难民潮对欧洲老龄化的好处

AS IT IS 2015-10-21 Skilled¹ Refugees² Can Help Lift Aging Europe 难民潮对欧洲老龄化的好处

Thousands of war refugees from Syria and Iraq are arriving in Europe every day. Many of them are young, educated and skilled.

Those individuals and aid groups say the refugees should be welcomed, and not feared.

Like many young Syrians, 27-year-old Abdul Salam does not plan to return to his home country. He has been living in Turkey for the past five years, but does not believe he has much of a future there. The reason: Turkey has few jobs for refugees.

He now talks of wanting to travel to Europe to complete his college studies and start a new life.

The young man says many Europeans do not understand that many war refugees could help the countries that accept them.

He says European governments should let the refugees seek visas.

This might stop people from making dangerous journeys by sea or paying criminal groups to move them across borders. Mr. Salam and others say European countries should consider the refugees as an opportunity, not a burden.

Benedict Dempsey is a policy director for the international aid group Mercy Corps³. He says many people in Syria are highly⁴ educated. He notes that “a large number of educated people…are leaving Syria and…now arriving in Europe.”

Mr. Dempsey says many refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Afghanistan are seeking a better life. So too, he says, are many migrants, those moving from place to place for economic reasons. He says they want to work. He says they do not want to bring conflict to Europe.

In the first seven months of this year, 67 percent of those fleeing war and arriving illegally in Europe were between the ages of 14 and 34. Many are young men escaping forced service in government militaries or in militant⁵ groups. Their families told the men to flee because they believed they would be able to deal with the possible risks of illegal entry.

Some Europeans fear the refugees threaten the continent’s security⁶, economy and culture. Some Americans are also worried about the effect of the refugees on their country.

Donald Trump⁷ is seeking to become the Republican⁸ Party’s presidential candidate⁹. He has criticized¹⁰ President Barack Obama’s plan to accept 10,000 Syrians into the United States. Mr. Trump said earlier this month that if he is elected president, he would return them to Syria because he fears they could be Islamists.

Some political leaders in Europe have expressed similar concerns.

Many European countries have an aging population. The young refugees could help lower the average age. More than one-fifth of Europeans will be 65 or older by 2025. If Europe does not become younger, it may not have the money to care for so many older people.

Mr. Dempsey said the refugees “should be seen as much as an opportunity as (they are) any kind of risk.” He notes that the risk will be greater if European countries do not accept the refugees into their societies.    

He says even if the international community helps countries close to Syria, refugees would still want to live in Europe. He says that is because not enough jobs would be created in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq because of the large numbers of refugees fleeing to those countries.

Experts say refugees will continue to flee to Europe.

Words in This Story

journey – n. an act of traveling from one place to another

opportunity – n. a set of conditions that makes it possible to do something

burden – n. someone or something that is very difficult to accept, a hardship, something heavy

society – n. people in general thought of as living together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions and values

1 skilled   

adj.(in)熟练的，有技能的；需要技能的

参考例句：

• Unskilled workers usually earn less money than skilled workers.无技能的工人通常比有技能的工人挣钱少。
• She was skilled enough in French to translate a novel.她法语娴熟，足以翻译小说。

2 refugees   

n.避难者，难民( refugee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
• They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民，不是经济移民。

3 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

4 highly   

adv.高度地，极，非常；非常赞许地

参考例句：

• It is highly important to provide for the future.预先做好准备非常重要。
• The teacher speaks very highly of the boy's behaviour.老师称赞这个男孩的表现。

5 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

6 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。

7 trump   

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。

8 republican   

n.拥护共和政体的人； adj.共和政体的，（Republican）共和党人，（Republican）共和党的

参考例句：

• Some families have been republican for generations.有些家庭世代都支持共和党。
• A third candidate has entered the contest for the Republican nomination.第三个候选人已经加入角逐共和党提名的行列。

9 candidate   

n.候选人；候补者；投考者，申请求职者

参考例句：

• Voters like a candidate who has the common touch. 投票者喜欢那些平易近人的候选人。
• The local newspapers dressed up the candidate as a boxer.当地报纸把那个候选人描绘成一个拳击手。

10 criticized   

vt.批评(criticize的过去式)v.评论，批评( criticize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The decision was criticized by environmental groups. 这个决定受到了环保团体的批评。
• The movie has been criticized for apparently legitimizing violence. 这部电影因明显地美化暴力而受到了指责。