美国国家公共电台 NPR 1st Person Counted For 2020 Census Lives In Alaskan Village O

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Counting in the 2020 U.S. Census¹ starts today. And it begins in the most remote communities of Alaska, like this small fishing village, population 590 as of 2010, where we find NPR's Hansi Lo Wang.

HANSI LO WANG, BYLINE²: The village of Toksook Bay sits on the remote southwestern edge of Alaska.

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WANG: For most visitors, it's only accessible by a tiny bush plane...

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WANG: ...That at this time of year lands on a windswept airstrip usually covered in snow.

MICHAEL ROBBINS: And I got your keys to everything that you need.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Great, thank you.

WANG: Michael Robbins, the local principal at Nelson Island School, greets some of the first Census Bureau officials to arrive in Toksook Bay before the count begins. It's all part of a once-in-a-decade January tradition that goes back to the first U.S. count after Alaska became a state in 1959.

JESSICA IMOTICHEY: One thing that people learn really quickly here in Alaska is the weather is always the boss.

WANG: Jessica Imotichey coordinates³ the Census Bureau's outreach to tribal⁴ governments in Alaska where she says in order to meet the U.S. Constitution's requirement of counting every person living in the country, the key is to have snow boots on the ground when it's frozen and before it melts during the spring thaw⁵...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: OK. You ready?

WANG: Ready.

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WANG: ...Along with four-wheelers, snow machines and dog sleds. Jessica Imotichey says starting in January also means the Census Bureau is more likely to find Alaska's most far-flung residents.

IMOTICHEY: They won't be out hunting or commercial fishing. And so we are able to get them at home because we do do that personal knock at the door.

WANG: In Toksook Bay, though, subsistence fishing can last throughout the year for some residents, including Jackie Woods (ph).

JACKIE WOODS: Now, not that deep, but it's good.

WANG: Woods cuts ice fishing holes while the temperature hovers⁶ a few degrees over zero Fahrenheit⁷.

WOODS: Whew, sometimes don't catch fish for maybe an hour, two.

WANG: For Woods, it's dinner options and not the census that's top of mind.

When you're in the store, do people talk about the census?

MARIA WHITE: No. Hardly.

WANG: No one, hardly anyone?

WHITE: Yeah.

WANG: Maria White works the register at Bayview General Merchandise, one of three village stores in Toksook Bay. White says she doesn't remember taking part in the 2010 census.

But this time you want to participate.

WHITE: Yes.

WANG: Why?

WHITE: To see how many people there is in Toksook.

WANG: You're curious?

WHITE: Yes.

ROBERT PITKA: It's a growing community. In each village, the numbers are growing.

WANG: Robert Pitka is a tribal administrator⁸ for the Nunakauyak Traditional Council, which governs the Nunakauyarmiut Tribe of Toksook Bay, which Pitka says could use a bigger share of the estimated $1 1/2 trillion a year in federal funding that are distributed in part based on census numbers.

PITKA: I believe the census count will make it possible. You know, the census has benefits for the next 10 years. God knows what's coming.

WANG: One thing that Pitka is expecting is the Census Bureau counting Toksook Bay elder Lizzie Chimiugak first, which Chimiugak says is an overwhelming honor.

LIZZIE CHIMIUGAK: (Speaking Yup'ik, laughter).

KATIE SCHWARTZ: She doesn't know how to feel because this is just one in every day that comes rolling in.

WANG: Toksook Bay residents are planning to mark the start of the census later today with traditional Yup'ik dancing, which Chimiugak says is a way of bringing the community together by expressing their love.

CHIMIUGAK: (Speaking Yup'ik).

SCHWARTZ: She wants everybody to show love and compassion⁹ towards all human beings, young and old.

WANG: A wish from the first person to be counted for the 2020 census.

Hansi Lo Wang, NPR News, Toksook Bay, Alaska.

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 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。

3 coordinates   

n.相配之衣物；坐标( coordinate的名词复数 )；（颜色协调的）配套服装；[复数]女套服；同等重要的人（或物）v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的第三人称单数 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• The town coordinates on this map are 695037. 该镇在这幅地图上的坐标是695037。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

5 thaw   

v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和

参考例句：

• The snow is beginning to thaw.雪已开始融化。
• The spring thaw caused heavy flooding.春天解冻引起了洪水泛滥。

6 hovers   

鸟( hover的第三人称单数 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• A hawk hovers in the sky. 一只老鹰在天空盘旋。
• A hen hovers her chicks. 一只母鸡在孵小鸡。

7 Fahrenheit   

n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的)

参考例句：

• He was asked for the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.他被问到水的沸点是华氏多少度。
• The thermometer reads 80 degrees Fahrenheit.寒暑表指出华氏80度。

8 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

9 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。