VOA慢速英语2019 研究表明,美国工作场所机器人从2009年到2017年翻了一番

A report says the number of robots being used in workplaces across the United States doubled from 2009 to 2017.

Most of the robots worked in manufacturing operations across America's Midwest, the reportsaid. It noted¹ that the effect robots had on manufacturing job losses was lessened² by economic growth that followed the last major U.S. recession.

一份报告说，从2009年到2017年，美国整个工作场所使用的机器人数量翻了一番。

报告机构称，大多数机器人都在美国中西部的制造工厂工作。它指出，在上一次美国重大衰退之后，经济增长减轻了机器人对制造业工作机会损失的影响。

The report comes from the Century Foundation research group, which is based in New York City.

William M. Rodgers III is a professor of public policy and chief economist³ at the Heldrich Center for Workforce⁴ Development at Rutgers University in New Jersey⁵. He co-wrote the report. It examines how workplace robots are affecting U.S. workers and their pay.

该报告来自纽约市Century Foundation研究小组。

威廉·罗杰斯三世（William M. Rodgers III）是新泽西州罗格斯大学赫德里奇劳动力发展中心的公共政策教授兼首席经济学家。他共同撰写了这份报告。它研究了工作场所机器人如何影响美国工人及其工资。

"A growing economy independent of technology, independent of robotics, has been able to absorb, at least at the national level ... people who may have gotten displaced," Rodgers told VOA.

Some Midwest states have twice as many robots as all other U.S. areas and have suffered from the rise in robot workers, the report found. Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin have the highest levels of working robots, mostly in manufacturing businesses.

罗杰斯对美国之音说：“一个独立于技术，独立于机器人技术的成长型经济至少已经吸收了全国范围的……可能流离失所的人们。”

报告发现，中西部一些州的机器人数量是美国其他地区的两倍，并且遭受了机器人工人数量的增加。密歇根州，俄亥俄州，印第安纳州，伊利诺伊州和威斯康星州的工作机器人水平最高，主要是制造业。

Industrial robots generally perform jobs that do not change much from day to day. These include putting things together, loading products, welding or painting.

The report found that the workers most affected⁶ by the machine takeover are young people. They also had less education than other workers. Black men and women experienced the greatest job losses.

工业机器人通常执行的工作每天变化不大。其中包括将物品放在一起，装载产品，焊接或上漆。

报告发现，受机器收购影响最大的工人是年轻人。他们的受教育程度也低于其他工人。黑人和妇女遭受最大的失业。

Rodgers noted that U.S. workers who change jobs and find themselves employed in different industries often have to settle for lower pay. This can also be a problem when large job displacements⁷ lead to an oversupply⁸ of workers in some industries.

罗杰斯（Rodgers）指出，换工作并发现自己从事不同行业的美国工人通常必须接受较低的工资。当大量工作流失导致某些行业的工人供过于求时，这也可能是一个问题。

"If demand for workers is not growing fast enough, you begin to see a decline in wages," he added.

Rodgers called on employers to develop better ways to help the displaced workers. If the right solutions are found, he said, some workers pushed out by robots can actually end up getting higher-paid positions. Assistance programs should include education and training programs to help prepare people for new career paths.

他补充说：“如果对工人的需求增长不够快，就会开始看到工资下降。”

罗杰斯呼吁雇主们开发更好的方法来帮助流离失所的工人。他说，如果找到正确的解决方案，那么一些被机器人赶出的工人实际上可能最终会获得更高薪水的职位。援助计划应包括教育和培训计划，以帮助人们为新的职业道路做准备。

Rodgers added that now is the best time to prepare for the rise of the robots.

"What better time to be able to help people who are getting bullied⁹, so to speak, by technology. Or getting bullied, so to speak, by globalization," he said. "Times of prosperity is the best time... to invest in all Americans."

罗杰斯补充说，现在是为机器人崛起做准备的最佳时机。

他说：“有更好的时间来帮助被技术欺负的人，或者可以说被全球化欺负的人。” “繁荣时期是向所有美国人投资的最佳时机。”

Words in This Story：

absorb – v.take something in

weld – v.join pieces of metal together by heating them and pressing them together

decline – v.refuse something

bully¹⁰ – v.purposely frighten someone who is smaller or weaker than you

prosperity– n.situation in which someone is successful and earns a lot of money

1 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

2 lessened   

减少的，减弱的

参考例句：

• Listening to the speech through an interpreter lessened its impact somewhat. 演讲辞通过翻译的嘴说出来，多少削弱了演讲的力量。
• The flight to suburbia lessened the number of middle-class families living within the city. 随着迁往郊外的风行，住在城内的中产家庭减少了。

3 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

4 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

5 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 displacements   

n.取代( displacement的名词复数 )；替代；移位；免职

参考例句：

• The laws of physics are symmetrical for translational displacements. 物理定律对平移是对称的。 来自辞典例句
• We encounter only displacements of the first type. 我们只遇到第一类的驱替。 来自辞典例句

8 oversupply   

n.供应过量；v.过度供给

参考例句：

• The market softened because of oversupply.市场因供过于求而疲软。
• Overexpansion of tea fields has led to oversupply.茶园过度扩张，使得市场上逐渐供过于求。

9 bullied   

adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My son is being bullied at school. 我儿子在学校里受欺负。
• The boy bullied the small girl into giving him all her money. 那男孩威逼那个小女孩把所有的钱都给他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。