It's not unusual in the United States for a new motherto quit her job after giving birth to a child. Sam is only 9months old, and his mother, Lora, dreaded the thoughtof going back to work.

"I got only six weeks with him, and it is just not enoughtime. We needed someone to take care of him, but thecost of day care in D.C. is high. I would not be bringing home enough money to cover day-carebills," she said.

在美国，母亲分娩后辞职的现象非常普遍。萨姆只有9个月大， 他的母亲劳拉非常害怕重返工作岗位。

“我只能照顾他六周的时间，根本就不够。我们需要有人照顾他，但是首都的日托费用非常高。我赚不到足够的钱来支付日托的费用。”

While the U.S. is nowhere close to a federal law that mandates paid maternity leave, some statesare addressing the issue. A new law in New York assures new mothers 12 weeks of paid maternityleave. New Jersey covers 67 percent of six weeks of leave. California covers 55 percent of sixweeks. Rhode Island covers four weeks.

"If you live in those four states, you would be covered and eligible to have paid leave, but if you livein the rest of the USA, it really just depends on whether or not your employer voluntarily offersthose benefits, since we do not have any national programs to provide wage replacement," saidSarah Jane Glynn from the Center for American Progress.

美国距离出台带薪产假的联邦法律还很遥远，不过一些州正在解决这一问题。纽约一部新的法律保障新生儿母亲有12周的带薪产假。新泽西州支付六周产假薪资的67%，加利福尼亚支付六周产假薪资的55%。罗得岛提供四周的带薪产假。

“如果你住在这四个州，你将享受带薪产假，但是如果你住在美国其他地方，这就取决于你的雇主是否自愿提供这些福利了，因为没有任何国家计划来提供薪资替代。”美国进步中心的Sarah Jane Glynn表示。

US law 'has not caught up'

Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders favor a national program thatwould allow new mothers to take 12 weeks of paid maternity leave. This is an improvement overthe 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act — which provides job-protected unpaid leave to governmentemployees or those in private sector companies with 50 or more employees. But critics say thatlaw covers only 60 percent of new mothers because only 60 percent of workers even qualify —and many new moms cannot afford to take time off.

"The U.S. has not caught up with the fact that most women today work. Our labor laws ... themajority were set a long time ago when families looked very different. Today the majority ofwomen work, the majority of mothers work, even the majority of moms who have very youngchildren are in the paid labor force," said Glynn.

美国法律落后

民主党总统候选人希拉里•克林顿和伯尼•桑德斯支持一项国家项目，允许新生儿母亲享受12周的带薪产假。这是对1993年颁布的《家庭医疗休假法》做出的改进——为政府雇员或员工人数超过50人的私营公司雇员提供保护工作的无薪假期。但是批评家表示，该法律只保障了60%的新生儿母亲的权益，因为只有60%的工作人员有这个资格——许多新生母亲根本负担不起休假的成本。

“美国没有根据今天大部分母亲进入职场的形势与时俱进。我们的劳工法，大部分条款都是很久以前颁布的，那时的家庭与现在非常不同。今天，大部分女性工作，大部分母亲工作，甚至大部分孩子还非常幼小的母亲也必须工作来赚钱。”

Still, some companies do provide not only paid maternity leave but paid paternity leave as well.

New dad Joe is thrilled to have six weeks of paid leave.

"I think it is up to employers to pay or not, but the best employers are doing it now. It is good forthe employee, which means it is good for the company," he said.

Opponents of a paid family leave law say it’s bad for business because it’s too costly.

"Small businesses cannot afford to have that burden on them. Also, the small businesses cannotafford increases in taxes," said one.

But supporters of the idea say the cost of paid maternity leave is very low relative to the benefit tothe family.

然而，一些公司不仅提供带薪产假，甚至提供带薪陪产假。

新爸爸乔很高兴能有六周的带薪陪产假。

“我认为是否提供薪资取决于雇主，但是最好的雇主却这样做了。这对雇员有益，也就意味着对公司有益。”

带薪家庭休假法的反对者表示，这对企业不利，因为成本太高了。

“小企业难以承担这样的负担。小企业也难以承担税负的增加。”

但是支持者表示，相对于给家庭带来的好处，带薪产假的成本是非常低的。



词汇解释

1.dread v.害怕，恐惧；担心

Children dread the derision of their playmates.

孩子们害怕受到同伴的嘲笑。

2.mandate v.授权，委托；批准，颁布

Each one can only mandate one custodian.

每个人只能委托一个托管人。

3.eligible adj.有资格的，合适的

He is eligible for a surgeon.

他是一个合格的外科医生。

4.qualify v.（使）具有资格；证明…合格

He had little experience to qualify him for the post.

就经验而论他是没有资格担当此任的。

5.costly adj.昂贵的；代价高的

Waste of time is the most extravagant and costly of all expenses.

浪费时间是一切花费中最奢侈豪华的费用。



内容解析

1.but if you live in the rest of the USA, it reallyjust depends on whether or not your employervoluntarily offers those benefits.

depend on取决于，随…而定

They depend on a particular historical situation.

它们取决于特定的历史境况。

2.But critics say that law covers only 60 percent of new mothers because only 60 percentof workers even qualify — and many new moms cannot afford to take time off.

take time off休息，休假

You mustn't take time off just because you want to see a football match.

你不能只是因为想看足球赛就休假不上班。

3.But supporters of the idea say the cost of paid maternity leave is very low relative to thebenefit to the family.

relative to相对于

The atoms are large, relative to their spacing.

原子和它们的间隔相对而言是大的。