英语听力小短文走遍全世界46: 美国现代的移民问题

英语听力原文：

The percentage of immigrants (including those unlawfully present) in the United States has been creeping upward for years. At 12.6 percent, it is now higher than at any point since the mid 1920s.

美国移民的比例(包括目前非法的)已持续数年猛增。达到了12.6%，是20世纪20年代以来最高的比例。

We are not about to go back to the days when Congress openly worried about interior races polluting America's bloodstream. But once again we are wondering whether we have too many of the wrong sort of newcomers. Their loudest critics argue that the new wave of immigrants cannot, and indeed do not want to, fit in as previous generations did.

我们并非要回到国会公开地表示忧虑劣等民族会影响美国的血统的年代。但是，我们再次担忧，我们对待这些新来者犯了很多错误。他们最响亮的评论家指出，新一代移民不能，事实上也不想，像他们的前辈那样适应美国。

We now know that these racist views were wrong. In time, Italians, Romanians and members of other so-called inferior races became exemplary Amerians and contributed greatly, in ways too numerous to detail, to the building of this magnificent nation. There is no reason why these new immigrants should not have the same success.

我们现在知道这些种族分子的观点是错误的。在过去，意大利人、罗马尼亚人和其他被成为劣等名族的成员构成了美国人，他们在难以计数的方面为这个伟大国家的建立做出了巨大贡献。没有理由认为这些新移民不应该取得相同的成功。

Although children of Mexican immigrants do better, in terms of educational and professional attainment, than their parents, UCLA sociologist Edward Telles has found that the gains don't continue. Indeed, the fourth generation is marginally worse off than the third. James Jackson, of the University of Michigan, has found a similar tend among black Caribbean immigrants.

尽管墨西哥移民的后代在教育、职业上比他们父母亲做得更好，加州大学洛杉矶分校社会学家爱德华·特列斯发现优势没有继续。事实上，第四代移民被遍及化了，比第三代移民更糟。密歇根大学詹姆斯·杰克逊发现加勒比黑人移民也有相似的趋势。

Tells fears that Mexican-Americans may be fated to follow in the footsteps of American blacks that large parts of the community may become mired(陷入) in a seemingly state of poverty and underachievement. Like African-Americans, Mexican-Americans are increasingly relegated to (降入) segregated, substandard schools, and their dropout rate is the highest for any ethnic group in the country.

特列斯担心墨西哥裔美国人命中注定要跟随美国黑人的脚步，他们大部分人陷入了似乎贫穷和无所成就的境地。像非洲裔美国人一样，墨西哥裔美国人日益增多地陷入了分离的、低等的学校，他们的辍学率是美国所有族裔中最高的。

We have learned much about the foolish idea of excluding people on the presumption of ethnic/ racial inferiority. But what we have not yet learned is how to make the process of Americanization work for all.

我们已经了解基于民族或种族的劣等而将某些人排除在外是多么愚蠢的想法。但是我们还没有学会的是怎样实现美国化的进程。

I am not talking about requiring people to learn English or to adopt American ways; those things happen pretty much on their own. But as arguments about immigration hear up the campaign trail, we also ought to ask some broader question about assimilation, about how to ensure that people, once outsiders, don't forever remain marginalized within these shores.

我并不是要求人们去学英语或采取美国人的的方式;这样的事只要是靠他们自己。但是随着移民的争论在竞选活动中讨论得越来越热烈，我们也应该问些关于融入社会更宽泛的问题，如何确保曾经的门外汉不会永远在美国被边缘化。

That is a much larger question than what should happen with undocumented workers, or how best to secure the border, and it is one that affects not only newcomers but groups that have been here for generations. It will have more impact on our future than where we decide to set the admissions bar for the latest ware of would-be Americans. And it would be nice if we finally got the answer right.

这个问题比如何对待非法移民用工，或如何更好地保卫海岸等问题更宽广，这个问题不仅影响了新移民，也包括上几代的移民。这个问题对我们未来的影响比我们决定为将来的美国移民潮设置准入门槛的影响更大。如果我们找到正确答案就好办了。

英语词汇整理：

1. immigrant n. 移民

eg: Canada has many immigrants from Europe.

