VOA标准英语2012--Lutheran Organization Seeks Help From Former Refugees

 

Lutheran Organization Seeks Help From Former Refugees²

Sovannarorth Sok came to America as a refugee¹. Today, she helps them, as a case worker for the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.

The service wants former refugees to give back by helping³ new refugees settle into their new homes. So it has begun a coast-to-coast outreach campaign.

At a Cambodian New Year celebration in Long Beach, California, Sovanna and colleague Lauren Rymer hold a drawing for glass flowers, trying to attract a crowd and get contact information from former refugees.

Not everyone is interested.

"But we met some people who are happy to meet and have a conversation about their new life in the US," said Sovannarorth Sok.

For some, like Soroan Miller⁴, it’s an easy sell. He thinks he may have been sponsored by the church as an orphan⁵.

"So if any way, shape or form that I can help refugees besides Cambodians, or around the world, I would do it," he said.

The Lutheran service sponsored around 50,000 Cambodians between 1975 and 1998, over more than two decades of war. That’s a full third of all Cambodians that immigrated⁶ to the United States.

Today, the flow of Cambodian refugees is over. But refugees from other countries continue to seek American shores. The service feels Cambodians who have gone through the experience might be able to help.

Nop Vanny wins the drawing today. She says she sees value in the Cambodian immigrant experience.

"We came here first, so we know how easy and difficult and different life is," she said. "So if we meet those who have just come here, we can - and should - help them by giving them advice on how to live here and all the rules in this country."

The Lutheran service will continue its campaign throughout the United States wherever the old refugees might help the new. It has more prizes to give away. And a lot of work to do. 

1 refugee   

n.难民，流亡者

参考例句：

• The refugee was condemned to a life of wandering.这个难民注定要过流浪的生活。
• The refugee is suffering for want of food and medical supplies.难民苦于缺少食物和医药用品。

2 refugees   

n.避难者，难民( refugee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
• They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民，不是经济移民。

3 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。

4 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

5 orphan   

n.孤儿；adj.无父母的

参考例句：

• He brought up the orphan and passed onto him his knowledge of medicine.他把一个孤儿养大，并且把自己的医术传给了他。
• The orphan had been reared in a convent by some good sisters.这个孤儿在一所修道院里被几个好心的修女带大。

6 immigrated   

v.移入( immigrate的过去式和过去分词 )；移民

参考例句：

• He immigrated from Ulster in 1848. 他1848年从阿尔斯特移民到这里。 来自辞典例句
• Many Pakistanis have immigrated to Britain. 许多巴基斯坦人移居到了英国。 来自辞典例句