2007年VOA标准英语-International Adoption Gains Popularity in US

By Zorislav Baydyuk
Chicago, Illinois
13 March 2007
 
watch International Adoption¹ report

Many Americans seeking to adopt children are looking to orphanages² in other countries. Last year, the U.S. State Department issued over 20,000 immigrant visas to adopted children moving to the U.S. In the largely unregulated world of international adoption, the path can be difficult, time consuming and expensive. Many families turn to adoption agencies to guide them through the complicated process. For producer Zorislav Baydyuk. VOA's Jim Bertel has more on one adoption agency located just outside of Chicago, in the Midwestern state of Illinois.

Andrew, shows off his trophies³. "This is a World Series trophy⁴. I play baseball."

 
Andrew and Natalie, adopted from Ukraine
Andrew Verr and his sister Natalie were adopted five years ago from Ukraine. Their adoptive mom is Krista Verr. "Oh, the kids are great. We can't imagine our lives without them."

Adopting children from overseas can be expensive and fraught⁵ with many bureaucratic⁶ roadblocks.  Like many families, the Verr's turned to an adoption agency for help.

Dan Verr liked the approach of Susan Cain and her nonprofit Adoption Services Group. "When we found out that we can do it independently and we would go and travel to meet our children before we could decide, that appealed to us as well."

Adoption agency's like Cain's help prospective⁷ parents navigate⁸ the complicated adoption process including the extensive documentation and background checks.

 
Susan Cain
"This paperwork will require parents to go see a doctor. Will require the families to get legal clearances⁹ from police, FBI, the state police and child abuse and [child] neglect tracking system. And once the family has undergone all of those reviews and a social worker has met with them at least two to three times.  The social work agency or adoption agency [then] decides, 'yes or no this parent can adopt or not'."

On the other hand, Cain says, the background information and screening of children in many countries is often less extensive, making it difficult to get accurate health information. "These children, a lot of them are sick or they have not had enough food. Some of them have skin problems or rickets¹⁰, anemia¹¹, blood problems (and) some of them are underweight."

Cain knows first hand the challenges of international adoption after adopting her two youngest daughters.

Grace is from Russia. Her sister Emma was adopted in Ukraine where doctors think she suffered from meningitis. Cain says Emma should fully¹² recover but requires special help at school. "That means she gets help with language, her reading, gym, and help with learning to walk better."

Despite the obstacles, new parents' like Krista and Dan Verr say the rewards of international adoption are worth it. And for the children, it gives many of them a loving, nurturing¹³ environment for the first time in their young lives.

1 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

2 orphanages   

孤儿院( orphanage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It is Rotarians running orphanages for children who have no homes. 扶轮社员们为没有家的孩子办孤儿院。
• Through the years, she built churches, hospitals and orphanages. 许多年来，她盖了一间间的教堂、医院、育幼院。

3 trophies   

n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖

参考例句：

• His football trophies were prominently displayed in the kitchen. 他的足球奖杯陈列在厨房里显眼的位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hunter kept the lion's skin and head as trophies. 这猎人保存狮子的皮和头作为纪念品。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 trophy   

n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品

参考例句：

• The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
• He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。

5 fraught   

adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的

参考例句：

• The coming months will be fraught with fateful decisions.未来数月将充满重大的决定。
• There's no need to look so fraught!用不着那么愁眉苦脸的！

6 bureaucratic   

adj.官僚的，繁文缛节的

参考例句：

• The sweat of labour washed away his bureaucratic airs.劳动的汗水冲掉了他身上的官气。
• In this company you have to go through complex bureaucratic procedures just to get a new pencil.在这个公司里即使是领一支新铅笔，也必须通过繁琐的手续。

7 prospective   

adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的

参考例句：

• The story should act as a warning to other prospective buyers.这篇报道应该对其他潜在的购买者起到警示作用。
• They have all these great activities for prospective freshmen.这会举办各种各样的活动来招待未来的新人。

8 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

9 clearances   

清除( clearance的名词复数 )； 许可； （录用或准许接触机密以前的）审查许可； 净空

参考例句：

• But I can't get to him without clearances. 但是没有证明我就没法见到他。
• The bridge and the top of the bus was only ten clearances. 桥与公共汽车车顶之间的间隙只有十厘米。

10 rickets   

n.软骨病，佝偻病，驼背

参考例句：

• A diet deficient in vitamin D may cause the disease rickets.缺少维生素D的饮食可能导致软骨病。
• It also appears to do more than just protect against rickets.除了防止软骨病，它还有更多的功能。

11 anemia   

n.贫血，贫血症

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。
• I was put on iron tablets for my anemia.我曾因贫血吃补铁药片。

12 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

13 nurturing   

养育( nurture的现在分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• These delicate plants need careful nurturing. 这些幼嫩的植物需要精心培育。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants. 这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。