UNIT10?Social Problems in the United States?美國的社會問題

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種族問題

與大多數(shù)其他國家不同，美國主要是一個移民國家。

Racial Problems

Unlike most other countries, the United States is primarily a nation of immigrants. 這些公民或他們的祖先是從世界各地移民過來的——有些是為了躲避宗教和政治迫害的難民，有些是為了尋求更好的生活而從舊世界來的冒險家，有些是為了逃離絕望的經(jīng)濟狀況或自然災(zāi)害，有些是為了獲得更好的教育機會，還有一些是違背自己意愿被帶到北美賣為奴隸的俘虜?！??The citizens or their ancestors immigrated from many parts of the globe - some as refugees from religious and political persecution, some as adventurers from the Old World seeking a better life, some fleeing a hopeless economic situation or natural disaster, some wanting greater educational opportunities, and some as captives brought to North America against their own will to be sold into slavery.' 雖然現(xiàn)在美國人擁有共同的文化，但這個國家包含許多種族和民族亞文化，這些亞文化各具特色。 ?Though people now all share a common culture in the US, the nation contains many racial and ethnic subcultures with their own distinctive characteristics. 這些差異在外部觀察者看來可能微不足道或無關(guān)緊要，但它們助長了種族沖突，而種族沖突一直是美國社會中的一個問題。 ?These differences might seem trivial or irrelevant to outside observers, but they have contributed to racial conflicts that have been a persistent social problem in US society.美國是建立在人人平等的原則之上的，但在實踐中，這個國家與這一理想相去甚遠。 ?The United States was founded on the principle of human equality, but in practice the nation has fallen far short of that ideal. 美國社會是一個分層的社會，權(quán)力、財富和聲望在人群中分配不均。 ?American society is a stratified one, in which power, wealth, and prestige are unequally distributed among the population. 這種不平等不僅僅是性別和社會階層之間的差異; ?This inequality is not simply a matter of distinctions between gender and social classes; 它也傾向于遵循種族和民族界限，其結(jié)果是階級劃分往往與種族劃分平行。 ?it tends to follow racial and ethnic lines as well, with the result that class divisions often parallel racial divisions.第一批來自西北歐“盎格魯-撒克遜人”的男性定居者迅速控制了美國的經(jīng)濟資產(chǎn)和政治權(quán)力，從那以后，他們或多或少地保持著這種控制。The first male settlers from "Anglo-Saxon" northwestern Europe quickly took control of economic assets and political power in the United States, and they have maintained this control, to a greater or lesser degree, ever since.來自歐洲其他地區(qū)和世界其他地方的連續(xù)浪潮般的移民，必須經(jīng)過漫長而艱難的斗爭，才能融入美國的主流生活。 ?Successive waves of immigrants from other parts of Europe and elsewhere in the world have had to struggle long and hard to become assimilated into the mainstream of life in the US. 有些人成功了，分享到了“美國夢”; ?Some have succeeded and have shared in the "American Dream"; 另一些人——尤其是那些在民族或種族特征上與主流群體差異最大的人——則被正式或非正式的障礙排除在充分參與美國生活之外。 ?others-notably those whose ethnic or racial characteristics differ most markedly from those of the dominant groups-have been excluded by formal and informal barriers from full participation in American life. 這種歧視的結(jié)果在美國造成了嚴重和持續(xù)的種族緊張局勢，并會定期爆發(fā)出公開的暴力事件。 ?The result of this discrimination has been a severe and continuing racial tension in the United States that has periodically erupted into outright violence. 特別是自20世紀60年代的民權(quán)示威、貧民窟騷亂和其他騷亂以來，種族和民族關(guān)系一直是社會科學(xué)家、政治家和公眾關(guān)注的主要問題。 ?Particularly since the civil rights demonstrations, ghetto riots, and other unrest in the 1960s, race and ethnic relations have been a major preoccupation of social scientists, politicians and the general public.

