VOA标准英语2009年-Non-Profit Group Suits Up Women for Jo

Paige Kollock | New York 25 December 2009

 
Staffer at Dress for Success helps Marty Sanabria with a dress

In the past year, the U.S. has shed more than seven million jobs in  the global economic downturn. The media network CBS surveyed 700 unemployed¹ Americans. Among them, 69 percent said unemployment has caused an increase in stress. The figure rises to 80 percent when unemployment lasts longer than six months. The survey also found women more likely than men to report anxiety or depression as a result of unemployment.One organization that is helping² women cope with the anxiety and get back into the workforce³.

Marty Sanabria is suiting up for her new job.  Sanabria, an accountant, was out of work for a year, a victim of the economic crisis.

But she came to Dress for Success, a non-profit group that helps women get back into the workforce by outfitting⁴ them with a business suit and a positive attitude.  She was hired within three months. "I was very depressed⁵. I felt I had no support.  I felt as though I wasn't myself anymore, I felt I had lost everything," she said.

During that year, she met with recruiters, sent out resumes and went on interviews, but there were no offers.  Then she saw a commercial for "Dress for Success," and decided⁶ to give it a try.

"For many of the women who walk through our doors, confidence is a huge issue, and I know, many of the women who I've worked with have said to me, 'you know Suzanne, no one has ever said to me, I believe in you,' " said Suzanne Elliott, a vice⁷ president at Dress for Success.

Elliott says 70 percent of the women helped by the group are single mothers. She says dressing⁸ appropriately for interviews helps applicants⁹ feel confident.

Volunteers at Dress for Success give clients an initial fitting. That may also include accessories like shoes, jewelry¹⁰, handbags and even makeup¹¹. Clients meet one-on-one with the volunteer for instruction on job hunting. When a client receives a job offer, she returns for five additional outfits¹².  "My confidence went from zero to a billion.  And they helped me with my resume writing, with mock interviews, with just about any type of resource that you can think of that will help someone attain¹³ a job, and retain their job also," Sanabria said.

Sanabria is now able to pay her rent and monthly bills. She says she's grateful to the women who helped her, and is looking forward to giving back however she can.

Dress for Success has helped more than 500,000 women find jobs, and has branches in nine countries, from Mexico to Australia. "Around the world, our mission is the same - to help women become self sufficient, achieve economic independence. But how that happens in each culture is a little bit different," Elliott said.

What isn't different is the feeling of accomplishment¹⁴ that clients take away.
 

1 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

4 outfitting   

v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The outfitting installation activities carried out on the building berth or dock. 舾装在船台上或船钨内完成。 来自互联网
• There is so much outfitting work. Do you subcontract some of them? 有这么多的舾装工作要做，你们将工程分包出去吗？ 来自互联网

5 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

9 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

10 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。

11 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

12 outfits   

n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
• Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具，因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句

13 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

14 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。