【美国精神】第54期

Explanation:

    Americans have many rites² of passage (or important things that one does to move from one phase of one’s life to another phase) when becoming adults. One rite¹ of passage is getting a driver’s license³ when they turn 16. Another rite of passage is being able to drink alcohol when they turn 21. And of course, at age 18 they can begin voting for the president of the United States. But this wasn’t always true.

    In the past, each state was able to set (or establish) its own voting age. Most states had a voting age of 21, but five states had younger voting ages. As the Vietnam War was being fought, there was a lot of pressure (or the feeling of needing to do something) to standardize⁴ (or to make the same) the voting age for the entire (or whole) country. Many young men who were only 18 years old were being conscripted (or forced to join the Army) to fight in the Vietnam War. These men were angry that they were being asked to fight for their country when they weren’t able to vote for the country’s leaders who were asking them to fight.

    The people who wanted to standardize and lower (or reduce) the voting age to 18 had a popular slogan (or a phrase that many people repeat as a message about what they want to do or change). It was, “Old enough to fight, old enough to vote.” They meant that since the nation had decided⁵ that 18-year-old men were old enough to be in the Army, it should also decide that they were old enough to vote.

    In 1971, the voting age was finally standardized⁶ and lowered. The 26th Constitutional Amendment⁷ (or change or addition to the Constitution, the most important legal document in the country) was ratified⁸ (or approved and made into a law) on July 7, 1971. It made the legal voting age 18 years old for the entire country.

    The Amendment had some unintended (or unexpected) consequences, which are things that happen as a result of doing something else. After lowering the voting age, most states began to lower the age for other things, such as getting married or making contracts (or legal agreements). Today, most Americans believe that people become adults on their 18th birthday.

 

问题：

 How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?

Answer:

Eighteen (18) and older

1 rite   

n.典礼，惯例，习俗

参考例句：

• This festival descends from a religious rite.这个节日起源于宗教仪式。
• Most traditional societies have transition rites at puberty.大多数传统社会都为青春期的孩子举行成人礼。

2 rites   

仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to administer the last rites to sb 给某人举行临终圣事
• He is interested in mystic rites and ceremonies. 他对神秘的仪式感兴趣。

3 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

4 standardize   

v.使符合标准，使标准化

参考例句：

• We will extend and standardize legal services and provide effective legal aid.拓展和规范法律服务，积极开展法律援助。
• There is a drive both to standardise components and to reduce the number of models on offer.正在为实现零部件标准化和减少推出的型号数量而努力。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 standardized   

adj.标准化的

参考例句：

• We use standardized tests to measure scholastic achievement. 我们用标准化考试来衡量学生的学业成绩。
• The parts of an automobile are standardized. 汽车零件是标准化了的。

7 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

8 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。