2007年VOA标准英语-Two Years After Katrina, New Orleans Slowly Rec

By Greg Flakus
Houston
29 August 2007

Two years ago Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf¹ coast of the United States, devastating² a wide area from Louisiana to Alabama, with an especially tragic³ outcome in the city of New Orleans, where a surge of water caused by the storm toppled levees and flooded much of the city.  Today, New Orleans continues its slow pace of recovery and urban experts envision a somewhat smaller and somewhat different city.  VOA's Greg Flakus has more from Houston.

Javier Tobar poses in front of his home where he covered the mark left by post-Katrina body searchers with a fleur-de-lis, in New Orleans, 23 Aug. 2007

Two years after Katrina, a large number of people who refer to themselves as being from New Orleans still live in Houston and in other cities around the country.  Some say they want to return; some are resigned to stay where they are.

The population of New Orleans is growing and some business has come back, but in many respects the city is still a shadow of what it was before Katrina.  Among those watching its progress is urban geographer⁴ and Tulane University professor Richard Campanella.  He says the population loss from Katrina should be seen as an acceleration⁵ of an already existing trend.

"We have been losing population steadily⁶ since 1960," he noted⁷.  "So what Katrina might have done is simply rocket us forward on that trajectory⁸.  But my sense is that we are going to stabilize⁹ at about 20 percent to 25 percent less than pre-Katrina."

Campanella says census¹⁰ figures and more recent surveys show a dramatic shift in population resulting from Katrina and its aftermath.

"We were at 484,000 in the 2000 census," he noted.  "Just before Katrina we had dropped to 452,000, so that is a loss of 32,000, without the hurricane.  Then, after Katrina, a year ago, we were at about 200,000 and that has since risen to the upper 200's, somewhere between 260,000 and 290,000."

If Campanella's predictions are right, New Orleans will have a population around 350,000 by the year 2015.  He hopes those who return will avoid the mistakes made in the past and not settle in areas of the city that are below sea level.  He notes that 100 years ago hardly anyone lived in those areas.  They were developed only after a system of levees and pumps was established, providing false hope that they would be safe from flooding.

Using satellite images and other data, Campanella and his students have found about 2,000 parcels of land above sea level in New Orleans that are currently idle or underutilized.  He hopes the city will focus on developing some of this land for residential¹¹ homes.

"Remember the higher ground areas are the historic districts, so these weedy lots on higher ground represent tears in the historic urban fabric," he explained.  "So, by redeveloping them, not only do you get people out of harm's way, but you mend those tears."

President Bush, right, helps the White family hang a flag outside their new home during a visit New Orleans, 29 Aug 2007

But whatever happens Richard Campanella sees the New Orleans of the future being far different from what it was before Katrina.  Blacks once represented 70 percent of the population, with whites at 28 percent and Hispanics and Asians dividing up the remaining two percent.  Now, he says, the Hispanic population has surged, Blacks are down below 50 percent and whites are just above 40 percent.  Another change he sees is fewer children in many neighborhoods and fewer elderly as well.  These trends result from poor schools and a weak healthcare system.

But, come what may, Campanella believes New Orleans will continue to be an exciting place to live.

"Whether one sees these shifts as good or bad, they are complex and fascinating phenomena¹² and it is really an amazing place to be right now," he said.

Richard Campanella teaches geography at Tulane University and lives in the Bywater section of New Orleans, not far from the famous French Quarter.

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

3 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

4 geographer   

n.地理学者

参考例句：

• His grandfather is a geographer.他的祖父是一位地理学家。
• Li Siguang is a famous geographer.李四光是一位著名的地理学家。

5 acceleration   

n.加速，加速度

参考例句：

• All spacemen must be able to bear acceleration.所有太空人都应能承受加速度。
• He has also called for an acceleration of political reforms.他同时呼吁加快政治改革的步伐。

6 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 trajectory   

n.弹道，轨道

参考例句：

• It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
• The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。

9 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

10 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

11 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

12 phenomena   

n.现象

参考例句：

• Ade couldn't relate the phenomena with any theory he knew.艾德无法用他所知道的任何理论来解释这种现象。
• The object of these experiments was to find the connection,if any,between the two phenomena.这些实验的目的就是探索这两种现象之间的联系，如果存在着任何联系的话。