VOA慢速英语2015 女性加入美国游骑兵
时间:2019-01-12 作者:英语课 分类:2015年VOA慢速英语(四)月
AS IT IS 2015-04-18 Women Seek to Join US Army Rangers 2 女性加入美国游骑兵
About 20 women will enter the U.S. Army Ranger 1 School for the first time on April 20. The school has one of the most difficult training programs for soldiers. But a new Army survey shows that many male soldiers are unhappy about it.
The Army says Rangers “conduct airborne and air assault operations, seizing key terrain 3 such as airfields 4, destroying strategic facilities, and capturing or killing 5 enemies of the nation.”
The training at Ranger School is “physically and mentally grueling.” Less than half of the male soldiers who begin the training complete it. During the 62-day-long course, soldiers train in the jungle, mountains and swamps. The course is designed to simulate combat. They often eat just one meal a day and may not sleep for days. They lose an average of 15 to 20 pounds during the course.
The women who will enter the Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia have already completed a 16-day-long course called Ranger Training Assessment 6 Course, or RTAC. The course includes some of the same physical challenges as the Ranger School. It also includes testing of a soldier’s ability to lead others. The Army says more than half of those who complete RTAC finish Ranger training.
Letting women enter Ranger training is part of the U.S. military’s larger effort to open many jobs to women that they have historically not been allowed to perform. Women are not permitted to hold some of the most dangerous jobs, including infantry 7 and Special Forces, like Rangers, SEALs and Green Berets.
In 2012, then-Defense 8 Secretary Leon Panetta ordered American military services to open all of their jobs to women unless they can show why women cannot perform them. If the military wants to ban women from some jobs, they must ask for permission from the Secretary of Defense, who will make the final decision.
On April 6, the Associated Press reported that male soldiers serving in the special operations forces do not believe women can be Rangers. They fear that standards will be lowered so that women can meet them. They believe political leaders are forcing the military to do what it does not want to do.
The news report came from a survey that has not yet been released by the Army, but the news agency was able to read it. The AP reported that about 9,000 soldiers answered questions in the survey.
Even if some women complete the Ranger course, they will not be able to join one of the Army’s four Ranger units because they are open only to men. Some believe only soldiers who are members of a Ranger unit are true Rangers. But the Army tells VOA that any women who graduate from the course on June 18th will be considered Rangers, the first in the history of the U.S. Army.
Words in This Story
survey – n. an activity in which many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something
terrain – n. land of a particular kind
grueling – adj. very difficult; requiring great effort
swamp – n. land that is always wet and often partly covered with water
simulate – v. to look, feel or behave like (something)
- He was the head ranger of the national park.他曾是国家公园的首席看守员。
- He loved working as a ranger.他喜欢做护林人。
- Do you know where the Rangers Stadium is? 你知道Rangers体育场在哪吗? 来自超越目标英语 第3册
- Now I'm a Rangers' fan, so I like to be near the stadium. 现在我是Rangers的爱好者,所以我想离体育场近一点。 来自超越目标英语 第3册
- He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
- He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。
- For several days traffic fromthe Naples airfields was partially interrupted. 那不勒斯机场的对外交通部分地停顿了数天。 来自辞典例句
- We have achieved a great amount of destruction at airfields and air bases. 我们已把机场和空军基地大加破坏。 来自辞典例句
- Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
- Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
- This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
- What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何?
- The infantry were equipped with flame throwers.步兵都装备有喷火器。
- We have less infantry than the enemy.我们的步兵比敌人少。