【美国精神】第57期

Explanation:

  In the United States, military service (or the time spent working in the army) is voluntary (or optional and something that one chooses to do). Under normal conditions, no one has to serve in the army if he or she doesn’t want to. However, all men between the ages of 18 and 26 must register (or sign up for) the Selective Service, which is a part of the U.S. government that tries to find enough people to fight in a war or other national emergency (or a major problem that was not expected).

  The Selective Service keeps a list of names of all the men who are registered for the Selective Service. If there is a war or another national emergency, the Selective Service will have a draft, which means that names are chosen at random¹ (or with all of the names having an equal chance of being selected) to find out who will fight. We say that the people whose names are picked have been drafted for the war.

  In a war or national emergency, men who are drafted go through several tests that determine whether or not they are ready to fight for their country. Those who pass the tests then must serve in the army. Those who don’t pass the tests can go back home.

  Some people do not want to fight because they believe that war is wrong, often because of their religious beliefs. These people are called conscientious² objectors. Conscientious objectors must also register for the Selective Service. The Selective Service creates an Alternative Service Program for those conscientious objectors so that they will do good work to help communities in the United States while other men are drafted for war.

  Registration³ with the Selective Service is required by law. Young men who do not register with the Selective Service have a lot of problems. For example, they cannot apply for federal jobs (or jobs in the national government) or get federal scholarships, which is money given to students to help pay for their education. Also, people from other countries cannot become U.S. citizens unless they register for the Selective Service.

 

问题：

When must all men register for the Selective Service?

Answer:

• At age eighteen (18)

• Between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)

1 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

2 conscientious   

adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的

参考例句：

• He is a conscientious man and knows his job.他很认真负责，也很懂行。
• He is very conscientious in the performance of his duties.他非常认真地履行职责。

3 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？