看新闻，学英语(131)澳门赌城面临艰难时期
Macau Casinos Face Tough Times
澳门赌城面临艰难时期
本则英语影音新闻及出处：新唐人电视台英语新闻
http://english.ntdtv.com/?c=145&a=6081（可线上观看）
STORY:
Local and mainland Chinese workers in Macau are worried about their jobs during these tough economic times.
澳门当地及中国大陆工人担心经济困难时期没工作。
This former Portuguese colonial backwater has enjoyed a golden streak as a casino town since 2002. But now it seems luck has run out for this gambling paradise.
这个前葡萄牙殖民的荒僻地自二零零二年来一直享受着赌城的金矿，但是这座赌博乐园的好运好像快完了。
On Macau’s dusty Cotai strip, the cranes at the Las Vegas Sands’ construction site stand idle. Last week most of the 11,000 workers on two construction sites were laid off. Some of these workers are blaming the government for a casino glut.
澳门布满灰尘的金光大道上，拉斯维加斯沙滩工地的吊车闲置在旁。上周两个建筑工地一万一千个工人中的大部分都被解雇了。其中有些工人责怪政府赌场过度供应。
【新闻关键字】
1. casino: n. 赌场
2.tough: adj. 不幸的
3. backwater: n. 荒僻处
4. streak: n. 矿脉
5. gambling paradise: n. phr. 赌博乐园
6. construction: n. 建筑； 建造
7. lay off: v. phr. 解雇
[Ng Sek-Io, Construction Worker]: “I am a Macau person and all of Macau’s half million people are angry with the government.”
建筑工人Ng Sek-Io说：“我是澳门人，五十万的澳门人都很气政府。”
They say there are too many casino licenses, and land was given to developers in shady deals.
他们说赌场执照太多了，土地都以见不得人的交易卖给了开发商。
[Ng Sek-Io, Construction Worker]: “It’s a corrupt and incompetent government and it hasn’t considered our current livelihood difficulties.”
建筑工人Ng Sek-Io说：“政府贪污无能，没有顾虑到我们的现在生活的困难。”
And migrant workers from China are facing an uncertain future.
从中国来的流浪工人面临不确定的未来。
【新闻关键字】
8.glut: n. 过度供应
9. developer: n. 开发者
10.shady deal : n. phr. 见不得人的交易
11. corrupt: adj. 腐败的
12. incompetent: adj. 无能的
13. uncertain: adj. 不确定的
[Chai Chang-Po, Migrant Worker]:
“I don’t know the arrangement for compensation for people working here, as there wasn’t even a contract termination letter. I don’t know whether we can get any compensation.”
流浪工人蔡璋柏说：“我不知道这里的工作补助怎么安排，因为连一张合约终止信都没有。我不晓得是否可以拿到任何补偿。”
One mainland worker was hoping to make enough to rebuild his house destroyed in the Sichuan earthquake.
一位大陆华工希望赚够钱好重建四川大地震时毁坏的房子。
[Xi Yong-Hwa, Migrant Worker]: “I feel very sad now; the financial crisis has hurt us really badly. We’ve lost our jobs and lost our income.”
流浪工人纪永华说：“我现在非常难过，金融危机真的害惨了我们。我们工作没了，收入也没了。”
While Macau has yet to see other major casino operators keel over, analysts say the dream here of transforming the Cotai strip into another Las Vegas may be put on hold.
虽然还没看见澳门其他主要赌场经营者倒闭，但是分析师说金光大道变成拉斯维加斯的梦想可能就此打住。
【新闻关键字】
14. contract: n. 合约
15. crisis: n. 危机
16. keel over: v. phr. 倾覆
17. transform: v. 改观； 改变
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