2018年翻译资格考试中级笔译模拟题：美国首都贫富不均情况加重
汉译英
美国首都贫富不均情况加重
美国首都独立研究机构华盛顿特区财政政策研究院(DC Fiscal Policy Institute)于7月22日公布的一份其最新的研究报告显示，华盛顿特区的贫富差距居全美40个大都会区之冠，20%最富有的家庭其年收入高达$186,830美元，是20%最贫穷家庭年收入(仅$6,126美元)的31倍。虽然亚大兰大和迈阿密两市的贫富差距与华盛顿相当，但其贫富不均的情况却不如华盛顿明显。 报告指出，华盛顿特区贫富差距逐渐加大主要是发生在90年代。在过去十年中，20%最富有的家庭其年收入增长了36倍，而20%最贫穷家庭的年收入仅仅增加了3倍。
“我认为中高收入家庭过分集中在特区的情况仍然会持续下去，在未来十年内贫富鸿沟恐怕难以拉近，”布鲁金斯学院(Brookigns Institution)专攻大华盛顿地区经济和社会形势的高级研究员大卫·盖立森(Daivd Garrison)对《华盛顿观察》周刊说道。
这份报告将华盛顿特区的贫富鸿沟归咎于当地特殊的工作机会。而这些工作往往会吸引高收入家庭搬到此地。特别是华盛顿也是美国联邦政府的所在地，而联邦政府和与政府相关的行业，如院外游说团体和政府合约承包商等等，不断提供高薪工作，也使得华府的高收入家庭有不断增加的趋势。举例来说，一个单身的年轻专业人士从法学院毕业后，在华府的律师事务所服务第一年的年收入可高达$100,000美元。
“此外，华盛顿特区也提供高品质的住宅(high-quality housing)，这也是为什么高薪家庭选择在华府居住的主因之一，”盖立森分析道，“而一般中低收入家庭，在有余力的情况下，为了孩子能够上较好的学校而选择搬离华盛顿特区，移至分布于马里兰州和弗吉尼亚州的住宅区。”
“在高收入家庭不断迁移到特区、中低阶层的家庭移出，而最贫穷的家庭又面临无处，也无力可搬的窘境时，就造成我们现在看到的，贫富悬殊的华盛顿特区，”盖立森对《华盛顿观察》周刊说到。
盖立森此处所指的华盛顿特区指的是约有56万人口的都市(District of Columbia)本身，不包括整个华盛顿大都会区(Greater Washington Metro Area)，“整个华盛顿大都会区人口高达500万人，但低收入户却只往华盛顿特区集中，”他特别解释道。
“不论我们如何努力吸引商家到华盛顿特区投资，华府有一部分的低收入家庭就是无法从中受惠，没有办法得到特区独特的高薪工作机会。” 华盛顿市长办公室发言人托尼·布拉克(Tony Bullock)说，“贫富差距的背后许多复杂的原因，是不能在一夕之间就改变的。”他言谈间颇有对特区的贫富悬殊无可奈何之叹。
盖立森则认为，特区政府的确应该吸引高收入家庭到特区居住，因为这样能够带来更多税收，对市政建设有积极作用。“但同时，特区政府也应该重视穷人的权益，设立好的学校、提供健全的社会福利等等，这些市政措施都能有效地改善特区严重的贫富不均状况。”
但盖立森对未来贫富差距是否真能拉近不是十分乐观，他尤其对这波经济复苏是不是能帮助到穷人保持怀疑的态度：“布什的减税方案虽然带动了美国这波经济复苏，有工作的人和富人的确享受到不少好处，但对穷人的帮助虽然不能说是完全没有，也只能说是不如富人的获益高，”盖立森分析道，“美国一般的工薪族(working class)，也就是那些做初级工作、拿最低工资、老老实实缴税的人，实在没有从布什的减税案得到太大益处。”
盖立森总结说：“美国许多城市并没有享受到美国经济好转所带来的积极价值，但华盛顿特区一直以来受到联邦政府的庇佑，它贫富悬殊的情况仍然如此严重，确实值得深入的研究和检讨。”
参考译文
Independent Information and Analysis from the USA
The Gap Between Rich and Poor Widened in U.S. Capital Washington D.C. ranks first among the 40 cities with the widest gap between the poor and the rich, according to a recent report released by the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute on July 22nd. The top 20 percent of households in D.C. have an average yearly income of $186,830, 31 times that of the bottom 20 percent, which earns only $6,126 per year. The income gap is also big in Atlanta and Miami, but the difference is not as pronounced.
The report also indicates that the widening gap occurred mainly during the 1990s. Over the last decade, the average income of the top 20 percent of households has grown 36 percent, while the average income of the bottom 20 percent has only risen 3 percent.
"I believe the concentration of the middle- to high-income families in the D.C. area will continue, therefore, the income gap between rich and poor will be hard to bridge," David Garrison told the Washington Observer. Garrison is a senior researcher with the Brookings Institution, specializing in the study of the social and economic policies in the greater Washington D.C. area.
The report attributed the persistent income gap in Washington to the area's special job opportunities, which attract high-income households. Especially since the federal government is based in Washington D.C., Government agencies and other government related businesses such as lobbying firms and government contractors constantly offer high-paying jobs, which contribute to the trend of increasing high-income households in the D.C. area. For example, a single young professional working in a law firm in D.C. can earn as much as $100,000 in his or her first year out of law school.
"In addition, high-quality housing available in Washington D.C. is one of the main reasons why high-income families choose to live here, while middle and low-income families, if they can afford it, choose to move out of Washington D.C. to the Virginia and Maryland suburbs so that their kids can go to better schools," stated Garrison.
"As rich families continue to move into D.C. and middle and low-income families are moving out, the poorest families are left with nowhere to move, or cannot afford to move. This creates the situation we face now: a huge income gap between the rich and poor."
The Washington D.C. area to which Garrison refers is the District of Columbia city itself, not including the greater Washington metro area. "The greater Washington metro area has a large population of about 5 million, but the low-income households are often concentrated in D.C. proper," Garrison explained.
Tony Blalock, the spokesperson for Mayor Anthony Williams, said resignedly, "No matter what we seem to do to bring investment into the District, a certain population is not able to access the unique employment opportunities there. The gap between the rich and poor is the product of complex forces, and won't be fixed overnight."
Garrison believes that the D.C. government should attract high-income families. By doing so, the District's tax base can grow, which in turn can help improve D.C.'s infrastructure. "But in the meantime, the District government should also take into consideration the rights of the poor, set up good schools for them, and provide sound social welfare. All these measures can alleviate the dire situation caused by income disparity. "
Garrison, however, is not optimistic about the possibility of closing the gap between the rich and poor. He is particularly doubtful that current economic progress will be able to help out the poor. "Bush's tax-cut plan did bring about this wave of economic recovery, and the working professionals and rich did benefit from it. It is unfair to say that the plan did not help the poor at all… it just didn't benefit them as much as it did the rich, " Garrison said. "The working class in America, those who do the simplest work, get paid the least, and dutifully pay their taxes, has not benefited from Bush's tax-cut plan much."
Garrison concludes, "A lot of cities in America did not enjoy the positive impact of the economic recovery. Washington D.C., on the other hand, has always been sheltered by the federal government. The wide gap between rich and poor in the District, therefore, deserves more in-depth study and exploration."