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在美國，除了占主導(dǎo)地位的白人盎格魯-撒克遜新教徒(WASP)之外的任何群體都是社會中的少數(shù)群體。” In the United States, any group other than the dominant white Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) majority is a minority group in society.?這些少數(shù)種族和民族主要是指非洲裔美國人、美洲原住民或美洲印第安人、西班牙裔美國人和亞裔美國人。 ?These racial and ethnic minorities mainly refer to African Americans, Native Americans or American Indians, Hispanics, and Asian Americans. 包括亞裔美國人在內(nèi)的所有種族群體仍在遭受種族歧視和不公正待遇。 ?All these racial groups including Asian Americans are still suffering from racial discrimination and injustice. 但在這里，我們更仔細地看看一個群體，他們的問題吸引了最多的公眾關(guān)注:非洲裔美國人。 ?But here we look more closely at one group whose problems have attracted the most public attention: African Americans.非裔美國人曾經(jīng)是少數(shù)族裔中最大的種族和少數(shù)民族群體。 ?African Americans used to be the largest of the racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. 但最近的人口普查顯示，他們現(xiàn)在是僅次于西班牙裔/拉丁裔的第二大少數(shù)族裔。 ?But recent census shows that they are now the second largest, after people of Hispanic/Latino origin. 根據(jù)2010年的人口普查，有3760萬非洲裔美國人，占人口的12.2%。 ?According to the 2010 census, there are 37.6 million African Americans, 12.2% of the population. 他們在美國的歷史是一段持續(xù)壓迫、歧視和剝奪基本公民權(quán)利和自由的歷史。 ?Their history in the United States has been one of sustained oppression, discrimination, and denial of basic civil rights and liberties.*第一批非洲人在1619年被帶到北美。 ?*The first Africans were brought to North America in 1619. 在幾十年內(nèi)，對他們廉價勞動力的需求導(dǎo)致了大規(guī)模的奴隸貿(mào)易，最終將大約40萬男人和女人運送到這個大陸。 ?Within a few decades, the demand for their cheap labor led to a massive slave trade that ultimately transported some 400 000 men and women to this continent. 這些奴隸被鄰近的部落捕獲，然后賣給白人商人，在極其擁擠的條件下被運到加勒比海，然后運到美國，在那里像牛一樣被拍賣。 ?Captured by neighboring tribes in their native villages and then sold to white traders, the slaves were shipped in wretchedly crowded conditions to the Caribbean and then to the United States, where they were sold like cattle at auctions. 他們的種族低人一等的虛構(gòu)故事- -不負責任、懶惰和智力低下- -被不遺余力地傳播，作為他們繼續(xù)被奴役的理由。 ?The myth of their racial inferiority - their irresponsibility, laziness and lower intelligence — was assiduously propagated as a justification for their continued subjugation. 暴徒用鞭刑或私刑來維護既定秩序，打擊反抗的奴隸，加強對奴隸的社會控制。 ?The whip or the lynch mob served to assert social control over slaves who challenged the established order.到1830年，北方各州都宣布奴隸制為非法，但在奴隸勞動已經(jīng)成為經(jīng)濟支柱的南方各州，一直保留著這一制度，直到南北戰(zhàn)爭、林肯1863年的《解放奴隸宣言》和1865年憲法第13修正案才最終結(jié)束。 ?"The Northern states had all outlawed slavery by 1830, but the Southern states, in which slave labor had become the backbone of the economy, maintained the institution until it was finally ended by the Civil War, Lincoln's emancipation of slaves in 1863, and the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. 但是，即使在廢除奴隸制之后，對非洲裔美國人的大規(guī)模歧視仍然存在。 ?But even after the abolition of slavery, wholesale discrimination was practiced against African Americans. 許多州通過了種族隔離法，在學(xué)校、住房、餐館和其他公共設(shè)施中將種族隔離開來，而制度化的歧視迫使非洲裔美國人從事最低收入的工作。 ?Many states passed segregation laws to keep the races apart in schools, housing, restaurants, and other public facilities, while institutionalized discrimination kept African Americans in the lowest-paid jobs.' 各種各樣的方法，如受操縱的“讀寫能力”測試，被用來將他們排除在選民名單之外，從而阻止他們行使政治權(quán)利。 ?A variety of methods, such as rigged "literacy" tests, were used to keep them off the voters' rolls and thus prevent them from exercising their political rights. 直到20世紀50年代，種族隔離法仍在南方各州執(zhí)行; ?Segregation laws continued to be enforced in Southern states until the 1950s; 在北方，隔離通常是非正式的——但一般同樣有效。” ?in the North informal methods were used — often just as effectively."

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20世紀60年代發(fā)生了偉大的民權(quán)運動，其目標是徹底廢除種族隔離法，為非裔美國人爭取平等權(quán)利。 The 1960s saw the great civil rights movement whose goals were to end segregation laws completely and fight for the equal rights for African American people. 許多非裔美國人開始有了新想法。 ?Many African Americans began to have a new mood. 他們有自豪感; ?They had feelings of pride; 他們宣稱“黑色是美麗的”; ?they declared that "black is beautiful"; 非裔美國人社區(qū)表現(xiàn)出前所未有的自信。 ?and the African American community showed signs of unprecedented self-confidence. 同樣重要的是，許多非裔美國人領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人開始否認完全融入美國主流社會是非裔美國少數(shù)民族的目標。 ?Equally important, many African American leaders began to disclaim full social integration into the American mainstream as the goal of the African American minority.相反，他們認為，非裔美國人應(yīng)該在一個多元社會中與其他群體共存，這個社會包含了相互尊重的不同的和獨特的社區(qū)。 ?Instead, they argued, African Americans ought to coexist with other groups in a plural society containing different and distinctive communities living in mutual respect.然而，非洲裔美國人的現(xiàn)狀呈現(xiàn)出一幅復(fù)雜的畫面。 ?The current status of African Americans presents a mixed picture, however. 消除阻礙她們晉升的法律障礙是一項重大進展，但制度化的歧視仍然很普遍。 ?The elimination of legal barriers to their advancement has been a major gain, but institutionalized discrimination is still commonplace. 特別是住房，仍然高度隔離:絕大多數(shù)非洲裔美國人仍然住在黑人占絕大多數(shù)的社區(qū)，而大多數(shù)白人住在白人占絕大多數(shù)的社區(qū)。 ?Housing in particular, remains highly segregated: the great majority of African Americans continue to live in neighborhoods that are overwhelmingly black, and most whites live in neighborhoods that are overwhelmingly white. 校車和其他旨在進行種族融合的學(xué)校項目對市中心地區(qū)產(chǎn)生了一些影響，但對以非洲裔美國人為主的城市中心與以白人為主的郊區(qū)和周邊小城鎮(zhèn)之間存在的種族隔離幾乎沒有任何影響。 ?Busing and other programs aimed at integrating the schools have had some impact on inner-city areas but have made virtually no difference to the segregation that exists between predominantly African American urban centers and the predominantly white suburbs and small towns that surround them.“非裔美國人在教育方面取得了相當大的進步; ?"African Americans have achieved considerable educational gains; 1966年只有4.6%的大學(xué)生是黑人，而2014年則有14%的大學(xué)生是黑人。 ?black enrollment in colleges rose dramatically between 1966, when only 4.6% of college students were black, and 2014, when 14% were black. 非裔美國人家庭收入中位數(shù)從1960年的3230美元上升到2013年的33321美元，但白人家庭收入中位數(shù)的增長速度至少與非洲裔美國人一樣快，而且近年來兩種群體的收入差距有所擴大。 ?Median family income of African Americans rose from $3230 in 1960 to $33321 in 2013, but the median income of white families rose at least as fast, and the income gap between the two groups has widened in recent years. 女性的收入差距也很大，在同樣或類似的工作中，男性每掙1美元，女性只能得到76美分，非裔美國女性的收入差距更大。 ?There is also great disparity in the earnings of women, who receive 76g for every dollar earned by men in the same or similar job, and is even greater ford African American women. 造成這種差異的一個主要原因是，非裔美國人往往被禁止擔任比其他工人更有權(quán)威的職位，而是被限制在職場等級下層的低薪工作中。 ?A major source of this differential is the fact that African Americans tend to be barred from positions of authority over other workers, and are restricted instead to lower-paying jobs further down the work-place hierarchy. 僅這一因素就占了黑人與白人總收入差距的三分之一。 ?This factor alone accounts for about a third of the total black-white income gap. 非裔美國人的政治影響力正在增強，在南方，他們的投票人數(shù)空前多，在北部、中西部和西部的主要城市，他們也是主要的投票群體，在某些情況下，他們占多數(shù)。 ?The political influence of African Americans is increasing, both in the South, where they are voting in unprecedented numbers, and in the major cities of the North, Midwest, and West, where they are a major voting bloc and, in some cases, a majority. 到2010年，在巴拉克·奧巴馬成為美國第一位非洲裔總統(tǒng)后， ?By 2010, after Barack Obama became the first African American President of the United States,

