VOA标准英语2009-Venice Losing Residents But Not Dead Yet

By Sabina Castelfranco
Venice
14 November 2009

 
Native Venetians stage a mock funeral procession in Venice, Italy, 14 Nov 2009
The city of Venice, Italy, with its famous waterways and beautiful buildings is losing official residents at a rapid rate causing some people to hold a mock funeral on Saturday. But city officials say millions of tourists still flock to the famous city and there are still thousands of "unofficial" residents and there are efforts underway to bring people back.

Venice is approaching the dread¹ status of living museum, with a population now below 60,000. Residents are being forced out of the historic center as they search for cheaper housing and easier living conditions on the mainland.

Real Venetians have become scarce and many say the city is fast becoming nothing but a tourist destination. A group of Venetian residents concerned about this marked the city's population decline with a mock funeral procession.

Gondolas³ and motorboats took part in the event along Venice's Grand Canal. The leading gondola² carried a bright pink coffin⁴ symbolizing⁵ the death of the city. On other boats, black-clad residents mourned.

Matteo Secchi, one of the organizers of the funeral for the demographic decline, says their message is clear.

"We want to restart Venice in a new concept of Venice life," said Secchi. "We want to find new inhabitants of Venice because Venice is going to be a Disneyland in a few years. A city needs to be visited but also lived."

Fears have been mounting that Venice could, in a matter of years, belong only to tourists. Twenty million visit the city every year.

City officals also point out that there are thousands of unofficial residents of Venice: students and island inhabitants who don't officially register.  

But City Councilor Mara Rumiz says authorities are aware they cannot ignore the problem of the shrinking population any longer.

She says it's clear that two problems need to be radically⁶ addressed, jobs and home. What must be avoided at all costs is that this city becomes nothing but a tourist destination.

The funeral for the demographic decline took place at the same time as an international study on the origins of ancient Venetians. For the next few weeks, Venetian males are giving saliva⁷ swabs to try and determine where the natives of the area came from.  Venice is the center of the larger region of Veneto.

The hope of all those who took part in both the DNA⁸ tests and the funeral procession is that a databank will be created of the real Venetian, who risks becoming extinct.

1 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

2 gondola   

n.威尼斯的平底轻舟；飞船的吊船

参考例句：

• The road is too narrow to allow the passage of gondola.这条街太窄大型货车不能通过。
• I have a gondola here.我开来了一条平底船。

3 gondolas   

n.狭长小船( gondola的名词复数 )；货架（一般指商店，例如化妆品店）；吊船工作台

参考例句：

• When the G-Force is in motion, the gondolas turn as well. 当“惊呼狂叫”开始旋转时，平底船也同时旋转。 来自互联网
• Moreton Engineering &Equipment Co. Ltd. -Services include sales tower crane, gondolas, material hoist construction equipment. 山明模型工作室-制作建筑模型，包括售楼模型、规划模型、比赛模型等。 来自互联网

4 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

5 symbolizing   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This symbol later evolved into a common hieroglyphic symbolizing victory. 这幕场景后来逐渐演化为象征胜利的普通象形文字。 来自时文部分
• Mooncakes reunion, is symbolizing the Mid-Autumn festival will feed. 月饼象征着团圆，是中秋佳节必食之品。 来自互联网

6 radically   

ad.根本地，本质地

参考例句：

• I think we may have to rethink our policies fairly radically. 我认为我们可能要对我们的政策进行根本的反思。
• The health service must be radically reformed. 公共医疗卫生服务必须进行彻底改革。

7 saliva   

n.唾液，口水

参考例句：

• He wiped a dribble of saliva from his chin.他擦掉了下巴上的几滴口水。
• Saliva dribbled from the baby's mouth.唾液从婴儿的嘴里流了出来。

8 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。