2009年考研英语全题型高分强化教程(17)

Population and racial problems

人口与种族

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  危险的

2. transit  经过，通行，运输，转变

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是名词，意为大陆，region是名词，表示区域地方，注意两者译法和意义上的细微差别。"Many are all three"意思是说或许三者兼而有之。

本句应译为：世界上没有任何一个大陆及地区没有移民在那生活。每一个国家都成为移民的出发点、中转站或是目的地。有很多国家是三者兼而有之。

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

该句属于并列结构句，全句由三个并列成分构成"According to the International Organization for Migration"在句中作状语，第一个并列结构为"The ......Asia",第二个并列结构为"Europe and ...... by Africa"，第三个为"Latin America...... fewer numbers."分清三个并列成分以后全句的意思就不难理解了。词组"followed by Africa" 在文中意思是要说明在移民数量上相近但略微少一些。

本句应译为：据世界移民组织调查显示，世界上国际移民比较多的国家位于亚洲，欧洲、北美洲的移民人数与之大致相等，之后是非洲、拉丁美洲、大洋洲，人数在逐步减少。

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

"golbalized"全球化。"high labor mobility"劳动人口的高流动。

本句应译为：不管怎样，在今天这个全球化的时代，我们正经历一场空前的劳动人口高流动时代，有关移民的压力越来越大。

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

注意and在这里不是译成"和"及表并列关系而是表递进关系。

本句应译为：妇女和儿童占难民总数的半数以上。而且他们的数量在移民人口中正呈现上升趋势。

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

该句中有两个并列成分，但这两个并列成分"not only but also"是作为"violated"的补语，用以补充说明的。在翻译时"but as human beings" 意思是指作为人类本身，这里的and可以不用译出。

本句应译为：移民们是容易受到侵犯的群体，他们的权利经常受到破坏，不仅是在他们的工作方面，而且哪怕仅作为一个人本身也是如此。

答案与题解：

1.[B]

细节题。A、C、D项在文中都有提及，B项是干扰项，作者说Al Hussein前进的路上会充满艰难，但没说他要从事的工作是一项困难的工作。

2.[B]

主旨题。本题需要把握全文主旨。通观全篇会发现，本文重点在于讲述移民以及对移民的歧视等社会问题。所以选择B。

3.[C]

这道题重点在于区分前三个选项。见文章第三段第一句话，"Migration is hardly a recent or localized phenomenon."这里面的"hardly"是几乎不的意思。如果忽视了这个词则会对全句的理解造成偏差。

4.[D]

细节推理题。见文章第四段，上面说，妇女和儿童占移民总人数的一半以上，那么成年男性占移民人数的不到百分之五十，所以D正确。

5.[B]

段意归纳题。读完该段可以发现本段讲了两个问题，一个是移民遭受歧视，另一个是移民的人权问题得不到保障。综合这两点考虑，该题选B。
[D] Most women are smuggled each year.

课文参考译文

　　Al Hussein今年19岁。此刻，他正坐在一个巨型卡车顶上穿越沙漠，费力地让身体不被颠离座位。空气热得出奇，里面布满尘土，他就这样在车上呆了有几个小时了。他已经离开了他的家，离开了他的双胞胎兄弟，家里的其他成员南下。在沙漠的那一头就是大海，如果够走运的话还会有前往欧洲的航船。他希望在欧洲找到一份工作，开始他全新的生活，把赚到的钱寄回他的村庄。 

　　Al Hussein独自踏上了他艰难的、充满险阻的旅程。大约一亿五千万的人口，其中有男人、妇女甚至儿童离开了自己的家到新的地方作为陌生人生活。这些人大约能占世界总人口的百分之三。世界上没有任何一个大陆及地区没有移民。每一个国家都成为移民的出发点、中转站或是目的地。有很多国家是三者兼而有之。有一半以上的移民住在发展中国家。据世界移民组织调查显示，世界上国际移民比较多的国家位于亚洲，欧洲、北美洲的移民人数与之大致相等，之后是非洲、拉丁美洲、大洋洲，人数在逐步减少。据世界劳动组织（ILO）估计，在这些移民中八千万以上是工作移民。在1997年，据ILO估算，移民的数量分布如下：非洲两千万；北美洲一千七百万；美国中部和南部地区一千两百万；亚洲七百万；中东（阿拉伯国家）九百万；欧洲三千万。

　　移民问题几乎不是新近才有的局部现象。妇女和男人们为了一份好一点的工作而离开家乡。国内的动荡或是迫害也是迫使人们离开他们国家的理由。不管怎样，在今天这个全球化的时代，我们正经历一场空前的劳动人口高流动时代，有关移民的压力越来越大。联合国下属的国际移民组织Great Howell指出：对移民越来越多的限制不断增长的移民交易，这其中也经常伴随着悲剧化的个人后果。

　　妇女和儿童占难民总数的半数以上。而且他们的数量在移民人口中正呈现上升趋势。在马路上工作和安家的儿童中有百分之九十六的人都是外来移民，其中大约一半是八到十四岁的女孩。

　　移民们是容易受到侵犯的群体，他们的权利经常受到侵害。这不仅仅体现在工作方面，而且还体现在人格上面。他们经常要面对歧视和排外情绪。今天，用世界移民组织的话来说，人们越来越容易把大家都正面临的一些社会问题都归罪到移民人士的身上，特别是失业、犯罪、毒品甚至是恐怖主义等问题。正如联合国移民人权特别大会报告起草人Ms Gabriela Rodriguez Pizarro所指出的那样，这一点尤其体现在那些没有记录或处于非正常态（其中包括那些偷渡人群）的移民，他们是比较没有人权保障的。据联合国报道，每年有300，000到600，000的妇女偷渡到欧盟的几个中心国家。同样的问题已经蔓延到非洲和拉丁美洲。