2007年VOA标准英语-As Europe Unites, Migrant Workers Spread

By Sonja Pace
London
15 August 2007

A British parliamentary committee has said that tightening¹ restrictions² for highly skilled immigrant workers is illegal and unfair and could mean thousands might be deported³. Some 50,000 immigrants could be affected⁴, but they are just a small portion of the massive influx⁵ of migrant workers who have come to Britain in recent years, especially since the expansion of the European Union in 2004.   VOA's Sonja Pace has more from London. 

Britian's building boom attracts immigrants looking for work

The building boom in Britain may be driven by a strong economy, but it is being carried out largely by foreign workers.

British government statistics indicate that more than two and a half million foreign workers have been registered in Britain since 2002. 

The largest single group of immigrants has come from Poland.  Zbigniew Cwik is one of them. "When I come here, the first couple of days was very difficult for me because I miss my wife, my family and when I start work, the work was from morning to nearly evening so I am just thinking about the work."

He goes by Zibbi, for short.  He originally came on a training course, stayed, found work doing construction and home refurbishments, brought his family over and eventually started his own business.

More than 220,000 Polish workers registered in Britain in the past year.  And in all, over 700,000 East European workers have come here since the 2004 EU expansion.  The statistics, compiled from the government's National Insurance registry, do not include the number of migrants who have since left Britain.

Andrew Green

Hugo Brady of the Center for European Reform says migrant workers are behind Britain's economic boom. "Really, immigration in this sense as per the 2004 enlargement has been a win-win situation.  I can't think of any situation in Europe in which it has not been beneficial."

Most migrants work in unskilled jobs - they sweep streets, tend gardens, build roads.

Andrew Green, chairman of the lobby group, Migration⁶ Watch, says, "Polish immigration is great news for the chattering⁷ classes - because you get cheap nannies, you get cheap restaurants, you get wonderful gardeners and the plumbers⁹ are wonderful. If you happen to be a British plumber⁸ it's not so good. We've got a million young (British) people who are not in education, not in training, not in work.  Now it's even more difficult to get those people into the work force if you've got literally¹⁰ hundreds of thousands of bright, young Poles ready to do the job."

And so the debate goes on - from pubs and private living rooms to the houses of parliament -- how many migrants should be allowed in, how long should they stay, do they benefit the economy or do they take jobs away from locals? 

Hugo Brady says there is another factor. "People will always fear the 'other' and they don't like the idea of strangers descending¹¹ on them even if it is a good thing, even if they themselves have benefited from it.  Somehow this prejudice remains¹²."

For the migrants who come here, the priority is to make a better life for themselves and their families. Some plan to return home, others are not so sure.

For Britons, the issue remains an ongoing¹³ debate.

1 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

2 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

3 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 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。

6 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。

7 chattering   

n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。
• I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。

8 plumber   

n.(装修水管的)管子工

参考例句：

• Have you asked the plumber to come and look at the leaking pipe?你叫管道工来检查漏水的管子了吗？
• The plumber screwed up the tap by means of a spanner.管子工用板手把龙头旋紧。

9 plumbers   

n.管子工，水暖工( plumber的名词复数 )；[美][口]（防止泄密的）堵漏人员

参考例句：

• Plumbers charge by the hour for their work. 水管工人的工作是以小时收费的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Plumbers, carpenters, and other workmen finished the new house quickly. 管道工、木工及其他工匠很快完成了这幢新房子。 来自辞典例句

10 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

11 descending   

n. 下行 adj. 下降的

参考例句：

• The results are expressed in descending numerical order . 结果按数字降序列出。
• The climbers stopped to orient themselves before descending the mountain. 登山者先停下来确定所在的位置，然后再下山。

12 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。

13 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。