VOA常速英语2014--国会将关注美国边境危机

 

Congress to Focus on US Border Crisis 国会将关注美国边境危机

WASHINGTON —

Clues could emerge this week whether America’s politically divided Congress will approve funds requested by President Barack Obama to address a surge of immigrants illegally crossing the southwestern U.S. border.

It is a situation everyone agrees is intolerable: unaccompanied minors¹ risking their lives to reach the United States, warehoused in overcrowded detention² facilities, and ineligible³ under current U.S. law for quick deportation⁴ to their country of origin.

目前的局面是大家都无法容忍的：没有家长陪伴的未成年人冒着生命危险来到美国，住在拥挤的青少年拘留所，根据美国现有法律，他们年纪太小，不能被立即驱逐到本国。

Virginia Republican Congressman⁵ Bob Goodlatte said tougher border enforcement must come first.

维吉尼亚州共和党鲍勃·古德莱特说必须首先实施更强硬的边境执法。

“We should do targeted appropriations⁶ where it is needed to make sure that we are able to detain people and send them back to their country," Goodlatte said.

“我们应该对由需要的地方针对性地拨款，确保我们能够逮捕他们并送他们回国。”

"Most of the money the president is asking for is to continue the process of further transporting these children - and adults, by the way - further into the United States," he said.

“总统要求获得的大部分资金是为了能继续将这些孩子们送回国，也让非法成年移民送到美国。”

But a security surge at the border alone will not solve the problem, because U.S. law mandates⁷ immigration hearings for non-Mexican arrivals.

但是加强边境的安全本身并不能解决这个问题，因为美国法律要求对非墨西哥移民进行移民听审。

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder⁸ said, “The immigration laws are being enforced, though we are faced with an extraordinary situation where thousands of people, young people especially, are fleeing Central America. 

美国大法官艾瑞克·霍尔德说，“我们虽然实施了移民法，但我们面临着不同寻常的局面，成千上万的人，尤其是年轻人在逃离中美。”

"Our immigration laws are broken. It is why we need comprehensive immigration reform," Holder added.

“我们的移民法已经破败，因此我们需要综合的移民改革。”

Last year, the Senate approved an overhaul⁹ of America’s immigration system to boost border enforcement and provide an arduous¹⁰ path to citizenship¹¹ for millions of undocumented immigrants. 

去年，参议院批准对美国的移民体系进行彻底修改，来加强边境执法，并为数百万未注册移民实现公民资格提供艰难的途径。

The Republican-led House of Representatives has not voted on the Senate bill or any alternative.

共和党领导的众议院未能对参议院的法案进行表决，也没有提出另选方案。

Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn blamed Obama for the current border crisis.

德克萨斯州参议员约翰·科尼恩将目前的边境危机归咎于奥巴马。

“There is a powerful incentive¹² for people to travel to the United States. Obviously we understand people who want opportunity, people who are trying to flee violence," Cornyn said.

“人们是受极大的激励来到美国的，显然我们理解这些人渴望机会，希望能逃避暴力。”

"But the president has effectively encouraged children and their parents to make this treacherous¹³, life-threatening journey by suggesting he will not enforce the law," he added.

“但是总统表示他不会实施该法，这事实上就鼓励了这些孩子们和父母进行这场危险的旅程。”

Such criticisms are baseless so long as Congress does nothing, said Democratic Senator Robert Menendez.

民主党参议员罗伯特·梅内德斯说，只要国会不作为，这样的批评是没有意义的。

“It is easy to say 'No.'  It is far more difficult to be constructive¹⁴.  And so far what I have heard in response to this crisis is the negativity of ‘No’, the criticism of the president for using executive powers when the Congress fails to act in its own right," Menendez said.

“说‘不’很容易，但要进行建设性的作为却很难。到目前为止，有关对这场危机的应对，我听到最多的是‘不’，以及批评总统使用行政权力，而国会却未能运用自己的权利。”

"You cannot have it both ways. This is a moment to call for the greater interest of the nation, [rather] than play the politics I have seen unfold so far," he said.

“不能面面俱到，这个时候我们需要就更大的国家利益进行呼吁，而不是像我到目前为止看到的那样玩政治。”

Time is growing short for action on Obama's funding request. Congress will be in recess¹⁵ from early August through early September.

要对奥巴马的资金请求进行作为的时间已经越来越少了，国会将从8月初开始一直休会到9月初。

1 minors   

n.未成年人( minor的名词复数 )；副修科目；小公司；[逻辑学]小前提v.[主美国英语]副修，选修，兼修( minor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors. 法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had three minors this semester. 这学期他有三门副修科目。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

3 ineligible   

adj.无资格的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The new rules have made thousands more people ineligible for legal aid.新规定使另外数千人不符合接受法律援助的资格。
• The country had been declared ineligible for World Bank lending.这个国家已被宣布没有资格获得世界银行的贷款。

4 deportation   

n.驱逐，放逐

参考例句：

• The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
• Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前，英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。

5 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

6 appropriations   

n.挪用（appropriation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• More commonly, funding controls are imposed in the annual appropriations process. 更普遍的作法是，拨款控制被规定在年度拨款手续中。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Should the president veto the appropriations bill, it goes back to Congress. 假如总统否决了这项拨款提案，就把它退还给国会。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

7 mandates   

托管（mandate的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Individual mandates would require all people to purchase health insurance. 个人托管要求所有人都要购买健康保险。
• While I agree with those benefits, I'm not a supporter of mandates. 我同意上述好处，我不是授权软件的支持者。

8 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

9 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

10 arduous   

adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的

参考例句：

• We must have patience in doing arduous work.我们做艰苦的工作要有耐性。
• The task was more arduous than he had calculated.这项任务比他所估计的要艰巨得多。

11 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

12 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

13 treacherous   

adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的

参考例句：

• The surface water made the road treacherous for drivers.路面的积水对驾车者构成危险。
• The frozen snow was treacherous to walk on.在冻雪上行走有潜在危险。

14 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

15 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。