54.How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?
54.可以投票选举总统的公民年龄是多大？
Answer:
答案：
Eighteen (18) and older
18岁
Explanation:
解释：
Americans have many rites of passage (or important things that one does to move from one phase of one’s life to another phase) when becoming adults. One rite of passage is getting a driver’s license when they turn 16. Another rite of passage is being able to drink alcohol when they turn 21. And of course, at age 18 they can begin voting for the president of the United States. But this wasn’t always true.
美国人成人后有很多里程碑式的典礼，其中一项典礼就是16岁时可以拿到驾照，另一项典礼是21岁可以喝酒，还有就是18岁可以投票选举总统，但这些年龄限制并不是从刚开始就这样的。
In the past, each state was able to set (or establish) its own voting age. Most states had a voting age of 21, but five states had younger voting ages. As the Vietnam War was being fought, there was a lot of pressure (or the feeling of needing to do something) to standardize (or to make the same) the voting age for the entire (or whole) country. Many young men who were only 18 years old were being conscripted (or forced to join the Army) to fight in the Vietnam War. These men were angry that they were being asked to fight for their country when they weren’t able to vote for the country’s leaders who were asking them to fight.
过去每个州都是自己规定选举年龄。大部分州的选举年龄是21岁，只有5个州的选举年龄小。越南战争爆发后，政府对于选举年龄标准面临很大压力。很多刚打到18岁的青年被迫参加越南战争，他们为国家而战却没有选举拍他们打仗的国家领导的权利，这是他们很愤怒。
The people who wanted to standardize and lower (or reduce) the voting age to 18 had a popular slogan (or a phrase that many people repeat as a message about what they want to do or change). It was, “Old enough to fight, old enough to vote.” They meant that since the nation had decided that 18-year-old men were old enough to be in the Army, it should also decide that they were old enough to vote.
想明确和降低选举年龄到18岁的人有一句著名的口号是“能打仗，就能投票”。这些人自国家规定年满18周岁的男青年能参军时，就认为他们也有投票选举的权利。
In 1971, the voting age was finally standardized and lowered. The 26th Constitutional Amendment (or change or addition to the Constitution, the most important legal document in the country) was ratified (or approved and made into a law) on July 7, 1971. It made the legal voting age 18 years old for the entire country.
1971年，选举年龄最终确定了。第26条宪法修正案于1971年7月7日通过，18周岁为法定投票选举年龄成为整个国家统一的标准。
The Amendment had some unintended (or unexpected) consequences, which are things that happen as a result of doing something else. After lowering the voting age, most states began to lower the age for other things, such as getting married or making contracts (or legal agreements). Today, most Americans believe that people become adults on their 18th birthday.
修正案的确立也无心导致了一些后果。在降低选举年龄后，大部分州开始降低其他事情的年龄限制，如结婚年龄或指定法律年龄。现如今，大部分美国人将18岁生日视为成人的开始。
Glossary
词汇
54.How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?
54.可以投票选举总统的公民年龄是多大？
rite of passage - an important thing that one does to move from one phase of one’s life to another phase
Rite of passage—某人从人生一个阶段到另一阶段作的重要事情
*For many Americans, getting their first apartment is a rite of passage when they become an adult.
*对很多美国人来说，有自己的第一间公寓是成人的重要里程。
to set - to establish; to put; to place
To set—建立；放置；定位
*Please set the thermometer at 68 degrees.
*请将温度计调到68度。
pressure - the feeling of needing to do something
Pressure—需要做某事的感觉
*The professor feels a lot of pressure to publish research articles.
*教授感觉发表调研文章有很大压力。
to standardize - to make the same; to make many different things become the same in some way
To standardize—使相同的；是很多不同的事情成为相同的
*We need to standardize our company's policies so that all employees follow the same rules.
*我们需要统一公司的政策，这样员工们可以遵循一样的规定。
conscripted - forced to join the military; told by the government that one must join the military
Conscripted—强迫加入部队；由政府通知某人必须加入军队
*Some of the Americans who were conscripted for the Vietnam War decided to move to Canada so that they wouldn't have to fight.
*有些被迫加入越南战争的美国人决定移民到加拿大，这样就不用去参战了。
slogan - a phrase that many people repeat as a message about what they want to do or change
Slogan—许多人重复申明需要做或需要改变的句子
*The slogan for our organization is: “Be part of the solution, not the problem.”
*我们机构的口号是：“要解决答案，而不是问题。”
ratified - approved and made into a law
Ratified—同意并形成法律
*When was the 12th Constitutional Amendment ratified?
*第12条宪法修正案是什么时候通过的？
unintended - unexpected; not intentional; not planned; not meant to happen
Unintended—没预料到的；非目的性的；没有计划的；没有打算发生的
*Many people use that product for unintended purposes.
*很多人使用这款产品没有明确意图。
consequence - something that happens as a result of doing something else
Consequence—某事的发生导致其他事的发生
*The consequence of driving too quickly was that he got into an accident.
*开车太快的结果是他们撞车了。
contract - a legal agreement
Contract—合法协议
*They had to sign a 15-page contract when they moved into the apartment building.
*他们搬到公寓楼时签了一份15页长的合同。