VOA慢速英语2014 AS IT IS 2014-02-25 Blight Tourism in Detroit Grows in Popularity 新闻传真 - 底特律的“废墟之行”越来越流行

AS IT IS 2014-02-25 Blight 1 Tourism in Detroit Grows in Popularity 新闻传真 - 底特律的“废墟之行”越来越流行

From VOA Learning English, welcome to As It Is!  I’m June Simms in Washington.

Detroit, Michigan is often called the “Motor City.”  The name came from all the new vehicles being produced in its factories.  But today Detroit is better known for its now-empty factories than its cars.  On our program, we report on the changes in the city, and how those changes have given rise to a new kind of business: blight tourism.  We also tell about an effort to help city planners clean up Detroit.

密歇根的底特律经常被称作“汽车城”。这个名字源于该地区的工厂生产的所有新汽车。但现在，底特律的空置工厂比汽车更出名。在我们的节目中，我们将报道该城市的变化，以及这些变化如何带来新的行业：废墟之行。我们还将讲述一个帮助城市规划者清理底特律的计划。

Blight Tourism in Detroit Grows in Popularity

底特律的废墟之行越来越流行

Detroit’s Eastown Theater was once a successful business.  Its big name performers included rock stars such as Bob Seger, Ted 2 Nugent and Alice Cooper.  Today, the sidewalk in front of the theater serves as a bed for homeless people.

底特律的东城剧场曾经盛极一时，其著名表演者包括鲍伯?西格、泰德?纳金特和埃利斯?库柏等摇滚明星。现在，这所剧院门前的人行道成了流浪者的住所。

Inside the building, the floor where musicians once performed is filled with holes.  Some critics say the theater looks like a place where a bomb exploded.  But it is actually an example of Detroit’s blight.  Hard economic times caused the break-down of the Eastown Theater and other buildings.

在建筑内部，音乐家曾演出过的地板满是破洞。一些批评者说，这所剧院看上去好像被炸弹炸过。但是，它实际上是底特律衰败的例证。艰难的经济时期导致东城剧场和其他建筑纷纷关闭。

Saint Agnes Catholic Church is also in need of repair.  The once beautiful church has graffiti covering its walls and many broken windows.  Columns that support the structure are starting to collapse 3.

圣安格尼斯天主教堂也需要修葺。这座曾经美丽的教堂涂鸦满墙，还有很多破碎的窗户。支撑结构的柱子也开始坍塌。

Inside a school next to the church, a visitor can find forgotten shoes, old books and other unwanted things.

在教堂旁边的学校里，一位游客发现了遗忘的鞋子、旧书和其他不需要的东西。

Kevyn Orr is Detroit’s emergency manager.  He estimates the city has 78,000 buildings that suffer from blight.  He says these buildings can become targets of vandal attacks and fire.

Kevyn Orr 是底特律的紧急情况管理员。他估计，该城市有 7.8 万座被废弃的建筑。他说，这些建筑会成为文化艺术破坏和火灾的目标。

Jesse Welter is a photographer.  He uses his pictures to tell a story.  He sees art in the blight.

Jesse Welter 是一位摄影师。他用自己的照片讲述故事。他在废墟中看到了艺术。

“I can see the beauty in it, and the architecture.  I think they kind of tell you the history, you know, the past, what, you know, what it is, what it’s become.”

“我可以看到其中的美，还有建筑。我认为它们会向你讲述历史、过去，以及它后来变成的样子。”

In 2011, Jesse Welter began inviting 4 other photographers on his drives through the city.

2011 年，Jesse Welter 开始邀请其他摄影师与他一起在整个城市里穿行。

“Basically, I was kind of doing this on my own, and I thought, you know, why not take people with me and give people an opportunity to do what I do.”

“基本上，我以前是自己做这些事情。我于是就想，为什么不带上其他人，给他们机会做我所做的事情呢。”

Now, people pay him between $40 and $100 to show them Detroit neighborhoods.

现在，人们向他支付 40~100 美元，让他带他们参观底特律街区。

“My van, I can take up to 10 people, and they’re usually full.  I’ve been doing this since 2011, and I’ve been to, probably, over 180 different buildings, and the tours I’ve probably done probably about 300 tours.”

“我的车最多可以坐 10 个人，经常都是满的。我从 2011 年开始这么做，我大概去过 180 多个不同的建筑，大概去过 300 趟左右。”

One of the largest buildings they visit is the former Packard Automobile 5 factory.  It is one of the most popular stops on the tour.  The former factory has a new owner who is interested in improving the building.  One day, the Packard Automobile plant might become someone’s home.

