VOA标准英语2015-- 美国的黑人州“两国的故事”

Report: State of Black America a 'Tale of Two Nations'  美国的黑人州“两国的故事”

NEW YORK—

The National Urban League has described this year's "State of Black America" report as a "tale of two nations."   The group's annual report, released in March, found that under an equality index African Americans had only 72 percent parity¹ compared to whites in areas such as education, economics, health, social justice and civic² engagement.  It’s a gap that educators and students at Brooklyn’s Medgar Evers College are looking to close.

Medgar Evers College, whose student body is nearly 90 percent black, is filled with hard-working students fulfilling their degree requirements.  But unlike their white peers, African Americans overall are statistically³ much more likely to be unemployed⁴,  according to findings from the 2015 State of Black America report by the National Urban League.  

Despite annual increases in high school graduation and college attendance rates, unemployment figures for blacks are as high as 20 percent in seven of the country's largest cities.  The current national unemployment rate is 5.5 percent.

"The recession is, 'over', except that the recession is still raging in many urban communities," said Urban League President Marc Morial.

The study links education and joblessness, says Morial.  He points to the 36 percent national proficiency⁵ gap between blacks and whites in math and reading as a major indicator⁶ of future inequality.  

“The United States must close the gaps - must close the achievement gap, must close the jobs gap - it is essential to America’s economic competitiveness in the 21st Century," he said.

Medgar Evers College, which hosted the report’s release, is taking proactive steps to make sure graduates are ready for the workplace.  

“More and more we’re having everything from career days to a real focus on the network, if you will, that it takes not just to enter your chosen career but to really get the job that you want," said Medgar Evers College President Rudy Crew.

College senior Shemroy Primo interned⁷ with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office to make himself a more attractive candidate for law schools.

He says he was disappointed but not surprised by the study’s findings.

“But as a black man, it’s really hard out there in the job market.  I went to high school in Brooklyn, East New York, so I have a lot of friends who are really looking up to me and really proud of me because I’ve taken a different route, I’ve gone to college. I’m a senior, I’m a rising senior and I plan to go to law school," said Primo.

However, the Urban League study indicates there is still employment bias⁸.

“One thing that was troubling was that even when a black person had the same academic background, the unemployment rates seems to be still higher for black Americans.  People ask me why and I think it is the presence still of exclusion⁹ and discrimination in the work force to some extent," said Morial.

Because of this, Primo says he must work twice as hard to earn a spot in the workplace.

1 parity   

n.平价，等价，比价，对等

参考例句：

• The two currencies have now reached parity.这两种货币现已达到同等价值。
• Women have yet to achieve wage or occupational parity in many fields.女性在很多领域还没能争取到薪金、职位方面的平等。

2 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。

3 statistically   

ad.根据统计数据来看，从统计学的观点来看

参考例句：

• The sample of building permits is larger and therefore, statistically satisfying. 建筑许可数的样本比较大，所以统计数据更令人满意。
• The results of each test would have to be statistically independent. 每次试验的结果在统计上必须是独立的。

4 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

5 proficiency   

n.精通，熟练，精练

参考例句：

• He plied his trade and gained proficiency in it.他勤习手艺，技术渐渐达到了十分娴熟的地步。
• How do you think of your proficiency in written and spoken English?你认为你的书面英语和口语熟练程度如何？

6 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。

7 interned   

v.拘留，关押( intern的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was interned but,as he was in no way implicated in war crimes,was released. 他曾被拘留过，但因未曾涉嫌战争罪行而被释放了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These soldiers were interned in a neutral country until the war was over. 这些士兵被拘留在一个中立国，直到战争结束。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

9 exclusion   

n.拒绝，排除，排斥，远足，远途旅行

参考例句：

• Don't revise a few topics to the exclusion of all others.不要修改少数论题以致排除所有其他的。
• He plays golf to the exclusion of all other sports.他专打高尔夫球，其他运动一概不参加。