美国2000年人口普查TIA-2000 Census

19 美国2000年人口普查TIA-2000 Census¹
DATE=4/23/2001
TITLE=THIS IS AMERICA #1061 Census of 2000
BYLINE=Jerilyn Watson VOICE ONE:
    Last year, the United States government counted the (1) population of the nation. This American (2) census tells who we are and where we live. I'm Sarah Long.
VOICE TWO:
    And I'm Shirley Griffith. The census of Two-Thousand is our report today on the VOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.
((THEME))
VOICE ONE:
    The United States counts its population every ten years. The census of Two-Thousand reports that more than two- hundred- eighty- one- million people live in the United States. This means the population has gained almost thirty- three- million people since the census of Nineteen-Ninety. This is the most the United States has ever grown during a ten-year period.
    The populations count means far more than a list of numbers. The census strongly influences (3) political and social life. The results decide the number of (4) representatives from a state or local area in the United States Congress² and state （5）legislatures.
    For example, the states of New York and Pennsylvania did not increase their population as much as other states did. So each state will lose two seats in the United States House of Representatives. The states of Florida, Texas, Georgia and Arizona gained more population. So each state will gain two seats in the House. Political observers³ say the states that will gain members in Congress are more likely to elect (6) Republicans⁴.
VOICE TWO:
    The census also decides how much aid money the (7) federal⁵ government gives to cities and states. And it provides racial and (8) ethnic⁶ information needed to enforce⁷ civil rights laws.
    The census shows that about seventy-five percent of the people in America are white. Census officials say this population is more than two- hundred- eleven- million people. The number of Americans (9) identifying themselves as white grew less than seven percent in the last ten years. The number of people who said they were white mixed with other races increased by eight-point-six percent from ten years ago.
VOICE ONE:
    The census reports that some (10) minority groups are growing faster than the white population, for the first time in seventy years, the census says about one in ten Americans was born in another country. It also shows that minorities are making the largest American cities even larger. Big cities and the areas around them grew about fourteen percent during the Nineteen-Nineties. People also moved into less populated areas away from cities. These rural⁸ areas gained ten percent in population since the last census.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE TWO:
    Several (11) organizations have made independent studies of the census of Two-Thousand. Some experts say more African Americans and white people live near each other in major cities than in the past. But other experts say most people still live in areas with their own racial or ethnic groups. For example, they report that most Hispanics live near other（12）Hispanics.
    Hispanic people or their families came to the United States from countries where Spanish is spoken. They may be of any race. The Hispanic population grew more than any other minority group during the past ten years. The Hispanic population increased by about fifty-eight percent. Some experts say Hispanics who are in this country (13) illegally may be partly responsible for this large growth.
VOICE ONE:
    The census count says there now are slightly more Hispanics than African Americans in the nation. About thirty- five- million Hispanics live here. There are more than thirty- four- million- five- hundred- thousand African Americans. Each group represents slightly more than twelve percent of the population. But more than one- million African Americans told the census they also belong to at least one other race. These people were not included in the African-American (14) count.
    If they had been, census officials say the numbers of African Americans and Hispanics would be about equal.
    The Asian population of the United States has increased almost as fast as the Hispanic population since the last census. The Asian population has reached about ten- million. They are more than three- percent of the population.
    The American Indian and native Alaskan population grew to almost two-and-one-half million. The number of (15) native Hawaiians and other Pacific island people reached about four- hundred thousand.
VOICE TWO:
    The Two- Thousand censuses⁹ was the first in which Americans could say they belong to more than one race. People could identify themselves from among fourteen races.
    About seven- million people identified themselves as belonging to more than one race. Two percent of American adults describe themselves as （16）multiracial. More than four percent of Americans under age eighteen are multiracial. Officials say four times as many people today are having children with people of a different race.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE ONE:
    The census shows that the state of California has more people than any other state. Almost thirty- four- million people live in the West Coast state. California became the first big American state where white people are not the majority of the population.
    Since Nineteen-Ninety, California's non-Hispanic white population has decreased to less than fifty percent. Asian and Hispanic minorities have grown quickly. About one-third of the people in California are Hispanic. About twelve percent are Asian. The African American population is about the same as ten years ago, about seven percent.
    Some experts say the whole nation may be like California in the future. Census officials, however, say two-thirds of the people in America in the next census will be non-Hispanic whites.
VOICE TWO:
    The census shows that many people are moving to warm areas. Southern and western states like California gained the most population. Middle western and (17) northeastern states grew more slowly.
    The state of Nevada grew fastest. Nevada's population has increased by sixty-six percent during the last ten years. A major Nevada city, Las Vegas, gained many Hispanic citizens. Another important change is that Texas now has the second largest number of people of any American state. New York State held that position in the last census.
    All fifty states gained population. Only the District of Columbia -- Washington, D.C. -- lost population. Experts say many (18) African Americans who lived in the city have moved to nearby suburbs¹⁰ in Maryland and Virginia.
VOICE ONE:
    The census showed that America's three biggest cities grew even bigger. More than eight- million people now live in the biggest city, New York. Los Angeles, California is the second biggest city in the nation. Almost four- million people live there. Chicago, Illinois is the third-largest American city. It has almost three- million people. The population of Chicago grew for the first time since Nineteen-Fifty. Hispanics and Asians helped increase the populations of all these major cities.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE TWO:
    Almost one- million workers performed the census of Two-Thousand. Millions of Americans completed census (19) documents they received in the mail. Census Bureau¹¹ workers visited the homes of people who did not return these census forms. The (20) administration¹² of President Bush says the count is the most correct in history. Census officials, however, say more than three- million people were not included in the count. They say most of these people are homeless. Or they do not own their homes. Or they are children.
    Some cities have brought legal action asking for a re-count of their population. They say they have more people than were counted. They say new counts would give them more federal money and more representation¹³ in government.
VOICE ONE:
    The United States first counted its population in Seventeen-Ninety. At that time, fewer than four- million people lived in the new country. The census of Two-Thousand shows almost three- hundred- million people. Some politicians and other Americans (21) dispute¹⁴ some of the census results. But they can agree about some things. The census of Two-Thousand tells us what America and Americans are like at the start of the new century. And the census will be very important in planning for America’s future.
((THEME))
VOICE TWO:
    This program was written by Jerilyn  Watson. It was produced by Caty  Weaver¹⁵. I'm Shirley Griffith.
VOICE ONE:
    And I'm Sarah Long. Join us again next week for another report about life in the United States on the VOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.

