Lesson 2 Who Are America's Hispanics?

The answers may surprise you

By Michael Barone

As you walk around the Cisco Brothers, furniture factory in South Central Los Angeles, you'd hardly guess that Francisco Pinedo is the boss. Short and slight1, wearing jeans and speaking rapid-fire2Spanish to his workers, he seems younger than his 35 years. Pinedo came to the United States in 1976 from Jalisco, Mexico, a 13-year-old boy who spoke no English. He dropped out of the 11th grade to work for a furniture manufacturer to support his family. Later he and his wife, Alba, borrowed everything they could to buy a one-bedroom, no-windows house for $36,000.

Today the Pinedos own Cisco Brothers which employs 115 and last year sold more than $9 million worth of furniture to stores around the world. “Being American offers you almost every opportunity, ”says Pinedo, who speaks English fluently and has applied for U.S. citizenship.

His is one of the success stories written by what the Census Bureau3calls Hispanics: people of Latin American or Spanish origin. Whether recent immigrants or descendants of people who lived in the Southwest before the Pilgrims4came to America, they are all members of one of this country's most important ethnic groups—and one of the least understood. Consider these facts:

The Census Bureau estimates that there are 28 million Hispanics in the United states today, approximately one in ten of us. That number is projected to reach 53 million in the year 2020, or one in six Americans. Most of that growth will not be because of immigration, legal or illegal, but will come from the natural increase among Hispanics already here.

Like Fransisco Pinedo, most Hispanics come from humble backgrounds—many from unthinkable poverty. But the large majority are not poor or on welfare. Indeed, Hispanic men have a higher labor-force participation rate than the national average.

Some Hispanics speak only Spanish—but the overwhelming majority growing up in the United States see English as their primary language.

In recent years the public spotlight on America's Hispanics has often focused on drug crime, urban poverty and illegal immigration. But beyond these publicized problems are millions of ordinary, and many extraordinary, people. Who are they—and what will be their impact on the nation's future?

The Ninth of 12 Children, Danny Villanueva grew up in California and Arizona border towns. His father was a minister and a supporter of Cesar Chavez's United Farm Workers. His diminutive5 mother insisted that her sons raise themselves through athletics. After every game, win or lose, she would ask, “Did you give it all you had?6”

Villanueva was, by his own description, “short, fat and slow—but nobody outworked me.”He became the kicker for the Los Angeles Rams7, then helped found the Spanish-language Univision television network8. Today he is head of the nation's first Hispanic investment fund9, its high-rise offices overlooking the mansions of Beverly Hills10.

Family ties, like the strong partnership between Villanueva's parents that gave him a future, remain important to today's young Hispanics. Many of the men working in Francisco Pinedo's factory, for instance, are about the same age as the characters on TV's “Seinfeld”or “Friends.”11But instead of hanging out12with contemporaries, most are married with children.

According to the most recent statistics, 37 percent of Hispanic households are composed of two parents raising minor13children—as compared with 25 percent of non-Hispanic Americans. Divorce is significantly less common among Hispanics than among non-Hispanics.

Sleepless in El Paso. As a boy, Cesar Viramontes crossed the Mexican border to El Paso, Texas, knowing no English. He dropped out of high school to work in a laundry. Then he and his wife saved enough money to buy a laundromat14. When the fashion for prewashed15jeans started, the Viramontes family got into the business. Closing the laundromat at 10 p.m., they'd set the machines spinning with jeans from local manufacturers. Then they'd clean out the blue water and lint16before customers arrived at 7 a.m. All for 15 cents a pair.

When did they rest? “We didn't , ”says Cesar Viramonters. “You can sleep when you're 60.”Today the family owns International Garment Processors, which employs more than 750 workers at two large plants just outside El Paso. The company processes 50,000 garments a day for Levi Strauss17and other makers, and grosses18more than $30 million a year.

America's Hispanics are known as hard workers. “Latinos19have a strong work ethic20and strong loyalty to employers, ”says Jose de Jesus Legaspi, a real-estate developer who came to Los Angeles from Mexico as a teen-ager. Their attitude, he says, is: “I'm asked to do this job, and I go and do it. If I need more money, I'll get an extra job.”

