VOA标准英语2011--Students Debate US Budget Through Online Game

Students Debate US Budget Through Online Game

As a special congressional committee in Washington has been wrestling with ways to reduce the US budget deficit¹, students in Los Angeles and other American cities have also been tackling the problem. They have tried to trim government spending through an online game called Budget Hero.

These high school students say playing Budget Hero is showing them how hard it is to cut federal spending by $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years. That's the challenge Congress faces.

The game was developed in 2008, and in an updated version, students can embrace a set of values to motivate their choices - pursuing efficient government, for example, lowering taxes, safeguarding the environment or promoting national defense². Using data from the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, the game shows the real-life budget impact of every choice they make.

The process is important, says student Dory Bennett. She says spending cuts are crucial to keep the economy healthy, and the American dream alive. “I want to grow up, go to college, get a good job, have kids maybe, a dog and a house," he said.

Like lawmakers in Washington, the students wrestled³ with the issues. “A simplified tax code and a tax code that more fairly and correctly taxes the wealth in this country is obviously preferable," said one student.

One former lawmaker gave the students some tips. Nine-term Congresswoman Jane Harman now heads the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, which co-developed the online game. More than one million people have played it so far, and she says they've learned two things.

“One, how hard it is, but two, that it can be done if there's a will to do it," she said.

Student Jeffrey Burke agrees that budget cutting isn't easy.

“The hardest thing for us to figure out was the little cuts like the gas money and stuff, increasing taxes on gas, because we felt it would have effects everywhere from the truck drivers shipping⁴ our stuff across the country or when you order from [the online retailer] Amazon or whatever, to you drive when you're going to work. I think we need to look at the little things and realize that just because they're small money doesn't mean they're small effects," he said.

Defense spending really spurred debate, says student budget cutter Harry⁵ Kidd.

“Because at the same time, you've got … oh, we're going to freeze military spending, but then we're like, what is that going to do to jobs? But then the other half was, oh, we can take troops out of Iraq and we all agreed on that," he said.

The broadcaster American Public Media co-developed the budget game, and the man in charge of digital innovation at the media network, Joaquin Alvarado, says many who play online leave a comment.

“And they will literally⁶ in the comments ask that Congress play this game to just get a little rational around the questions that have to be answered," he said.

Jane Harman, a Democrat⁷, notes that Congress balanced the federal budget in 1997, when she represented California in Washington… and that these students are having more success than current Members of Congress.

“Kids, and actually adults too who play this game, have open minds. They want to learn what the facts are. And sadly, a lot of Congress is a fact-free universe, and that is tragic⁸ for our country, for our country's reputation, and for our economy and the livelihoods⁹ of millions of people who are presently out of work," she said.

But these students say that after playing Budget Hero, they better understand the challenge facing Congress, and that agreeing what to cut is the hard part.

1 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 wrestled   

v.（与某人）搏斗( wrestle的过去式和过去分词 )；扭成一团；扭打；（与…）摔跤

参考例句：

• As a boy he had boxed and wrestled. 他小的时候又是打拳又是摔跤。
• Armed guards wrestled with the intruder. 武装警卫和闯入者扭打起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

5 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

6 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

7 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

8 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

9 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。