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VOA慢速英语2011--Census Findings Show Changes in US Popul

时间:2011-03-14 05:33:57

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STEVE EMBER: Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I’m Steve Ember.
FAITH LAPIDUS: And I’m Faith Lapidus. Every ten years the United States government counts the national population and asks people questions about how they live. Results from the twenty ten census1 are still being organized and studied. But this week on our program, we look at some of the findings released so far to learn how the American population is evolving.
(MUSIC)
STEVE EMBER: The United States has collected census data since seventeen ninety as a requirement of the Constitution. Last year's census was the twenty-third in the nation’s history.
The population as of April first -- the official census day -- was three hundred eight million, seven hundred forty-five thousand, five hundred thirty-eight.
The population grew by twenty-seven million people over the past ten years. That was an increase of more than nine percent since the last census in two thousand.
St. Louis, Missouri is among US cities that decreased in population between 2000 and 2010
Growth in the United States population slowed compared to the last census. Between nineteen ninety and two thousand, the nation’s population grew by about thirteen percent.
In fact, the only decade with slower growth was between nineteen thirty and nineteen forty. The country grew by a little more than seven percent at that time, which was during the Great Depression.
(MUSIC)
FAITH LAPIDUS: Nevada had the largest population growth in percentage terms during the last ten years. Nevada’s population grew by about thirty-five percent.
The state with the largest population is California. More than thirty-seven million people live there. Wyoming has the smallest population of all the fifty states, at about half a million people.
STEVE EMBER: So why do these numbers matter to the federal government? The results of the United States Census decide how many seats each state will have in the House of Representatives.
The count also guides how more than four hundred billion dollars a year in federal assistance is divided. The more people counted, the more money the states can receive.
This federal money goes to help pay for things like roads, schools and health care.
FAITH LAPIDUS: Officials say about seventy percent of the population took part in last year’s census. An estimated one hundred thirty-four million households were contacted for the census.
Census forms are sent by mail. Census workers visit households that do not return their forms.
For the first time, the Census Bureau sent out millions of bilingual questionnaires. These were in printed English and Spanish. People could request forms in fifty-nine other languages, including Chinese, Korean and Russian.
Census records are made public after seventy-two years. Until then, federal law bars the Census Bureau from sharing individual records with any other agency, such as immigration or anti-terrorism officials.
STEVE EMBER: The Census Bureau has many experts who study the information collected about the population.
Marc Perry is a demographer2 and chief of the population distribution branch. He says the Census Bureau began releasing more detailed3 information about each state last month. Census findings will continue to be released throughout the year.
MARC PERRY: "We’re slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Right now it’s very incomplete; you can’t really get a sense of the national picture. But as more and more of those states get filled in, we’ll be able to see things."
FAITH LAPIDUS: The Census Bureau website recently launched an interactive4 map widget showing local population counts. Users can see population totals and county population changes from nineteen sixty through twenty ten.
The state-by-state information is not yet complete, but Marc Perry says demographers5 found a clear trend in population growth.
MARC PERRY: "The big pattern overall within the United States is the fastest population growth is in the South and the West."
FAITH LAPIDUS: Most other parts of the country including the Northeast and Midwest had low levels of population growth. This census count marked the first time in American history that the western part of the country had a bigger population than the Midwest.
MARC PERRY: "Michigan’s population actually declined. That was the only state that lost population across the decade.”
STEVE EMBER: Population movement happens for different reasons. But Mr. Perry says economic reasons are the main driving force. The majority of people who move are of working age.
MARC PERRY: "They might tell you that they’re moving for climate, or to be closer to family, or to buy a bigger house or whatever. But for most people under age sixty or sixty-five, job-related reasons are paramount6. You can’t just move somewhere because you want to. You need a way to support yourself once you get there.”
FAITH LAPIDUS: Census findings show that some cities are better than others at attracting and keeping young people. These include Denver, Las Vegas, Orlando, Atlanta and Washington. Other cities, like Saint Louis, Missouri, and Birmingham, Alabama, have shrinking populations.
STEVE EMBER: The reasons for moving from one area to another can be different for older people, since jobs are usually not as much of a concern.
MARC PERRY: "Climate is one [reason], being close to family and close to health care resources is a big thing."
STEVE EMBER: Mr. Perry says older Americans often want to live near a big city but not in a big city.
(MUSIC)
FAITH LAPIDUS: One census finding that recently made news involves local counties and what population experts like Marc Perry call natural decrease.
MARC PERRY: "There are now more counties across the country that are experiencing natural decrease."
Some stories described these as "dying counties." But Mr. Perry says all it technically7 means is that they have more deaths than births.
The United States has more than three thousand counties. In all, about seven hundred sixty of them are experiencing natural decrease.
Mr. Perry says this does not necessarily mean their population is dropping. There are three ways that populations can grow.
MARC PERRY: "You can grow because people move there from international areas. You can grow if people move there from other parts of the United States. And you can grow if you have more births than deaths. So we call those the three components8 of change.”
(MUSIC)
STEVE EMBER: One change that has taken place in the United States in recent times is that Hispanics are now the largest ethnic9 minority group. Some of their growth is the result of immigration from Mexico and other Latin American countries. But it also represents the result of higher birth rates among Hispanics in the United States compared to the general population.
The state of Texas, on the border with Mexico, had an increase of more than four million people over the last ten years. Hispanics represented sixty-five percent of that growth.
The Census Bureau expects racial and ethnic minorities to form the majority of the American population within less than forty years. But even before that, population experts predict that half of all the children in the United States will be members of minority groups.
(MUSIC)
FAITH LAPIDUS: Demographer Marc Perry says the Census Bureau hopes to release the remaining state population results by the end of this month.
We close our program now with a look at some numbers comparing men and women in America. March is National Women’s History Month in the United States.
The Census Bureau says the United States has four million more women than men. The country had an estimated one hundred fifty-seven million women as of October.
Another area where women outnumber men is in voting. Sixty-six percent of women voted in the two thousand eight presidential election, compared to sixty-two percent of men.
Women also have more education than men. They have more high school diplomas, bachelor's degrees and master’s degrees. But more men have doctoral degrees.
In the workforce10, the government says women earn seventy-seven cents for every dollar earned by men.
(MUSIC)
STEVE EMBER: Our program was written and produced by Brianna Blake. I’m Steve Ember.
FAITH LAPIDUS: And I’m Faith Lapidus. You can read and listen to our shows and other programs for English learners at voaspecialenglish.com on your computer or mobile device. We welcome your comments. Post them on our site or on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English. And when you join us on Facebook, we hope you'll click the "Like" button at the top of the page. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.


