Population and racial problems

人口與種族

Text

Working Far From Home?

　　Al Hussein is 19. He is struggling to stay seated on top of a huge truck crossing the desert. He has been riding like that for hours, breathing dust, in an unbearable heat. He has left his home, his twin brother, and the rest of his family down South. Beyond the desert lies the sea, and maybe, if he is lucky a boat to Europe where he hopes to get a job, to start a new life, and to send money to his village.

　　Al Hussein is hardly alone in his perilous trek. Some 150 million men, women and even children, about three percent of the world's population, are outside their country of origin coming as strangers to the country where they reside. There is no continent, no region of the world which has no migrants within its boundaries. Every country has become a country of origin, transit or destination of migrants. Many are all three. More than half of international migrants live in developing countries. According to the International Organization for Migration, the largest numbers of international migrants are located in Asia; Europe and North America have about equal numbers followed by Africa, Latin America, and Oceania with progressively fewer numbers. The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that up to 80 million of these are migrant workers. In 1997, ILO estimated that the number of migrant workers was as follows: Africa, 20 Million; North America, 17 million; Central and South America 12 million; Asia 7 million; the Middle East (Arab countries), 9 million, and Europe 30 million.

　　Migration is hardly a recent or localized phenomenon. Women and men have been leaving their homelands in search of a better job. People also leave their own countries because of civil conflicts and insecurity or persecution. However, in this globalized world, we are witnessing unprecedentedly high labor mobility and an increasing pressure of migration. Gareth Howell, International Labor Organization representative to the United Nations, points out that "the increasing restrictions on immigration leads to increased trafficking of migrants often with tragic personal consequences."

　　Women and children account for more than half of the refugees, and their proportion are increasing in the case of other categories of migrants. 96 percent of children who work and sleep in the street are migrants，about half of them girls aged between 8 and 14.

　　Migrants are a particularly vulnerable group and see their rights routinely violated, not only as workers, but as human beings. They commonly face discrimination and xenophobic hostility. According to the International Organization for migration (IOM) migrants "are more and more targeted as the scapegoats for all manner of domestic problems facing societies today, particularly unemployment, crime, drugs, even terrorism." As noted by Ms Gabriela Rodriguez Pizarro, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants "This is especially true in the case of the many migrants who are undocumented or in an irregular situation, including the victims of trafficking in persons, who are the most vulnerable to human rights violations." According to the UN, between 300,000 and 600,000 women are smuggled each year into the European union and certain Central European countries. The problem is also widespread in Africa and Latin America.

Reading Comprehension

1.Which of the following is not mentioned in the first paragraph?
[A] Al Hussein was going abroad for work.
[B] The work that Al Hussein intended to do was very hard.
[C] Al Hussein was so young.
[D] Al Hussein wanted to start a new life.

2.What's the most suitable title for the article?
[A] Working Far From Home?
[B] Migration and Discrimination.
[C] To go abroad.
[D]Problems about migration.

3.Read the third paragraph and find out which one was not true.
[A] Migration is a phenomenon which exist for a long time.
[B] Migration is not a localized phenomenon.
[C] Migration is localized but not a recent phenomenon.
[D] Globalized world has high labor mobility.

4.Which of the following is true?
[A] Women required for their human rights.
[B] Children account for 96 percent of migrants.
[C] Half of the female migrants aged between 8 and 14.
[D] Male adults account for less than half of the refugees.

5.What does paragraph 5 mainly talk about?
[A]The problems of migrants are increasing
[B] Migration need to face discrimination, and there human rights are vulnerable.
[C] Migration need more of human rights.

