VOA慢速英语2015 不到三分之一的美国年轻人有资格参军

 

Fewer Than One in Three Young Americans Can Join Military 不到三分之一的美国年轻人有资格参军

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have ended, and Congress has ordered the military to reduce troop levels. But the United States Army -- and other military services -- must continue to recruit new soldiers, and it is having trouble finding enough people who are qualified¹.

The Army tells VOA “changes in society have decreased the number of young people who are eligible² to join.”

The U.S. Army plans to reduce its size from 508,000 soldiers to 450,000 by the year 2017. Most new soldiers leave the service after their first enlistment³ period of three or four years has ended. So the Army must still recruit between 70,000 and 90,000 young Americans every year to reach its target troop level.

People who want to join the Army must be in good physical and mental condition. They must be between the ages of 17 and 34. They must have graduated from high school. They must not have used illegal drugs or have a criminal record. And they may have only small tattoos⁵ -- and none on their hands, face, neck or head.

The Department of Defense⁶ says 71 percent of young Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 would not be accepted into one of the nation’s military services if they volunteered. The Army believes that number will increase to 80 percent by 2020, mostly because of the expected rise in obesity⁷ levels.

The Army says about 28 percent of people who apply are rejected because they are overweight or have behavior problems. Others are not permitted to join because they have a criminal record or a history of drug abuse. Some are rejected because they are unable to meet the military’s academic requirements. One-quarter of the high school graduates who take the Army’s math and reading test fail it.

Beth Asch is a senior economist⁸ at the RAND Corporation, a research group. She studies military recruiting activities. She is surprised by the number of people who cannot meet the military’s standards.

“It does sound like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty amazing isn’t it?’ There are a lot of people who simply don’t qualify.”

Major General Allen Batschelet is the commander of the U.S. Army’s Recruiting Command. He spoke⁹ to the public radio program Here and Now in August about the Army’s recruiting difficulties. He says the main problem is young Americans’ poor physical fitness.

“The factors that we use to measure and evaluate people to join the Army increasingly they’re not able to meet those requirements. It’s very troubling, and the trends are not in the good direction -- especially in regards to fitness. Young people are showing up at our doors increasingly unfit or obese¹⁰ and it’s, it’s a real problem.”

In the 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the National Institutes of Health found that one-third of all Americans can be considered obese. A group of retired¹¹ senior military officers is warning that the country’s high obesity rate threatens national security and the military’s ability to win wars. D. Allen Youngman is a member of the group, which is called Mission: Readiness. He is a retired U.S. Army major general. He told VOA the problems of American society are affecting the country’s military.

 “…the same issues and the way they’re impacting America’s overall quality of life, competitiveness in a global economy and other things.”  

The retired senior officers are fighting larger social forces. For instance, schools do not always offer healthy food or require that students exercise. General Youngman says he knows changing people’s behavior is a difficult fight.

“Human nature, you know, draws us toward sugar and fat and things like that. And if, and if we say it’s all about choice well then we have to live with those consequences. But if we, if we can provide more intelligent choices then, you know, young people are gonna respond.”    

The U.S. Army reflects the nature of the country’s youth. And many young Americans are simply too fat to fight. General Batschelet says he is worried the Army will soon be unable to reach its recruiting goals. He says the country’s current social trends may be creating a serious national security problem.

Words in This Story

qualified – adj. having the necessary skill, experience, or knowledge to do a particular job or activity; having the qualifications to do something

eligible – adj. able to be chosen for something; able to do or receive something

enlistment period – n. a term of enlistment in the military (usually 3-4 years in the US military)

recruit – v. to find suitable people and get them to join a company, an organization or the armed forces

tattoo⁴ – n. a picture or word that is permanently¹² drawn¹³ on a person’s skin by using a needle and ink

behavior problems – n. issues with the way a person or animal acts or behaves

academic – adj. of or relating to schools and education

physical fitness – adj. physically¹⁴ healthy and strong

quality of life – n. how good or bad a person’s life is

competitiveness – n. as good as or better than others of the same kind; able to compete successfully with others

standards – n. a level of quality or achievement that is considered acceptable or desirable

larger social forces – n. societal trends; society working together in order to achieve something or change behaviors or characteristics

healthy food – n. food that is good for your health

exercise – n. physical activity that is done in order to become stronger and healthier

draws us toward – idiom motivates or compels to take an action

consequences – n. something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions

respond – v. to have a particular reaction to something

reflects the nature – v. to show or be a sign of the nature of something or of someone’s attitude or feeling

social trends – n. a general direction of change in a society; a way of behaving or proceeding that is developing and becoming more common

1 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

2 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

3 enlistment   

n.应征入伍，获得，取得

参考例句：

• Illness as a disqualification for enlistment in the army. 疾病是取消参军入伍资格的一个原因。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One obstacle to the enlistment of able professors was that they had to take holy orders. 征聘有才能的教授的障碍是他们必须成为牧师。 来自辞典例句

4 tattoo   

n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于

参考例句：

• I've decided to get my tattoo removed.我已经决定去掉我身上的纹身。
• He had a tattoo on the back of his hand.他手背上刺有花纹。

5 tattoos   

n.文身( tattoo的名词复数 )；归营鼓；军队夜间表演操；连续有节奏的敲击声v.刺青，文身( tattoo的第三人称单数 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击

参考例句：

• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的胳膊上刺满了花纹。
• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的双臂刺满了纹身。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

7 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

8 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。

11 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

12 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

13 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

14 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。