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越來越多受過良好教育的非裔美國人在地方和中央政府、商界和媒體中擔任重要職務(wù)。 an increasing number of well-educated African Americans had already moved into important positions in local and national government, the business world and in the media.黑人和白人之間的種族關(guān)系仍有許多有待改進的地方，盡管有確鑿的證據(jù)表明人們的態(tài)度有所改善。 ?Race relations between black and white still leave much to be desired, although there is unmistakable evidence of some improvements in attitudes.然而，在消除歧視方面取得了多大進展的問題上，種族之間存在著尖銳的分歧。 ?However, there is a sharp divergence between the races on the question of how much progress has been made in ending discrimination. 大多數(shù)白人認為，在消除歧視方面取得了很大進展，但超過一半的非洲裔美國人認為沒有多大真正的變化。 ?The majority of whites believe that there has been a lot of progress in getting rid of discrimination, but more than half of the African Americans feel that there has not been much real change. 只有不到20%的白人認為，許多非洲裔美國人在他們的城市因為歧視而失去了工作和晉升機會。 ?Only less than 20% of the whites believe that many African Americans miss out on jobs and promotion in their city because of discrimination. 許多非洲裔美國人仍然對種族關(guān)系的進展持悲觀態(tài)度。 ?Many African Americans are still pessimistic about progress in race relations. 然而，皮尤研究中心2010年1月12日發(fā)表的一項調(diào)查顯示，近一半的非西語裔美國人認為歧視不是阻礙黑人取得社會進步的原因。 ?A Pew Research Center study published on January 12, 2010, however, indicates that nearly half of non-Hispanic African Americans do not think discrimination is responsible for keeping blacks from getting ahead in society.對這兩個群體看法不同的一個原因可能是，非裔美國人更加敏銳地意識到，自20世紀60年代以來，他們中的許多人未能分享到非裔美國人所取得的更普遍的成就 ?One reason for the difference in the perceptions of the two groups may be that African Americans are more acutely aware that a great many of their members have failed to share in the more general gains made by African Americans since the 1960s.20 一些非洲裔美國人，可能多達三分之一，已經(jīng)努力進入了中產(chǎn)階級，在這個過程中，他們經(jīng)常從“貧民窟”搬到郊區(qū)或城市里更好的住房中。 ?Some African Americans, perhaps as many as one-third, have worked their way into the middle class, in the process often moving from the "ghetto" to the suburbs or tc better housing within the cities. 但其他非裔美國人卻被拋在了后面，城市貧民區(qū)現(xiàn)在包含了一群長期貧困的“下層階級”，他們是習(xí)慣性失業(yè)或未充分就業(yè)的非裔美國人。 ?But other African Americans have been left behind, and urban ghettos now contain a permanently impoverished "underclass" of habitually unemployed or underemployed African American people. 這個“下層階級”的許多成員都很年輕，沒有技能。 ?Many members of this "underclass" are young and unskilled. 他們所居住的城市里，青少年黑人工人的失業(yè)率高達50%，大約是美國勞動力整體失業(yè)率的8倍。 ?They live in cities where the unemployment rate for teenage black workers runs as high as 50%, or about 8 times the rate for the American work force as a whole. 即使在沒有種族歧視的情況下，這個“下層階級”也可能繼續(xù)存在，其方式與其他貧困群體的存在大致相同- -即由于社會階級不平等的原因 ?This "underclass" could continue to persist, even in the absence of racial discrimination, in much the same way as other pockets of poverty persist— that is, for reasons of social-class inequality.??無論如何，過去十年所取得的進步并沒有給黑人“下層階級”帶來什么好處。 ?In any event, such progress as has been made in the past decade has brought little benefit to the black "underclass." 生活在貧窮、衰敗、犯罪、吸毒、失業(yè)和絕望的環(huán)境中，這個城市的底層階級有可能在未來爆發(fā)危機。 ?Living in an environment of poverty, decay, crime, drug addiction, joblessness, and hopelessness, this inner-city underclass offers the potential to explode in the future.??隨著2008年巴拉克?奧巴馬(Barack Obama)當選美國總統(tǒng)，許多美國人很快就開始宣稱，種族主義結(jié)束了。 ?Many people in the US were quick to claim that racism was over with the election of Barack Obama in 2008. 當然，事實并非如此，因為種族主義是一個系統(tǒng)性和制度化的問題，自美國建國以來就一直盛行 ?Of course this wasn't the case, since racism is a systemic and institutionalized problem that has flourished since the origins of the country

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而且可能永遠不會被徹底根除。 and might never be comprehensively eradicated. 白人至上主義在美國確實仍然是一個嚴重的問題，唐納德·特朗普的言論證明了這一點，許多人批評特朗普歡迎所謂“另類右翼”運動領(lǐng)袖、被懷疑是白人至上主義者的史蒂夫·班農(nóng)進入他的核心顧問圈子，并進入國家安全委員會。 ?White supremacy is indeed still a significant problem in the US, as evidenced by the rhetoric of Donald Trump, whc many criticized for welcoming a suspected white supremacist, Steve Bannon, a leader of the so-called "alt-right" movement, into his inner circle of advisers and also onto the National Security Council.

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貧困問題 Poverty

按照許多標準，美國都是歷史上最富有的社會。

By many standards the United States is the most fabulously wealthy society in history.

