VOA常速英语2008年-French President to Announce Plan for Poor Subu

By Lisa Bryant
Paris
08 February 2008

More than two years after violent suburban¹ riots tore through France, the country's president Nicolas Sarkozy will unveil an ambitious plan Friday to turn around some of the poorest and grittiest towns that are home to many African and Arab immigrants. Lisa Bryant visited the northern Paris suburb of Sevran, one of the poorest towns in France, and files this report about what has changed, and what has not, since the 2005 violence.

The small employment agency in downtown Sevran is just about to close for lunch, but about a dozen young people are still here, surfing the Internet for job offers and working on their resumes.

The job seekers include teacher Badreddine Ghomari, 26, who is hoping to land a job in the civil service. It is no help that his last name is North African. He says he has not directly experienced discrimination in France's job market, but adds that he knows plenty of people who have.

Ghomari says a cousin of his got no response from employers he solicited² for jobs. Then he sent off an application with an assumed French name on it and received a positive reply.

Another job seeker, Samir Bendjibbour, 25, agrees that work is hard to come by. Just being a young person in this working class French suburb is difficult, says Bendjibbour, who wears a yellow sweatshirt, gold earring³ and sparkling silver shoes.

Bendjibbour says Sevran is a town where young people have no future. He says there is no way to earn money legally so young people take illegal jobs, which in Sevran, often means dealing⁴ drugs.

Sociologists say the same sense of hopelessness helped trigger two months of nationwide rioting in late 2005. The violence began in Sevran and other suburbs ringing Paris and hopskotched to other parts of the country. France was rocked again by three days of clashes between suburban youth and police last November.

In a poll published this week, 94 percent of French surveyed believe chances are good for more suburban violence.

In Sevran, the burned out shells of vehicles have disappeared. But local officials and social workers say little else has changed since the riots in this town, where about half the population is of immigrant origin.

The local unemployment rate is about 17 percent, about twice the national average. Among young people under 26, it soars to 35 percent.

Didier Caheric is head of social programs at one Sevran housing project.

Caheric says many people have a hard time making ends meet. They have health problems, housing problems, hygiene⁵ problems. He says there is also plenty of crime and drug trafficking and not enough police.

Jean-Francois Delannoy is associate director of Competence-Emploi, a nongovernmental employment agency in Sevran.

Delannoy says there are few businesses in town, so there are very few employment opportunities. The most likely jobs are at nearby Charles de Gaulle airport . But many residents are unable to afford cars to get there and public transportation is spotty.

President Sarkozy has vowed⁶ a Marshall plan for the suburbs. And in January, French cities minister Fadela Amara, herself an immigrant from the suburbs, sketched⁷ out the basics of the proposals Mr. Sarkozy is to announces Friday. They include 40 thousand new jobs for young people, and more educational and transportation opportunities.

While the proposals have won some praise, Mr. Sarkozy is not a popular man in the suburbs. Many remember his days as France's get-tough interior minister.

So it is no surprise that his suburban revival⁸ proposals have largely earned a negative reaction in places like Sevran. That includes from Sevran's communist mayor, Stephane Gatignon.

Gatignon says France is a rich country but money is poorly distributed, leaving towns like Sevran destitute⁹. There are fewer police here than in 2001, he says. There is no money to realize many development projects. He says although France talks about equality and fraternity, the country is increasingly unequal, and Mr. Sarkozy's plan for the suburbs will not improve matters.

1 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

2 solicited   

v.恳求( solicit的过去式和过去分词 )；（指娼妇）拉客；索求；征求

参考例句：

• He's already solicited their support on health care reform. 他已就医疗改革问题请求他们的支持。 来自辞典例句
• We solicited ideas from Princeton University graduates and under graduates. 我们从普林斯顿大学的毕业生与大学生中征求意见。 来自辞典例句

3 earring   

n.耳环，耳饰

参考例句：

• How long have you worn that earring?你戴那个耳环多久了？
• I have an earring but can't find its companion.我现在只有一只耳环,找不到另一只了。

4 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

5 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

6 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

7 sketched   

v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The historical article sketched the major events of the decade. 这篇有关历史的文章概述了这十年中的重大事件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He sketched the situation in a few vivid words. 他用几句生动的语言简述了局势。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

9 destitute   

adj.缺乏的；穷困的

参考例句：

• They were destitute of necessaries of life.他们缺少生活必需品。
• They are destitute of common sense.他们缺乏常识。