VOA慢速英语2020 40岁以下人口已占美国主流

A new study shows that Americans under the age of 40 now make up a majority of the U.S. population.

一项新的研究表明，40岁以下美国人现在占到了美国人口的大多数。

The finding came from an examination of detailed¹ age data released by the U.S. Census² Bureau. The examination was carried out by the Brookings Institution, a Washington D.C. policy and research center.

该研究结果来自于美国人口普查局发布的一项对详细年龄数据的调查。该调查是由布鲁金斯学会所进行，这是华盛顿特区一家政策与研究中心。

The Brookings study found that people under age 40 made up 50.7 percent of the U.S. population as of July 2019. The percentage represented 166 million people. Older age groups numbered 162 million people.

布鲁金斯学会的这项研究发现，截至2019年7月，40岁以下人口占美国人口的50.7%。该百分比代表了1.66亿人口。老年人群有1.62亿。

Many of the older people are considered "baby boomers" - people born in the years following World War II. They have long been an important group in America because of their large numbers.

许多老年人被认为是“婴儿潮一代，”这是指二战后出生的人群。他们长期以来一直被认为是美国的重要群体。

Many of the people under age 40 are in a group known as "millennials." Members of the millennial³ group were born between 1981 and 1996.

许多40岁以下人口属于“千禧一代。”千禧一代人群出生在1981年到1996年之间。

People in another group, the so-called "Generation Z," were born after 1996.

被称为“Z世代”的另一群人出生在1996年之后。

A generation is a group of people born and living during the same time.

世代是指在同一时期出生或生活的人群。

William Frey is a senior fellow at Brookings' Metropolitan⁴ Policy Program. "To many Americans - especially baby boomers themselves - this news may come as a shock," he wrote in a report about the study.

威廉·弗雷是布鲁金斯学会大都市政策项目的高级研究员。他在关于该研究的一份报告中写道：“对许多美国人，尤其是婴儿潮一代的人来说，这个消息可能会令人震惊。”

Frey added that for many baby boomers, the term "millennial" has a negative meaning. But now, he explained, "the millennial generation is poised⁵ to take over influential⁶ roles in business and government."

弗雷还表示，对于许多婴儿潮一代的人来说，“千禧一代”这个词具有负面含义。但是他解释道，如今，千禧一代已经准备好接管企业和政府中具有影响力的角色。

Those under age 40 are more diverse in terms of race and ethnicity, with almost half saying they are part of a minority group.

40岁以下人口在种族和族裔方面更加多样化，几乎一半人口称其为少数族群的一部分。

Past public opinion studies have shown that younger generations differed from older generations on major political issues such as immigration, criminal justice and the environment.

过去的民意调查显示，年轻一代在移民、刑事司法和环境等重大政治议题上与老一代存在分歧。

Frey wrote that the coronavirus health crisis and recent racial justice protests are likely to cause the younger groups to promote a number of progressive causes. Progressive refers to using or being interested in new or modern ideas, especially in politics and education.

弗雷写道，新冠病毒健康危机和最近的种族抗议活动可能会导致年轻一代推动许多进步事业。进步是指对新思想或现代思想，尤其是政治和教育方面的新思想进行运用或感兴趣。

I'm John Russell.

我是约翰·罗素。

1 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

2 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

3 millennial   

一千年的，千福年的

参考例句：

• Both Russia and America looked to the future to fulfill their millennial expectations. 俄国和美国都把实现他们黄金时代的希望寄托于未来。
• The millennial generation is celebrating the global commons every day, apparently unmindful of Hardin's warning. 千禧一代显然对哈丁的警告不以为然，每天都在颂扬全球“公地”。

4 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

5 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

6 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。