In Greece, people with disabilities are often heavily stigmatized. The BBC has gained access to one state-run care home where some disabled children are spending their lives behind bars. In a dayroom around fifteen adults and children with learning disabilities, most of whom have been abandoned just sit around rocking and staring at the walls. There is no one to engage with them. The only member of staff sits in the doorway looking bored, more of a guard than a carer.

So we are on the top floor of the care home and in all the rooms are cages. The director of the center asked the nurse to unlock one of the cage doors. One of the girls who looks far younger than her nine years jumps out. I’m told she’s been living in this cage since she was two. If you have more staff, would you need to keep the patients in these kinds of caged beds?

It is beyond discussion that we shouldn’t have these kinds of bed. If we have more dedicated staff focus on the care of individual children, we could offer far more to these children. There are just two members of the staff on each floor housing around 25 children.

This is one of the best institutions in Greece. We have very challenging cases. And I believe it functionsextremely well and a proof of this is that many patients have outlived their average life expectancy.

The government promised change but four years on the only change I can see is a lick of paint on the wooden bars to make the cages look more cheerful.

The only time anything is likely to change for these children is when they die. That’s a harsh thing to say but is the truth.

I feel rage, indignation and fear when I see children in cages. As a parent of a child with down syndrome,I have no idea what might become of my son when I’m no longer around.

No, I don’t want to visit that place again. I don’t want to go there.

All care for disabled people in Greece has recently been transferred from the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Laboring and Social Welfare. I asked the general secretary for welfare when these children wouldbe given proper care.

I can’t give you an exact time for when those children will be transferred out of that institution. But we are in the process of discussing the subject at the Ministry. As for the lack of staffing, this country is going through the worst economic crisis since the Second World War.

詞匯解析

province

難度：4星核心詞匯，屬常用3000詞

英漢解釋

n.省

參考例句

用作名詞 (n.)

British Columbia is a province of Canada.

不列顛哥倫比亞是加拿大的一個(gè)剩

Hangzhou is the capital city of Zhejiang Province.

杭州是浙江的省會(huì)城市。

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consistent

難度：4星核心詞匯，屬常用3000詞

英漢解釋

adj.始終如一的；持續(xù)的；一致的

參考例句

用作形容詞 (adj.)

She is a consistent girl in her feeling.

在感情方面她是個(gè)始終如一的女孩。

Your conduct is not consistent with what you say.

你的言行不一致。

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oppose

難度：4星核心詞匯，屬常用3000詞

英漢解釋

v.反對(duì)；對(duì)抗；使對(duì)立

參考例句

用作動(dòng)詞 (v.)

It was courageous of him to oppose his chief.

他敢反對(duì)他的上司，真是勇敢。

We're firmly opposed to the practice of powerpolitics between nations.

我們強(qiáng)烈反對(duì)在國(guó)與國(guó)之間實(shí)行強(qiáng)權(quán)政治。

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expand

難度：4星核心詞匯，屬常用3000詞

英漢解釋

v.使 ... 膨脹；詳述；擴(kuò)張；增加；張開

參考例句

用作動(dòng)詞 (v.)

Metals expand when they are heated.

金屬遇熱則膨脹。

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access

難度：5星基本詞匯，屬常用1000詞

英漢解釋

n.入口；通道

n.接近(的機(jī)會(huì))；使用之權(quán)

vt.進(jìn)入；(電腦)存取

參考例句

用作名詞 (n.)

The avalanche cut off the access to the mountain village.

雪崩切斷了進(jìn)入山村的通道。

用作及物動(dòng)詞 (vt.)

She access three different files to find the correct information.

她存取了三個(gè)文件以找尋所要的信息。

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violence

難度：4星核心詞匯，屬常用3000詞

英漢解釋

n.猛烈；暴力；暴行；強(qiáng)暴

參考例句

用作名詞 (n.)

The young man was charged with robbery with violence.

這個(gè)年輕人被控暴力搶劫。

The act of violence made people boil with anger.

這種強(qiáng)暴的行為令人發(fā)指。

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desperate

難度：4星核心詞匯，屬常用3000詞

英漢解釋

adj.絕望的；不顧一切的；極其想要的

參考例句

用作形容詞 (adj.)

The man lost in the desert was desperate for water.

在沙漠中迷失方向的人極度渴望得到水。

He is desperate to get a job.

他非常渴求得一職。

 

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