VOA标准英语2008年-Survey of U.S. High School Students Shows Decli

U.S. teenagers today are less hopeful than they were just five years ago about America's ability to address its most critical problems, from the economy and global warming to international terrorism. But a new survey of American high school students shows that the nation's young people remain optimistic about their own futures¹.
　
Peter Hart releasing the results about the status of American youth

The survey was designed to provide a comprehensive look at the "opinions, apprehensions² and aspirations³" of U.S. high school students, according to the group that commissioned it. The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished⁴ Americans is a private group that promotes the value of higher education in helping⁵ young people achieve success as adults.

The phone survey contacted more than 1000 U.S. residents between 13 and 19 years old. Survey company president Peter Hart says the data show that the confidence of many young people in their country's future has been shaken by problems with the American economy, energy and climate issues, the cost of health care, and the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"What we find is today 53 percent say, 'I'm optimistic and confident,' and 39 percent are worried and pessimistic," he says. "If you look over the period of time going back to 2003, it has dropped by some 20 percent."

Despite this growing pessimism⁶, the survey also found today's American teens confident and optimistic about their own ability to succeed in life. Hart notes that fully⁷ 70 percent of the young respondents say they plan to attend a 4-year college and 62 percent say they "are very confident" that they will reach their own goals.

"One of the fascinating things that we have seen is the idea that young people want to participate and they want to be able to make a difference," Hart says. "We have not seen that in previous work."

Seventy percent of the surveyed teens say the outcome of the U.S. presidential election this November will make a substantial difference in the direction of the country. What are their biggest concerns? Thirty-four percent say it's the economy and jobs, and 31 percent say it's the war in Iraq.
　
American youth feel pessimistic about the U.S. economy

David Miller⁸, a California high school student who took part in the survey, says he worries about America's standing⁹ in the world. "I definitely do not feel confident in where we have been going, and I feel like the United States has lost a lot of the respect it had," he says. "We are still a very powerful country, and we are still very important, and I think we have this responsibility, and we should use it responsibly."

The survey shows a rise in American teens' interest in voting and playing a role in issues of national importance including the environment. The survey found that 72 percent of American teens believe global warming is an urgent or serious problem.

Jacqueline Jewell, a student from Texas, believes her generation is becoming more engaged and proactive. "We definitely do what we can and do a lot of activities that go with that, like recycling," she says. "You see people do fundraisers for everything. I think we are really working to make a difference."

American teens also seem to recognize the need to prepare for an increasingly competitive global economy. One of every three in the survey says the most important school subjects are science and technology, and 38 percent wish their schools had more up-to-date laboratory and computer equipment.
　
Young Americans are confident and optimistic that they can achieve their goals in life

The survey suggests that high school students are using the Internet more for entertainment and social networking than for researching their homework. But Devron Lovick, a high school student from Pennsylvania, says her peers understand the value of the Internet as a learning tool. "With the Internet the way it is, with availability of information, the youth become empowered, because with knowledge comes power, she says. "But then with power comes responsibility. So consequently more responsibility has been rested on our shoulders, and we know the issues, and we get dissatisfied if we do not do anything about them."

The students acknowledge that there has been a negative side to the Internet. Sixteen percent of the survey sample say they have been a victim of cyber bullying¹⁰ – a type of abusive or destructive behavior that is increasingly evident on many online social networks. That would amount to nearly two and a half million of the 14.9 million high school students in the United States who've been victimized online. Almost one-third of the surveyed teens now view online bullying as a greater threat then the physical bullying already taking place in many U.S. high schools.

American teens are divided on another important national issue – the impact immigration is having on the United States. Their attitudes are significantly at odds¹¹ with their parents on this issue. While only 39 percent of adults in a recent poll describe immigration as a positive force in the life of the nation, close to half of the teens surveyed in the Hart poll believe immigration has been good for the country. Forty percent of the teens say immigration has had a negative impact on American society.

1 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。

2 apprehensions   

疑惧

参考例句：

• He stood in a mixture of desire and apprehensions. 他怀着渴望和恐惧交加的心情伫立着。
• But subsequent cases have removed many of these apprehensions. 然而，随后的案例又消除了许多类似的忧虑。

3 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

4 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

5 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。

6 pessimism   

n.悲观者，悲观主义者，厌世者

参考例句：

• He displayed his usual pessimism.他流露出惯有的悲观。
• There is the note of pessimism in his writings.他的著作带有悲观色彩。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？