2023年经济学人 美国签证要等多久（2）

 

 

    These problems have been brewing¹ for years.

    这些问题已酝酿多年。

    International travel more than doubled from 2000 to 2020, thanks to rising discretionary income and cheaper foreign flights, as more low-cost carriers entered the market.

    从2000年到2020年，国际旅行增加了一倍多，这得益于可自由支配收入的增加，以及越来越多的低成本航空公司进入市场，国外航班更加便宜。

    The pandemic abruptly² squelched³ the swell⁴.

    新冠疫情突然压制了这股热潮。

    Now that restrictions⁵ are over, eager travellers are once again boarding flights at near-record rates, putting fresh pressure on the system.

    现在限制措施结束了，急切的旅客再次以接近历史最高的速度登机，给航空系统带来了新的压力。

    Travel patterns have also changed, meaning there is little let-up.

    旅行模式也发生了变化，这意味着旅客几乎没有减少。

    “Folks are travelling in the shoulder seasons,” says Matthew Cornelius of Airports Council International, a trade organisation⁶ that represents airport operators.

    代表机场运营商的贸易组织——国际机场协会的马修·科尼利厄斯表示:“人们在淡季也会出行。”

    Travellers are now flying in months that are usually slower, like April and October, “so there isn’t a break for the whole system.”

    旅客们在人少的淡季也会出行，比如4月和10月，“所以整个系统都没有休息。”

    This has made it hard for federal agencies to keep up.

    这使得联邦机构很难跟上形势。

    cbp had staffing shortages before the pandemic.

    在疫情之前，海关和边境保护局就存在人员短缺问题。

    Now it is short by around 1,000 agents.

    现在，该公司还缺约1000家代理商。

    The State Department, which issues American passports and visas, is facing a similar problem, as is the Transportation Security Administration (tsa), which controls airport security.

    签发美国护照和签证的国务院也面临着类似的问题，控制机场安全的运输安全管理局(tsa)也是如此。

    Fortunately staffing may improve soon.

    幸运的是，人员配备可能很快就会改善。

    In July tsa officers received a pay rise that was approved by Congress in December, putting them on a par⁷ with other federal agencies.

    今年7月，运输安全管理局官方获得了国会12月批准的加薪，使他们与其他联邦机构处于同等水平。

    That should help with recruitment and retention⁸.

    这应该有助于招聘和留住员工。

    cbp has also asked Congress for more funding for staffing.

    海关和边境保护局还要求国会为人员配备提供更多资金。

    The State Department has been hiring, too.

    国务院也一直在招聘。

    The agencies will need to act quickly.

    这些机构需要迅速采取行动。

    Pre-covid, nearly 3m Chinese people visited America a year.

    疫情前，每年有近300万中国人访美。

    Post-pandemic demand for international travel from China is bound to climb.

    疫情后，中国对国际旅行的需求必然会攀升。

    Waiting times at airports may be bad, but they could get worse.

    机场的等待时间可能很长，但情况可能会变得更糟。

1 brewing   

n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
• She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

2 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

3 squelched   

v.发吧唧声，发扑哧声( squelch的过去式和过去分词 )；制止；压制；遏制

参考例句：

• We squelched over the soggy ground. 我们咕唧咕唧地走过泥泞的土地。
• The mud squelched as I walked through it. 我扑哧扑哧地穿过泥泞。

4 swell   

vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强

参考例句：

• The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
• His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

6 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

7 par   

n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的

参考例句：

• Sales of nylon have been below par in recent years.近年来尼龙织品的销售额一直不及以往。
• I don't think his ability is on a par with yours.我认为他的能力不能与你的能力相媲美。

8 retention   

n.保留，保持，保持力，记忆力

参考例句：

• They advocate the retention of our nuclear power plants.他们主张保留我们的核电厂。
• His retention of energy at this hour is really surprising.人们惊叹他在这个时候还能保持如此旺盛的精力。