2007年VOA标准英语-Thousands of Iraqis Flee War for Safety in Jord

By Jeff Swicord
Amman, Jordan
16 February 2007
 
watch Iraqis Flee Jordan

The United Nations estimates that 3,000 Iraqis a day are now leaving their war-torn country.  An estimated 700,000 to one million are now living in neighboring Jordan.  Most are of the educated professional class.  In this, the second part of our two-part series on Iraqi refugees in Jordan, Jeff Swicord takes a look at the impact this large migration¹ has had on the people of Jordan.

"It has a very unique design that optimizes² to a great extent the utilization³ of space," says Iraqi developer Jalal Algaaod. He is proud of his latest project, an upscale shopping mall in downtown Amman.

Algaaod is part of the Iraq's wealthy business elite⁴ now living in Jordan.  By their sheer numbers and resources, Iraqis are making their mark on the Jordanian capital.  And that has drawn⁵ the ire of some Jordanians. 

 
Randa Habib
Randa Habib is the Bureau Chief for Agence France Press in Amman. "The first ones who came, they came, they had money.  They [Jordanians] welcomed them because they were spending money, they were buying jewelry⁶.  They thought they would be here temporarily and things would get better in Iraq… they will go back or go elsewhere.  Now, the temporary is lasting⁷ and things are taking a different shape.  They are nearly taking over the city.  So, the reaction is different."

The United Nations says there are more than 700,000 Iraqis living in Jordan.  That is an astonishing number considering the population of Jordan is only five and a half million. 

 
Wael N. Al Jaabari
The large influx⁸ of Iraqis has had a dramatic impact on the Jordanian economy, particularly the real estate sector⁹.  Wael N. Al Jaabari is the general manager of the Abdoun Real Estate Agency in Amman.  He says Saddam would not allow wealthy Iraqis to take their money out of the country.  So, many had millions in cash hidden away for safekeeping.  They arrived in Jordan with suitcases stuffed full of U.S. dollars.

"When they first came the deals were done in U.S. dollars -- cash money,” said Jaabari. “You will look at somebody and he walks in your office and he has something like a million, two million dollars, a million and a half just buying these properties that Jordanians had a very hard time to sell for four or five years for half of the price.  And when they came in, believe it or not, for Jordanians it was very easy to sell those houses for double of the money -- even triple of the money."

 
Jaabari says the increased demand for housing, combined with the willingness of cash-rich Iraqis to pay inflated¹⁰ prices, drove the Amman real estate market up by 300, 500, and in some areas even 1,000 percent.  Well out of reach for the average Jordanian.

"You look at the economy.  You look at the average income of a Jordanian person, he really can not afford to live in most areas of Amman.  It is very difficult.  Because money-wise, we [Jordanians] are still making the same income." 

The lack of affordable¹¹ housing is especially hard on young Jordanians.

Twenty-five-year-old Asad Samara has been married for seven months.  He and his wife have been looking for an apartment to buy for almost nine months.  But they say everything in Amman is too expensive. 

"All my friends who have been planning to get engaged for six months are now going to postpone¹² it,” he says. “No one expected this; they are going to delay the engagement because the 75 Jordanian dollars we would have to pay a month is now 150 Jordanian dollars.  So, this is unexpected."

The price for consumer goods has also risen.  And Jordanians claim the influx of cheap Iraqi labor¹³ is lowering wages in the country.  The majority of Iraqi refugees in Jordan are of the educated professional class.  Randa Habib says they are willing to work for much less than the average Jordanian professional.

"Those who are employed by Jordanians, they are saying, ‘You know, my employer keeps telling me, if you are not happy just go. I can get two for the price of your salary, two Iraqis who would be as good’."

Most of the Iraqis we talked to in Jordan do not plan to stay.  Developer Jalal Algaood looks forward to the day when he can return to a stable Iraq and work toward rebuilding his country.  He knows that will be a long time coming.  For now, Jordan will have to do.

1 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。

2 optimizes   

v.使最优化，使尽可能有效( optimize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Emerson optimizes PlantWeb engineering work processes by joining Intergraph's SmartPlant alliance program. 加入Intergraph的SmartPlant联盟计划，艾默生优化了PlantWeb工程工作步骤。 来自互联网
• The algorithm optimizes the flow of inter mode of macro-block decision algorithm. 算法优化了宏块帧间模式选择算法的流程。 来自互联网

3 utilization   

n.利用，效用

参考例句：

• Computer has found an increasingly wide utilization in all fields.电子计算机已越来越广泛地在各个领域得到应用。
• Modern forms of agricultural utilization,have completely refuted this assumption.现代农业利用形式，完全驳倒了这种想象。

4 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

5 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

6 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

7 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

8 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

9 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

10 inflated   

adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨

参考例句：

• He has an inflated sense of his own importance. 他自视过高。
• They all seem to take an inflated view of their collective identity. 他们对自己的集体身份似乎都持有一种夸大的看法。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

12 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

13 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。