然而，2015年，有4310萬人(約占美國人口的13.5%)生活在官方貧困線以下，聯(lián)邦政府認為他們的收入不足以滿足衣食住行等基本需求。 ?Yet in 2015, 43.1 million people, or about 13.5% of Americans were living at or below the official poverty line, on incomes that the federal government considered insufficient to meet basic requirement of food, clothing, and shelter. 這些人并不是美國唯一的窮人; ?These people are not the only poor in the United States; 還有數(shù)百萬人生活水平略高于貧困線，他們的處境也好不到哪里去。 ?there are millions more, living slightly above the poverty line, whose plight is not much better. 盡管美國享有盛名的富裕，但與大多數(shù)工業(yè)化國家相比，美國的社會福利并不盡如人意 ?Despite its celebrated affluence, social services in the United States compare unfavorably with those in most industrializedd societies.??此外，富裕的大多數(shù)人有時似乎對人口中最貧窮部分的問題漠不關(guān)心。 ?Furthermore, the affluent majority sometimes seems indifferent to the problems of the poorest section of the population. 在經(jīng)濟低迷或衰退時期，這種情況更糟。 ?This situation is worse during times of economic downturns or recession. 例如，在2008年開始的經(jīng)濟衰退期間，貧困率從2003年的12.5%上升到13%或14%。 ?For example, the poverty level rose to 13 or 14% from 12.5% in 2003 during the recession that began in 2008.美國的貧困并不僅僅意味著窮人的生活不如其他公民好。 ?Poverty in the United States does not simply mean that the poor do not live quite as well as other citizens. 這意味著許多老人吃貓狗糧來補充他們的食譜。 ?It means many old people eating dog and cat food to supplement their diets. 這意味著成千上萬的兒童營養(yǎng)不良和貧困。 ?It means malnutrition and deprivation for hundreds of thousands of children. 這意味著更容易患病、酗酒、成為罪犯的受害者以及精神失常。 ?It means greater susceptibility to disease, to alcoholism, to victimization by criminals, and to mental disorders. 它通常意味著不穩(wěn)定的婚姻、貧民窟、文盲、無知、醫(yī)療設(shè)施不足和預(yù)期壽命縮短。 ?It often means unstable marriages, slum housing, illiteracy, ignorance, inadequate medical facilities, and shortened life expectancy. 貧窮可能意味著自卑、絕望和對人類潛能的抑制。 ?Poverty can mean low self-esteem, despair, and stunting of human potential.美國的貧困問題之所以加劇，是因為它發(fā)生在一個財富(財產(chǎn)和其他資本)和收入(工資、薪金和其他收入)的總體分配非常不平等的社會。 ?The problem of poverty in the United States is aggravated because it occurs in a society in which the overall distribution of wealth (property and other capital) and income (wages, salaries, and other earnings) is very unequal. 和除了最簡單的社會之外的所有社會一樣，美國的特點是社會分層，也就是說，不同社會階層從社會中獲得利益的程度不同。 Like all but the simplest societies, the United States is characterized by social stratification, that is, it is divided into social classes that have varying degrees of access to the rewards the society offers. 據(jù)估計，在20世紀70年代，如果美國的財富平均分配，每個成年人的凈資產(chǎn)將在2.5萬美元左右。 ?It was estimated in the 1970s that if the wealth in the United States were evenly distributed, every adult would have a net worth of around $25 000. 但是, ?But, the

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財富分配極不平等。 distribution of wealth is highly unequal. 例如，過去十年取得的進步并沒有給黑人“下層階級”帶來任何好處，他們生活在一個貧窮、腐朽、犯罪、吸毒、失業(yè)和絕望的環(huán)境中。 ?For example, such progress as has been made in the past decade has brought no benefit whatever to the black "underclass," who are living in an environment of poverty, decay, crime, drug addiction, joblessness, and hopelessness. 這些財富中的大部分并不是通過現(xiàn)在享受這些財富的人的辛勤工作或富有想象力的技能積累起來的。 ?Most of this wealth has not been accumulated through the hard work or imaginative skills of those who now enjoy it.它是遺傳的。 ?It has been inherited. 就像窮人的孩子出生在貧困中，而且往往會一直貧困下去一樣，富人的孩子往往會享受一生的富裕。 ?Just as the children of the poor are born into poverty and tend to remain there, so the children of the rich tend to enjoy a lifetime of affluence.美國的收入分配也遵循類似的模式。 ?The distribution of income in the United States follows a similar pattern. 2013年，最富有的20%的美國人擁有全國72%的財富，而最貧窮的20%的美國人只擁有3%的財富。 ?In 2013, the top 20% of the population own 72% of the nation's wealth, whereas the poorest 20% of the US population only own 3% of the wealth. 至少自第二次世界大戰(zhàn)以來，這種模式幾乎沒有改變。 ?This pattern has remained virtually unchanged at least since World War II. 普通員工需要工作一個多月才能掙到CEO一小時的工資。 ?The average employee needs to work more than a month to earn what the CEO earns in one hour. 企業(yè)高管還享受公司提供的許多其他免稅福利，比如使用汽車和私人飛機、報銷賬戶、醫(yī)療保健以及偽裝成商務(wù)旅行的假期。 ?Corporate executives enjoy many other tax-free benefits from their companies, such as the use of cars and private jets, expense accounts, medical care, and vacations disguised as business trips. 這些免稅福利可以很容易地換算為每月數(shù)百甚至數(shù)千美元的收入。 ?These untaxed benefits can easily represent the equivalent of hundreds or even thousands of dollars of income every month. 調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)，最昂貴的餐廳80%的支票和超過三分之一的百老匯劇院門票都是由公司報銷的。 ?It was found that 80% of the checks at the most expensive restaurants and over a third of Broadway theater tickets were covered by corporate expense accounts. 自2008年經(jīng)濟衰退開始以來，公眾對美國公司高管們的巨額薪酬產(chǎn)生了強烈反應(yīng)。 ?Since the recession began in 2008, there has been a strong public reaction against the enormous amounts paid to top executives in the Us.在一個普遍富裕的美國社會中，貧困的持續(xù)存在引發(fā)了嚴重的道德問題，并不可避免地造成了激烈的利益沖突和許多政治爭議。 ?The continued existence of poverty in a generally affluent American society raises serious moral questions— and inevitably creates fierce conflicts of interest and many political controversies.