Statistics back up Legaspi's opinion: the percentage of Hispanic men in the labor force in 1996 was 80 percent, well above the U.S. average of 67 percent. And many are entrepreneurs: the number of Hispanic-owned businesses rose to 863,000 in 1992, with receipts of $77 billion.

All Together Now. In 1994 (the last figures available)21, Hispanic income per person was only 57 percent of the national average—reflecting low earnings by immigrants with little English and few marketable skills. But often several people in each family work, so average Hispanic household in-come was 73 percent of the U.S. average.

This is one way immigrants work themselves up to the middle class. Mexican-born Elena Lomeli is a top assistant to Laurie Gates, a pottery designer whose work appears in leading department stores. Arriving here in 1969 at age 13 and knowing no English, Lomeli baby-sat and did housekeeping. Today she helps transform Gates's designs into finished products. “I surprise myself every day by what we do here, ”she says.

The Language Crisis. When Miami lawyer Nicolas Gutierrez, Jr., was interviewed on Spanish-language television, his Cuban-born family called him later to “correct what I got wrong, ”22he says. Although he grew up hearing Spanish at home, he spoke English in school, college and law school—and speaks it today in his business and personal life.

Today, in many workplaces and with family and friends, Spanish is usually the choice for Hispanic immigrants. As a result, many critics of immigration worry that Hispanic America will become a separate, Spanish-language community.

It's an old controversy, one that also raged early this century when Italian, Polish and Jewish immigrants did not learn English. But the second generation did. And the experience of Nick Gutierrez and many others is reason to believe that things are no different today.

Indeed, more than three-quarters of U.S.-born Hispanics have a solid command of English23. And in a 1996 poll conducted for the Center for Equal Opportunity, 51 percent of Hispanic parents said that learning to read, write and speak English was the most important goal of their children's education; only 11 percent said the same of Spanish.

Unfortunately, public schools—the great entryway to American success for the children of earlier immigrants—have not served Hispanic students well. Part of the problem: the “experimental”bilingual education programs started a generation ago. Technically voluntary24, these programs enlist many Hispanic children regardless of parents'wishes. States such as California and Illinois can keep pupils in bilingual classes for five years. The effect is to hold back children from learning the English that they need and their parents desire.

And because many Hispanic students are thus ill-prepared when they get to college, bilingual programs have even found a foothold there. Herman Badillo, a former New York City Congressman of Puerto Rican descent, spoke to one student from Hostos Community College, a bilingual branch of the City University of New York. The woman had failed a required English-proficiency test twice.“She couldn't speak fluent English, and she'd majored in gerontology and gotten a job in a nursing home, ”Badillo said. “If she's working with elderly people who don't speak Spanish, it will be a calamity.”

Clearly, reform of bilingual education programs is long overdue25.

Citizens Who Vote. Eighty years ago it was said that Italian immigrants would never be absorbed into mainstream society. Yet in time they became unequivocally American. Today, writes cultural critic John Leo26, “Hispanics are blending into the general population at least as fast as earlier white ethnic groups did.”

In the past two years Hispanics have become U.S. citizens at a record pace27. Already the largest ethnic minority, they will in time be the largest voting bloc—maybe even the majority—in several of our largest metropolitan areas. And competition for Hispanic votes is becoming as politically crucial as past battles for immigrants'votes.

Texas and California, the nation's two largest states, with the two largest Hispanic populations, have already developed very different Hispanic politics. Hispanics in Texas's Congressional delegation, for example, include a conservative Republican as well as both conservative and liberal Democrats. In California—with 54 electoral votes, 20 percent of those needed to win the Presidency—Hispanic voters tend to favor government-spending programs28and activism, positions that usu-ally help liberal Democrats. But they are also likely to support capital punishment29and oppose abortion, views that help Republicans.

In any event, the GOP30could pay a high price if it is perceived as engaging in immigrant-bashing31. In 1994, for example, one in four Hispanics voted for California's Proposition 18732, which barred state aid to illegal immigrants. But many resented Republican Governor Pete Wilson's ads for the measure, which they thought labeled all Hispanics as lazy. Two years later the Republicans' share of the Hispanic vote sharply declined.

