赖世雄高级美国英语 lesson 19

　　Lesson 19， Asian Americans.

　　In the last census¹ conducted by the U.S. government in 1990， one fact caught manypeople by surprise： the percentage of Asian Americans had grown faster than any other segment of the population. European Americans had， as expected， continued their slow decline in percentage of the total US population， though they were still dominant² at about 76%. Black Americans had stabilized³ at about 12% of the population. Hispanics had continued their fast growth and were， at 9%， aimed at toppling Black Americans as the country's largest minority group. The growth in Asian Americans， however， surged from only 2% of the total US population in the 1980 census to 3% in 1990. By the year 2000 at least 4% of Americans will be of Asian ancestry⁴.

　　This relatively⁵ huge increase has caught many demographers⁶ by surprise. Clearly a new force is developing in US demography⁷， but few people seem to appreciate its implications. The Asian Americans are here and are here to stay， but exactly who are they， and what does their rapid increase mean for the country as a whole？

　　As a multi-ethnic⁸ nation， it should not be surprising that Asian Americans are becoming an increasingly large and important sector⁹ of the "rainbow nation" some Americans prefer to think of their country as. Indeed， the only surprise about this segment growing so fast is why it has not occurred sooner. After all， Asia is home to 60% of all the people in the world. However， Asia is also a vast land， encompassing¹⁰ East， Southeast， South， and West Asia， each region significantly different from its neighbors. Further， there is no sense of unity¹¹ within Asia， as there is， say， among European or Latin American countries. Indeed， the term "Asian Americans" is more a fiction of the European mind， since people from this area unfailingly refer to themselves as Chinese， Japanese， Filipino， etc， rather than as Asian-Americans.

　　For more than 100 years， three primary groups of Asians emigrated to the United States： Japanese， Chinese， and Filipino. However， since the end of the Vietnam War， other groups from Asia have become increasingly prominent， especially those from Vietnam， Korea， and India. In addition， Iranians and Israelis from Southwestern Asia have also entered the US in large numbers.

　　The patterns of Asian immigration have changed greatly over the past 30 years. In 1970， 96% of Asian Americans were Chinese， Japanese， or Filipino； as of 1997， this percentage had dropped to 55%！ In that year， 24% of Asian Americans claimed Chinese ancestry， 21% Filipino， and 10% Japanese. The "newcomers" among Asian Americans include the Indians at 13%， Vietnamese at 11%， and Koreans also at 11%.

　　What real numbers are we talking about？ There were estimated to be nearly 9600000 Asian Americans in the US in 1997. With such a high growth rate， there will be more than 10 million of them this year and perhaps 32 million in 2050 （about 8% of the total US population at that time）。 Where do Asian Americans live？ Currently， an astounding¹² 40% of this regional group lives in California. Other states with relatively large Asian American populations include New York， Hawaii， Texas， New Jersey¹³， Washington （the state）， and Illinois （which contains Chicago）。 Overall， the West is home to 54% of all Asian Americans， the Northest 19%， the South 16%， and the Midwest 11%.

　　What about future trends？ As Asian nations continue to prosper¹⁴， it is likely that they will contribute more to US immigration， especially from Southeast Asia and India. All of these groups continue to have above-average birth rates. On the other hand， Chinese and Japanese Americans have very low birth rates； consequently， the percentage of these ethnic groups among the total will continue to fall. All in all， America can look forward to an increasingly large number of Asians enriching their new home with their diligence， investment， and diverse cultural contributions.

 

1 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

2 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

3 stabilized   

v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The patient's condition stabilized. 患者的病情稳定下来。
• His blood pressure has stabilized. 他的血压已经稳定下来了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

5 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

6 demographers   

n.人口统计学( demography的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Demographers, however, point out that the'single" trend will have a profound effect on American institutions. 不过，人口学家们指出，“单身”趋势将对美国的公共机构产生深远的影响。 来自时文部分
• Selectivity of human migration long been the focus of demographers and economists. 人口迁移的选择性一直以来都是人口学家和经济学家关注的焦点。 来自互联网

7 demography   

n.人口统计，人口学

参考例句：

• Demography is the analysis of population variables.人口学是对人口变量的分析。
• It was once a rule of demography that people have fewer children as their countries get richer.按人口统计学的一贯规律，一个国家里的人民越富有，他们所拥有的孩子就越少。

8 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

9 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

10 encompassing   

v.围绕( encompass的现在分词 )；包围；包含；包括

参考例句：

• Being too large and all-encompassing is a common defect among state-owned enterprises. 过分追求大而全，是国企的一大通病。 来自互联网
• Our services are: all-encompassing, love justice and high quality. 我们的服务目标是：全方位、真情义、高质量。 来自互联网

11 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

12 astounding   

adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词)

参考例句：

• There was an astounding 20% increase in sales. 销售量惊人地增加了20%。
• The Chairman's remarks were so astounding that the audience listened to him with bated breath. 主席说的话令人吃惊，所以听众都屏息听他说。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

14 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。