VOA慢速英语：4名美国青少年竞选州长

[page]参考译文[/page]

US Teenagers Seeking Election as State Governor

美国青少年竞选州长

At least four teenagers have launched campaigns for governor in two American states.

目前为止，已经至少有4名青少年宣布参加美国两个州的州长竞选活动。

The young people have declared their candidacy in states that do not have age requirements to serve as governor.

这4名青少年表示已经参加竞选，而所竞选的州并没有年龄要求。

Ethan Randleas is a 17-year-old from Wichita, Kansas. He was the most recent teenager to announce his candidacy. He wants to represent the Republican Party in the state’s 2018 gubernatorial elections.

Ethan Randleas今年17岁，来自堪萨斯州威奇托市。近期刚刚宣布参选。他想代表共和党参加2018年的州长选举。

Two other Kansas teenagers have also launched campaigns. They are 17-year-old Republican Tyler Ruzich, of Prairie Village, and 16-year-old Jack Bergeson of Wichita. Bergeson wants to be the Democratic Party’s nominee.

另外两名来自堪萨斯州的青少年也宣布参加竞选。他们分别是来自普雷里村的17岁的Tyler Ruzich，和来自威奇托市16岁的Jack Bergeson. Bergeson想要代表民主党参选。

It is ironic that some of the candidates will not be able to vote for themselves because they must be 18 years old to vote.

但是讽刺的是，一些候选人不能为自己投票，因为只有18岁才能行使投票权。

The current Kansas governor is Sam Brownback, who has served two four-year terms. State law prevents governors from serving more than two back-to-back terms. Other, non-teenage candidates are also hoping to be elected governor.

目前Sam Brownback任堪萨斯州州长，已经连任2个四年任期。而该州的法律禁止州长连任超过两届。此外，其他一些候选人也希望可以当选州长。

Kansas officials say the state has no legal requirements for the office. “There’s nothing in the law – there’s no age, no citizenship, no residency, no nothing,” the state’s director of elections, Bryan Caskey told the The Hutchinson News.

堪萨斯州州的官员表示，本州法律对任职官员没有限制。“对年龄、国籍、住址等均没有法律要求。”堪萨斯州的选举主任Bryan Caskey 向哈金森新闻表示。

 

Candidates only have to pay a small amount of money to get their name on the ballot. Ethan Randleas has started a Go Fund Me campaign to raise money. He says he will need to raise $2,300 by June 2018 to be put on the Republican primary ballot.

候选人只需要支付少量资金来参加评选。Ethan Randleas已经发起了“发现我，资助我 ”的活动来募集资金。他需要在2018年6月前筹集2300美元，才能在共和党初选中获得选票。

Randleas calls himself a “conservatarian,” which he described as someone who supports a combination of conservative and libertarian values.

Randleas称自己是“保守的自由派”，即支持保守观和自由论的综合者。

“We just had a president win on the campaign promise of draining the swamp,” he told the Kansas City Star newspaper. “And if you really want to drain the swamp, you get the complete outsiders, and that’s what I am.”

“在竞选中，我们刚有一位总统获选” 他对堪萨斯城明星报说道，“如果你真的想当选，那么必须打败所有的局外人员，而这就是我的初衷。”

Randleas also said he generally believes that the government should stay out of anything that does not involve the protection of life, liberty or property.

Randleas还表示自己认为政府应该只专注于保护生命、自由权以及财产的事情。

Jack Bergeson says he has been interested in the political process for as long as he can remember. But he decided to enter politics himself after watching Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who sought the Democratic presidential nomination last year. The teenager describes himself as “a Bernie Sanders-style left-wing Democrat/Progressive.”

Jack Bergeson 表示从记事起，自己对政治就很感兴趣。但是是在看完佛蒙特州的参议员伯尼•桑德斯，于去年参选民主党总统选举之后，自己下定决心进入政治领域。这位青少年这样描述自己“伯尼•桑德斯型的左翼民主党/进步人士。”

Like Sanders, Bergeson has campaigned for a higher minimum wage. He also supports reduced taxes for poor families, pay increases for teachers and the legalization of marijuana.

和桑德斯一样，Bergeson支持提高最低工资标准，他还支持减少贫困家庭的税收、增加教师的工资、使大麻合法化。

The third teen candidate in Kansas, Tyler Ruzich, says he decided to run after Bergeson announced his candidacy.

Bergeson 宣布参选之后，第三位来自堪萨斯州的青少年参选人Tyler Ruzich紧随其后，宣布参选。

“I thought that was just so cool that someone my age was doing that,” Ruzich told the Kansas City Star. “He really started to tell me, well, why aren’t you throwing your hat in the race?”

“我觉得，在我这样的年龄做这件事情，非常的了不起。”Ruzich 对堪萨斯城明星报说道，“Bergeson真正意义上的告诉我，为什么不自己宣布参选呢?”

Since the parties have yet to nominate candidates, it is possible Kansas voters could be choosing between two teenagers next year.

目前为止，两党派尚未公布候选人员，很有可能明年堪萨斯州的选民会在这两位青少年中进行选择。

On the East Coast, 13-year-old Ethan Sonneborn has launched a campaign for governor in Vermont. He sent out his own press release announcing the move. Sonneborn has repeatedly answered questions with interested media.

