【英语慢速听力7】Effort to Rebuild Ancient Area of Tunis Holds Lessons

AS IT IS

Effort to Rebuild Ancient Area of Tunis Holds Lessons

January 20, 2020

FILE - An artisan works on bronze plates in the Medina, in the old city of Tunis, Tunisia September 14, 2019. (REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed)

Tourists walk in the Medina, in the old city of Tunis, Tunisia September 14, 2019. (REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed)

Rebuilding the Medina

First built more than 1,000 years ago, the Tunis Medina was rebuilt under president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. The area suffered during the 2011 revolution that ousted him. Building rules were not followed, longtime residents left, people illegally moved into the old homes and Tunisians from the south came to the area.

However, the revolution also had a good effect," said architect Soulef Aouididi of the Medina Conservation Association. The association’s headquarters is in a beautiful, 19th-century palace. Aouididi said new local groups are opening up. They show the Medina to school children.

Aouididi’s organization also brings people from many different neighborhoods. She said the group wants to help keep the old buildings as well as rebuild communities.

Nearby, two guesthouses offer another kind of community development. Ben Gacem has rebuilt two old Medina mansions into small tourist hotels. Local people operate them, and buy their goods from local businesses.

I’m Susan Shand.

Susan Shand adapted the Reuters story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

souk – n. a marketplace in North Africa or the Middle East

craftsman – n. a person who makes beautiful objects by hand

entrepreneur – n. a person who starts a business and is willing to risk loss in order to make money

Quran – n. the Muslim holy book

currency – n. the money that a country uses

tourism – n. the business of providing hotels, restaurants, entertainment, etc., for people who are traveling

promote – v. to encourage

mansion – n. a large house for someone wealthy

:

:

直接点击以下 关键词 查看以往的精彩~▼

提示： 回复  ted 可收听查看所有《TED演讲》文章。

DIR:

【TED演讲74】演说题目：谈话的艺术，怎样说话才动听？演说者：Julian Treasure

---

严重推荐： 

---