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美国的法定饮酒年龄为什么是21岁(1)

来源:可可英语 编辑:hepburn   可可英语APP下载 |  可可官方微信:ikekenet

"Michael, welcome to the White House."

“迈克尔,欢迎来到白宫。”
This is the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Wilson Reagan, and Michael Joseph Jackson. 1984 Michael Jackson.
这是美国第40任总统罗纳德·威尔逊·里根和迈克尔·约瑟夫·杰克逊,1984年的迈克尔·杰克逊。
"For Michael Jackson brings a thrill a minute to his millions of fan."
“迈克尔·杰克逊给他的数百万歌迷带来了激动人心的一分钟。”
"We have quite a few young folks in the White House who all wanted me to give you the same message -
“白宫里有不少年轻人都想让我给你传达同样的信息——
they said to tell Michael, please give some TLC to the PYTs."
他们让我转告你,请给那些漂亮的小家伙(PYT)些许亲切的关照吧。”
So this is not just a footnote in history.
所以,这一刻不仅仅是历史的一页。
It actually connects, in a weird way, to the reason that you have to be 21 in every state in the United States to buy alcohol.
也以一种奇怪的方式,和为什么美国每个州买酒的法定年龄统一为21岁这个问题联系在了一起。
I’ll show you.
下面我就来给您解释。
States determine their own minimum legal drinking ages, and in 1975, they looked like this.
美国各州的最低法定饮酒年龄原本是他们自己制定的,1975年的时候整个国家法定饮酒年龄地图是这个样子的。
All these blue states are at 18.
所有这些蓝色州的法定饮酒年龄都是18岁。
All these green ones are 19.
所有这些绿色州的都是19岁。
Delaware’s yellow, alone at 20.
特拉华州是唯一一个黄色州,该州的法定饮酒年龄是20岁。
These orange ones are 21, but with allowances for lower alcohol levels in stuff like beer and wine.
这些橙色州的是21岁,但对啤酒和葡萄酒等酒精含量较低的酒管的要松一些。
And these red ones are the 21 and older states.
这些红色州的法定饮酒年龄都在21岁及以上。
It’s a complicated map.
这是一张比较复杂的地图。
Now look at the map today.
现在我们再来看今天的法定饮酒年龄地图。
It’s all 21 How did that change happen?
统一为21岁,这种变化是怎么发生的呢?
This story takes you to a political crossroads, and the Supreme Court,
故事还要从一个政治十字路口以及最高法院,
and, in a weird way, to Michael Jackson shaking hands next to the president, while dressed like this.
还有,很奇怪的,迈克尔·杰克逊穿着这样的衣服在总统旁边握手这一时刻说起。
But the drinking age change is ultimately a story about roads.
不过,归根结底,饮酒年龄的变化其实是一个跟路有关的故事。
Prohibition, the 18th amendment to the US Constitution, banned alcohol in 1920.
1920年,美国宪法第十八条修正案规定,禁止饮酒。
It was repealed by the 21st amendment — and after that, a lot of states settled on a drinking age of 21 and older.
后来,第21条修正案又废除了这一规定——那以后,许多州都将饮酒年龄提到了21岁及以上。
See the red here, in the late 60s?
看到这份60年代末的地图上的红色区域了吗?
Those are all 21 and older states.
这些州的法定饮酒年龄都在21岁及以上。
In the 70s, the 26th amendment changed the dynamic again.
70年代,第26条修正案再次改变了这一局面。
"That amendment, as you know, provides for the right to vote of all of our young people between 18 and 21,
“众所所知,这项修正案赋予了我们所有18岁至21岁的年轻人以投票权,
11 million new voters as a result of this amendment."
这项修正案给我们带来了1100万的新选民。”
18 year olds could be drafted to Vietnam and vote, so a lot of states decided they could drink.
18岁的孩子可以被征去越南投票,于是,很多州都决定放宽对这一年龄层人群的饮酒限制。
That map was short lived for one reason.
这张地图不久就被废除了,但这也是有原因的。
"And here comes the President."
“总统来了。”
"Nearly 50,000 people were killed on our highways last year.
“去年有将近5万人在我们的高速公路上出交通事故离开了人世。
Now out of that statistic comes an even more chilling one.
如今,我们从这个统计数字中得出了一个更加令人心寒的结论。

2

Drunk drivers were involved in 25,000 of those fatalities, in addition to 750,000 injuries a year."

