VOA标准英语2009年-Galveston, Texas Still Struggling to Recover fr

Five months after Hurricane Ike devastated¹ Galveston, Texas, the island city on the Gulf² of Mexico below Houston is struggling to recover. The economic slump³ in the nation as a whole has made the task more difficult, but many islanders are determined⁴ to rebuild their homes and their lives there.
　
Mardi Gras celebration in downtown Galveston

The party is in full swing at night in downtown Galveston as the city celebrates Mardi Gras, a smaller version of the big party held every year in New Orleans, 640 kilometers to the east. The event culminates⁵ on Tuesday, with parades and street parties. Both cities rely on these tourist-drawing celebrations for their economic vitality⁶ and both are ever more dependent on them as they recover from hurricanes. Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans in August, 2005 and Hurricane Ike caused widespread wind, surge and flood damage to Galveston on September 13 of last year.

Although many restaurants and hotels are open and thriving on the influx⁷ of visitors, nearly 75 percent of shops in downtown Galveston remain closed and some of the island city's biggest employers have either moved elsewhere or are considering moving.
　
Dottie Rutledge

Dottie Rutledge, who has lived here since 1968, lost her home to the hurricane and now lives in a hotel on vouchers⁸ provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"Galveston is totally forgotten. There are piles of stuff here that nobody has picked up," she said.

Aside from her personal frustrations⁹ with the government and the insurance companies that have yet to provide funds to rebuild her house, Rutledge worries that the recession hitting the United States now will further undermine efforts to revive the local economy.

"It is going to make it much worse here because the jobs in Galveston are gone," Rutledge said. "There are too many businesses that are not going to rebuild and too many of them just moving off the island."

Betty Strickland, another displaced local resident, fears Ike may have permanently¹⁰ crippled her hometown.

"Galveston is half the size it was. We had 64,000 people before and we have about 32 [thousand] now," Strickland said. "The school enrollment¹¹ is down 50 percent. People are not coming back to Galveston. They sent 400 employees from American National Insurance Company to the mainland. Galveston is a dead town. You can put a tombstone on the other side of the causeway, because it is gone."

Another threat to Galveston's recovery is the closing of a children's hospital and a proposal to move another hospital to the mainland. Both hospitals sustained heavy damage from flooding during the hurricane. The University of Texas Medical Branch, which includes research facilities as well as a general hospital, is Galveston's single biggest employer. A consultant¹² group hired by the University of Texas regents recommended moving the hospital to the mainland. Local officials are fighting hard to convince the regents to keep the facility where it is.
　
1900 Hurricane victims monument

City leaders acknowledge the difficulties their community faces as it struggles to recover, but they remain confident that it will recover and prosper¹³ if both the state and federal government provide the support they need. Galveston, one of the oldest cities in Texas, was almost completely destroyed by a hurricane in 1900 and it never regained¹⁴ its status as a major port city after the building of a ship channel that connected Houston to the coast. But many of the people who lost homes here more than a century ago rebuilt and kept the city going and many of the people now living temporarily in hotels on federal vouchers say they will continue their struggle to remain because this is their home.

1 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

2 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。

3 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

4 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

5 culminates   

v.达到极点( culminate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Each civilization is born, it culminates, and it decay. 各种文明都要历经诞生，鼎盛和衰落。 来自《用法词典》
• The tower culminates in a 40-foot spire. 这塔的顶端是一个40英尺高的塔尖。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 vitality   

n.活力，生命力，效力

参考例句：

• He came back from his holiday bursting with vitality and good health.他度假归来之后，身强体壮，充满活力。
• He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。

7 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。

8 vouchers   

n.凭证( voucher的名词复数 )；证人；证件；收据

参考例句：

• These vouchers are redeemable against any future purchase. 这些优惠券将来购物均可使用。
• This time we were given free vouchers to spend the night in a nearby hotel. 这一次我们得到了在附近一家旅馆入住的免费券。 来自英语晨读30分（高二）

9 frustrations   

挫折( frustration的名词复数 )； 失败； 挫败； 失意

参考例句：

• The temptation would grow to take out our frustrations on Saigon. 由于我们遭到挫折而要同西贡算帐的引诱力会增加。
• Aspirations will be raised, but so will frustrations. 人们会产生种种憧憬，但是种种挫折也会随之而来。

10 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

11 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

12 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

13 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。

14 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。