美国国家公共电台 NPR What Teens Really Say About Sex, Drugs And Sadness

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Do you want to know what teenagers really think about sex and drugs? Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention actually have a pretty good idea. Every other year, thousands of teens in high schools across the country take the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The CDC just released results for 2017, and, as NPR's Cory Turner reports, there were a number of surprises.

CORY TURNER, BYLINE¹: First, sex - and here, the news is almost all good, says Kathleen Ethier. She's director of CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health.

KATHLEEN ETHIER: Fewer are initiating² sex. Fewer are currently sexually active. They're having fewer partners, and they're using more effective hormonal³ birth control methods.

TURNER: One change in the data that Ethier is not happy about is a decline in condom use. She says that's likely because many schools have stopped educating kids about the risks.

ETHIER: There has been a decrease over time in requirements that school cover HIV and STD in their health education programs.

TURNER: When it comes to illicit⁴ drugs like cocaine⁵ and heroin⁶, teen use is way down compared to a decade ago. For the first time, though, the CDC also asked teens if they have ever misused⁷ prescription⁸ opioids, and 14 percent said yes.

ETHIER: We don't know what this 14 percent number means, but we were quite surprised by it.

TURNER: One in 5 teens also said they'd been bullied⁹ at school. But students of color are far more likely than white students to say they missed school because of safety concerns. Some of the biggest red flags were in mental health. Ethier says a third of teens reported persistent¹⁰ feelings of sadness or hopelessness.

ETHIER: I think that's really significant and certainly not what we want to see if we're trying to send our kids into adulthood¹¹ in the most healthy way.

TURNER: The news is even worse for students who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual. In fact, in every category, LGBT teens were at higher risk than their heterosexual classmates. Nearly two-thirds reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. They're twice as likely to be bullied and four times as likely to attempt suicide.

ELLEN KAHN: It's shocking and alarming and tells us that things are terribly wrong, and we seriously need to address this.

TURNER: Ellen Kahn is director of the Children Youth and Families Program at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. She says these data are a stark¹² reminder¹³ of the lack of protections for LGBT teens and why she says they're sorely needed.

Cory Turner, NPR News, Washington.

(SOUNDBITE OF EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY'S "POSTCARDS FROM 1952")

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 initiating   

v.开始( initiate的现在分词 )；传授；发起；接纳新成员

参考例句：

• He is good at initiating projects but rarely follows through with anything. 他善于创建项目，但难得坚持完成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Only the perchlorate shows marked sensitiveness and possibly initiating properties. 只有高氯酸盐表现有显著的感度和可能具有起爆性能。 来自辞典例句

3 hormonal   

adj.激素的

参考例句：

• Some viral diseases are more severe during pregnancy, probably tecause of hormonal changes. 有些病毒病在妊娠期间比较严重，可能是由于激素变化引起的。
• She underwent surgical intervention and a subsequent short period of hormonal therapy. 他接受外科手术及随后短暂荷尔蒙治疗。

4 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

5 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

6 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

7 misused   

v.使用…不当( misuse的过去式和过去分词 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用

参考例句：

• He misused his dog shamefully. 他可耻地虐待自己的狗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had grossly misused his power. 他严重滥用职权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

9 bullied   

adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My son is being bullied at school. 我儿子在学校里受欺负。
• The boy bullied the small girl into giving him all her money. 那男孩威逼那个小女孩把所有的钱都给他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

11 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。

12 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

13 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。