VOA慢速英语2018 特朗普政府欲将接收难民人数限制至历史最低水平（在线收听）

Trump Administration Proposes Limiting Refugees to Record Low

The government of U.S. President Donald Trump announced this week that it plans to limit the number of refugee arrivals in the U.S. to a record low number. But refugee activists and lawmakers say Congress still has time to change the president’s mind.

美国特朗普总统这届政府本周宣布，其计划将抵达美国的难民数量降至新低。但多位难民活动家和律师表示，国会还来得及改变总统的心意。

On Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to reporters about the plan. He claimed that refugees can be a security threat to the United States. In answer, he said, the executive branch is proposing a limit of “up to 30,000 refugees” in the fiscal year that begins October 1. If approved, the number would be the lowest since the early 1980s.

周一，国务卿迈克 蓬佩奥(Mike Pompeo)在接受记者采访时说道了美国政府的这项计划。他表示，难民对美国而言是一种安全威胁。他表示，为了应对难民构成的安全威胁，美国政府提出将2018财年的难民总数限额降至3万，并将于10月开始执行。一旦该计划得到批准，那么美国的难民总数将达到上世纪80年代以来的史上新低。

Before the president makes the final decision, however, lawmakers in Congress must be able to give their advice.

不过，在总统拍板儿之前，国会议员有机会发表自己的建议。

Jen Smyers is with the Church World Service, one of the leading refugee resettlement groups in the United States. She says government officials often suggest a number before the final decision is made. And, she says, Congress has succeeded before in increasing the planned number of refugee arrivals.

珍(Jen Smyers)来自基督教世界救济会，该组织是美国知名难民安置组织之一。珍表示，政府官员经常在决定敲定之前提出许多建议。珍还说，之前国会也曾成功增加过难民抵达美国的限额数量。

But, she added on a telephone call with reporters, “the timeline is tight.” The final decision will be made by the end of this month.

不过，珍在接受记者的电话采访时也补充道，时间很紧迫。最终决定在本月底之前就要敲定了。

Trump has already cut refugee numbers

During Trump's first year in office, his government set the limit at 45,000 refugees. However, with less than two weeks remaining in the fiscal year, less than half of that amount has been reached.

特朗普任职第一年期间，其政府将难民限额设定为4.5万人。不过，在离财年结束不到2周的时候，限额的一半都没达到。

Philemon Dushimire is a refugee from Burundi who now lives in Maine. There, he is a community organizer among the Burundi immigrant and refugee community. He told VOA that the decrease in the refugee limit may affect how the United States is viewed abroad.

菲勒蒙(Philemon Dushimire)是布隆迪的难民，现在生活在缅因州。在缅因州，菲勒蒙是布隆迪移民和难民社群的组织者。他在接受美国之音采访时表示，难民限额数量的下降可能会影响到海外对美国的看法。

"The risk now [is that] America will be seen as a country which doesn’t care about human rights violations in some places of the world. Which doesn’t care about the safety of people in danger,” he said.

现在的风险在于外界会把美国看成不在乎某些地方是否践踏人权的国家，不关心他人是否置身于危险之中的国家，他这样说道。

Some lawmakers from both major parties have criticized the proposed refugee limit.

国共两党的一些议员谴责了这次限额下降的提案。

Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts accused the Trump government of trying to isolate America and not caring about people suffering around the world.

民主党参议员爱德华 马基(Ed Markey)来自马萨诸塞州，他谴责特朗普政府试图把美国孤立起来，不关心世界其他地方人的疾苦。

Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican from the Miami area, also answered on social media. She is a political refugee herself.

雷提南(Ileana Ros-Lehtinen)是迈阿密的共和党议员，她也在社交媒体上对此事做出了响应。她本人是一名政治难民。

“With crises in every region of the world, U.S. should be doing more, not less, to be a global leader in refugee protection,” she tweeted shortly after Pompeo’s announcement on Monday.

世界上的每个地区都有危机出现，美国应该做更多贡献才对，应该成为保护难民的全球领袖才对，在周一蓬佩奥宣布新提案后，雷提南发表了上述推文。

Words in This Story

appalled - adj. to feel fear, shock, or disgust?

circumstance - n. a condition or fact that affects a situation?

fiscal - adj. of or relating to money and especially to the money a government, business, or organization earns, spends, and owes?

isolate - v. to put or keep (someone or something) in a place or situation that is separate from others?

resettle - v. to begin to live in a new area after leaving an old one?

slash - v. to make a long cut in (something) with a knife or other sharp weapon?

stakeholder - n. a person or business that has invested money in something (such as a company)