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Without the checks, people like Sue, who once was a director of client services at a technology company, began to tumble over the economic cliff. The last aspects of their former working-class or middle-class lives were gone, and all of them faced unsure futures.
一旦收不到失业救济支票，哪怕是像苏这样曾经贵为技术公司客服经理的人，也会日益跌入经济窘迫的深渊；原有工薪阶层或中产阶级的最后一抹荣光也已消逝不在，所有人都前途未卜。
When Sue received her last unemployment check, she felt a wave of profound grief. With no income to deposit, Sue's checking account deteriorated into negative balances. Her car was on the verge of being repossessed. And, the constant harassment of the financing company for her car loan added to her daily stress. Each day, like a ping pong ball, Sue went back and forth between resolve and despair.
当苏收到最后一笔失业救济支票时，阵阵悲凉涌上心头。由于没有收入进账，苏的活期账户余额转为负值。汽车行将被收回！而且信贷公司不断骚扰，催还车贷，让她成天压力倍增。每天，苏就像乒乓球一样在信心和绝望之间起落不定。
It was a sickening plunge considering that only a short year and a half before, Sue was earning $56,00a year at her old job, enjoyed vacationing in places like Mexico and the Caribbean, and had started business school at an excellent university.
生活境遇真是令人痛心地一落千丈！想想仅在短短的一年半之前，苏在原有工作岗位上可挣到 56，00美元的年薪，可在像墨西哥、加勒比那样的地方度假，还就读于名校商学院。
Initially, Sue had tried to finish her university certification remotely, but finally dropped out because of the stress from her sinking finances. She applied for every possible job in the employment spectrum, from minimum-wage retail jobs to director positions.
最初，苏还试图通过远程教育完成学业，但是由于自己经济状况每况愈下，最后只好辍学。她通过各种就业渠道求职，不管是起薪干起的零售活儿还是部门经理。
Sue should have been evicted from her two-bedroom apartment for non-payment several months before she was, but, thankfully, the process was delayed by paperwork and bureaucracy. Eventually, the bureaucracy caught up with her and a municipal council gave her days to leave her apartment for good. She had no choice but to comply.
由于未付房租，苏早在几个月前就应被逐出她那两居室的公寓。不过，谢天谢地，这一过程因为繁琐的文件手续和官僚主义作风而拖延至今。最终政府机构还是找上了她，市政委员会限定她十天内彻底走人。除了遵从，她别无选择。
That last day of her old life, Sue wept as she drove away. She wondered if she would ever again be able to reclaim that life of comfort and respect. Sue even considered turning the steering wheel of her car into a tree and ending her life story right there.
就在告别昔日生活的最后一天，苏流着泪驾车离去。她不知道自己还能否重温那舒适而又受人尊敬的生活。苏甚至想过打转方向盘一头撞向大树，就此了结一生。
