考研时文阅读21

考研时文阅读（21）

篇章结构分析

本文的主题是有关美国的非法移民问题。第一段引出非法移民这一矛盾的问题，即美国人不喜欢非法移民，但又依靠非法移民来做事情。第二、三段讲述了参议院最近对非法移民问题的讨论，及可能出台的法律措施。第四段提到了移民的支持者已在美国一些大城市开始采取激烈的行动来维护自己的利益。第五段继续论述了新法案通过的困难性。末段提出足够的签证有可能解决美国非法移民这一问题。

核心词汇记忆

no less than 与… 一样 depend on 取决于，依靠such…as… 像…一样 bring up 抚养，教育

give priority to 给…优先考虑 contribute to 有助于，导致

call for 要求，需要 regardless of 不管

In the neighborhoods of Los Angeles, white kids occasionally shout to each other in Spanish. They learn their first words from Mexican nannies who are often working illegally, just like the maids who scrub floors and the gardeners who cut their lawns, which helps to explain why fixing America's broken immigration system is proving so difficult. Californians, no less than the residents of other states, find illegal immigration distasteful. Yet they depend on immigrants for even such intimate tasks as bringing up their children.

This week the Senate was trying again to reconcile these contradictory problems. It seemed close to the promise of legalization for the nation's roughly 12 m illegals, some 2.5 m of them in California alone. But their cases will not be considered until the border is deemed to have been made more secure and the current stockpile of legal immigrants is cleared—something that will take at least eight years. Worse, from the immigrants' point of view, they will probably have to leave the country and then implore to return, in

what is known as “touch-back”.

If it becomes law, the Senate bill will transform America's immigration system. Following the lead of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Britain, America would adopt a points system that will give priority to the sort of young, employable immigrants who are most likely to contribute to the economy. Family ties, essential in deciding immigration claims since the 1960s, would become less important.

Immigrant advocates have become more militant. Last year huge, mostly orderly crowds gathered on the streets of Los Angeles, Chicago and other cities to protest against a bill, passed by the House of Representatives that would have criminalised illegal immigrants. Many carried American flags. Rallies earlier this month, by contrast, were dominated by professional protesters. In Los Angeles a small and occasionally angry crowd clashed with police. Protesters have called for another rally next month in Hollywood. Although the pressure for reform appears overwhelming, it is not clear that a deal can be done this year. Compromise may prove more elusive in the House of Representatives. Because of the way that congressional districts are drawn, many politicians represent constituencies with large numbers of ethnic minorities or hardly any at all.

Nor is it clear that the Senate plan would bring illegal immigrants out of the shadows. Those who have American children (up to 40% of those in California) will be reluctant to “touch-back”. Much will also depend on how many visas are made available to unskilled workers. If there are too few, the supply of immigrant labour will surely continue to meet the demand for it, regardless of what the law says.

参考译文

在美国洛杉矶的一些邻近地区，白人孩子偶尔会用西班牙语彼此叫嚷。他们从墨西哥奶妈那里学到了最早的词汇，而那些奶妈通常都是非法打工者，就像那些擦地板的女仆和整理草坪的园艺工一样，这就解释了为什么要修补好美国已经受到破坏的移民制度是如此艰难。加州人也和其他各州的居民一样，觉得非法移民令人生厌，然而他们却又依赖移民来