可以不用还助学贷款了？

燕山大学 

刘立军 供稿

TRANSCRIPT

Is student-loan forgiveness unforgivable in Congress?

Even before taking office, president-elect Joe Biden is already facing a political storm among his ideologically diverse base of supporters over the volatile issue of student-debt forgiveness.

Roughly 45 million Americans currently hold $1.6 trillion in student debt, with the average student-loan recipient owing between $20,000 and $25,000, according to the Federal Reserve. Among those actively making payments on their debt, the average monthly installment is between $200 and $300. And with 5.3 million more people unemployed than in February, right before the U.S. fell into a pandemic-induced recession, progressives say that student-debt forgiveness could be a boon for the economy.

"Student-debt cancellation feels like one of the most accessible Executive actions to stimulate the economy at the moment," says Suzanne Kahn, director of the Education, Jobs and Worker Power program and the Great Democracy Initiative at the liberal Roosevelt Institute.

Kahn and others say the move would also help close the wealth gap between white Americans and people of color. Some 90% of Black students and 72% of Latino students take out loans for college vs. just 66% of white students, according to a 2016 analysis from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

But the more moderate faction of Biden's base argues that sweeping student-loan forgiveness doesn't help the people who need aid most. Americans with college degrees, as a whole, have been less devastated by the economic effects of COVID-19 than their noncollege-educated counterparts. A September report from Pew Research Center found that only 12% of people with college degrees were having trouble paying bills as a result of the pandemic, compared with 34% of Americans with a high school diploma or less.

Others raise concerns about precedent: if the government wipes out current student loans, future college students may have an incentive to take on debts, they argue, hoping they will also be forgiven. Colleges may in turn be inclined to raise their prices further.

In recent weeks, Biden has walked a fine line on the issue, offering support for a bill from House Democrats calling for $10,000 worth of student-loan forgiveness but stopping short of endorsing anything close to a plan championed by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer to issue $50,000 per borrower through Executive action.

What's clear, according to experts on both sides of the aisle, is that economic crises exacerbate the problem of student debt. The last time the U.S. dipped into a recession, state governments cut their investments in colleges and universities - which, in turn, raised their tuition prices and forced students to take on ever larger loans.

That's not sustainable in the long run. It remains to be seen if Biden can arrive at a political solution that is.

VOCABULARY

1. volatile adj. (of a situation 情况) likely to change suddenly; easily becoming dangerous 可能急剧波动的；不稳定的；易恶化的。例如：a volatile exchange rate剧烈波动的汇率

2. recession n. a difficult time for the economy of a country, when there is less trade and industrial activity than usual and more people are unemployed 经济衰退；经济萎缩。例如：the impact of the current recession on manufacturing时下经济萎缩对制造业的影响

3. boon n. boon (to/for sb.) something that is very helpful and makes life easier for you 非常有用的东西；益处。例如：The new software will prove a boon to Internet users. 这种新软件将会对互联网用户大有益处。

4. precedent n. an official action or decision that has happened in the past and that is seen as an example or a rule to be followed in a similar situation later 可援用参考的具体例子；实例；范例。例如：The ruling set a precedent for future libel cases. 这项裁决为今后的诽谤案提供了判例。

5. endorse v. to say publicly that you support a person, statement or course of action （公开）赞同，支持，认可。例如：I wholeheartedly endorse his remarks. 我真诚地赞同他的话。

6. aisle n. a passage between rows of seats in a church, theatre, train, etc., or between rows of shelves in a supermarket （教堂、戏院、火车等座位间或超级市场货架间的）走道，过道。例如：an aisle seat (= in a plane)（飞机上）紧靠过道的座位

7. exacerbate v. (formal) to make sth. worse, especially a disease or problem 使恶化；使加剧；使加重。例如：The symptoms may be exacerbated by certain drugs. 这些症状可能会因为某些药物而加重。

QUESTIONS

Read the passage. Then listen to the news and fill in the blanks with the information (words, phrases or sentences) you hear.

Is student-loan forgiveness unforgivable in Congress?

Even before taking office, president-elect Joe Biden is already facing (Q1) ____________________ among his ideologically diverse base of supporters over the volatile issue of student-debt forgiveness.

