2007年VOA标准英语-Poverty in America Affects Millions

By Jeff Swicord
Washington, DC
23 January 2007
 
watch US Poverty report

The United States is a wealthy nation, but poverty still exists here.  By the government's own measure, more than one in every eight Americans lives "below the poverty line" -- on income lower than the official estimate of what it means to be poor.  VOA's Jeff Swicord takes a deeper look at the picture of poverty in America.

 
They are a common sight in inner-city America: homeless people, living in the streets and going hungry.  To most Americans, this is the face of poverty. 

Population experts and those who work at trying to help the poor say the problem extends far beyond those who are homeless, and is often less visible to the general public. 

 
Robert Egger
Robert Egger is director of "DC Central Kitchen," which prepares free meals for the hungry in Washington.  He says, "If you ask the average American who is hungry, they are thinking it is a homeless person.  And they think that that homeless person is hungry because they are an addict¹ or a drunk. … 'It is their fault.  They are lazy.'  People need to realize that the face of hunger is a single woman, raising two kids, who has a job.  At the end of the month, she is going to come up short (of funds) because she is only making $8, $9, $10 [or] $12 an hour.  In most American cities, she is not going to make it."

The U.S. Census² Bureau calculates that 37 million Americans are living in poverty -- on an income of less than $20,000 a year for a family of four, for example.  The number of people living in poverty here has grown by more than five million since 2000, but overall the official measure of poverty has not changed significantly – 12.7 percent of the population (according to the latest figures available, for 2005).

 
Rev. Larry Snyder
Catholic Charities U.S.A., one of this country's largest faith-based organizations, is trying to drastically reduce poverty in America.  The Reverend Larry Snyder is Catholic Charities' president. "We are calling upon policymakers, faith-based groups [and] civic³ leaders to make a systematic⁴ effort to cut poverty in this country in half by the year 2020.  We can only do that if we make the poor a priority in policy decisions, from city hall and the courthouse, to Congress and the White House." 

The charity's "Campaign to Reduce Poverty" will try to influence Congress and the White House to keep four priorities high in their future legislative⁵ plans: health care, hunger, housing and nutrition, and family economic security.  As Congress looks for ways to cut the federal government's spending, advocates for the poor say, there should be no reduction in the government's support for programs that combat poverty.

 
Julia Smith
At Washington's Central Union Mission, a shelter for the homeless, special projects manager Julia Smith says housing costs in the nation's capital have tripled over the last five years -- creating wealth for a few, but forcing many people below the poverty line. "Generally, what you are seeing is the poor being pushed out of the city.  And so you have the working poor that are holding jobs, but can no longer afford to live in the city."

Ms. Smith says drug use and other forms of substance abuse is another big factor in poverty.  Ronny Thomas suffered from drug addiction⁶ for years, but with the Central Mission's help, he is now drug-free and looking for a good-paying job. "I started using drugs and my life just went haywire.  [I] couldn't manage bills, [and] family -- and just lost everything."

There is no simple solution to ending poverty in America, but Catholic Charities U.S.A. says that task is a moral obligation for everyone.  The resources and knowledge about how to end poverty are available, Catholic Charities says, but what is too often lacking is political leaders' willingness to take action.

1 addict   

v.使沉溺；使上瘾；n.沉溺于不良嗜好的人

参考例句：

• He became gambling addict,and lost all his possessions.他习染上了赌博，最终输掉了全部家产。
• He assisted a drug addict to escape from drug but failed firstly.一开始他帮助一个吸毒者戒毒但失败了。

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 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

4 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

5 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。

6 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。