VOA标准英语2013--S. Asian Community Closely Watches US Immigration Reform Progress

 

S. Asian Community Closely Watches US Immigration Reform Progress

Sadia was the child of a diplomat² and came to the United States 14 years ago. But she still is not a legal resident.  She spoke³ to VOA but insisted her name be changed and her face blurred⁴ in our video footage.

“It’s really painful not to have paperwork because, first of all you cannot drive.  You cannot work.  And even if you find work, people who pay you know your situation and they try to take advantage of you,” she said.

Sadia, who works in the mortgage business, does not not fit the stereotype⁵ of immigrants who enter the country illegally and look for blue-collar work.

“We have people that come through an employment based system with science and technology and math degrees, skilled workers," said Manar Waheed, who represents a group that advocates for South Asian immigrants.

Experts agree that it's not possible to deport⁶ all undocumented immigrants. The immigration reform bill being considered in Congress proposes a process to bring everyone into the system.  On Monday, the Senate approved an amendment⁷ to the bill that would strengthen security along the U.S.-Mexico border, a move aimed at increasing chances for congressional passage.

Demetrios Papademetriou of Washington's Migration¹ Policy Institute, supports registration⁸ of all the undocumented.

“You allow people to register and make the registration process reasonable enough so that vast, vast, vast majority of them can qualify in the initial stage,” he said.

Registration will also allow the authorities to determine which undocumented workers have no criminal records.  

“I would say that if somebody who has criminal history or felony or they’re doing wrong things," said Sadia. "I don’t think it would be fair to give them the authorization⁹ or green card to work here or live here. But the immigration process should be lenient¹⁰ towards those who have been good citizens.”  

Papademetriou says the U.S. needs a better immigration system. 

“You have to have a system that is flexible, that adjusts according to fluctuations¹¹ and demands in the United States, that creates a clear, legal, safe and orderly pathway for people to come here, that has rules that everyone understands and those rules apply uniformly across the country,” he said.

All eyes are now on the U.S. lawmakers.  The Senate could pass a bill in coming days, though the House of Representatives is not expected to vote on a measure until later this year. 

1 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

2 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 blurred   

v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离

参考例句：

• She suffered from dizziness and blurred vision. 她饱受头晕目眩之苦。
• Their lazy, blurred voices fell pleasantly on his ears. 他们那种慢吞吞、含糊不清的声音在他听起来却很悦耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。

6 deport   

vt.驱逐出境

参考例句：

• We deport aliens who slip across our borders.我们把偷渡入境的外国人驱逐出境。
• More than 240 England football fans are being deported from Italy following riots last night.昨晚的骚乱发生后有240多名英格兰球迷被驱逐出意大利。

7 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

8 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

9 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

10 lenient   

adj.宽大的，仁慈的

参考例句：

• The judge was lenient with him.法官对他很宽大。
• It's a question of finding the means between too lenient treatment and too severe punishment.问题是要找出处理过宽和处罚过严的折中办法。

11 fluctuations   

波动，涨落，起伏( fluctuation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table. 他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• There were so many unpredictable fluctuations on the Stock Exchange. 股票市场瞬息万变。