VOA标准英语2014--Long Term US Unemployed Face Difficult Year 美国长期失业者新年更艰难

 

Long Term US Unemployed¹ Face Difficult Year 美国长期失业者新年更艰难

Five years after the financial crisis, many indicators² suggest a recovery is finally taking hold in the world’s largest economy.  U.S. gross domestic product is growing at its fastest pace in two years, and unemployment has fallen to pre-crisis levels.  Despite the prognostications, 2014 may prove to be a difficult year for some unemployed Americans.

We met Kathy Biscotti on New Year’s day.

I’m 51-years-old, born, bred, raised in Baltimore. My father was a plumber³, my mother was a nurse. I’ve worked my whole life for everything I’ve ever had," said Biscotti.

Kathy lost her job as an office assistant six months ago. She received her last unemployment check on December 31st.

"I received on Tuesday $332 and now I have to decide what to do. If I give it to my landlord, then I have no money at all," she said.

Biscotti is one of 1.3 million Americans grappling with the same dilemma⁴. Congress allowed their extended unemployment benefits to lapse⁵ on December 28th - because conservative lawmakers said extending benefits beyond the standard 26 weeks makes people less likely to look for work.

Among them:  Republican Senator Rand Paul - who spoke⁶ on Fox News.

“If you extend it beyond that, you do a disservice to these workers," said Paul.

But advocates for the unemployed say that’s not true.  Christine Owens, executive director at the National Employment Law Project, says the majority of the four million Americans who receive benefits want to work.

“These are not folks who are just sort of sitting around on their couch watching TV and eating Christmas candies. These are people who have made a full time job out of trying to find another job," said Owens.

For Biscotti - that's 10 to 20 job applications per week.

“I applied⁷ for a job yesterday.  There were 865 applications went in for that one job," she said.

Without benefits, Biscotti fears she could soon be homeless, unable to afford food or even bus fare for job interviews.  

Her New Year's resolution is to find work.

"I hope that things turn around in 2014 and I find a job. But I’m pretty much hopeless, in despair, discouraged, ashamed," said Biscotti.

Lawmakers have extended long term benefits 11 times, something President Obama insists Congress needs to do when lawmakers return from holiday recess⁸.

“I think we're a better country than that.  We don't abandon each other when times are tough," said President Obama.

A bipartisan group is expected to introduce a three month extension when Congress resumes work. But proponents⁹ say it could be a tough sell.

Support for extended benefits has waned¹⁰ as the economy has improved. But despite recent job gains, the number of Americans unemployed 27 weeks or longer remains¹¹ at a record high - representing about 40 percent of all unemployed Americans.

1 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

2 indicators   

（仪器上显示温度、压力、耗油量等的）指针( indicator的名词复数 )； 指示物； （车辆上的）转弯指示灯； 指示信号

参考例句：

• The economic indicators are better than expected. 经济指标比预期的好。
• It is still difficult to develop indicators for many concepts used in social science. 为社会科学领域的许多概念确立一个指标仍然很难。

3 plumber   

n.(装修水管的)管子工

参考例句：

• Have you asked the plumber to come and look at the leaking pipe?你叫管道工来检查漏水的管子了吗？
• The plumber screwed up the tap by means of a spanner.管子工用板手把龙头旋紧。

4 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

5 lapse   

n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效

参考例句：

• The incident was being seen as a serious security lapse.这一事故被看作是一次严重的安全疏忽。
• I had a lapse of memory.我记错了。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

8 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

9 proponents   

n.（某事业、理论等的）支持者，拥护者( proponent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Reviewing courts were among the most active proponents of hybrid rulemaking procedures. 复审法院是最积极的混合型规则制定程序的建议者。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Proponents of such opinions were arrested as 'traitors. ' 提倡这种主张的人马上作为“卖国贼”逮捕起来。 来自辞典例句

10 waned   

v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• However,my enthusiasm waned.The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished. 然而，我的热情减退了。我在做操上花的时间逐渐减少了。 来自《用法词典》
• The bicycle craze has waned. 自行车热已冷下去了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。