2006年VOA标准英语-Lack of Biometric Passports Slows Down Fre

By Lisa Bryant
Paris
31 January 2006

Lines are snaking out the door of the U.S. Consulate¹ in Paris, as would-be French travelers to America wait to get newly required visas. The problem: the French government has yet to issue special biometric passports.   Without such a passport, travelers are now required to have a visa.  That's translating into a major loss for the French tourism industry.

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Until recently, French visitors did not need a visa to enter the United States. No longer.  A U.S. law passed after the September 2001 terrorist strikes requires travelers from 27 countries to have special high-tech² passports for security reasons. The new biometric passports carry a chip with the image and fingerprints³ of the passport holder⁴. Of these nations, 26 - including Australia, Britain, Japan and Singapore - have complied with the regulations, but France has not.

 

Some security features are shown in UK's new biometric European Union passport as it is exposed to ultra-violet light   
  

The reason: The French government is involved in a dispute with labor⁵ unions who insist the biometric passports must be manufactured by the public printing agency. And for French citizens like Jean Ruffin, waiting outside the U.S. consulate in Paris on a chilly⁶ Tuesday afternoon, that has translated into a major headache.

"When I [applied for] the passport and [said it was] for going to the United States, they told me go very fast, because it is going to take you a long time to have an appointment to have an interview to get the visa," he said.

It took Ruffin 10 days and 15 euros, about $18 - to get his appointment. It took him a total of two days to get the visa to travel to Miami, where his business is headquartered. But late Tuesday, he got it.

Another woman, who identified herself only as Caroline, was also in line to pick up visas.

Caroline says she does not need a visa to enter the U.S., but her children do. She describes the wait and the paperwork as long and tedious.

French travelers are not the only ones complaining. Isabelle Gelee is board chairman of Visit USA France, a promotional association. She estimates some 250,000 French travelers will decide not to visit the U.S. this year, because of the lengthy⁷ new requirements for visas. She says that translates into a $600 million loss for the French tourism industry alone.

"We have estimated around 30 percent of French travelers won't go to the U.S., meaning 10 percent who will have to cancel their trips because they won't have the proper passport, and 20 percent who will just [decide] not to go because it is too complicated," she noted⁸.

The French government says it hopes to be able to issue new biometric passports to its citizens by May. But Ms. Gelee says for many French travelers, and for the travel business, that will be too late for this year.

1 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

2 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

3 fingerprints   

n.指纹( fingerprint的名词复数 )v.指纹( fingerprint的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Everyone's fingerprints are unique. 每个人的指纹都是独一无二的。
• They wore gloves so as not to leave any fingerprints behind (them). 他们戴着手套，以免留下指纹。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

7 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

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。