2007年VOA标准英语-Local Government Closer to Americans than White

By Jeffrey Young
Washington
03 April 2007
 
Watch This is Montgomery County

For many people outside the United States, the White House and Congress typify American government. But to most Americans, the local governments in their towns and regional areas called counties are the governments they deal with the most. And alongside these local governments are groups of citizens that press them for changes meant to make life better.

In this opening segment of a new weekly series, VOA's Jeffrey Young takes a close-up look at Montgomery County, and its central city of Rockville, in the mid-Atlantic state of Maryland. It is a generally prosperous suburb outside the nation's capital, with a better than average overall education and income level - but it has problems as well.

County, Maryland.  It is just to the north and west of Washington, DC. Almost a million people live there, and it continues to grow.

 
Downtown, Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland.  It is just to the north and west of Washington, DC. Almost a million people live there, and it continues to grow.

Montgomery County looks quite different in various parts of its nearly 1,300 square kilometers. "The north end of the county is farms. It's a rural part of the county, although the housing is being built farther and farther north, and filling up," explains one resident. "But in the southern end of the county, it's very urban, very much like the city of Washington, D.C."

Montgomery County looks quite different in various parts of its nearly 1,300 square kilometers. "The north end of the county is farms. It's a rural part of the county, although the housing is being built farther and farther north, and filling up," explains one resident. "But in the southern end of the county, it's very urban, very much like the city of Washington, D.C."

Because of that, Montgomery County has its share of big city problems such as crime, traffic and development sprawl¹. 

 
Mobile homes are one of the many types of housing in Montgomery County, MD
Neighborhoods reflect a wide range of family incomes. There are single family homes that are grand and others more modest; some are new and others have stood for a century. There are also many multi-family dwellings².  And while the county appears prosperous at first glance, it also has areas of poverty and substandard housing.

But most residents, regardless of the house and neighborhood they live in, want public safety, a good education for their children and the opportunity to make their lives better. 

People have moved to Montgomery County from all over the world, bringing their languages, cultures and faiths with them.

 
Montgomery County has a diverse ethnic³ mix of people
"One of my neighbors is Anglo-Saxon, another is from the Middle East, yet another is from China, and we are originally from India," says one county resident, "so it's a very diverse county here."

Another county resident puts it this way: "So many different faces!"

This international mix makes the county vibrant⁴.  It also makes including everyone an important goal.

The county has its own government, as do its towns and cities, such as Rockville. These local governments, not the federal government in Washington, provide schools, roads, public libraries and other things people use and need every day. These local governments make themselves accessible through public meetings, while area newspapers and TV cover the issues the county faces. 

 
Government meeting with county residents
But there is more to Montgomery County than just residents and government. There are also groups of citizens working to help others, whether it is providing recreation, turning out the vote or sharing food with the hungry.

"People helping⁵ people," says one volunteer, explaining why he helps out. "That's what the word 'community' means."

Whether it is helping others directly or interacting with local governments on important issues, there is a lot of citizen activism in Montgomery County and the City of Rockville. In upcoming segments of this series, we will explore how people work together to make life better.

Video production assistance provided by VOA's Craig Fitzpatrick.

1 sprawl   

vi.躺卧，扩张，蔓延；vt.使蔓延；n.躺卧，蔓延

参考例句：

• In our garden,bushes are allowed to sprawl as they will.在我们园子里，灌木丛爱怎么蔓延就怎么蔓延。
• He is lying in a sprawl on the bed.他伸开四肢躺在床上。

2 dwellings   

n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The development will consist of 66 dwellings and a number of offices. 新建楼区将由66栋住房和一些办公用房组成。
• The hovels which passed for dwellings are being pulled down. 过去用作住室的陋屋正在被拆除。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

4 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。