VOA标准英语2014--Liberians Living in US Struggle From Afar as Ebola Ravages Homeland

 

Liberians Living in US Struggle From Afar as Ebola Ravages¹ Homeland

The more than 8,000 Liberians in New York City – the largest concentration outside Liberia itself – struggle from afar as the Ebola virus ravages their homeland.

Most Liberian immigrants to America live in the community known as Clifton, in the New York City borough² of Staten Island.  

Among the immigrants, the No. 1 topic of discussion is the Ebola virus, said the Reverend Philip Saywrayne.

“There has been discussions as to what engineered this Ebola. Others said that the Ebola was introduced by an animal from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The inhabitants of that land used the animal for food and there the Ebola virus derived³ from,” said Saywrayne, with the Christ Assembly Lutheran Church.

No cases

Local health officials said no one in this community has been infected with the virus.

However, the local market, which carries foods imported from Western Africa, is suffering.

Sellers at the market are seeing fewer customers, who may be worried about how the food was handled in Africa.

Bobby Digi, a community organizer with the Island Voice organization, also worries about a backlash against the Liberian-American community.

“They are very concerned that now because you’ve had the gentleman Duncan who has now passed, who is now deceased that the nation does not look at Liberians as all 'wow, we have to look out for Liberians.'  It’s already happening, subliminally⁴ already,” Digi said.  

The Reverend James Bestman, who directs the community's Liberian Cultural Association, said he talks to people in Liberia daily.

“They are dying. They want to get out of there. They want to leave Liberia,” Bestman said.

“It’s not safe for them at all. It’s critical, everywhere it’s critical. The young people, the babies … some people have whole families wiped out. In some areas the next door neighbor has lost their whole family and the other people want to move,” he said. “And, if they move, they have to go to another place which not even safe. So, it’s very tough for Liberia."

Preparations

At a news conference in New York’s City Hall, Mayor Bill de Blasio called the virus a “painful crisis” for the world.

“This is a painful time. It is also a time that the whole international community is recognizing that this is all of our problem,” de Blasio said. “This is something that has to be addressed by action, by countries all over the world to help address the problem at its core in West Africa.”

De Blasio said last week that the city has taken precautions. Authorities with various agencies, such as the Health Department, the Office of Emergency Management and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have discussed measures for any possible contingency⁵.

1 ravages   

劫掠后的残迹，破坏的结果，毁坏后的残迹

参考例句：

• the ravages of war 战争造成的灾难
• It is hard for anyone to escape from the ravages of time. 任何人都很难逃避时间的摧残。

2 borough   

n.享有自治权的市镇；(英)自治市镇

参考例句：

• He was slated for borough president.他被提名做自治区主席。
• That's what happened to Harry Barritt of London's Bromley borough.住在伦敦的布罗姆利自治市的哈里.巴里特就经历了此事。

3 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 subliminally   

adv.下意识地

参考例句：

• I have read many books, perhaps they influenced me subliminally. 我读过很多书，也许受到了它们潜移默化的影响。 来自柯林斯例句

5 contingency   

n.意外事件，可能性

参考例句：

• We should be prepared for any contingency.我们应该对任何应急情况有所准备。
• A fire in our warehouse was a contingency that we had not expected.库房的一场大火是我们始料未及的。