voa标准英语2008-IOM: South Asian Migrants Stranded in Iraq

The International Organization for Migration¹ reports hundreds of migrants lured² to Iraq by promises of well-paid jobs are stranded³ around the airport in Baghdad. IOM says the men are living in dire⁴ straits without any means of going home.
　

Abraham Chacka, native of India prepares milkshake at a US Army outpost in Ramadi (File)

The International Organization for Migration says the migrants arrived in Iraq about four months ago expecting lucrative⁵ employment, promised by recruiters. But, the promised jobs did not materialize.

IOM says they were left without any money and some had their passports taken away. The organization says the men, who come from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, are living in makeshift conditions in a hangar close to the airport in Baghdad or are camped out on roadsides.

Spokesman Jean-Philippe Chauzy tells VOA aid workers recently found a group of about 60 men living in tents or containers, with not access to water or sanitation⁶.

"They actually paid their own way to Iraq. Some of them borrowed thousands of dollars to get to Iraq. Some of them sold land, for instance, or borrowed money. But, once they arrived in Iraq, the jobs that were promised to them suddenly evaporated," he said. "And, these contractual workers were left completely stranded, without any financial resources, without any passport or travel documents that were taken away by this group of intermediaries. And, currently, they are completely marooned⁷ and stuck in Baghdad without the possibility of returning home."

Chauzy says 1,000 migrants from various nationalities reportedly are being kept in three warehouses⁸ in a secured area around the airport, without their passports. He says most of these men are predominantly South Asian and were contracted by a catering⁹ company.

He says some of the men visited by IOM staff begged for help to return home. Others said they could not go back until they could pay off their debts. He says some Nepalese have managed to go home either through help from their families or by borrowing money from fellow Nepalese migrants with jobs in Iraq, thereby¹⁰ increasing their debts.

He says IOM soon will be helping¹¹ eight Nepalese migrants return home. But, he says the agency urgently needs about $1.5 million to assist hundreds of other migrants to return.

1 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。

2 lured   

吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The child was lured into a car but managed to escape. 那小孩被诱骗上了车，但又设法逃掉了。
• Lured by the lust of gold,the pioneers pushed onward. 开拓者在黄金的诱惑下，继续奋力向前。

3 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

4 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

5 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

6 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

7 marooned   

adj.被围困的；孤立无援的；无法脱身的

参考例句：

• During the storm we were marooned in a cabin miles from town. 在风暴中我们被围困在离城数英里的小屋内。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Five couples were marooned in their caravans when the River Avon broke its banks. 埃文河决堤的时候，有5对夫妇被困在了他们的房车里。 来自辞典例句

8 warehouses   

仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee. 威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。
• Row upon row of newly built warehouses line the waterfront. 江岸新建的仓库鳞次栉比。

9 catering   

n. 给养

参考例句：

• Most of our work now involves catering for weddings. 我们现在的工作多半是承办婚宴。
• Who did the catering for your son's wedding? 你儿子的婚宴是由谁承办的？

10 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

11 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。