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Citizenship: Intermediate
大家好！今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“移民入籍”单元的中级课程。
mir 正在申请成为美国公民，今天，他要去见移民律师 John, 听听他的建议。
John: Hi Amir, it's nice to meet you. I'm happy you want to become a US citizen.
Amir: Thank you, John. I'm very excited, but I'm also a little worried about how long and complicated the process can be.
John: Don't worry, I will be here to help you through it and explain what's going on.
Amir: Great, that's really helpful for me. When you aren't a native English speaker, it can be hard to read all the documents and understand the naturalization process.
哈，John 当然希望Amir申请入籍啦，这样他的生意就来啦！
Professor: Well, I guess you could look at it that way. But Winnie, why does Amir say the application process can be hard?
Amir说，他不是“native English speaker”——英语不是母语，所以在填表的时候会遇到困难。对了，professor, Amir提到一个词——naturalization，这是什么意思？
Professor: Naturalization is the process of becoming a citizen of another country. 哦，naturalization就是入籍，变成另外一国的公民。
John: So Amir, how did you come to America originally? Did your company sponsor your visa?
Amir: Actually, no. I got married to an American while living in Iran, and we decided to settle in the United States.
John: Oh, you have an American spouse. Where do you live?
Amir: I really like city life so New York is my favorite city. But my wife has some family in Virginia, so we live there.
Professor: So Winnie, did Amir first come to America on a work visa?
Amir并不是拿工作签证来美国的，而是在伊朗时和美国人结婚，然后到美国定居。我猜，spouse就是配偶的意思吧？
Professor: That's right.
Professor, John 问Amir是不是有公司"sponsor him for a visa",这是什么意思呢？
Professor: When a company "sponsors" you for a visa, they ask the government to give you a visa. Usually you need a sponsor in the US to get a visa. 哦，公司可以作为担保人，替雇员向政府申请工作签证，这个过程就叫"sponsor"。
Professor: So if you are applying for a job in America, you might ask the company, "Can you sponsor me for a visa?"
John: Well there are some things you should do to start preparing for the interview. You should learn about US civics and the constitution.
Amir: Don't worry, I've already lived in the US for three years and know all about its history and politics.
John: Good, then the interview and test won't be a problem. Do you have any dependents?
Amir: No, my wife and I don't have any children.
Professor: So Winnie, does Amir have to prepare a lot for his citizenship test?
申请入美国籍需要参加citizenship test——公民考试，所以要了解美国的civics——公民知识，还有constitution——宪法。不过，Amir说他已经在美国生活三年了，这些知识他都懂，所以不需要做太多准备。
Professor: That's right. John also asked Amir if he had any "dependents". A dependent is anyone who depends on you to take care of him. 对，dependent 就是需要供养的亲人，比如小孩，年迈的父母等等。Amir和妻子没有孩子，所以没有dependent.
Amir: So John, do you think there will be any problems with my application?
John: It definitely sounds like you are eligible to become a US citizen. I think that before too long, you won't have to be an alien anymore!
Amir: Yeah, I can't wait! Hopefully I will become a citizen in time to vote in the next election.
John: I sure hope so! Good luck!
Professor Bowman, alien不是指外星人么？我不懂为什么美国人把来美移民也称为"alien"，我又不是从火星来的！
Professor: Really? Sometimes I doubt that.
哈，被你发现了！言归正传，Amir希望自己能尽快入籍，这样，他就能享受公民独有的投票权了！
Professor: Let's listen next time to see if Amir is able to vote in the next election!
A: Amir找到移民律师，讨论naturalization , 入籍过程。他将需要通过citizenship test, 入籍考试，需要了解civics 公民知识和constitution 宪法。Amir希望更顺利入籍，so he will become a citizen in time to vote in the next election, 下次选举就能投票了！
B: That's exciting! Good luck with your interview as well! Speaking of which, what do you think was the most difficult thing to adjust to when you first came to America?
A: 我想想，我觉得主要是文化方面的东西。比如说我不理解美国人为什么那么喜欢橄榄球，还有那么喜欢喝啤酒，呵呵。哦对了对了，我记得我刚刚来的时候，特别不习惯给小费呢! 弄得别人老给我臭脸！
B: Hahahah, oh you poor thing! And...I can totally related to that. I remember when ever time I got back from China, I would always forget to leave a tip and people would give me dirty looks!
A: Oh, so it's not just me! I feel so much better!
B: Tipping really is a western thing. In today's Business Etiquette, Kyle and Jerry are debating the American custom of tipping, let's see what they have to say!