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Drug Abuse

藥物濫用在美國已被視為該國面臨的最具挑戰(zhàn)性的社會問題之一。

Drug abuse in the United States has come to be regarded as one of the most challenging social problems facing the nation. 事實上，“毒品”這個詞本身就能激起強烈的情緒，自20世紀60年代末以來的民意調(diào)查顯示，“毒品問題”被大多數(shù)美國人視為對社會的主要威脅，尤其是對年輕人的威脅。 ?Indeed, the very word "drug" excites strong emotions, and opinion polls since the late 1960s have shown that the "drug problem" is perceived by most Americans as a major threat to the society, particularly to its younger members.藥物濫用在美國是一個社會問題，因為它具有廣泛的社會成本或功能失調(diào)——有些是明顯的、可衡量的，有些是隱藏的、難以量化的 ?Drug abuse in the United States is a social problem because it has a wide range of social costs, or dysfunctions—some obvious and measurable, some hidden and difficult to quantify.

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Crime?犯罪問題

物質(zhì)濫用與犯罪之間有著密切的聯(lián)系。 There is a strong association between some forms of drug use and crime. 例如，飲酒與暴力犯罪高度相關(guān); ?The use of alcohol, for example, is highly correlated with violent crime; 超過一半的謀殺和其他暴力襲擊犯在犯罪前喝過酒。 ?more than half of those committing murder and other violent assaults have consumed alcohol immediately before the crime. 海洛因成癮是21世紀全國的流行問題，它也與犯罪有關(guān)，盡管與暴力沒有那么直接的關(guān)系。 ?Heroin addiction, which is a 21st century epidemic across the country, is also related to crime, although not so directly to violence. 海洛因成癮者每天可能需要超過100美元來維持他們的習(xí)慣，大多數(shù)成癮者發(fā)現(xiàn)他們必須偷竊才能籌集這筆錢。 ?Heroin addictsd may need more than $100 a day to support their habit, and most addicts find that they must steal in order to raise these sums. 海洛因成癮者在農(nóng)村社區(qū)和郊區(qū)中產(chǎn)階級社區(qū)中出現(xiàn)的可能性是一樣的。 ?Heroin addicts are equally likely to be in rural communities as suburban, middle-class communities. 美國目前的海洛因成癮危機正在挑戰(zhàn)“對藥物濫用采取嚴厲措施”的觀念，因為成癮者主要是白人。 ?The current heroin addiction crisis in the US is challenging notions of "getting tough on drug abuse" because the addicts are mainly white. 美國的刑事司法系統(tǒng)，以及歷來利用“毒品戰(zhàn)爭”迫害年輕非洲裔美國男性的共和黨政客，對白人海洛因成癮者卻出人意料地充滿同情。 ?The US criminal justice system, and Republican politicians who have historically used the "War on Drugs" to persecute particularly young African American males, have surprisingly found a lot of compassion in their hearts for white heroin addicts. 現(xiàn)在，他們更喜歡治療毒癮而不是監(jiān)禁。（白人多會去像療養(yǎng)院一樣的戒毒所）??30 Now, they favor treatment over incarceration.

汽車事故

飲用酒精直接導(dǎo)致成千上萬的公路事故和傷害; ?

Automobile accidents

Alcohol use is directly responsible for tens of thousands of highway accidents and injuries; 每年道路交通死亡人數(shù)中有一半是由酒駕造成的。 ?the drug is blamed for half of the annual total of road traffic fatalities. 在所有因車禍致死的司機中，約有60%的人血液中酒精濃度超過0.05%，這一水平在國家安全委員會看來足以損害人的駕駛能力，超過35%的人血液中酒精濃度超過0.15%，這一水平足以導(dǎo)致中毒。 ?Some 60% of all drivers fatally injured in auto accidents have a blood-alcohol concentration of over 0.05%, a level that the National Safety Council considers sufficient to impair driving ability, and over 35% have a concentration of over 0.15%, a level high enough to cause intoxication. 與酒精有關(guān)的汽車事故造成的財產(chǎn)損失和醫(yī)療費用每年總計約10億美元。 ?The cost of property damage and medical expenses due to alcohol-related automobile accidents totals about $1 billion each year.

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對個人的影響

藥物依賴對個人健康和安全造成了嚴重的損害 ?

Effect on individuals

Drug dependence takes a significant toll in terms of personal health and safety.?無論是有意還是無意，重度吸毒者比一般人更容易被殺害或自殺。 ?The heavy user of drugs is much more likely than a member of the general population to be killed or to commit suicide, either deliberately or accidentally. 例如，酗酒者的死亡率幾乎是一般人群的三倍; ?Alcoholics, for example, have a death rate nearly three times higher than that of the general population; 自殺人數(shù)占所有自殺人數(shù)的三分之一，?they represent a third of all suicides and are seven times more likely than

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遭受致命事故的概率比不喝酒的人高七倍。 non-alcoholics to suffer fatal accidents. 使用海洛因會增加一個人因過量服用而過早死亡的幾率，還會導(dǎo)致肝炎、艾滋病等傳染病或自殺。 ?Use of heroin increases one's chances of premature death through overdose, infectious diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS or suicide. 許多藥物對精神和身體健康都有嚴重的、有時是不可逆轉(zhuǎn)的影響。 ?Many drugs have severe and sometimes irreversible effects on mental as well as physical health. 藥物依賴也可能影響個人生活的其他方面，從家庭到工作場所到與朋友的個人關(guān)系。 ?Drug dependence, too, may affect other areas of the individual's life, ranging from the home to the work place to personal relationships with friends.?

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經(jīng)濟損失?

僅酗酒每年造成的事故、醫(yī)療費用、生產(chǎn)損失等損失就超過2500億美元。 ?

