【英语时差8,16】双语教育

Bilingual Education, a work in progress – Today on Congressional Moment By the time the 13 British colonies declared their independence, over two million people had immigrated¹ across the ocean from Europe. Many were British, but many more were from other countries, and spoke² other languages. It was not long before bilingual education became an issue. By the mid³ 1800s, various states were conducting classes in languages such as French, German, Dutch and Greek. (French phrase fades in and out, into German) Non English-speaking students received some protection under the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, ratified⁴ in 1868, and over a hundred years later, in 1968, the Bilingual Education Act was created. It was the first official federal legislation recognizing the specific needs of students with limited English-speaking ability. It gave assistance to many local districts to establish bilingual education programs. During the 1980s and 90s, Congress amended⁵ the Act several times, reflecting new challenges, changing priorities and new teaching techniques. The issue was, and still is, hotly debated at the grass roots level, with children coming to our schools speaking more than 200 languages. Congress continues to wrestle⁶ with the important issue of how best to help students from non-English speaking families move into the mainstream⁷ of American life. The Bilingual Education Act is clearly a work-in-progress, and related issues are likely to be found in the media and on the ballots⁸ for many years to come. STANDARD CLOSING: This is Lee Hamilton. Congressional decisions impact all our lives. To find out more about how Congress works, or to get involved in your government, visit the Center On Congress website at congress.indiana.edu.

1 immigrated   

v.移入( immigrate的过去式和过去分词 )；移民

参考例句：

• He immigrated from Ulster in 1848. 他1848年从阿尔斯特移民到这里。 来自辞典例句
• Many Pakistanis have immigrated to Britain. 许多巴基斯坦人移居到了英国。 来自辞典例句

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

4 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

5 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

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 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

8 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》