VOA慢速英语2020 数百万墨西哥人被禁入境 美国边境陷入冷清

The world's busiest land border has fallen quiet. Restrictions¹ meant to contain the spread of the new coronavirus have stopped millions of Mexicans from making daily trips north to the United States. That includes many who work at U.S. businesses.

全球最繁忙的陆地边界已经安静了下来。旨在遏制新冠病毒传播的限制措施阻止了数百万墨西哥人每天北上美国。其中包括许多在美国企业工作的人士。

At least 4 million Mexicans who live in cities along the 3,144-kilometer-long border have been affected² by the restrictions on travel. The measures do not permit short crossings into American cities to visit family, get medical care or buy goods.

至少有400万居住在3144公里长边境沿线城市的墨西哥人受到了旅行限制措施的影响。这些措施禁止短期过境进入美国城市探亲、看病或是购物。

Many of those affected have legal "border crossing cards," which are for meant visits not related to work. Reuters reporters spoke³ to more than 20 people who live in Tijuana, Nogales and Ciudad Juarez. Most use their cards to care for family members on the U.S. side of the border. Some use them to work illegally.

许多受影响者都拥有合法的过境卡，用于与工作无关的访问。路透社记者采访了居住在蒂华纳、诺加莱斯和华雷斯城的20多位人士。他们大多数人使用过境卡照顾美国一侧的家人。也有人利用它非法打工。

All of those who spoke with the reporters said they could no longer make the crossing. This has also affected businesses on the U.S. side of the border that hire them – illegally – for agricultural jobs.

接受该记者采访的所有人都表示，他们不能再过境。这也影响到了美国一侧非法雇佣他们从事农业工作的企业。

"I don't know what I'm going to do without money. I'm just waiting for a miracle," said 28-year-old Rosario Cruz. She is a mother of two young children and works for a cleaning company.

28岁的罗萨里奥·克鲁兹表示：“我不知道没钱了我该怎么办，我只能等着发生奇迹。”她是两个孩子的母亲，在一家清洁公司工作。

The coronavirus restrictions have stopped all non-essential travel across the border. However, the restrictions do not stop Americans from going to Mexico.

冠状病毒限制措施已经阻止了所有不必要的跨境旅行。然而，这些限制措施并未阻止美国人去墨西哥。

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency said it did not have an estimate of how many Mexicans with border crossing cards work illegally in the United States. But U.S. and Mexican immigration experts believe the number is high.

美国移民和海关执法局表示，它并未估算有多少墨西哥人持过境卡在美国非法打工。但是美国和墨西哥的移民专家都认为这个数字非常高。

The U.S. State Department says more than 4 million border cards have been issued since 2015. The cards can be used for 10 years.

美国国务院表示，自2015年以来已经发放了超过4百万张过境卡。这些卡的有效期是10年。

Before the coronavirus restrictions, more than 950,000 people entered the United States from Mexico every day. That information comes from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency.

在出台冠状病毒限制措施之前，每天有超过95万人从墨西哥进入美国。该信息来自于美国海关与边境保护局。

Andrew Selee is president of the Migration⁴ Policy Institute, based in Washington, D.C. He said limiting border crossing to fight the pandemic was understandable. But he worries that in cities such as San Diego, California, or El Paso, Texas, "businesses that really should be open in the middle of a crisis might find that they don't have employees."

安德鲁·塞利是华盛顿特区移民政策研究所的所长。他表示，限制过境以对抗大流行是可以理解的。但是他担心，在加州圣地亚哥或德州埃尔帕索这样的城市，“在危机中确实应该开放的企业可能会发现他们没有员工。”

"We're talking about farm work, we're talking about caregiving," he said.

他说：“我说的是农业和护理方面的工作。”

In U.S. border cities like El Paso and San Diego, the effects are already being felt.

在埃尔帕索和圣地亚哥这样的美国边境城市，这种影响已经显现出来。

Cindy Ramos-Davidson is the chief executive of the El Paso Hispanic Chamber⁵ of Commerce. She said the lack of Mexican shoppers was "devastating⁶" for small businesses downtown. She was also concerned about the nearby farms that use Mexican workers.

辛迪·拉莫斯-戴维森是埃尔帕索西班牙裔商会的首席执行官。她说，缺少墨西哥购物者对于市区的小企业来说是“毁灭性的”。她还担心附近雇佣墨西哥工人的农场。

"They depend on farm workers, the day workers," she said. She noted⁷ that many of these workers use their cards to work in the U.S. illegally.

她说：“他们依赖打散工的农场工人。”她指出，其中多数工人使用过境卡在美国非法打工。

Paola Avila is a vice⁸ president of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. She said the city's so-called retail⁹ tourism has been badly affected. Retail tourism describes money spent by Mexicans who cross the border to buy certain goods.

宝拉·阿维拉是圣地亚哥地区商会的副会长。她说，该市的零售旅游业受到了严重影响。零售旅游业描绘了墨西哥跨境购买特定商品所花费的资金。

Avila is also worried about the effect on U.S. citizens who are cared for by family members who cross from Mexico.

阿维拉还担心由墨西哥跨境进入美国的家人所照顾的美国公民的生活受到影响。

"If the hospitals overflow¹⁰, as we predict, and they start sending people to be cared for at home, who will care for them?" she asked.

她问道：“如果医院如我们所预料的爆满，然后他们开始把人们送回家来照料，那么谁来照顾他们呢？”

1 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

5 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

6 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

9 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

10 overflow   

v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出

参考例句：

• The overflow from the bath ran on to the floor.浴缸里的水溢到了地板上。
• After a long period of rain,the river may overflow its banks.长时间的下雨天后，河水可能溢出岸来。