阿拉伯人在美国

　For many in the United States, Arab-Americans are an invisible segment of the population. Though Arab-Americans as a community have made significant contributions to American society in fields ranging from literature to politics to medicine, many Americans know very little about Americans of Arab descent.

　　Arab history in the United States goes back to the late 1800's when large numbers of Arab immigrants first began making their journey to a land known simply as "Amreeka."

　　Historians generally describe Arab immigration to America in two waves. The first wave took place between 1860 and 1924. The first wave consisted of Lebanese and Syrian, and some Egyptian immigrants. These new immigrants, who were predominantly Christian, came to America in pursuit of better opportunities. Even the doomed Titanic, which set sail for America in 1912, had close to a hundred Arab passengers aboard. The majority of Arab Americans today are descendents of the first wave of immigrants; they are third or more generation Americans.

　　The second wave of immigrants followed after WWII, sparked by political unrest in the Middle East. This second wave of immigrants consists of mainly Arab Muslims and continues to this day.

　　Arab-Americans make up 3 million of the population in the United States, according to demographers. And contrary to popular belief, 64 percent of them are American-born. Eighty-two percent of Arab-Americans are US citizens.

　　Arab-Americans surpass the national average in both education and income. Education is important among Arab-Americans; 82 percent have high school diplomas, 36 percent have bachelor's degrees or higher, and 15 percent have graduate degrees. The median average income among Arab-Americans is ,580, which is higher than the US average. 

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　阿拉伯人在美国 

　　大多数美国人都认为阿拉伯裔美国人在整个美国人口中所占比重微乎其微。虽说阿拉伯裔美国人作为一个群体，在包括文学、政治和医学等领域内对美国社会做出过杰出的贡献，但很多美国人还是对这一群体不甚了解。

　　阿拉伯人在美国的历史可以追溯到19世纪晚期，那时侯阿拉伯移民开始踏上这片被称为"亚美利加"的土地。

　　历史学家通常把阿拉伯人移民美国的过程划分成两次高潮。第一次高潮出现在1860年和1924年间，移入美国的主要是黎巴嫩人、叙利亚人和部分埃及人。这些移民几乎清一色为基督徒，他们来美国是为了寻求更好的机会。就连那艘1912年驶向美国后来失事的泰坦尼克号上，也有近百名阿拉伯乘客。现今生活在美国的阿拉伯裔美国人，大多数是第一次移民高潮中阿拉伯人的后代，他们至少也是这些移民的第三代子孙了。

　　第二次移民高潮出现在二战后，中东地区的政治动乱造成了这次移民高潮。 

　　人口统计学家称，目前阿拉伯裔美国人共有300万。不过出乎人们意料的是，他们当中64%出生在美国，82%的阿拉伯裔美国人已成为美国公民。

　　阿裔美国人在教育和收入水平方面高于美国平均水平。阿裔美国人非常重视教育，82%的人高中毕业，36%的人拥有学士或学士以上学历，且15%的人研究生毕业。根据基金会的资料，阿裔美国人年均收入为3.958万美元，高于全美的平均水平。