Talk 4 奥巴马呼吁各方努力通过移民改革法案
Wors Tips
bipartisan adj.代表两党的 penalty n.罚款，罚金
statusquo现状 dynamic adj.有活力的
trustfund信托基金 theHouse（美国）众议院
Representative（美国）众议员
onthecuttingedge处在最前沿的位置，走在尖端
Listen to the following recording and answer questions 1-3.
1）A.going through legal procedures B.paying fines
C.improving language capability D.associating with legal immigrants
2）A.more foreign investment，jobs and stronger social security
B.more colleges，universities and research institutes
C.less tax and more income for middle class
D.significant increase in the export volume and economy stabilization
3）A.to support signing the immigration reform into law
B.to widely use the software Facebook
C.to boost the recovery of economy
D.to take an important step towards economic reform
听力原文
Hi，everybody.
Two weeks ago，a large bipartisan majority of Senators voted to pass commonsense，comprehensive immigration reform，taking an important step towards fixing our broken immigration system once and for all.
It would offer a pathway to earned citizenship for the 11 million people who are in this country illegally，a pathway that includes paying penalties，learning English，and going to the end of the line behind everyone trying to come here legally.And it would modernize our legal immigration system to make it more consistent with our values.The Senate’s plan would also provide a big boost to our recovery.
If the Senate’s plan becomes law，our economy will be 5% larger in two decades compared to the status quo.That’s $ 1.4 trillion added to our economy just by fixing our immigration system.
Here in America，we’ve always been a nation of immigrants.That’s what’s kept our workforce dynamic，our businesses on the cutting edge，and our economy the strongest in the world.But under the current system，too many smart，hardworking immigrants are prevented from contributing to that success.
Immigration reform would make it easier for highly-skilled immigrants and those who study at our colleges and universities to start businesses and create jobs right here in America.Foreign companies would be more likely to invest here.The demand for goods and services would go up—creating more jobs for American workers.Every worker and business would be required to pay their fair share in taxes，reducing our deficit by nearly $ 850 billion over the next two decades.And since a large portion of those taxes go towards retirement programs that millions of Americans depend on，Social Security would actually get stronger over the long-term—adding two years to the life of the program’s trust fund.
That’s what immigration reform would mean for our economy—but only if we act.
If Democrats and Republicans—including President Bush and I—can agree on something，that’s a pretty good place to start.Now the House needs to act so I can sign commonsense immigration reform into law.And if you agree，tell your Representatives that now is the time.Call or email or post on their Facebook walls and ask them to get this done.
Because together，we can grow our economy and keep America strong for years to come.
Thanks，and have a great weekend.
Questions：
1.Which of the following is NOT required for an illegal immigrant to gain citizenship？
2.What benefits will the immigration reform likely to bring to America？
3.What does Obama hope people to do at the end of his speech？
参考译文
嗨，大家好。
两周前，大多数两党参议员通过了一项普遍的综合移民改革法案，这为修补我们的移民体制迈出了重要的一步。
它是帮助1100万非法居留美国的人们获得公民身份的一种途径，这一途径包括缴纳罚金、学习英语、站到试图合法入境的人们后面排队。它使我们的合法移民体制现代化并且更加符合我们的价值观。参议院的法案还对我们的复苏提供巨大支持。
如果参议院的法案成为法律，我们的经济在今后20年里会比现在增长5%。仅仅是修订我们的移民体制就会带来1.4万亿美元的经济增长。
美国一直就是一个移民国家。这使我们的劳动力充满活力，我们的企业处于领先地位，我们的经济在世界上最为强大。但是在当前的体制下，太多的聪明、勤奋的移民无法为我们的成功做出贡献。
移民改革会使具有高技能的移民和在美国的大学学习的人们在美国创业及创造就业机会更加容易。国外公司更愿意在美投资。对产品和服务的需求增加将为美国工人创造更多就业机会。每个工人和企业都要支付合理的税负，在未来20年里减少我们大约8500亿美元的赤字。因为这些税收的大部分将用于几百万美国人依赖的退休项目，社保会得到长期加强——为这些信托基金提供两年的支持。
这就是移民改革对我们经济的意义。我们只有行动才能实现。
如果包括布什总统和我在内的民主党人和共和党人能就某些事达成共识，这就是最佳起点。现在众议院应该立刻行动，这样我就可以签署这一普遍综合改革法案并使之成为法律。如果你们赞同，那么给你们的议员打电话或发E-mail或在他们的Facebook上留言，告诉他们现在是行动的时候了。
只有齐心协力，我们才能发展经济并且使美国在未来保持强大。
谢谢大家，祝你们周末愉快。
参考答案
1.D 2.A 3.A