技能会增加你找工作的机会。

7 longevity   

n.长命；长寿

参考例句：

• Good habits promote longevity.良好的习惯能增长寿命。
• Human longevity runs in families.人类的长寿具有家族遗传性。

8 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

9 replicate   

v.折叠，复制，模写；n.同样的样品；adj.转折的

参考例句：

• The DNA of chromatin must replicate before cell division.染色质DNA在细胞分裂之前必须复制。
• It is also easy to replicate,as the next subsection explains.就像下一个小节详细说明的那样，它还可以被轻易的复制。