VOA标准英语2010年-Role Players Help US Military Practice

Soldiers train on how to react if a small nuclear bomb, set off by terrorists, were to hit an American city

The U.S. Army recently held a series of training exercises in Indiana, to teach troops how to react if a small nuclear bomb, set off by terrorists, were to hit an American city.  The exercises included crowd control, medical care and rubble¹ removal.  Helping² to make the mock scenarios⁴ especially realistic were the people hired to play the roles of survivors⁵. 

Lynn Smith says she is playing the role of a wife and mother who is desperately⁶ looking for her son in the chaos⁷ after a nuclear attack.  She has taken part in a number of military training exercises in Indiana and enjoys working with the soldiers. "It's not only a job, it's a mission, and it's so real to them," she said.

About 150 role players took part in these exercises, many of them playing survivors with injuries. "The intent is to stress the soldier who doesn't have an answer for them. They have to deal with it. These people are hurt. They need medical care," said Kevin Dowling of the Velbin Corporation, the company that hires the role players.

Working as many as 12 hours per day, the role players also portrayed⁸ demonstrators and looters. "They're sad, they're mad, they're angry. They've lost family members, and they really help enhance the training here," said  Colonel James Larsen, the chief of training exercises for the nuclear attack scenario³.

The soldiers also have to face language barriers. Tony Ivezaj, originally from Kosovo, talks in his native Albanian during the exercises, and the soldiers cannot figure out what language he is speaking. "They are not that happy. They say, 'Let me bring another translator,'" he said.

The role players range widely in age - from their late teens to their 60s. After he retired⁹, Bob Ford¹⁰ started doing this as a part-time job.  He says he tries to be convincing. "Every scenario is actually different. I feel this is helping them serve their country, in a way, helping training them," he said.

Elvin Forey, a first time as a role player, was laid off from his job, so he became a role player to make some money. He says he is supposed to scream at the soldiers: "I can't find my family, I don't know where they are, stuff like that. Hopefully, this exercise helps them out," he said.

Most of these role players are from Indiana, but some have come from other parts of the United States. Jeff Hasert from California came to visit his grandparents in Indiana, who are also playing survivors after the atomic bomb attack. They gave him this advice: "Stay in your role, I guess, don't laugh, just get in their faces as much as you can," he said.

And the soldiers appreciate the role players' efforts.  In one part of the exercise, the mock survivors are being decontaminated.  Lieutenant¹¹ Zacharia Davis, an army nurse, treats their wounds before they go through the process. "They're pretty good. That's kind of the goal - they want to simulate real casualties, give us really good training," he said.
 

1 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

4 scenarios   

n.[意]情节；剧本；事态；脚本

参考例句：

• Further, graphite cores may be safer than non-graphite cores under some accident scenarios. 再者，根据一些事故解说，石墨堆芯可比非石墨堆芯更安全一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Again, scenarios should make it clear which modes are acceptable to users in various contexts. 同样，我们可以运用场景剧本来搞清楚在不同情境下哪些模式可被用户接受。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

5 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

6 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

7 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

8 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 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。

10 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

11 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。