英语访谈对话 171 The Big Change

 　　Todd: So, Alexandra, you said that you were born in Miami.

　　Alexandra: Yes, I was.

　　Todd: And you still live there?

　　Alexandra: Yes, I am, I do live there, now.

　　Todd: Has the city changed a lot?

　　Alexandra: Actually it has. As a young kid, there was a lot more freedom as a child to just run around your neighborhood or ride your bike, go to school without being escorted¹ by a parent or going on a bus, you could walk to school or ride your bike to school. Now there are so many more people in the city and the demographics have changed due to a hurricane we had about ten or twelve years ago, and so it's, the parents now have to be more vigilant² with their children. Be more careful. There's more people.

　　Todd: You said a hurricane changed the demographics.

　　Alexandra: Yes, in, Hurricane Andrew had come into Florida, lower, southern Florida, and had completely demolished³ this south of Miami, a city called homestead, and all those residents moved up to Miami, and many of the residents in Miami that had damage from the hurricane moved up to the next county up. So you have a completely different demographic coming in. Many people from other parts that were affected⁴ in South Florida also moved up, and also the people that are originally in Miami, some even moved out of the state. They had enough of hurricanes. You get a category five which is probably the strongest hurricane there is, blow through and completely destroy your home, you really don't want to stick around anymore for another taste, so and also Miami has become a very popular place to come and live and work, so you have an increase in population, and different types of population. As I said before there's many different people's from different countries and every so often you have a new wave of immigrants coming in, so it changes things.

1 escorted   

护送，护卫( escort的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Anyone who interrupts again will be escorted from the meeting. 任何人再捣乱都将被押出会场。
• The child was escorted by a doctor to the hospital. 这个孩子由医生护送到医院去了。

2 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

3 demolished   

v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光

参考例句：

• The factory is due to be demolished next year. 这个工厂定于明年拆除。
• They have been fighting a rearguard action for two years to stop their house being demolished. 两年来，为了不让拆除他们的房子，他们一直在进行最后的努力。

4 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。