Economic losses

The cost of alcohol abuse alone totals over $250 billion a year in accidents, medical bill, lost production, and so on. 然而，很難估計吸毒的總經(jīng)濟成本。 ?It is difficult, however, to estimate the total economic costs of drug use. 一個原因是，社會必須支付許多間接成本來支持依賴毒品的人。 ?One reason is that there are many indirect costs society must pay to support drug-dependent people. 治療和控制藥物濫用消耗了大量執(zhí)法機構(gòu)資源和其他的公共資源。 ?Treatment and control of drug abuse constitute a major drain on law-enforcement and other public resources. 例如，長期濫用藥物的人可能會失業(yè)，并最終進入福利保障名單。 ?Chronic drug abusers, for example, may become unemployable and end up on the welfare rolls. 到2016年，聯(lián)邦政府每年花費超過130億美元用于治療各種藥物濫用者。 ?By 2016, the federal government was spending over $13 billion per year on the treatment of various drug abusers.

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大規(guī)模監(jiān)禁

犯罪被認為是國家面臨的最嚴重的社會問題。 ?

Mass Incarceration

Crime is considered to be of the most serious social problems facing the nation.前總統(tǒng)尼克松曾在多個場合表示，犯罪是“頭號敵人”，“我們必須向它宣戰(zhàn)”。 ??Former President Nixon remarked on several occasions that crime is the "number one enemy" and that "we must declare war against it." 具有諷刺意味的是，尼克松總統(tǒng)和他的許多高級行政官員后來因與水門事件有關(guān)而面臨刑事指控，其中一些人被監(jiān)禁。 ?Ironically, President Nixon and many of his top administrative officials later faced criminal charges-with some being imprisoned— in connection with the Watergate Affair. 具有諷刺意味的是，尼克松總統(tǒng)利用“毒品戰(zhàn)爭”攻擊非洲裔美國人社區(qū)，并以驚人的速度監(jiān)禁年輕黑人男性，這一點現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)變得很明顯。 ?Also, ironically, it has now become apparent that President Nixon used the "War on Drugs" to attack African American communities and imprison young black males at alarming rates.這個問題被許多人貼上了“大規(guī)模監(jiān)禁”的標簽，米歇爾·亞歷山大(Michelle Alexander)和她頗具煽動性的原創(chuàng)著作《新吉姆·克勞法》(The New Jim Crow)或許是最重要的標志。 ?This problem has been labeled "mass incarceration" by many people, perhaps most importantly by Michelle Alexander in her provocatively original book The New Jim Crow. 這本書解釋了美國的法律和執(zhí)法系統(tǒng)是如何最大化囚犯數(shù)量的，尤其是非洲裔美國人和西班牙裔囚犯。 ?This book explains how there is a system of laws and enforcement in the US designed to maximize the number of prisoners, particularly African American and Hispanic prisoners. 非洲裔美國人和西班牙裔美國人約占美國人口的30%，但卻占監(jiān)獄人口的60%以上。 ?African Americans and Hispanics constitute roughly 30% of the US population but over 60% of the prison population.有200多萬囚犯——幾乎占成年人的1%——還有近500萬人處于緩刑或假釋中。??There are over 2 million prisoners— almost 1% of adults-and almost 5 million people on probation or parole.

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美國人口約占世界人口的5%，但囚犯數(shù)量卻占世界的25%。 ?The US has roughly 5% of the world's population but 25% of the world's prisoners.所有這些都是令人驚訝的，因為在2015年，美國的犯罪率連續(xù)第14年下降。 ?All of this is most surprising because in 2015, crime in the United States decreased for the 14th consecutive year. 2016年，只有15696起兇殺案，而1996年有19645起(同一時期，美國人口從2.65億增加到3.21億——因此，盡管人口增長了20%，但兇殺案減少了20%)。 ?And in 2016, there were only 15 696 homicides whereas in 1996 there were 19645 (the US population rose from 265 to 321 million people in the same time period—so there were 20% fewer homicides despite the population growing 20%).?犯罪被捕的人不成比例地大概率是男性、年輕人、少數(shù)族裔成員和城市居民。 ?Those arrested for crimes are disproportionately likely to be male, young, a member of a racial minority, and a city resident. 男性被逮捕的幾率是女性的四倍。 ?Males are arrested about four times as often as females. 只有在青少年離家出走和賣淫案件中，女性被逮捕的頻率高于男性。 ?Only in juvenile runaway cases and prostitution are females arrested more often than males. 男性更常被逮捕有兩個主要原因。 ?There are two major reasons why males are more often arrested. 一種是性別角色刻板印象，它鼓勵男性更積極、更大膽，而女性則被鼓勵更被動、更循規(guī)蹈矩。 ?One is the sex role stereotyping which encourages males to be more aggressive and daring, while females are encouraged to be more passive and conforming to rules and norms. 第二個原因是警察和法院傾向于更寬容地對待女性罪犯。 ?The second reason is the tendency of police officers and the courts to deal more leniently with female offenders. 然而，應(yīng)該指出的是，在過去十年中，女性犯罪的增長速度比男性快得多，這是由于婦女挑戰(zhàn)被動和順從的傳統(tǒng)性別角色而產(chǎn)生的負面影響。 ?However, it should be noted, in the past decade, crime among females has been increasing at much faster rate than among males, a negative side effect which has been attributed to women challenging the traditional sex roles of passivity and conformity.少數(shù)族裔群體的成員被逮捕的比例高得不正常。Members of racial minority groups have a disproportionately higher rate of arrests. 黑人的被捕率是白人的三倍。 ?The arrest rate for the black population is three times higher than for whites. 這一比率較高的一個原因是黑人人口中窮人或失業(yè)者的比例較高; ?One reason for this higher rate is that a higher proportion of the black population is poor or unemployed; 貧困(和失業(yè))與?聯(lián)邦調(diào)查局認定的最嚴重的幾種犯罪類型之間存在高度相關(guān)性。 ?and there are high correlations between poverty (and unemployment) and the types of crime classified by the FBI as most serious. 少數(shù)族裔被捕率較高的另一個原因可能是種族偏見。 ?An additional reason for the higher arrest rates among minority groups may be racial prejudice. 許多研究表明，因犯罪行為而被逮捕、起訴、定罪和監(jiān)禁的可能性隨著罪犯社會地位的提高而降低。 ?A number of studies have shown that the probability of arrest, prosecution, conviction, and incarceration for an offense that is committed decreases as the social status of the offender increases.在一項研究中，36名法官拿到了一個假想案件的情況說明書，并被要求建議適當?shù)牧啃獭??In one study, 36 judges were given fact sheets on a hypothetical case and asked to recommend an appropriate sentence. 案情報告包含以下信息:“喬·卡特”，27歲，承認犯有毆打罪。 ?The fact sheets contained the following information:"Joe Cut", 27, pleaded guilty to battery. 他用彈簧刀劃傷了他的同居妻子的手臂。 ?He slashed his common-law wife ond the arms with a switchblade. 他有擾亂治安、醉酒和肇事逃逸的前科。 ?His record showed conviction for disturbing the peace, drunkenness, and hit-run driving. 他告訴一名緩刑官，他的妻子用掃帚柄襲擊了他，他是出于自衛(wèi)。 ?He told a probation officer that he acted in selfdefense after his wife attacked him with a broom handle. 檢察官建議 ?The prosecutor recommended

