VOA慢速英语--奥巴马承诺接收1万名叙利亚难民或难兑现

AS IT IS 2016-06-16 Obama Short on Goal for 10,000 Syrian Refugees 奥巴马承诺接收1万名叙利亚难民或难兑现

Time is running out for President Barack Obama to meet his goal of placing 10,000 Syrian refugees in the United States.

The process has been slowed by concerns about terrorism, especially after the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida.

One of the first Syrian refugees resettled to the U.S. spoke¹ about his sorrow for the killing² of 49 people on Sunday.

“This is not Islam,” said an interpreter speaking for 45-year-old Ahmad Alabood. “And he feels for the families that lost loved ones or have injured people." The Associated Press reported his comments.

The Obama administration has said it wants to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees by October 1. That is the end of the fiscal³ year, the 12-month period the government uses for keeping records.

But it will be difficult for the administration to reach that target. The AP reports that 5,763 Syrian refugees have been admitted to the U.S. since 2011.

An issue in the presidential campaign

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton supports calls to admit up to 65,000 refugees. Clinton is the likely presidential nominee⁴ of the Democratic Party. She is expected to face businessman Donald Trump⁵, the likely Republican candidate, in the November 8 elections.

In a speech on Monday, Donald Trump said he would suspend immigration from areas with a history of terrorism.

Trump said Clinton, as head of the State Department, was responsible for admissions and the admissions process for foreigners seeking to live in the U.S. He has said he wants to temporarily stop Muslims from entering the country. He said that step is needed to protect against terrorism. Trump later amended⁶ his proposal, saying he would suspend immigration from areas where there is a proven history of terrorism against the U.S. and its allies.

Clinton criticized Trump’s call for a ban on Muslims from entering the country. She said his policy would not have stopped the killings⁷ in Orlando.

She noted⁸ that Omar Mateen, the man who police say carried out the attack, was born in New York.

No agreement in Congress

Some Republicans in Congress say President Obama is trying to bring in too many Syrian immigrants.

But 27 Democratic members of the Senate recently wrote to Obama, saying the process is not going fast enough.

In their letter, the senators said Canada has already admitted more than 26,000 Syrian refugees. They said special checks by the State Department keep out people who are thought to be terrorist threats.

The lawmakers used wording from a United Nations report. It said that fewer safe places in Syria mean everyday decisions, like whether to go out to buy bread, can become a matter of life-or-death.

“The war has led to hundreds of thousands of fatalities⁹, more than a million injured, and more than half of Syria’s entire population being displaced,” the letter said.

The civil war in Syria started five years ago. Since then, the fighting has displaced more than six million Syrians. More than four million others have fled the country.

Some of the refugees are now in the United States. The highest number of refugees has settled in Michigan, with more than 500 arrivals, reports The Detroit News.

People from Syria must go through what is called an “enhanced review.” Law enforcement and intelligence reports are checked for every applicant¹⁰, according to the State Department.

But some Republicans said it is hard to get a good sense of who is and who is not a threat because Syria has been at war for so long.

“Islamic radicals¹² want to attack America,” said Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, a member of the Republican Party. “It’s no secret to the American people.”

Difficulty in settling Syrian refugees

Erol Kekic of Church World Service said some landlords refuse to rent homes to people from Syria because of terrorism concerns.

“On one side, it is the unfortunate statements by politicians about the supposed dangers of Syrian immigrants,” Kekic said.

But the application process and investigations¹³ for security and health risks add to the delays. Kekic said a minor¹⁴ mistake can delay the process for months.

He worries about the delays. He said they affect the physical and mental health of people who faced “major trauma¹⁵” because of Syria’s civil war.

Church World Service has helped place refugees in the U.S. cities of Columbus, Ohio, Syracuse, New York, and Houston, Texas.

Nina Zelic works for the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. She says if there is good news, it is that the “faith community” and others are “stepping up” to the Syrian refugee crisis.

“Given all the negative comments by some politicians, it is good to see that outpouring of community support,” Zelic said.

Many Syrian refugees are skilled and had jobs before they fled the country. Erol Kekic said that was before the civil war cost them everything -- their homes, their jobs and their sense of well-being¹⁶.

Some refugees, mainly those from rural areas, have large families. That makes it hard to find homes big enough to house them together, according to several U.S. groups.

Words in This Story

landlord – n. a person who owns a house, apartment, etc., and rents it to other people

rent – v. to allow someone to stay in your house, apartment, in return for money

application – n. a formal and usually written request for something

trauma – n. a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time

unfortunate – adj. not appropriate or desirable

outpouring – n. a large response

fatality¹⁷ – n. a death that results from a disaster, accident or war

enhanced – adj. to increase or improve

radical¹¹ – n. having extreme political or social views that are not shared by most people

interpreter - n. a language aide

1 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。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

4 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

5 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。

6 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

7 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

8 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。

9 fatalities   

n.恶性事故( fatality的名词复数 )；死亡；致命性；命运

参考例句：

• Several people were injured, but there were no fatalities. 有几个人受伤，但没有人死亡。
• The accident resulted in fatalities. 那宗意外道致多人死亡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 applicant   

n.申请人，求职者，请求者

参考例句：

• He was the hundredth applicant for the job. 他是第100个申请这项工作的人。
• In my estimation, the applicant is well qualified for this job. 据我看, 这位应征者完全具备这项工作的条件。

11 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

12 radicals   

n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 )；根基；基本原理；[数学]根数

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。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The worry is that the radicals will grow more intransigent. 现在人们担忧激进分子会变得更加不妥协。 来自辞典例句

13 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

14 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

15 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

16 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

17 fatality   

n.不幸，灾祸，天命

参考例句：

• She struggle against fatality in vain.她徒然奋斗反抗宿命。
• He began to have a growing sense of fatality.他开始有一种越来越强烈的宿命感。