Words：

1. perilous  危險(xiǎn)的

2. transit  經(jīng)過，通行，運(yùn)輸，轉(zhuǎn)變

3. localize  局部化，（使）地方化

4. unprecedented  空前的，前所未有的

Notes:

1．There is no continent, no region...or destination of migrants. Many are all three.

continent是名詞，意為大陸，region是名詞，表示區(qū)域地方，注意兩者譯法和意義上的細(xì)微差別。"Many are all three"意思是說或許三者兼而有之。

本句應(yīng)譯為：世界上沒有任何一個(gè)大陸及地區(qū)沒有移民在那生活。每一個(gè)國家都成為移民的出發(fā)點(diǎn)、中轉(zhuǎn)站或是目的地。有很多國家是三者兼而有之。

2．According to the International Organization for Migration...with progressively fewer numbers.

該句屬于并列結(jié)構(gòu)句，全句由三個(gè)并列成分構(gòu)成"According to the International Organization for Migration"在句中作狀語，第一個(gè)并列結(jié)構(gòu)為"The ......Asia",第二個(gè)并列結(jié)構(gòu)為"Europe and ...... by Africa"，第三個(gè)為"Latin America...... fewer numbers."分清三個(gè)并列成分以后全句的意思就不難理解了。詞組"followed by Africa" 在文中意思是要說明在移民數(shù)量上相近但略微少一些。

本句應(yīng)譯為：據(jù)世界移民組織調(diào)查顯示，世界上國際移民最多的國家位于亞洲，歐洲、北美洲的移民人數(shù)與之大致相等，之后是非洲、拉丁美洲、大洋洲，人數(shù)在逐步減少。

3．However, in this globalized world, we are witnessing ... an increasing pressure of migration.

"golbalized"全球化。"high labor mobility"勞動(dòng)人口的高流動(dòng)。

本句應(yīng)譯為：不管怎樣，在今天這個(gè)全球化的時(shí)代，我們正經(jīng)歷一場空前的勞動(dòng)人口高流動(dòng)時(shí)代，有關(guān)移民的壓力越來越大。

4．Women and children account for more than half of the refugees...other categories of migrants.

注意and在這里不是譯成"和"及表并列關(guān)系而是表遞進(jìn)關(guān)系。

本句應(yīng)譯為：婦女和兒童占難民總數(shù)的半數(shù)以上。而且他們的數(shù)量在移民人口中正呈現(xiàn)上升趨勢。

5．Migrants are a particularly vulnerable group and...not only as workers, but as human beings.

該句中有兩個(gè)并列成分，但這兩個(gè)并列成分"not only but also"是作為"violated"的補(bǔ)語，用以補(bǔ)充說明的。在翻譯時(shí)"but as human beings" 意思是指作為人類本身，這里的and可以不用譯出。

本句應(yīng)譯為：移民們是容易受到侵犯的群體，他們的權(quán)利經(jīng)常受到破壞，不僅是在他們的工作方面，而且哪怕僅作為一個(gè)人本身也是如此。

答案與題解：

1.[B]

細(xì)節(jié)題。A、C、D項(xiàng)在文中都有提及，B項(xiàng)是干擾項(xiàng)，作者說Al Hussein前進(jìn)的路上會(huì)充滿艱難，但沒說他要從事的工作是一項(xiàng)困難的工作。

2.[B]

主旨題。本題需要把握全文主旨。通觀全篇會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，本文重點(diǎn)在于講述移民以及對移民的歧視等社會(huì)問題。所以選擇B。

3.[C]

這道題重點(diǎn)在于區(qū)分前三個(gè)選項(xiàng)。見文章第三段第一句話，"Migration is hardly a recent or localized phenomenon."這里面的"hardly"是幾乎不的意思。如果忽視了這個(gè)詞則會(huì)對全句的理解造成偏差。

4.[D]

細(xì)節(jié)推理題。見文章第四段，上面說，婦女和兒童占移民總?cè)藬?shù)的一半以上，那么成年男性占移民人數(shù)的不到百分之五十，所以D正確。

5.[B]

段意歸納題。讀完該段可以發(fā)現(xiàn)本段講了兩個(gè)問題，一個(gè)是移民遭受歧視，另一個(gè)是移民的人權(quán)問題得不到保障。綜合這兩點(diǎn)考慮，該題選B。
[D] Most women are smuggled each year.

