VOA标准英语2010-Latino Leaders, Census Officials Work to

Hispanics are the fastest-growing ethnic¹ group in the United States.  In the last official U.S. census² 10 years ago, Hispanics, or Latinos, made up more than 12 percent of the population.  Their numbers are expected to be much higher when the government begins to release sections of the current census in January. Officials with the census say they face a challenge in getting an accurate count of Hispanic Americans, and they have launched a major effort to get it.

Many Hispanics are recent immigrants who work in factories or on farms.  Others with limited skills, often without immigration papers, work as day laborers³.

But if they live in the United States, US law says they need to be counted. 

Representation in Congress depends on the count.  So do grants and loans from the federal government, says Koni Silva Botifoll of the U.S. Census Bureau. "The government will be distributing 400 billion dollars for the next 10 years and they are going to base that distribution on the amount of people that live in the different communities.  So if you don't count yourself, then your community is going to be hurting," Botifoll said.

A recent community forum⁴ addressed the issue. Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said immigrants have a poor response rate and many need encouragement to complete the census form. "Folks who have language obstacles.  And the city is 46 percent foreign-born and that has many of these demographic groups in high concentrations, it's really important for us to get that word out," he said.

Recently, Latino organizations met at a local high school to encourage students to help their parents fill out and mail the census form. A promotional video helps spread the message. 

Actress Rosario Dawson was in one video that promotes the census to Hispanics.   "I'm saying that this money, this opportunity that can be lost if it's not used will not happen to you again for another 10 years, 10 years.  So it's really very important that you make your voices heard," she said.

More than 10 million people are believed to have entered the country illegally, and many of them are Hispanic.  Although most are never deported⁵, they face the looming⁶ threat of deportation⁷. 

Census officials assure them that the data collected will not be shared with immigration officials. But because of the reluctance⁸ of Hispanics to participate, officials admit that getting an accurate count of the country's Hispanics is difficult, at the very least.

 

1 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。

2 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。

3 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

4 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

5 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

7 deportation   

n.驱逐，放逐

参考例句：

• The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
• Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前，英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。

8 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。