VOA标准英语2013--Community Organizer Fights Blight in Detroit

 

Community Organizer Fights Blight¹ in Detroit

If one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, then the Brightmoor neighborhood of Detroit is John George’s gold mine.

"I look at Detroit through rose colored glasses. I’ve been here all my life. We were the city that put the world on wheels. We were the arsenal² of democracy that helped win World War II," said George. "We taught the world to dance with Motown. So I have such a deep respect and love for the city. I just don’t think they realize how far we’ve fallen.”

George doesn’t see broken windows and burned out homes… he sees memories. This is where he raised his children, when each house along these streets was occupied.

George said people started leaving in the wake of Detroit’s deadly riots in 1967, and the exodus³ has not stopped.

“You can blame it on everything from the riots to the oil embargo⁴, to racism⁵, to suburban⁶ sprawl⁷. There are so many reasons why. think at this point it really doesn’t matter why. I think the question is now what?” he asked.

Now, George’s neighborhood is at the beginning of a revival⁸, thanks to his organization of volunteers to change the circumstances.

"Blight is like a cancer, and if you don’t remove it and nip it in the bud, it spreads and it kills everything,” he said.

George’s "Motor City Blight Busters" tears down, or secures the worst of the blighted⁹ structures in the Brightmoor neighborhood. They do it one board, one brick, one house at a time.

“Last weekend, there were youth actually playing on that top porch. So, today, because of the condition of this property, it’s a bit of an emergency, so we are going to remove the porch and board up the property,” he said.

In 25 years, George has razed¹⁰ or fixed¹¹ dozens of structures, replacing areas of devastation¹² and crime with green space. Through it all, he has refused to give up, or leave.

“The people who are left in Detroit are the die-hards. John George is Detroiter number 1, and I can’t imagine a Detroit without John George,” said Brightmoor Alliance Executive Director Kirk Mayes. He said people slowly are returning because of George’s efforts.

“Somebody who’s got a mission like his, somebody’s got the heart that he has, somebody that has the drive that he has for the things that he does, the rare thing is that he gets the attention,” said Mayes.

Detroit business leaders have taken notice of Blight Busters. A newly formed non-profit Detroit Blight Authority seeks donations to fund an ambitious goal of razing¹³ about 13,000 structures per year, at a pace that could eliminate Detroit’s blight completely in five years. 

1 blight   

n.枯萎病；造成破坏的因素；vt.破坏，摧残

参考例句：

• The apple crop was wiped out by blight.枯萎病使苹果全无收成。
• There is a blight on all his efforts.他的一切努力都遭到挫折。

2 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

3 exodus   

v.大批离去，成群外出

参考例句：

• The medical system is facing collapse because of an exodus of doctors.由于医生大批离去，医疗系统面临崩溃。
• Man's great challenge at this moment is to prevent his exodus from this planet.人在当前所遇到的最大挑战，就是要防止人从这个星球上消失。

4 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

5 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

6 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

7 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。

8 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

9 blighted   

adj.枯萎的，摧毁的

参考例句：

• Blighted stems often canker.有病的茎往往溃烂。
• She threw away a blighted rose.她把枯萎的玫瑰花扔掉了。

10 razed   

v.彻底摧毁，将…夷为平地( raze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The village was razed to the ground . 这座村庄被夷为平地。
• Many villages were razed to the ground. 许多村子被夷为平地。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

12 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 razing   

v.彻底摧毁，将…夷为平地( raze的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Years of war culminated in nothing less than a brutal razing of the city. 经年的战争给这座城市带来的不亚于灭顶之灾。 来自互联网