Whatever they may be in the future, Hispanic preferences and priorities are likely to strongly in-fluence the direction of our politics and government. But it will be American politics.

Consider Texas Congressman Silvestre Reyes. Growing up in a small Texas town, he learned English at school, served in Vietnam and then got a job with the Border Patrol33. In 1993 he devised Operation Hold the Line34, which stationed agents at the border along the Rio Grande and vastly reduced the flow of illegal immigrants. In 1996 he was elected to Congress.

A reporter once asked him, “How do you guys celebrate independence day? ”

“With fireworks and a picnic, ”Reyes replied.

The writer was surprised. “I had no idea you celebrated the 16th of September [Mexico's inde-pendence day] that way, ”he said.

Reyes explained: “I'm talking about the Fourth of July.”

From Reader's Digest, January, 1998

I. New Words

bilingual [baiˈliŋgwəl] a. written or spoken in two languages

calamity [kəˈlæmiti] n. 灾难，不幸事件contemporary [kənˈtempərəri] n. one of the same time or age

controversy [ˈkɔntrəvəːsi] n. a serious argument or disagreement

descendant [diˈsendənt] n. 后裔；子孙

entryway [ˈentriˌwei] n. 入口

foothold [ˈfuthəuld] n. 立足处

gerontology [ˌdʒerənˈtɔlədʒi] n. 老年医学

metropolitan [ˌmetrəˈpɔlitən] a. relating to, or characteristic of a major city

outwork [ˈautwəːk] v. to work better or faster than

participation [pɑːˌtisiˈpeiʃən] n. the act of taking part in an activity

receipt [riˈsiːt] n. 收入；收益

spotlight [ˈspɔtlait] n. figurative public attention

unequivocally [ˈʌniˈkwivəkəli] adv. very clearly

II. Background Information

西班牙裔美国人

有西班牙血统的西班牙裔美国人（Hispanic-Americans）是美国少数民族中的第一大群体，占美国人口总数的15%。这部分人操西班牙语，以前曾被称作奇卡诺人（Chicanos）。同时又因为他们中很多人来自拉丁美洲，有时又被称作拉丁人（Latinos）。

西班牙裔人是世界上最复杂的群体之一。他们大多数是白人，其中有数百万人是白人与印第安人的混血儿（Mestizos）。在美国约有50万西班牙裔人是黑人或黑白混血儿（Mulattos）。西班牙裔美国人中最大的亚群体是美籍墨西哥人，占67%，主要分布在西南四州；第二个亚群体是从中南美洲入美的难民，其人数在急剧增加，已占到14.3%；第三大亚群体是波多黎各人，占8.6%，主要居住在纽约、芝加哥和北部城市的“讲西班牙语人聚居区”；第四大亚群体人是古巴人，占3.7%，主要集中在迈阿密。

在婚姻家庭方面，他们崇尚大家族，把它视为欢快、愉悦、幸福的源泉。

男子汉气概（machismo）是许多西班牙裔美国青年的追求目标。西班牙裔美国人对于这种气概的承袭，助长了家族中的大男子主义，也助长了他们在街上动武不断的风气。

阻碍西班牙裔美国妇女经济生活水平及其社会地位提高的两大因素是高生育率及早婚。西班牙裔女孩的贞操受到特别精心的保护，她们一半以上十几岁就出嫁了。妇女一般不外出工作。与其他少数民族相比，西班牙裔妇女离婚率较低，且绝大多数嫁给了本族人。

西班牙裔美国人受教育情况较差，在科学技术方面成绩平平，没有太多建树。但在文体娱乐界已有不少人崭露头角，如网球明星桑普拉斯和加入好莱坞的阿耶克。

20世纪60年代以来，西班牙裔美国人的经济水平有了一定的提高。但从总体上说，西班牙裔美国人的经济收入在全美各族裔中属于偏低。2006年西班牙裔美国人在贫困线以下者占其人口20.3%，大大高于全国贫困线以下人口百分比（12.3%）。2006年，西班牙裔人平均收入为23,613美元，低于非洲裔人（27,110美元）和白人（32,919美元）。