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不超過5天監(jiān)禁或100美元罰款。 not more than 5 days in jail or a $100 fine.?一半的情況說明中把"喬·卡特"認定為白人，另一半認定他是黑人。 ?Half the fact sheets identified "Joe Cut" as white, and the other half identified him as black. 認為他是白人的法官建議判他3到10天，而認為他是黑人的法官建議判他5到30天。 The judges who thought he was white recommended a sentence of 3 to 10 days, while those who thought he was black recommended a sentence from 5 to 30 days.?必須指出的是，UCR的嚴重犯罪指數(shù)側(cè)重于社會和經(jīng)濟地位較低的人更容易犯下的罪行。 ?It must be noted that the Serious Crime Index of UCR focuses on crimes which are more apt to be committed by persons of lower social and economic status. 它不包括高收入群體通常犯下的犯罪類型; ?It does not contain the types of crimes typically committed by higher income groups; 欺詐、虛假廣告、企業(yè)鎖定價格、賄賂、貪污、工業(yè)污染、逃稅等等。 ?fraud, false advertising, corporate price fixing, bribery, embezzlement, industrial pollution, tax evasion, and so on. 如果白領(lǐng)犯罪被納入犯罪指數(shù)，如果當局在執(zhí)法方面更加有力，那么典型罪犯的形象很可能比犯罪指數(shù)所顯示的更年長、更富有、更白人、更郊區(qū)。 ?If white-collar crimeswere included in the Crime Index, and if authorities were more vigorous in their enforcement, the profile of a typical criminal would be very likely older, wealthier, whiter, and more suburban than suggested by the Crime Index.?總之，聯(lián)邦調(diào)查局的嚴重犯罪指數(shù)提供了美國某些犯罪的比率和趨勢的指示。 ?In summary, the Serious Crime Index of the FBI provides an indication of the rates and trends of certain crimes in the United States. 然而，這些忽略了白領(lǐng)犯罪的統(tǒng)計數(shù)據(jù)受到警方報告做法的影響，必須與許多犯罪未報告的事實相對照。 ?Yet these statistics that overlook white-collar crimes are affected by police reporting practices and have to be viewed against the fact that many crimes are unreported. 進一步看來，窮人、受教育程度低的人和少數(shù)民族不僅是選擇性執(zhí)法的受害者，而且是犯罪統(tǒng)計數(shù)據(jù)誤導(dǎo)的受害者。 ?It further appears that the poor, the undereducated, and minorities have been the victims not only of selective law enforcement, but also of misleading statistics on crime. 一些社會學(xué)家認為，由于高收入階層更多地參與白領(lǐng)犯罪(這一點經(jīng)常被執(zhí)法機構(gòu)忽視)，高收入階層實際上可能比低收入階層的犯罪率更高。 ?Some sociologists have contended that, since higher-income classes are far more involved in white-collar crime (which is often ignored by law enforcement agencies), the higher classes may actually have a higher rate of crime than the lower classes.

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大學(xué)校園性暴力

侵害婦女的暴力行為在美國社會的各個領(lǐng)域都是一個問題，對男性、兒童和老人的性暴力也是一個問題，而對女大學(xué)生的性暴力是一種流行行為，正在21世紀得到重視。 ?Sexual Violence on College Campuses

While violence against women is a problem in all areas of US society, and sexual violence against men, children, and the elderly is also a problem, sexual violence against female college students is an epidemic which is being addressed in the 21st century.人們普遍認為，20%的女性在大學(xué)期間會遭到性侵犯。 ?It is widely accepted as fact that 20% of women will be sexually assaulted ind college. 此外，90%被性侵犯的人不會報案。 ?Moreover, 90% of those who are sexually assaulted will not report it. 造成這種情況的原因有很多:尷尬、害怕受到指責，或者認為起訴不太可能成功。 ?There are many reasons for this: embarrassment, fear of being blamed, or an expectation that successful prosecution is unlikely. 美國的許多學(xué)院和大學(xué) ?Many colleges and universities around the US are

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目前正在接受教育部的調(diào)查，原因是未能為女學(xué)生提供一個安全的環(huán)境，讓她們能夠與男學(xué)生一樣追求平等的教育機會。 currently being investigated by the Department of Education for failing to provide a safeenvironment for female students to pursue equal educational opportunities as malestudents. 理由是，如果不安全，女學(xué)生就無法發(fā)揮她們的學(xué)術(shù)潛力。 ?The rationale is that female students cannot reach their academic potential ifthey are not safe.關(guān)于大學(xué)校園性侵犯的一個重要問題是，盡管所有女學(xué)生都被反復(fù)告知，“不要在晚上獨自行走”，這表明最大的風險來自隱藏在黑暗中的攻擊者，但事實是，大多數(shù)女學(xué)生都知道攻擊者的名字。 ?One important point about sexual assault on college campuses is that even thoughall female students are told, repeatedly, "don't walk alone at night," which suggeststhe greatest risk comes from attackers hiding in the dark, the truth is that most female students will know the name of their attacker. 攻擊他們的人可能來自他們的宿舍、同學(xué)或朋友。 ?Their attacker will be someone from theirdormitory, a classmate, or a friend. 這以前被稱為“約會強奸”，但現(xiàn)在更恰當?shù)孛Q為“熟人強奸”。 ?This was previously called "date rape," but is nowmore appropriately known as "acquaintance rape."

