时间:2019-01-16 作者:英语课 分类:2017年NPR美国国家公共电台1月


英语课

 


STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: 


Many state legislatures around this country have a serious human resources problem. Salaries for being a state legislator are relatively 1 low. And as Johnny Kauffman of member station WABE reports, not everybody can afford to do the job.


JOHNNY KAUFFMAN, BYLINE 2: On top of raising two kids, LaDawn Jones runs a law practice. She's busy, but loved serving in the Georgia legislature. She had to leave, though, after one term because it just didn't pay enough.


LADAWN JONES: I absolutely believe that we need to increase the wage for legislators to keep up with the times.


KAUFFMAN: Lawmakers in Georgia make $17,000 a year. It's considered a part-time job, but it took much more of her time than that. When the legislature was in session 3, Jones couldn't work at her law firm and had to hire extra help. That cost her.


JONES: If I really sat down and did the math, I'm certain that the amount that I paid out was equal or more than what I received.


KAUFFMAN: A few big states like Pennsylvania or California have full-time 4 lawmakers who earn $80,000 or even $100,000 a year. But in most states, legislators are paid like it's part-time. That can keep people from getting into state politics, says Neil Malhotra of Stanford University.


NEIL MALHOTRA: There's very, very few working-class people in legislatures. And this might have something to do with why a lot of legislation 5 does not seem very friendly towards working-class people.


KAUFFMAN: And it's not just working-class people who are left out, Malhotra says. Anyone with a regular job has a hard time taking several months a year off to work in a state capital. Mike Dudgeon just retired 6 from the legislature because the requirements of his job at a videogame company were too great.


MIKE DUDGEON: Some people suggested that I sort of do the phone-it-in thing and just keep my seat in the legislature and just do the bare minimum 7, just go down and vote and kind of do that. But that's - I just can't do that. It's not my personality. I'm going to do anything, I'm going to do it well.


KAUFFMAN: Many lawmakers own businesses or they work in law, medicine or agriculture, professions where they can control their schedules. People with experience in fields like technology or finance 8 have a harder time serving. Malhotra says when it comes to those issues, lobbyists are the only experts at the statehouse. And that gives them an edge in the legislative 9 process.


MALHOTRA: You don't really write these bills. The lobbyists kind of write the bills for you.


KAUFFMAN: In Georgia, there's no sign lawmakers will get a raise anytime soon. David Shafer is a leader in the Georgia Senate 10.


DAVID SHAFER: I'm not in favor of increasing legislative pay. I don't know that anyone serves in the General Assembly 11 because of the pay, and I don't know that we would attract a better legislator if the pay were higher.


KAUFFMAN: Georgia lawmakers are set to pass a more than $20 billion budget this year and grapple with a failing hospital system. Jones would love to be a part of those debates.


JONES: I could not dare ask my family to continue to make such a big sacrifice without that help.


KAUFFMAN: So instead of focusing on statewide issues from the capital, Jones plans to focus her political energy on her community. For NPR News, I'm Johnny Kauffman in Atlanta.


(SOUNDBITE OF ALWAYS THE RUNNER'S "SHOULD A BEAR INTERRUPT YOUR PICNIC")



adv.比较...地,相对地
  • The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
  • The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
n.署名;v.署名
  • His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
  • We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。
n.会议,开庭期,市盘,学期;adj.短期的
  • This matter will go over until the next session.这件事将留待下次会议讨论。
  • Congress is now in session.国会现在正在开会。
adj.满工作日的或工作周的,全时间的
  • A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
  • I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作,我不知道她是如何对付的。
n.立法,法律的制定;法规,法律
  • They began to draft legislation.他们开始起草法规。
  • The liberals band together against the new legislation.自由党员联合一致反对新的立法。
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
adj.最低的,最小的;n.最小量,最低限度
  • What is the minimum price?最低价是多少?
  • Today's minimum temperature is 10℃.今天的最低气温是10℃。
n.财务管理,财政,金融,财源,资金
  • She is an expert in finance.她是一名财政专家。
  • A finance house made a bid to buy up the entire company.一家信贷公司出价买下了整个公司。
n.立法机构,立法权;adj.立法的,有立法权的
  • Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
  • Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。
n.参议院,上院
  • They feel deeply the honour of belonging to the Senate.他们为作为参议院的成员而深感荣幸。
  • His unsuccessful senate run was his last hurrah.这次失败的参议员竞选是他最后的尝试。
n.集会(不可数);会议(可数),装配(不可数)
  • He took his seat in an unobserved corner of the assembly room.他在会议室一个不为人注意的犄角坐下来。
  • It was very quiet in the assembly hall.会场里静悄悄的。
学英语单词
aamsm
acicles
air intercept missile
american cut
aposematically
arachidoside
Axbridge
be in sb's shoes
car-lot wholesaler
cavity absorbent
cell bottom
commercial sponsorship
compound pressure and vacuum gauge
Cranineurals
current line
cylcorectifier
di-cap storage
disk read
display segment
double lesson
downcurrent
duplex safety valve
enculturation
engine cooling systems
ever-bearing
exploding shock wave
femoral neck fracture instruments set
ferromagnetic glass-ceramics
flat pack
Flupyrazapon
gapless superconductor
generating tube tank nest
Glannardite
hair-splitter
hand hook
hod carriers
indeterminacy principles
initial main sequence
input selection
instupefying
insulated cooling
intensified silicon target vidicon
internal recirculation pump
kawau
keenum
lay band
lissomeness
lndian gift
logarithmically calibrated scale
lollingites
maricevich
measuration
meatwallet
mercuric chlorite
mud-packs
multilayer construction
multiprogramming priority
nail clipper
Natal orange
nobility
nonenvironmentally
oak apple
ohmann
one hundred thirty
panniculus (pl.panniculi)
peatmouse
percentage of brake power
peschel
plain end joint
pnu
premier jus
principal power
pronotal bristle line
protected shorthold tenancy
Proudhon
purely inseparable extension
recombinagens
rocket field
ruffed lemur
school children
ship vertical lift
slimline type fluorescence lamp
small-order
spirulae
standard least squares regression analysis
super-corona
supply ventilating fan
surplusitis
symmetric line
tenbury
texte
thawing plant
thence-after
track meets
transitional cell cloacogenic carcinoma
traveling platform
tree hair
tremend
unremunerative
warman
what's the use
woolgar