VOA标准英语2010-US Ethnic Makeup is Changing

Elizabeth Lee 20 April 2010

Demographers¹ say the ethnic² makeup³ of the United States is evolving. They expect to see more Hispanics in the 2010 census⁴.  And they say the idea of a majority group in the U.S. will disappear within the next few decades. In fact, the Census Bureau has said that by 2050 minorities will be the majority. Many parents and schools in the U.S. are preparing their children for a new reality when they grow up. 

This is not just a trip to the doctor.  For Sylvia Osorio, it's another chance to see her daughter. Osorio says her daughter will not only grow up in a world more technologically⁵ advanced. There will also be more people who look like her. "I think it's going to be easier for her to get a better education, access to everything here," she said.

Hispanics like Osorio are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States.

 

Carl Haub of the Population Reference Bureau says, within five years, births of majority white babies may drop below 50 percent.

What's more, the birth to death ratio is one to one for the white majority.  For every Hispanic death, ten Hispanic babies are born.

"The Hispanics really are the engine that's helping⁶ to drive this large change in our ethnic makeup," Haub said.

The reasons behind the change include education and income.

According to demographers, women who are part of the white majority tend to be more well educated and working professionals. That group is having fewer children.  Women who are less educated and are making less money are having more children.

Enrique Torrico works with low income parents at Centro Nia, a public bilingual school in Washington where 78 percent of the families consider themselves Latinos. "Hopefully the level of discrimination and racism⁷ will be less. At least the color of their skin or the language they speak will be less important and it will be more important what they know, what they can do, and how they can contribute to the community," he said.

Demographers say many Latinos coming to the U.S. are from Mexico. The new immigrants are no longer staying in the states bordering Mexico. They are migrating to agricultural communities in the central part of the country where there are jobs.

"Because many of the young white kids leave. They don't want to work on a farm. In 40 or 50 years,  we will be seeing many more Hispanic faces around the country. I think sometime between now and then, the concept of majority will pretty much just die away," Haub said.

The changing ethnic makeup worries Jennifer Saleh who is married with two children. "I think access is my concern," she stated. "Access to health care, access to schools, access to resources.  What's going to happen to those? How are they going to be divided?"

Currently, many universities in the US are seeking to be more racially and ethnically⁸ diverse because white students still make up the overwhelming majority of their populations.

Enrique Torrico says in the future, race and ethnicity won't define the person. "It will be more important to know a different language.  It will be more important to learn about other people," he said. 

He says students need to prepare for the new reality by learning more than one language (nat pop) and embracing all cultures.

 

1 demographers   

n.人口统计学( demography的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Demographers, however, point out that the'single" trend will have a profound effect on American institutions. 不过，人口学家们指出，“单身”趋势将对美国的公共机构产生深远的影响。 来自时文部分
• Selectivity of human migration long been the focus of demographers and economists. 人口迁移的选择性一直以来都是人口学家和经济学家关注的焦点。 来自互联网

2 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。

3 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

4 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。

5 technologically   

ad.技术上地

参考例句：

• Shanghai is a technologically advanced city. 上海是中国的一个技术先进的城市。
• Many senior managers are technologically illiterate. 许多高级经理都对技术知之甚少。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

8 ethnically   

adv.人种上，民族上

参考例句：

• Ethnically, the Yuan Empire comprised most of modern China's ethnic groups. 元朝的民族成分包括现今中国绝大多数民族。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• Russia is ethnically relatively homogeneous. 俄罗斯是个民族成分相对单一的国家。 来自辞典例句