VOA标准英语2010年-Italian Authorities Clear Out Roma Cam

Italian authorities have begun to clean out one of Europe's largest camps of Roma. The Roma are commonly known as Gypsies but they trace their origins to South Asia. Officials say living conditions in the Casilino 900 camp in Rome are disgraceful and inhuman¹ and residents must be moved to areas that are better equipped. But questions remain as to why the transfer is being carried out.
 
Cranes and bulldozers are in action at the Casilino 900 camp in Rome. They have begun to demolish² the caravans³ and makeshift homes of the Roma who are being pressured to leave.

Italian authorities say the more than 600 Roma living here can not stay and must be evacuated⁴ by February. Officials say the living conditions are no longer tolerable.

"The camp must close because it is on an illegal area," Gianni Alemanno said. Alemanno is the mayor of Rome. "These camps must be in authorized⁵ areas where it is easier to guarantee better life and health conditions and ensure that people can live properly."

The Casilino 900 camp is one of the largest in Europe for Roma. It has existed for 40 years. Many of the Roma here say they are concerned about being moved elsewhere because they don't want to end up with other ethnic⁶ groups.

Human rights organizations fear the real reason behind the transfer is to identify and expel them.

An estimated seven to nine million Roma live in Europe.

"This is a minority that has changed significantly over the years. In the past it was a nomadic⁷ population that moved frequently. But in time it has stopped traveling," Paolo Ciani said.  In Eastern countries it has become part of the population and urbanized the cities."

In Europe, only Hungary and Spain recognize Roma as a national minority.

But in Romania and Slovakia, where they represent 10 percent of the population, they are not recognized and have no rights, human rights activists⁸ say. They say Roma must be fully⁹ recognized as European citizens.

1 inhuman   

adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的

参考例句：

• We must unite the workers in fighting against inhuman conditions.我们必须使工人们团结起来反对那些难以忍受的工作条件。
• It was inhuman to refuse him permission to see his wife.不容许他去看自己的妻子是太不近人情了。

2 demolish   

v.拆毁(建筑物等)，推翻(计划、制度等)

参考例句：

• They're going to demolish that old building.他们将拆毁那座旧建筑物。
• He was helping to demolish an underground garage when part of the roof collapsed.他当时正在帮忙拆除一个地下汽车库，屋顶的一部份突然倒塌。

3 caravans   

（可供居住的）拖车（通常由机动车拖行）( caravan的名词复数 )； 篷车； （穿过沙漠地带的）旅行队（如商队）

参考例句：

• Old-fashioned gypsy caravans are painted wooden vehicles that are pulled by horses. 旧式的吉卜赛大篷车是由马拉的涂了颜色的木质车辆。
• Old-fashioned gypsy caravans are painted wooden vehicles. 旧时的吉普赛大篷车是涂了颜色的木质车辆。

4 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

5 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

7 nomadic   

adj.流浪的；游牧的

参考例句：

• This tribe still live a nomadic life.这个民族仍然过着游牧生活。
• The plowing culture and the nomadic culture are two traditional principal cultures in China.农耕文化与游牧文化是我国传统的两大主体文化。

8 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 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。