Roughly 45 million Americans currently hold $1.6 trillion in (Q2) _______________, with the average student-loan recipient owing between $20,000 and $25,000, according to the Federal Reserve. Among those actively making payments on their debt, the average monthly installment is between $200 and $300. And with 5.3 million more people unemployed than in February, right before the U.S. fell into a pandemic-induced (Q3) _________________, progressives say that student-debt forgiveness could be a boon for the economy.

"Student-debt cancellation feels like one of the most accessible Executive actions to stimulate the economy at the moment," says Suzanne Kahn, director of the Education, Jobs and Worker Power program and the Great Democracy Initiative at the liberal Roosevelt Institute.

Kahn and others say the move would also help  (Q4) ______________________________ between white Americans and people of color. Some 90% of Black students and 72% of Latino students take out loans for college vs. just 66% of white students, according to a 2016 analysis from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

But the more moderate faction of Biden's base argues that sweeping student-loan forgiveness doesn't help the people who (Q5) ____________________. Americans with college degrees, as a whole, have been less devastated by the economic effects of COVID-19 than their noncollege-educated counterparts. A September report from Pew Research Center found that only 12% of people with  college degrees were having trouble paying bills as a result of the pandemic, compared with 34% of Americans with (Q6) _________________________ or less.

Others raise concerns about precedent: if the government wipes out current student loans, future college students may have an (Q7) ____________________ to take on debts, they argue, hoping they will also be forgiven. Colleges may in turn be inclined to (Q8) ___________________________.

In recent weeks, Biden has walked a fine line on the issue, offering support for a bill from House Democrats calling for $10,000 worth of student-loan forgiveness but stopping short of endorsing anything close to a plan championed by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer to issue $50,000 per borrower through Executive action.

What's clear, according to experts on both sides of the aisle, is that economic crises exacerbate the problem of student debt. The last time the U.S. dipped into a recession, state governments (Q9) _____________________ in colleges and universities - which, in turn, raised their tuition prices  and forced students to take on ever larger loans.

That's not (Q10) ___________________ in the long run. It remains to be seen if Biden can arrive at a political solution that is.

KEY

Read the passage. Then listen to the news and fill in the blanks with the information (words, phrases or sentences) you hear.

Is student-loan forgiveness unforgivable in Congress?

Even before taking office, president-elect Joe Biden is already facing (Q1) a political storm among his ideologically diverse base of supporters over the volatile issue of student-debt forgiveness.

Roughly 45 million Americans currently hold $1.6 trillion in (Q2) student debt, with the average student-loan recipient owing between $20,000 and $25,000, according to the Federal Reserve. Among those actively making payments on their debt, the average monthly installment is between $200 and $300. And with 5.3 million more people unemployed than in February, right before the U.S. fell into a pandemic-induced (Q3) recession, progressives say that student-debt forgiveness could be a boon for the economy.

"Student-debt cancellation feels like one of the most accessible Executive actions to stimulate the economy at the moment," says Suzanne Kahn, director of the Education, Jobs and Worker Power program and the Great Democracy Initiative at the liberal Roosevelt Institute.

Kahn and others say the move would also help (Q4)close the wealth gap between  white Americans and people of color. Some 90% of Black students and 72% of Latino students take out loans for college vs. just 66% of white students, according to a 2016 analysis from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

But the more moderate faction of Biden's base argues that sweeping student-loan forgiveness doesn't help the people who (Q5)need aid most. Americans with college degrees, as a whole, have been less devastated by the economic effects of COVID-19 than their noncollege-educated counterparts. A September report from Pew Research Center found that only 12% of people with  college degrees were having trouble paying bills as a result of the pandemic, compared with 34% of Americans with (Q6) a high school diploma or less.

Others raise concerns about precedent: if the government wipes out current student loans, future college students may have an (Q7) incentive to take on debts, they argue, hoping they will also be forgiven. Colleges may in turn be inclined to (Q8) raise their prices further.

In recent weeks, Biden has walked a fine line on the issue, offering support for a bill from House Democrats calling for $10,000 worth of student-loan  forgiveness but stopping short of endorsing anything close to a plan championed by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer to issue $50,000 per borrower through Executive action.

What's clear, according to experts on both sides of the aisle, is that economic crises exacerbate the problem of student debt. The last time the U.S. dipped into a recession, state governments (Q9)cut their investments in colleges and universities - which, in turn, raised their tuition prices and forced students to take on ever larger loans.

That's not (Q10)sustainable in the long run. It remains to be seen if Biden can arrive at a political solution that is.

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