VOA标准英语2013--Washington Week: Focus on U.S. Immigration Reform

 

Washington Week: Focus on U.S. Immigration Reform

President Barack Obama says foreign-born workers have always contributed to America’s economic prowess.

“The promise we see in those who come from all over the world is one of our greatest strengths. It has kept our workforce¹ young. It keeps our businesses on the cutting edge," he said. 

Now, U.S. business and union leaders are reporting a deal on a guest worker program for low-skilled laborers², potentially removing a key obstacle to an overhaul³ of federal immigration laws.

“The time has come for comprehensive, sensible immigration reform," said Obama. 

Lawmakers in both houses of Congress are crafting reform bills that are expected to provide an eventual⁴ path to citizenship⁵ for most of the estimated 11-million undocumented foreign nationals in the country. That would be paired with heightened efforts to secure U.S. borders and halt the flow of illegal immigrants.

Two champions of immigration reform - Republican Senator John McCain and Democratic Senator Charles Schumer - recently visited the U.S. border with Mexico.

“With the proper use of technology, we will be able to say we have a degree of border security that will enable people to move toward a path to citizenship," he said. 

But fellow-Republican Senator Marco Rubio is cautioning that reports of bipartisan consensus⁶ are premature⁷. In a statement, Rubio said legislative⁸ deliberations on immigration reform “cannot be rushed.”

President Obama says he is optimistic. “My sense is that they [lawmakers] have come close, and my expectation is that we will actually see a bill on the floor of the Senate next month [in April]," he said. 

The White House is also pressing for gun reform. This week, the president travels to Denver, Colorado, where he will discuss proposals to curb⁹ gun violence in the United States. Obama says the nation must not forget last year’s mass-shooting at a Connecticut elementary school.

“Less than 100 days ago that happened and the entire country was shocked. And the entire country pledged we would do something about it and that this time would be different. Shame on us if we've forgotten," he said. 

Foreign affairs will also command Washington’s attention, including escalating¹⁰ tensions with North Korea. U.S. Defense¹¹ Secretary Chuck Hagel. 

“All of the nations in that region are committed to a pathway to peace, and the North Koreans seem to be heading in a different direction," he said. 

Hagel added that the United States and its allies must be prepared for “any eventuality” concerning North Korea. 

1 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

2 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

3 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

4 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

5 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

6 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

7 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

8 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

9 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

10 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

11 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。