VOA慢速英语2015 欧盟官员举行会谈应对移民危机

AS IT IS 2015-09-01 EU Officials to Hold Talks on Migrant Crisis 欧盟官员举行会谈应对移民危机

After the deaths of 71 migrants in a truck last week, the European Union will meet to discuss what is being called Europe’s worst migrant crisis since World War II.

Hundreds of thousands of non-Europeans are taking huge risks to reach the continent. Many of the migrants have been welcomed. But many others face restrictions¹ and even hostility².

British, French and German officials have called for urgent action to deal with the issue. The interior ministers of the three countries asked Luxembourg, the EU’s current president, to call a meeting within two weeks. Luxembourg said it will open the talks on September 14 in Brussels in an effort to “strengthen the European response.”

The three ministers also called for better processing of migrants in Italy and Greece. The International Organization for Migration³ says the two countries are the main landing points for the new arrivals. It says the largest populations arriving there came from Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea and Nigeria.

The migrants are fleeing war, oppression and poverty. The International Organization for Migration says more than 322,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean⁴ Sea this year to reach Europe. More than 2,400 others drowned while attempting to cross the Mediterranean.

On Sunday, Pope Francis criticized the deaths of 71 migrants in a truck in Austria as an offense⁵ against “the entire human family.” He called on world leaders “to cooperate with effectiveness to prevent these crimes.”

Last Friday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was “horrified and heartbroken” by the latest migrant deaths. In a statement, Mr. Ban said the conflicts and repression⁶ that force people to flee their homelands must be resolved.

Paul Power is head of the Refugee Council of Australia. He has this to say about the growing number of migrants.

“This problem, unfortunately, has been developing for years. It’s obviously directly related to the crises in countries like Syria, the civil war that’s occurring there, and the lack of effective international action to address that, but also the lack of effective international support for the countries in the frontline of refugee movements, such as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan…”

Paul Power says it is not clear whether the migrants will need temporary or more permanent care. Many Syrians have fled the four-year long war in their homeland. Mr. Power says that, for them, the hope of a speedy end of the conflict remains⁷ unlikely.

Words in This Story

migrant – n. someone who goes from one place to another, mainly in search of work

response – n. an answer; something that is said or written in reaction to something else

entire – n. complete or full

unfortunately – adj. done in a regrettable or forgettable able way

frontline – n. border countries or the first line of defense

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 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

3 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。

4 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

5 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

6 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。