VOA常速英语2015--奥巴马全家迎接教皇（在线收听）

奥巴马全家迎接教皇

As Pope Francis’ airplane approached, President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and their family were on hand at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington to welcome the head of the Roman Catholic Church to the United States.

教宗方济各的飞机缓缓抵达，总统奥巴马，第一夫人米歇尔·奥巴马全家在华盛顿外的安德鲁空军基地欢迎罗马天主教皇访问美国。

A crowd of 1,000 selected ticket holders gave the pontiff an enthusiastic welcome.

1000名手持门票的民众给予教皇最热烈的欢迎。

Earlier Tuesday, hundreds of low-wage workers at the U.S. Capitol walked off their jobs and rallied at a nearby Catholic church. They said they may be invisible to the powerful lawmakers they serve every day, but they know they deserve a better life. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was at the church to support them.

周二早间，美国国会数百名低薪合同工举行罢工，并在附近的一座天主教堂举行集会。他们表示，国会议员或许会对他们的服务熟视无睹，但是他们有权享受更好的生活。民主党总统参选人桑德斯也在教堂支持他们。

Today as we welcome Pope Francis to the United States and the U.S. Capitol, I hope that every member of Congress and the president will heed his call for social and economic justice.

今天，我们欢迎教宗方济各访问美国，并将在国会进行演讲。美国所呼吁的社会正义，经济平等，我希望每名国会议员，以及总统都能够牢记于心。

One of the service workers is struggling, even though he has a job in the Senate cafeteria.

尽管他在参议院的餐厅工作，但是生活相当艰苦。

Homeless and sleeping on the street, you know, every day you know, I was literally on the streets because I wasn’t making any money. I didn’t have a livable wage, you know and like I said, the few dollars I did make in order for me to keep my hygiene up because I work in food service.

我无家可归，每天都睡在大街上，不夸张的说，我真的睡在大街上，因为我挣不到什么钱。我的薪水无法维持生计，因为我在餐厅工作，所以挣的那几美元都用来保持个人卫生了。

Worker Charles Gladden said this pope gives him new hope.

服务人员查尔斯·格拉登说，教宗给了他新的希望。

I’m saying he’s more adamant about speaking about the low-income people, speaking about social injustice. He speaks about the necessary things that touch the little man.

他坚决维护低收入人群的利益，反对社会不公。他总会谈及一些能够为贫穷人口带来帮助的事情。

One of Gladden’s colleagues, said she works two jobs, 70 hours a week and that tough schedule likely caused her to lose her son at his birth. She hopes lawmakers listen to the pope’s message.

格拉登的同事称，她打两份工，每星期工作70个小时，由于艰苦的工作让他失去了刚出生的孩子。她希望议员们能够倾听教宗的心声。

Hopefully they find deep down inside that we have got to pay our workers living wages. Nobody should have to suffer or go through what I’ve been through.

我希望他们能够从内心认识到，我们要为工人谋求生活工资。谁都不应该遭遇我所承受的痛苦。

Inside the Capitol, Republican Senator John Thune said Pope Francis may have some different opinions on economics.

在国会山，共和党参议员图恩表示，教宗方济各可能会对经济问题持不同观点。

We hope there are some things he can take away from visiting our country for the first time: recognizing that free enterprise is the greatest antipoverty force that the world has ever seen.

我们希望教宗的首次访美能够为他带来收获；让他认识到“自由企业”才是消除全球贫困的最大力量。

There is no word on whether Pope Francis will directly respond to the Capitol workers’ letter, but he is expected to address the issue of income inequality when he speaks to Congress Thursday.

教宗是否会对国会工人的信函作出直接回应，目前还不得而知，然而在周四的国会演讲中，他有望对收入不平等问题作出回应。