由于西班牙裔美国人生活和工作在孤立的农业社区或自成一体的都市角落里，他们作为一个群体在美国的政治上不如非洲裔人活跃，对美国的政治制度与社会生活所产生的影响也不如他们。在加利福尼亚州非洲裔人人数为西班牙裔美国人人数的一半，可在州立法机构的非洲裔人却多于西班牙裔人；在第111届国会议员中，非洲裔人有42名众议员，1名参议员，而西班牙裔美国人仅有众议员25名参议员3名。

III. Notes to the Text

1. slight—thin and delicate

2. rapid-fire—adj. said quickly

3. the Census Bureau—人口统计局

4. the Pilgrims—清教徒前辈移民

5. diminutive—adj. very small, and sometimes also lovable

6. Did you give it all you had? —Did you do your best?

7. the kicker for the Los Angeles Rams—洛杉矶兰姆足球队的射门员（kicker—a player in a sports team who kicks the ball to score points）

8. the Spanish-language Univision television network—西班牙语《联视》电视网

9. Hispanic investment fund—西语裔美国人投资基金会

10. high-rise—tall building with many levels; Beverly Hills—贝弗利山（加州西南部城市，好莱坞影星聚居地）

11. the characters on TV's “Seinfeld”or “Friends.”—The characters in “Seinfeld”and “Friends”are in their late 20's or early 30's, still unattached and living in a city, depending upon each other for emotional support since they do not have families of their own.

12. hang out—infml to live or spend a lot of time in a particular place

13. minor—here means “under legal age of responsibility”（未成年的）

14. laundromat—（装有投币洗衣机的）自助洗衣店

15. prewash—（在出售前）给衣服进行去污洗涤

16. lint—soft light loose waste from woolen or other materials棉绒

17. Levi Strauss—利维斯牛仔裤（公司）

18. gross—to gain as total profit or earn as a total amount获得……总收入（或毛利）

19. Latino—（尤指居住在美国的）拉丁美洲人

20. work ethic—职业道德

21. the last figures available—the most recent figures available

22. “correct what I got wrong, ”—It means:“correct the mistakes I made in speaking Spanish while being interviewed”.

23. have a solid command of English—英语掌握得很好

24. Technically voluntary—voluntary according to the exact details of rules

25. reform of bilingual education programs is long overdue—reform ... should have been carried out long ago

26. John Leo—a famous columnist whose articles on social and cultural topics periodically appear in the U.S. News&World Report

27. at a record pace—at a pace faster than ever before

28. government-spending program—政府开支计划

29. capital punishment—the death penalty

30. GOP—Grand Old Party, i.e. the American Republican Party

31. immigrant bashing—抨击、非难移民（bash—to attack with words; find fault with）

32. California's Proposition 187—1994年加州通过了187提案，又名《拯救吾州提案》（Saving Our State，缩略词SOS）。该法案规定公立医院不得收治非法移民；公立学校不得接受非法移民子女入学；医院和学校有义务举报非法移民；取消非法移民所能享受的其他福利。

33. Border Patrol—边境巡逻队

34. Operation Hold the Line—“封堵”计划（hold the line—[橄]阻止对方球员带球前进）

IV. Language Features

《读者文摘》简介

《读者文摘》由德维特·华莱士（Dewitt Wallace）于1922年创办。

它在国内的发行量超过1,200万，在国外接近1,200万。《读者文摘》现有15种语言的39个版本，其全世界的销售量接近《圣经》。

它的成功主要有两大因素：

1．内容轻松有趣

《读者文摘》所选择的题材是人人关心的话题：生活、家庭、婚姻、爱情、友谊、成就、健康、竞赛。这些内容充满了人情味。此外，它的写作强调轻松、消遣、成功、光明，颂扬仁慈善良战胜邪恶，“使复杂得可怕的社会显得既简单又充满希望，使读者心理得以宽慰，精神变得乐观”。