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政府和企業(yè)的權(quán)力濫用

政府和企業(yè)的一個關(guān)鍵問題是權(quán)力及其濫用。 ?

The Abuse of Power by Government and Corporations

A crucial problem of government and corporations concerns power — and theabuse of it. 美國人的生活被大型公共和私人組織所支配。 ?American lives are dominated by large public and private organizations.公共組織，主要是政府機構(gòu)，幾乎影響到他們生活的每一個領(lǐng)域。 ?Public organizations, primarily government agencies, affect almost every area of their experience. 甚至在“大數(shù)據(jù)”時代之前，政府就開始登記出生信息，提供教育和社會保障，記錄婚姻，規(guī)范許多就業(yè)條件，征收稅收，通過成千上萬的法律影響生活的無數(shù)方面，最后登記死亡。 ?Even before the era of "big data," the government began to register births, provide education and social services, record marriages, regulate many of theconditions of employment, collect taxes, influence countless aspects of lives throughthousands of laws, and finally register deaths.在喬治·w·布什總統(tǒng)任期內(nèi)，聯(lián)邦政府頒布了所謂的“愛國者法案”，該法案批準了基于高科技的新方法來侵犯美國公民的隱私。 ?During the presidency of George W. Bush, the federal government enacted the so-called "Patriot Act," which sanctioned new, technology-based ways to invade theprivacy of US citizens. 其中包括但不限于，在沒有法院授權(quán)的情況下竊聽普通公民的電話，甚至要求知道某人從當?shù)貓D書館借了什么書。 ?These included, but were not limited to, wiretapping phonesof private citizens without a court warrant and even demanding to know what books someone has borrowed from the local library. 在9/11恐怖襲擊之后，大多數(shù)人都被壓制得無法反擊，而那些反擊的人則被批評為不愛國。 ?Most people were too subdued after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 to fight back, and those who did were criticized for being unpatriotic. 畢竟，這項立法被稱為“愛國者法案”，所以反對它一定是不愛國的。 ?After all, the legislation was called the Patriot Act, so to oppose it must beunpatriotic. 這就提出了“愛國主義”到底是什么意思的問題，一些勇敢的人提出：質(zhì)疑政府的行為實際上是愛國公民的一項職責。 ?This raised the question of what "patriotism" really meant, and some bravedpeople advanced the argument that questioning the government was in fact the duty of?a patriotic citizen.美國人的生活在很大程度上是由大型機構(gòu)監(jiān)控的，無論是公共機構(gòu)還是私人機構(gòu)。 ?Life in the US is largely tracked by big organizations, whether public or private.美國的大多數(shù)連鎖店都會給每位顧客發(fā)一個追蹤裝置，顧客愿意在收銀臺出示追蹤裝置以獲得小額折扣。 ?Most chain stores in the US issue a tracking device to each customer, to be presentedwillingly at the cash register to receive small discounts. 然而這些組織， ?Yet these organizations,

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最初是為了滿足需求和提高生活質(zhì)量而建立的，但往往給人的感覺是壓迫、反應(yīng)遲鈍、沒有人情味、效率低下、傲慢甚至腐敗。 originally established to satisfy needs and improve the quality of lives, are oftend experienced as oppressive, unresponsive, impersonal, inefficient, arrogant, and even corrupt.最近的丑聞圍繞著企業(yè)通過侵入性策略收集個人數(shù)據(jù)，包括互聯(lián)網(wǎng)cookie、智能手機和面部識別軟件。 ?Recent scandals have revolved around corporate collection of personal data through invasive tactics involving internet cookies, smartphones, and facial recognition software. 許多公司可能隨時知道我們在哪里以及我們在做什么，這是對大多數(shù)美國公民非常珍視的隱私的可怕侵犯。 ?It is possible for many companies to know where we are at all times and what we are doing, which is a frightening invasion of the privacy that most US citizens hold so dear. 現(xiàn)在，汽車保險公司甚至在私家車上安裝跟蹤裝置，作為收集數(shù)據(jù)的一種手段。 ?Now, car insurance companies are even placing tracking devices in private cars as a means of collecting data. 優(yōu)步(Uber)等拼車公司也因在客戶完成行程后仍在追蹤他們的行蹤而受到批評。 ?Ride-sharing companies such as Uber have also been criticized for tracking the movement of their customers even after their trip has been completed. “對于企業(yè)來說，人們普遍認為他們更關(guān)心自己的利潤，而不是社會責任、產(chǎn)品的質(zhì)量或價格，或者廣告的真實性。 ?"As for corporations, they are widely believed to be more concerned with their own profits than with social responsibility, and the quality or price of their products, or the truth of their advertising. 為了擴大自己的利益，大公司在華盛頓特區(qū)雇傭著專業(yè)的游說者，在幕后影響政府官員。 ?To further their interests, large corporations maintair professional lobbyists in Washington, D.C. to influence public officials behind the scenes. 他們主張立法以達到自己的目的，影響官員的任命，阻撓他們不歡迎的改革，而且他們在政府委員會中似乎比普通選民有更多的發(fā)言權(quán)。 ?They argue for legislation to serve their own ends, influence the appointment of officials, block reforms they consider undesirable, and they seem to have more say in the councils of government than the ordinary voters. 現(xiàn)在華盛頓有近1萬名專業(yè)游說者，代表著各種經(jīng)濟和其他特殊利益集團。 ?There are now almost 10 000 professional lobbyists in Washington, representing a variety of economic and other special-interest groups. 他們每年花費超過30億美元來影響立法者和立法。 ?They spend more than $3 billion annually to influence legislators and legislation. 舉個例子，投票確認特朗普總統(tǒng)教育部長提名人的美國參議員中，幾乎有一半從她或她的家人那里得到了錢。 ?As an example, almost half of the US Senators who voted to confirm President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education had received money from either her or her family. 盡管政治學(xué)家可能會爭論捐款的作用，但這一事實對激發(fā)人們對政府的信任的作用微乎其微。 ?Even though political scientists may debate the role of contributions, this fact does very little to inspire trust in the government.