New Prices for US Citizenship Applications
美國公民申請費用新價格
Introduction
The US government wants to make the citizenship process more expensive for people with green cards.
美國政府希望讓持有綠卡的人在申請公民時，過程變得更加昂貴。
Main Body
The government says it needs more money to check applications. Paper applications will cost $1,330. Online applications will cost $1,280. Some poor people still pay $380, but other discounts will stop.
政府表示需要更多資金來審核申請。紙本申請將費用為 1,330 美元。線上申請則為 1,280 美元。部分貧困人士仍支付 380 美元，但其他折扣將停止。
Fewer people from India are getting green cards now. In 2022, 127,010 Indians got them. In 2024, only 66,800 Indians got them. These new prices might make it harder for the 6.7 million Indians in the US.
目前獲得綠卡的印度人數有所減少。2022 年有 127,010 名印度人獲得綠卡。而 2024 年僅有 66,800 名印度人獲得。這些新價格可能會讓在美 670 萬名印度人面臨更多困難。
Some officials say these prices are normal. Other people disagree. They say the high prices stop poor people from becoming citizens.
部分官員表示這些價格屬正常現象。但其他人則持不同意見。他們認為高昂的費用會阻礙貧困人士成為公民。
Conclusion
The government will wait 60 days for people to give their opinions before the new prices start.
在新價格生效前，政府將等待 60 天讓民眾提供意見。
Vocabulary Learning
💰 Money Words & Comparisons
In this text, we see how to talk about cost and changes.
1. Paying for things We use the word cost to say how much money something is.
- Paper applications will cost $1,330.
- Online applications will cost $1,280.
2. Comparing Numbers (More vs. Fewer) When we talk about things we can count (like people or cards), we use fewer, not 'less'.
- More A bigger number (Price goes up).
- Fewer A smaller number (Number of people goes down).
Example from text: "Fewer people from India are getting green cards now."
3. Simple Opposites
- Expensive Costs a lot of money.
- Poor Has very little money.
Quick Tip: To reach A2, practice using cost with different prices: "The coffee costs $3."