美国有线新闻 CNN 2016-8-18

AZUZ: The U.S. Supreme¹ Court is now hearing arguments in a case related to President Obama's controversial executive action on immigration. The president denounced the action in 2014. It allows millions of people who are in the U.S. illegally to stay without the threat of being deported².

阿祖兹：美国最高法院正在就奥巴马总统备受争议的移民行政令听取辩论。总统于2014年提出该行政令。允许美国境内数百万非法移民留在美国，免遭遣返。

They could apply for work programs and other benefits, as long as they paid taxes.

只要这些非法移民缴税，就可以申请工作，享受其他福利。

Twenty-six states sued the government over this. The Obama administration says its action is legal, and like those of previous presidents on immigration. But no executive action has ever impacted this many people before. And executive actions don't go through Congress. Critics say this one in particular should.

目前已有26个州对这一行政令提起诉讼。奥巴马政府表示，该行政令与历任总统就移民问题颁布的行政令一样，是合法的。但是此前没有任何一个行政令对这么多人产生影响。行政令不用经过国会批准。批评人士表示，这个行政令尤其需要经过国会审议。

Another aspect to this — the Supreme Court is divided. Four of the justices were appointed by Republican presidents, four by Democratic presidents.

另一方面，美国最高法院存在分歧。四名最高法院法官由共和党总统任命，另外四名法官由民主党总统任命。

Conservative Justice Antonin Scalia died suddenly in February and his potential replacements³ have been held up in Congress. So, if the high court rules 4-4 on this issue, the ruling of the lower court stands, and that court blocked the president's action on immigration.

今年2月，保守派法官安东宁·斯卡利亚突然去世，而可能替代他的人选被国会搁置。所以，如果最高法院的裁决出现4比4的僵局，那低级别法院的判决就仍有效，而低级别法院的决定是阻止总统的移民行政令。

This isn't the only debate happening right now on this issue.

这不是该问题目前引发的唯一争论。

REPORTER: H-1B sounds like an airplane, or an exotic disease. They're actually visas and these visas are one of the most controversial parts of the immigration debate. Huge tech giants like Facebook and Google call them essential to their business, but critics say companies are exploiting them at the expense of the American worker.

记者：H-1B听起来像飞机或是外来病的名字。实际上H-1B是一种签证，这类签证是移民问题争论中最具争议的一个方面。脸谱网和谷歌等科技巨头称这类签证对他们的业务来说必不可少，但是批评人士认为，这些公司这样做是在牺牲美国工人的利益。

So, what exactly are the H-1B visas?

那到底什么是H-1B签证？

Congress created them in 1992 to bring in highly educated and specialized⁴ foreign workers into the country.

H-1B签证由美国国会在1992年推出，目的是将教育程度高的外国专业技术人员引进美国。

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: This bill provides for vital increases for entry on the basis of skills, infusing the ranks of our scientists and engineers.

美国前总统乔治·布什：这项法案将大幅增加进入美国的技术人才，加入到我们国家的科学家和工程师的行列中。

REPORTER: They're supposed to fill shortages — think computer programmers, engineers, doctors.

记者：他们要弥补计算机程序员、工程师和医生等岗位的不足。

Around 85,000 are allotted⁵ a year and they last up to six years, plus a possible extension. To get one, you have to be educated. Ninety-nine percent of H-1B workers have at least a bachelor's degree and over a half have advanced degrees.

H-1B签证每年分配约8.5万个名额，有效期最多六年，期满后可以延长。要想得到H-1B签证，你必须要接受教育。拿到H-1B签证的工作者中，有99%的人至少拥有学士学位，超过一半的人拥有高等学位。

So, why are H-1Bs are controversial?

那H-1B签证为什么备受争议？

Well, critics claim the companies aren't using them to fill shortages. They say the companies are actually bringing in foreign workers so they can pay them less than American workers, and it wasn't mean to work this way.

批评人士称，各公司不会让这些技术人员弥补不足。他们说公司实际上只是为了引进外国人员，这样可以支付他们少于美国雇员的工资，而H-1B签证的本意并不是这样。

To protect American workers from exactly what critics are accusing the companies of doing now, the law was set up to require a, quote-unquote, "prevailing⁶ wage". That's a number calculated for each job by the Department of Labor⁷. But critics say that that number, it's rife⁸ for loopholes and abuse.

为了保护美国雇员免遭批评人士所指责的各公司的做法，出台了“现行工资”这一法律。“现行工资”是美国劳工部为各个工作核算的工资。但是批评人士指出，这些数字充满了漏洞和滥用情况。

Another problem for, quote-unquote, "specialized hard to fill jobs" sometimes aren't. Around 50 percent of H-1Bs are going to computer programmers, but they've also been used for sports coaches, ranch⁹ workers, preschool teachers.

另一个问题是，有时并不会出现“专业人才难以填补职位空缺”的情况。获得H-1B签证的人中，有约50%的人将从事计算机程序员的工作，但是他们也会从事体育教练、农场工人和幼儿教师等工作。

And it's not just American workers who can be hurt by their misuse¹⁰. Employers hold incredible leverage¹¹ over H-1B visa holders¹². Some have described the workers as indentured¹³ servants because an H-1B worker needs to have a job to stay in the country. Complain about working conditions?

不是只有美国雇员会因这种滥用情况受伤。雇主对H-1B签证持有者有制衡作用。有些人称这些工作者是契约劳工，因为H-1B签证持有者要想留在美国就必须要有工作。抱怨工作条件？

You could lose your jobs and be forced to leave the country.

那你可能会失去工作，然后被迫离开美国。

So, here we are, tech companies want more H-1Bs, critics want reform. Will Silicon¹⁴ Valley get its way?

所以，科技公司希望引进更多持有H-1B签证的人，但是批评人士想要进行改革。硅谷会达到自己的目的吗？

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 replacements   

n.代替( replacement的名词复数 )；替换的人[物]；替代品；归还

参考例句：

• They infiltrated behind the lines so as to annoy the emery replacements. 他们渗透敌后以便骚扰敌军的调度。 来自辞典例句
• For oil replacements, cheap suddenly looks less of a problem. 对于石油的替代品来说，价格变得无足轻重了。 来自互联网

4 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

5 allotted   

分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I completed the test within the time allotted . 我在限定的时间内完成了试验。
• Each passenger slept on the berth allotted to him. 每个旅客都睡在分配给他的铺位上。

6 prevailing   

adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的

参考例句：

• She wears a fashionable hair style prevailing in the city.她的发型是这个城市流行的款式。
• This reflects attitudes and values prevailing in society.这反映了社会上盛行的态度和价值观。

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

8 rife   

adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的

参考例句：

• Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。
• Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。

9 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

10 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。

11 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

12 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。

13 indentured   

v.以契约束缚（学徒）( indenture的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The Africans became indentured servants, trading labor for shelter and eventual freedom. 非洲人成为契约上的仆人，以劳力交换庇护及最终的自由。 来自互联网
• They are descendants of indentured importees. 他们是契约外来工的后代。 来自互联网

14 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。