加拿大有许多欧洲移民。

短语：

illegal immigrant 非法移民;非法入境者

immigrant visa 移民签证

2. unlawfully adv. 非法地

eg: He's the one who's peddling the drugs unlawfully.

他是个非法贩卖药品的人。

同近义词：

wrong/ unfairly adv.不正当地;不合法地

3. creep v. 渐渐产生

eg: Mistakes start to creep in when you work too hard.

你工作过于辛苦时,错误就会逐渐出现。

短语：

make one's flesh (skin) creep 使人毛骨悚然，使人不寒而栗

the creeps [口语]毛骨悚然的感觉

creep up 爬上去,渐渐靠近,悄悄逼近

creep down 滑落

creep away 悄悄离开

creep forward 匍匐前进

creep along 沿着……爬行

creep into 悄悄进入,逐渐产生

creep on (时间、岁月等)不知不觉地来临

creep over (upon) 爬上

4. congress n. 代表大会，国会，议会

eg: A lot has changed after the party congress.

该党代表大会后很多都变了。

短语：

congress party 国大党

member of congress 国会议员;美国众议院议员

act of congress 国会法

5. inferior adj. 下等的，低等的

eg: He preferred the company of those who were intellectually inferior to himself.

他喜欢与那些智力不如他的人为伍。

短语：

inferior quality 低质量;次质量

inferior in 在……方面低劣

inferior products 劣质产品

6. bloodstream n. 血统

eg: The disease releases toxins into the bloodstream.

这种疾病将毒素释放进血流中。

短语：

impedance bloodstream 阻抗血流

fuse into your bloodstream 融进你的血液

7. previous adj. 先前的

eg: The author mentioned it in the previous paragraph.

作者在前一段里提到这件事。

短语：

previous to 在……以前;在……之前

previous to sb's arrival 在某人到达之前

previous period 前期

8. racist n. 民族差别主义者

eg: He is a racist who refuses to employ blacks.

他是个种族主义者,拒绝雇佣黑人。

短语：

racist views 种族主义观点

9. exemplary adj. 可仿效的，可做模范的

eg: And this exemplary treatment of herself by herself constitutes her presence.

这种作为模范的自我待遇，正构成了她的风度。

短语：

exemplary damages 惩罚性的损害赔偿

exemplary deeds 模范事迹

10. contribute v. 贡献

eg: I believe that each of us can contribute to the future of the world.

我相信我们每一个人都能为世界的未来做出贡献。

短语：

contribute for 为……捐助

contribute to (towards) (把……)捐给……,投(稿)给……

contribute little 无助于

11. magnificent adj. 壮观的，宏伟的

eg: The Taj Mahal is a magnificent building.

泰姬陵是一座宏伟的建筑。

词义辨析：

splendid, gorgeous, glorious, superb, magnificent 华丽的，宏传的，辉煌的

1) splendid: 侧重指给观察者留下壮丽辉煌或灿烂夺目的印象。

2) gorgeous: 指色彩的富丽和豪华，有时含炫耀和卖弄意味。

3) glorious: 指光芒四射的绚丽，也指值得称倾、赞美或扬名的壮丽辉煌。

4) superb: 指壮丽辉煌、宏伟等的极点。

5) magnificent: 侧重指建筑物、宝石等的华丽堂皇。

12. attainment n. 成就，学识

eg: That will help lead you to the attainment of your goals.

那会有助于你达到目标。

短语：

academic attainment 学力

attainment age 成绩年龄

13. marginally adv. 边缘化地

eg: But they can only marginally reduce, not eliminate the hazards .

但这也只是在一定程度上减少了，而不是消除了危险性。

词根：

margin 边缘，页边的空白

eg: We came to the margin of the wood.

