美国国家公共电台 NPR Travel Ban Keeps Scientists Out of the Lab

 

LOURDES GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

President Trump¹'s travel ban, though lifted for now, threw tens of thousands of people into limbo². Among the groups affected³ are scientists. NPR's science correspondent Joe Palca has more now on how recent events have created uncertainty⁴ for the American scientific community.

JOE PALCA, BYLINE⁵: Early last month, Hanan Isweiri left her lab at Colorado State University, where she's pursuing a Ph.D. in plant physiology⁶, to fly home to Libya. Her father had just died, and she wanted to spend time with her mother. She was scheduled to return to Colorado 10 days ago. She caught a flight from Libya to Amman, Jordan, on her way back. But when she reached the gate for her connecting flight, ground agents told her that even though she had a valid⁷ student visa to re-enter America, she couldn't board the plane because of the new travel restrictions⁸.

She returned to Libya and asked officials at Colorado State to help her sort things out. Isweiri says they told her - stay put.

HANAN ISWEIRI: They asked me to not go anywhere until they got this exception or something for me.

PALCA: That's Isweiri speaking to me by cell phone from Libya this past Thursday. A lot has changed since then. After a federal judge blocked Trump's order from going forward, the State Department said that visas like Isweiri's are valid again, and she was able to fly back into the country last night. But even with the temporary relief, the ban has hurt the scientific community, says Rush Holt. Holt is a physicist⁹, a former member of Congress and now heads the American Association for the Advancement¹⁰ of Science. His organization holds its annual meeting later this month, and the uncertainty is taking its toll¹¹.

RUSH HOLT: The head of the World Academy of Sciences, which is headquartered in Trieste, Italy, sent a letter saying that he was canceling his plans because he is Sudanese and didn't expect to be able to travel.

PALCA: Holt says the freedom to communicate and collaborate¹² with people from all over the world are fundamental principles for science.

HOLT: If you want science to thrive - and you'd better want science to thrive because that benefits society in so many ways - you really have to defend these principles.

PALCA: Even scientists from the seven banned countries who are already here say the new travel policy has been disruptive. Maryam Zahedian is a grad student in chemistry at Indiana University in Bloomington. Zahedian is from Iran. When I reached her by Skype, she told me she's worried the temporary travel ban is just a start.

MARYAM ZAHEDIAN: All this news, it just makes us so nervous. I cannot even focus for, like, 30 minutes. Like, doing my research, I will go back and check the news, check the Facebook to see if there is any new thing. So, I mean, I don't want to stay longer here if it's going to be like this.

PALCA: It's too early to say whether the ban will return. Opponents say it's unconstitutional. President Trump has vowed¹³ to see it reinstated. In the meantime, scientists - and many others - feel left in limbo.

Joe Palca, NPR News.

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 limbo   

n.地狱的边缘；监狱

参考例句：

• His life seemed stuck in limbo and he could not go forward and he could not go back.他的生活好像陷入了不知所措的境地，进退两难。
• I didn't know whether my family was alive or dead.I felt as if I was in limbo.我不知道家人是生是死，感觉自己茫然无措。

3 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。

4 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 physiology   

n.生理学，生理机能

参考例句：

• He bought a book about physiology.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• He was awarded the Nobel Prize for achievements in physiology.他因生理学方面的建树而被授予诺贝尔奖。

7 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

8 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

9 physicist   

n.物理学家，研究物理学的人

参考例句：

• He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。
• The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。

10 advancement   

n.前进，促进，提升

参考例句：

• His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
• The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。

11 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

12 collaborate   

vi.协作，合作；协调

参考例句：

• The work gets done more quickly when we collaborate.我们一旦合作，工作做起来就更快了。
• I would ask you to collaborate with us in this work.我们愿意请你们在这项工作中和我们合作。

13 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。