注释：
(1)       population[ 7pCpju5leiFEn ]n.人口
(2)       census[ 5sensEs ]n.人口普查
(3) political[ pE5litikEl ]adj.政治的, 行政上的
(4) representative[ 7repri5zentEtiv ]n.代表adj.典型的, 有代表性的
(5) legislature[ 5ledVis7leitFE ]n.立法机关, 立法机构
(6) republican[ ri5pQblikEn ]adj.共和国的, 共和政体的n.共和党人
(7)       federal[ 5fedErEl ]adj.联邦的, 联合的, 联邦制的, 同盟的
(8)       ethnic[ 5eWnik ]adj.人种的, 种族的, 异教徒的
(9) identify[ ai5dentifai ]v.识别, 鉴别v.确定
(10) minority[ mai5nCriti, mi- ]n.少数, 少数民族
(11) organization[ 7C:^Enai5zeiFEn ]n.组织, 机构, 团体
(12) Hispanic[ his5pAnik ]adj.西班牙的
(13) illegal[ i5li:^El ]adj.违法的, 不合规定的
(14) count[kaJnt]v.数, 计算n.计数, 计算
(15) native[ 5neitiv ]n.本地人, 土产adj.本国的
(16) multiracial[ 5mQlti5reiFEl ]adj.多民族的
(17) northeastern[9nR:W`i:stEn]adj.东北方的, 来自东北的
(18) African[ 5AfrikEn ]n.非洲人adj.非洲的
(19) document[ 5dCkjumEnt ]n.公文, 文件, 文档, 档案, 文献v.证明
(20) administration[ Edminis5treiFEn ]n.管理, 经营, 行政部门
(21) dispute[ dis5pju:t ]v.争论, 辩论n.争论, 辩论

1 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

2 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。

3 observers   

n.观察者( observer的名词复数 )；遵守者；观测者；目击者

参考例句：

• According to observers, the plane exploded shortly after take-off. 据目击者说，飞机起飞后不久就爆炸了。
• Some military observers fear the US could get entangled in another war. 一些军事观察家担心美国会卷入另一场战争。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 republicans   

拥护共和政体者，共和主义者( republican的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Republicans got shellacked in the elections. 共和党在选举中一败涂地。
• The latest poll gives the Republicans a 5％ lead. 最近的民意调查结果表明共和党领先了五个百分点。

5 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

7 enforce   

vt.实施，执行；强制，强迫；加强，坚持

参考例句：

• You have no right to enforce your own views on me.你无权把你自己的观点强加给我。
• They tried to enforce agreement with their plans.他们企图迫使人们同意他们的计划。

8 rural   

adj.乡下的，田园的，乡村风味的

参考例句：

• He lived a rural life.他过着田园生活。
• We left the city for a rural home.我们离开城市，去农村安家。

9 censuses   

人口普查，统计( census的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Data derived from population censuses is useful for social researchers. 从人口普查中得到的数据对社会研究者们很有用处。
• UNFPA also helps countries compile reliable demographic data and carry out censuses. 人口基金还帮助各国汇编可靠的人口数据及开展人口普查。

10 suburbs   

n.郊区，城郊( suburb的名词复数 )；四乡；隧；四郊

参考例句：

• The poor suburbs traditionally formed the bedrock of the party's support. 贫穷的郊区在传统上构成了支持该党的牢固基础。
• The new college will be located in the suburbs. 这所新建的学院将设在郊区。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 bureau   

n.提供或收集消息的机构；局，司，处；署

参考例句：

• The weather bureau makes daily reports on weather conditions.气象局每天报告天气状况。
• The Tourist Bureau arranged everything for our journey to Rome.旅游局已为我们去罗马旅行准备了一切。

12 administration   

n.经营，管理；行政，行政机关，管理部门

参考例句：

• Who is in charge of the administration of your company?你们公司的行政工作由谁负责？
• The teachers are responsible to the school administration.教师向学校行政负责。

13 representation   

n.表现某人（或某事物）的东西，图画，雕塑

参考例句：

• The painting is a representation of a storm at sea.这幅画描绘的是海上的暴风雨。
• All parties won representation in the national assembly.所有政党在国民大会中都赢得了代表资格。

14 dispute   

n.争端，分歧；v.争论，争吵，辩论，辩驳

参考例句：

• They are trying to find a way of settling the dispute.他们正设法寻找解决争端的办法。
• The parties to the dispute should be more polite to each other.争执双方应相互礼貌些。

15 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。