我们来到树林的边缘。

短语：

narrow margin 没有多少余地

wide margin 广泛的回旋余地

in the margin 在空白处

on the margin 在空白处,在边缘

by a margin 以……(幅度)之差

by a narrow margin 勉强地

14. footstep n. 脚步

eg: Her footsteps were clearly marked in the snow.

她的足迹清晰地印在雪地上。

短语：

dog someone's footsteps (heels) 尾随某人，盯梢

follow (tread) in someone's footsteps 步某人的后尘;继承某人的事业

hear sb's footsteps 听到某人的脚步声

15. poverty n. 贫穷

eg: They lived in poverty.

他们生活在贫困之中。

短语：

poverty line 贫困线

in poverty 贫困;处于贫困当中

abject poverty 一贫如洗，赤贫

(as) witness someone's poverty 某人的贫困足以证明

live in genteel poverty 穷而摆阔，过着无力支撑的阔气生活

谚语：

Poverty is no sin. 贫非罪。

Poverty is not a shame, but being ashamed of it is. 贫非耻，耻贫乃耻。

Poverty makes (或acquaints men with) strange bedfellows. 同病相怜;难中不择友。

16. underachievement n. 低成就

eg: Yet she focused almost obsessively on her "underachievement.

可她却几乎痴迷地关注于自己的”不足“。

短语:

aggressive underachievement 消极反叛性低成就

academic underachievement 学科低成就

17. segregate v. 分离

eg: We have to segregate for a few day.

我们得分离一段日子。

短语：

segregate from 分开，分离

segregate fund 保本基金

18. substandard adj. 次等的

eg: Too many families are still living in substandard housing.

仍有太多家庭居住条件达不到标准。

短语：

substandard goods 副品

substandard parts 次等零件

19. dropout n. 辍学

eg: Don't put him down simply because he's a high-school dropout.

不要只是因为他中学退学就说他不行。

短语：

school dropout 辍学

dropout detector 失落检测器

dropout error遗失误差

20. presumption n. 设想

eg: I don't think that's a false presumption.

我认为那并不是错误的推测。

短语：

presumption of innocence 无罪推定

legal presumption 法律推定

presumption of fact 事实之推测

21. immigrantion n. 移民

eg: When you enter the immigration and customs, they will ask to see your airline ticket and passport.

办海关入境手续的时候，他们要看你的机票和护照。

短语：

immigrantion procedure 移民手续

22. campaign n. 活动

eg: The campaign was a blockbuster.

这次竞选运动声势浩大。

短语：

campaign for 为……助选

campaign against 开展反对……的活动

election campaign 竞选活动

23. assimilation n. 吸收，同化

eg: The assimilation of people in USA is common.

在美国，人的同化很普遍。

短语：

cultural assimilation 文化训练

nitrogen assimilation 氮同化;氮素同化

24. marginalize v. 排斥;忽视

eg: We've always been marginalized, exploited, and constantly threatened.

我们总是遭到排挤、剥削和不断的恐吓。

同近义词：

ignore/ reject vt.排斥;忽视;使处于社会边缘

25. undocumented adj. 无正式文件的

eg: The place is rife with smugglers, dealers, undocumented immigrants, and slaves.

这里到处都是走私者、交易商、无证移民甚至奴隶。

短语：

undocumented alien 非法入境移民;非法入境

undocumented worker 无证工人

undocumented property 非文件式属性

Undocumented immigration 非法移民

佳句采摘：

But as arguments about immigration hear up the campaign trail, we also ought to ask some broader question about assimilation, about how to ensure that people, once outsiders, don't forever remain marginalized within these shores. That is a much larger question than what should happen with undocumented workers, or how best to secure the border, and it is one that affects not only newcomers but groups that have been here for generations. It will have more impact on our future than where we decide to set the admissions bar for the latest ware of would-be Americans. And it would be nice if we finally got the answer right.

但是随着移民的争论在竞选活动中讨论得越来越热烈，我们也应该问些关于融入社会更宽泛的问题，如何确保曾经的门外汉不会永远在美国被边缘化。