VOA常速英语2014--Blight Tourism in Detroit Grows in Popularity 底特律衰败景观旅游渐受欢迎

 

Blight¹ Tourism in Detroit Grows in Popularity 底特律衰败景观旅游渐受欢迎

DETROIT, MICHIGAN — The city of Detroit is known more for its iconic blight than the vehicles that once rolled off the floors of the now-abandoned factories that gave it the nickname “Motor City.”  But, Detroit’s decline has given rise to a new phenomenon that is growing in demand - blight tourism.

底特律 — 美国底特律现在的衰败景观，要比这个被昵称为“汽车城”出产的汽车还要有名。许多汽车一度从这里的汽车制造厂开出来。底特律的衰退制造出一个需求渐增的新现象，那就是衰败景观的导览旅游。

The throngs² of rock music fans are now a distant memory at Detroit’s Eastown Theater.

一群群的摇滚乐迷，对于底特律东城剧场来说已经成为一个遥远的记忆。

On this cold morning, the sidewalk in front serves as a bed for the homeless.

在这个早晨，东城剧场前的人行道是流浪汉的睡床。

Step inside, and the once iconic stage that hosted rock singers Bob Seger, Ted³ Nugent and Alice Cooper is filled with holes.   

走进里头，曾经一度是在这儿演唱的摇滚歌手鲍勃.西格、泰德.努金和爱丽丝.库伯的标志性舞台，现在却是千疮百孔。 

It now more closely resembles the aftermath of a bombing, but it's not war torn. It's the byproduct of neglect, an example of economic decline.

它现在更接近像是被炸过一样的样子，但它并未遭受战争蹂躏。它只是被忽视之下的副产品，也是一个经济衰退的例子。

Photographer Jesse Welter sees beyond the decay.  He sees art.

摄影家杰西.威尔特看到的是衰败以外的东西。他看到的是艺术。

“I can see the beauty in it, and the architecture," said Welter.

杰西.威尔特说： “我能够看到其中的美，还有它的建筑结构。”

The former beauty of St. Agnes Catholic Church is pierced by crumbling⁴ columns, broken windows, and graffiti.  There hasn’t been a service here since 2006.

原本美丽的圣.艾格尼天主教堂，现在也被破裂的柱子、破碎的窗户和涂鸦贯穿。自2006年以来，这里就没有举行过弥撒。

Inside the school next to the church are forgotten shoes, open books on abandoned desks, and hallways once filled with students now full of debris⁵.

在教堂旁边的学校里，有着被遗忘的鞋子，废弃的桌上放着摊开的书本，一度都是学生穿梭的走廊，现在满地都是碎片。

This is Jesse Welter’s canvas.  His camera is his paintbrush, and his artwork tells a story.

这些都是杰西.威尔特的画布。他的相机是他的画笔，他的艺术作品告诉人们一个故事。

“I think they kind of tell you the history.  The past.  What it is, what it’s become," he said.

摄影家杰西.威尔特说： “我认为它们在告诉你历史和过去。它原本是什么，现在又变成了什么。”

What it’s become for Welter is not just a hobby, but a part-time job as a guide through Detroit’s misery⁶.

对威尔特来说，它不仅是一个嗜好，它还变成一个带领人们导览底特律悲惨境遇的兼职工作。

“I was kind of doing this on my own, and I thought why not take people with me," he said.

威尔特说：“我本来只是自己这么做，后来我想到，为什么不带一些人一起来呢。”

In 2011, Welter began inviting⁷ other photographers on his adventures through Detroit’s evaporating architectural history.   Now, he charges between $40 and $100 per person for tours of Detroit's blight.  He says much of the money goes for expenses transporting his customers.

2011年，威尔特开始邀请其他摄影家和他一起探访底特律正在消失的建筑结构历史。现在，他为导览底特律的衰败景观收取每人40到100美元的价钱。

“My van, I can take up to ten people, and it's usually full.  I’ve been to about 180 different buildings, and the tours. I’ve probably done over 300 tours," said Welter.

威尔特说：“我的客货车可以坐满10个人，它经常客满。我已经去过180栋不同的建筑，至于导览，我大概已经带过300次了。”

The popularity of Welter’s tours has increased as the number of abandoned structures has grown. Detroit’s emergency manager Kevyn Orr estimates there are 78,000 blighted⁸ structures, which are targets of vandalism and fire.  

威尔特的导览受欢迎的程度随着被弃置的建筑增加而提高。底特律市政府的紧急管理处处长凯文.奥尔估计，底特律大约有7万8千栋的衰败建筑结构，这些地方也成为被故意破坏和放火的目标。

“Right now our public safety is stressed," said Glenda Price.

底特律去除衰败工作小组格兰达.普莱斯说：“目前我们的公共安全面临压力。”

Glenda Price is co-chair of the Detroit Blight Removal Task Force. It's developing a roadmap to eliminate Detroit’s blight over the next three years.

格兰达.普莱斯是底特律政府去除衰败小组的主管。这个小组正在发展一个路线图，在未来3年中消除底特律的衰败景观。

“We’re looking at all structures in the city, and all vacant land," she said.

普莱斯说：“我们正在检查市区里的所有建筑结构以及所有空地。”

One of the largest is the former Packard Automobile⁹ plant, which covers about 16 hectares. It's one of the most popular, and surreal, destinations on Welter’s tour.

其中一个最大的建筑结构就是原先的帕克汽车厂，它的面积大约是16公顷。

“Once you start to see a lot of this, it doesn’t have as much of an impact anymore," said Welter.

威尔特说：“一旦你开始看到很多这种景观，它的影响就没这么大了。”

 

Welter's trek¹⁰ through this wasteland is bittersweet, as it might be one of the last tours he offers here.  The plant has a new owner who is interested in developing the facility. Instead of an abandoned ruin, it could become, among other things, someone’s home.

在这块荒地上游走的威尔特苦乐参半，因为这可能是他提供这个地方最后的几次导览。这个汽车厂的新主人想要开发这块地，它不再会是一个被弃置的废墟，反而可能成为某人的家或是其他的建筑结构。

1 blight   

n.枯萎病；造成破坏的因素；vt.破坏，摧残

参考例句：

• The apple crop was wiped out by blight.枯萎病使苹果全无收成。
• There is a blight on all his efforts.他的一切努力都遭到挫折。

2 throngs   

n.人群( throng的名词复数 )v.成群，挤满( throng的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She muscled through the throngs of people, frantically searching for David. 她使劲挤过人群，拼命寻找戴维。 来自辞典例句
• Our friends threaded their way slowly through the throngs upon the Bridge. 我们这两位朋友在桥上从人群中穿过，慢慢地往前走。 来自辞典例句

3 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

4 crumbling   

adj.摇摇欲坠的

参考例句：

• an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof 一所灰泥剥落、屋顶漏水的老房子
• The boat was tied up alongside a crumbling limestone jetty. 这条船停泊在一个摇摇欲坠的石灰岩码头边。

5 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

6 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

7 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

8 blighted   

adj.枯萎的，摧毁的

参考例句：

• Blighted stems often canker.有病的茎往往溃烂。
• She threw away a blighted rose.她把枯萎的玫瑰花扔掉了。

9 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

10 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。