VOA慢速英语2012 Education Report - New Rules on US Summer Jobs for Foreign Students

 

Education Report - New Rules on US Summer Jobs for Foreign Students

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

More than one hundred thousand international students will spend this summer working and traveling in the United States. They are participating in the Summer Work Travel program through the State Department. They receive J-1 exchange visitor visas.

The idea is for students to work for up to three months and earn enough money to then spend a month traveling before they return home.

The Exchange Visitor Program, aims to increase global understanding through educational and cultural exchanges.

The Summer Work Travel program has existed for years. This year there are some changes. The State Department recently amended¹ the employment rules. These changes follow a strike last summer by foreign students working at a distribution center for Hershey's chocolates.

The State Department said the students were put to work for long hours in jobs that provided little or no contact with the outside world. The students complained about having to lift heavy boxes and to work overnight.

They and other workers protested conditions at the plant in Palmyra, Pennsylvania. The students also complained about being underpaid as a result of deductions² from their earnings³. Some of their pay had to go to subcontractors involved in the operations.

The State Department has now banned the use of Summer Work Travel students in warehouses⁴ or packaging plants. Also, the majority of their work hours cannot fall between ten at night and six in the morning.

More jobs will be banned in the fall. These include most construction, manufacturing and food processing jobs. Summer Work Travel students will also not be allowed to work in most mining and agricultural jobs.

Daniel Costa at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington welcomed the new limits on jobs that the students can fill.

DANIEL COSTA: "That is good because it will protect the actual foreign workers from getting injured on the job. It also protects U.S. workers, because there is high unemployment in a lot of those occupations."

He also praised a requirement that employers only fill temporary or seasonal⁵ jobs with Summer Work Travel students. He noted⁶ that some employers have continually hired new student workers to avoid having to hire regular full-time⁷ employees.

Jacob Horwitz is lead organizer for the National Guestworker Alliance, the group that organized the strike in Palmyra.

JACOB HORWITZ: "The changes to the J-1 rules really recognize the demands that the students put forward, and both add a whole set of protections and changes that protect local workers who work in industries that use guest workers and also protect future J-1 students."

He says the State Department's changes will help return the program to its original purpose as a cultural exchange program.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. I'm Jim Tedder⁸.

1 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

2 deductions   

扣除( deduction的名词复数 )； 结论； 扣除的量； 推演

参考例句：

• Many of the older officers trusted agents sightings more than cryptanalysts'deductions. 许多年纪比较大的军官往往相信特务的发现，而不怎么相信密码分析员的推断。
• You know how you rush at things,jump to conclusions without proper deductions. 你知道你处理问题是多么仓促，毫无合适的演绎就仓促下结论。

3 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

4 warehouses   

仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee. 威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。
• Row upon row of newly built warehouses line the waterfront. 江岸新建的仓库鳞次栉比。

5 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

6 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。

7 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

8 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网