读者文摘:底特律的骄傲:约翰·乔治(2)

"I'm half Lebanese, half Italian, and 100 percent Detroit stubborn," George told nationswell.com.

乔治告诉nationswell网站，“我一半是黎巴嫩人，一半是意大利人，百分之百是底特律人。”

"Once we get something in our heart and in our head, it's almost autopilot."

“一旦我们的心中和脑子里有了什么想法，这个想法基本上就会实现。”

But that was only the beginning. In 2003, George also breathed life into a dilapidated square mile of Detroit by turning it into Artist Village,

但是这只是一个开始。2003年，乔治还把底特律一平方英里破旧的土地变成了艺术家村，给它注入了生机，

an area now filled with galleries, a performance space, community gardens, a coffee shop, and outdoor courtyards.

现在这里是一个充满了画廊、穿孔空间、社区花园、咖啡馆和户外庭院的区域。

Because this region of North Detroit was a food desert, George also persuaded a supermarket chain to move into the neighborhood.

因为底特律北部的这个地区是食物荒漠，所以乔治还说服了一家连锁超市搬到附近。

"Blight¹ is like a cancer: If you don't set upon it, it will spread," George told thehubdetroit.com.

乔治告诉thehubdetroit网站，“城市萎缩就像癌症：如果你不攻击它，它就会扩散。”

And then there's Halloween. In Detroit, October 30 was ruefully known as Devil's Night, a period when all hell would break loose in the form of crime and vandalism.

还有万圣节。在底特律，人们把10月30日悲伤地称为“魔鬼之夜”，在这段时间里，所有的黑暗势力都会以犯罪和破坏公物的形式爆发。

In response, George created a citizens' patrol² that would take to the streets, keeping an eye on suspicious³ behavior.

作为回应，乔治创建了一个市民巡逻队，可以上街巡逻，监视可疑行为。

He dubbed⁴ it Angels' Night. What began with 12 neighbors on patrol in 1990 has grown to more than 60,000 citywide.

他称之为天使之夜。1990年开始时有12名邻居巡逻，现在全市已有6万多人巡逻。

George's inspired ideas have not gone unnoticed by the city he loves.

乔治的灵感并没有被他所热爱的城市所忽视。

"John wants to show that there is still something to Detroit. That it's still worth it," says real estate agent Robert LaBute.

房地产经纪人罗伯特·拉布特说，“约翰想向世人展示，底特律仍然有它的魅力。它现在仍然是值得的。

And others are buying into it. "We're seeing the trend of younger homeowners coming in."

其他人也在买入房产。“我们看到越来越多的年轻房主加入进来。”

Is George proud of having boosted⁵ his once-ailing hometown? You'd better believe he is.

乔治是否为振兴了他一度陷入困境的家乡而感到自豪?你最好相信他是。

As he puts it: "We are on the front porch⁶ of the greatest urban comeback story in this nation's history."

正如他所说的：“我们正站在这个国家历史上最伟大的城市复兴故事的前廊上。”

1 blight   

n.枯萎病；造成破坏的因素；vt.破坏，摧残

参考例句：

• The apple crop was wiped out by blight.枯萎病使苹果全无收成。
• There is a blight on all his efforts.他的一切努力都遭到挫折。

2 patrol   

v.巡逻，巡查；n.巡逻，巡查，巡逻队

参考例句：

• They attacked two soldiers on patrol.他们袭击了两名正在巡逻的士兵。
• Policemen patrol the streets.警察在街上巡逻。

3 suspicious   

adj.可疑的，容易引起怀疑的，猜疑的，疑心的

参考例句：

• A man was hanging about the house in a suspicious manner.一个男人在房子周围可疑地荡来荡去。
• He's so suspicious he would distrust his own mother.他这个人疑心太重，连自己的母亲也不相信。

4 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 boosted   

v.促进( boost的过去式和过去分词 )；增加；吹捧；向上推起

参考例句：

• The shop's new look has boosted its takings considerably. 焕然一新的店铺大大提高了销售额。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The boy had to be boosted up onto the large horse. 那男孩必须让人托着才能骑上那高头大马。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 porch   

n.门廊，入口处，走廊，游廊

参考例句：

• There are thousands of pages of advertising on our porch.有成千上万页广告堆在我们的门廊上。
• The porch is supported by six immense pillars.门廊由六根大柱子支撑着。