CCTV9英语新闻12月：美籍华人帮助成千上万的无家可归者

In the United States the number of homeless people is falling.... but homelessness remains¹ a big problem. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development says nearly 634,000 Americans are homeless. 21-percent of them are in California where one Chinese-American woman is trying to make a difference.

On the Northwestern California Coast of Humboldt county it’s safe to say, no one who works harder at feeding hungry souls than Betty Chinn. From her home, to her truck, to a network of church kitchens, Betty cooks, prepares and loads up more than a thousand meals a day. She delivers the food to the people she calls family. Some of the homeless here may be drug addicts², some mentally ill and some have just lost their way - it doesn’t matter to Betty. She calls on a man named Pony³ for help. Decades ago, Pony was convicted of having sex with a minor⁴. That set into motion a cycle of prison, drugs and violence. When no one would help, Betty persistently⁵ used her clout⁶ to get him into transitional housing.

 

Betty cooks, prepares and loads up more than a thousand meals a day.

 

Betty goes directly to where the homeless live, looking for ways to help. We meet David Spears, a former Marine⁷ and Vietnam War Veteran with throat cancer. For him, living in a house or apartment is not in the realm of financial possibility.

But others do want out, like Sue and her son, Christopher. They fell on hard times when Sue’s husband was hospitalized after a stroke.

A person who’s been congratulated by rock stars and celebrities⁸.[Picture of her with Bono and Billie Jean King] She’s also earned the respect and friendship of former California first Lady, Maria Shriver, and was awarded a Presidential Citizen’s medal by President Barack Obama. Betty says she has everything she’s ever dreamed of -- a loving family and a comfortable home and food - which is exactly why she can’t sit still.

 

Chinese-American helps thousands of homeless

 

Betty even travels by herself into areas and times of the night considered unsafe. She tells me in these woods, there are 175 homeless, among them 12 high school students she drives to school every morning.

Betty took carpenter Jeremy Hackney under her wing when he was homeless, unemployed⁹ and an alcoholic¹⁰. Today, none of those labels apply. As a carpenter, perhaps it’s fitting that Jeremy’s latest work is part of a community effort that helped build and realize Betty’s dream -- the Betty Kwan Chinn Day Center. Inside this half-million dollar building donated by a businessman and renovated¹¹ by supporters, Betty and a team will work to manage homeless cases, house the needy¹², run a kids program and of course, cook plenty of meals.

The center’s equipped with a computer lab to help homeless people gain computer literacy and to look for jobs and housing. And right over here, is the hire attire¹³, where there’s a wardrobe with clothes that will not only keep people warm, but help them look professional for job interviews.

While the center marks an incredible milestone¹⁴ for a former homeless immigrant from China, on this day, Betty refuses to take the day off. Even before all the guests have gone, Betty has already slipped out the door and is soon on the streets again in her words, just being a mother who needs to make sure her family is fed.

 

1 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。

2 addicts   

有…瘾的人( addict的名词复数 )； 入迷的人

参考例句：

• a unit for rehabilitating drug addicts 帮助吸毒者恢复正常生活的机构
• There is counseling to help Internet addicts?even online. 有咨询机构帮助网络沉迷者。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

3 pony   

adj.小型的；n.小马

参考例句：

• His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父亲给了他一匹小马驹作为圣诞礼物。
• They made him pony up the money he owed.他们逼他还债。

4 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。

5 persistently   

ad.坚持地；固执地

参考例句：

• He persistently asserted his right to a share in the heritage. 他始终声称他有分享那笔遗产的权利。
• She persistently asserted her opinions. 她果断地说出了自己的意见。

6 clout   

n.用手猛击；权力，影响力

参考例句：

• The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.女王有特权，但无真正的政治影响力。
• He gave the little boy a clout on the head.他在那小男孩的头部打了一下。

7 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

9 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

10 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

11 renovated   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He renovated his house. 他翻修了房子。
• The house has been renovated three years earlier. 这所房子三年前就已翻新。

12 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

13 attire   

v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装

参考例句：

• He had no intention of changing his mode of attire.他无意改变着装方式。
• Her attention was attracted by his peculiar attire.他那奇特的服装引起了她的注意。

14 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。