2．语言简洁易懂

该杂志拥有阵容强大的写作班子，同时它又以优厚稿酬吸引高质量稿件。它的摘要、改写十分考究。首先是阅读人员和编辑从300多种重要刊物预选一批文章，然后总编亲自决定取舍，再分配给改写人员删减浓缩。文章经过他们妙手处理，不仅篇幅缩短，而且语言简洁生动。就连十分挑剔的语言学家门肯（H. L. Mencken）也叹服地说：“不少文章经过他们改写得到明显改进。”《时代》周刊曾赞扬《读者文摘》说：“它对美国杂志，也对美国教育产生了显著影响。华莱士诱使许多人来读严肃题材的文章，从这个意义上说，它帮助美国人提高了阅读水平。”

《读者文摘》的语言朴实自然，简洁明了，生动形象。这些特点在篇章、用词等方面均有反映。

《读者文摘》的文章一般来说段落短小，且每段一个意思，容易阅读。它的篇章往往是以有趣故事开头，而不是用一般新闻报道的概要式导语。本文首段讲述一个西班牙裔青年在美国奋斗成功的故事，作者还使用了人称代词YOU，增加了语言的人情味和趣味性。

该杂志的可读性比一般杂志要高。美国语言学者，可读性专家鲁道夫·弗莱斯（Rudolf Flesch）曾经设计过一套科学的语言可读性测定公式。他把语言分为很容易、容易、较容易、一般、较难懂、难懂、很难懂几种类型。有人曾用弗莱斯公式对《读者文摘》抽样调查，结果表明它的文字属于“较容易”类型。

如果把《读者文摘》改写后的文章与原文相比，可以清楚看出它的语言简明得多：

例1．原句：Abraham Lincoln, mirabile dicta, never had more than...

修改句：Abraham Lincoln never had more than...

mirabile dicta是拉丁词，意为“说也奇怪”，很少读者能懂，删去后无损文章内容，语言简单易懂。

例2．原句：...regarded himself as a special mastiff—in waiting to protect...

修改为：...regarded himself as a watchdog...

mastiff是指一种特别的大驯犬，很少读者知道这一术语，改成watchdog，人人皆知，也依然能表达其意。

当然，对于《读者文摘》的语言，仁者见仁，智者见智，也有不少人认为它的文章过于简单，缺乏深度。

顺带一提的是，《读者文摘》的政治观点十分保守。

V. Analysis of Content

1. Hispanics may refer to___.

A. Americans of Latin American or Spanish origin

B. recent immigrants to America from South America

C. descendants of people who lived in the Southwest before the Pilgrims came to America

D. immigrants from Spain

2. From the article, we know that___.

A. the number of Hispanics will reach 53 million in 2020 because of increasing immigration

B. most Hispanics are poor and on welfare

C. the employment rate of Hispanic men is higher than the national average

D. the Hispanics see Spanish as their primary language

3. Which of the following statements is wrong?

A. Family ties remain important to today's young Hispanics.

B. All Hispanic men are likely to hang out with their contemporaries.

C. Divorce among Hispanics is not so common as among non-Hispanics.

D. Hispanic families are relatively stable.

4. What's the effect of the “experimental”bilingual education programs to Hispanic children?

A. They can speak both Spanish and English fluently.

B. It holds back children from learning the English that they need and their parents desire.

C. It has well prepared Hispanic students.

D. It helps the children to learn English.

5. In 1996 the Republicans'share of the Hispanic vote sharply declined because___.

A. Hispanics in California are against the Republicans'platform

B. Hispanics in California are for liberal Democrats'platform

C. California's Proposition 187 is unreasonable

D. the Republican Governor Pete Wilson had bashed Hispanics

VI. Questions on the Article

1. Why does the author say one would hardly guess that Francisco Pinedo is the boss?

2. In recent years, what have been the publicized problems with Hispanics?

3. Can you tell how Cesar Viramontes succeeded in his business?

4. Will Hispanic America become a separate, Spanish language community as many critics worry?

5. Why is the competition for Hispanic votes becoming as politically crucial as past battles for immigrants'votes?

VII. Topics for Discussion

1. Is Pinedo right in saying “Being American offers you almost every opportunity”?

2. Is bilingual education necessary for Hispanics?