VOA慢速英语2019 英国死亡卡车39人遇难 越南家庭焦急等待消息

After British Truck Deaths, Vietnamese Families Wait for News

British officials have accused a 25-year-old man of causing the deaths of 39 people found in a truck near London last week. The British man also was charged with taking part in an international human trafficking group.

英国官员已经对一名25岁男子提出指控，这名男子造成了上周伦敦附近发现的一辆卡车上的39人死亡。这位英国男子还被指控加入了一个国际人口贩卖集团。

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote a note of support for the victims, saying: "The whole nation and indeed the world has been shocked by this tragedy, and the cruelty of the fate that has been suffered by innocent people who were hoping for a better life in this country."

英国首相鲍里斯·约翰逊对受害者表达了书面的支持。他写道：“整个国家乃至全世界都被这个悲剧震惊，遭受这种悲惨命运的是一群希望在这个国家过上更好生活的人。”

In Vietnam, VNExpress reported that 24 families from Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces in north-central Vietnam do not yet know whether their children are among the dead. Some of the family members have sent pictures of the missing people to relatives and friends in Britain to ask for help.

《越南每日快讯》报道称，来自越南中北部河静省和义安省的24个家庭尚不清楚他们的孩子是否在遇难者之列。一些家庭成员已经将失踪人员的照片发给英国的亲戚和朋友以寻求帮助。

Pham Van Thin's 26-year-old daughter, Pham Thi Tra My, is likely among the 39 people who died in the truck.

范文辛26岁的女儿范氏茶眉可能是卡车上的39位遇难者之一。

Pham said his daughter had sent her mother a text message saying, "I'm sorry Mum. My journey abroad hasn't succeeded. Mum, I love you so much! I'm dying because I can't breathe ... I am sorry, Mum."

范文辛表示，他的女儿给妈妈发了一条短信说，“对不起妈妈，我的出国之行没有成功。妈妈我很爱你。我快要死了，因为我无法呼吸。对不起，妈妈。”

Bui Thac's nephew is among those feared to be dead. Bui told the Reuters news agency, "Almost all households have someone going abroad. Old people stay but young people must find ways to work abroad because it's difficult to work at home."

裴硕的侄子也极有可能是遇难者之一。裴硕对路透社表示：“几乎每家都有人出国。老人留了下来，但是年轻人必须想办法出国工作，因为在老家工作很困难。”

Seeking better life abroad

在国外寻求更好的生活

Without jobs, thousands of Vietnamese from poor areas like Nghe An seek a better life overseas each year. A major chemical leak three years ago at the Formosa steel factory there only worsened conditions.

由于没有工作，每年有数千名来自义安省等贫困地区等越南人去海外寻求更好的生活。三年前当地的福尔摩沙钢铁厂发生了一起严重的化学泄漏事件，让情况变得更糟。

"We decided¹ to let my husband work abroad in 2016 when the Formosa incident happened," said Anna Nguyen. Her husband went to Ukraine, France and then Britain to find work in a nail salon².

阮安娜表示：“2016年福尔摩沙事件发生后，我们决定让我的丈夫出国打工。”她的丈夫到了乌克兰、法国，然后到了英国，在一家美甲沙龙找到了工作。

Ha Tinh's state-run newspaper said last month that over 40,000 people leave the province each year in search of jobs.

河静省的国营报纸上月报道称，每年有4万多人离开该省去找工作。

"People from these provinces have a long history of going overseas to earn money to send back home," said Mimi Vu, an anti-trafficking activist³ based in Ho Chi Minh City.

胡志明市的反人口贩卖活动人士武米米表示：“这些省份的人们去国外赚钱寄回家历史悠久。”

Experts believe human traffickers charge Vietnamese families thousands of dollars to send a relative overseas. Last month, Britain's Ambassador⁴ to Vietnam, Gareth Ward⁵, warned of the dangers of trusting human traffickers.

专家认为，人口贩子向每个越南家庭收取了数千美元的费用，以便将他们的亲人送到海外。上个月，英国驻越南大使加雷斯·沃德警告了人们信任人口贩子的风险。

"They are not friends. They are criminals," he said.

沃德说：“他们不是朋友，他们是罪犯。”

On the website VNExpress, one person commented, "No matter what the country is, this is sad and depressing... I think the current life in Vietnam is not too difficult. Instead of spending hundreds of millions to go abroad, that amount of money in Vietnam could create many jobs."

在《越南每日快讯》网站上，有人评论称，“无论他们是来自哪个国家，这都是令人悲伤和压抑的。我认为越南目前的生活并不太困难。不要花费那么多钱出国，这些钱在越南可以创造很多工作。”

Words in This Story

journey - n. trip, an act of traveling from one place to another

abroad - adv. in or to a foreign country

nail salon - n. a business that specializes in nail care services

depress - v. to make someone feel sad

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 salon   

n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室

参考例句：

• Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？
• You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 ambassador   

n.大使，特使，（派驻国际组织的）代表

参考例句：

• He took up office as an ambassador for ten years continuously.他连任十年大使。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

5 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。