VOA标准英语2009年-President Obama to Meet with Native Americ

By Deborah Block
Tucsan, Arizona
29 October 2009

President Barack Obama has invited leaders of the more than 500 Native American tribes in the United States to a White House Tribal¹ Nations Conference on November 5. Mr. Obama says he wants to hear directly from the leaders about how his administration can help them meet their needs.

 
Joe Shirley
The Navajo tribe has the largest reservation in the U.S., more than 67,000 square kilometers across parts of the southwest states of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The quality of life is typically poor. Many homes do not have running water or electricity.

Navajo President Joe Shirley says that when President Barack Obama meets with tribal leaders, he will be following through on a promise made during his presidential campaign to have a more open dialogue with the tribes.

"And he promised to have a relationship with us, a meaningful relationship," Shirley says, "meaning that he'll work with us about some of the different challenges that face us here in the southwest."

 
Ned Norris
Those challenges include a lack of economic development, a problem also facing the second largest reservation, the Tohono O'odham, in southern Arizona and part of northern Mexico. Both the Navajo and O'odham nations make money through gambling² casinos, but Tohono O'odham chairman Ned Norris says casinos cannot support his entire community.

"We need to really look at diversifying³ our economy, our ability to make revenue for the nation.  Even with our multi-million-dollar casino operation, in a lot of ways we lack infrastructure," Norris explains, "We don't have the reasons for companies to want to come onto the nation."

And that means fewer jobs.

"Unemployment hovers⁴ above 50 percent on Navajo land and that's atrocious. The USA, the people throughout, are concerned about an unemployment rate of 10 percent but ours has been about 50 percent for decades," Shirley said.

 
Some sell firewood to earn money
Many people on the Navajo reservation are left to make money any way they can. Some create jewelry⁵ and other traditional crafts. Evangeline Segay and her family sell firewood. "There's hardly any jobs around here and people just end up drinking and probably that's the only thing they can turn to if there's no jobs," she said.

Alcoholism, domestic violence, and gangs are common on the reservations. Shirley says giving people jobs would help lift them out of poverty. So would keeping teenagers in high school.

"We're having to wrestle⁶ with trying to get students from sometimes two hours away to where they go to school. And then some of the others are impoverishment⁷, the lack of power," Shirley adds, "and sometimes the decision they make is to forget school."

Native American reservations are federal territories with limited national sovereignty. Tohono O'odham chairman Norris says he hopes the White House meeting will also focus on the rights of Native Americans to control their own lives. "What I've seen is a continuous encroachment⁸, is a continuous usurping⁹ of tribal authority and tribal sovereignty by the United States government," Shirley states.

The meeting may also discuss increasing underfunded health care services for Native Americans.

1 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。

2 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

3 diversifying   

v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的现在分词 )；进入新的商业领域

参考例句：

• Some publishers are now diversifying into software. 有些出版社目前正兼营软件。 来自辞典例句
• Silverlit is diversifying into new markets, such as Russia and Eastern Europe. Silverlit正在使他们的市场变得多样化，开发新的市场如俄罗斯和东欧国家。 来自互联网

4 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。

5 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

6 wrestle   

vi.摔跤，角力；搏斗；全力对付

参考例句：

• He taught his little brother how to wrestle.他教他小弟弟如何摔跤。
• We have to wrestle with difficulties.我们必须同困难作斗争。

7 impoverishment   

n.贫穷，穷困；贫化

参考例句：

• Therefore, the spiritual impoverishment is a more fearful social phenomenon. 所以，精神贫困是一种比物质贫困更隐蔽更可怕的社会现象。 来自互联网
• Impoverishment is compounded by many elements, and can transmit to be a pernicious cycle. 贫困是由多种因素复合而成的，并且具有传递性，形成贫困的恶性循环。 来自互联网

8 encroachment   

n.侵入，蚕食

参考例句：

• I resent the encroachment on my time.我讨厌别人侵占我的时间。
• The eagle broke away and defiantly continued its encroachment.此时雕挣脱开对方，继续强行入侵。

9 usurping   

篡夺，霸占( usurp的现在分词 )； 盗用； 篡夺，篡权

参考例句：

• Earlier the Ukrainian President dissolved Parliament because it claimed it was usurping power. 之前乌克兰总统解散国会因为国会声称要夺权。