VOA慢速英语2018 威尼斯当地人因船舶问题与游轮公司发生冲突

For a long time, the city of Venice, Italy, has suffered from the combined problems of flooding and sinking. On Monday, heavy winds pushed tides over the city’s sea walls, flooding most areas.

很长一段时间里，意大利城市威尼斯都遭遇到洪水和下沉的联合问题。周一，大风推动潮水越过该市的海堤，淹没了大部分地区。

The population of Venice also has been falling for years. At the same time, the number of visitors to the city continues to rise. Many Venetians are not happy about that. They do not want the city to become what some are calling a “Disneyland on water.” Their biggest objection is to the huge cruise 1 ships that stop at Saint 2 Mark's Square.

威尼斯的人口多年来也一直在下降。与此同时，该市的游客数量在继续增加。许多威尼斯人对此并不满意，他们不希望这座城市成为一些人口中的“水上迪尼斯。”他们最反对的就是停泊在圣马克广场的巨型游轮。

For a long time, Venetians have called the cruise ships “monsters.” They say the ships are ugly and that they block local sights. The ships also damage the bases of the city's historic 3 buildings.

很长一段时间里，威尼斯人都把游轮称为“怪兽。”他们表示，这些船只很丑，并且挡住了当地的景点。这些船还破坏了该市历史建筑的地基。

Last year, the interest group No Big Ships organized a vote on the cruise ships issue. 18,000 Venetians took part in the June vote. Almost 99 percent of them voted to bar cruise ships from the area.

去年，利益团体No Big Ships组织了一场针对游轮问题的投票。1.8万名威尼斯人参加了6月的这次投票。其中近99%的人投票决定禁止游轮进入该地区。

Later that year, the Italian government announced it would ban huge ships from Saint Mark’s Square, Grand Canal and other historic areas. The order is to take effect over several years.

同年晚些时候，意大利政府宣布将会禁止大型船只进入圣马克广场、大运河以及其它历史性地区。该命令将在未来几年内生效。

The cruise industry is protesting the plan. It says it will hurt Venice, and Italy’s, economy.

游轮行业正在抗议该计划。它们表示，这会伤害到威尼斯和意大利的经济。

Cruise companies say they want to protect the places their ships visit. They say the business brings economic benefits to port cities.

游轮公司表示，他们希望保护其游轮的造访地。他们称该业务给港口城市带来了经济效益。

Roberto Martinoli is the president of Cruise Lines International Association. He spoke 4 to VOA News in Rome.

罗伯托·马丁诺利(Roberto Martinoli)是国际游轮协会的总裁。他在罗马接受了美国之音的采访。

He said the cruise industry represents nearly three percent of Venice’s economy. He said cruise ships are responsible for less than 10 percent of Venice’s water traffic and less than five percent of visitors to the city.

他说，游轮业占到了威尼斯经济近3%。他说，游轮只占到威尼斯不到10%的水上交通量，以及该市不到5%的游客量。

The cruise industry has spent billions of dollars on environmental research and development projects, Martinoli added.

马丁诺利补充说，游轮业在环保研究开发项目上已经投入了数十亿美元。

But, many in the city argue that the damage from cruise ships outweighs 5 the economic benefit from tourist dollars.

但是，很多威尼斯人认为游轮造成的损害超过了游客带来的经济效益。

At a demonstration 6 earlier this year, Stefano Micheletti of the No Big Ships campaign shared opinions common to many Venetians.

在今年早些时候的一场示威活动上，No Big Ships活动的斯蒂法诺·麦克莱蒂（Stefano Micheletti）与很多威尼斯人观点相同。

Micheletti said large ships must stay out of the area to protect the ecosystem 7. He said they cause pollution that is ruining the historic city.

麦克莱蒂表示，大型船只必须远离以保护该地区的生态系统，它们造成的污染正在毁灭这座历史悠久的城市。

I’m Alice Bryant.

Word in This Story

tide – n. the regular upward and downward movement of the level of the ocean

cruise – n. a journey on a boat or ship to many places as a vacation

monster – n. a strange or horrible imaginary creature

benefit – n. a good or helpful effect

tourist – n. a person who travels to a place for pleasure