Anywhere anytime, people might fall into difficult situations and have to leave their home countries to make a new start in a foreign country for one reason or another. Peruvian (秘鲁的) laborers in Japan. Russian scientists in Israel (以色列). Sri Lankan (斯里兰卡的) housemaids (女仆) in Singapore (新加坡). Around 70 million people now work or live in foreign countries. There are also millions of refugees (难民), people who are forced to leave their homelands by natural disasters (灾难) or military conflicts (军事冲突). And the numbers are growing: one million people emigrate (移居国外) permanently (永久地) each year, while another million leave their home countries for political (政治的) reasons, seeking (寻找) political protection.
Most migrant (移居的) workers are forced to go to other countries by low wages (工资) and unemployment (失业), or they are simply attracted by better chances elsewhere (在别处). One or two people migrate (移居) at first, and then others from the same place follow, setting up chains (链) of migration (移民) that link (连接) poor countries to rich ones: Brazil (巴西) to Japan, Turkey (土耳其) to Germany, Iran (伊朗) to Sweden, and etc.
However, not all international migration is from developing countries to developed countries. There is also migration between developing countries: Turkey to Iran or Brazil, for example. Many countries, like Malaysia and Nigeria (尼日利亚), are both senders and receivers of migrants.
Some people migrate only temporarily (临时地), for instance, on a two-year contract (合同) in the Gulf (海湾) to save the money for a new house or to buy some land. Others travel seasonally, like the Poles (波兰人) who help to pick fruit in Germany or France. But more people would like permanent residence (居住), maybe even citizenship, in a new country.
The receiving countries say they want fewer immigrants (外来移民), but it is unlikely (不大可能的) that they will reduce the numbers, especially at the places where people can easily cross the official line between countries. First, because there are still plenty of dirty, dangerous or difficult jobs which only some immigrants are willing to do. And second, because the number of people seeking work will continue to grow: 38 million people enter (进入) the labor force in developing countries each year, joining the 700 million or so who are already unemployed. At all levels, from skilled engineers (工程师) and high-level managers to housemaids, there will probably be many people seeking opportunities around the globe (世界) in the coming years.
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Migration Today 课文讲解
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