VOA常速英语2007年-Record Numbers of Nepalese Apply to Gurkha Brig

By Liam Cochrane
Pokhara, Nepal
06 December 2007

A record number of young Nepalese men are applying to join the British army's Brigade of Gurkhas. With political uncertainty¹ continuing to undermine Nepal's economy, a job with the Gurkhas is one of the best employment prospects² in the country, even though the soldiers could be sent to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan. Liam Cochrane reports from Pokhara, in central Nepal.

This year, more than 17,000 young men lined up outside recruiting offices around Nepal, all hoping to enlist³ in the British army's Brigade of Gurkhas.

But only 230, or one in 75 of the applicants⁴, will be make it into the British Army this year, with a further 64 recommended to the Singapore Police.

The British army has been recruiting Gurkha soldiers for almost two centuries, and 3,500 Gurkhas are currently deployed⁵ around the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

After a long battle for equal rights, Nepalese Gurkhas now enjoy the same pensions and salaries as native British soldiers, with a starting wage of 12,500 pounds, onsidered a small fortune in this, one of the world's poorest nations.

Like many of his countrymen, Asip Limbu was attracted by the prestige and the money.

"British Army is very famous in the world and we can get a lot of money after joining there," he said.

The Gurkhas are famously tough soldiers, and the selection process is also tough. Along with tests in English, mathematics and general fitness, recruits must complete a five-kilometer run up a steep hill carrying a 25-kilogram basket of sand.

Major Toby Jackman is the commanding officer at the British camp in the town of Pokhara, and his main job is to recruit Gurkha soldiers. He says that while a growing population and better army advertising⁶ partly explain the increasing number of applicants, the situation within Nepal is also causing many to seek jobs abroad.

"Things have changed here in Nepal, sadly the country has gone through a period of conflict, there has been a movement of population into the more urban areas, and there is perhaps a higher tendency than was in the past for some of the young people of Nepal to look abroad for work," he said.

A set of British army guidelines introduced earlier this year has opened the door for Gurkhas to move into new areas of the military once they have served five years, potentially leading to new career paths for the recruits of today. Previously⁷, opportunities for Nepalese Gurkhas were limited.

In another change, the introduction of equal opportunity guidelines means female Gurkhas will be recruited starting in 2009.

1 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

2 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

3 enlist   

vt.谋取(支持等)，赢得；征募；vi.入伍

参考例句：

• They come here to enlist men for the army.他们来这儿是为了召兵。
• The conference will make further efforts to enlist the support of the international community for their just struggle. 会议必将进一步动员国际社会，支持他们的正义斗争。

4 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

5 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

6 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

7 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。