Paris—French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he would clear over 300 Roma camps in France. He will send more than 700 Roma back to their native countries, including Romania (罗马尼亚) and Bulgaria (保加利亚) in the next three months. Many French people disagree with Sarkozy’s move. Some European countries don’t agree with the move, either. They say it goes against human rights. However, Sarkozy has made up his mind. Police have been clearing Roma camps. Roma are also called gypsies (吉普赛人). They came from India. They left their homeland sometime during the 11th century and entered Europe in the 14th century. Today there are 2-5 million gypsies. Most of them live in Eastern Europe. They traveled everywhere and made a living as actors, actresses, workers, and by selling goods from faraway lands. Most gypsies are very poor and their children don’t go to school. Some gypsies can’t find work so they make a living begging (乞讨) or stealing. The French government thinks gypsies bring a lot of social problems. That’s why Sarkozy wants them out of France. Sarkozy’s move, however, won’t solve the gypsy problems in France for the long term. According to EU (欧盟) laws, the gypsies of EU member countries are free to go to another EU member country, like France. They can stay there for up to three months. Many of the gypsies will probably come back to France in the future. 小题1:How many Roma will be sent from France to their native countries in the next three months?
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