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VOA慢速英语2015 中心帮助难民适应美国生活

时间:2015-01-14 15:07:18

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AS IT IS 2015-01-13 Center Helps Refugees with American Life 中心帮助难民适应美国生活

NARRATOR: The first thing Than Than remembers about America is the weather.

THAN THAN: “It was really cold. I never feel cold like this before. I was like ‘Mom, my head is on ice.’”

NARRATOR: Than Than was born in a refugee camp in Thailand. She belongs to a persecuted1 minority group called Karen. The Karen people come from Myanmar, the country formerly2 known as Burma. Hundreds of thousands of Karen have left Myanmar to escape an ethnic3 conflict that started more than 60 years ago.  Many live just inside the Thai border in camps like this one, called Mae La. Than Than’s family came to America five years ago, when she was just 12 years old. Their new home is Philadelphia, America’s fifth largest city.

THAN THAN: “It was like I was moving to another world. It was really difficult”

NARRATOR: Every year, hundreds of refugees are resettled in Philadelphia, also known as the “City of Brotherly Love.” Many refugees expect to see the glamorous4 America they see in the media—a land of big cars, big houses, and easy money.

Melissa Fogg is an immigrant mental health specialist at Lutheran Children and Family Services.

FOGG: “Every refugee we see has a big adjustment in terms of what they expected to see in the United States and the reality of their living situation.

WALINSKI: “You have no idea where you’re going. You know you’re going to the United States, but in terms of what city, you could find out like two days before. ‘Oh, I’m going to Philadelphia. Where is Philadelphia? What does that mean?’”

NARRATOR: For many in Philadelphia’s refugee community, it means loneliness and frustrated5 dreams. Refugees are often placed in some of the toughest neighborhoods in South Philadelphia. Their children are easy targets for bullying6 in one of America’s most troubled public school systems. Few have experienced cold weather or lived in large cities. Ms. Fogg works closely with refugees in South Philadelphia.

FOGG: “This is a tough neighborhood. Even though it does a great deal of Southeast Asian immigrants in the neighborhood and refugees, it’s a traditionally African-American neighborhood, before that an Irish and Italian-American neighborhood. So it has this history of immigration, but at the same time there are a lot of tensions between the different immigrant groups there.”

NARRATOR: Southeast by Southeast is a community center for refugees in South Philadelphia. Melissa Fogg and Shira Walinsky started the space three years ago.

WALINKSY: “The purpose of this center and this whole project is really celebrating community assets. Instead of thinking, oh if you come here as a refugee, you have a deficit7, but more celebrating what you do have. So language, food, culture, actually they’re parts of your identity. And to celebrate them gives you a sense of continuum.”

NARRATOR: Most refugees come to America with little or no English language skills. The city does offer some translation services so refugees can get public assistance. Southeast by Southeast offers English classes that focus on practical life skills.

FOGG: “In our ESL classes we practice going to the store, going to the library, how to talk to your teacher, how to ask for a doctor’s appointment. Things that really help people get through the day-to-day stuff.”

NARRATOR: In most cases, the younger the refugee, the better the English he or she will speak. Their parents, on the other hand, often give up on the language.

THAN THAN: “It’s like really difficult for them to learn and then they forget it easily…Like sometimes we have to go the doctor. They will ask me to take them there.”

WALINSKY: “The power situation shifts, where because kids might know the language, learn English a little bit easier, they might be the ones translating for the parents, so it’s actually a lot of responsibility for kids.”

NARRATOR: Learning English is a struggle for seniors.

SENIORS: “I study English. Learning English is important.”

NARRATOR: Many can speak only a few words of English, even after years in the U.S. Older refugees have difficulty learning English around younger people. For this reason, the center has a special English class for seniors.

STUDENT: Yangon, Bangkok, Taipei.

FOGG: Ooh, long, long, long, long time.

STUDENT: Far away

FOGG: Far away

TEACHER: Niece

STUDENT: Niece

TEACHER: Niece, nephew

STUDENT: Nephew

TEACHER: Do you have any nieces or nephews?

STUDENT: Yes

FOGG: 7,8,9,10,11,12 grandchildren. 12?

NARRATOR: Fogg says re-establishing traditions from the old country helps give refugees a sense of purpose. These refugees from Iraq are celebrating the Muslim holiday of Eid. This woman, Htoo Ree, was a master weaver8 in Myanmar before she fled. Southeast By Southeast sponsored a class to teach sewing skills to refugees. Htoo Ree has restarted her textile business with her daughter and granddaughter in America.

NARRATOR: Refugee mental health specialists say it is important for refugees to feel a connection to the urban environment. The partnership9 with Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program encourages refugees to paint murals that tell their stories.

FOGG: “In pretty much all of the murals you’ll see a mountain and some jungles representing where families came from before. …All of the murals sort of touch on the idea of losing the nature and the environment that you were in and coming into a whole new place.”

NARRATOR: Philadelphia has thousands of empty lots where buildings once stood. Neighbors and refugee settlement agencies have cleaned up some of these unused spaces and turned them into gardens.

FOGG: “They can grow vegetables and plants from their homeland and use it in cooking. It’s also just a nice green space in a very urban environment.

We believe in a wellness-based model, where if someone is not empowered to learn English, not empowered to do their homework, not empowered to connect with their community, they won’t survive and they won’t thrive in a new city.”

THAN THAN: “I like coming here because, like, it’s like a family home too..If I’m really stressed or something, when I come in here there was always like a teacher. They are always like making us smile, making us work hard.”

NARRATOR: And with enough smiles and hard work, Philadelphia’s refugees may find brotherhood10 in the City of Brotherly Love.

Words in This Story

adjustment - n. a change that makes it possible for a person to do better or work better in a new situation

loneliness - n. a sadness from being apart from other people

frustrated - adj. very angry, discouraged, or upset because of being unable to do or complete something

continuum - n. a range or series of things that are slightly different from each other and that exist between two different possibilities

assistance - n. the act of helping or assisting someone : help or support

a sense of purpose - the quality of having a definite purpose or value


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1 persecuted 2daa49e8c0ac1d04bf9c3650a3d486f3     
(尤指宗教或政治信仰的)迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 ); 烦扰,困扰或骚扰某人
参考例句:
  • Throughout history, people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs. 人们因宗教信仰而受迫害的情况贯穿了整个历史。
  • Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。
2 formerly ni3x9     
adv.从前,以前
参考例句:
  • We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
  • This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。
3 ethnic jiAz3     
adj.人种的,种族的,异教徒的
参考例句:
  • This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏,这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
  • The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。
4 glamorous ezZyZ     
adj.富有魅力的;美丽动人的;令人向往的
参考例句:
  • The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊,但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
  • It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差,并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。
5 frustrated ksWz5t     
adj.挫败的,失意的,泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 );挫败;使受挫折;令人沮丧
参考例句:
  • It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
  • The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 bullying f23dd48b95ce083d3774838a76074f5f     
v.恐吓,威逼( bully的现在分词 );豪;跋扈
参考例句:
  • Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
  • All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 deficit tmAzu     
n.亏空,亏损;赤字,逆差
参考例句:
  • The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
  • We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。
8 weaver LgWwd     
n.织布工;编织者
参考例句:
  • She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快,而且布的质量很好。
  • The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。
9 partnership NmfzPy     
n.合作关系,伙伴关系
参考例句:
  • The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
  • Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。
10 brotherhood 1xfz3o     
n.兄弟般的关系,手中情谊
参考例句:
  • They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
  • They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

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