他们参观的最大的建筑是以前的帕卡德汽车厂。它是行程中最受欢迎的一站。这家前工厂的新老板有兴趣修缮这座建筑。将来某一天，帕卡德汽车厂可能会成为某个人的家。

In the second half of our show, we look at how Detroit plans to repair and replace blighted 6 buildings around the city.  You are listening to As It Is from VOA Learning English.  I’m June Simms.

Motor City Mapping Project Takes Aim at Detroit Blight

The blighted neighborhoods in Detroit have changed the way people look at the city. But a new group of city planners aim to repair or replace the damaged buildings.  Steve Ember reports.

汽车城绘图工程旨在底特律的荒废建筑底特律的废弃街区改变了人们对该城市的看法。但一个新的城市规划团队正打算修缮或重建这些被破坏的建筑。

Tia Ciara Bonner is one of three people working on what is called the Motor City Mapping project.  It seeks to map all the troubled properties in Detroit.

Tia Ciara Bonner 是这个汽车城绘图工程的三位成员之一。该工程旨在绘制底特律所有的问题房产。

Ms. Bonner uses an electronic tablet to keep a record on the condition of each property she examines.

Bonner 使用一个电子表格记录她所检查的每处房产的状况。

“As a Detroiter, I want to feel safe.  And I need these abandoned homes knocked down.”

“作为一名底特律人，我想要安全感。我需要拆除这些废弃的房屋。”

She is not happy with what she sees.

她对她所看到的很不满意。

“I have saw (sic) more burnt up homes and more empty lots than the houses that are standing 7.”

“我看到的被焚毁的房屋和空置的房屋比好端端的房屋多很多。”

The information she and her team gather is stored on computers at Motor City Mapping headquarters.  There, other people examine the information, a process they call “blexting.”  It combines the words blight and texting.

她和她的团队所收集的信息储存在汽车城绘图总部电脑上。在那里，其他人会检视这些信息，他们称之为“blexting”，这个词包含了“废弃”和“发送”两层意思。

Jerry Paffendorf is Chief Executive Officer of Loveland Technologies.  His company designed the blexting software programs.

Jerry Paffendorf 是洛芙兰科技公司的首席执行官。他的公司设计了 blexting 软件程序。

“As properties are surveyed, they are stored in a database and immediately visualized 8 on a map.  And everything comes in real time, kind of like Twitter.”

“在调研房产的同时，它们会被储存在一个数据库中，并马上在地图上显示出来。所有东西都是实时的，像推特一样。”

Glenda Price is co-chair of the Detroit Blight Removal Task Force.  Her group is supervising the Motor City Mapping Project.  She says the group is bringing local, state, and federal agencies together to help solve the city’s blight.  The goal is to improve the physical appearance of Detroit.

Glenda Price 是底特律废弃房屋移除特别小组的联合主席。她的小组负责监管汽车城绘图工程。她说，该小组将地方、州、联邦的机构联合起来，解决城市的荒废破坏。其目标在于改善底特律的形象。

“One of the biggest obstacles to achieving that goal is going to be money, because it is going to be costly 9 to do this.  And so that is why we recognize that it will take probably three years, is what we are projecting.”

“完成这个目标的最大障碍之一是资金，因为这么做耗资巨大。而这也是我们为什么认为我们的计划可能需要 3 年。”

Jerry Paffendorf says the software program currently has a list of about 180,000 properties.  The cost to clean up each blighted property is between $5,000 and $10,000.

Jerry Paffendorf 说，这款软件里目前有大约 18 万处房产的清单。清理每个废弃房屋的花费在 5000 到 10000 美元之间。

The Motor City Mapping Project is expected to complete its work this month. The Detroit Blight Removal Task Force will have a better idea of the final cost of the clean-up once the project ends.

汽车城绘图工程有望在本月完成。工程结束后，底特律废弃房屋移除特别小组会对清理工作的最终花费有更准确的认识。

I’m Steve Ember.

And that’s our program for today.  It was based on reports from VOA’s Kane Farabaugh in Detroit.  This show was written by Jonathan Evans.  Thank you for spending time with us today.

Every day on As It Is we report on issues we believe are of interest to you.  You can tell us what you want to hear on a future show.  E-mail us at www.voanews.cn.

I’m June Simms.  Join us again tomorrow at this time for another As It Is from the Voice of America!