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VOA慢速英语2017--Businesses Close in U.S. to Mark 'Day Without Immigrants'

时间:2017-02-20 15:26:22

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(单词翻译)

 

Columbia Heights is the heart of Washington, D.C.’s Hispanic community. The neighborhood’s busy streets are lined with popular immigrant-owned businesses, from taquerias to Salvadoran pupusa shops to Latino food markets. But on Thursday some of them were closed.

February 16 marked “A Day Without Immigrants” in the United States.

Immigrants nationwide stayed home from work and school to show that they are important to the U.S. economy and way of life. Restaurants and businesses in major U.S. cities also closed their doors in a show of support for immigrants.

“A Day Without Immigrants” strikes took place in Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and other cities.

The protest is in answer to President Donald Trump2’s administration, which has promised to increase deportation3 of undocumented immigrants. Trump has also ordered a ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries. And he plans to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Spreading the Word

The idea for a national “Day Without Immigrants” strike spread on social media, messaging applications and directly from person to person. The hashtag #DayWithoutImmigrants” trended worldwide on Thursday.

In Washington, D.C., restaurant owner and activist4 Andy Shallal led the way for area restaurants to support the strike. He closed all six of his Washington-area businesses and restaurants Thursday.

Shallal is an immigrant himself. He came to the United States from Iraq more than 50 years ago.

Other restaurant owners and chefs followed Shallal’s decision.

John Andrade owns several restaurants in Washington, D.C., including Brookland Pint5 and Meridian6 Pint. He said in a statement that he chose to close down the kitchen at both locations to “stand in solidarity7 with all of my immigrant staff.”

“I will close all my kitchens this Thursday in support of their desire and right to protest the evolving state of immigration policies in our country,” Andrade's statement was posted on Facebook.

He said his decision was not motivated by politics.

Protesters Gather at White House

Christian8 Benitez-Garcia works at a Hilton hotel in the Washington, DC area. His parents are from El Salvador. He took the day off from work Thursday and went to the White House, where protesters had gathered. His mother, Isabel, joined him. She held a sign that read, “United Immigrants of America.”

He said most of the kitchen staff where he works took the day off Thursday, as well.

“I just think everyone has gotten together because they really feel attacked by the immigration policies taking place right now,” Benitez-Garcia said. “I think everyone is just frightened for their families…[whether] they’re here legally or illegally.”

Businesses joined the strike in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as well. On Ninth Street in South Philadelphia’s Italian Market area, it was so quiet in the morning that Rani Vasudeva thought it might be Monday, when most of the businesses there are closed.

The empty vegetable and fruit stands along "Calle Nueve" — as Ninth Street is more commonly known — were a reminder9 of what it would look like without its immigrants.

"It's actually very sad," Vasudeva, a professor at Temple University, told the Associated Press. "You realize the impact the immigrant community has. We need each other for our daily lives."

Protests against the new Trump administration are becoming routine in Philadelphia, Washington and other large cities. The wave of protests began with the Women’s March on January 21. Large numbers of demonstrators have since marched in the streets to protest Trump’s travel ban and some of his nominees10 for Cabinet positions.

And on Thursday, protesters marched through Columbia Heights as they made their way to the White House, about five kilometers to the south.

Maha Hilal is executive director of the National Coalition11 to Protect Civil Freedoms. Her parents immigrated12 to the United States from Egypt. On Thursday, she was among the crowd of demonstrators in front of the White House.

“There’s two competing narratives14. One that we’re a melting pot...that we’re a nation of immigrants. And at the same time, we explicitly15 malign16 immigrants,” Hilal told VOA. “So I think that it’s important to be here today and to really show the world that immigrants are an important part of the fabric17 of the United States.”

Words in This Story

taqueria - n a Mexican restaurant that serves tacos, among other things

pupusa - n. a traditional food of El Salvador

deportation - n. the act of forcing (a person who is not a citizen) to leave a country

solidarity - n. a feeling of unity1 between people who have the same interests, goals, etc.

staff - n. a group of people who work for an organization or business

evolve - v. to change or develop slowly

motivated - v. to be a reason for (something)

impact - n. a powerful or major influence or effect

routine - adj. done very often

narrative13 - n. a story that is told or written

melting pot - expression. a place where different peoples, styles, theories, etc., are mixed together.

explicitly - adv. in a very clear and complete way


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 unity 4kQwT     
n.团结,联合,统一;和睦,协调
参考例句:
  • When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结,并非一团和气。
  • We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前,我们必须加强团结。
2 trump LU1zK     
n.王牌,法宝;v.打出王牌,吹喇叭
参考例句:
  • He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
  • The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手,作为他的王牌。
3 deportation Nwjx6     
n.驱逐,放逐
参考例句:
  • The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
  • Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前,英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。
4 activist gyAzO     
n.活动分子,积极分子
参考例句:
  • He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
  • He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。
5 pint 1NNxL     
n.品脱
参考例句:
  • I'll have a pint of beer and a packet of crisps, please.我要一品脱啤酒和一袋炸马铃薯片。
  • In the old days you could get a pint of beer for a shilling.从前,花一先令就可以买到一品脱啤酒。
6 meridian f2xyT     
adj.子午线的;全盛期的
参考例句:
  • All places on the same meridian have the same longitude.在同一子午线上的地方都有相同的经度。
  • He is now at the meridian of his intellectual power.他现在正值智力全盛期。
7 solidarity ww9wa     
n.团结;休戚相关
参考例句:
  • They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
  • The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。
8 Christian KVByl     
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
参考例句:
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
9 reminder WkzzTb     
n.提醒物,纪念品;暗示,提示
参考例句:
  • I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
  • It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知,她才付应该交的房租。
10 nominees 3e8d8b25ccc8228c71eef17be7bb2d5f     
n.被提名者,被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
  • A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网
11 coalition pWlyi     
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合
参考例句:
  • The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
  • Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。
12 immigrated a70310c0c8ae40c26c39d8d0d0f7bb0d     
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
13 narrative CFmxS     
n.叙述,故事;adj.叙事的,故事体的
参考例句:
  • He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
  • Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。
14 narratives 91f2774e518576e3f5253e0a9c364ac7     
记叙文( narrative的名词复数 ); 故事; 叙述; 叙述部分
参考例句:
  • Marriage, which has been the bourne of so many narratives, is still a great beginning. 结婚一向是许多小说的终点,然而也是一个伟大的开始。
  • This is one of the narratives that children are fond of. 这是孩子们喜欢的故事之一。
15 explicitly JtZz2H     
ad.明确地,显然地
参考例句:
  • The plan does not explicitly endorse the private ownership of land. 该计划没有明确地支持土地私有制。
  • SARA amended section 113 to provide explicitly for a right to contribution. 《最高基金修正与再授权法案》修正了第123条,清楚地规定了分配权。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
16 malign X8szX     
adj.有害的;恶性的;恶意的;v.诽谤,诬蔑
参考例句:
  • It was easy to see why the cartoonists regularly portrayed him as a malign cherub.难怪漫画家总是把他画成一个邪恶的小天使。
  • She likes to malign innocent persons.她爱诋毁那些清白的人。
17 fabric 3hezG     
n.织物,织品,布;构造,结构,组织
参考例句:
  • The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
  • I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

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