VOA慢速英语2015 美国不断变化的面孔

The Changing Face of America 美国不断变化的面孔

Springfield, a community in the state of Virginia, is about 24 kilometers down the road from the U.S. Capitol building. There you will find what could be the face of the next generation in America. In a word, this is the face of diversity, the face of many races and ethnic¹ backgrounds.

Thirty languages are spoken at Crestwood Elementary School in Springfield, Virginia. With about 660 students from kindergarten to sixth grade, many are recent immigrants who came with their families, looking for a new life in America.

They came from Afghanistan and Korea, Vietnam and El Salvador, Ethiopia and Indonesia. At home, they still speak the 30 languages of the countries from which they came.

Growth of minorities across the U.S.

How is it that those may be the faces of the next American generation?

Four states, California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Texas and Washington D.C., now have minority-majority populations. That means that there are more minority people than white people. Minorities are people who identified themselves as black, Native American, Asian, and Hispanic.

Within the next generation, minorities will be in the majority across the United States. That is according to new information releasedby the U.S. Census² Bureau. And it may happen sooner than had been expected.

The U.S. will become very different than the one current people have seen in their lifetimes, says William Frey of the Brookings Institution. He is a demographer³ and author of Diversity Explosion. He says there will be many more people of color in the United States.

"Hispanics, Asians, African Americans.  And it's that part of the population is going to grow rapidly, especially among people in the younger ages and that's really important because this growth of minorities is happening just in time to counter the very slow growth and rapid aging of the white population."

The average age of white people in the U.S. is now 43 years old. There are more deaths than births among the white population, according the Census data from July 2014.

In just the last decade, the population has become more racially and ethnically⁴ diverse. The Census Bureau said the percentage of minorities climbed from 32.9 percent in 2004 to 37.9 percent in 2014. 

Millennials are more racially diverse

With the declining⁵ white population, Mr. Frey says that the growth of the young minority population is important to keep the U.S. economy strong.

"They're going to help make that labor⁶ force much more robust⁷, much more vibrant⁸ in lots of ways.”

The Census Bureau report also shows the "millennials" -- people born between 1982 and 2000 -- is now the largest group of Americans. There are now 83.1 million millennials, compared to 75.4 million "baby boomers," the older generation.

Mr. Frey says millennials are more racially diverse than the older baby boomers.  Forty percent of millennials are racial minorities.  He says they are a bridge to the next, and even more diverse, generation.

 "So the millennials are playing a very important role in the United States because, I guess introducing people to a new America that they are going to have to look at in the next several decades."

He says as a group, millennials are more connected by technology and social media to the rest of the world. And, Mr. Frey says, they are more open to diversity.

"They do share an appreciation⁹ for, an openness for racial diversity. They're open to people of other backgrounds of other nationalities, different lifestyles."

The millennials, with their diversity and open views have already had an effect on society. The television show, "Fresh Off the Boat," about an Asian immigrant family is popular. And same-sex marriage is more accepted by this younger generation than the older one.

No doubt the 2016 presidential candidates are working to win the diversity vote as well. Several Republican¹⁰ candidates, Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, speak Spanish and sometimes use it to appeal to the minority voters.

Mr. Frey says he is glad to see the new wave of immigrants moving into and all around U.S. cities and towns.

 "I'm very optimistic about this and I think history is on the side of saying, you know, this is going to make our country stronger and people are going to be happy that we have this change going on."

Words in This Story

diversity- n. the quality of having many different forms, types, ideas

demographer -n. a person who studies changes, like the number of births, deaths, marriages, and illnesses, that happen over time

robust- adj. strong and healthy

vibrant- adj. having or showing great life, activity, and energy

1 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

2 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

3 demographer   

n.人口统计学家

参考例句：

• Professor Antonio Golini is a demographer at the University of Rome. 罗马大学安东尼奥教授是位人口统计学家。 来自互联网
• Demographer William Frey says immigrants with young families will help keep the United States competitive. 人口统计学家佛瑞表示这些年轻的家庭会帮助美国保持竞争力。 来自互联网

4 ethnically   

adv.人种上，民族上

参考例句：

• Ethnically, the Yuan Empire comprised most of modern China's ethnic groups. 元朝的民族成分包括现今中国绝大多数民族。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• Russia is ethnically relatively homogeneous. 俄罗斯是个民族成分相对单一的国家。 来自辞典例句

5 declining   

adj.下降的，衰落的

参考例句：

• The nub of the matter is that business is declining. 事情的实质是工商业在萎缩。
• It is encouraging to read that illiteracy is declining. 从读报中了解文盲情况正在好转，这是令人鼓舞的。

6 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

7 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

8 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

9 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

10 republican   

n.拥护共和政体的人； adj.共和政体的，（Republican）共和党人，（Republican）共和党的

参考例句：

• Some families have been republican for generations.有些家庭世代都支持共和党。
• A third candidate has entered the contest for the Republican nomination.第三个候选人已经加入角逐共和党提名的行列。