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1 census arnz5     
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 demographer rwpxt     
n.人口统计学家
参考例句:
  • Professor Antonio Golini is a demographer at the University of Rome. 罗马大学安东尼奥教授是位人口统计学家。 来自互联网
  • Demographer William Frey says immigrants with young families will help keep the United States competitive. 人口统计学家佛瑞表示这些年轻的家庭会帮助美国保持竞争力。 来自互联网
3 detailed xuNzms     
adj.详细的,详尽的,极注意细节的,完全的
参考例句:
  • He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
  • A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。
4 interactive KqZzFY     
adj.相互作用的,互相影响的,(电脑)交互的
参考例句:
  • The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
  • This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。
5 demographers 63067156764153b68f6a11b70c0139d8     
n.人口统计学( demography的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Demographers, however, point out that the'single" trend will have a profound effect on American institutions. 不过,人口学家们指出,“单身”趋势将对美国的公共机构产生深远的影响。 来自时文部分
  • Selectivity of human migration long been the focus of demographers and economists. 人口迁移的选择性一直以来都是人口学家和经济学家关注的焦点。 来自互联网
6 paramount fL9xz     
a.最重要的,最高权力的
参考例句:
  • My paramount object is to save the Union and destroy slavery.我的最高目标是拯救美国,摧毁奴隶制度。
  • Nitrogen is of paramount importance to life on earth.氮对地球上的生命至关重要。
7 technically wqYwV     
adv.专门地,技术上地
参考例句:
  • Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说,这是最先进的设备。
  • The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说,西红柿是一种水果,尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。
8 components 4725dcf446a342f1473a8228e42dfa48     
(机器、设备等的)构成要素,零件,成分; 成分( component的名词复数 ); [物理化学]组分; [数学]分量; (混合物的)组成部分
参考例句:
  • the components of a machine 机器部件
  • Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。
9 ethnic jiAz3     
adj.人种的,种族的,异教徒的
参考例句:
  • This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏,这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
  • The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。
10 workforce 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。

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