2006年VOA标准英语-Ivorian Fans Hope for German Visas Ahead o

By Nico Colombant
Abidjan
06 June 2006

Days before their football team's first-ever game in the World Cup, many Ivorian fans are still waiting for visas to support their side in Germany.

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Patriotic¹ fervor² grips Ivory³ Coast soccer fans  
  

Abidjan's nightspot, Kingston, calls itself the "kingdom of reggae." On a stage below dozens of red, yellow and green ribbons, manager Davy Dav is announcing the next act, Mirak - a performer who sings and dances like Alpha Blondy, Ivory Coast's biggest reggae star.

As is the case with many other Ivorians, Davy Dav is trying to get a visa to go and support his national team, the Elephants, at the World Cup in Germany. He was asked by holiday tour organizers to bring two bands to the German village, Düren, which is expecting 1,200 Ivorians for as long as Ivory Coast stays in the tournament.

Dav is confident he will get a visa.

"It is not a problem for me, because I am a professional," he said. "Everybody knows me in Abidjan. So, I do not think there will be any problems, if I try to take two bands to Germany."

Dav says it is completely natural that Germany needs to be selective in who it lets into the country.

"Europeans cannot give visas away easily, because there are a lot of problems in Africa and so, many people want to leave," said Dav. "But if you have all your documents in order, you do not really have a problem."

The German Embassy⁴'s website says Germany is making every effort to issue visas swiftly, but cautions⁵ against exploiting the World Cup to improperly⁶ gain a visa.

Embassy officials say they need to be sure visitors will return to their home countries, no matter where they are from. The embassy has increased personnel⁷ to deal with the added workload⁸.

O'Keny is another Ivorian musician also wanting to go to support the Elephants. She is more critical of Germany's visa policy.

She says Germans probably think Africans are only coming to the World Cup so they can stay there, afterwards. She says it is normal that Ivorians want to see their team in the World Cup. She says all those wanting to attend should get a visa.

Given Ivory Coast's recession⁹, many Ivorians see working in Europe as a way to build up capital and to support their families.

With less than a week before the first match, neither Davy Dav nor O'Keny know if they will get a visa.

1 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

2 fervor   

n.热诚；热心；炽热

参考例句：

• They were concerned only with their own religious fervor.他们只关心自己的宗教热诚。
• The speech aroused nationalist fervor.这个演讲喚起了民族主义热情。

3 ivory   

n.象牙，乳白色；adj.象牙制的，乳白色的

参考例句：

• My grandmother has some jewelry made of ivory.我祖母有一些象牙首饰。
• It is carved from ivory.它是用象牙雕成的。

4 embassy   

n.大使馆，大使及其随员

参考例句：

• Large crowd demonstrated outside the British Embassy.很多群众在英国大使馆外面示威。
• He's a U.S. diplomat assigned to the embassy in London.他是美国驻伦敦大使馆的一名外交官。

5 cautions   

n.小心( caution的名词复数 )；谨慎；（对危险或风险的）警告；（警察向犯轻罪的人发出的）警告v.警告，提醒，劝…小心( caution的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• But Pearlson cautions that the findings are simply generalizations. 但是波尔森提醒人们，这些发现是简单的综合资料。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 大脑与疾病
• Cautions politicians always wait for the cat to jump before agreeing with any proposal. 谨慎的政治家在对任何提议表示赞同之前总是要先观望形势。 来自辞典例句

6 improperly   

不正确地，不适当地

参考例句：

• Of course it was acting improperly. 这样做就是不对嘛！
• He is trying to improperly influence a witness. 他在试图误导证人。

7 personnel   

n.[总称]人员，员工，人事部门

参考例句：

• The personnel are not happy to change these rules.全体工作人员对改变这些规定很不高兴。
• Personnel has lost my tax forms.人事部门把我的税收表格给弄丢了。

8 workload   

n.作业量，工作量

参考例句：

• An assistant one day a week would ease my workload.每周有一天配一个助手就会减轻我的工作负担。
• He's always grousing about the workload.他总是抱怨工作量大。

9 recession   

n.（工商业的）衷退（期），萧条（期）

参考例句：

• Manufacturing fell sharply under the impact of the recession.受到经济萧条的影响，制造业急剧衰退。
• A rise in interest rates plunged Britain deeper into recession.利率的提高导致英国经济更加萧条。