課文參考譯文

　　Al Hussein今年19歲。此刻，他正坐在一個(gè)巨型卡車頂上穿越沙漠，費(fèi)力地讓身體不被顛離座位�？諝鉄岬贸銎�，里面布滿塵土，他就這樣在車上呆了有幾個(gè)小時(shí)了。他已經(jīng)離開了他的家，離開了他的雙胞胎兄弟，家里的其他成員南下。在沙漠的那一頭就是大海，如果夠走運(yùn)的話還會(huì)有前往歐洲的航船。他希望在歐洲找到一份工作，開始他全新的生活，把賺到的錢寄回他的村莊。 

　　Al Hussein獨(dú)自踏上了他艱難的、充滿險(xiǎn)阻的旅程。大約一億五千萬的人口，其中有男人、婦女甚至兒童離開了自己的家到新的地方作為陌生人生活。這些人大約能占世界總?cè)丝诘陌俜种���。世界上沒有任何一個(gè)大陸及地區(qū)沒有移民。每一個(gè)國家都成為移民的出發(fā)點(diǎn)、中轉(zhuǎn)站或是目的地。有很多國家是三者兼而有之。有一半以上的移民住在發(fā)展中國家。據(jù)世界移民組織調(diào)查顯示，世界上國際移民最多的國家位于亞洲，歐洲、北美洲的移民人數(shù)與之大致相等，之后是非洲、拉丁美洲、大洋洲，人數(shù)在逐步減少。據(jù)世界勞動(dòng)組織（ILO）估計(jì)，在這些移民中八千萬以上是工作移民。在1997年，據(jù)ILO估算，移民的數(shù)量分布如下：非洲兩千萬；北美洲一千七百萬；美國中部和南部地區(qū)一千兩百萬；亞洲七百萬；中東（阿拉伯國家）九百萬；歐洲三千萬。

　　移民問題幾乎不是新近才有的局部現(xiàn)象。婦女和男人們?yōu)榱艘环莺靡稽c(diǎn)的工作而離開家鄉(xiāng)。國內(nèi)的動(dòng)蕩或是迫害也是迫使人們離開他們國家的理由。不管怎樣，在今天這個(gè)全球化的時(shí)代，我們正經(jīng)歷一場空前的勞動(dòng)人口高流動(dòng)時(shí)代，有關(guān)移民的壓力越來越大。聯(lián)合國下屬的國際移民組織Great Howell指出：對移民越來越多的限制不斷增長的移民交易，這其中也經(jīng)常伴隨著悲劇化的個(gè)人后果。

　　婦女和兒童占難民總數(shù)的半數(shù)以上。而且他們的數(shù)量在移民人口中正呈現(xiàn)上升趨勢。在馬路上工作和安家的兒童中有百分之九十六的人都是外來移民，其中大約一半是八到十四歲的女孩。

　　移民們是容易受到侵犯的群體，他們的權(quán)利經(jīng)常受到侵害。這不僅僅體現(xiàn)在工作方面，而且還體現(xiàn)在人格上面。他們經(jīng)常要面對歧視和排外情緒。今天，用世界移民組織的話來說，人們越來越容易把大家都正面臨的一些社會(huì)問題都?xì)w罪到移民人士的身上，特別是失業(yè)、犯罪、毒品甚至是恐怖主義等問題。正如聯(lián)合國移民人權(quán)特別大會(huì)報(bào)告起草人Ms Gabriela Rodriguez Pizarro所指出的那樣，這一點(diǎn)尤其體現(xiàn)在那些沒有記錄或處于非正常態(tài)（其中包括那些偷渡人群）的移民，他們是最沒有人權(quán)保障的。據(jù)聯(lián)合國報(bào)道，每年有300，000到600，000的婦女偷渡到歐盟的幾個(gè)中心國家。同樣的問題已經(jīng)蔓延到非洲和拉丁美洲。