【英语趣味课堂】美国的移民-Immigration in America

 Yuri: So, Todd, what about the situation with immigration in the United States? Is it similar to Italy or different?

 

Todd: Actually, from what you're saying it sounds really similar. The U.S. has a lot of immigration, and it's very controversial¹ now in America, probably because the economy is going bad but we get a lot of people from Latin² America or Central America and they either cross the border through Mexico, the Mexican border, or they come by boat similar to Italy. So yeah, it's kind of a big problem.

 

Yuri: I have a question, please. I understand that a lot of the population, they are actually from South America or Central America. Do people now start to teach Spanish at schools?

 

Todd: Actually, the language is very controversial. We are taught Spanish actually, but they do a very bad job. Most people can't speak Spanish. But most of the immigrants³ actually, I think that come to the U.S., do a really good job of learning⁴ English. The first generation struggles, but always the second generation, their children, become bilingual rather quickly, so even though we try to learn Spanish, I think the fact is in reality people that come to America, just learn English really quickly.

 

Yuri: One more question please. When a foreigner comes to the United States and finds a job. He get a job, he has the same amount of money he can earn as an American or not?

 

Todd: Ooh, that's interesting. I don't think you can discriminate⁵ pay for a lower paying job whether you're an American or not. I think most Employers⁶ probably pay the same wage, but what happens is is only people that are new to the country often will take certain jobs. So, for example maybe you know work as janitors⁷ or work in fast food companies or maybe farm work, sometimes construction. The pay is not that great, so they offer a really low wage so only people that just arrive to America or immigrants will apply for the job. So it is kind of a problem because some people think if there weren't so many people coming into the country, then people that were born in the country would apply for the those jobs and be paid more, so it's a very controversial thing. But in reality, in terms of history economically, the country was built on foreign labor⁸ coming in so, you know, that's just a fact. The country was developed by having immigrants come into the country so economically it's very important I think.

 

Yuri: Alright, thank you very much Todd.

 

重点词汇：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the Lesson

struggles

 

 

The first generation struggles.

 

“Struggle” means to do something that is not easy. Here, the speaker is talking about the struggle to learn a new language. Notice the samples:

 

As a kid I was good at English, but I had to struggle with math.

The runner struggled the last kilometer, but finished the race.

second generation

 

 

The second generation becomes bilingual

 

First generation means families who first immigrate⁹ to a new country. “Second generation” talks about their children who are usually born in the new country. Notice the following:

The second generation hasn’t struggled as much with the new culture.

Many second generation immigrants are bilingual.

discriminate pay

 

 

You cannot discriminate pay for a lower wage.

 

To discriminate means to treat a person or group worse than another because of race, gender¹⁰, religion, or nationality. Here, “discriminate pay” means to pay less money. Notice the sample sentences:

 

In some countries it is OK to discriminate pay based on level of education.

In the United States companies can’t discriminate pay between men and women, but it sometimes happens.

apply for

 

 

People would apply for those jobs.

 

If you apply for something such as a job, you fill in a form to give an organization information about you and to show interest in joining. Here are two examples of “apply for”:

 

At university I didn’t work so I had to apply for a student loan¹¹.

Second generation immigrants don’t often apply for the same jobs as their parents did.

built on

 

 

The country was built on foreign labor.

 

“Build on” means to use the work or Ideas of others as a base to become more successful. In early American history, many workers were foreign immigrants who worked for little, or in the case of slaves, no money. The country was built on their labor. Notice the following:

 

The 7-11 store chain was built on the idea of fast service for customers.

Her successful business was built on many hours of hard work.

1 controversial   

adj.引起争论的，有争议的

参考例句：

• The topic of argument is controversial.这个议题是很有争议的。
• Immigration is a controversial issue in many countries.在很多国家，移民都是一个颇有争议的问题。

2 Latin   

adj.拉丁的，拉丁语的，拉丁人的；n.拉丁语

参考例句：

• She learned Latin without a master.她无师自通学会了拉丁语。
• Please use only Latin characters.请仅使用拉丁文字符。

3 immigrants   

n.移民( immigrant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Illegal immigrants were given the opportunity to regularize their position. 非法移民得到了使其身份合法化的机会。
• Immigrants from all over the world populate this city. 这个城市里生活着来自世界各地的移民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

5 discriminate   

v.区别，辨别，区分；有区别地对待

参考例句：

• You must learn to discriminate between facts and opinions.你必须学会把事实和看法区分出来。
• They can discriminate hundreds of colours.他们能分辨上百种颜色。

6 employers   

雇主( employer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Employers must consider all candidates impartially and without bias. 雇主必须公平而毫无成见地考虑所有求职者。
• The onus is on employers to follow health and safety laws. 雇主有义务遵行健康安全法。

7 janitors   

n.看门人( janitor的名词复数 )；看管房屋的人；锅炉工

参考例句：

• The janitors were always kicking us out. 守卫总是将～踢出去。 来自互联网
• My aim is to be one of the best janitors in the world. 我的目标是要成为全世界最好的守门人。 来自互联网

8 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。

9 immigrate   

v.（从外国）移来，移居入境

参考例句：

• 10,000 people are expected to immigrate in the next two years.接下来的两年里预计有10，000人会移民至此。
• Only few plants can immigrate to the island.只有很少的植物能够移植到这座岛上。

10 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

11 loan   

n.贷款；借出的东西；借；vt.借出；贷予

参考例句：

• I asked the bank to help me with a loan.我请银行给我一笔贷款。
• Has the bank okayed your request for a loan?银行批准你的贷款要求了吗？