Einjähriges Berufskolleg Englisch |
Aufgabe 1 |
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Hauptprüfung 2000 |
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| AUFGABE | ||
| PORT IN A STORM | Z. | |
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a few years now, Dover has had to accommodate a rising tide of immigrants, most of whom are claiming asylum in Britain. Other ports in the south-east have similar problems. But Dover, as the main destination for ferries from continental Europe, attracts more than any other. |
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| Ports
are often ethnic melting pots, used to taking in people of all origins. Dover, however, lacks the services and money needed to cope wiih such a large influx of immigrants. The local authorities have been especially worried by the creation of ghettos. Such concentration and also unfamiliarity have aroused suspicion: many immigrants come from villages where it is customary for men to gather outside to talk, especially in the evening. Women, meanwhile, are less frequently seen in public. Locals, however, have the impression that their visitors are predominantly male and hang around in gangs. Two local newspapers have not helped, accusing asylum-seekers of abusing welfare, of being thieves and brothel-keepers. |
5 10 |
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| The
police reports that matters have been made worse by racial tensions between locals and immigrants. At a fairground last weekend some local youths were slashed with knives and photographs of their wounds appeared in the national press. According to the police, though, attacks on immigrants often go unreported, perhaps because the victims think contact with the law will harm their asylum claims. |
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| The
slow legal procedure makes matters worse. Once in Dover, asylum-seekers are stuck there, waiting six months or a year before even being granted an interview by immigration authorities. It may then take many more months before their applications are processed and they are allowed to remain in the country legally. |
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| Local
politicians have blamed the central government for this problem. Defending themselves, officials point to measures in the Immigration and Asylum bill. When this becomes law, they say, local authorities will be able to deal with asylum-seekers in a 'fairer, firmer, faster' way. |
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| (319 words) | |
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| Adapted from: The Economist, August 21, 1999 | ||
