VOA标准英语2012--Korean Surveillance School Trains Citizen Snoops

 

Korean Surveillance School Trains Citizen Snoops

Ji Soo-hyun leads a double life. Three-months ago, the housewife began a career catching¹ lawbreakers red handed. Ji, 54, says her specialty² is going undercover at private tutoring schools.

"I pretend that I am going to enroll³ my kids in the school. I ask the faculty⁴ about extra services. There are a lot of illegal activities in these schools, like staying open too late and charging additional fees. These are the types of things I record," Ji noted⁵.

When Ji is on her mission, she uses a small, concealed⁶ camera to record video.

A cameraman is among the students of the Seoul paparazzi school - the same place that taught Ji how to secretly film illegal activity.

Academy director Moon Seong-ok also helps students find buyers for their secret footage.

"The students want to make money. I contact them with police agencies, local governments, health agencies and education authorities who pay them," Moon explained.

Moon claims citizen paparazzi can earn between $20 and $30,000 a year. But some observers say the government should not be paying neighbors to spy on neighbors.

"When it comes to citizen paparazzi, the government is outsourcing responsibility to civilians⁷ and everyone knows it is a big problem. However, people don't really see it as an important issue," said Chun Sang-chin, a sociologist⁸ at Seoul's Sogang University.

Chun says that is because people worry that if they complain, it will seem like they have something to hide.

Citizen paparazza Ji Soo-hyun says she does not feel sympathy for people breaking the law.

"At first I felt guilty about reporting on these people, but the more I did it, I realized how much illegal activity is going on around us," Ji admitted.

Ji says she is now turning her camera on people who skip out on paying their taxes. 

1 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

2 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

3 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

4 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

5 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。

6 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

7 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

8 sociologist   

n.研究社会学的人，社会学家

参考例句：

• His mother was a sociologist,researching socialism.他的母亲是个社会学家，研究社会主义。
• Max Weber is a great and outstanding sociologist.马克斯·韦伯是一位伟大的、杰出的社会学家。