VOA标准英语2011--US Cities Entice Foreign Investors With

US Cities Entice¹ Foreign Investors³ With Green Cards

Regions within the United States, hit hard by the economic recession are actively⁴ seeking foreign investors to help create more jobs. In exchange, the U.S. government is giving permanent residency, known as green cards, to the investors and their families. Quite a few investors from China are taking advantage of this opportunity.
Just one hour’s drive north of Los Angeles is Lancaster, a city in California’s high desert that’s proud of its abundant sunshine and solar-powered buildings. But Lancaster's deputy mayor said the city also has an unemployment rate of about 17 percent - almost double the national average.
Deputy Mayor Kit⁵ Yee Szeto said, "We understand the economic realities make it a little harder for domestic investors to come into Lancaster this time or anywhere in the United States."
Szeto said the city is counting on these investors from China to be one answer to Lancaster’s unemployment problem. Xu Xing Ping is looking for land to invest $100 million in a distribution center somewhere in Southern California. He envisions a hub where Chinese businesses can store their products and move them throughout North America.
"In the future, we hope to create a Chinatown here and bring good businesses from China to the United States," he said.
Xu qualifies for a U.S. visa program called EB-5. It provides a permanent residency card for foreign investors and family members in exchange for at least $500,000 in investments in a rural area or a city with a high unemployment rate. The investment also has to create at least 10 jobs within two years. The majority of the investors under EB-5 are from China.
"Chinese people [have] become very rich. They can afford half a million dollars to be [in] the USA," said James Li. He heads one of the regional centers designated by U.S. Citizenship⁶ and Immigration Services that promotes economic growth by recruiting investors. Even though the EB-5 program was created in 1990, Li said he has seen more Chinese investors interested in the program since 2008.
"Only after 2008, because of the bad economy and also because of the economy booming [economic boom] in China. Most of the investors, they are not concerned about the return of investment. They are concerned about if [whether] they can get the green card," said Li.
Xu Xing Ping, an investor² from China, said, "They think if they can get permanent residency in the U.S. they will be pretty famous back home. They feel it’s a kind of honor."
Xu is a part of a growing class of wealthy Chinese. For him, getting permanent residency is not that important, but he admits it is a nice benefit. A green card will allow him to travel to many other countries without obtaining a visa.
"So for Chinese citizens, the green card is a very important," he said.
Since its inception⁷, more than 34,000 jobs have been created through the EB-5 program. Lancaster officials hope their city will be attractive enough for more jobs and money to come their way.

1 entice   

v.诱骗，引诱，怂恿

参考例句：

• Nothing will entice the children from television.没有任何东西能把孩子们从电视机前诱开。
• I don't see why the English should want to entice us away from our native land.我不明白，为什英国人要引诱我们离开自己的国土。

2 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

3 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

4 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

5 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

6 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。

7 inception   

n.开端，开始，取得学位

参考例句：

• The programme has been successful since its inception.这个方案自开始实施以来一直卓有成效。
• Julia's worked for that company from its inception.自从那家公司开办以来，朱莉娅一直在那儿工作。