VOA常速英语2016--难民身份的农民通过社区重建与美国的联系

 

 

Refugee¹ Farmers Reestablish Ties to the Land as They Connect to Community 难民身份的农民通过社区重建与美国的联系

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA — 

More than half of the refugees² who are resettled in the U.S. each year come from agricultural backgrounds. And they are bringing valuable farming skills as they rebuild their lives in their new communities.

Every Thursday morning, Dhan Subba and other refugee farmers clean and sort a variety of vegetables they have just harvested.

每个周四的早晨，Dhan Subba和其他难民身份的农民将他们刚刚收获的各种蔬菜清洁并分类好。

“I like to work on the farm because I can grow my own food and eat healthy,”

“我喜欢在农场工作，因为我能种植自己的食物，还能吃得健康。”

The Bhutanese refugee lived in a camp in Nepal for 18 years before he was admitted to the U.S. six years ago.

这位不丹的难民曾在尼泊尔的一个营地里生活了18年，在六年前被美国政府许可入境之前。

“I am glad that I can use the skills that I got from farming in Nepal and I am applying them here,”

“我很高兴能够把在尼泊尔学到的农耕技巧用在这里。”

Subba and other refugees from all over the world are participating in the International Rescue Committee’s New Roots program.The program, which uses vacant lots in urban areas for small-scale farming,started 10 years ago in San Diego, California.It has since spread to more than 20 cities across the country, including Charlottesville, Virginia.

Subba和其他来自世界各地的难民正在参与一个由国际救援委员会发起的“新根”项目。这个项目将城市地区的空地用于搭建小型农场，10年前就在加利福尼亚州的圣地亚哥开始实施。目前为止，项目已经在全国范围内覆盖了20多个城市，其中包括弗吉尼亚州的夏洛茨维尔。

“New Roots really has a lot of different parts.First and foremost³, it’s a chance for people to use the skills that they’ve already had in gardening and farming. But it’s also a chance for people to meet their neighbors and interact⁴ with the community and bring home healthy food.Now, we have almost nine acres of growing space all over the city,"

“实际上‘新根’项目有许多不同的部分。首要的是，它给难民提供了一个机会，让他们能够运用他们在园艺和农作方面已经掌握的技能。同时这也是一个让难民和邻居接触、和社区互动、把健康的食物带回家的机会。现在，我们在全市内有近九英亩的土地可以使用。”

These farmers grow a wide variety of produce--some of which are common back home but unfamiliar⁵ in American grocery stores.

这些农民所种植的农作物品种丰富，其中一些在他们的家乡很普通，但在美国的杂货店里却不常见。

As part of its New Roots program, IRC also offers the Micro Producer Academy,where refugees can learn sustainable farming and small business skills,resulting in an additional source of income.

作为“新根”项目的一部分，国际救援委员会还向难民提供到“微商”学院学习的机会，在那里他们可以学习可持续性农耕的知识和经营小型生意的技巧，这给予了他们额外的收入来源。

“What we do there is take the skills and knowledge that everybody has and talk about how to apply it to the US.A lot of people have grown on very big space,and here you have to grow on very small space. We also talk about marketing⁶, and pricing, and the seasons in the U.S.,”

“我们在那里所做的，是将每个人所拥有的技能和知识整合到一起，然后商量如何将它们应用到美国。许多人以前在大型农场里种植，而在这里他们必须种在一个很小的空间里。我们还会讨论美国的市场、价格还有季节。”

The refugees sell their produce directly to local restaurants.

这些难民会将农作物直接卖给当地的饭店。

“Their produce is exceptional⁷.You can tell that they spend a lot of time, a lot of care, a lot of love goes into whatever they grow,”

“他们种出来的农产品与众不同。你可以分辨出来，他们在这些农产品上花了很长的时间、灌注了很多的心思和爱意。”

They also transform empty lots like this one into weekly vibrant⁸ markets where low income neighbors, especially refugees, can buy fresh produce at affordable⁹ prices.But they are not the only customers.

他们还会在空地上，就像这里，搭建起生气勃勃的礼拜菜市，以便低收入的邻居，尤其是难民们能够以合理的价格买到新鲜的蔬菜。但是难民并不是唯一的客人。

“I come every week.The vegetables are beautiful and freshly picked.I have lots of recipes to use for them, and the prices are extremely reasonable,” The refugees may not be able to quit their jobs to farm full-time¹⁰, Brooke Ray said,but the program is helping¹¹ them build strong roots in their new communities.

“我每个星期都会来。这些蔬菜很漂亮，都是新鲜采摘的。我有很多菜谱都可以用到它们，它们的价格也是极其合理的。”Brooke Ray说虽然难民们或许不能辞掉他们的工作到农场里全职工作，但是这个项目正在帮助他们在新的社区里很好地生根立足。

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 foremost   

adj.最初的，最前的，第一流的；adv.在最前

参考例句：

• He is considered the foremost British artist of this century.他被认为是本世纪英国第一流的艺术家。
• The premier occupies the foremost place in the world of politics.首相是政界的首要人物。

4 interact   

vi.相互作用，相互影响，互通信息

参考例句：

• All things are interrelated and interact on each other.一切事物互相联系并相互作用。
• The policeman advised the criminal to interact with the police.警察劝罪犯与警方合作。

5 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

6 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

7 exceptional   

adj.优越的，杰出的，例外的，独特的，异常的

参考例句：

• He is a man of exceptional talent.他是位具有非凡才能的人。
• He showed exceptional musical ability.他显示出特殊的音乐才能。

8 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

9 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

10 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

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。