VOA新闻杂志2022--美国国会第一位Z世代成员:25岁当选众议员

First Member of Generation Z Elected to US Congress

Twenty-five-year-old Maxwell Frost had just been elected to represent part of Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives when his phone rang.

"Hold for the president," the caller on the phone said.

Frost shared the story about his call from U.S. President Joe Biden with his Twitter followers¹ on Wednesday.

"Life is wild!" he wrote.

Biden called to congratulate Frost on his election win.

Frost is the first member of "Generation Z" to become a U.S. representative. Generation Z is the group of people born from the late 1990s to the early 2010s. There are about 70 million Americans in Frost's age group.

Starting in January, Frost will represent people who live near Orlando, Florida. He won 59 percent of the vote.

The U.S. Constitution requires members of congress to be at least 25 years old. The average age of a member of congress this year is 58.

In a news conference after this week's midterm elections, Biden talked about Frost. He said, "I have no doubt he's off to an incredible start in what I'm sure will be a long, distinguished² career."

Frost is a member of the Democratic Party. He campaigned on gun law reform, expanding health care, increasing access to housing and fighting climate change.

In a discussion with the ABC television network on Wednesday, Frost said younger voters were an important part of his win.

"What that shows me is that there's a lot of hope and promise in this nation as young people are starting to rise up and really step into their political power," Frost said.

Frost said his family is Afro-Latino. He is part of a growing number of Americans who are more racially and ethnically³ diverse than earlier generations.

Frost became known as a national director for the gun safety group March For Our Lives, started by the survivors⁴ of the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

He said he wants "transformational change" and will start by working on a plan to put background checks in place for all gun purchases.

Frost defeated three well-known Democrats⁵ in the primary election earlier this year. He takes over the position that opened when Val Demings gave up her position to run for the U.S. Senate.

Words in This Story

incredible –adj. difficult or impossible to beleive

distinguished –adj. known by many people because of a quality or achievement

diverse –adj. made up of people or things that are different from each other

access–n. a way of getting to or being able to use something

transformational –adj. a major change from what is currently in place

background check –n. a way of looking at a person's history to decide if they are permitted to do or purchase something

1 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

2 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

3 ethnically   

adv.人种上，民族上

参考例句：

• Ethnically, the Yuan Empire comprised most of modern China's ethnic groups. 元朝的民族成分包括现今中国绝大多数民族。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• Russia is ethnically relatively homogeneous. 俄罗斯是个民族成分相对单一的国家。 来自辞典例句

4 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

5 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》