-
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
By Andrew J. Baroch
More than 1,000 employees of the United States Congress are out of work because their employers -- members of Congress -- either lost their bids for re-election last month or retired1.
On election night in November, Mr. Crane and his 20 employees gathered at a suburban2 Chicago restaurant to watch the election returns on TV. After 35 years in the House of Representatives, the lawmaker and his staffers thought for sure he'd be re-elected to serve another two-year term.
His Press secretary Tami Stough recalls that night with a sad shake of her head. "As the votes were coming in that night and the numbers were being revealed, we were stunned3," she says. "We sat in stunned disbelief as precinct after precinct reported and we realized we were not going to be victorious4."
Every one of her colleagues was crying. "We could not control the tears," Ms. Stough says. "All I really wanted to do was be in the ladies' room, crying."
Most Congressional staffers realize that working on Capitol Hill does not offer long-term job security. With elections every two years for each seat in the House of Representatives, and Senators up for re-election every six, the legislative5 assistants, press secretaries, receptionists and researchers have to remain flexible. But Tami Stough says she feels as if she is losing more than a job. She'll miss being in the U.S. Capitol -- the stately, domed7 building that sits on a hill -- where lawmakers debate policy, draft laws, and make history.
"When you walk the hallways of Capitol Hill, when you walk in the Capitol, and see the dome6 and Statuary Hall," Ms. Stough says, "you get a sense of, 'I am in the seat of the most powerful nation in the world. This is where history is made, in these hallowed halls.' It's not an office building. It's not a corporate8 center. This is a real place of history, purpose, and meaning. It's not easy to walk away from that, knowing you are sitting, working and living so close to the heart of the power of this great nation."
Many of the staffers who lost jobs as a result of the recent election are looking for work in other congressional offices because they enjoy being part of the history. But Tami Stough has decided9 to look elsewhere - saying that a job on the Hill is too much of an "emotional roller coaster."
She has yet to determine what else she might do. "I told my husband the other day," says Ms. Stough, "'Let's buy that property over there and build an inn.' He looked at me and said, 'Why would we do that?' I thought of maybe going back to school. Everything is on the table for us right now."
Most Capitol Hill staffers hope the uncertainty10 of their job search will end soon.
注释:
suburban 偏远的
precinct 区域,范围
flexible 灵活的,可通融的
hallway 走廊
dome 圆屋顶
1 retired | |
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 suburban | |
adj.城郊的,在郊区的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 stunned | |
adj. 震惊的,惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 victorious | |
adj.胜利的,得胜的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 legislative | |
n.立法机构,立法权;adj.立法的,有立法权的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 dome | |
n.圆屋顶,拱顶 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 domed | |
adj. 圆屋顶的, 半球形的, 拱曲的 动词dome的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 corporate | |
adj.共同的,全体的;公司的,企业的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10 uncertainty | |
n.易变,靠不住,不确知,不确定的事物 | |
参考例句: |
|
|