punch in/out：打卡记录上下班

with/in regard to sb/sth：关于；至于 = concerning sb/sth

opt for：选择；挑选

opt to do sth：选择做……

amount to：总计；共计；相当于

obsess about：唠叨；念念不忘

be obsessed by：使痴迷；使迷恋

see eye-to-eye with sb (on sth)：在某事上意见一致或有相同看法

set in：（不好的事情）产生；恶化

set out: 出发；启程

strip away one's firearms: 解除武装 

strip away：剥去；揭去

strip of：把……搬走；剥夺

strip off：去掉（剥掉）某物表皮；揭开（伪装）；脱掉（衣服）

strip down：拆卸

consecutive：连续的；连贯的

deliberation:  深思熟虑的

dedication：献身；奉献

presentable：可接受的；体面的

provocative：挑衅的；刺激的

novel：新奇的

forge ahead：稳步前进

pose a threat to：成为……的威胁

regardless of：不管；不顾

第一节

1. The manager threatened to sack him and other cashiers for refusing orders to work longer than their agreed hours.

经理威胁说要解雇他和其他的收银员，因为他们拒绝加班。

2. A few steps on from the cigarette shop is the city's job center, where a manager with little else to do points to a screen that tallies 98,678 unfilled vacancies across Wisconsin.

离香烟店几步远就是城市就业中心，在那里，无所事事的经理指向一块屏幕，屏幕上显示威斯康星州的空缺职位总计有98678个。

3. Fewer unauthorized immigrants arriving in America may contribute the squeeze, though this is disputed. 

尽管这存在争议，但少数非法移民的到来也许促成了压榨。

美国非法移民对劳工市场的影响越来越小，尽管对此尚存争议。

4. Wages have been rising fastest for African-Americans, but poorer blacks, especially those with felony convictions, are also likelier to have fallen out of the formal labour market, so are not counted in unemployment figures. 

虽然非裔美国人的薪水飞速上涨，但更穷困的黑人——尤其是那些被指控犯下重罪的人们——也更可能被正规劳动市场所抛弃，且他们是不被计入失业数字的。

非洲裔美国人的工资增长最快，但是那些更为贫困的黑人可能难以进入正规劳动力市场，有重罪前科的黑人尤为如此，因此未将他们计入失业报告之中

5. In neither case, however, do the increases amount to much better long-term prospects for the worst-off.

然而无论在何种情况下，对穷人来说这样的增加都好景不长。

然而，两种工资增长方式都没有为最为贫困的人群带来更多长久利益。

6. One study in Wisconsin suggests that caretakers, for example, took home over $12 an hour by last year, so were only just getting back to their (real) average earnings achieved in 2010.

威斯康星州的一项研究表明，截至去年，以家政工人为例，他们每小时能挣得12余元，因此他们只是回到了2010年的（实际）平均收入水平

7. Many crave a reduction in the income volatility that afflicts them，since sudden swings in earnings are associated with poor mental health, high stress and worry over losing access to financial assistance or food stamps. 

许多人渴望能减少收入波动的折磨，因为收入的起伏给他们带来了糟糕的心理健康，过高的压力，以及对于失去经济援助或食物券的担忧。

工资起伏不定，他们备受煎熬，期望工资能趋于稳定。收入的突发性波动会带来沉重的心理压力，影响他们的心理健康。他们也担心因工资变动而失去经济援助，或者无法再领取政府配发的食品券。

8. Lots of jobs that are being created are in or near flourishing cities like Madison, where low-paid workers are squeezed by high housing costs. 

在像曼迪逊这样的繁荣城市周边有着很多就业机会，在那里低收入工人被高价的房屋费用所压榨。

一些如麦迪逊一样繁荣的大城市或周边地区，出现了许多新的工作岗位，但这里的低收入者支付高昂住房费用后，收入就所剩无几了。