VOA标准英语2012--Job Seekers in Poor Section of Los Angeles Struggle to Find Work

 

Job Seekers in Poor Section of Los Angeles Struggle to Find Work

Hundreds turned out at a recent career fair at the Los Angeles Mission, a charity that serves the poor and homeless in the run-down section of the city called Skid¹ Row.

Some recently lost their jobs, including Ethiopian immigrant Becky Woude. She was a social worker at a shelter for abused women, but the agency lost its government funding.

“So I am looking for a job now. Anything. I can do anything in fact because I have to work. I have to pay my bills and I need money,” Woude said.

Getting by is not easy without a full-time² job, says job seeker Anthony Alexander. He is looking for work in customer service, but says he learns easily and can do anything.

“I found day jobs. A week here, a week there, something like that, but as far as full-time employment, no. And I want full-time employment,” Alexander said.

The U.S. jobless rate remains³ stubbornly high. Only 69,000 jobs were created in May, the fewest in a year. Yet more than 20 companies were at the career fair and some of them are hiring, says Los Angeles Mission president Herb Smith.

“This year, we have more employers that actually have jobs as opposed to just taking resumes, so that does indicate a little bit of a turnaround,” Smith said.

One employer who needs workers, Jon Murga of Fresco⁴ Community Market, has found one-third of his staff among the unemployed⁵ and homeless who have undergone skills training at the L.A. Mission. He says even with today's poor economic climate, his business is good and he wants to expand.

“I think it takes a lot of courage, a lot of strength and tenacity⁶ in today's market to do so, but I think you create your own future,” Murga said.

One man who found a job at the community market, assistant deli manager Ivan Perez, says many on Skid Row just need a chance.

“There are a lot of people down there that have got a lot of skills, but they just have not been given the opportunity or a chance to shine,” Perez said.

But the job market is still tight. Employer Jon Murga will screen hundreds of applications for the few workers he needs, and people still out of work face tough competition in a shrunken job market. 

1 skid   

v.打滑 n.滑向一侧；滑道 ，滑轨

参考例句：

• He braked suddenly,causing the front wheels to skid.他突然剎车，使得前轮打了滑。
• The police examined the skid marks to see how fast the car had been travelling.警察检查了车轮滑行痕迹，以判断汽车当时开得有多快。

2 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。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 fresco   

n.壁画；vt.作壁画于

参考例句：

• This huge fresco is extremely clear and just like nature itself.It is very harmonious.这一巨幅壁画，清晰有致且又浑然天成，十分和谐。
• So it is quite necessary to study the influence of visual thinking over fresco.因此，研究视觉思维对壁画的影响和作用是十分必要的。

5 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

6 tenacity   

n.坚韧

参考例句：

• Tenacity is the bridge to success.坚韧是通向成功的桥。
• The athletes displayed great tenacity throughout the contest.运动员在比赛中表现出坚韧的斗志。