Amir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!
这次的美语三级跳就播送到这里。