5. The advantages and disadvantages of a new factory near your community
I live in a primarily agricultural community, and most of the population lives hand to mouth. Parents keep children home from school to work in the fields. If there is a flood or a drought, people starve. A new factory would mean regular monthly salaries as well as protection against natural disasters or a sudden drop in the price of our main agricultural product, say, corn.
Regular salaries would allow families the confidence to make investments in their futures. The locals would be able to plan their finances accurately and free themselves from debt. This in turn would encourage entrepreneurship and further develop the local economy. People could begin to open shops, restaurants, dormitories, and entertainment facilities to serve the factory workers with their savings. Profits from these small enterprises would further enrich the local community and turn our relatively poor farmland into a truly profitable development zone. Perhaps more parents could then afford to send all of their children to high school and maybe even college.
There would certainly be negative effects as well. If the area becomes prosperous, immigrants from poorer regions will come here looking for work. Because of their relative poverty they will work harder for less money than the locals and drive wages down. There might be more immigrants than factory jobs available, leading to an unemployment crisis with a rising crime rate as a potential negative side effect.
On the other hand, the proposed factory would almost certainly have adverse effects on the local environment, particularly in regards to polluting the water. This is perhaps the most serious concern, because without clean water the area cannot sustain life of any kind, corn, livestock, or human.
However, because of the relatively desperate economic situation of my hometown, I believe the potential benefits of opening a new factory would outweigh the risks. If we take the proper precautions, such as imposing strict environmental standards and providing adequate social services for immigrants, the whole area stands to benefit.
译文
5. 社区附近建新工厂的利与弊
我生活在一个以农业为主业的地区，大多数人口勉强维持生计。家长们不让孩子们去上学而让他们去田里干活。如果闹水灾或旱灾，人们就会挨饿。一座新的工厂就意味着每月有固定的收入，意味着保护我们免受自然灾害和主要的农产品如谷物价格骤降的影响。
固定的薪水将会给家庭以信心去为将来而投资。地方居民将可以精确地计划他们的财务问题而避免陷入债务。这种情况反过来将会鼓舞当地居民开创自己的生意，从而进一步发展当地经济。人们可以开始用自己的积蓄经营商店、餐馆、宿舍和娱乐设施来服务那些工厂的工人。这些小生意的赢利会进一步使当地富裕起来，从而将我们相对贫穷的农田变为真正有利可图的开发区。或许更多的家长会有能力送他们所有的孩子上高中甚至大学。
当然同样也会有负面的影响。如果该地区变得繁荣起来，其他更贫穷地区的移民就会来这里找工作。因为他们相对来说更为贫穷，所以他们比当地人干得更努力，要求的工资也更低，这就会将工资水平拉低。移民的数量还可能超过工厂招工的数量，就会导致失业危机带来犯罪率上升的潜在负面影响。
另外一方面，提议新建的工厂几乎一定会给当地的环境带来负面影响，特别是在对水的污染方面。这可能是最严重的问题，因为没有清洁的水，这一地区就不能维持任何生命的生存，谷物、牲畜和人都是如此。
然而由于我的家乡经济状况相当让人绝望，我相信开一座新工厂的潜在利益一定会超过其风险。如果我们采取正确的预防措施，例如实施严格的环境标准和为移民提供适当的社会服务，整个地区将会受益。
Word List
- primarily ［praiˈmerəli］adv.首要地，主要地
- immigrant ［ˈimigrənt］ n. 移民
- drought ［draut］ n. 干旱
- potential ［pəˈtenʃəl］ adj. 潜在的
- entrepreneurship ［ˌa:ntrəprəˈnə:ʃip］n. 企业家的身份（地位）
- livestock ［ˌlaivˈsta:k］ n. 家畜，牲畜
- outweigh ［autˈwei］v. 在重量
- (或价值) 上超过
- facility ［fəˈsiliti］ n. 设施
- profitable ［ˈpra:fitəbl］ adj. 有利可图的
- precaution ［priˈkɔ:ʃən］ n.预防，预防措施