这些事故汇总有2.5万人死于酒驾,此外,每年还有75万人因为酒驾受伤。”
Drinking age reform advocates quickly attributed drunk driving fatalities in the blue states, or 18 and older states, to earlier drinking ages.
饮酒年龄改革的倡导者很快将蓝色州,也即法定饮酒年龄为18岁及以上的州发生的酒驾事故的原因推到了饮酒年龄过早上。
People also argued that teens driving across state lines to drink or purchase alcohol increased drunk driving.
大家还称,青少年为喝酒或买酒而驾车穿越州界的行为增加了醉驾的几率。
This 1983 map was still a hodgepodge, but see how more states turned green — for 19 — and yellow — for 20 years old?
这张1983年的地图仍然是一个大杂烩,但我们还是能看出,绿色州——法定饮酒年龄为19岁的州,和黄色州——法定饮酒年龄为20岁的州?——的数量已经有所增加。
That was driven partly by an awareness campaign.
一定程度上是意识运动推动了这一变化的产生。
"Thank you very much, Mr. President."
“非常感谢您,总统先生。”
Michael Jackson? He was being honored for letting his music be used in anti-drunk driving PSAs.
迈克尔·杰克逊呢?他因为允许自己的音乐被用于反酒驾公益广告受到了奖励。
"You’re as good as dead."
“你死定了。”
But tactics weren’t limited to PR.
但提高法定饮酒年龄的策略并不限于公关。
President Reagan is famous for saying:
里根总统有句名言:
"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.
“英语中最可怕的九个单词是‘政府派我来帮助大家。’"
That made his strategy kind of surprising.
这番话反倒让他的策略显得有点出人意料了。
"For even though drunk driving is a problem nation-wide, it can only be solved at the state and local level.
“因为即便酒后驾车是一个全国性的问题,我们也只能从州和地方的层面来解决。
Yet the Federal Government also has a role to play."
然而,联邦政府也得发挥作用。”
His thinking was influenced by two main groups.
他的这一思想受到了两大群体的影响。
"Much of the credit for focusing public attention goes to the grassroots campaign of organizations like MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers,
“酒驾问题能够引起公众关注,“反酒驾妈妈帮”(MADD)
and RID, Remove Intoxicated Drivers."
和“吊销酒驾司机证件”(RID)这样的民间组织功不可没。”
Candace "Candy" Lightner founded MADD in 1980 after her daughter Cari was killed by a drunk driver.
在女儿卡瑞被一个酒驾司机撞伤离开人世后,坎迪斯(糖糖)·莱特纳于1980年成立了MADD这一组织,
MADD’s goals at the time included making it easier to obtain DUI convictions and raising the drinking age.
成立之初,该组织的目标即为推动降低酒驾定罪门槛,提高法定饮酒年龄。
This direction was clear at River Dell High School in Oradell, New Jersey,
这一发展方向变得明朗化是在里根总统在新泽西州奥拉德尔的河谷高中
where President Reagan explained his unpredictable political evolution.
阐释了他那令人难以捉摸的政治变革之际。

重点单词   查看全部解释    
strategy ['strætidʒi]

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n. 战略,策略

 
prohibition [.prəui'biʃən]

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n. 禁止,禁令 Prohibition:禁酒

联想记忆
purchase ['pə:tʃəs]

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vt. 买,购买
n. 购买,购买的物品

 
evolution [.i:və'lu:ʃən]

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n. 进化,发展,演变

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limited ['limitid]

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adj. 有限的,被限制的
动词limit的过

 
reform [ri'fɔ:m]

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v. 改革,改造,革新
n. 改革,改良

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amendment [ə'mendmənt]

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n. 改善(正), 修正案,某物质能改善土壤有助生长

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footnote ['futnəut]

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n. 脚注,补充说明 vt. 给 ... 作脚注

 
complicated ['kɔmplikeitid]

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adj. 复杂的,难懂的
动词complica

 
remove [ri'mu:v]

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v. 消除,除去,脱掉,搬迁
n. 去除

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