VOA常速英语2013 专为移民补习英语课的移动课堂

 

Mobile Classroom Brings English Lessons to Immigrants 专为移民补习英语课的移动课堂

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE — On a recent Saturday morning in Nashville, Tennessee, students gathered at the Foreign Language Institute for English-as-a-second-language (ESL) instruction.

The students are fortunate. Their English language skills are already quite advanced. Some have a driver’s license¹ and car, others have a friend or family member who can drive them to class.

That’s fortunate because the building where the Institute is located is in a typical American business park; it isn’t designed for pedestrians² and there are no sidewalks.

 

Like many American cities, Nashville is a car town. It was built to accommodate drivers and their vehicles, not foot traffic or bicycles. That makes it difficult for the more than 1,200 refugees settled in Nashville each year, many of whom can’t drive and speak little or no English.

Many refugees who resettle in Nashville find lodging³ in a large apartment complex 20 kilometers from the institute’s classrooms, on the opposite side of town.

So the Foreign Language Institute decided⁴ that if its ESL students couldn’t get to the classroom, they would bring the ESL classroom to the students.

With the help of state and federal agencies, as well as interested local donors⁵, the institute purchased a delivery van and converted the cargo⁶ area into a classroom. They call it “ESL-to-GO.” It travels the city, visiting communities where immigrants and refugees tend to congregate⁷.

“A lot of the time they just couldn’t get to the classes," said Ashley Ekers, ESL-to-GO's curriculum coordinator⁸. "It was too far for them to walk. They were unfamiliar⁹ with the bus system. It was just a barrier that a lot of them couldn’t get over.”

The institute tried other solutions. They initially¹⁰ held classes in a rented apartment. They also tried meeting in students’ homes. Both proved less than ideal.

“It’s very contingent¹¹ on whether there’s space in the apartment for us," Ekers said. "So we thought, 'We want something that we can control and just bring to the refugees.' Our own space. We don’t have to rely on anyone else.”

Lulu Nhkum, a refugee from Burma, was among those who encouraged the institute to bring ESL classes directly to the community.

“They want to go to the ESL class but, especially in the winter, they are also working," she said. "For our people, they don’t need to travel. The truck is really helpful to our community.”

ESL-to-GO, which hit the road in May, has a waiting list. Students in their 70s have even signed up for the classes.

“I would be very hesitant probably at that age to attempt to learn a language, but they just believe that they can and they want the skills," Ekers said. "They’re very eager to learn.”

Ekers says the refugees she’s worked with are diligent¹² students. They want to be independent and self-sufficient and they see learning English as the key to their success. 

1 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

2 pedestrians   

n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 lodging   

n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍

参考例句：

• The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。
• Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

7 congregate   

v.(使)集合，聚集

参考例句：

• Now they can offer a digital place for their readers to congregate and talk.现在他们可以为读者提供一个数字化空间，让读者可以聚集和交谈。
• This is a place where swans congregate.这是个天鹅聚集地。

8 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

9 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。

10 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

11 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

12 diligent   

adj.勤勉的，勤奋的

参考例句：

• He is the more diligent of the two boys.他是这两个男孩中较用功的一个。
• She is diligent and keeps herself busy all the time.她真勤快，一会儿也不闲着。