美国国家公共电台 NPR--Colorado voters to vote on universal free school lunches

Colorado voters to vote on universal free school lunches

Transcript¹

Universal free school lunch went away in Colorado when federal aid expired. A ballot² measure seeks to restore that via a tax on the wealthy.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

During the pandemic, the federal government made lunch free to all public school students nationwide. Now, after the program expired this fall, Colorado is among states trying to keep it going. Here's Colorado Public Radio's John Daley.

JOHN DALEY, BYLINE³: In a suburb north of Denver, I meet some proponents⁴ of that proposal. A woman named GlendaRika Garcia watches her sons toss around a football

(SOUNDBIT OF FOOTBALL THUDDING)

DALEY: She's a bilingual food assistance navigator for Hunger Free Colorado. She signs up people for benefits and makes sure they're eligible⁵.

GLENDARIKA GARCIA: Kids can't learn if they don't have good nutrition.

DALEY: She's glad lawmakers put the measure on the ballot. In part, that's based on her own experience. Garcia, a widow and mother of four, was a recipient⁶ of free school lunch when she was a kid.

GARCIA: I think that the kids being able to eat for free at school is really important for all families, all kids.

DALEY: Her son Alonzo is a high school sophomore⁷. He's, at times, noticed classmates leaning on friends for lunch.

ALONZO GARCIA: They ask kids for their food - yeah - or ask the lunch ladies for food.

DALEY: He says some kids avoid the lunchroom rather than admit they qualify for free lunch; others get bullied⁸.

Do you think there's a stigma⁹, Alonzo?

ALONZO: I think that they get embarrassed because they can't afford it.

DALEY: A family of four making less than about $51,000 a year is eligible for free lunch. But supporters say right now, nearly 70,000 Colorado kids above that income threshold still cannot afford school meals. Depending on her job, Garcia at times qualified¹⁰ and at times didn't - a blow to her budget.

GARCIA: And a lot of times, it's a financial burden for the parents.

DALEY: Agriculture is a key part of the proposal. It would provide grants for schools to buy Colorado grown, raised or processed products. Roberto Meza, who farms east of Denver, backs the proposal.

ROBERTO MEZA: So we're here at Emerald Gardens.

DALEY: Under a sunny sky, hundreds of egg-laying chickens in an enclosure are doing their thing.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHICKENS CLUCKING)

DALEY: In a greenhouse nearby, sunshine streams in as large fans whir overhead. Super nutritious¹¹ microgreens grow in water-fed trays.

MEZA: Imagine children just enjoying the diversity of greens that are available that we're able to grow here in Colorado.

DALEY: Meza says the measure would give farms a solid financial boost.

MEZA: They're our future leaders, so why not invest in them with the best nutrition possible?

DALEY: Low-income students will still keep receiving free meals under current law, whether the proposal passes or not. There's no organized opposition¹² to the measure, but it is drawing some opposition.

JON CALDARA: This is a really stupid idea.

DALEY: Jon Caldara is president of the Independence Institute, a libertarian think tank in Denver. Its voters guide recommends a no vote. The measure would raise a hundred million dollars a year by increasing state taxable income, but only for the 3 or 4% who make at least $300,000 a year.

CALDARA: This proposal is, hey, let's get the rich guys to buy our kids lunch.

DALEY: Back in his neighborhood, high schooler Alonzo Garcia thinks the measure would do some good. Two of five Colorado families struggle to put food on the table.

ALONZO: They should be able to eat, too.

DALEY: Colorado mailed ballots¹³ to voters October 17. The last day to vote is November 8.

For NPR News, I'm John Daley in Denver.

MART?NEZ: This story is part of a reporting partnership¹⁴ with NPR, Colorado Public Radio and Kaiser Health News.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 proponents   

n.（某事业、理论等的）支持者，拥护者( proponent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Reviewing courts were among the most active proponents of hybrid rulemaking procedures. 复审法院是最积极的混合型规则制定程序的建议者。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Proponents of such opinions were arrested as 'traitors. ' 提倡这种主张的人马上作为“卖国贼”逮捕起来。 来自辞典例句

5 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

6 recipient   

a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器

参考例句：

• Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
• Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。

7 sophomore   

n.大学二年级生；adj.第二年的

参考例句：

• He is in his sophomore year.他在读二年级。
• I'm a college sophomore majoring in English.我是一名英语专业的大二学生。

8 bullied   

adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My son is being bullied at school. 我儿子在学校里受欺负。
• The boy bullied the small girl into giving him all her money. 那男孩威逼那个小女孩把所有的钱都给他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

10 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

11 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

12 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

13 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。