而在东海岸，13岁的Ethan Sonneborn宣布参加佛蒙特州州长竞选。这位青少年自己举办了新闻发布会宣布了此举。在发布会中Sonneborn多次回答了相关媒体的问题。

“I'd rather lose a fight with a lot of visibility than lose a fight quietly,” he told the Burlington Free Press.

他对伯灵顿自由报说到，“相比于悄无声息地输掉竞选，我宁愿输的轰轰烈烈。”

On his Facebook page, Sonneborn talks about what he considers the main issues in his campaign. These include support for rebuilding infrastructure across Vermont and lowering taxes on the middle class. He also said he is “proud to be the most pro-choice, pro-gender equality candidate.”

Sonneborn在他的脸谱上谈论了对于竞选中自己认为的主要问题。这其中包括，对佛蒙特州基础设施的重建还有减少对中产阶级的税收。他还表示“非常自豪成为支持公平决选，支持性别平等的候选人。”

Sonneborn told the Free Press that local Democratic Party officials have been slow to take him seriously. He also admitted it will be difficult trying to travel around the state while still attending school.

Sonneborn 向自由报表示当地的民主党官员对于以自己候选人的身份尚未严肃对待。他承认，自己还在上学，想要在州内巡回是很困难的。

But in the end, he said, he believes many of the state’s voters will see his age as a good thing, and give him their votes.

但是，在最后，他表示该州的很多选民会把自己的年龄视为优势，然后投票给自己。

I’m Bryan Lynn.

我是Bryan Lynn

[page]听力原文[/page]

At least four teenagers have launched campaigns for governor in two American states.

The young people have declared their candidacy in states that do not have age requirements to serve as governor.

Ethan Randleas is a 17-year-old from Wichita, Kansas. He was the most recent teenager to announce his candidacy. He wants to represent the Republican Party in the state’s 2018 gubernatorial elections.

Two other Kansas teenagers have also launched campaigns. They are 17-year-old Republican Tyler Ruzich, of Prairie Village, and 16-year-old Jack Bergeson of Wichita. Bergeson wants to be the Democratic Party’s nominee.

It is ironic that some of the candidates will not be able to vote for themselves because they must be 18 years old to vote.

The current Kansas governor is Sam Brownback, who has served two four-year terms. State law prevents governors from serving more than two back-to-back terms. Other, non-teenage candidates are also hoping to be elected governor.

Kansas officials say the state has no legal requirements for the office. “There’s nothing in the law – there’s no age, no citizenship, no residency, no nothing,” the state’s director of elections, Bryan Caskey told the The Hutchinson News.

Candidates only have to pay a small amount of money to get their name on the ballot. Ethan Randleas has started a Go Fund Me campaign to raise money. He says he will need to raise $2,300 by June 2018 to be put on the Republican primary ballot.

Randleas calls himself a “conservatarian,” which he described as someone who supports a combination of conservative and libertarian values.

“We just had a president win on the campaign promise of draining the swamp,” he told the Kansas City Star newspaper. “And if you really want to drain the swamp, you get the complete outsiders, and that’s what I am.”

Randleas also said he generally believes that the government should stay out of anything that does not involve the protection of life, liberty or property.

Jack Bergeson says he has been interested in the political process for as long as he can remember. But he decided to enter politics himself after watching Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who sought the Democratic presidential nomination last year. The teenager describes himself as “a Bernie Sanders-style left-wing Democrat/Progressive.”

Like Sanders, Bergeson has campaigned for a higher minimum wage. He also supports reduced taxes for poor families, pay increases for teachers and the legalization of marijuana.

The third teen candidate in Kansas, Tyler Ruzich, says he decided to run after Bergeson announced his candidacy.

“I thought that was just so cool that someone my age was doing that,” Ruzich told the Kansas City Star. “He really started to tell me, well, why aren’t you throwing your hat in the race?”

Since the parties have yet to nominate candidates, it is possible Kansas voters could be choosing between two teenagers next year.

On the East Coast, 13-year-old Ethan Sonneborn has launched a campaign for governor in Vermont. He sent out his own press release announcing the move. Sonneborn has repeatedly answered questions with interested media.

“I'd rather lose a fight with a lot of visibility than lose a fight quietly,” he told the Burlington Free Press.

On his Facebook page, Sonneborn talks about what he considers the main issues in his campaign. These include support for rebuilding infrastructure across Vermont and lowering taxes on the middle class. He also said he is “proud to be the most pro-choice, pro-gender equality candidate.”

Sonneborn told the Free Press that local Democratic Party officials have been slow to take him seriously. He also admitted it will be difficult trying to travel around the state while still attending school.

But in the end, he said, he believes many of the state’s voters will see his age as a good thing, and give him their votes.

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Words in This Story

ironic – adj. strange or funny because it is different from what would be expected

libertarian – adj. political beliefs that promote civil liberties

swamp – n. wet and muddy land usually covered with water

minimum – adj. the least amount of something

marijuana – n. the dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant, smoked as a drug

throw one’s hat into the race/ring – idiom. announce an intention to run for office

visibility – n. how well or far a person can see

infrastructure – n. basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) needed for a country to function properly​

gender – n. the behavioral or cultural qualities usually linked to one sex