VOA标准英语2010年-Center Rescues Women Only Steps Away f

Only a few blocks from the thousands of fans near the Olympic cauldron in Vancouver, a small non-profit organization is working to help women escape prostitution, drug abuse and violence.  The Atira Women's Resource Society is hoping the Olympics will bring attention to an ongoing¹ need.

Just east of the Olympic flame, there is a library that few of the thousands of sports fans in Vancouver will ever visit.

The books here are not made of paper; the books are people.  The "Living Library" is an opportunity for people to talk to Vancouver residents who are homeless, recovering alcoholics² or sex workers.

The Living Library was established by the Atira Women's Resource Society.  Janice Abbott is Atira's director.  She says most of the women she works with come from violent and sexually abusive relationships.

Janice Abbott is the executive director of Atira Women's Resource Society in Vancouver, Canada

"We work primarily with women who are struggling with substance abuse, struggling with mental illness, have had multiple experiences of violence, and we house them," she said.  "But we have a bunch of related support programs as well."

One of the facilities Abbott helps manage is Bridge House, which offers women refuge with their own bathrooms, kitchens and living spaces.  The goal is to help women reestablish their lives.  The Atira Women's Resource Society also offers counseling and group therapy. 

Abbott says that the Living Library is trying to reach the thousands of Winter Olympics fans, many of whom have no idea about the people who are only a few blocks away.

"When I am at home or when I am in my office here, I would not know the Olympics are happening in this city.  They are so far removed.  And I have been to a couple of hockey games and so I know, and that's what -- five or six blocks away from here?  Right here, you would not know the Olympics are happening in the city.  It's like they've passed us by," she explained.

But Abbott says that the city has allocated³ money to provide affordable⁴ housing, for which she says she is thankful.

Cherry Kingsley is one of Atira's Living Library's 'books'

One of the Living Library's "books" is Cherry Kingsley, a former sex worker who is moving into Bridge House.  Kingsley is excited as she and Abbott load a suitcase into the elevator to take her belongings⁵ to her new apartment.

The apartment is small.  A door is missing under the kitchen sink and there is a hole in the wall near the window.  A single light bulb hangs above the table.  There are a couple of pieces of furniture, small sofas without cushions, and a small table.  But it smells of fresh paint and repairs are underway. 

The Kingsley, 39, first came to Vancouver when she was 14.  She became involved in prostitution at the insistence⁶ of a former boyfriend, who beat her, and forced her to sell her body the first night they arrived.

Kingsley eventually became involved in drugs, worked the streets and was robbed.  She went to a local church, which got her in a shelter.  She eventually made her way to the Atira Women's Resource Society.

Kingsley says she wants Olympics visitors to understand the devastating⁷ effects of prostitution. 

"The fact is I was beaten, raped⁸, exploited, brutalized almost every day," she noted⁹.  "That's the reality.  And I didn't have control over the things that happened to me or to my body.  And I didn't make large sums of money.  You can see I am only starting to get my life together now, and that's out of the sex trade; that's not in the sex trade."

Kingsley says the help she received has enabled her to work toward the future, and that having her own apartment makes a huge difference in rebuilding her life.

"I can do things that are good for me, you know, not just try to exist hand-to-mouth or in survival mode, you know?  I can start to cook food that is good for me, you know?  Yeah, I mean it's a completely different way of life when you have your own place," she noted.

Despite Janice Abbott's and Cherry Kingsley's efforts, the Living Library faces challenges in getting its message out.  Located in a former storefront, it is next to a recycling center where homeless and indigent¹⁰ men and women bring cans in exchange for money.  On this day, a line of 100 people waiting to turn in their cans snakes down the block.

But Abbott says she hopes that a few of the fans in Vancouver for the Games will visit.  She also hopes that if they do "check out a book," they will gain an understanding of some of the people who live and survive, often unnoticed, in the Olympics host city.

 

1 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。

2 Alcoholics   

n.嗜酒者，酒鬼( alcoholic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many alcoholics go on drinking sprees that continue for days at a time. 许多酒鬼一次要狂饮好几天。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Do you have a copy of the Alcoholics Anonymous book? 你手上有戒酒匿名会的书吗？ 来自互联网

3 allocated   

adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
• More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。

4 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

5 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

6 insistence   

n.坚持；强调；坚决主张

参考例句：

• They were united in their insistence that she should go to college.他们一致坚持她应上大学。
• His insistence upon strict obedience is correct.他坚持绝对服从是对的。

7 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。

8 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

9 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。

10 indigent   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的

参考例句：

• The town government is responsible for assistance to indigent people.镇政府负责给穷人提供帮助。
• A judge normally appoints the attorney for an indigent defendant at the defendant's first court appearence.法官通常会在贫穷被告人第一次出庭时，为其指派一名辩护律师。