VOA常速英语2007年-France Grinds to Halt Over Transportation Strik

By Lisa Bryant
Paris
14 November 2007

Public transportation ground to a virtual halt across much of France as workers went on strike for the second time in a month to protest proposed government reforms. For VOA, Lisa Bryant has more in this report from Paris.

The streets of Paris lacked the usual hustle¹ and bustle² of a week day. There were plenty of cars on the streets, but no buses and virtually no metro³ service.

The walkout by transportation workers that began late Tuesday forced some would-be commuters, like marketing⁴ manager Benoit Aimet, to take one of the thousands of bicycles the city began renting this year.

"I am from Laumiere in eastern Paris and I wanted to go the the south," said Aimet. "So I took the bicycle to the Place de Clichy and I wanted to take a tube or a bus. But there was no bus. No tube. Nothing. So unfortunately, I am back home."

Aimet does not support the strikers. But he criticizes the conservative government of President Nicolas Sarkozy for pushing through reforms too quickly, notably⁵ on special pension benefits some workers enjoy.

The nearby metro was virtually deserted⁶. Nobody at the ticket counter, and an announcement saying the line was not functioning because of the strike. That left Canadian Genevieve Lies and her friends to head for the Eiffel Tower on foot, a two-hour walk.

LIes, who teaches English in Paris, says she is not sure what the strike is all about. But she believes French transportation workers already have pretty good benefits.

"What is not good is that everyone else has to suffer while they are fighting for what they want. It forces us to be out of our jobs," said LIes. "I am not working for three days, and I am paid by the hour, because of them."

Polls show the majority of French do not support the strike. The government and unions were meeting Wednesday to reach a compromise.

But discontent against Mr. Sarkozy's reforms is growing. Besides the transportation workers, students have shut down a dozen universities against separate reform legislation. Teachers, civil servants, magistrates⁷ and court clerks are also expected to go on strike later this month.

1 hustle   

v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌)

参考例句：

• It seems that he enjoys the hustle and bustle of life in the big city.看起来他似乎很喜欢大城市的热闹繁忙的生活。
• I had to hustle through the crowded street.我不得不挤过拥挤的街道。

2 bustle   

v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹

参考例句：

• The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
• There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the railway station.火车站里非常拥挤。

3 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

4 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

5 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

6 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

7 magistrates   

地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to come up before the magistrates 在地方法院出庭
• He was summoned to appear before the magistrates. 他被传唤在地方法院出庭。